Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Sega NE R&D |
Publisher(s) | Sega |
Director(s) | Daisuke Sato |
Producer(s) | Masayoshi Kikuchi |
Artist(s) | Kazuki Hosokawa |
Writer(s) | Masayoshi Yokoyama |
Composer(s) |
|
Series | Like a Dragon |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Action-adventure, hack and slash, beat 'em up |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! [lower-alpha 1] [2] is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3. [3] It is a jidaigeki -themed spin-off game in the Like a Dragon series. It was unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show 2007 [4] and released in 2008.
A second Like a Dragon series spin-off set in samurai era, Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! , was released in 2014 on both the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4 systems. Ishin! is set two centuries later than Kenzan!, hence the plots are not related to each other since both games focus on different characters, the historical figures of Sakamoto Ryōma (1836–1867) and Miyamoto Musashi (1584–1645) respectively.
After successfully releasing the first two games on the PlayStation 2, the team initially made fun of their goal of making the next game for the then-new PlayStation 3, while also moving to a different setting. However, they managed to make it in just a year and a bit, and the staff felt refreshed. [5] [6]
The gameplay shows minimal evolution from the first two episodes except for the new item storage system which allows access to an unlimited number of items from savepoints. [7]
There are four fighting styles in the game; fists, one blade, two blades and two-handed blades. There are also QTE-based special moves that the player can execute, known as 'heat action'. [7]
This spin-off is set in Kyoto during the Edo period, in 1605. It is an account of the life of Miyamoto Musashi. The main adventure is completed with sidestories including minigames and a hundred "sub-stories". [8]
After being defeated by the Tokugawa clan at the historical Battle of Sekigahara which took place on October 21, 1600, Miyamoto Musashi retired from his great swordsman life to become a modest yojimbo (bodyguard) in Gion (祇園), Kyoto. Five years after the battle, a little girl named Haruka comes to Gion seeking a local hitman known as Kazumanosuke Kiryu which is actually Miyamoto's new identity. After eventually finding Kiryū, Haruka asks for him to assassinate an impostor pretending to be Miyamoto Musashi. At first, Kiryu refuses, then when the girl goes as far as becoming an indentured servant in an opulent oiran brothel in order to pay the assassination mission he accepts the one-ryō request.
This is the first game in the series where the games' main characters have their face modeled in 3D after their voice actors who are Japanese celebrities. [9] Cyberware's color 3D scanner (model PS) [10] was used to analyze each actor's head & face in order to collect data on its shape and appearance, then this file was worked with the Softimage XSI 3D graphics application.
Two playable demos were released on January 7, 2008, via the Japanese PlayStation Store. The first demo included sandbox play, and the second had a collection of various combat and romantic gameplay segments. [11]
As part of the pre-ordering campaign, the Japanese first print was bundled with a limited item, a monography called Kamutai Magazine (March 2008 issue). Sony celebrated the Japanese release of the game with a 10,000 pieces limited edition Satin Silver 40GB model "PlayStation 3 Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! Pack" (PlayStation®3 龍が如く 見参!パック, Ryū Ga Gotoku Kenzan! Pakku) SKU including a "Rising Dragon" (昇竜, Noburyū) stickers set to customize the console case. [12]
The Japanese version was released on March 6, 2008, in both Japan [8] and South East Asia, [13] while Sony published it in South Korea on March 25, 2008, with a subtitled script book. [14]
In late December 2009, commenting the opportunity of a western release, Sega Australia managing director Darren Macbeth said "there is nothing in the plan at this stage for Yakuza Kenzan. Right now we are focusing on the release of Yakuza 3. The feedback we get from this release will help us in making future decisions". [2] In March 2010, Yakuza 3 had a western release as did in 2011 Yakuza 4 . Then again, in 2012, a second spinoff was also released abroad and localized as Yakuza: Dead Souls .
