Yakuza sequel revealed

A sequel to Sega's PS2 game Yakuza, the Tokyo-set adventure fighter, has been announced, along with plans to make the goon-bashing series into a feature film.

Yakuza 2 is again set in Japan, taking place in the city of Osaka, and will boast improved visuals over the original and a bundle of new real-world advertising to lend even more atmosphere to the neon-streaked street roaming action.

The sequel will also boost the original's cabaret club gameplay - where you can visit clubs and attempt to smooch ladies - by enabling you to run your own cabaret club and scour the streets for hot new talent to employ as club hostesses, as well as being able to date girls outside of the clubs.

The original Yakuza is due to launch here in the US for the PS2 on Sept. 5, casting you as ex-con and Yakuza gang member Kazuma in his search through the Japanese criminal underworld for a missing girl called Haruka. This newly-announced sequel is already being prepped for a Japanese launch this December,but it's likely we won't hear a peep regarding a US versionbefore then.

September 1, 2006

Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.