Yakuza: Dead Souls (PS3)

Brand new and works perfectly.

Un juego entretenido para pasar el rato sin grandes pretensiones. Puede que se aleje del tono y el espíritu de la franquicia pero como spin off es bastante valido.

A really underated game. Yakuza is one of those great games no one knows about. In Japan this game is a best seller. This game drifts from the realistic storytelling by introducing a virus that can mutate and inject morphin into people's minds, then those now infected are made to share that virus with others. Maybe a bit cliche considering how popular survival horror is, but this game breaksaway from the cliche by mixing this with a story centred around the yakuza. I haven't played Yakuza 2, its the only one I still need to play, but we have returning characters. There are emotional moments as you get deeper into the game, although the story minly begins to pick up once you rach Ryuda's story. Kiryu has a longer story thankfully unlike Yakuza 4 so don't panic if you feel there isn't a story upto Majima. Although this game is a spin-off and can easily be brushed off as non-canon, the storytelling elements actually can fit into the Yakuza timeline since everything works out in the end. The only characters that'll die are those who weren't supposed to be around in the main series - e.g. the villains of course. The gameplay is good, it actually works nicely and camera control is fluid so it can be helpful for narrow corridors or when you are surrounded by zombies. It can become boring though to replay once you're finished since it becomes a zombie grindfest. I guess it depends on your mood at the time and whether you feel like going on long sidequests to kill zombies. However, the price on this game is good value, I recommend people start picking the Yakuza titles as it is one of the best games in the ps3 gen and still has all the elements that defined the golden era of the psone and two, that is the fact that all unlockable are in the game instead of having to be milked for DLC that ruin the sense of surprise unlockables. So I already have a sense of brand loyalty.

I was somewhat apprehensive over this game having read mixed reviews. However as a fan of the previous games once I started DEAD SOULS all my doubts dissipated. This is a YAKUZA game plain and simple; the qame is massive as usual with all the side-quests not to mention new ones. The only real difference is the fighting being replaced by shooting. However this in no way ruins the game and if anything makes a nice change especially if you like zombies and/or a tongue-in-cheek slant on survival horror. Considering the game is now budget priced (15 quid most places) and the DLC that came with the Limited Edition is now FREE on the Playstation Store you really can't go wrong. I've knocked a point off as like Yakuza 4 the main location is the same city and let us face it things really haven't changed that much since Yakuza 3. But as I've said if you are a fan of the series you will find very little to complain about here.

Yakuza dead souls arrived in the usual brown envelope but were brand new in the official playstation wrapping. The problems started when I inserted the disc for the first time. It was at first not recognised by my Blu-ray player. I tried reinserting the disk several times but error code 80010514 appeared after a blank screen on every occasion. I returned this copy back to Amazon for a replacement which arrived 2 days later which looked brand new and sealed. When booted for the first time the dreaded error code appeared. I tried reinserting a few minutes later and worked once. The problem was later on a day later when the game disk was no longer recognised by my Blu-ray drive. This is a shame because I bought and enjoyed the previous Yakuza game. My blu ray drive is still functioning correctly and still in good condition. I have older games such as Just Cause2 that would load up first time and work. I also have blu ray movies that have worked time and time again. I have now since returned this for a full refund.

A spin off title in the "Yakuza" ("Ryu ga Gotoku" in Japan) series, Dead Souls focuses on a "what if" scenario where a zombie outbreak occurs in Kamurocho. Featuring characters: Kazuma Kiryu (main character in most Yakuza games), Goro Majima (also a character since the start), Ryuji Goda (of Yakuza 2) and Shun Akiyama (of Yakuza 4); they each play a role in trying to stop the outbreak. The gameplay changes from what Yakuza is mainly about--fighting. Instead, you now mainly use guns, from shotguns to gatling guns. Returning is the upgrade system, not only for the player character; but now for weapons and armour. Dead Souls still uses most of the familiar Yakuza systems of inventory management, playable mini games (such as: Mahjong and Gambling), and the familiar setting of Kamurocho (although somewhat changed due to the outbreak). With the main mission of stopping the outbreak, there are side quests of helping people with their problems, should you choose to do so. Bad points of the game include the character animation, where once hit, it takes you a couple of seconds to get up and move. Problem with this, is that any object sent towards you will knock you down. This state of always getting hit by something will repeat this animation until you are clear to move away--which can lead to you losing quite a lot of health. Another bad aspect of the game, a minor for most people, is that you cannot change the control setup. You will have to aim with the left stick, instead of the shooter standard right stick. Nonetheless, the game is fun and any Yakuza fan should play this game.