Yakuza greatness has always been that. Has managed to weather the storm of Western dominance in the landscape of the game (something, to a lesser or greater extent, has been a lack of momentum Japanese when dealing with the consoles of this generation), and has given us, over the years, several well-known titles and proven quality. In fact, the last one, the interesting Binary Domain, started from the premise of offering a futuristic action game Western-style spiced with typical plot guidelines and Oriental art. And the truth is, that despite its few drawbacks, it worked. Now, Nagoshi and SEGA (with some delay compared to the Japanese release) surprised us again with another of these recipes strange sight: Yakuza: Dead Souls. What can go in a game that mixes Japanese organized crime with the undead? For if we focus only on the base or original idea, no doubt, something interesting. Unfortunately, lack of ambition and the few developments regarding other titles in the series, we weigh down a game that could have been much more than it has finally come to be.
Yakuza: Dead Souls of the usual formula of the series of SEGA. In fact, take the same location seen in other installments of the saga, focusing again on the outskirts of the district Kamurocho (inspired by the Shinjuku district of Tokyo), a place full of alternate premises, clubs and cocktail business of the most varied and dubious nature. Many of the streets, and local areas visited and recreated in previous sequels, will again be present, albeit in a very different way. And, the Yakuza, Yakuza is not usual. Soon after starting the game, we will see a "patient zero" infected with some strange disease, begins to carry the plague of undead everywhere he goes, spreading at an alarming rate.
Notably, for the purists of the genre, that this time the enemy will walk (and pun intended) in the medium between the infected horse movies like "28 Days Later" and the zombies of George Romero classic, meeting with creatures and mutant species more typical of "Resident Evil" saga and that of other games or films of a more realistic. Once the chaos has gripped the small district Nippon, the government and the military decided to act to contain the infection, sealing possible solutions and by establishing strict controls on quarantine Kamurocho hotspots, while a huge rise metal walls to seal and prevent any possible leakage and possible. This plot excuse will serve greatly to raise the, ultimately, corseted playability of the title, in which we move from one place to another, carrying out specific missions, while avoiding the relentless siege of zombies (or infected, if you prefer).
The story of Yakuza: Dead Souls itself, follow the usual patterns Nagoshi games while losing little by little a web of intrigues, conspiracies and betrayals that will pivot on the typical plot twists as desired and claimed by the Japanese public. The mixture will please some and angry at others (as we will go from awesome to have a drink or play by different typical recreational machines to crush zombies nightlife on the streets in a few seconds), but the truth is that follows the patterns a saga already established, and that little or nothing can be said. In fact, if we may again cinephile simile, we say that if you saw the ineffable "Land of the Living Dead", you will soon find almost nothing in the uncanny resemblance.
Yakuza: Dead Souls put us at the controls of four of the most memorable and beloved characters of this popular series of games: Kazuma Kiryu, Shun Akiyama, Goro Majima and Ryuji Goda. Each one, apart from offering their own personality and attitude when dealing with those infected by the plague, cherish a range of skills and unique fighting moves and special weapons by default, which will help us in various situations which we will have to face.
The system improvement and progression towards character is worthy of praise, allowing us to invest the experience killing zombies in the evolution of our virtual avatar. These skills may be more basic or special, specific, and go from an almost superhuman reliability when shooting in the head that moves around the screen, the ability to carry more weapons and items in our inventory, or be more resistant to physical attacks. As every good tree progression, noted that there will be some special abilities that are unlocked as you invest points or "souls points" in the most basic versions, with the possibility to access other more potent varieties as we proceed in the game.
In theory, this gives us an interesting possibility playable as a function of the role and the character we have to embody, we'll play one way or another. Unfortunately, in practice, Yakuza: Dead Souls is an extremely limited degree as playable. Not that that is bad, but is that Yakuza: Dead Souls, though masked by a false choice and fling on the stages, presents a shooter too casual and very uninspired. Here, instead of pulling the physical contact or combat some of the previous installments, we will spend much of the title shooting right and left against zombies from all walks of life with a rather extensive arsenal of weapons, which highlight , rocket launchers, submachine assault, cut or double the typical two-handed gun that crowd-pleasing East.
