When the news about the Kuro and Shiro editions of Yakuza 4 hit the net, the questions began to fly. Was the US missing out on this content completely? Were those awesome unlockable costumes going to come with our version too? And what about all those extra post-game elements, like the survival mode, or the underground fighting arena?

Today we can confirm that all copies of Yakuza 4 in the US will come pre-packaged with these codes right inside the box. Specifically, this includes:

• Bonus costumes for Kazuma, Akiyama, Taiga, Tanimura, and Haruka
• Survival Mode
• Underground car park racing
• The much-loved underground Fighting Arena

Like Yakuza 3, these codes will be one-time use, so you’ll want to make sure you’re buying a new copy of the game if you want to enjoy the bonuses. Consider it our little way of saying thank you to the many fans out there who are doing their part to help the Yakuza series succeed here in the west. (Hostess clubs included!)

We may not be getting the shiny black cover, but all the costumes you see above, as well as all the DLC, will come free inside every new copy here in the US.

We also have another special bonus here in the US for anyone who pre-orders from Gamestop: you can say hello to the lovely ladies of Yakuza 4 with an exclusive Dynamic Hostess Theme for PSN, free for all who pre-order on their side. If that sounds like your cup of virtual tea, you can pre-order online here.

There’s lots more on the way as we gear up for the big release of Yakuza 4 next month, so stick with us for even more news and awesome, M-rated goodness in the weeks to come!

If you’re a Yakuza fan and not yet part of our Yakuza forums, we’d like to invite you to join in! From talk of Yakuza 4 to discussions of where Toshihiro Nagoshi is right now (tanning beds = safe bet), the fans and faces of the board make it a fun place for a Yakuza fan to call home.

Today we’re happy to show off our brand new look for the Yakuza forum, which is based on the rather awesome box art for Yakuza 4. Click the image below to check it out on the board!

And for those savvy readers who want to know everything there is to know about the western versions of Y4, we’ve even got SEGA Producer Yas who drops in from time to time to discuss what it’s like working on a game as huge as Y4 is.

We hope you guys enjoy the new skin. We’ll see you on the boards!

The holiday giving season kicks off this weekend, and SEGA games are being featured in some of the best gift-giving guides!

1UP

1UP has chosen the following games for their guide:

Bayonetta (X360 and PS3)

Vanquish (X360 and PS3)

Yakuza 3 (PS3)

Chu Chu Rocket (iPhone)

After Burner Climax (PSN)

Valkyria Chronicles II (PSP)

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I (PSN)

Gamespot

Gamespot also has their gift guide up, and has chosen the following SEGA games for their guide:

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (DS)

Valkyria Chronicles II (PSP)

Bayonetta (X360)

Whether you’re looking for a gift to give, or trying to put your own wish list together, let these guides help you pick the perfect thing!

As Yakuza 3 makes its way into the homes of thousands of fans worldwide, we’d like to take a moment to thank the people who helped it get there – you guys.

Lessons learned, and support given

“If there’s one thing about Yakuza that these last few months have taught people,” I thought as I sat at lunch on Monday, “It’s that the fans are a force to take seriously…usually.” Fans can be the biggest allies and proponents of games that may not be the huge, multi-million sellers like (insert generic FPS here), or (insert additional generic FPS here). They can create amazing successes for games that were never expected to have them – looking at you, Valkyria Chronicles – and they can just as easily do the opposite, in some cases.

But more than anything, most fans just want to be heard. Fans want interaction, and to be responded to. So let’s begin this blog post by jumping right in to one of the biggest things fans have been asking about: the content.

Yakuza 3 is huge. Besides exploring Tokyo and Okinawa, you can also visit restaurants, pick up ramen at a local convenience store, go golfing, bowling, fishing, karaoke, or bust some heads in a local street fight.

As someone who enjoyed Shenmue, my love for Yakuza grows in knowing that some of the people who developed the original Shenmue games also work on Yakuza now. The similarity in feel between the two is no coincidence – and the epic feel of exploration, and Japanese culture, that the game offers are things you won’t find anywhere else. I’m also a big fan of playing darts while drunk – the extra level of difficulty is quite entertaining, besides being notably safer in Yakuza 3’s virtual world than it is in real life. (Note: I do not condone playing Darts while intoxicated. You’ll probably take someone’s eye out.)

Also, we’d like to make special note that while not everything from the Japanese version made it to the western shores, our community team has been – and will be– reading, compiling, and passing all of that feedback upwards here at SEGA. I can’t say more than that presently, but know that you are being heard, and we’ll make sure of that for you. To clarify additionally, as has been mentioned: Hostesses are in the game, and you can take them out on dates, build relationships, and sing karaoke with them to your heart’s content.

