We already know howYakuza 3is blatantly better thanFinal Fantasy XIII, but it turns out that it could have been evenmoreblatantly better, because some folks have reported that SEGAcut much more contentout of the game than was originally revealed.
It wasn’t just thehostess barsand the obscure history trivia minigame that were cut out, it seems that the mahjong, shogi, “loser song” minigames were axed, as well as dozens of side quests. Estimates are placed at about 13% of the content available in the game’s first 6 chapters were absent from the English version ofYakuza 3.
And it’s not just a problem of most players not knowing what they’ll miss. Many of those sidequests are worth experience and cashed used to buy upgrades and items, potentially making the game more difficult or grind-heavy.
I don’t really understand why they had to go and do this. Why were they concerned about releasing the game ASAP? Were they in that much of a hurry to get steamrolled byFinal Fantasy XIIIandGod of War III? And it’s not as if cutting content suddenly makes an alreadyveryJapanese game more appealing to western audiences. After all, it was the constant whining by Japanophiles like myself that convinced them to bring the game over in thefirst place. Sega’s continuing inability to properly gauge its audience is maddening.
All that said, I’m just gladYakuza 3is happening at all. There’s plenty more content available to play, even with the cuts, and I encourage everyone who’s interested to take the plunge. If nothing else, you’ll get a good game, and Sega might be convinced to bringYakuza 4over in a more complete state.
Euro Yakuza 3 sees huge content cuts[CVG]
