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Eliza Dushku

Eliza Dushku - "Yakuza" PS2 Video Game fails to hold interest

Brett Molina

Thursday 21 September 2006, by Webmaster

Score 6 stars (out of 10)
Rating Mature (M)
Platform PlayStation 2
Publisher SEGA
Price $45.99

SEGA enters the seedy Japanese underworld in Yakuza, an adventure high on drama yet low on thrills.

You control Kazuma Kiryu, the "Dragon of the Dojima Family." On the verge of starting his own clan, Kazuma ends up taking the rap for his boss’ murder to protect his best friend, Nishiki, and love interest, Yumi. After a 10-year sentence, Kazuma returns to sort out his place in the Yakuza and find the now missing Yumi.

The plot is rather engaging, with plenty of interesting twists throughout. Although Kazuma belongs to the Japanese mafia, he never appears as shady as most of his counterparts.

While the story is interesting, it also serves as one of Yakuza’s own worst enemies. The game is overwhelmed with cut scene after scene, dragging the game along at an awfully slow pace.

Graphically, Yakuza mirrors the dark, gritty lifestyle in the underworld. The sound package, however, isn’t very inviting. Despite corralling Hollywood actors like Michael Madsen and Eliza Dushku, the voice acting is forced. The music is high energy, but sound effects lack power.

Yakuza’s structure is similar to a role-playing game. As Kazuma, you build up experience points used toward boosting your fighting skills. While exploring downtown Japan, gamers can go to stores to stock up on supplies, eavesdrop on conversations and engage in random battles. Beyond story-related missions, you’ll also participate in side jobs to help gain experience. The map is easy to navigate, but constant load screens between areas are annoying.

As you progress through the story, you’ll complete most of your missions with your fists. Developers tried to add flair to the battles through dramatic music and slow-motion finishes to ramp up the drama. Ultimately, the action is repetitive and frustrating.

Most moves include a series of punch-and-kick combos as well as throws and a special move. Slamming enemies into walls is gratifying, and the use of weapons adds a little variety, but the action gets old quickly.

Another major issue is horrendous artificial intelligence. Half the time, enemies stand around like human punching bags. When they do attack, it’s often from the other side of the room. On the occasions where they actually attempt a blow, blocking is a breeze.

As strong as the storyline is, Yakuza’s frequent disruptions and lackluster battles create a tiresome experience.