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Switch 2’s Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut Is An Upgraded Version Aimed At Old And New Fans

by admin May 25, 2025

Ryu Ga Gotoku fans are a special type of fandom where almost everyone involved agrees on one thing: Yakuza 0 is the best starting point in the Like A Dragon/Yakuza series. It’s rare that someone disagrees that Yakuza 0 is one of the best titles in the entire franchise and still one of the best games the studio has made. Even after eight mainline titles–Yakuza Kiwami through Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth–there is simply no game in the series that catches the same feel as Yakuza 0. Fans will even beg any of their friends, gamers or not, to play Yakuza 0 because it’s really that wonderful.

When Yakuza Kiwami was released on Nintendo Switch last fall, fans anticipated Yakuza 0 would finally make its way to the Nintendo platforms too. Although there were many technical issues with Kiwami running on an aged console, RGG fans will be happy to know Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut on Nintendo Switch 2 runs smoother than a perfect score on “Friday Night” in the disco minigame.

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Now Playing: Yakuza Zero Video Review

If you haven’t checked out the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series yet, the Director’s Cut is shaping up to be the best way to try it, as it takes place first in the story chronologically, and the new Nintendo Switch 2 version will have upgraded graphics and more features that are missing from the original.

Yakuza 0 remains special

Before I even dip into what the Director’s Cut has to offer, I should probably explain why Yakuza 0 is unique and beloved to those who are new to the series.

Yakuza 0 takes place 20 years before the events in Yakuza 1/Kiwami, where the franchise originally started. It’s a dual-protagonist setup that focuses on Kiryu Kazuma, the series’ main protagonist, and Goro Majima, one of the most popular characters in the series. The story chapters transition between the two characters, who each have different quests, fighting styles, minigames, and are located in two separate fictional (but based on real-life) cities in Japan.

This was the first time I played Yakuza 0 since I beat it, and all my feelings came back. There is just something about that Japanese bubble area and the neon aesthetic that is oddly comforting and nostalgic. The soft glow of the city, the trashed alleyways, the colorful fashion–you can almost smell the cigarette smoke while you run through Kamurocho.

Getting to demo the new Director’s Cut had me excited to play it all over again. Yakuza 0 brilliantly balances its goofy substories and side content with a serious, traumatic plot without ever making either of the two feel completely out of place. It blew my mind how well this game focuses on two protagonists and how all the events that happen throughout both Kiryu and Majima’s arcs ended with such a satisfying payoff with a heartfelt honor to its future titles.

Director’s Cut new features

Our short demo started in Chapter 3, just after Majima’s iconic character introduction cutscene, where you get to play as him for the first time and explore Sotenbori. There wasn’t much change in the gameplay compared to the original, but the graphics were sharp and performance was smooth, making the experience easy to adapt to on the new Nintendo Switch 2 controller.

We got to explore the area in the newly added English dub. Matthew Mercer returns as Majima again, so of course the first thing I did was check out his rendition of 24-Hour Cinderella in the karaoke mini game–which was awesome, by the way. It was a little odd getting used to hearing young Majima in the English dub, but Mercer nailed the voice and attitude of the youthful gangster. A couple of other voice actors are returning for the dub too; Yong Yea comes back as Kiryu, and David Hayter returns as the voice of The Barten- err, I mean, Osamu Kashiwagi.

One of the annoying mechanics in the original Yakuza 0 was saving. You could only save at phone booths, which made it tough during long battles and cutscenes. In the Director’s Cut, you finally have the option to save whenever you want. You can still use a phone booth for sorting storage, but now you don’t have to constantly remind yourself to make a pit stop for saving before getting too trapped in the story or side content.

We didn’t get to explore much more of the gameplay, or any of Kiryu’s, but I can tell this will be a great launch title for Switch 2. Plus, we were told there will be 25+ minutes of added cutscenes to the story, and that alone will convince a lot of old fans to bite the bullet and purchase this game.

Red Light Raid mode

The second part of the demo had us go back to the main menu and check out the new Red Light Raid mode–the new online battle mode you can play single or multiplayer. As a side note, I noticed in the main menu that the OG Yakuza 0 theme, “Bubble” by Shōnan no Kaz was added. Originally, it wasn’t licensed for the U.S. release, so that was pretty cool.

