Rise of the Ronin is an open-world action RPG from the developers of Wo Long and the Nioh series. It is set in 1853 during the final years of the Bakumatsu period in Japan. The setting and swordplay will appeal to fans of the Yakuza prequel, Like a Dragon: Ishin . The combat is challenging with a focus on deflections and landing counter stri
L.A. Noire has more in common with some of the investigative mechanics in the Yakuza spin-off series Judgement. However, fans of Yakuza love deep character stories and crime dramas filled with twists, turns, and betrayals. This late 1940 set drama is an easy recommendat
However, despite its clunky mechanics, Mafia 2 features a compelling and mature story of Vito Scaletta's rise to power in the ranks of the Falcone crime family. Fans of Yakuza's more dramatic and political mob stories will love the struggles of Vito and his relationships with friends and fam
Playable on: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, PC
The Arkham series started off on a strong note with Batman: Arkham Asylum . This game toyed with the idea of an open-world formula, before its sequel ended up going all out with this conc
With several hack-n-slash games available, beat-em-up style combat is not utilized enough in modern gaming. Despite being a staple of the Yakuza series for so many years, the developers opted for a turn-based combat system in Like a Dragon. Thankfully, another classic Sega franchise can offer a solid alternat
The Rabbids kind of kicked Rayman out of his own franchise for a while, and the last true Rayman game before the Wii party game, Rayman 3 , didn't live up to its predecessors. 2011 saw a return to form, however, with Rayman: Origins . The 2D side-scrolling platformer brought back all the charm, difficulty, and engaging gameplay from the character's debut. Origins and its sequel are often seen as two of the best in the genre from the past ten ye
Mafia 2 is a 1940s and early 50s mobster game inspired by classic movies like The Godfather and Goodfellas . It was updated and remastered for the PS4 and Xbox One, but it wasn't as definitive as the remake of Mafia's first ti
On Sony's original PlayStation, there were no better platformers than the Crash Bandicoot trilogy. All three games gave everything one desires from the genre: challenge, beautiful art, and rewarding secrets. The next generation wasn't as kind to the mascot, and he was nearly silent on the PS3 and Xbox
However, fans want the promise of fantastic games from innovational franchises as they look towards Xbox's future and what better way to establish that than to show off an enhanced reboot of the Fable series running on next-generation hardware. No matter if it releases two years into the console's cycle, the promise of a game like fable 2025 4 would do a lot to convince fans they should invest in Microsoft if revealed in the next few mon
Fiction's most famous secret agent has made undeniable contributions to the medium. GoldenEye 007 on the N64 revolutionized the first-person shooter and local multiplayer games. After the 1997 masterpiece, a steady stream of releases came through until 2012 when 007 Legends stopped it all in its tracks. The compilation of famous playable set pieces throughout the franchise was panned as one of the worst first-person shooters in recent memory. Since then, not even murmurs of a new game have popped up. Given the character's relationship to the medium, he deserves a glorious ret
Playable on: Nintendo Switch, PC
An indie game that puts players in the shoes of an anthropomorphic bird as they strive to get cellphone reception, A Short Hike is easily one of the more unique titles on this list. Any fan of indie titles owes it to themselves to try this title
The internet began speculating about a Resident Evil 3 Remake after fairly credible leaks and teases found their way online, as they tend to do. Fans were expecting to see a trailer, or even possibly gameplay, at some point during one of the press conferences this year, particularly due to the success of the Resident Evil 2 Remake, but it appears that fans will have to wait a little while longer to battle Nemesis in
Ghostwire: Tokyo is a first-person supernatural action-adventure. It is stylistically different from the Yakuza series. However, those who love exploring a stunning version of Tokyo steeped in culture and lore will find much to love in this title from the creators of The Evil Within. The gameplay and tone are different from Yakuza but equally quirky and unus
Updated April 13, 2024 by Michael Llewellyn: The Yakuza series was originally an action series in the Kiryu saga and became a fully-fledged turn-based JRPG when Ichiban took over as the series protagonist. The series's appeal comes from its depiction of Japanese culture and folklore in a modern-day setting or the historically set Like a Dragon: Ishin. This list has been updated to include more games that fans of the Yakuza series may en