'Yakuza 5' Available Now For PS3, Watch Action-Packed Launch Trailer Here

After much anticipation and plenty of waiting “Yakuza 5” is now available on the PlayStation 3 for Western gamers. It was a particularly long wait for fans of the game series, especially since the game originally launched in Japan back in 2012, but now fans can play the game and watch the newly revealed launch trailer.

Unlike previous games in the “Yakuza” series, the fifth game will only be available through digital purchases due the series’ lack of popularity in the West. While the series does have its fair share of fans, it took a petition from them to get the game localized for a Western audience.

The game has players controlling five main characters: Kazuma Kiryu, a legendary Yakuza member, Taiga Seijima, an infamous enforcer, Haruka Sawamura, an aspiring idol, Shun Akiyama, a money lender and Tatsuo Shinada, a disgraced baseball player.

According to Forbes, all five characters had ties to the Yakuza, but have decided to leave and try to have a cleaner lease in life. However, there wouldn’t be a fifth “Yakuza” game if these characters were going to live their life better, so they all get dragged back down to the business.

Siliconera stated that the reunion is far from a harmonious one, as each of the five characters get dragged into a war between two Yakuza factions: the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance. Whether they like it or not, Kazuma and his friends have to get their hands dirty in this war.

Speaking of getting their hands dirty, “Yakuza 5” continues to mix open-world exploration with brawling. Keep in mind that the brawling is far from realistic, which has been part of the appeal of the “Yakuza” series.

Players will be able to use other enemies as weapons and punch the ground to cause earthquakes, which is over-the-top, but fun to execute. Some gamers might complain that the quirkiness of the combat doesn’t match the serious tones of the story, but that has never been a problem for fans of the series.

“Yakuza 5” can now be purchased on the PSN store for the PlayStation 3. Sega has also announced a remake of the original “Yakuza” coming to PS4.