Yakuza 3–6
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.