Game reviews: Yakuza 5 and Gravity Rush
Yakuza 5 creates a richly detailed world to explore, and Gravity Rush is easily the best gateway into the wonderful world of Japanese video games
Sega
It’s taken a long time for Yakuza 5 to finally appear in an English-language incarnation – three years and two days from its Japanese release, to be exact – but the game is still only available on the mostly outdated PlayStation 3. So how does it hold up, despite the ridiculously long delay and console setback?
Surprisingly well, to be fair – but that’s mostly due to the uniquely Japanese gaming emphasis on storyline, rather than gameplay. Here, more than in any previous Yakuza entry, there’s a focus on lengthy cut scenes that delve into this mysterious world of honour-bound gangsters and treacherous rogues. Think Metal Gear Solid’s incredibly long spy-fi exposition, but transported to the neon-lit, urban streets of Tokyo.
Gamers take on five different protagonists, similar to the multi-story campaign of GTA V, each placed in five distinctly Japanese cities. But that’s where the comparisons end – unlike its American counterpart, the Yakuza series has never attempted to glorify gangsters, instead portraying a low-level thug’s life complete with all the humdrum moments.