Tom at El33tonline writes:
"Despite Yakuza 4 only being released this week in the West, the next game in the series has already gone gold in Japan. Called Yakuza Of the End, it’s the seventh instalment in the series and is far more action orientated than its predecessors thanks to the inclusion of zombies and a full arsenal of destructive weapons...
I enjoyed seeing what the new Yakuza game has to offer but can’t help feeling disappointed by the direction the series seems to be taking. Two of my favourite things about the previous games were the realistic setting and dramatic story; narratives which were a lot more layered and sensitive than most other game yarns."
NoSleepGamer writes: Shuffling up to the zombie party the day after the night before can hardly be called fashionably late, but here we finally are. The Yakuza series is renowned for its unique blend of beat em’ up RPG, so it was surprising and (whisper it), slightly disappointing to see them announce a gun-packed zombie game when all I really wanted was a new city to play in with Kiryu and the rest of the face-stomping gang.
Heath of PSLS has praise for the story and boss battles of Yakuza: Of the End, to be called Yakuza: Dead Souls in Europe and NA, concluding, "As a huge Yakuza fan myself, I somewhat enjoyed the game, but wish there would have been a little better pacing and more chances to explore. Dead Souls ends up being OK for what it is."
Judging by this and Eurogamer's import review, Dead Souls isn't up to the usual standard of the Yakuza games, but I'll probably still get it anyway. I'm a sucker for Kazuma and his ragtag crew of shady characters.
I still want to give it a try since I have loved the Yakuza games, but this score does hurt a bit :(
You should check it out. It's decent for Yakuza fans. Wait for a price drop or pick it up used or possibly make it a rental. It's worth the satisfaction of your curiosity, at the very least.
PlayStation LifeStyle's Heath Hindman has been playing the latest PS3 Yakuza and says, "Unlike previous Yakuza games which focused 90 per cent of their combat on the hand-to-hand aspect of things, fighting in this one is all about firearms. The cover has each character holding what will probably turn out to be a favorite gun of his. So far, Akiyama’s primary tool of death (“undeath?”) has been a 9mm handgun. Holding R2 brings up crosshairs, helping the player pull off head shots, which are one-hit kills despite the aforementioned inconsistency. When Akiyama’s heat gauge fills up, he can try 'Heat Sniping,' which will trigger a Quick-Time Event zooming in on an item that, if shot, can cause some beautiful destruction. An early example of this is shooting the gas tank of a car, causing it to explode and take out the crew of zombies huddling around it probably talking about how they wish it had brains so that they could eat them and then listen to The Cure."
Heh, inconsistent indeed. Sort of like how Nathan Drake can take a couple bullets and in a mere 30 seconds be fully healed, but in a cutscene he takes a bullet to the gut and suddenly it really effects him! Oh well, as long as it's fun, that's all that really matters.
Good preview, it seemed as the writter was some how unaware of the fact that of the end is a spin-off. I believe Sega has said they have already started devolpment on Yakuza 5, (Most likely to be annouced at TGS. )