EDGE

Yakuza 3–6

- Developer/publisher Sega (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio) Format PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series Origin Japan Release January 28 (3–5), March 25 (6)

Microsoft may have repeatedly scotched rumours that its next big acquisitio­n would be Sega, but the two companies have certainly become chummier of late. The most eye-opening evidence of this blossoming relationsh­ip came in November, with Yakuza: Like A Dragon making its new-generation console debut on Xbox Series X four months before its PS5 counterpar­t. This was a startling developmen­t for a series with such a long-standing associatio­n with PlayStatio­n, even given the prior arrival of Yakuza 0, Kiwami and Kiwami 2 on Game Pass. By the end of March, the whole of the mainline series will be available on the service – so whether you own an Xbox or PC, you will be able to play through Kazuma Kiryu’s story in its entirety. If Like A Dragon was your first encounter with the series, you could conceivabl­y spend most of 2021 catching up.

Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 – bundled together as The Yakuza Remastered Collection – are due to launch on the day this issue hits newsstands, while emotional finale Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life is set for a March 25 release. Could Microsoft’s commitment extend further still? RGG Studio’s Kamurocho-set detective game Judgment would no doubt be welcomed by many, the zombie-centric Dead Souls rather less so. But English-language versions of the frequently fanrequest­ed samurai spin-off Kenzan and its Edo-era follow-up Ishin would leave Sony with something of a bloody nose. Which, given the punishment Kiryu dishes out to his many would-be assailants, would be wholly apropos.

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