Yakuza 5 (PlayStation 3) Review

A new engine, a fresh start, and the biggest game in the series to date, Yakuza 5 introduces five playable characters for the first time ever, each with entire story chapters of their own, playing out much in the same way as Yakuza 4 - one by one, starting with the main man, Kazuma Kiryu, and cycling through Taiga Saejima, Haruka Sawamura, Shun Akiyama and Tatsuo Shinada. That's right - in another first for the series, a slightly older Haruka is playable in her own story chapter, but with a twist. Instead of fisticuff battles on the seedy streets of Japan, Haruka takes part in dance offs against other wannabe pop stars, playing out as rhythm games not unlike those already available in the karaoke mini-game sessions, albeit with a few extra details thrown in to mix it up a bit.

The format in general hasn't really changed from previous outings. With each character comes a different city to explore, and in RPG style, running through the streets and alleys of the semi-open world means street punks, yakuza and other thugs picking fights, transitioning the current area into a small battle zone. Even on the normal difficulty mode, it is pretty undemanding - anyone with experience of the past games will find completing the main game without dying a likely outcome - but the fight system itself remains as frantic, brutal and glorious as ever. Roadside objects can be picked up and used to pummel the hell out of enemies, including traffic cones, shop signs, Christmas trees, and even motorcycles. As ridiculous as it looks freely swinging a two-wheeled motor vehicle around, unleashing a special move and smashing it over the face of a floored yakuza to finish him off in slow-mo is the stuff of dreams in the violent video game world.

Through experience points, levelling up and upgrading, there are plenty of abilities and moves to learn to batter foes with, taking battles to the extreme. Whereas Shenmue predominantly relies on realistic martial arts moves, Yakuza has always gone for a more over-the-top route - still retaining a real-world likeness with street fighting, but also emphasising outrageousness through the range of insane and dirty special attacks that can be unleashed for satisfying effect. Dramatic cut-scenes and sound effects add to the coolness of it all, where you can almost feel every crunching kick and punch. A handful of background items can be equipped to alter minor defensive and offensive stats, but it's relatively pointless in the grand scheme of things.

Story pacing is one of Yakuza 5's biggest complaints. As expected in terms of where Kazuma is at in his life when the game begins, and when transitioning to other protagonists' chapters, the overall plot moves slowly on a number of occasions, and fluctuates throughout. This is most notable in Saejima's scenario, where things come to a bit of a halt, switching up the gameplay style to that of using a rifle to go hunting in the snowy mountains. Needless to say, Haruka's change-up from fighting to rhythm games significantly alters the experience, reverting back to standard Yakuza fare after her chapter. Some sections draw out a little, but there is importance placed on giving as much choice to the player as possible by allowing the cities to be explored at every given opportunity.

Saejima is able to skip a large chunk of the events in the mountains if desired, and Kazuma can opt not to bother doing all of his taxi and racing missions. Focusing only on core story quests will help speed the game along. The way so many of the side missions are portrayed as being relevant plot-wise, though, almost forces the need to see the majority of them through before proceeding with main events, and, ultimately, to the next character's chapter. Since each male can visit their local hostess club to raise ranks with a specific lady, these also warrant completing before moving on, although it becomes clear in the end that all of these side missions can be completed later on.

Hostess conversations and events themselves have been vastly improved, and the new first-person perspective when speaking to them and answering questions provides a more personalised experience. It's almost a dating sim of sorts, and by successfully answering in their favour, asking the right questions, and buying the right drinks and food, flirtatious cut-scenes will unlock, with the opportunity to attain the highest approval rating and a short story scenario. Downtime is in near-constant effect in Yakuza 5, allowing these hostess clubs and other areas to be visited to pass the time.

Side quests and mini-games have always played a massive part in the series, and it's no different this time around. From going to the arcade to play classic SEGA games, pachinko and slot machines, to air hockey, karaoke, golf, fishing, darts, pool, baseball, bowling, blackjack, mah-jong and lots more, literally hundreds of hours can be wasted playing non-story stuff alone! The completion rating will take a huge investment to ever reach 100%, but whether playing for that satisfaction or not, the variety of fun time-wasters on offer is incredible, and doesn't detract from the central plot at all.