Yakuza Dead Souls (PlayStation 3)

The district of Kamurocho has survived gang violence, terrorist bombings, and open mafia war, but the latest threat may be the one that finally destroys the district for good: a zombie apocalypse. As the city burns four men search for answers: Shun Akiyama, the enigmatic moneylender from Yakuza 4; Goro Majima, Leader of the Tojo clan’s Majima family; Ryuji Gouda, exiled former-chairman of the Omi Alliance and antagonist of Yakuza 2; and the Dragon of Dojima, Kazuma Kiryu.

Yakuza: Dead Souls is the sequel to Yakuza 4, taking place one year afterwards but with a decidedly more fantastic premise. The game also has a radically new combat engine, as the living dead can easily shrug off kicks and punches. Each character can equip up to four weapons at a time, from pistols with unlimited ammunition to wide-spread shotguns, powerful anti-armor rifles, and incendiary grenades. While inside the quarantined areas of Kamurocho the player can be swarmed by zombies at any time, with more than twenty attacking at once. In addition to zombies they will also face mutants, such as the quick and agile Monkeyboy or the zombie-summoning Cry Baby, who are stronger and will require different tactics. Even more dangerous Prototypes will appear as bosses during the storyline.

Like previous Yakuza games sidestories are often available between story missions. The quarantine has disrupted many people’s lives, and they need help getting back into the infected areas to save someone or finish some business. A new feature to Dead Souls are Perfect Partners, as some of these people in need will permanently join the protagonists, entering the quarantine when called and leveling up and gaining new abilities alongside them. Most of the minigames of previous Yakuza games, such as dining, hostess bars, batting cages, crane machines, and more are all present. The coliseum does not return, but in its place is the Subterreania, a randomly generated dungeon filled with enemies that rewards the player the deeper they go.