Ryu Ga Gotoku: First Look & Footage

One of Sega's most respected producers, Toshihiro Nagoshi, is back with a Shenmue-like Yakuza adventure that couldn't be farther from the happy world of Monkey Ball. Screens and video inside.

The recent announcement of Ryu Ga Gotoku came as a pleasant surprise to hardcore gamers. Previously shrouded in secrecy and known only as Project J, the PS2-exclusive game from Toshihiro Nagoshi received instant recognition for its visually stylish and technically promising graphics.

Many have agreed - including our own spies on the ground in Japan who have actually seen the game first-hand - that it's fair to label the game as kind of a spiritual successor to Shenmue - after all, the combination of distinctive characters, detailed and expansive eastern game environments, storyline-led gameplay and sharp-looking fight scenes, all conjure up a memory of two of the classic Sega series.

Of course, not wanting to complicate matters, a report on a certain website the following day brought Shenmue 3 right back into the spotlight. But without question, Ryu Ga Gotoku - which will get an official western name very soon - will be getting a lot of attention over the coming weeks. It's set to create a big splash at the imminent Tokyo Game Show, and we can't wait to bring you our full, first-hand preview.

For now though, we wanted to play a bit of catch-up to bring you the key details, and of course to show you the first footage, available below in the impressive trailer.

Having been essential to some of Sega's most celebrated series, including Daytona, SpikeOut, Super Monkey Ball and F-Zero, Toshihiro Nagoshi's experience as a game maker is indisputable, but he was also central to the development of Sega's original polygon-pushing "Model 1" technology, which ran the very first "Virtua" games. It's usually the likes of Yu Suzuki who walks away with the credit for what many perceive as the birth of modern-day 3D games, but Nagoshi was always at the epicenter.

And while his recent successes such as Monkey Ball are extremely popular, this is arguably the first time Nagoshi has attempted a more mature, adult-targeted adventure game. We're pumped.

Ryu Ga Gotoku, which means "Dragon-Like" in English but will be getting a slightly snappier name for its yet-to-be-confirmed western release, is a Tokyo-set adventure that looks at the dark, Yakuza-led underbelly of the city.

You play as former Yakuza leader Kazuma Kiyuu. The game begins as he's released from jail only to face a new conspiracy involving a girl and the princely sum of ten billion yen - about ninety million US dollars.

Amusingly, that's not much more than the combined cost of the first two Shenmue games. <% ' shenmue 1 = £20m or $50-60 estimated, 2 prob about $30 maybe so whatever %>

Japanese writer Hase Seishu is assisting with directing some of the storyline, while the trailer suggests some quality voice talent is already signed up. Whether or not this voice acting will make it into a potential western version in tact, remains to be seen - but mainstream acceptance of eastern-language, subtitled entertainment continues to grow - and it's no secret that Sega failed to get it right when it chose to dub the voices in Shenmue 1. Worth thinking about, Mr Sega...

Either way, we're looking forward to Ryu Ga Gotoku. The trailer suggests we should expect a pretty epic title that is as deep in plot as it is visually stunning.

We'll have much more on Ryu Ga Gotoku very soon.

Adam Doree
Director, Kikizo.com