Yakuza fights dirty

When it hits in September, Yakuza promises deep gameplay, a complex story written by an award-winning novelist and a realistic look at the life of a Japanese gangster. All we've really seen of the game so far, however, is a whole lot of fighting. But a new batch of screenshots released today reveal… well, more fighting.

On the upside, the new screens offer a look at a slightly different kind of fighting. While most of what we've seen up to this point has involved protagonist Kiryu Kazuma smashing other suit-wearing gangsters in the face, these shots show him mixing it up with hip-hop-looking toughs. They also demonstrate how players will be able to use the environment, as Kazuma uses bicycles, lead pipes and a bar sign to dole out some punishment.

A few of the shots even show Kazuma surrounded by a glowing blue aura, which we're guessing is some sort of power-up. To see them all, hit the Images tab above.

June 28, 2006

Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.