Yakuza: Dead Souls (PS3)

Yakuza: Dead Souls is slightly awkward to play, is steeped in Japanese culture, has a likable sense of humour and is stuffed with content, so in spite of the zombies, disappointing lack of variation and bold new direction, it’s still very much a Yakuza...

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Story has a few terrific moments ; Improving your weapons provides a rewarding sense of progress

Bland, frequently frustrating combat ; Fails to capitalize on its charismatic leading men ; Poor integration of Kamurocho's attractions

Even when it's not being so irritating, the combat is too basic to be enjoyable. When you're fortunate enough to have ammo for a gun that shoots continuously, simply holding down the fire button as you run up to zombies gets the job done with minimal...

The whole game is about as much fun as a zombie outbreak.

Yakuza: Dead Souls’ lengthy campaign mode and RPG elements ensure fans of the genre, and the series, will have plenty to see and do - unfortunately, casual zombie hunters will not get the same satisfaction. While it is by no means unplayable, the poor...

Performing a co-op Heat move with a partner always has explosive consequences.

Although Yakuza: Dead Souls gives a negative first impression with chunky controls and lack of an English dub, as you progress you adapt your play style compensate for the awkward controls. In addition, there's a lot to do in Kamurocho - in and outside...

While I generally play Yakuza games for the story, in Dead Souls I enjoyed the comedy of the non-story-related sub-missions much more than the main story’s melodrama. Weird.

Looks damn pretty; Large, open, realistic world; Tons of mini-game distractions

Every battle plays out the same; Camera is a bastard

For what it is, though, a non-canon romp through some authentic-looking Japanese streets filled with zombies and ammo is damn fun. The shooting and main story might be bland, but the mini-games offer a nice break to the action... if you want to gamble...