We already know how Yakuza 3 is blatantly better than Final Fantasy XIII, but it turns out that it could have been even more blatantly better, because some folks have reported that SEGA cut much more content out of the game than was originally revealed.
It wasn't just the hostess bars and the obscure history trivia minigame that were cut out, it seems that the mahjong, shogi, "loser song" minigames were axed, as well as dozens of side quests. Estimates are placed at about 13% of the content available in the game's first 6 chapters were absent from the English version of Yakuza 3.
And it's not just a problem of most players not knowing what they'll miss. Many of those sidequests are worth experience and cashed used to buy upgrades and items, potentially making the game more difficult or grind-heavy.
I don't really understand why they had to go and do this. Why were they concerned about releasing the game ASAP? Were they in that much of a hurry to get steamrolled by Final Fantasy XIII and God of War III? And it's not as if cutting content suddenly makes an already very Japanese game more appealing to western audiences. After all, it was the constant whining by Japanophiles like myself that convinced them to bring the game over in the first place. Sega's continuing inability to properly gauge its audience is maddening.
All that said, I'm just glad Yakuza 3 is happening at all. There's plenty more content available to play, even with the cuts, and I encourage everyone who's interested to take the plunge. If nothing else, you'll get a good game, and Sega might be convinced to bring Yakuza 4 over in a more complete state.
Euro Yakuza 3 sees huge content cuts [CVG]
Contest:
8:00 PM on 03.12.2010
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Now, bring on a non-cut Yakuza 4!
It sucks, I don't like it, but the game itself is still really good. I don't know anymore.
Can't unsee.
As for the US version, there's not a single store in my home state (Maine) that has a copy of it anyway. I was on the fence about paying $60 for the US version of a game I already own, and the absence of the title on any stores around here just makes it easier for me to hold onto my money.
Also, I'm a bit bummed out that they cut out "Loser," that song kicked ass.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMhtrhkggfE
It's still a great game, but goddammit Sega, stop twisting that knife you have in my heart!
I'm not. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. This is something Sega obviously doesn't believe in. Square as well, considering how they gimped certain aspects of their game as well.
Sega can fuck right off. I'll be damned if I'm going to encourage this sort of behavior by spending money on these titles.
WTF is happening in the game industry lately?!
A) This game will flop completely due to being released between Heavy Rain, Final Fantasy XIII and God of War III with absolutely no advertising support and we'll never see Yakuza 4, or
B) This game will sell enough copies, sending a signal to Sega that cutting content, blaming the audience for not understanding foreign concepts, and generally half-assing their work are acceptable codes of conduct and we'll get a similarly butchered Yakuza 4.
Either way, I regret not importing Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 and I'm not going to make the mistake of waiting for a hack job on Ryu Ga Gotoku 4.
They also chose the worst possible time to release a game such as this. It will fail due to the other HUGE releases especially at its release price point which is surprising given how long the game has been out. I am not arguing the worth, just common mentality. Cutting content is a reason to scare away people who wanted to buy the game at full price since if you think about it the game cost full retail price for less content than the JP release.
It's pretty hilarious, if not depressing, how Sega hard has failed with each Western Yakuza title. They deserve some sort of award for their incompetence.
http://forums.sega.com/showthread.php?t=319849
Go there for waaaay better fan cover art. See, this isn't hard Sega. You could have had cover art for free by running a contest with the fans. But that would require...thinking ahead.
Funny you should mention that, as Hardcore Gaming 101 brought to light a nice little conspiracy theory that would explain why Yakuza 3 was rushed to market, and it involves Atlus. If there's truth to the rumor, it's pretty infuriating.
I'm balls deep in Persona 4 right now and high on the Atlus love, too.
Hope Sega learns something for any potential Yakuza 4 USA release.
Naaah...
I had my preorder all set for Yakuza 3, then I heard about the hostess bars being cut, and pulled my preorder. That's just my personal decision: I will import the game myself.
Now with this, it's getting a bit out of hand. All they had to do is slap subtitles in, and call it a day.
My thoughts exactly. I've seen people subtitle dialogue-heavy 22 minute long episodes of anime, accurately and grammatically correct, the same freaking day it comes out in Japan.
If a group of unpaid amateurs could do it within 24 hours, the group of paid amateurs at Sega should have been able to do it with a game they had an entire freaking year to work on.
can live with that
/shogi axed/
can live with that
/"loser song" was axed/
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Now i find out that even more content was cut than what i excepted when i bought the game? Well, fuck.
Yeah, i kinda regret it now as i agree with everything the7k and others have said before me.
My main concern is just that we may never get Yakuza 4 because of this bullshit.
Dammit, I just wanted to enjoy some Yakuza! Why is Sega making that so difficult for me?
Sega they are not...
just strip out anything asian about the game, fuck it.
Now, sing with me: "living is easy with eyes closed..."