Go go go...

I' m new to the PS3 world. Do I have to do something fancy schmancy to download Japanese demos?

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I am all over this! Thanks for the info and tutorial Nitro! I' ll update if I got it to work and impressions.

FUCK! Thanks.... ***Goes to PS3 right away***

Do you know if the GT5 Prologue demo is still up Majik? I' ve tried to find it with no success, I can only find the full version that costs $$$$

I think they removed the demo from all stores once the costly one came out. So, I am in an downloading. There seems to be three downloadable for Yakuza, a video and two demos. I am downloading the ones that seemed like demos. Did you guys know they have RE2 available for download?? If I tried to download it, would it work on my American PS3?

Quick Impressions

I have only played the first of the 2 demos so far. Number 2 is still downloading. While the demo is in fact pretty boring, as all you' re doing is going from point a to b, gathering money I imagine. The fact that I don' t read kanji doesn' t make things any easier. However, the game as a whole feels a whole lot like Yakuza, which is good. Ok, breaking it down:

Setting: Takes place inside a town area, much like Kamurocho from the first game. I' ve studied some Japanese history and seen plenty of pictures, and it seems the creators have stuck to what it would look like back then, both in costumes and the place itself.

Graphics: While the animations are what you would call a little stiff, the character models are very impressive looking, specially their facial expressions. Comparing it to another game on PS3 (Uncharted), the character models do look more realistic (not better, just more human like), as they have skin texture, pores and the hair is more natural looking. The in-game models are pretty impressive as well, though the fact that everything is done through text doesn' t lend itself to realistic animations depending on the conversation and such. The environments look alive and well rendered as well, though they' re nothing really impressive.

Sound: I was actually a bit disappointed in what I heard. While there was a lot of activity going on in your surroundings, there wasn' t much sound coming from around you. In AC, that was one of the few things I really liked, that everything felt alive, visually and sound, but Yakuza is just not very alive sound wise. The battle grunts and sound are however good, and the battle music is a remix from the original' s battle music. During the cut-scenes, the voice acting is very good. Being an anime watcher, the actors did it for me, and I hope they keep the option of using the Japanese soundtrack for this one, as to me it would feel more realistic.

Gameplay: Like I said, the demo was underwhelming, but the game feels like Yakuza. There are restaurants, the key lockers and several little districts to explore. Fight wise, the fight control identical to Yakuza. Meaning you can string regular attacks with stronger ones, as well as throw and do special moves and pick up weapons from the street. You can pick up to four weapons which are mapped to your d-pad for quick access. The combat may feel like it doesn' t offer much, but that' s because you' re playing with a pretty weak Kyryu, much like the one from the beginning of the original. I did like that now you can switch directions while in the middle of attacks, though it wasn' t really necessary as the enemies weren' t to much of a challenge. The other new mechanic is the learning of moves by watching. There is a small sequence involving a cat and a mouse that by watching, you' ll learn a new move. It' s very simple, as all you have to do is press the x button before the timer runs out and later press the x button again in the same fashion and you' ll learn the move.

So while the demo wasn' t particularly spectacular, I am happy that they are sticking with the established Yakuza formula and everything that was there before has either been improved upon and or polished. I am looking forward to the game, and once I play the other demo, I' ll update.

Edit: Second Demo

The second demo is a compilation of different mini-games and a survival mode consisting of three fights and a boss fight.

The mini-games

While they look like a lot of fun, unless you speak Japanese, then you' re screwed, like I was. The first one is romancing a geisha, which works just like seducing the hostesses in the first game. It plays exactly the same way, with her asking you questions that will determine her mood and offering you foods and such. I only pissed her off. The second, and the only of the three that does not require a knowledge of the idiom is horseback archery. This is pretty straight forward, your horse runs forward by itself, and you shoot targets with R1. Depending on how long you hold it, the more power, which some targets require more powerful shots. There are also some quick button presses to avoid branches and stuff. The last mini-game is some sort of table game, which involves you pressing buttons for an unknown objective.

The survival

By far the best part of the demo. The second fight is a fist fight, which will feel exactly the same as the fist fights in the first demo. The others allow you to use the newly created sword styles. Here you' re allowed to use fist, one sword and dual wielding. This is by far more fast paced than fist combat and much more entertaining. Something I did not notice before is that the dodging system is also better, as it allows you to first put some space and then perform a somersault to position yourself better. The quick button presses are also back, as in some situations you' ll be required to press a certain button in order to avoid damage. While not leagues above in difficulty, these fights are certainly more challenging than the ones in the first demo.

So overall, if you liked the original Yakuza, then you' ll like this one too. The changes are subtle and there is nothing groundbreaking in the demos, but it looks like is following the right path and it' ll offer some good fun.

Yes, thanks for the tutorial!

Alright I' m downloading both Yukuza 3 demos as well as something else (not sure what it is, but I guess I' ll find out). Not sure how big the demos are. I wish I could find the Everybody' s Golf demo, but that doesn' t seem to be anywhere. :(

I didn' t like either demo. I spent longer " installing" them than I did playing them. Why does the PS3 need to " install" demos, anyway? That' s retarded. Anyway I had more fun sitting in classrooms at school than I did with either of these demos. If you don' t speak Japanese, prepare to be bored out of your skull. I immediately deleted both. Game looks all kinds of boring, even if I understood WTF was going on.

ORIGINAL: Nitro

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I thought making a hongkong account is better since it gives all JP demos but using english menues.

I thought making a hongkong account is better since it gives all JP demos but using english menues.

I was reading the same thing. I haven' t tried yet, but I did make an European account using the same instructions for the Japanese account, so I am guessing it should be possible to do a Hong Kong account using the same method as well.

I thought making a hongkong account is better since it gives all JP demos but using english menues.

It offers a lot of the same things, but not all.

For instance, it didn' t offer the Demo for GT5 Prologue

Yeah, I noticed that. It doesn' t offer the Yakuza demos or Resident Evil 2 either. But is in English. that' s a plus

Can you go into more detail about the improvements? Yakuza was a game that had enough potential but not enough execution to be a truly great game. I always figured that with sequels they could improve it, so a detailed analysis would be nice.

Where have you been Billy???

I can tell you this, from the demo there really isn' t anything that is leap and bounds from what we saw in the first. All the tweaks seen are really very small and just make the experience a little better. In essence, it feels a whole lot like the first. For me, that' s good and bad, good because I loved the first one. Bad, because I don' t really see like there is gonna be much evolution of the already set elements. Most of the changes are with the combat, which has a better dodging system and you can switch directions mid combo. You can also map acquired make-shift weapons to the d-pad, allowing you for more styles on the fly. The sword system is just like the fist fights, except it is faster. However, since you aren' t given many moves in the demo, I can' t judge how deep the system is gonna be.

The combat, when it was all said and done, was probably the best aspect of the original Yakuza. I look forward to testing out how Yakuza 3 works, though it' s probably no different than the other 2. (A big bad hint is in the fact that Sega has been pumping it dry)

I look forward to testing out how Yakuza 3 works, though it' s probably no different than the other 2. (A big bad hint is in the fact that Sega has been pumping it dry)

You mean making the sequels too frequently?