Yakuza 3 reviewed by Yakuza | Hacker News Reader

Yakuza 3 reviewed by Yakuza

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158 pointsaaronbrethorst24 comments

I don't understand the need to censor parts from the American version. SEGA USA and many other western publishers are still stuck in the 90's. Adults purchase games for themselves now and Videogames are no longer exclusively for teens and kids.

Rockstar identified this and have reaped massive profits. They could've considered shipping a neutered GTA yet they didn't and the latest installment was rated one of the best games in recent times.

The stigma around adult themes in Videogames needs to die out for the industry to evolve beyond what it currently is, I suspect similar reasons affected the cancelled Silent Hills (apart from Konami's stupidity)

The romanticization of gangsters (Yakuza included) really bother me. Video games aren't the devil and aren't real, but they can have real effects in how we react to the world. When we play "gangster" video games and interview "real life gangsters", it seems really edgy and cool. But these people commit real life crimes, and are actual criminals. Not in a video game: in real life. And aside from law enforcement, one big disincentive to actually be a gangster is societal censure / disapproval.

As cool as it is to have a realistic video game, pieces like this are a good example of the insidious impact they can have on how you treat the world.

I am sad to see a genuinely bad person being lionized.

Are you bothered by literature like Vladimir Nabukov's Lolita, as well?

maybe they would be if Humbert were described in flattering terms.

Great point.

I think it's dependent on the saturation. The more pro-gangster things we see, the worse it is. But the first one or ten artworks have no impact. If we saw hundreds and hundreds of Lolita-style works, yeah, it would bother me a bit and I would object as much.

But please don't misinterpret me: I'm not advocating censorship. I'm advocating for all adults to consider the insidious aspect of "cultural acceptance creep" into their media consumption, and make their own decisions.

The invisible hand of capitalism tends to let crime/manipulative videogames flourish and educational fail. Whats at fault here? Human instict? Marketing? Will censorship result in people not glorifying it?

I believe that games like Yakuza, GTA and movies like the Godfather are symptoms of a greater problem, "nice guys finish last". By imagining your a cold hard thug, you get the feeling of getting what you want, instant gratification, similar to masturbation. The solution isnt to take it away because videogames are practically sedatives, making people far too lazy to buy a gun. I would argue that virtues need to be shown in the positive light they create. As it stands, virtues are an excuse for storylines rather than practice or habit to feel. Difficult/competetive games are interesting in that they reward those who practice regularly. That is a life lessons. Organization can also be taught, as well as trying to see the big picture (cardgames and meta). Playing fair/empathy seems more difficult.

Ive thought a lot about this because I also don't want criminals idolized. But I certainly dont want censorship to be the solution either

Great read. I think you should add a (2010) to the title though. Took me a while to get that it's not up to date.

Also what's with that font?

From the article: "Kiryu is the way yakuza used to be. We kept the streets clean. People liked us. We didn't bother ordinary citizens. We respected our bosses. Now, guys like that only exist in video games."

I love how in Japan, even the criminals have a sense of social responsibility.

This was an incredible read. Makes you wonder what Hitler would think about all the WW2 games and whatnot.

Time for a "Hitler discovers he's a meme" video?

He did! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4176826/ Very good.

Hitler uses Docker has been my most favorite recent one.

http://youtu.be/PivpCKEiQOQ

This reminds me that I was always disappointed when they didn't include a Stalin reference when he was mentioned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQDBjRHC7Ro

I wonder what Bush would think about "These days the American make good villains", spoken by gangsters (circa 2010).

I can only imagine an (early 2000s) period piece by Bollywood years from now where the Indian hero stumbles into a hornets nest and says "Neocons, I hate these guys" or "Why is it always neocons?".

Go Team America (F* Yeah!).

Awesome review and book recommendation. As an older geek, I don't care much that it's a few years old. In fact, it would make it cheaper to find an used console to play this game on.

This is an awesome article! Has anybody here read that Tokyo Vice book?

I have. Cracking read, although I'm told it's somewhat dated by now.

I've bought it immediately when saw the link and continued reading the article only after having finished the book in three days. Fascinating read about Japanese culture in general. It does have some brutal scenes, but even more of somewhat unrealistic happy coincidences.

Fun to read, but an old review. Yakuza 6 will be released soon.

(2010)?

'Goto considered harmful', avoid at all costs.

Nice.

Wonder if the rest of HN readers didn't get the reference to Tadamasa Goto, the author's arch-villain in real life. If I had a superpower to give +100 upvote once every 3 months, I'd use it on your comment.

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