A new year, a new Yakuza 3 TV spot

by Justin McElroy { Jan 1st 2008 at 12:30PM }

We don't know exactly how the Yakuza continuity is going to quantum leap from modern day back to feudal Japan for the third game in the series, but this trailer just does a little more to confirm for us that whatever the circumstances are of the time jump, we are definitely on board.

While watching it, we have to give a thumbs up to the heavy presence of samurai (if you're not up on your history, samurai are classier, less sneaky ninjas). There's one slight problem, though: We hope we're able to get past it, put when we watch Yakuza 3 stuff it's hard to put Onimusha and (more troubling) Genjii out of our minds. Anybody else?

Tags: yakuza, yakuza-3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

LaughingTarget @ Jan 1st 2008 12:39PM

Japanese rap and goofy animations in feudal Japan ... strange combination.

Anyway, this'll be a renter for me.

TheAnimist @ Jan 1st 2008 12:47PM

If your into anime, Samurai Champloo was freakin' awesome.

DemonGSides @ Jan 1st 2008 1:19PM

I hate Anime and Samurai Champloo is still the shit.

Jerk Face @ Jan 1st 2008 1:14PM

This looks pretty cool, from the short trailer. I am not in any way opposed to more cool samurai games, Yakuza focused or not.

sheppy2.0 @ Jan 1st 2008 1:32PM

I have nary a bad word for the idea of a Fuedal Japan crime drama game. And while it's easy to make parallels to Onimusha (great game series), I just cannot connect Genji.

Kendrick @ Jan 1st 2008 1:39PM

It's important to remember that modern yakuza see themselves as a logical successors to the samurai, in a way that the salarymen are not. It's a way of preserving that culture of class difference in a modern Japan, where an occupying United States arguably forced democracy and egalitarianism on people who didn't ask for it. It makes perfect sense to me that one of Kazuma's ancestors might have been a samurai and might have had experiences that are shaping his descendants' fate.

sheppy2.0 @ Jan 1st 2008 1:56PM

It's also important to remember that Yakuza's were most infuential when gaining fallen Samurai who were embittered by the massive lose of influence and power the end of the Daimyo era of Japan brought about.

After all, you have men who were able to cut people down on a whim and help control over most matters suddenly being told they are powerless and can't even carry swords in public anymore.