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Shenmue III Backers Shouldn’t Forget about Yakuza 5

Shenmue III Backers Shouldn’t Forget about Yakuza 5

There’s all this fervor over Shenmue III at the moment. People are hyped about continuing Ryo’s adventures again. It’s new and exciting. But there’s another game these people could, and should, be getting as enthused about. One which is already complete, in the middle of the localization process, and coming out this very year. I’m speaking, of course, about Yakuza 5 .

I mean, that love should transfer over. The Yakuza series has always been seen as something of a successor to Shenmue . As Kazuma Kiryu, and later additional associates, people have been able to follow mysterious dealings while also attending to the mundane affairs of daily life. People should be professing the same amount of devotion for Yakuza 5 as they are for Shenmue III .

Especially since it’s a miracle we’re even getting this installment. While the Yakuza series is undeniably cool, it hasn’t been the biggest seller outside of Japan. I guess those people who have been clamoring for Shenmue all of these years couldn’t find room in their hearts to pick up every Yakuza entry released overseas. Yakuza 5 was released in Japan in 2012. The fact that Sega, a company in the midst of refocusing its priorities, would go ahead and take a chance on releasing a PS3 game at this point in the console’s lifespan is extraordinary.

This is the most experimental title in the Yakuza series, after all. One of the playable characters is Haruka, Kazuma’s adopted daughter, and her section involves becoming a famous singer. It’s unorthodox, even for one of these games. That, and it’s the first to have five different places in (fictionalized) Japan to visit, instead of focusing around Kamurocho. Yakuza 5 is a risk for Sega, and should be seeing Shenmue III levels of love and appreciation.

Shenmue III Backers Shouldn’t Forget about Yakuza 5

I mean, it isn’t often we get open world sorts of games from Japan. And Shenmue III isn’t going to be released until at least 2018. I know, the Kickstarter says December 2017, but I’m being realistic, and you should be too. This is an unproven property, no matter how good the first two games were. Yakuza 5 is something tangible, which others have experienced, and can attest it’s something worth playing.

The idea of Shenmue III is great, but that’s all it is right now. There’s a notion it could exist, but we won’t be seeing it for years. It makes much more sense to throw our support behind Yakuza 5 right now. The game is going to be here soon and it’s such a miracle we’re even getting it. Let’s divert a little of the Shenmue hype toward that game instead, okay?

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