<s>
Yakuza	B-Application
is	O
an	O
action-adventure	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2005	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
in	O
September	O
2006	B-Application
internationally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
follows	O
Kazuma	O
Kiryu	O
,	O
a	O
yakuza	B-Application
member	O
who	O
spent	O
ten	O
years	O
in	O
prison	O
for	O
a	O
crime	O
he	O
did	O
not	O
commit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yakuza	B-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
an	O
open	O
world	O
and	O
makes	O
use	O
of	O
role-playing	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
Yakuza	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
2006	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
remake	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
,	O
Yakuza	B-Application
Kiwami	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
in	O
2016	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
Windows	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yakuza	B-Application
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
,	O
having	O
sold	O
over	O
1	O
million	O
units	O
on	O
PS2	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
spawn	O
an	O
entire	O
franchise	B-Application
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yakuza	B-Application
is	O
a	O
third-person	O
open	O
world	O
action-adventure	O
game	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
Kazuma	O
Kiryu	O
in	O
the	O
city	O
of	O
Kamurocho	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yakuza	B-Application
utilizes	O
quick	O
time	O
events	O
during	O
the	O
fights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
include	O
a	O
claw	O
crane	O
,	O
a	O
batting	O
cage	O
,	O
a	O
casino	O
(	O
Baccarat	O
(	O
card	O
game	O
)	O
,	O
blackjack	B-Application
and	O
roulette	O
)	O
,	O
toba	O
,	O
and	O
pachislot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
follows	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
Kazuma	O
Kiryu	O
(	O
Darryl	O
Kurylo/Takaya	O
Kuroda	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
yakuza	B-Application
whose	O
life	O
changes	O
when	O
his	O
boss	O
,	O
Sohei	O
Dojima	O
,	O
attempts	O
to	O
rape	O
Kiryu	O
's	O
childhood	O
friend	O
,	O
Yumi	O
Sawamura	O
(	O
Eliza	O
Dushku/Miyako	O
Uesaka	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Dojima	O
is	O
murdered	O
by	O
Kiryu	O
's	O
best	O
friend	O
and	O
fellow	O
yakuza	B-Application
,	O
Akira	O
Nishikiyama	O
(	O
Michael	O
Rosenbaum/Kazuhiro	O
Nakaya	O
)	O
,	O
Kiryu	O
accepts	O
blame	O
for	O
the	O
murder	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
imprisoned	O
for	O
ten	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
escape	O
is	O
aided	O
by	O
a	O
detective	O
named	O
Makoto	O
Date	O
(	O
Bill	O
Farmer/Kazuhiro	O
Yamaji	O
)	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
been	O
investigating	O
Kiryu	O
ever	O
since	O
the	O
death	O
of	O
Dojima	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
now	O
investigating	O
the	O
murder	O
of	O
Third	O
Chairman	O
Masaru	O
Sera	O
(	O
Alan	O
Dale/Ryuji	O
Mizuki	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
former	O
Tojo	O
Clan	O
leader	O
whose	O
death	O
has	O
triggered	O
a	O
war	O
between	O
Kazama	O
,	O
Nishikiyama	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
ambitious	O
yakuza	B-Application
boss	O
,	O
Futoshi	O
Shimano	O
(	O
Michael	O
Madsen/Naomi	O
Kusumi	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Haruka	O
is	O
also	O
targeted	O
by	O
the	O
yakuza	B-Application
,	O
who	O
believe	O
that	O
her	O
pendant	O
,	O
which	O
Yumi	O
gave	O
to	O
her	O
for	O
safekeeping	O
,	O
is	O
the	O
key	O
to	O
the	O
missing	O
ten	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kazuma	O
is	O
forced	O
to	O
protect	O
her	O
from	O
not	O
just	O
Shimano	O
and	O
Nishikiyama	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
Goro	O
Majima	O
(	O
Mark	O
Hamill/Hidenari	O
Ugaki	O
)	O
,	O
Shimano	O
's	O
sadomasochistic	O
lieutenant	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
Omi	O
Alliance	O
,	O
a	O
rival	O
yakuza	B-Application
organization	O
,	O
the	O
Snake	O
Flower	O
Triad	O
,	O
led	O
by	O
Kiryu	O
's	O
old	O
enemy	O
Lau	O
Ka	O
Long	O
(	O
James	O
Horan/Shinichi	O
Takizawa	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
MIA	O
,	O
a	O
mysterious	O
group	O
with	O
ties	O
to	O
the	O
Japanese	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nagoshi	O
chose	O
the	O
focus	O
on	O
yakuzas	B-Application
due	O
to	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
violence	O
the	O
subject	O
tends	O
to	O
incorporate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
team	O
members	O
are	O
from	O
different	O
backgrounds	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
developers	O
that	O
have	O
their	O
roots	O
in	O
the	O
arcade	O
with	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
Super	B-Application
Monkey	I-Application
Ball	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
team	O
members	O
having	O
experience	O
in	O
novel	O
console	O
titles	O
like	O
Panzer	B-Application
Dragoon	I-Application
and	O
Jet	B-Application
Set	I-Application
Radio	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
team	O
wanted	O
to	O
accurately	O
portray	O
yakuza	B-Application
,	O
especially	O
such	O
as	O
their	O
