Yakuza - hands on

One thing that sets it apart from the cinema-heavy RPGs that it's partially modeled on is just how quick and punchy the story is. No time is wasted; you get the details, you get into the action, and then you get right back out. The game begins in 1995, as Kazuma makes a pickup at an office - the company president decides to grab a golf club rather than hand over the dough. The battle tutorial teaches you the basics, but you'll learn much more advanced techniques before the game is through.

Kazuma can punch, kick, grab and throw his enemies - or use handy things lying around, like chairs and vases, to deal damage. So far, the fighting isn't the most robust around - find a combo that works and stick with it - but as we've played the bosses have forced us to rethink our basic strategies even when the low-level mobsters don't.

But what's most impressive, besides the mature story (complete with maybe too many F-bombs in the dialogue) is the overall mood. Kazuma gets slapped into jail in 1995, only to be released in 2005 with scores to settle and plots to uncover. And where he hits the street is a seedy section of Tokyo called Kamurocho. Kamurocho isn't a real place, but it's an obvious copy of one - Kabukicho, where the real-life Yakuza and whores hang out.