Tag: Ichiban Kasuga

Kotaku’s Weekend Guide: A Turn-Based Crime RPG And First-Person Shooters

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Screenshot: Buckshot Software

Play it on: Windows
Current goal: Dive into the second chapter

Having written up a bunch of fantastic boomer shooters for the site, I was reminded that the team behind the as-yet-unfinished Project Warlock II had added an awful lot of content to its Early Access build since I’d last played. In fact, previously it had only been a single, fantastic level. It’s now two full chapters, each made up of a pile of enormous, sprawling, open levels to tear around.

I’m so glad I’ve gone back to it. This is a screamingly fast FPS game, where you move like an ice cube skidding across a kitchen floor, facing down dozens of enemies at a time. What makes it feel different from the many other retro-FPS games is the sheer scale of the levels, which are far more open than the genre normally offers. Think of those times you got to go outside in the original Unreal, but far more densely packed with enemies, secrets, and loot.

Those secrets are a blast to find, and worth pursuing too, since they offer tokens for upgrades in the betwixt level zone. There are three different areas you can upgrade, with each weapon possible to adjust in two different ways (one shutting down access to the other), and then this upgrade boosted. Then there are affinities to improve, such as whether you want to improve your melee talent, firepower, or indeed your power with fire—you gain spells that let you do things like blast torrents of fire from your palms. And finally you can then specialize even further with—er—VHS tapes you can buy when you’ve increased your ability in a specific attack style, that enhance them in specific ways.

This is all then taken back to the next level, where enemies that were previously boss-like can now appear in gangs and be quickly taken care of. In this, it reminds me of the excellent enemy handling in the original Serious Sam. My plan this weekend is to get stuck into the second chapter, that has a whole other player character, with their own set of skills, perks, spells and weapons. — John Walker

Try out Project Warlock 2’s free demo on Steam

Neo-retro vibes of the “boomer shooter” variety got your interest? Good news: You can download a free demo of Project Warlock 2 to get shootin’ like it’s the mid ‘90s all over again

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Claire Jackson

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January 12, 2024
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Has An Animal Crossing Game Mode

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Pay no mind to the horrifying mascots in the background.
Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku

During today’s Xbox Partner Preview, a showcase for Microsoft’s upcoming third-party games, we got a new look at Sega’s next Yakuza adventure. No, not Gaiden, the other one: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Instead of showing off dual protagonists Ichiban Kasuga and Kiryu Kazuma kicking all kinds of street punk ass across Hawaii, today’s trailer pumped the brakes and gave us a peek at its madcap new Animal Crossing-inspired game mode.

The Yakuza Devs Should Cast These Celebs In Their Next Hostess Club Minigame

Infinite Wealth’s new Happy Resort Dondoko Island mode will have you managing your own island resort. Like Nintendo’s cozy 2020 life simulator Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can go fishing on the beach, customize the island’s buildings and furniture, and have Ichiban craft special DIY projects. The similarities between Dondoko Island and AC:NH don’t end there. DonDonki Island will also let you forge friendships with the island getaway’s many outlandishly dressed tourists while you manage the island’s influx of funds and infrastructure just like Animal Crossing’s Tom Nook.

Here’s the trailer:

Sega

Dondoko Island may provide Ichiban and company some much-needed reprieve from the melodrama of his crime-riddled life, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have to sock a couple of uninvited guests along the way—this is a Yakuza game after all. Along with making sure everyone is having a good time on the island, you’ll also have to defend it from intruders.

This isn’t the first time the Yakuza series has turned a Nintendo game like AC:NH into its own game mode. In fact, Yakuza: Like a Dragon had Mario Kart-esque and Pokémon-inspired stints in the form of Dragon Kart Racing and Sujimon, respectively. Aside from providing players with a fun alternative to punching fools, these minigames were also a great way to earn a bunch of cash to purchase health items and upgrades for the main campaign’s challenging boss fights.

Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku

But not everything is about the money. Sometimes you just need to sit back, grab a guitar, and sing karaoke in front of a roaring bonfire. Catch a vibe, if you will. I can already see myself ignoring Infinite Wealth’s main quest to sink countless hours into perfecting my island fortress. Speaking as a longtime Yakuza enjoyer, January can’t come soon enough.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth launches on January 26 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Windows.

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Isaiah Colbert

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October 25, 2023
New Like A Dragon Trailer Turns Kiryu Into A Stylish Super-Spy

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On Friday, Sega revealed the second trailer for its latest upcoming Yakuza game, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, which sees longtime series protag Kazuma Kiryu take on the role of a gangster super spy with Spider-Man gadgets and explosive cigarettes at his disposal.

The Yakuza Devs Should Cast These Celebs In Their Next Hostess Club Minigame

The Man Who Erased His Name, which takes place between Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like A Dragon, follows Kiryu as he assumes the identity of a secret agent named Joryu after faking his death to protect his adopted children at the end of Yakuza 6. Apparently, Kiryu does a piss-poor job of keeping his new identity a secret, and winds up getting involved with a rival yakuza family that knows his past and is threatening to harm his children at the Sunflower Orphanage. I hope these goons aren’t within grabbing distance of a bike rack, because they’re in for a world of pain threatening those orphans.

Read More: Yakuza: Like A Dragon: The Kotaku Review

Unlike Yakuza 7’s turn-based action, The Man Who Erased His Name will focus on action-based combat and will have two fighting styles: Yakuza style and Agent style. While Yakuza style sees Kiryu perform his typical street brawler fighting moves, Agent style will let Kiryu use new super-spy gadgets like rocket boots, explosive cigarettes, and Spider-Man-esque wires to take down thugs. You can see them both in the new trailer.

Sega / Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

Aside from showcasing some scenes from the game’s melodramatic story, The Man Who Erased His Name’s will also see the return of many of the series’ light-hearted mini-games, which will include playable retro Sega titles like Sonic the Fighters, new karaoke songs to sing, as well as revamped cabaret club side-quests. However, instead of managing dates for customers like in previous games, players will instead go on dates themselves in a semi-live-action format similar to the internet chatroom and gravure photoshoot minigames from Yakuza 6 and Yakuza Kiwami 2. The game will also let you customize Kiryu’s outfits before he hits the streets by having him wear a fedora and shades for the first time in the series as well, which is rad.

Read More: Bringing Yakuza’s Kiryu Back In Like A Dragon 8 Is Silly

The butt-end of the new trailer also revealed that The Man Who Erased His Name will include a playable demo of the next, next entry in the series, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which’ll see Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga as dual protagonists. A clip from LaD: Infinite Wealth shows Ichiban in handcuffs, likely for the public nudity we witnessed in the Summer Game Fest trailer, before an older Kiryu breaks him loose.

Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is slated to come out on November 9 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Windows.

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Isaiah Colbert

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August 18, 2023