The Yakuza series has seen a resurgence in the West. The long-running action thriller found itself in a lengthy dormant period after the release of the fourth entry, save for the odd horror-themed spin-off Yakuza: Dead Souls in 2012.

Yakuza 0 is the origins story of Kazuma Kiryu and details his ascension into the ranks of the Yakuza – the name given to members of notorious Japanese crime organisations.

Plot is the key element of all the Yakuza games but trying to describe it is would make them sound either insanely boring or like a soap opera heavily mixed with a kung-fu movie. Instead it is more akin to what Die Hard would have been if it married Grand Theft Auto and made every character on the...

In the world of Yakuza 0, excess is king. Scantily clad women are plentiful, alcohol flows in abundance and matters are resolved with fists so frequently that even the staunchest pacifist could be swayed to believe that violence can solve any problem.

One year has passed since we sunk dozens of hours into Yakuza 5, and these days it seems as though fans have more reasons than ever to be happy, as the traditional sparsity of the franchise seems gone for good.

The glitz, glamour, and unbridled decadence of the 80s are back in Yakuza 0. A prequel to the long-running series set in Japan's criminal underworld, this entry introduces mainstay protagonist Kazuma Kiryu and series regular Goro Majima as they...

-Dense content; -Unique Charm; -Compelling story

-Rough around the edges

Concept: Help two different heroes navigate Japan's criminal underworld while participating in a staggering amount of side content in this prequel to the long-running series Graphics: The cities and most characters look good overall, though occasionally you see a face or model that looks like a...

The Yakuza series consists of seven main games in addition to a handful of side games that's built quite a name for itself over the years not only in Japan, but outside of it as well.

Tons of activities; Story unfolds cleverly; Dynamic and interactive gameplay

Unimportant NPCs lack detail

is another sprawling entry in the open-world series, packed with an extraordinary amount of things to do and centred around a genuinely compelling crime story. Since it's a prequel, it's also unburdened by the series' increasingly intricate backstory and thus far more approachable for newcomers than...

I'd like to start with an anecdote that will help you understand why I love Yakuza 0 so much; to me, it perfectly sums up the silliness and the creativeness Sega regularly puts into the series, and

Fighting is satisfying; So much fun to be had in the activities; Plenty of comedic value

Random fights can get tedious; Some texture issues