Fans of the Yakuza series are very familiar with the unhinged Goro Majima, but Yakuza 0 shows a glimpse of his life before he was known as the "Mad Dog" of the Shimano Family. Since the game is a prequel to the series, you'll first meet Majima as a disgraced member of the Tojo Clan running the magnificent Grand Cabaret in Sotenbori, Osaka as a civilian. Due to a past transgression, his bosses h... more.

Yakuza 0 is one of the best jumping in points for those new to the series, but there's still a little bit of legwork to figure out what's going down in Kamurocho (the fictional red light district of the Yakuza series) when players take control of protagonist Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima next year. So we sat down the SEGA of America clan patriarc...er, localization producer Scott Strichart and h... more.

Putting the term "organized" in "organized crime" means one thing and one thing only: Taking care of business. And in Yakuza 0's 1988-era Tokyo, business is BOOMING. And I say that with zero hyperbole because Yakuza 0's main protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu goes from debt collector (the physical kind) to real estate mogul within the red-light district of Kamurocho. Or in Goro Majima's case, the manage... more.

Behind the decadent glitz and glamour of 1980s Japan lies an underworld of money, sin, and above all else... opportunity. Anything and everything is ripe for the taking, but always remember that more money inexorably leads to more problems. And for Yakuza 0's two protagonists, Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, the problems are just starting. And their problems will become players' problems when SEG... more.

The characters Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima sprang to life in video games all the way back in 2005, but we got to experience their lives in the midst of their inglorious Yakuza careers, even seeing what life was like after getting out of the organization. But now, with Yakuza 0, players get to step into the sartorially immaculate shoes of Kiryu and Majima *before* they became the Dragon and the... more.

Sega today announced that Yakuza 5 is now available digitally on PlayStation Network in the West. The open-world action adventure game was originally released in Japan in 2012, but gangster enthusiasts in the Americas and Europe can now experience the dark side of Japan through the eyes of five interconnected protagonists. Gamers take control of legendary former yakuza Kazuma Kiryu, infamous en... more.

The 1980s in Japan were defined by unprecedented amounts of decadent overindulgence - and nothing was out of greed's reach, especially in Kamurocho. A chilly but electric Tokyo in December 1988 is the backdrop for Kazuma Kiryu's ascension into the ranks of the Yakuza - the name given to members of notorious crime organizations. And with Yakuza 0, newcomers to SEGA of America, Yakuza series wil... more.

An Angry Yakuza Lieutenant, a Manipulative Cop, and a Sadistic Prison Inmate Are Just Some of the People You'll Meet in Yakuza 5. When someone has ties to the Yakuza, their life is probably not boring. In fact, it's probably filled with, violence, money, and legally ambiguous activities. While I don't personally know anyone who is connected to the yakuza to confirm this, I do know that the prot... more.

One of the most important things a Yakuza must know is how to beat people's faces to a pulp. We're talking about brutal, bloody and no-holds-barred street fighting. Kiryu and Saejima didn't get street cred by adopting puppies and saving the trees, they got it by beating the ever-living crap out of everyone who dared stand in their way. In Yakuza 5, each protagonist possesses unique fighting sty... more.

So first, here's a quick mea culpa from me: I've been thinking about Yakuza 5 completely wrong. Admittedly, I have not played much of the Yakuza series, and if you caught our livestream last week you saw the bulk of what I've played already. But here's one important lesson that I've learned: You're not acting like Yakuza 24/7. Well, I mean, you are - Kiryu, Shinada, all the rest of the protagon... more.