Ryū ga Gotoku Of the End
Encyclopedia
is an action-adventure
video game, developed and published by Sega
exclusively for the PlayStation 3
. The game is the sixth installment in the Yakuza series
. The game's concept and keyword is "destruction"; a promotional image for the game showed the series' main locale, Kamurocho, in ruins. Leaked scans of the Famitsu issue released on September 16, the first day of the 2010 Tokyo Game Show, revealed that the game would be set during a zombie outbreak in Kamurocho and reportedly after the events of Yakuza 4. The game was originally scheduled for release in Japan on March 17, 2011 two days after the release of Yakuza 4
in North America; however, after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
, the release was indefinitely delayed. A new release date, setting the game's release for June 9, was announced on April 7. The game will also be released in North America and Europe by Sega in March 2012.
was called in to contain the outbreak, but were unsuccessful. Now only one soldier remains alive, Misuzu Asagi. After receiving a phone call from a mysterious man who has kidnapped Haruka, Kiryu returns from Okinawa. Now, four men are the only hope - the mysterious money-lender Shun Akiyama, feared yakuza and construction company owner "Mad Dog" Goro Majima, the Dragon of Kansai who has finally awoken from a long sleep, Ryuji Goda, and the legendary former yakuza, Kazuma Kiryu. These four men are the only people who can defend the town, and must fight to save it.
, during which he mentioned that a new Ryū ga Gotoku game was in development and that it would star Goro Majima. Majima, as well as the new project, was officially confirmed on July 1, on the official website. A series of announcements were then made on the main site, beginning in late July and continuing throughout August, with all four main characters being revealed one by one.
Kazuma Kiryu was the first to be confirmed after Majima, on July 21. Shun Akiyama was then announced on August 4, and Ryuji Goda was then revealed in the final announcement on August 18. Following each character's confirmation, a large poster of him was erected across the east exist of the Shinjuku
branch of Don Quijote
, a shop that features in the game itself as a tie-in, and was replaced by the next character when he was announced.
In August 2010, a two-page advertisement appeared in Famitsu, showing Kamurocho in ruins, with the words "The End" over the image. The name of the game was officially announced in a September issue of Famitsu and confirmed on the game's official site on September 9.
Video footage of the game was shown for the first time at the Tokyo Game Show
2010, showing footage of minigames such as darts, fishing, batting and karaoke. It also showed scenes of the town being overrun by zombies and destroyed by a large, black monster and many small creatures. Footage afterwards on the Ryu-Stream channel showed the cabaret girls' actors "shooting" a zombie actor with guns.
s, in which real-life businesses, restaurant chains or products are promoted prior to the game's release and within the game itself. A range of awamori
drinks by Okinawa's Seifuku Distillery were licensed. A range of goods, including bracelets and T-shirts, was sold at Don Quijote
, a store chain which has been featured in every game except Kenzan! so far. Also sold at Don Quijote was a themed energy drink called "Energy Dragon".
Another returning tie-in was a promotion with 777town, in which a Kazuma Kiryu avatar was available for use with the 777town website, and Volcano, a pachinko centre sponsored by the website, was included within the game. A collaboration with a hat brand, Override, was shown in-game; the hat was also available for purchase from Override's website. A men's fragrance, "Black Dragon", was designed by producer Toshihiro Nagoshi, and appears both in-game and at retailers such as Don Quijote.
Another promotion with Kai Razor included a Ryū ga Gotoku strap and razor case, and protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is shown shaving with one of their razors in an in-game cutscene. Another Kai Razor campaign featured bracelets designed by Nagoshi, Takaya Kuroda, Hidenari Ugaki, and the hostess' performers, as well as a nail clipper.
Karaoke Kan, a karaoke venue featured in the game since Yakuza 3
, was included in another promotion. The first 200 customers to visit the special series rooms were awarded one of the three tie-in prizes (80 of each of the T-shirt and Kai Razor prizes were available, while 40 bottles of Black Dragon were given away), and an alternative "Karaoke Kan Version" of the game's commercial was played there, featuring Jun Komori, a model who appears as a masseuse in the game.
The game's characters, and a Kamuro-cho gate outfit, will be available in the PSP game Taiko no Tatsujin Portable DX
, which features "Machinegun Kiss", a karaoke song from the Ryū ga Gotoku series.
, the game's packaging was changed to a "Ganbarō, Nippon!" version with Kiryu and Haruka on the cover; the first pressing included a set of stickers featuring the two. Also included with early preorders was a soundtrack CD, part of the series' recurring Kamutai preorder bonus series.
receive the Satsutaba no Omori .
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game, developed and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
exclusively for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. The game is the sixth installment in the Yakuza series
Yakuza (series)
Yakuza is a Fighting game video game franchise created by Amusement Vision and owned and published by Sega.The series has sold at least 3.2 million copies as of March 2009...
