Admittedly I started this game to pass time before MK and Portal 2, now I'm not usually a fan of these types of games however I am having a very good time with Yakuza 3 at the moment.

I am currently only about 8 hours into my game and the completion percentage stands at 1%.
Even though the game is subtitled the voice acting in Japanese is decent and makes the characters feel believable even though they can be quite stereotypical.

The combat is really simple, although I am slowly unlocking more and more moves as I level up.
The story is quite complicated as I didn't play the first 2 but I did watch the recaps that they provide and they do an alright job at filling you in on the storyline. Additionally some of the missions can be quite slow and feel pointless, however it does make the world seem more believable and immerses you more.

Was any body else surprised at how much they would enjoy a game like this?
Any body interested in taking the jump into Yakuza? I definitely recommend it.    

Admittedly I started this game to pass time before MK and Portal 2, now I'm not usually a fan of these types of games however I am having a very good time with Yakuza 3 at the moment.

I am currently only about 8 hours into my game and the completion percentage stands at 1%.
Even though the game is subtitled the voice acting in Japanese is decent and makes the characters feel believable even though they can be quite stereotypical.

The combat is really simple, although I am slowly unlocking more and more moves as I level up.
The story is quite complicated as I didn't play the first 2 but I did watch the recaps that they provide and they do an alright job at filling you in on the storyline. Additionally some of the missions can be quite slow and feel pointless, however it does make the world seem more believable and immerses you more.

Was any body else surprised at how much they would enjoy a game like this?
Any body interested in taking the jump into Yakuza? I definitely recommend it.    

Well, the release of the next Yakuza game is questionable, because I don't think they ever actually announced a non-Japan release, and in Japan, it was delayed right after the earthquake/tsunami stuff, and I don't think they've said anything about when/if it will come out.

" Admittedly I started this game to pass time before MK and Portal 2, now I'm not usually a fan of these types of games however I am having a very good time with Yakuza 3 at the moment.I am currently only about 8 hours into my game and the completion percentage stands at 1%.Even though the game is subtitled the voice acting in Japanese is decent and makes the characters feel believable even though they can be quite stereotypical.The combat is really simple, although I am slowly unlocking more and more moves as I level up.The story is quite complicated as I didn't play the first 2 but I did watch the recaps that they provide and they do an alright job at filling you in on the storyline. Additionally some of the missions can be quite slow and feel pointless, however it does make the world seem more believable and immerses you more.Was any body else surprised at how much they would enjoy a game like this?Any body interested in taking the jump into Yakuza? I definitely recommend it.     "

I played and finished Yakuza 4 earlier this month, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had never ever played a Yakuza game before; with the 4th one being my first. They have an excellent recapping movie that goes into detail about the plot of the previous three that was really helpful. Usually when games try to recap, it's not that great or doesn't provide enough information (ie: Dead Space 2, R&C: A Crack in Time), but I thought that Yakuza 4's was extremely well done.

The game is also fantastic, better than I had been led to believe it was. There is so much stuff to do, almost too much stuff. Gameplay is pretty good. But it really excels in its cutscenes and stylistic choices. The mocap for the cutscenes is some of the best I've ever seen, aside from Enslaved.

But yeah, I loved Yakuza 4 with a passion. I have no desire to go back and play the previous games though, but I'll definitely be getting Yakuza 5 if it comes out.

I look forward to playing more of it, although Portal 2 and the Gears beta will take priority for the next week.

The prospect of so many hours of games ahead is daunting. Luckily I'll have lots of free time soon.