Choosing between them will be simple, always from the digital cross, having the right weapon for each situation at our fingertips. Thus, and as we move through parts of the undead-infested district, we will be releasing lead without a second thought, partly because of the low prevailing sense of danger in the game, yet, by the unwise self pointed system, which we too may things easier if we are somewhat skilled at cutting arcade games. As a result, after the first hours of departure and having accumulated repetitive encounters with our enemies lifeless, tired of the system will end up something that does not provide any challenge to accumulate beyond the experience.
It is true, however, that from time to time, we will be surrounded by true masses of zombies, adding some tension to the development of the game, but be very specific moments, which are added, for example, clashes with to normal level managers. And is that on the other hand, the variety of enemies, it seems compensated for a title like this. We will have some zombies too agile, some perfidious females who warn their cries and shouts to the other undead creatures and the usual huge size and strength, which will force us to retreat or make new strategies based on more powerful weapons and heavier gauge . As a result, Yakuza: Dead Souls looks like a pretty run title in what should have paid more attention: its gameplay and combat.
No eating or drinking, and while the usual missions entrusted to us, we are continually pressing the same button (R1) to shoot almost without looking or paying attention, using the same basic elements of the stage to increase our massacres and wander again and again by the same sites to accumulate experience that unlock some (few, though) skills to our different characters. Are special attacks or accurate shots? Well, are not uncommon, as it will be easy to fill the bars needed to implement, given that we are continually surrounded by flammable items such as barrels and derivatives, their use also become common and repetitive. The camera, above, will not help us too, and we require more than one occasion to take a number of angles recommended little or nothing automatic, rather than in a game where we end up surrounded by zombies, does not seem too good.
Moreover, Yakuza: Dead Souls, Yakuza is a use in many of its gameplay mechanics (for better and for worse). Leaving the zombie factor, and playable system (heavily influenced by some recent titles like Dead Rising), in the game, SEGA will continue coming and going from one place to another (always guided linearly) by performing the usual favors and missions ("Buy this and take it to such a site "or" Find me such object on the infested and tell X that can come pick it up "), advancing the story chapter by chapter, and, crossing across Kamurocho district. Following the thread of the movement, we also want to emphasize the repeated and annoying load times. A slab that annihilate and sink further, the loose system of play that is showing this particular Yakuza.
Yakuza: Dead Souls holds the type visually. Its setting is nothing short of graphics excellent, and the veterans of the series will enjoy seeing a new artistic perspective of the iconic district of the franchise. Thus, and not surprisingly given the chaos unleashed, find flames and collapsed buildings, local shops and assaulted, trash everywhere, barricades and the occasional overturned vehicle. The characters we still seem interesting, some more than decent modeling and demonstrating texturing work interesting. The result seems to have changed much since Yakuza 4, but is forgivable given the overall title as apocryphal delivery of the work of SEGA. The enemy, meanwhile, perhaps guilty of being repetitive in design (end up killing the same zombies over and over again), but given the volume of the same screen, we can avoid it. If the graphic is (their fault) thanks to its good decent artwork (a constant in almost all deliveries) and their good and well planned shot and cinematic, the sound can not say the same.
The dubbing (in Japanese) is more than interesting, but the timing is dreadful, giving certain times downright ridiculous. What's more, and leaving aside the non-existent translation into our language (no, not even subtitles), saying that the background sound and effects (shots, groans, bursts) are quite poor, providing little or anything in a game that seems to accumulate basic items too careless to be fortuitous.
SEGA offers an interesting twist to the game series, but his disastrous playable planning, and lack of ambition and originality when dealing with something as important and essential to the title as the zombies get to scuttle any hint of originality or craftsmanship. Unfortunately, Yakuza: Dead Souls, spend too much time shooting and killing without any motivation or added extra, forcing the player to repeat a pattern as tedious as out of place in a game that, a priori, intended to be fun. His mechanics are outdated and rusty, and that, ultimately, can bring more of a headache. Yakuza: Dead Souls is a title focused solely and exclusively to the most ardent fans of the series.
No comments:
Post a Comment