. The game's concept and keyword is "destruction"; a promotional image for the game showed the series' main locale, Kamurocho, in ruins. Leaked scans of the Famitsu issue released on September 16, the first day of the 2010 Tokyo Game Show, revealed that the game would be set during a zombie outbreak in Kamurocho and reportedly after the events of Yakuza 4. The game was originally scheduled for release in Japan on March 17, 2011 two days after the release of Yakuza 4
Yakuza 4
, is a video game developed and published by Sega exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The game was announced on July 24, 2009. A promotion video was presented at the 2009 Tokyo Game Show and a preview presenting the main story was released on January 13, 2010....
in North America; however, after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
, the release was indefinitely delayed. A new release date, setting the game's release for June 9, was announced on April 7. The game will also be released in North America and Europe by Sega in March 2012.
Plot
The game is set during a zombie outbreak in Kamurocho, a big departure from the storyline of the series to this point. The game is set during April 2011, when the residents of Kamurocho have become zombies. The Japan Ground Self-Defense ForceJapan Ground Self-Defense Force
The , or JGSDF, is the army of Japan. The largest of the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Ground Self-Defense Force operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Tokyo. The present chief of ground staff is General Yoshifumi Hibako...
was called in to contain the outbreak, but were unsuccessful. Now only one soldier remains alive, Misuzu Asagi. After receiving a phone call from a mysterious man who has kidnapped Haruka, Kiryu returns from Okinawa. Now, four men are the only hope - the mysterious money-lender Shun Akiyama, feared yakuza and construction company owner "Mad Dog" Goro Majima, the Dragon of Kansai who has finally awoken from a long sleep, Ryuji Goda, and the legendary former yakuza, Kazuma Kiryu. These four men are the only people who can defend the town, and must fight to save it.
Characters
The game features multiple playable main characters. Kazuma Kiryu, the series' main protagonist since the first game, returns, as well as Goro Majima, also a series regular since the first installment. Ryuji Goda of Yakuza 2 and Shun Akiyama, one of the four main characters in Yakuza 4, are also playable characters.Cast
- Hidenari UgakiHidenari Ugakiis a Japanese seiyū from Tokyo. He is currently attached to 81 Produce. He is best known for his roles in Mobile Fighter G Gundam , the TV Tokyo edition of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the 2005 Doraemon series .-Television animation:*Class of 3000 *Digimon Adventure...
as Goro Majima - Takaya KurodaTakaya Kurodais a Japanese voice actor, narrator, and actor. He is affiliated with the Bungaku Company, formerly with Mausu Promotion and Aoni Production. He is currently a member of 81 Produce....
as Kazuma Kiryu - Kōichi YamaderaKoichi Yamaderais a Japanese voice actor, actor, tarento, narrator, master of ceremonies and impressionist from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. He graduated from Tohoku Gakuin University's economics school, and is currently affiliated with Across Entertainment. Before that, he was affiliated with the Tokyo Actor's...
as Shun Akiyama - Masami IwasakiMasami Iwasakiis a Japanese voice actor. Most but not all of his roles are minions or ruffians.-Anime:* Birdy * Koji Kuroki, Cerberus, Kaoru Hatsujo, Morgan, and other misc. in * Roland/Isono * Akazawa Yoshiro...
as Ryuji Goda - Satoshi Tokushige as Daigo Dojima
- Rie KugimiyaRie Kugimiyais a Japanese voice actress affiliated with I'm Enterprise.Kugimiya's most famous roles include Alphonse Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist, Happy in Fairy Tail, Kagura in Gintama, Nagi Sanzenin in Hayate no Gotoku!, Shana in Shakugan no Shana, Louise in Zero no Tsukaima, Taiga Aisaka in Toradora!, and...
as Haruka Sawamura, who is kidnapped by a mysterious man - Koji Matoba as Tetsuo Nikaidō , an Omi Alliance member, third chairman of the Go-Ryu family, Ryuji's right-hand man
- Tetta Sugimoto as Tomoaki Nagahama , a member of the Majima Family of the Tojo Clan
- Chiaki KuriyamaChiaki Kuriyamais a Japanese actress, singer and model. She is best known in the West for her roles in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Volume 1 and the Japanese film Battle Royale .- Biography :...
as Misuzu Asagi , the heroine, member of a defence unit - Renji Ishibashi as Oyassan , a takoyakiTakoyakiis a popular ball-shaped Japanese dumpling or more like a savory pancake made of batter and cooked in a special takoyaki pan...
shop owner from Kansai who is connected to Ryuji - Peter as "DD", a mysterious Japanese-American man who appears in Kamuro-cho around the time that the events begin. He is key to the story, though it is unknown whose side he is on
- Aya HiranoAya Hiranofrom Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer who has had roles in several anime, visual novels, and TV commercials in Japan. She was contracted to Space Craft Produce, a branch of the Space Craft Group, for her voice acting career, and for her singing career,...
as Hana , Akiyama's secretary. After the events of Yakuza 4 she slimmed down, but she returned to her old eating habits and has regained her former body type
Development
The game was first announced in June 2010, during an interview with series producer Toshihiro Nagoshi in Japanese gaming magazine FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
, during which he mentioned that a new Ryū ga Gotoku game was in development and that it would star Goro Majima. Majima, as well as the new project, was officially confirmed on July 1, on the official website. A series of announcements were then made on the main site, beginning in late July and continuing throughout August, with all four main characters being revealed one by one.
