Ryū ga Gotoku 1&2 HD EDITION (龍が如く 1&2 HD EDITION) is an action-adventure beat em’ up developed and published by SEGA.
Note: The photos in this unboxing have been updated on 29th June 2019, but the content is identical.
Background:
Ryū ga Gotoku is a franchise that had once struggled quite a lot outside Japan. Known by many under the localised name Yakuza, the franchise had been known for being a cult hit with its instalments on the PlayStation 2 and 3. It wasn’t until Sony localised Yakuza 5 for PlayStation 3 and a big push from SEGA for Yakuza 0 on PlayStation 4 that brought the franchise back into the mainstream spotlight and gather a much larger audience.
However, before all that happened SEGA actually released a High Definition remaster for the first two Ryū ga Gotoku games on the PlayStation 3. Released in Japan and Asia only, the HD release offers better resolution and also some tweaks to the gameplay including how you can save the game to match the PS3 instalments.
Many people will probably be asking if its worth visiting the original version of the games when you have Yakuza Kiwami 1 & 2 easily accessible on modern platforms. I suggest giving the original versions (i.e. the HD remaster) a chance if you want to experience how the franchise first began as well as seeing what the content was like before Kiwami came along. In addition, Kiwami is designed as a follow-up to Yakuza 0 while the HD remaster was the proper starting point of the franchise.
The biggest challenge that many will face is that while the combat and navigation will be import friendly, the dialogue and on-screen text are in Japanese. The HD remaster is not that different to the original PlayStation 2 versions, so there will be walkthroughs available to help with specific parts.
Disc Specs:
Distributor: SEGA
Released: 1st November 2012
| Region | Japan |
| HDD Space | 5.1GB (Game Data) 3960KB (Save Data) |
| Trophy Support | Yes |
| Local Players | 1 |
| Online Players | 0 |
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
The HD remasters for Yakuza aka Ryū ga Gotoku were released for the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii U for Japan and Asia. You can also download the HD collection digitally on PlayStation Network in Japan.
While I was able to acquire the original release through Solaris Japan, there is also a PlayStation 3 The Best! edition also available to own through Play Asia.
The Normanic Vault 