The Red Light Raid mode has six challenges, all being raids where you battle waves of enemies and bosses to collect money to unlock more characters. Most of the characters are various NPCs and enemies you meet throughout the game, so it was fun building teams of random misfits and terrifying bosses. You can choose one fighting style for each raid, so it’s great practice for new heat moves and combos, even though all I did was pick Kiryu’s Beast Mode and throw motorcycles at every enemy.

The challenges end up getting tougher with each wave, which makes it quickly compelling. I’ve always felt that Yakuza’s beat’em up combat gets a little too easy, so having something like this feels like a true challenge. I’m sure I will spend way too many hours on this while Nishiki is waiting in a karaoke bar for me somewhere.

Final thoughts

Overall, Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut offered a lot more new features than I expected, on top of being an already fantastic game. The upgraded gameplay, added cutscenes, and online mode should be a great experience for new and old fans alike, and I’m very excited to see Nintendo fans’ love grow for our Yakuza boys. I can already see the Ryu Ga Gotoku fandom expanding with this release and can’t wait to relive those young Kiryu and Majima days myself.

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May 25, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut Red Light Raid Mode is baffling, totally on-brand, and a weirdly good fit as part of a Nintendo Switch 2 launch game

by admin May 22, 2025

In Sega’s offices, seated in front of a Nintendo Switch 2 console running Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut, I was told: “Right, now it’s time to make a lobby.” Jesus. I don’t know these people here at the event with me (I’m pretty sure I’m the only member of the UK press, actually). This is going to be awful. S**t. S**t. S**t.

The PR comes over, loads me into one of the most rudimentary lobbies I’ve seen in a game in the last 20 years, and we get going. I’m presented with a screen that looks like something from a 00s fighting game (no shame there, Tekken is great) where I’m asked to select one character from the entire Yakuza 0 roster. I choose Goro Majima, obviously.

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The lead player boots us into a game, and we’re off: four ragtag Yakuza 0 models – antagonists, people you’ll see in side missions, and major characters all together – start fending off waves of hired goons. It’s stupid: four men yelling, powering up, and battering wave after wave of leather jacket-wearing thugs in the middle of a Japanese street in the 80s. Someone gets pile-drivered into a bin. Someone spins around whilst brandishing a knife until they fall over. This is Yakuza, alright, and it works weirdly well in multiplayer.

And there’s the thing, then. This version of Yakuza 0 is a Switch 2 exclusive (for now, at least). So if you want to try out this baffling rumpus of a mode, you’re going to need to shell out the £45 asking price. Is it worth it? Probably not on its own, but it is a fascinating insight into how Sega, and probably Nintendo, sees what the Switch 2 is putting down for consumers.

This mode, Red Light Raid, is silly fun. It’s an arcade-inspired, wave-based curio that focuses solely on the game’s esoteric combat and pushes the brawling mechanics of the game to breaking point in makeshift arenas that can barely contain the game’s burgeoning chaos. I imagine that with a fully-working GameChat function, you and your mates can have a blast in this mode; shouting about taking down bosses, squabbling over who gets to keep which item as they fall on the floor, jostling over weapons dropped by thugs. It’ll be fun.

It’s also a fascinating way for the RGG Studio folks to reuse assets in a fun way; the character select screen is huge. It’s got 60 playable characters! And you can level up each of the fighters, too. Completionists, watch out. I imagine it’ll take forever. Notably, if you’re playing as either Kiryu or Majima, you’ll have to choose just one style. Otherwise you’d have an unfair advantage via style switching, especially over characters like those found in the fight club that are limited to quite a small selection of moves. Then again, Ginger Chapman has a knife, and Vengeful Otake has a gun. So.

Get ready for a new challenger. | Image credit: Sega

I really can imagine whole nights of sitting in this mode and working through the various courses RGG has set you as a gauntlet. It was all a bit braindead in the early levels I played with my erstwhile colleagues at the event, but I should hope that the later levels ramp up the challenge to some degree, at least.

Chatting with mates, thumping waifs and strays over and over again, and being able to see their little low-res faces as they get their asses handed to them by shirtless men with back tattoos… is that Nintendo’s vision for the Switch 2? To have us all collected in a little lobby like the Uno/Xbox 360 days, gawping at cartoonish hyperviolence on our tiny little 4K monitors? If that’s what Ninty is putting down, I guess that’s what I’m picking up. It sounds great.