Kazuma Kiryu was the first to be confirmed after Majima, on July 21. Shun Akiyama was then announced on August 4, and Ryuji Goda was then revealed in the final announcement on August 18. Following each character's confirmation, a large poster of him was erected across the east exist of the Shinjuku
Shinjuku, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population...
branch of Don Quijote
Don Quijote (store)
is a discount chain store that has over 160 locations throughout Japan as well as three stores in Hawaii. It carries a wide range of products, from basic groceries to electronics to clothing. The store is well known in Japan and is often referred to by its shortened name .-History:Don Quijote...
, a shop that features in the game itself as a tie-in, and was replaced by the next character when he was announced.
In August 2010, a two-page advertisement appeared in Famitsu, showing Kamurocho in ruins, with the words "The End" over the image. The name of the game was officially announced in a September issue of Famitsu and confirmed on the game's official site on September 9.
Video footage of the game was shown for the first time at the Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
2010, showing footage of minigames such as darts, fishing, batting and karaoke. It also showed scenes of the town being overrun by zombies and destroyed by a large, black monster and many small creatures. Footage afterwards on the Ryu-Stream channel showed the cabaret girls' actors "shooting" a zombie actor with guns.
Tie-ins
A recurring theme in the series is tie-inTie-in
A tie-in is an authorized product based on a media property a company is releasing, such as a movie or video/DVD, computer game, video game, television program/television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property...
s, in which real-life businesses, restaurant chains or products are promoted prior to the game's release and within the game itself. A range of awamori
Awamori
Awamori is an alcoholic beverage indigenous to and unique to Okinawa, Japan. It is made from rice, and is not a direct product of brewing but of distillation ....
drinks by Okinawa's Seifuku Distillery were licensed. A range of goods, including bracelets and T-shirts, was sold at Don Quijote
Don Quijote (store)
is a discount chain store that has over 160 locations throughout Japan as well as three stores in Hawaii. It carries a wide range of products, from basic groceries to electronics to clothing. The store is well known in Japan and is often referred to by its shortened name .-History:Don Quijote...
, a store chain which has been featured in every game except Kenzan! so far. Also sold at Don Quijote was a themed energy drink called "Energy Dragon".
Another returning tie-in was a promotion with 777town, in which a Kazuma Kiryu avatar was available for use with the 777town website, and Volcano, a pachinko centre sponsored by the website, was included within the game. A collaboration with a hat brand, Override, was shown in-game; the hat was also available for purchase from Override's website. A men's fragrance, "Black Dragon", was designed by producer Toshihiro Nagoshi, and appears both in-game and at retailers such as Don Quijote.
Another promotion with Kai Razor included a Ryū ga Gotoku strap and razor case, and protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is shown shaving with one of their razors in an in-game cutscene. Another Kai Razor campaign featured bracelets designed by Nagoshi, Takaya Kuroda, Hidenari Ugaki, and the hostess' performers, as well as a nail clipper.
Karaoke Kan, a karaoke venue featured in the game since Yakuza 3
Yakuza 3
Yakuza 3 is a PlayStation 3 video game, originally released in Japan as , the sequel to Yakuza 2 and the fourth installment in the Yakuza series. It is developed by Sega Japan's CS1 Team and published by Sega...
, was included in another promotion. The first 200 customers to visit the special series rooms were awarded one of the three tie-in prizes (80 of each of the T-shirt and Kai Razor prizes were available, while 40 bottles of Black Dragon were given away), and an alternative "Karaoke Kan Version" of the game's commercial was played there, featuring Jun Komori, a model who appears as a masseuse in the game.
The game's characters, and a Kamuro-cho gate outfit, will be available in the PSP game Taiko no Tatsujin Portable DX
Taiko no Tatsujin
is a series of rhythm games created by Namco. The series has seen releases for the arcade, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, iOS, Advanced Pico Beena, and mobile phones....
, which features "Machinegun Kiss", a karaoke song from the Ryū ga Gotoku series.
Limited edition
In the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
, the game's packaging was changed to a "Ganbarō, Nippon!" version with Kiryu and Haruka on the cover; the first pressing included a set of stickers featuring the two. Also included with early preorders was a soundtrack CD, part of the series' recurring Kamutai preorder bonus series.
Special items
Like its PS3 predecessors, some special items are available in the game if a save file from another game in the series is detected. Players whose PS3 detects the presence of Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! save data receive the Gion Bell , while players with save data from the Japanese version of Yakuza 4Yakuza 4
, is a video game developed and published by Sega exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The game was announced on July 24, 2009. A promotion video was presented at the 2009 Tokyo Game Show and a preview presenting the main story was released on January 13, 2010....
receive the Satsutaba no Omori .