SEGA’s upcoming Yakuza 3 has been a long time coming, and, in fact, up until December 2009 we didn’t know if it would ever come out after the not-too-grand reception (in terms of sales) the first two games had in the West. This isn’t surprising – Yakuza is a game series centered very much on Japanese culture.

Yakuza are to the Japanese as Mafia bosses are to the Sicilians. That’s my understanding, please correct me if I’m wrong – my Japanese culture knowledge is limited. In the demo you’re a tough guy named Kazuma Kiryu, the same main character from the previous Yakuza games, and you’ve just arrived back in Kamurocho, an area of a city (I think Tokyo) which must have the most neon-lights per-square-meter of anywhere in the world.

Continue reading El33tonline’s hands-on preview of Yakuza 3.