The first reviews for the game have also started coming in – and they’re looking fantastic. Thus far, some of the most notable:

9.0 – Computerandvideogames.com

8.5, Editor’s Choice Award – IGN.com

8.0 – Eurogamer

8.8 – Vandal Online

As Yakuza goes out the door and into the homes of hundreds of thousands of fans, I’d also like to take a moment to give some thanks to the people that really deserve it – and that’s you guys. It goes to the people who pushed from the beginning to show SEGA how much they wanted this game here. To those who post in the comments sections encouraging us, offering bright and helpful viewpoints even when the going got rough. And finally, to those who continue to support this PS3 exclusive by picking up the game, and in doing so give the franchise the legs on which to stand.

Know that we appreciate the support so many of you have already given to this series – and that we are now, and will continue to listen to your feedback.

That said – here’s to Yakuza 3!

Our new website for Yakuza 3 has gone live as of this morning! Currently, the site features news, game info, and trailers – including the first dev diary with Nagoshi-san. If you haven’t seen the dev diary already, I’d highly recommend checking it out, as it offers a good look at Nagoshi-san’s background, and what influenced him while creating the Yakuza series.

You can check out the website via this link or by clicking the image above. In the near future, we’ll also be adding in the final sections, which will include the live action episodes made in Japan that are a prequel to the series, and some downloads to boot. We’ve also included sections for the original Yakuza and Yakuza 2, in case anyone wants to catch up on the story or trailers from the past games in the series. (Just click the logos at the top left of the page.)

Finally, a reminder that our SEGA JRPG event is happening tonight here in San Francisco! Be sure to check out the original blog on that if you’d like to join in for some free swag, and to chat with some people from SEGA.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Perhaps few were more passionate or more dedicated to the future of a series that launched in the US in 2006 than a handful of people who fought hard to make SEGA aware of their love for the brand. That series, as one could probably guess, is Yakuza, and one of those people is a guy who goes by DragonofDojima17.

Long before Yakuza 3 had been announced for the US, DoD17 created his own Yakuza style plaque, showing it on his youtube page (among numerous other videos) to prove his passion for the game. A number of us were watching, and when Yakuza 3 finally was announced for the U.S., we offered to mount his plaque on the walls at SEGA of America HQ if he wanted to send it in to us. That plaque now sits proudly right next to a huge Dragon cutout (the same Dragon tattoo that Kazuma has) in our production area.

We got to chat a bit with DragonofDojima17 about how that love for Yakuza came to be – his full interview is below!

Interview: DragonofDojima17

SEGA: When did you first notice Yakuza? What got you into the series?

DoD: I do remember when first the game came out for the first time here in the West. I saw it sitting on a shelf at a rental shop. The cover alone made me interested in giving it a try. I didn’t play it until sometime after the game was first released. I got to at least look at it one day because a good friend of mine had a copy of Yakuza, and I watched him play it. It was the battle mode that got me into it right away.

Was there a moment when you finally went “Oh wow, this is awesome!”, or did your love for the series grow slowly over time?

DoD: As I sat there watching my friend play the game for the first time, I thought it was okay until he got into fight. When I saw the battle mode I fell in love with the game instantly. It made me think back to those days when I used to play Streets of Rage on my SEGA Genesis. My friend let me borrow his copy, and I played it for a year, and I must have beaten it over 30 times, and then I went out to buy my own copy and beat that another 48 times. It took me a while to appreciate the story, but I fell in love with it after the third time I beat the game. I just couldn’t wait until Yakuza 2 came out. When I first played Yakuza 2 I grew to love the series even more, it became my favorite game series ever. I’m glad Yakuza 2 had the original Japanese voices, if it was dubbed I don’t even think I would enjoy it as much, Japanese language is so beautiful. I also want to add the I love Yakuza 2’s story the best, the romance between Kaoru and Kazuma was heart warming and Ryuji Goda is my favorite villain.

What do you think of Kazuma Kiryu as a character?

DoD: Kazuma is the my favorite video game character ever. He’s my hero. Kazuma is a real man, he’s tough as nails, he believes in fate, and he’ll push himself hard to help others. I just love everything about him, the way he talks, his personality, his fighting style, his morals, EVERYTHING. No other character has touched me the way the Legendary Dragon of Dojima has.

What are your favorite parts of the Yakuza games? Are you more into fighting, exploration, or a mix of everything?

DoD: Pretty much everything to be honest. It’s the fighting and stories I like the most. You just don’t find games like theseanywhere. I just love the setting, being able to explore Tokyo, what could be better?

Are you interested in going to Japan one day? If so, has that interest been piqued at all by what you’ve seen in Yakuza?

DoD: Going to Japan is my biggest dream! I loved their culture even before I played Yakuza, and the games just made me get into their culture even more. I hope to study Japanese after I graduate from High School this year. It’s my favorite country in the world. I love their culture so much, and their language is so beautiful. I really hope when I go, my two good friends Dexter-158 and Bellamyfanboy will be there with me. During our campaign which started on youtube we became good friends and we hope to meet each other in person.

