Yakuza 3 Scoring Well

Game Rankings currently has Yakuza 3 at a respectably high rating percentage. The fact that the game is very much an evolutionary stepchild of Sega's Shenmue series makes me very excited to play it. Hopefully I will get my chance in the near future.

I'm hoping to buy a PlayStation 3 soon. E-yup, just to play this game. Am I crazy or what. Well, obviously I'll be playing other stuff on it too but Yakuza 3 will be my personal PlayStation 3 gateway drug. lol

Here's an awesome gameplay clip you must see:



Have you played Yakuza 3 yet? If so be sure to drop a comment to tell us what you think...

Yakuza 3 Trailer: "Locations"

How can you not love this.

Just watch this video clip for Sega's PS3 game Yakuza 3, which went on sale today in North America. Seriously, after watching this you will want to jump into the monitor and enter this world.

Yakuza 3 Video Review

Video Games | Yakuza 3 | Review

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Great. Now I have to buy a PS3.

I have always loved Japanese culture. Back in 1998 I visited Japan on a business trip (Squaresoft event) and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Since then my fascination with and respect of Japanese culture has only grown stronger.

I was a huge fan of Shenmue on Dreamcast and, to a lesser extent, Shenmue II on XBox. Yakuza 3 looks to be a more fully realized version of that experience — in fact I'm surprised there hasn't been more written regarding their similarities between the two series. I am so wanting to play Yakuza 3. Problem is, like I said, I don't own a PS3.

The game is in stores now and — much like Superman felt when his dad died — I feel powerless to do something about it. I do feel like I have more to say about this game without having even played it so I'm thinking I will probably post more about it later tonight... see you then!

PlayStation 3 Slim: Facts You Need To Know

So turns out Kaz pretty much lied when he claimed that the upcoming PS3 Slim would contain the same features and functions as the original.

According to Gizmodo, the PS3 Slim will not play PS2 games. It doesn't sit well vertically without the optional stand, either. And it has two USB ports instead of four.

Click here for the entire lowdown.

Thanks to Gizmodo

PS3 Price-Drop Was Not A Hoax

They denied the "worst kept secret in video games" (maybe the second worst... the PSP ver.2 leak was pretty bad...), namely that the PlayStation 3 was headed for a diet and a serious price-drop. Now it's official: As of the first week in September, the new PS3 Slim will hit store shelves. The unit is 33% smaller and lighter than the original PS3 and will retail for $299 -- proper fighting weight for a rematch against the 360.

Sony's Kaz Hirai recently explained that the PS3 Slim will contain the same features and functions of the current PS3 and include a 120 gb hard drive.

Resident Evil 5 Collector's Edition Is Kind Of Bad-Ass

Did you snag one of these? Usually I'm about as much a fan of these "special edition" games as I am extended washing machine warranties, but I have to admit -- for $89.99, you do get a sweet little package. Click on the picture to get a super close-up view!

Available for both the 360 and PS3.

Rock Band Stage Kit, Now Super Cheap!

Here's something really sweet that's been flying under the radar for several months: Rock Band Stage Kit! This peripheral went on sale way back during late summer of last year for about a hundred bucks, but GameStop just dropped the price of the 360 version to a mere $60!* And when you see how cool it is, you'll want one.

You get a fog machine and mini lighting rig. The gear is syncronized so that when you jam, you give your fans a dope light show. Check out the official product advertisement:



Now check out some dudes using it for real, jamming some Priest:



Man, I loves me some Painkiller. Anyway. I might be aquiring one of these, and if I do, I'll be sure to post some video. Stay tuned.

* You have to go in, no online orders

Special thanks to Ben!

Resident Evil 5 Merely Days Away

Despite the absence of Resident Evil creator/mastermind Shinji Mikami (who left Capcom to start his own company after the release of RE4), Resident Evil 5 is looking tremendously good. 

According to my nephew Mike, the game demo on Xbox Live (released in December) is "very kick ass," and worth the 4-year wait. Unfortunately I wouldn't know. See, if you're like me and you have an underage "Children's" Xbox Live account, you won't be able to download the M-rated demo. I tried changing the status of the account by calling Microsoft's customer service line and -- surprise! --  they were dicks. Apparently, you cannot change the status of an underage account. Nope, not even when you are the parent/legal guardian. I was told that I had to either open a new account to allow for M-rated download content -- or wait until my kid turns 18. Yeah. Pretty asinine, huh. If you know of an alternative method, please drop me a message in the comments section below, I would be grateful.

In any case, back to RE5. If you haven't had a chance to download the demo for some reason and need a taste of actual gameplay footage, check out this excellent heads-up from the guys at 1Up.com:

Not much I can do to top that, except offer a few screen shots:

RE5 takes place primarily in Africa

Two player split-screen mode is a first for the series

Blood in the eyes. Now that is messed up!

Resident Evil 5 will be available in Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 formats on March 13. Keep an eye on the RE5 countdown timer at the top of this page to keep track!

Limited "RE5 Edition" Xbox 360 Elite,

available in North America

Limited "Biohazard Edition" Playstation 3

bundle, available in Japan only

Pre-order Resident Evil 5 for Xbox 360

Pre-order Resident Evil 5 for Playstation 3

Thanks to 1up.com!

Dead Rising 2

I was just talking games with a co-worker the other day and one of the things I brought up was, "Where's Dead Rising 2?" The original Dead Rising is still one of my favorite Xbox 360 games. It was also an exclusive title for the 360 and sold like a bazillion copies, so Capcom would surely want to ride that gravy train, right?

Well, I'll be! Here it is!



This time around, the setting is Vegas and it looks really good. Apparently Capcom has been quietly working on it for some time now. I would imagine the company wants to stagger the release away from Resident Evil 5 (another zombie-themed game.) DR2 will feature more zombies on screen at once and more interactive items (ie; weapons). Plus, you can roll over zombies while inside a giant hamster ball, and who doesn't want to do that?

There's also some video footage which just leaked to the Net. Check it out:



Dead Rising 2 will be available in Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC formats. I haven't been able to pin down a release date but when I do, I will update.

Should be fun! Can't wait!

Thanks to IGN.com