Yakuza (2005)

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios
Publisher: Sega
Platforms: PlayStation 2
Genres: Fighting, Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Sport, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
Rating: 3.9 of 5, 70 player ratings
Main story: about 20 hours
Where to get it: Website

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More games like this

How it feels

A hard-boiled street brawler where you punch your way through neon-lit Japanese underworld drama, feeling the weight of loyalty and violence with every fight.

grittycinematicstreet-toughdramaticurbanstory-drivenbrawlertensegrounded

About

Just as Kazuma, a former rising star in the Yakuza, emerges from prison after a murder cover-up, 10 billion yen vanishes from the Yakuza vault, forcing him once again into their brutal, lawless world. A mysterious young girl will lead Kazuma to the answers if he can keep her alive.

What players say

A gritty, cinematic crime drama set in the dense neon labyrinth of Kamurocho, telling a melodramatic redemption-and-conspiracy story that felt strikingly true to Japan's underworld for its time. Praised as a landmark that launched a beloved series.

Screenshots

More games like this

More by Sega Sammy Holdings

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.