{"id":983,"date":"2021-10-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-23T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gaminginsurrection.com\/reviews\/?p=983"},"modified":"2021-10-23T14:23:21","modified_gmt":"2021-10-23T18:23:21","slug":"yakuza-dead-souls-issue-39","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gaminginsurrection.com\/reviews\/index.php\/2021\/10\/23\/yakuza-dead-souls-issue-39\/","title":{"rendered":"Yakuza: Dead Souls \u2014 Issue 39"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Yakuza and zom\u00adbies mix well<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In my vast inven\u00adto\u00adry of inter\u00adests, mafia movies are one that would make me curl up on a week\u00adend after\u00adnoon with pop\u00adcorn, drinks and oth\u00ader treats in hand. While I know that some famous mafia movies and tele\u00advi\u00adsion series are being devel\u00adoped into video games, Sega\u2019s Yakuza series is already a per\u00adfect com\u00adbi\u00adna\u00adtion of action, adven\u00adture, and the mafia. I was thrilled to com\u00adbine my love for the series with zom\u00adbie ele\u00adments in Yakuza: Dead Souls.<\/span><\/p>\n

Set a year after the events in Yakuza 4, an unknown dis\u00adease out\u00adbreak in the dis\u00adtrict of Kamuroch\u014d has affect\u00aded its res\u00adi\u00addents, turn\u00ading them into zom\u00adbies through bites. As a result, the Japan\u00adese Ground Self-Defense Force has been called in to assist with the slow and expand\u00ading quar\u00adan\u00adtine. Dur\u00ading this chaot\u00adic time, cer\u00adtain ene\u00admies of the Tojo clan have arisen to take advan\u00adtage of Kamuroch\u014d\u2019s suf\u00adfer\u00ading. The fate of Kamuroch\u014d and Japan rests in the hands of four men: Shun Akiya\u00adma, a loan shark try\u00ading to save his sick recep\u00adtion\u00adist; Goro Maji\u00adma, a feared yakuza and con\u00adstruc\u00adtion com\u00adpa\u00adny own\u00ader who is fight\u00ading his own infec\u00adtion; Ryu\u00adji Goda, a dis\u00adgraced yakuza and takoy\u00ada\u00adki chef whose clan has a tie to the out\u00adbreak; and, series pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist Kiryu Kazu\u00adma, who runs a children\u2019s orphan\u00adage and returns to Kamuroch\u014d when his adop\u00adtive daugh\u00adter is kidnapped.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dead Souls is an open-world game that com\u00adbines action, adven\u00adture, and sur\u00advival hor\u00adror ele\u00adments. The plot is one akin to samu\u00adrai movies where there are four chap\u00adters with four parts for each char\u00adac\u00adter with the final chap\u00adter reserved for Kiryu. Con\u00adtrols for move\u00adment and the game cam\u00adera are sim\u00adple with the ana\u00adlog sticks. You will also be giv\u00aden \u201cmem\u00ados,\u201d a list with spe\u00adcial sec\u00adtions to teach you basics such as using weapons, eva\u00adsion, and close quar\u00adter com\u00adbat, which help when fac\u00ading off against the legion of zom\u00adbies. I appre\u00adci\u00adat\u00aded the abil\u00adi\u00adty to lev\u00adel up each character\u2019s attrib\u00adut\u00ades through use of soul points that upgrades abil\u00adi\u00adties to car\u00adry more items, improve knowl\u00adedge of zom\u00adbies, weapons mod\u00adi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions and pro\u00adtec\u00adtive gear, and mas\u00adter advanced close quar\u00adter com\u00adbat techniques.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the game pro\u00adgress\u00ades, your cur\u00adrent char\u00adac\u00adter will be assist\u00aded by three NPCs: Reiko Hasekawa, a researcher who offers infor\u00adma\u00adtion and rewards for com\u00adplet\u00aded tasks; Gary \u201cBuster\u201d Holmes, a firearms expert who helps the pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnists and their tem\u00adpo\u00adrary com\u00adpan\u00adions with gun train\u00ading; and, Ren\u00adji Kamiya\u00adma, weapons sell\u00ader and mod\u00adi\u00adfi\u00ader of weapons and pro\u00adtec\u00adtive gear who can also be used as a pawn\u00adbro\u00adker to buy rare items.<\/span><\/p>\n

I also appre\u00adci\u00adate the clas\u00adsi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion of var\u00adi\u00adous zom\u00adbie ene\u00admies; that orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion method can help you plan the appro\u00adpri\u00adate strat\u00ade\u00adgy or sim\u00adply avoid con\u00adtact with them. While you\u2019re run\u00adning around Kamuroch\u014d, pay atten\u00adtion to the music. It\u2019s one of Sega\u2019s best sound\u00adtracks in the mod\u00adern era and puts the Yakuza series among Sega\u2019s go-to ros\u00adter of great soundtracks.<\/span><\/p>\n

The graph\u00adics are OK<\/span> for the time when it released. It\u2019s good for an open world game, though there\u2019s room for improve\u00adment. Though, com\u00adpared to oth\u00ader games at the time, Yakuza: Dead Souls doesn\u2019t nec\u00ades\u00adsar\u00adi\u00adly out\u00adshine the com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtion; it just mere\u00adly com\u00adpetes. <\/span>The only real prob\u00adlem I have with Dead Souls is the inclu\u00adsion of sce\u00adnar\u00adios where you must chase down peo\u00adple while fend\u00ading off zom\u00adbies. I know a yakuza got to make his mon\u00adey, but Sega was putting these char\u00adac\u00adters in dan\u00adger\u00adous con\u00addi\u00adtions with\u00adout any pro\u00adtec\u00adtive gear, which is slight\u00adly unrealistic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dead Souls is great to play on a day off or slow week\u00adend, though I would offer two pieces of advice: Do not play late at night, and do not play while COVID-19<\/span> is still around. It\u2019s a nice attempt to mix mul\u00adti\u00adple gen\u00adres. I can say this with no doubt: Sega\u2019s got a smash hit ready to secure all bags and show its com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtion why it does not pay to under\u00ades\u00adti\u00admate the Yakuza.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fun Facts:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

* Yakuza is the term giv\u00aden to transna\u00adtion\u00adal crime orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtions based in Japan. They are also known as\u201d boryoku\u00addan,\u201d which the Japan\u00adese police advise for pub\u00adlic media to use when cov\u00ader\u00ading yakuza-relat\u00aded sto\u00adries. The yakuza also call them\u00adselves \u201cninkyo dan\u00adtai,\u201d or chival\u00adrous groups.<\/span><\/p>\n

* Accord\u00ading to Japan\u2019s Nation\u00adal Police Agency as of 2020, there are at least 25,900 active yakuza mem\u00adbers, despite rigid leg\u00adis\u00adla\u00adtion aimed to com\u00adbat yakuza involve\u00adment with the Japan\u00adese pub\u00adlic. These mem\u00adbers are account\u00aded among the three major yakuza fam\u00adi\u00adlies: Yam\u00adaguchi-gumi, Somiyoshi-kai and Inagawa-kai.<\/span><\/p>\n

* Yakuza groups have been known to oper\u00adate in major U.S. cities and use Hawaii as a hub to con\u00adduct var\u00adi\u00adous legal and ille\u00adgal enterprises.<\/span><\/p>\n