But it’s weird that it’s on Sega and RGG to release a game like this – as a launch exclusive – on Switch 2. There are other draws, sure: 26 minutes of never-before-scene cutscenes (though that’s not much in the scheme of things), and a French, Italian, German and Spanish text option now, too (this was missing before). As well as an English voiceover. So there are small temptations for you to double-dip on this, but as a locked exclusive it feels peculiar.

Watch your back. | Image credit: Sega

But isn’t it that exact sort-of off-beat weirdness that we all love Nintendo for? In a way, it reminds me of the bizarre bonus content that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 got for the Nintendo Wii U that never made it to other platforms: Mushroom Battle mode and Tekken Ball, which were sorely missed elsewhere. But it wanted to play into the Wii U’s ‘social’ side more, similar to what RGG and Sega is doing here with Red Light Raid mode… I just don’t really know who it’s for.

It’s not bad. It’s fun! And it plays really well. But you have to assume it’s going to come to other platforms, too, hopefully alongside a cheaper upgrade option so that you don’t have to buy the full product just to get the ‘definitive’ version of the game (Sega’s words, not mine). As a product on Switch 2, it looks, plays, and feels great… but let’s just hope it’s not locked onto the platform forever.

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut launches alongside Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5. Yakuza 0 originally released in 2015 on PS3 and PS4, later coming to Xbox One.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut preview

by admin May 21, 2025

This is the first time I’ve returned to Yakuza 0 since I first played it when it was released on PS4 in 2017. Despite coming out the same week as other notable PS4 games like Resident Evil 7 and Gravity Rush 2, it went on to be a massive success.

For those unfamiliar with Yakuza or the larger Like a Dragon series, the series started on the PlayStation 2 and is often seen as a successor to Shenmue. The original games are 3D beat-em ups with gripping crime drama stories that house tons of twists and turns. They’re also known for their copius amounts of side activities and those are just as plentiful as the story itself. Whether you’re playing classic Sega arcade games, singing karaoke, racing RC cars, playing darts, or even a business management minigame. Yakuza 0 specifically is a series prequel that first launched worldwide in January 2017 and this Director’s Cut release is the first time the game has come to a Nintendo platform.

Yakuza 0 made its way to Xbox and PC but that port was content adjacent to that original PlayStation 3 and 4 releases. Director’s Cut adds tons of additional content such as additional cutscenes, a new English dub, and the biggest addition is probably an entire raid mode with online support. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here, as we didn’t get to experience a ton in the short time we had with the game.

We were dropped into the beginning of Chapter 3, playing as Majima with his standard form for combat. I ran around Sotenbori for a bit, tried to go fishing but failed, played some Space Harrier, and punched some goons. The game ran at a decent frame rate and resolution, 1080p and 60 frames per second. Though it’s worth noting the high amount of pop in and the texture quality being low on both the UI and the signs around the city. I imagine the game will look fine in handheld mode, but it was worth noting.

Combat felt responsive, I was able to pull off combos consistently enough though options were limited because of the placement in the story. Given how short our playtime was, we didn’t get to hear much of the English dub but I imagine if you’ve enjoyed Matt Mercer’s take on the Mad Dog so far, you’ll enjoy his performance here.

After a while we were told to hop to the main menu to try the new Raid Mode. The raid mode has multiple challenges from level one to six, though we only were told to try levels one and three. Each one has multiple stages – each with their own layouts, weapon pickups, and even some boss fights.

There are over 60 playable characters, mostly comprised of various goons you’ll encounter in Yakuza 0. But all three forms of Kiryu and Majima, along with a few of the boss characters like Kuze – with their own movesets. I immediately jumped into the third rank, safety be damned. I’m a gamer, I’m tough enough. And yeah, if you’ve played a decent amount of Yakuza 0, the first couple tiers may be a bit easy. But even then, what I played felt like a well-balanced challenge.

I played as Kiryu just to keep things simple for the time being but there’s an entire system of landing hits to build up combos which grants additional money and time. It’s a fun beat-em up mode but like some Yakuza side modes, this is more of an extensive minigame than it is its own entire game.

