The game is as if Kingdom Hearts,  GTA,  Shenmue, Streets of Rage, and Jackie Chan all had a baby.   Yes it really encompasses all those genres.  The story is AMAZING, the gameplay is like a live action RPG that plays like Streets of Rage, and best of all its cheap and on the PS2.

There isn't a higher amount of praise I can give it.  This is truly a diamond in the rough.  It reminded me of when I bought Earthbound and said to myself "Why hasn't anyone else played this?".  If your a Nintendo, Sony, or MS fan, it shouldn't matter.  ITS AN AMAZING game, and its hard to find. Go try it!

Any questions :)?  Has anyone else played it?

Sounds cool. Hopefully Yakuza 3 comes to 360 too.

after whats happend in japan everything is possible.

If we're talking about the original Yakuza, I've played through the demo, which was actually pretty lengthy. I really enjoyed it, especially the combat, but never got around to picking the game up.

Seriously guys, can there be one thread without bickering games being PS3 exclusive?

Its pure flame bait.

We are talking about Yakuza 1 NOT Yakuza 3.  Even than, Yakuza 3 is a year from completion and by that time, PS3s will be more than affordable. This is a game on PS2, I strongly suggest you all try it.

:-O  Its only 20 bucks  GO! GO!

hmm i will try to try it.

Wow, you must truly be a Playstation fanboy. I never said anything about hating on the PS3. If you want more people to experience the game, wouldn't it be better if it was on 360 also? Then more people would get to play the game.

Anyways, I was planning on buying 1 and 2 on PS2, but keep forgetting to. I do have a PS3, but that's beyond the point. I like that little tidbit that you put in there too, promoting people to buy a PS3. n_n

You right. yakuza was probably amongst the best games last gen. I place it next to SotC and GoW. The story telling and atmosphere of the game is unrivaled. Especially after there not being anything to replace Shenmue and Streets of Rage, this game is the perfect blend. 

What will really interest some of you is this new film I have been following for a while now. Enjoy the next pic ;p

and here is the link to the official site with a trailer. It looks great.

Ryu Ga Gotoku: The Movie Official Site

I've beaten Yakuza 1.

It far exceeded my expectations.

Buy it.