Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (Multi)
By: Sega
NO GAMING year is complete without a slice of Japanese action mullarkey from the Yakuza stable. With eight main games, seven spin-offs, a TV show and movie from Takashi Miike, it's one of Sega's most popular, longest-running franchises – and the closest you'll get to tramping the streets of Tokyo without a 12-hour plane journey.
And, while 2016's Song of Life was supposed to be Yakuza star Kazuma Kiryu's swansong, Sega just can't say sayonara to everybody's favourite grumpy old martial artist: the Dragon of Dojima returns in this cracking amuse bouche for the series' next big-hitter.
Lifting the lid on what Kiryu was up to between Yakuza 6 and the upcoming Infinite Wealth, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (to give it its full name) has a title as long as the franchise.
A bonkers narrative explains how Kiryu faked his death and now works undercover as "Joryu", an agent for the Daidoji crime family, in exchange for the protection of his wonderfully named Morning Glory Orphanage (perhaps it reads less dubiously in the original Japanese).
Of course, other Yakuza factions want to prove the Dragon of Dojima is still alive and kicking amid the series' familiar soap opera of political manoeuvring and familial bickering.
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Clocking in at around 15 hours, it's the shortest game in the series, but Gaiden isn't lacking in punch, with a mix of butt-kickery and Bond-esque intrigue as Kiryu loafs around the mean streets of Sotenbori, slapping down thugs and embarking on bizarre side-quests for locals.
While newer Yakuza games made the controversial shift to turn-based RPG combat, where putting the boot in was about stat and character juggling rather than mashing the buttons, Gaiden turns on the fan service with a return to old-school beat 'em up charm – and the fight mechanics have never been better.
With two styles on offer, Kiryu can opt to smash faces with the traditional Yakuza style, or whip out gadgets in his spy persona, from exploding ciggies and drones to a laser lasso and rocket-propelled shoes.
As ever, a glut of mini-games await, from golfing and darts to full-on Master System and Sega arcade games, including Daytona 2 and Virtua Fighter. You'll also visit The Castle – a cargo ship hiding a massive pleasuredome where Kiryu can gamble, play billiards and take part in hostess mini-games.
In the CGI past, conversing with buxom Asian ladies was just creepy, but now rendered in live-action clips, you'll pray the wife doesn't walk in.
Playing out like a greatest hits of one of gaming's most venerable series, Gaiden's short and sweet slice of old-school brawling is pure comfort food designed to whet the appetite before the next main course.