The Yakuza, Japan’s very own mafia, is a group that story writers have always failed to grasp.

With so many video games based around gangs and samurai, it’s hard to understand why there has never been a game on the only thing that combines the two, especially when the world of the Yakuza is one filled with honor, violence, and inter-gang tension.

It seems like a world made for video games.

Yakuza, Sega’s new platform fighter for Playstation 2, has taken this mysterious ring of organized crime and given it a face in a “beat ’em up” action thriller.

This game features some good street brawling, an impressive story line and an in-depth look at one of the most dangerous crime syndicates in the world.

Kazuma Kiryu, the “Dragon of Dojima,” is the main character and he is not one to be messed with.

In his years collecting debts and being his boss Oyabun’s top soldier, Kazuma has collected enough to start his own branch of the Yakuza.

Unfortunately, Kazuma’s dreams are cut short when he is forced to take the rap for killing his boss to keep his friend out of jail.

After 10 years in the slammer and a dishonorable expulsion from his gang, Kazuma is released for good behavior to find that the world has left him behind.

Kazuma is swept up in a gang war for power that over which he has little control.

But hey, what can’t the “Dragon of Dojima” do?

Yakuza is a pretty straightforward “beat-the-crap-out-of-everything” game.

Translation: Some cool hand-to-hand combat moves along with the ability to use a respectable amount of objects as weapons. This makes for some interesting fights.

Utilizing combos and strategic use of weapons is necessary because in almost every fight, Kazuma is drastically outnumbered.

As in real life, numbers become a huge advantage in a fight.

While Kazuma can progress in each level and gain new moves, combat still seems a little on the repetitive side.

Random encounters are mainly street thugs looking for money and even that can get repetitive.

Seriously, how many times can a single man be jumped on the street for money?

Apparently more than fifteen times a day if your name is Kazuma Kiryu.

Lack of different types of enemies only add to how quickly a gamer can tire of combat.

Thankfully, the story line keeps the game on a path that is entertaining to watch unfold and makes fighting seem a little more worthwhile.

Written by award-winning Japanese writer Seishu Hase, this plot takes a few twists and turns that keep the gamer wanting to play.

The only problem is the plethora of names that the gamer has to remember throughout the game.

And there are a lot of them.

It feels too easy to forget who is who in the sea of names this game drops.

But if you can keep the important names in your head and are good at remembering faces, you should be fine.

Yakuza is not a game to be taken lightly. The Japanese mafia is far different than the mafia of Al Capone.

This game is a good one, though not one of the greatest games ever.

I would recommend at least renting Yakuza and giving it a spin.

Your Oyabun commands it.

Final Score: 8/10