Despite being available on Steam for years, the Yakuza games have made their DRM-free debut on GoG.com, and this wouldn't be particularly noteworthy news if GoG hadn't signed a rather absurd deal to celebrate. The Yakuza: The Complete Series is on sale for just over $34 (£27). This package of the seven titles in the series has been played for 456 hours by Phil Savage, the Yakuza-loving British editor-in-chief. That means 7 cents an hour.
Perhaps that's because "Yakuza" is great, and while each film in the series is enough to set itself apart, the exact same over-the-top slapstick violence, sombre and touching smoking scenes, utterly baffling and brilliant mini-game slash side quests And offering a truckload of fortune cookie homilies, PCG's Jorge Jimenez writes, "The 'Yakuza' series taught me how to be a Japanese mafioso. Every day I would wake up, get a suplex on 25 guys who disrespected me on the street, get in the batting cage, eat a cheeseburger, and sing karaoke."
Now, there is one odd thing about The Yakuza Complete Series. This package contains "Yakuza 0," "Yakuza Pole 1 and 2," "Yakuza Remastered 3, 4, and 5," and "Yakuza 6: Song of Life." However, "Yakuza 7: Dragon's Song" is not included. The rationale for this is, first, that it is not yet on GoG, and second, that this is the first mainline game beyond Kazuma Kiryu. So, if you squint a little, this is Yakuza: The Complete Series (starring Kiryu).
And not only is there a huge pack with the biggest discount (70%), but there is also a pack with the first three games for 66% off, and a pack with the remasters of three to five games for the same discount.
It would be hard to find a pack with a better deal than this, and if you go all the way through, it would be the bargain of the century. But these games often see steep discounts, and if you want to give them a try, you should start by looking for a deal on "Yakuza 5" (66% off): and master the cab driver's ways.
(*Phil counted a total of 456 hours. However, his Yakuza Kiwami 2 save was lost when his PS4 hard drive failed.)
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