Yakuza 0
The Best Action Video Games of 2017
Yakuza 0 is an endless pit of entertainment. Originally released in Japan in 2015, the prequel to the Yakuza series finally hit the West in 2017. Step into 1988 Tokyo, a world of clubs, street brawls, and weird as hell activities you could only find in a Yakuza game.
Gameplay mainly involves switching between various fighter styles for protagonists Kiryi and Majima, and while the action is brutal, the mechanics lag a little behind modern systems, never as fluid as you’d really like. Still, the real jewel of Yakuza 0 is its wealth of side activities. This small expanse of fictionalized Tokyo will let you do everything from dancing to gambling to visiting cabaret clubs. Things only get weirder the longer you look, and though the main story has its share of drama, it walks delicately between intensity and comedy. When you’re not trying to survive the blackmail and car bombings of a clan war, you’ll be teaching a punk rock band how to act tough, or enjoying SEGA games in a local arcade.
This world is gripping in all the oddest ways, and if you’re looking for a wacky good time, we can’t help but recommend Yakuza 0.
