Yakuza and Yakuza 2 are being released in HD for the PlayStation 3 on the first of November, Sega said Thursday.
The two games will be sold together in a single "HD Edition" bundle, one month before the brand-new Yakuza 5 is slated for release in December.
The first two games in Sega's hit crime series (known locally as Ryu ga Gotoku, "Like a Dragon") were late releases in the PlayStation 2's lifespan but proved to be big hits in Japan. Once the series came to PlayStation 3 with the third installment in 2009, Sega has released at least one new Yakuza game a year ever since. Given that Sega is closing offices overseas to focus on "core IP," an HD re-release of two wildly popular games would seem to be a no-brainer.
Sega has posted side-by-side comparison screenshots on the Yakuza 1 & 2 HD Edition official website, noting the extra details now visible in the HD version. The new version will also allow players to install the game data onto the PS3 hard drive to cut down on the load times that precede scene changes or viewing the map. Other improvements Sega says are included: Save points now serve as item drops to simplify inventory management, and menus for in-game restaurants clearly mark which foods you have and have not yet eaten.
Sega has also released the first trailer for Yakuza 1 & 2 HD Edition, focusing on the cinematic and story aspects of the games. Sega makes a habit of hiring well-known Japanese actors to play the mobsters.
There is no word yet on an English release for Yakuza 1 & 2 HD Edition (or Yakuza 5, for that matter) but both of the original PlayStation 2 games were translated years ago and Sega has yet to pass up exporting an HD Yakuza game.