obsession	O
with	O
jingi	O
,	O
their	O
code	O
of	O
honor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
scenes	O
where	O
pinky	O
fingers	O
were	O
cut	O
off	O
,	O
a	O
traditional	O
punishment	O
,	O
but	O
these	O
scenes	O
were	O
removed	O
so	O
that	O
CERO	O
would	O
give	O
Yakuza	B-Application
a	O
favorable	O
rating	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
using	O
the	O
gameplay	O
schematics	O
of	O
one	O
of	O
Nagoshi	O
's	O
earlier	O
titles	O
,	O
SpikeOut	B-Application
,	O
as	O
basis	O
for	O
the	O
combat	O
,	O
Yakuza	B-Application
utilized	O
an	O
entirely	O
new	O
engine	O
crafted	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
software	O
used	O
to	O
help	O
develop	O
the	O
game	O
were	O
Autodesk	B-Device
Softimage	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Seishu	O
had	O
been	O
a	O
gamer	O
since	O
the	O
days	O
of	O
Space	B-Application
Invaders	I-Application
,	O
but	O
over	O
the	O
past	O
four	O
or	O
five	O
years	O
,	O
he	O
had	O
lost	O
interest	O
,	O
as	O
he	O
was	O
less	O
concerned	O
with	O
3D	O
visuals	O
and	O
gameplay	O
than	O
he	O
was	O
with	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yakuza	B-Application
caught	O
his	O
attention	O
,	O
and	O
he	O
decided	O
to	O
accept	O
the	O
project	O
even	O
though	O
it	O
came	O
at	O
the	O
busiest	O
point	O
of	O
his	O
professional	O
writing	O
career	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nagoshi	O
reveals	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
title	O
,	O
which	O
translates	O
to	O
"	O
Like	B-Application
a	I-Application
Dragon	I-Application
,	O
"	O
was	O
his	O
creation	O
;	O
Nagoshi	O
felt	O
that	O
dragons	O
have	O
a	O
strong	O
image	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
evoke	O
Kazuma	O
's	O
strength	O
and	O
manliness	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Localization	O
producer	O
Kevin	O
Frane	O
recalls	O
"	O
When	O
we	O
released	O
the	O
original	O
Yakuza	B-Application
,	O
we	O
knew	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
been	O
a	O
hit	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
we	O
wanted	O
to	O
make	O
sure	O
that	O
we	O
put	O
our	O
best	O
foot	O
forward	O
in	O
releasing	O
a	O
new	O
and	O
unique	O
product	O
to	O
the	O
Western	O
market	O
that	O
would	O
draw	O
just	O
as	O
much	O
acclaim.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
also	O
problems	O
with	O
promoting	O
Yakuza	B-Application
before	O
its	O
English	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ryū	B-Application
ga	I-Application
Gotoku	I-Application
&	O
Ryū	B-Application
ga	I-Application
Gotoku	I-Application
2	O
Original	O
Sound	O
Track	O
(	O
HCV-287	O
)	O
dual-disc	O
boxset	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
Wave	O
Master	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
January	O
25	O
,	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
some	O
in-game	O
locations	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Don	O
Quijote	O
discount	O
store	O
and	O
the	O
Club	O
Sega	O
game	B-Operating_System
centers	I-Operating_System
are	O
modeled	O
after	O
the	O
real	O
life	O
buildings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
mature	O
nature	O
of	O
the	O
Yakuza	B-Application
game	O
,	O
they	O
were	O
rejected	O
by	O
most	O
of	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
latter	O
appears	O
in	O
a	O
TV	O
ad	O
,	O
together	O
with	O
a	O
Suntory	O
drink	O
and	O
a	O
Sega	O
mahjong	B-Application
game	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
displayed	O
in	O
the	O
Kamurocho	O
theater	O
wall	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
's	O
UFO	O
Catcher	O
crane	O
game	O
machines	O
are	O
included	O
as	O
a	O
minigame	O
,	O
and	O
arcade	O
cabinets	O
of	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
4	I-Application
and	O
SpikeOut	B-Application
can	O
be	O
seen	O
in	O
the	O
Club	O
Sega	O
game	B-Operating_System
centers	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
the	I-Device
Best	I-Device
edition	O
(	O
SLPM-74234	O
)	O
included	O
a	O
bonus	O
DVD	O
with	O
the	O
trailer	O
of	O
Yakuza	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
while	O
the	O
reprint	O
(	O
SLPM-74253	O
)	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
during	O
the	O
production	O
of	O
the	O
spin-off	O
was	O
repackaged	O
with	O
a	O
rose	O
cover	O
art	O
instead	O
of	O
white	O
(	O
a.k.a.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
flash	B-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
,	O
"	O
CodeYakuza.com	O
 "	O
,	O
was	O
created	O
and	O
an	O
English	O
subtitled	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
2006	B-Application
live-action	O
adaption	O
directed	O
by	O
Takashi	O
Miike	O
,	O
Like	B-Application
a	I-Application
Dragon	I-Application
:	O
Prologue	O
,	O
was	O
freely	O
downloadable	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
official	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
1	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
HD	O
remaster	O
of	O
the	O
Japanese	O
original	O
version	O
of	O
Yakuza	B-Application
and	O
Yakuza	B-Application
2	I-Application
titled	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
11	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
this	O
"	O
HD	O
edition	O
"	O
was	O
re-released	O
in	O
the	O
budget	O
range	O
"	O
PlayStation	B-Device
