Yakuza Kiwami Arrives In The West This August

If Yakuza 0 was your first stop on the Yakuza train, first of all, welcome aboard. Secondly, get ready for even more gangster-punching action this summer. Yakuza Kiwami, an HD remake of the very first Yakuza game, will debut in the west on August 29, 2017.

Story-wise, Yakuza Kiwami picks up where Yakuza 0 left off, following Kazuma Kiryu as he finishes off a 10-year stint in prison and starts hunting for some missing gang money. Yakuza Kiwami updates the 12-year-old PlayStation 2 original with an engine that's been built "from scratch," and which contains more detailed character models, HD textures, 1080p resolution, and much better frame rates. In addition, the game's Japanese audio tracks have been re-recorded by the original cast (an English translation will be available via subtitle only).

The presentation isn't all that's changing, either. Yakuza's combat system has been replaced by Yakuza 0's streamlined, modern version, while Sega has added roughly 30 minutes of cutscenes to help flesh out Yakuza's complex story and tie together plot threads from Yakuza 0. Sega also promises that there'll be new "distractions," including new hostesses and something called "MesuKing: Battle Bug Beauties," and a bunch of new sidequests.

And then there's Yakuza Kiwami's "Majima Everywhere" system. In Yakuza Kiwami, recurring Yakuza character Majima, an eyepatch-wearing psychopath, will pop up at unexpected times to torment Kiryu in one-on-one combat. According to Sega's official press release, the Yakuza Kiwami team is talking about "'popping out of a goofy costume' levels of surprise." Consider yourselves warned. "Kiwami" means "extreme" in English, and Sega isn't messing around.

The remake will cost $29.99—which is a good deal, given how much content Yakuza games contain—and will come in a special steelbook case for fans who pre-order or pick up a first-run copy of the game. Yakuza Kiwami will also be available digitally.

That late-summer release date should give you enough time to finish Yakuza 0 before the story continues in August, which is something that we heartily recommend. Yakuza 0 is one of the best games of 2017 (so far)—and given how good this year has been to gamers, that's saying a lot.