Yakuza Remastered Collection review for PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One

As stated in the Yakuza: Like a Dragon review, I?ve admired the Yakuza series from afar, but the Kiryu saga spanning across 3 generations of consoles made it a bit of a chore to tackle from a backlog point of view. SEGA has slowly rendered this excuse moot as they have collectively re-released the titles on the 8th generation of consoles and PC. While the PlayStation consoles got these titles first, SEGA nearly brought parity across the three platforms in the west as it finally released The Yakuza Remastered Collection on PC and Xbox (Currently the only hold out is Yakuza 6: Song of Life and Yakuza: Dead Souls).

The Yakuza Remastered Collection consists of Yakuza 3, 4, and 5. Yakuza 3 deals with series mainstay Kazuma Kiryu?s life outside of the Yakuza…but somehow he gets pulled back in Yakuza business. Yakuza 4 sees additional protagonists added to the mix as the ramifications of a mob hit that occurred in 1985 boil over in the ?present? day. Yakuza 5 sees Kiryu and others embroiled in another Yakuza conspiracy also players will finally take control of a female playable character, Kiryu?s ward Haruka as she navigates another seedy industry…the idol industry.

Unlike the two Kiwami titles, the titles in the remastered collection only got resolution and refresh rate enhancements (1080p and 60fps). Visually and mechanically it will be a bit jarring for players who cut their teeth on the series with 0 and the 2 Kiwami games. However those who can forgive these shortcomings, this collection is still quite a value. With 3 titles whose play time can clock in around 20 hours each and even more if you indulge in the plethora of mini games and substories, it?s an absolute steal that the bundled price is $40. The value is even better as this package is available to members of Microsoft?s Game Pass program.

Would it have been better if these titles got the Kiwami treatment that the first 2 titles did? Yes! However I?m sure this work would have hindered the studio?s ability to work on the post-Kiryu titles. It?s a small sacrifice which would enable a greater good and frankly this move will enable titles that never saw western releases…even if they?re not Kiwami?d.

Sega provided us with a Yakuza Remastered Collection PC code for review purposes.