Maybe in a demo setting, it doesn’t feel as satisfying since almost everything gets unlocked after finishing one round. There is a leveling system as well, which I imagine will add replayability, using the money you earn from challenges to increase the capabilities of your lineup. It’ll be interesting to see how well the full mode plays once the game is out, but for what it’s worth, this was a fun time. I imagine it’ll all come together more once we have access to the online modes where you can play with friends or randoms.

Overall, Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is shaping up to be yet another fantastic experience. Yakuza 0 is already one of Sega’s greatest games of the modern era with its intense narrative and cavalcade of side content both heartfelt and silly. Having all of that portably on Nintendo Switch 2 with additional options, features, and a new mode has me really excited for the full release on June 5th. Thanks again to Sega for the opportunity! You can expect GamingTrend will be covering Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut and more near launch in just a couple weeks. We also have previews for Atlus’s Raidou Remastered and Sega’s Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S if you’re interested in those so keep it locked to GamingTrend!

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Solar trade association warns of ‘devastating energy shortages’ if incentives are cut

by admin May 20, 2025

The Solar Energy Industries Association released an assessment of how the budget reconciliation bill currently under review in Congress would have a negative impact on the economy. The legislation cuts incentives around solar power investment and adoption, such as the Section 25D residential tax credit.

The group’s analysis found that the bill, as it stands, would lead to the loss of nearly 300,000 current and future jobs in the US. It also said removal of incentives could mean a loss of $220 billion in investment in the sector by 2030. It also pointed to a future energy shortage, claiming that solar was on course to be responsible for about 73 percent of the 206.5 GW of new energy capacity needed in the country by 2030.

“Passing this bill would create a catastrophic energy shortfall, cede AI and tech leadership to China, and damage some of the most vital sectors of the U.S. economy,” SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said.

It’s the type of reaction we expect to see when an industry is under threat from federal action. It’s also the type of researched data that doesn’t seem to have much influence on the current administration, particularly when it comes to the environment and sustainability.

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May 20, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

The Last Of Us Cut A Segment From The Museum, But HBO Shot It

by admin May 20, 2025

Image: HBO

One of the best scenes in The Last of Us’ second season came in this week’s sixth episode, with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) taking a trip to an abandoned museum. It’s a beautiful moment that is ripped right out of the Last of Us Part II video game, and the show does it justice. But fans who have played the game will know that this segment had a bit more to it originally. It’s only natural that the TV show, with its shorter run time, would have to cut some scenes down, but the wild thing is that it looks like HBO actually shot the rest of the segment and just didn’t use it in the final edit.

Nintendo Switch 2 Price Is Set at $450 for Now, But Could Go Higher

This section of the game depicts Ellie’s 16th birthday. Joel knows she has a fixation on space and dinosaurs, so what better way to make her big day one to remember than by taking her to a museum that spotlights both? In the game you find a huge dinosaur exhibit on the bottom floor, and after you’ve explored that one, there’s another section dedicated to space travel waiting for you upstairs. Ellie is ecstatic exploring both floors, with the highlight being when she enters a spacecraft and listens to a recording of a pre-apocalyptic NASA launch so she can imagine what it might’ve been like to get off this ruined rock. It’s an incredibly sweet moment sandwiched between a lot of violence and heartache.

The show, meanwhile, only has one of these floors. We see Joel and Ellie mess around with a solar system diorama and pretend to be astronauts, but we miss the section where Ellie spouts off cool dinosaur facts and puts a hat on their skeletons. Ultimately, if you have to pick one or the other, the spaceship is the more important moment and the one worth showing the TV audience. But, wildly enough, it looks like Pascal and Ramsey shot scenes on a recreation of the dinosaur floor that never made their way into the episode. In the behind-the-scenes featurette for the episode, we can see footage of the actors and crew on the dinosaur floor, complete with all the overgrowth, grit, and grime you’d expect in a place that has been mostly abandoned for decades.

Fans are sad to see the set but none of the scenes that took place in it. Maybe we’ll see some deleted scenes in the special features whenever the season two box set is released. Who among us doesn’t want to see Ramsey putting a cowboy hat on Pascal as he grimaces and lightly protests? Don’t deny me this, HBO.

The Last of Us has one more episode this season, but it won’t be the end of the show’s take on The Last of Us Part II’s story, as HBO is stretching it out across multiple seasons.

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May 20, 2025 0 comments