For newcomers to the franchise that might decide that they want to play Yakuza 3 Remastered after the release of Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties, however, the only way to purchase it will be through the Yakuza Complete Series bundle.

“We place great importance on staying faithful to our creative direction, and we hope you will enjoy the completely new experiences we have envisioned for Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties,” wrote the studio on social media.

“Those who already own Yakuza 3 Remastered will still be able to continue playing it. For those new to the series who wish to experience the original version, it will be available with the purchase of the Yakuza Complete Series bundle.”

It is worth noting that Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties will be the first time in the franchise’s history that a remake will be released while the Remastered version of the original is still available. The other two remakes in the series—Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2—never had their original versions available on modern platforms, with both Yakuza and Yakuza 2 still being stranded on their original release platform—the PS2.

Leading up to its release next month, Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties will also be getting a free demo. However, publisher Sega hasn’t yet confirmed when this demo will be coming out, or what platforms it will be available on.

The story of Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties will pick up a few months after the events of Yakuza Kiwami 2. After sorting things out with the Tojo Clan in the previous entry, protagonist Kiryu has decided to settle down, running an orphanage in Okinawa alongside his adoptive daughter Haruka. However, his past ties to organized crime are coming back to haunt him, with Kiryu ultimately forced to return to Kamurocho for the sake of his orphanage.

While the story of the remake won’t see many changes from the original Yakuza 3, the Kiwami release is slated to feature quite a bit of additional content, including new substories, activities, and even an expansion of the kinds of things you can do at the orphanage. Alongside the base game, the upcoming release will also include an expansion on the story of Yoshitaki Mine through Dark Ties.

For more details about some of the new activities and karaoke songs, check out the recent overview as revealed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Also check out details about the Morning Glory orphanage, and the Dark Ties-exclusive set of content dubbed Kanda Damage Control and its associated activities.

Later this year, Yakuza 3 Remastered, Yakuza 4 Remastered, Yakuza 5 Remastered and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life will be available. Interestingly, while the remasters of Yakuza 3 to 5 are listed for PlayStation Plus Premium, Sony indicated earlier in the article, “Later this year, for Extra and Premium members, Kiryu’s story concludes with Yakuza 3 Remastered, Yakuza 4 Remastered, Yakuza 5 Remastered and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.”

It’s possible that the separating listings are an error and the entire series is indeed coming to Extra and Premium. Stay tuned for more clarification on the same but at least Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is confirmed for both. As for Yakuza: Like a Dragon, it’s free for PlayStation Plus subscribers on PS4 and PS5 from August 2nd to September 6th.

The month is almost out but Xbox Game Pass still has some big name games coming up. Key among them is Control, which arrives for PC subscribers on January 21st. It’s joined by Desperados 3 and Donut County, both playable on Android, consoles and PC. Outer Wilds will also be playable on Android on the same day.

Next week sees the release of Cyber Shadow, a retro action platformer published by Yacht Club Games, on January 26th. It will be available for Android, consoles and PC. January 28th is going to be a big day though with The Medium being available on Xbox Series X/S and PC. The Yakuza Remastered Collection (which compiles Yakuza 3 to 5 Remastered) is out on the same day as well for consoles, PC, and Android.

Long story short, there’s a lot to look forward to, especially for Yakuza fans. Several titles will also be leaving the service on January 29th – you can check out more information on those here. Stay tuned for more details on Xbox Game Pass especially with February on the horizon.

Microsoft had a fairly decent presence at The Game Awards this year with The Initiative revealing its reboot of Perfect Dark at last. It also showcased a new trailer for Xbox Game Pass with current and upcoming titles. Sure, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – Special Edition coming to the service is great but more importantly, The Yakuza Remastered Collection and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life have also been confirmed.

This means that remasters of Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 along with Yakuza 6 will be playable on Xbox platforms and PC for the first time. But that’s not all – they’ll also be available on Steam as per an official tweet. The Yakuza Remastered Collection arrives on January 28th 2021 for the platform (with each game also being sold separately) while Yakuza 6: The Song of Life arrives on March 25th 2021.

Other upcoming titles for Game Pass include Neoverse, Killer Queen Black (for console), Cyber Shadow and Among Us (for PC). The Medium is also out on January 28th 2021 for Xbox Series X/S and PC players. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

https://twitter.com/RGGStudio/status/1337222817205653504

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj5JBytPij4

We had learnt back in May that Yakuza 3 was being remastered for the PS4. Since then, we have been able to see some screenshots which showcased what the game would like as well. Now, some new gameplay videos have been released, which showcase the game in action.

The gameplay was actually showcased as part of a livestream. In the first video, we get to see the protagonist going around Okinawa, exploring the city, and even engaging in battle with some enemies. The second video showcases the golf minigame, and if you’re familiar with the series at all,  you would know how integral minigames are to the Yakuza experience. We also get to hear about how smooth the game feels running at 60 frames per second, but we don’t really get to see that in these videos for ourselves, since the livestream was recorded at 30 FPS.

Anyway, it will be a treat to play this game at 60 FPS when it finally releases on August 9- in Japan, at the very least. Sadly, a Western release for the game hasn’t been announced as of now. You can check out both videos, along with a video of the entire livestream below.

https://youtu.be/z8zQLnkA2dE