Yes, the plot to Yakuza 3 is quite a strange one. Kazuma has retired from gang-related shenanigans and opened an orphanage. He takes in a rather lovely selection of kids all with their own problems and begins to mould them into respectful members of society. It’s all very sweet and rather odd. Sooner or later, Kazuma is told that his friend Daigo has been assassinated by a man looking exactly like his deceased father. Kazuma is then pulled back into the Japanese underworld to find out what the hell is happening for himself.

The game begins rather slowly with Kazuma making affectionate bonds with the children in his orphanage on the peaceful island of Okinawa. It’s a peculiar beginning to a game that has history rooted in extreme, street violence. However, this is a ‘prologue’ to the main bulk of the game and allows new gamers to get to grips with the very Japanese nature of Yakuza, learn a bit of the back-story and begin to learn how the game works.

The game later moves into the city and things start to get more familiar. Kazuma must navigate the main story through connecting missions and quests that all involve him getting into massive street-brawls. Fighting is all very simplistic with a variety of punches, kicks and throws. More can be unlocked through levelling up certain stats using EXP earned from fights as well as bizarre side-quests which see Kazuma photographing and blogging on strange occurrences around him through his mobile phone.

It’s spectacularly Japanese and introduces one of Yakuza 3’s main selling points; its’ humour. No-one would ever expect a game like Yakuza 3 to be so funny, but there is a distinct tone of dark humour running throughout the game which give it a very unique presentation.

Speaking of which, Yakuza 3’s aesthetic might be a little dated now, but you cannot deny it looks anything but a classic SEGA title. The detail is superb with Japanese adverts, vending machines, citizens, peddle-taxis (or whatever they’re called) and vehicles littering the streets to really make this world feel lived in. It’s also fantastically vibrant and colourful. If only more Western developed SEGA games looked this gorgeous.

Looking this good, you’ll want to experience all Yakuza 3 has to offer and trust me, there’s a lot to see. Where as the main game itself is of a fairly average length, the game is almost tripled in size thanks to a huge amount of side quests, mini-games and activities to do besides the usual punch-up. You can visit the local arcade and play the magnificent Boxcelios (an arcade shooter), play a very accurate golf simulation, fish off the beach across from the orphanage or take on a side-quest from on of the many NPCs that line the streets. The list goes on.

This is also another, main part of Yakuza 3′s charm. Through all these little activities, you get to see one of the best representations of Japanese culture ever committed to a video game. Everything is perfect; from the visual representation to the game’s fantastic sound design. All sound effects are wonderfully over-the-top and ‘chunky’. It also has one of the most SEGA-sounding scores we’ve heard in a long time. Words cannot describe how superbly old-school Yakuza 3 feels and sounds.

Unfortunately, this is also one of the game’s downsides. Yakuza 3 does feel like it’s rooted in the past. The combat can be too simplistic at times. Sometimes you’ll be wondering whether you’re actually playing a 3D Streets of Rage or a current generation game. It’s not game-crippling, but the long delay certainly shows in this area.

Also, there have been cuts to the content. The hostess bars from the original release have been removed as well as the massage parlours. The Japanese trivia game is also completely absent from the arcades. These are not massive issues but it does feel like SEGA are spoiling what makes a Yakuza game feel the way it does. To make up for this, the disc comes pre-loaded with some of the Japanese pay-to-play DLC which is certainly a nice bonus.

Besides that, we cannot fault Yakuza 3 and we’re incredibly happy it finally got released in our territory. If you want a very Japanese action game with RPG elements and a crazy sense of humour then you really can’t look anywhere else. Spend some time with Yakuza 3 and you’ll be sucked in to one of the most immersive gaming experiences of all time.