After initially struggling to find its footing in the west, Sega has turned things around in recent years with the Yakuza series. With the latest entry to the series around the corner from its release, Xbox has chosen to make three of the games in the series free for the weekend for Xbox Live Gold members.
The latest series entry, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, is set to release as an Xbox Series X/S launch title, so the timing of this opportunity is likely anything but coincidental. Fans who haven’t experienced the Yakuza series for themselves or who have missed out on a few games can potentially use the free weekend as a launchpad into the series, which may help to increase Yakuza: Like a Dragon sales down the road.
The games Xbox Live Gold subscribers can freely download and play between October 1 and October 4 are Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza Kiwami 2. Yakuza Kiwami 1 and 2 are essentially modern-day, current-gen remakes of the first two games in the series, which initially premiered on the PlayStation 2 back in the mid 2000s. Yakuza 0, on the other hand, is a series prequel detailing the origin stories of series mainstays Kazuma Kiryu and Majima Goro that launched in 2015.
All three of these Yakuza games have rated highly among critics and fans, settling in anywhere from 80% to 90%+ on Metacritic depending on the platform the games are played on. The games are widely praised for having a unique style that’s all Yakuza‘s own, combining beat ’em up combat, riveting dramatic stories, and wacky, bizarre side quests that help to break up the tense atmosphere the games can often have.
While this is a great opportunity for Xbox Live Gold subscribers to give the series a try, it’s not necessarily a requirement to enjoy the upcoming Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The latest game will shake up the formula of prior Yakuza titles considerably, as it will switch from beat ’em up brawler combat to a turn-based RPG system, and features a different protagonist from prior games. Even so, the prior entries can help players to decide if they’re interested in investing in the new game.
While most Yakuza fans are likely to have these games in their collections already, it’s nonetheless an exciting time to be a part of the fanbase. In addition to Like a Dragon, Sega recently announced that Yakuza will receive a Hollywood live-action adaptation, which has received a mixed reaction from players. Only time will tell if Sega can repeat its success with the Sonic movie adaptation.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is set to launch on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on November 10th 2020, with the PS5 version following on March 2nd, 2021.
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