In 2019, then-producer of the series, Daisuke Sato, commented that due to its age as an early PS3 game, releasing a simple HD remaster as with Yakuza 3-5 (which were re-released as The Yakuza Remastered Collection ) would make players today feel like something is missing, and as a result, Kenzan! is suitable for a remake similar to Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2 . [15]
Though a Western release has yet to happen, the Western release of Like a Dragon: Ishin! in 2023 (originally released in Japan in 2014) has led to an increased speculation about a Western release of Kenzan! After Ishin! received a remake in 2023, speculation arose yet again for same treatment to happen to Kenzan!, executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama and chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto stated that there was not enough demand for it, and a remake would have to be built for the ground up for the current generation of consoles. [16]
The Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan! Original Sound Track (HCV-381) album was published by Wave Master in Japan on March 6, 2008. [17] The music was composed by Hidenori Shoji, Hideki Sakamoto, Hiroyoshi Kato, Keisuke Ito and Yuri Fukuda, with additional cutscene music by Hideki Naganuma. [18]
The game also features two songs by Japanese hip hop artists Zeebra and Ketsumeishi; Zeebra collaborated later with the Yakuza 4 opening theme, "Butterfly City".
Clothes manufacturer Cropped Heads collaborated with Sega to produce licensed Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan! tee-shirts, [20] and Ace Cook produced Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan! cup noodles. [21]
Within four days of its release in Japan, Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! sold 177,897 copies. [22] As of March 31, 2008, it sold 282,800 copies. [23] As a best seller in Japan, the game received a budget re-release under the PlayStation 3 the Best bargain collection on December 11, 2008. [24] It reached lifetime sales of 387,148 in Japan. [22]
It earned the Award for Excellence at the Japan Game Awards 2008, [25] and the Japanese video game magazine Famitsu reviewed it 37/40. [26]
Yakuza is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 2. It was released in 2005 in Japan and in September 2006 internationally. The story follows Kazuma Kiryu, a yakuza who spent ten years in prison for a crime he did not commit. After being released, he learns that the criminal underworld is searching for 10 billion yen that has been stolen from the Tojo clan. He comes across an orphan named Haruka who is being targeted by the clan. She is believed to have the key to their lost money and Kiryu resolves to protect her. The game takes place in Kamurocho, a realistic recreation of Tokyo's Kabukicho district.
Yakuza 2 is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 2. The second installment of the Like a Dragon series and the sequel to Yakuza, it was released on December 7, 2006, in Japan and in September 2008 in North America and Europe. The game focuses on the former yakuza Kazuma Kiryu who receives a request for help from his former group, the Tojo Clan yakuza of eastern Japan, to stabilize relationships with the Omi Alliance group of western Japan. Across Kiryu's journey, he learns of a Korean mafia group linked with both the Omi and his own past, and becomes the rival of the Omi's "Dragon of Kansai", Ryuji Goda.
Yakuza 3 is the third main entry in the Like a Dragon series, released for the PlayStation 3 in 2009. It was developed and published by Sega. It was released in Japan and South East Asia on February 26, 2009, and in North America and Europe on March 9, 2010, and March 12, 2010. A remaster containing all cut content was released in Japan on August 9, 2018, and worldwide on August 20, 2019, for the PlayStation 4, and on January 28, 2021, for Windows and Xbox One. A sequel, Yakuza 4, was released on March 18, 2010, in Japan.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon, is a 2007 Japanese crime film directed by Takashi Miike, based on the 2005 PlayStation 2 video game Yakuza. The film stars Kazuki Kitamura, Goro Kishitani, Show Aikawa, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, Kenichi Endō and Tomorowo Taguchi.
Yakuza 4 is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3. It is the fourth main entry in the Like a Dragon series. The game was formally announced on July 24, 2009. A promotional video was presented at the 2009 Tokyo Game Show. The sequel to Yakuza 3, it was released on March 18, 2010 in Japan, after a playable demo was released on the Japanese PlayStation Store on March 5. Yakuza 4 was released in Europe and North America in March 2011. A sequel, Yakuza 5, was released in 2012.
Like a Dragon ~ Prologue ~, also known as Like a Dragon: Prologue, is a 2006 Japanese crime drama original video film directed by Takeshi Miyasaka with Takashi Miike as executive director. It is based upon Toshihiro Nagoshi's 2005 video game Ryū ga Gotoku, known in the West as Yakuza, released on PlayStation 2.
Yakuza, known in Japan as Ryū ga Gotoku and also known as Like a Dragon in recent series entries to align with its Japanese name, is a video game franchise created, owned and published by Sega. It incorporates elements of the action-adventure, beat 'em up, and role-playing genres.
