Yakuza 2 Review

BY Nicholas Rego | POSTED: 09 October 2008

A captivating storyline and a no-nonsense combat system makes it a must have.



Even though I enjoy playing games on my Playstation 3, I still regularly switch over to my PS2 to play some of my favourite classics. Sony themselves said that sales of the PS2 aren’t slowing down, and developers are still churning out some quality games for the slim console. Among this year’s releases is Sega’s Yakuza 2, which is a stellar game considering it’s been released for an older console. Nevertheless, its effortless blend of a captivating storyline and rapid-fire combat make it a true work of art.

The original Yakuza game introduced us to Kiryu Kazuma, a hard-hitting Japanese character with bruised knuckles and a cloudy past. In Yakuza 2, Kazuma has tried to put the events of the original game behind him and lead a normal life, but the gangs and corruption of the street fail to let him go. Caught in a truce that goes horribly wrong, Kazuma is once again forced to take matters into his own hands and find out exactly what is going on. But rather than going around beating the stuffing out of people, Kazuma relies more on his instincts and people skills to source out information. It’s this element that differentiates Yakuza 2 from just another rogue beat-em up game – Kazuma displays a wide range of emotions and feelings, thus making him a more believable character. Given the somewhat limited power of the PS2, the game still delivers large free-roaming levels, filled with plenty of NPCs and objects. Whether you’re visiting someone’s house or pushing your way through a crowded marketplace, the game works hard to create an authentic atmosphere and believable characters.

Once you’ve watched the fairly informative introduction cutscene, you are quickly schooled in the art of combat. Yakuza 2 stresses greatly on hand-to-hand combat, so flying kicks and fists are your best friends. You can string together lethal combos to quickly take out your opponents, and handling multiple adversaries soon begins to look like a tai-chi lesson. You can also grab opponents to use as a shield or throw them around like rag dolls. Should you not want to tire out your fists, you can grab objects in your environment and swiftly deal with your enemies. Everything from an attaché case to a statue can be picked up and flung around with ease, and the more you fight, the more experience you rack up, which you can then use to level up your skills at a later stage.

You can also execute a brutal ‘heat’ move, which builds up as you fight through opponents. These heat moves are often devastating, and can be used to polish off a group of enemies in a matter of seconds. The combat never sees to get old, and you’ll soon be looking for new items you can wedge into your assailant’s skull. The lengthy and dramatic cutscenes guide the storyline along gracefully, so it isn’t always about the highest body count.

The game features a truly remarkable soundtrack, and the ambient sounds paint a vivid picture of downtown Osaka, with every shop and alleyway helping to build up to an authentic busy city environment. The graphics are a bit dated by today’s standards, but are still fairly good on the PS2. There are some issues with characters walking through objects or getting stuck, and the fixed camera view will soon begin to get on your nerves. But with these being the only flaws in the game, Yakuza 2 is a must have for any loyal PS2 fans looking for an intense beat-em up game that boasts a lengthy storyline and no-nonsense combat system.