The PlayStation 2 franchise Yakuza is regarded as one of the more prominent titles in Japan, while elsewhere it is nothing more than a mere flop. Recently it was confirmed that Yakuza 3 will be a PlayStation 3 exclusive which is perhaps something that Sony needs at the moment. Now, a day before TGS officially kicks of, core details of the game including setting, initial plot, gameplay features and voice talent have been unveiled.

The previous two Yakuza titles for the PlayStation 2 took place in a modern day Tokyo setting with populated streets, elaborate lights, and everything else that you would come to expect from the highly advanced Japanese society. With Yakuza 3, all of that is thrown out of the window as the storyline will take gamers back to the year 1605 AD. This time around, gamers will be in the Edo Period Kyoto setting.

Yakuza 3’s storyline kicks off with an interesting concept as gamers start in a town called Gion, which is a historical section of Kyoto known for its geisha girls. It is here were it is said that the women use their body to accumulate money while the men use their money to buy dreams. This is where the story begins as bodyguard; Kazumanosuke Kiryu is engaged by a young female named Haruka. Young Karuka asks Kiryu to kill off a character named Musashi Miyamoto. From there the vast story launches into full gear which is set to take you on a emotion and action packed ride.

Yakuza 3 brings about many new features such as four fighting styles (single blade, dual blade, fists, and broad sword), “Heat Action” special movies, and dramatic camera angels. Also note that in previous Yakuza titles you would learn new moves by consulting with a Master, and while that remains the same in Yakuza 3, you will also be able to learn moves from animals just by watching them perform such actions. To add to the replay-value, over 100 side quests are obtainable as well as countless mini-games such as shogi, dice, and archery.

Sega is putting all efforts into this game to ensure that it delivers in all areas including voice acting. With that being said, an initial lineup of actors and actresses (Japan’s finest) was released showing off just how important this is to Sega and the PlayStation 3.

Kojiro Sasaki (voiced by Shouta Matsuda)
Nagayoshi Marume (Naoto Takenaka)
Itou, the bodyguard (Susumu Terajima)
The mysterious monk (Hiroki Matsukata)
Seijyurou Yoshioka (Masaya Kato)
Toji Gion (Takeshi Tsukamoto)

One thing to note is that “3” will not be in the title of the game. This was confirmed by Sega’s NE Soft R&D Creative Officer Toshihiro Nagoshi, the head producer of the Yakuza series. It'll be interesting to see what else is revealed about the third Yakuza at TGS this week, so stay tuned to PlayStation Universe as we will bring you all the updates.

Source: IGN