Let’s say you’re in a tag-team arena and you can pick Kazuma and one other character from the Yakuza series to be your ally. If you could team him up with any character, dead or alive, who would it be?

DoD: Goro Majima all the way!!!

If you had to choose just one thing, what are you most excited about in Yakuza 3?

DoD: To step into the shoes of the Legendary Dragon of Dojima for a 3rd time roaming the streets of Tokyo and experience brutal battles. Also, to witness another great heat twisting plot and hear Majima scream “KIRYU-CHAN!”.

SEGA: Finally – if there was one thing you could tell Nagoshi-san, what would it be?

DoD: That he has created the greatest video game series I have ever played. There’s nothing better than Yakuza, I love these games more than anything. It changed my life, and I want to thank him for creating this masterpiece and that I will always keep it in my heart for the rest of my life.

And that’s that! In addition, we’d also like to spotlight another post that went up on our forums earlier this week, with regard to the many responses that continue to pour in from fans about the Hostess clubs and Answer X Answer. (To confirm as well, the Hostesses are in the game, and you can still go on dates, Karaoke, etc, with them.) Please know that while we aren’t able to respond to every comment, our community teams are reading and listening to all the comments, and we are passing those on internally for you guys. You can also add your comment to that discussion here.

As Yakuza 3 ships next week, we’d like to give a salute to DragonofDojima17 and all the people who worked with him on their campaign to help raise awareness of the game in the states. From one fan to another – a little shout out, and a job well done.

If you’re in San Francisco – or can get here – by this Friday night, you’re in for a treat. SEGA has teamed up with the New People Center in Japantown, San Francisco, to offer an evening of Japanese gaming to our fans and press alike. I’ll let the invitation do the talking:

(Click for the full size invitation)

Once more, everyone is invited! Besides playing the games, you can also talk to some some of our community team about the upcoming games, recent SEGA news (including, most definitely, Yakuza 3), or reminisce about simpler times when we all tied up our phone lines playing Phantasy Star Online for hours on 56k dial-up.

Also, the first 50 people that enter the building for the event will receive a special Resonance of Fate T-shirt! The T-shirt is real life swag that is actually based on a shirt in the game, making it an excellent piece of collector’s merch. It’s also one of the best looking game related shirts that I’ve seen in some time.

To attend, just post your details in a blog comment below! Friends and Family are welcome – we hope to see you there!

Hey everyone,

Today’s blog is a little different than most for us, but it’s something that our community teams are very passionate about, and we want to make sure gets out there.

While it’s already been rumored in a couple places, we wanted to confirm that there is some content in the Japanese version of Yakuza 3 that didn’t make it over to upcoming Western version, mostly involving the Hostess Clubs and the Japanese History trivia sections. At the same time, we also want to explain part of the reasoning behind that, and be up front with you guys, our fans, about that fact.

Ultimately, the choice that had to be made was either no Yakuza 3 in the west, or a version of the game that was almost exactly the same, but with a little less trivia. That said, our teams also understand that many of you guys love games like Yakuza because of that experience, and rest assured that we’ll continue fighting on your behalf to make sure that going forward, we can provide as close to the full experience as possible – no matter how foreign.

Even so, Yakuza 3 is still a game packed to the brim with things to do, places to see, and people to fight – offering a massive amount of options for fans of the series and new players alike. In addition, the western versions of the game will come pre-packaged with codes for the DLC, already localized and ready to be enjoyed. With gameplay that you truly won’t find anywhere else, we think that Yakuza 3 is genuinely one of the PS3’s best titles, and we hope you’ll think so too when you play it.

As Yakuza 3 nears ship, we’ll have lots more on the massive amount of things to do, see, and experience in the game – and truly, you’re in for one awesome ride. Until then!

Hey there Yakuza fans,

It’s been a little while, but we’re back with more news on Yakuza 3 – today, we’d like to show you guys what we’ve got set up as a pre-order bonus for all of the  fans who support the game by throwing in their reserve ahead of time!

What’s in store for those of us here in the US? A fair bit, actually – here’s what you score when you pre-order the game:

4 pieces of DLC will be packed into the game via a special code card. This will allow players access to the following content:

• Battle for Survival – Take on all the bosses of Yakuza 3 as Kazuma
• All-Star Tournament (7 character tournament)
• All-Star Tag Tournament (8 team tournament)

In addition to this, Yakuza fans who pre-order the game at their local GameStop will receive additional content via the Challenge Pack. This will allow them to enjoy 2 player mini games, competing against their friends at Pool, Bowling, Darts and Golf. They will also be able to customize their principle characters with four alternative costumes for Kazuma, Haruka and Rikiya.

Besides the pre-order content, are there any specific parts of the game you guys out there are interested in? Let us know here in the comments, and we’ll see what we can do to get some spotlights out there on the things you all would most like to see.

With just over a month until Yakuza releases, the wait is almost over. Until next time!