3	I-Device
the	I-Device
Best	I-Device
"	O
dedicated	O
to	O
best	O
sellers	O
on	O
the	O
Japanese	O
domestic	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
HD	O
edition	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
for	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
on	O
August	O
8	O
,	O
2013	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
release	O
is	O
notable	O
for	O
being	O
the	O
first	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation-exclusive	O
Yakuza	B-Application
series	O
on	O
a	O
non-Sony	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yakuza	B-Application
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
among	O
Western	O
critics	O
earning	O
a	O
75	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
in	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Newtype	O
USA	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
the	O
adult-themed	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
Dreamcast	O
's	O
Shenmue	B-Application
series	O
"	O
and	O
found	O
that	O
the	O
fighting	O
system	O
would	O
interest	O
many	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GamePro	O
similarly	O
compared	O
it	O
with	O
Shenmue	B-Application
based	O
on	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
subscenarios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameRevolution	O
also	O
praised	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
From	O
an	O
audio/video	O
standpoint	O
,	O
Yakuza	B-Application
is	O
exceptionally	O
well-produced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
UGO	O
Networks	O
praised	O
the	O
seriousness	O
of	O
the	O
story	O
as	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
respects	O
and	O
appreciates	O
yakuza	B-Application
culture	O
and	O
its	O
often	O
forgotten	O
roots	O
in	O
the	O
samurai	O
tradition/bushido	O
code	O
"	O
and	O
thus	O
lamented	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
the	O
Japanese	O
audio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	B-Application
,	O
it	O
shipped	O
345,323	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
its	O
commercial	O
success	O
on	O
the	O
Japanese	O
market	O
,	O
Yakuza	B-Application
had	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
the	I-Device
Best	I-Device
edition	O
on	O
October	O
26	O
,	O
2006	B-Application
,	O
and	O
an	O
exceptional	O
reprint	O
on	O
December	O
6	O
,	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
this	O
Asian	O
long	O
seller	O
title	O
never	O
had	O
a	O
Platinum	O
or	O
Greatest	B-Device
Hits	I-Device
re-release	O
on	O
the	O
Western	O
markets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PS2	B-Device
version	O
had	O
sold	O
over	O
1	O
million	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Toshihiro	O
Nagoshi	O
"	O
[	O
Ryu	B-Application
ga	I-Application
Gotoku	I-Application
was	O
successful ]	O
because	O
there	O
were	O
only	O
a	O
few	O
titles	O
which	O
directly	O
portray	O
original	O
Japanese	O
culture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
titled	O
Yakuza	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
December	O
7	O
,	O
2006	B-Application
,	O
Sega	O
promising	O
an	O
improved	O
fighting	O
system	O
and	O
further	O
exploration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nagoshi	O
commented	O
on	O
some	O
of	O
his	O
goals	O
with	O
Yakuza	B-Application
2	I-Application
being	O
providing	O
a	O
deeper	O
dramatic	O
storyline	O
over	O
what	O
was	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
also	O
has	O
some	O
themes	O
that	O
were	O
not	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
,	O
including	O
an	O
adult	O
love	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
remake	O
of	O
Yakuza	B-Application
,	O
titled	O
Yakuza	B-Application
:	I-Application
Kiwami	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
January	O
21	O
,	O
2016	O
in	O
Japan	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kiwami	O
improved	O
the	O
resolution	O
,	O
framerate	O
,	O
textures	O
and	O
loading	O
times	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
additional	O
content	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
resolve	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
confusing	O
plot	O
points	O
and	O
establish	O
connections	O
to	O
the	O
prequel	O
title	O
Yakuza	B-Application
0	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yakuza	B-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
and	O
(	O
until	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Judgment	B-Application
)	O
only	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
feature	O
an	O
English	O
dub	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	B-Application
,	O
Takeshi	O
Miyasaka	O
directed	O
a	O
prequel	O
Like	B-Application
a	I-Application
Dragon	I-Application
:	O
Prologue	O
( 龍が如く	O
〜序章〜	O
,	O
ryu	B-Application
ga	I-Application
gotoku	I-Application
-joshou	O
-	O
)	O
with	O
mixed	O
martial	O
artist	O
and	O
puroresu	O
wrestler	O
Masakatsu	O
Funaki	O
as	O
Kazuma	O
Kiryu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
film	O
adaptation	O
Like	B-Application
a	I-Application
Dragon	I-Application
( 龍が如く	O
劇場版	O
,	O
ryu	B-Application
ga	I-Application
gotoku	I-Application
:	O
gekijoban	O
)	O
was	O
directed	O
by	O
Takashi	O
Miike	O
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
