Yakuza - hands on

The detail of this game really gets across a real world. Though you'll see technical glitches (like pedestrians blinking out of existence) the tangible reality of the settings still shines through, even on the aging PS2; everything's built to scale, covered in glitzy lights... that fakeness you see in so many "real world" games isn't as much of a problem in Yakuza. And that's pretty exicting, because $50 for a PS2 game is a hell of a lot cheaper than a trip to Japan - and you get to kick ass into the bargain.

There's a bit of concern over the game's voice acting. After all, there's something off about a game set in modern day Japan, featuring an entirely Japanese cast, with English voices passing their lips. Thing is, we didn't really notice it - till we thought about it later, after the PS2 was switched off. The English Kazuma Kiryu exudes exactly the right low-key menace the role calls for, and the supporting cast so far hasn't stumbled, either.

In fact, the only complaints we have with the game as yet simply the technical ones you run into at the end of a generation. Wouldn't it be nicer if everything was more detailed, the loading was less frequent and faster, the graphics were less repetitive? Yes, it would. But if you've made the journey to San Andreas you'll find Kamurocho to be no less compelling - with an electric style all its own.