Wakarimashita
The fan group Team K4L have announced that their translation ofKurohyou: Ryu Ga Gotoku Shinshouwill be released this August. Initially, they had hoped to release it last year, but unfortunately had to delay it.
Sega has come a long way when it comes to localizing theirYakuza/Like a Dragonseries, so we’ve been eating well.Like a Dragon: Ishin!was once argued by Sega as being a poor choice for localization, but despite that, we just recently finally got it over here. However, in a recentinterview with The Gamerchief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto said ofKurohyou, “I think if we wanted to develop something, we’re not really looking at the past, we’re looking to the future, and we think that we want to put our efforts and our priorities at making new titles for Like a Dragon.” That’s not a “no, definitely not,” but it’s not looking good, so it’s always great to see fans step in to bring a title to a wider audience.
Kurohyou: Ryu Ga Gotoku Shinshois a 2010 spin-off of the series for PSP. Rather than an attempt to simply transplant theLike a Dragon/Yakuzaformula to the portable, Sega enlisted AKI Corporation (now known as syn Sophia) to put their own spin on it. AKI should be a familiar name to anyone who played N64 wrestling games, as they’re the developers behindWCW/NWO RevengeandWWF No Mercy. These titles, as well as the others they put out on the console, are still regarded as some of the best pro wrestling games ever released.
The gameplay focuses more on one-on-one combat, but the narrative features the familiar neighborhood of Kamurocho and is packed with mini-games and side quests. Combat is modeled closer toDef Jam Fight for NY, rather than the more beat-’em-up brawling of your typicalYakuza/Like a Dragongame.
K4L will be releasing the translation patch this August under the nameKurohyou (Like a Dragon: Black Panther).
