Yakuza 6 finally coming to North America, gets trailer it deserves

The Yakuza series has been a cult-hit outside of Japan for years, but it feels like the most recent PS4 North American release – Yakuza 0 – has finally broken through to the mainstream success it deserves. Fans of Saints Row and GTA should jump all over Yakuza’s wacky open-world offering of cinematic story, bone-crushing melee, and goofy distractions.

Yakuza 6 has been out in Japan since December 2016 but hadn’t received a North American or European release date until now. It’s set for March 20th in both regions.

A new trailer for Yakuza 6: The Song of Life has also been released, showing off the unique tone the series offers.

And of course, if you want to spend much more than the usual price, there will be special editions available, with all types of memorabilia as you can see below.

Yakuza 6 will be the final chapter, but those interested in the beginning will be happy to know the first Yakuza will be remastered exclusively for the PS4. Titled Yakuza: Kiwami, SEGA is calling it an ‘extreme’ update.

• “A Family Patriarch’s Ransom of New Content – Not just a simple graphical upgrade, Kiwami adds nearly 30 minutes of cutscenes alone, providing all-new insight into the game’s plot and creating common threads with series prequel Yakuza 0. There’s also added distractions (Pocket Circuit car racing, MesuKing: Battle Bug Beauties, new hostesses, and more), side quests and combat updates to bring the original Yakuza game into the latest console generation.
• A Place for Newcomers and Veterans – Yakuza Kiwami is the ultimate bridge in the series: newcomers or those whose Yakuza experience started with Yakuza 0 will have familiar, exacting controls, top-notch SEGA localization, and a solid starting point for entering the Yakuza franchise fresh. Veterans will experience a familiar Kamurocho and plot, but with new levels of story depth and graphical polish.
• But it was me! Majima! – Completely new to Kiwami is the “Majima Everywhere” system, where the series’ deranged, one-eyed maniac will constantly surprise and challenge Kiryu to combat when he least expects it. We’re talking “popping out of a goofy costume” levels of surprise, so players must stay on their toes and be ready to defend themselves from Kiryu’s chief rival.
• Extreme Revitalization – Kiwami is rebuilt from the ground up with all new HD assets, exclusive Japanese voice audio re-recorded by the series cast, and more; optimized for the PlayStation 4 and running in 1080p/60fps. And following suit with SEGA’s commitment to the Yakuza series, the game will release in both physical and digital formats in the west.”

And here I am still needing to finish Yakuza 5 on PS3!