Kurohyō: Ryū ga Gotoku Shinshō, codenamed "Project K", is a video game developed by Sega along with syn Sophia and released by Sega for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in 2010. The game was introduced on April 21, 2010 by Famitsu and is a spin-off of Sega's Yakuza series. An adaptation of the game was televised from October 5 to December 21, 2010, on Tokyo Broadcasting System.
Yakuza: Dead Souls is an action-adventure survival horror video game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3. The game is a spin-off of the Like a Dragon series. The game was originally scheduled for release in Japan on March 17, 2011 two days after the release of Yakuza 4 in North America; however, after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the release was indefinitely delayed. A new release date, setting the game's release for June 9, was announced on April 7. The game was also released in North America and Europe by Sega in March 2012. The gameplay and themes is based on another Sega horror-themed rail gun called The House of the Dead series.
Yakuza 5 is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3. The game is the fifth main entry in the Like a Dragon series. The game was released in December 2012 in Japan, and localized for North America, Europe and Australia as a PlayStation Network download in December 2015. A remaster with improved resolution and frame rate was released for the PlayStation 4 on June 20, 2019 in Japan, and worldwide on February 11, 2020 as part of The Yakuza Remastered Collection. Versions for Windows and Xbox One were released in January 2021.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a role-playing video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. The first mainline title in the Yakuza franchise developed as a turn-based RPG, it was released in Japan and Asia for PlayStation 4 on January 16, 2020. The western release of the game for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on November 10, 2020 included new costumes, the English audio track and some previously paid DLC. This version was then released in Asia under the subtitle International on February 25, 2021 for Windows and Xbox platforms. The game was released worldwide for PlayStation 5 on March 2, 2021, and a version for Amazon Luna launched on December 10, 2021.
Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It is a spin-off of the Like a Dragon series, formerly and commonly known in English localization as Yakuza. It was released on February 22, 2014, exclusively in Japan, serving as a launch title for the PlayStation 4. A remake, Like a Dragon: Ishin!, was released in February 2023 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It was developed using Unreal Engine 4, and received a worldwide release unlike the original game.
Yakuza 0 is an action-adventure game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is the sixth main entry in the Yakuza series and a prequel to the original game. It was released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in Japan in March 2015, and in North America and Europe for PlayStation 4 in January 2017. It was released on Windows on 1 August 2018 and on Xbox One on 26 February 2020. A free accompanying game application for PlayStation Vita, titled Yakuza 0: Free to Play Application for PlayStation Vita, was released in Japan in February 2015. Set in late 1988 during Japan's bubble era, and seventeen years before the events of the first game, the story follows Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima as they get embroiled in a conflict between various Yakuza factions for control of a patch of land known as the "Empty Lot".
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega for PlayStation 4. The game is the seventh main entry in the Like a Dragon series and the final main game to feature Kazuma Kiryu as the primary protagonist, and was released in Japan in December 2016. The English version was released in Southeast Asia in March 2018, and worldwide the following month. Versions for Windows and Xbox One were released in March 2021. The game was followed up by Yakuza Kiwami 2, a remake of the second game, and by Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the next chronological installment, released in 2020.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is a remake of the 2006 video game Yakuza 2 for the PlayStation 2, and is the Like a Dragon series' second remake title following 2016's Yakuza Kiwami. It was developed using the Dragon game engine from Yakuza 6. The game was released for PlayStation 4 on December 7, 2017 in Japan, and worldwide on August 28, 2018. It was released for Windows worldwide on Steam on May 9, 2019 and released for Xbox One on July 30, 2020. A version for cloud-based platform Amazon Luna was released on January 19, 2023.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is a video game developer housed within the Japanese video game company Sega as part of its Sega CS Research and Development No. 1 division. It is known for developing the games in the Like a Dragon series, which the studio is named after, since Yakuza 5.
Ryuji Goda, is a fictional character from Sega's action-adventure game Like a Dragon series, previously known as Yakuza outside of Japan, first appearing in 2006's Yakuza 2. Goda also appears as one of the main characters in a spin-off title of the series, Yakuza: Dead Souls, which does not follow the series' canon and is set in an alternate timeline where Goda survives his wounds at the end of Yakuza 2. Goda is voiced by Masami Iwasaki in all media.
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Masayoshi Yokoyama is a Japanese game producer, director and writer from Sega, most specifically Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, a studio within Sega Div. 1, where he's the head of the division and studio since 2021. He is mainly known for his work in the Yakuza series, where he has been working since the very beginning as a writer and later on as a producer.