Yakuza

Yakuza is a good game with some very fun elements, but suffers from camera and loading time issues.
In the game you are wandering around the Japanese entertainment district and getting into random fights. The only major problem with the overworld is the constant loading time. After 5-10 steps the camera switches to a different spot as you move down a street and loads up. Another few steps, more loading. Some street punk challenges you to a fight? 20-30+ seconds of loading time.
The fight control system is a bit cumbersome - you will often land the first punch of a series and then finish your combo by wildly swinging at the air. The camera is an issue since it mostly stays in place or shifts slightly while you are moving, rather than get behind you. You get used to the combat system quickly and some of the new abilities you can gain (like the ability to kick in any direction at the end of a combo) are designed to counter the flaws in the system. The real shining star in fights is the ability to use almost any item as a weapon: bikes, crates, signs, pipes, etc...
The story is a bit hokey and the voice talent sounds bored and passionless. Also there was no need for the amount of F-bombs that this game drops. I mean seriously, we get it - you are M for mature, but if there was no cursing I wouldn't be surprised at a Teen rating. Nothing more graphic than your average fighting game.
I look foward to Yakuza 2 (maybe in 07?). I have heard they got rid of most of the loading time, though I wonder why they couldn't have gotten rid of it here. If you don't get frustrated at the combat or long loading time than this is a great game.

I really enjoyed playing Yakuza. The designers have taken a typical Japanese entertainment district and transported into the game, complete with convenience stores, hostess bars, strip clubs, pawn shops, etc - right down to the drinks machines on every street corner. They've also taken the criminal world of the Yakuza, stereotypes and all, and transported it into the game. Maybe it's because I live in Japan, but I got a real kick out of playing the "bad but honorable" main character in such familiar surroundings. The only real flaw is the camera control -- the camera gets flaky every once in a while. The player should have full camera control and the auto control could have used more polish. Also, the game earns it's M rating mostly due to language and sexual content and parents should exercise caution when considering buying it for children.

Yakuza was a little different than I thought it would be, but it turned out to be pretty fun. You basically run around, beating people up. Okay yeah, sometimes you help people find their briefcases and buy art, but mostly you just DESTROY!

The camera doesn't always go where you want it, but you can press L2 to face it the correct way. Sometimes the movement control seems a bit wonky as well, but you get used to it. During fights it can be a real pain though.

Aside from the movement issue, fighting is quite fun! For the first few chapters it only seems like you need to use one combo move over and over, but after a while you get more powerful enemies that require a little more strategy. This game actually makes you use dodge! You can't win some fights without it. I never, ever use dodge in games so it was kind of refreshing. And you can pick up almost anything off of the ground and use it as a weapon. Hitting someone with a table is pretty satisfying, let me tell you.

The one major flaw is the language, not just because the English dubs are terrible, because they are, but the swearing is so ridiculous that after a point it just becomes funny. There was a cut scene with some street gangsters that literally had at the very least, 2 swear words per sentence. I'm all for realism, but it was so over the top. Nonetheless, if you can ignore it, and even embrace it, this is a fun game.

On one final note, I'd just like to say, this is nothing like Shenmue whatsoever, except for the fact that you're a Japanese dude walking around town. Seriously, the similarities end there.