Latest news with #RyuGaGotokuStudio
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
From Resident Evil to 007: the 15 best games at the Summer Game Fest
The ninth mainstream instalment in the survival horror series returns us to the wreckage of Racoon City and promises a blend of cinematic action and psychological horror. FBI agent Grace Ashcroft appears to be the main character, but is anything in this series ever what it seems? The latest project from Sega's Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (Yakuza, Like a Dragon) is a historical action adventure set in Japan during the early 21st century, featuring moody detectives, street gangs and jazz – a potent combo for this idiosyncratic team. Surely the dream combination: James Bond meets the team behind the Hitman series in an adventure that seeks to reboot the Bond backstory and legend. Featuring globe-trotting espionage, stealth and gadgets, it's the most exciting video game outing for Fleming's character since GoldenEye. A folkloric rural life sim, where you play as horticultural sorceress, tending to your garden and looking out for the darkness at the edge of the village. Developer Failbetter (Sunless Sea, Fallen London) are pioneers of narrative game design and the team is growing something special here. Australian developer House House had an unexpected smash hit with Untitled Goose Game – now it's back with a similarly unusual co-op adventure where players become bird-like creatures, exploring a mysterious puzzle-filled island. Like some sort of hallucinogenic 1970s children's animation come spectacularly to life. No one saw this coming: a big, dark post-apocalyptic action adventure from Game Freak, the creator of Pokémon. Set in a ruined Japan menaced by robots and monsters, you play as Emma the Sealer, using plants as weapons and aided by a faithful canine companion – and not a Jigglypuff in sight. Developer Outerloop (Thirsty Suitors) returns to its self-created subgenre – the cooking RPG – with this typically colourful sci-fi tale. Two sisters fight an evil corporation by preparing real food rather than artificial slop for their local community. Expect spices and feelings. Not so much a game as a bizarre TV simulator, Blippo+ encourages players to channel surf an alien broadcasting network, consuming soap operas, sitcoms and news reports in a haze of surreal, glitchy FMV. Hypnospace Outlaw meets Radio Times? Sure, go on then. Whoever had 'something that combines The Muppets with Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!' on their Summer Game Fest wish list must be feeling pretty happy right now. New developer Sans Strings Studio has utilised the power of Unreal Engine 5 to produce the highly naturalistic puppet boxing odyssey the world desperately needs. After the hugely successful inZOI, here's another indie take on The Sims, which pares down the experience to a single-player life adventure with no DLC, but lots of home customisation options, characters to meet and pets to, um, pet. A time-warping steampunk adventure from the makers of Wasteland and Saints Row. There's a hint of Bioshock in its setting: a dystopian future city where inhabitants augment themselves with clockwork cyber limbs. What could possibly go wrong? Finally, Atlus has confirmed a remake of its legendary 2008 role-playing adventure set amid occult rituals and gruesome murders in rural Japan. Little is known beyond the title, but that's enough to get us interested. You've inherited a creaky old hotel and now you have 30 days to renovate it while solving puzzles and exploring the labyrinthine hallways. Part renovation sim, part spooky adventure, this was a real standout at the Xbox showcase. The latest bizarre concoction from Psychonauts developer Double Fine has you controlling an anthropomorphic lighthouse as it explores a coastal realm together with its sea bird companion. What are they putting in the water at this studio? The world doesn't need another deck-building strategy game – unless it's also a courtroom drama in which you're a team of environmentalists suing a corrupt billionaire for poisoning a river. Timely stuff from Amsterdam-based studio Speculative Agency.
Geek Culture
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
RGG Studio's 'Project Century' Is Now 'Stranger Than Heaven', A Detective Brawler With Survival Elements
Following its reveal at The Game Awards 2024 under the codename Project Century , SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's upcoming action brawler has made a splash at Summer Game Fest 2025, showcasing more of its brutal hand-to-hand combat, Judgment -esque detective systems, and most importantly, its new name, Stranger Than Heaven . The game's latest trailer, set in 1943 Japan's neon-lit city streets, marks a more than three-century time jump from its initial reveal, alluding to the fact that, like its previous Project Century namesake, the game would unfold across various time periods and possibly feature multiple protagonists like 2015's Yakuza 0 . Centred around its protagonist Mako Daito (at least, in 1943), Stranger Than Heaven looks to feature the same brutal street brawling RGG Studio is well-known for, this time with a few interesting ideas to shake up the formula. In a move seemingly inspired by Rockstar Games' L.A. Noire and its very own detective spin-off, Judgment , the game will feature various sleuthing mechanics, with a scene in the trailer showcasing Daito taking down notes as he seemingly eavesdrops on a conversation behind closed doors. More interestingly, however, is the apparent inclusion of various survival RPG elements, with Daito having hunger and thirst meters, marking the first time the studio has dabbled with the concept. Items in the game can also feature various effects, such as cigarettes, which 'draws immense hostility when smoking'. Decision-making will also play a key role, as a scene showcases the player choosing between killing or sparing a foe, which could potentially signal either branching story paths or multiple endings. With RGG Studio's chops in the action brawling genre, now mixing visceral combat with detective elements and more in-depth RPG mechanics, Stranger Than Heaven is shaping up to be another tightly crafted action extravaganza from the renowned studio, and fans will surely wait with bated breathe as more information comes ahead of the game's launch. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. RGG Studio Sega Stranger Than Heaven Summer Game Fest 2025
Engadget
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
RGG's Project Century is now called Stranger Than Heaven
To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio first teased "Project Century" in 2024, and at Summer Game Fest it debuted a new trailer revealing the game's full name: Stranger Than Heaven . The game clearly draws on the bareknuckle brawling of the Yakuza series, but this time is set in the jazzy Japan of 1943. It's hard to get a full sense of the story from the trailer alone, but similar to RGG's previous games, it looks like Stranger Than Heaven will feature an open-world full of enemies to whoop and narrative choices that'll be as determined by who you punch as who you help. If the player character Mako Taito isn't a private eye, he does appear to be investigating something. RGG's released a Like a Dragon spin-off, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii earlier this year. Before that, it's last major entry in the melodramatic crime saga was Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth in 2024. Besides the gameplay similarities, it's not clear if Stranger Than Heaven is set in the same world as RGG's other open-world action RPGs. At the very least, it does seem incredibly stylish, though. Stranger Than Heaven is still in-development and doesn't currently have a release date.
Express Tribune
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. announced for PS5, Xbox series, Switch 2
Listen to article SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have announced that Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2. The popular 3D fighting game will feature full cross-platform play and rollback netcode support, bringing modern online functionality to the classic franchise. The announcement was made during the Virtua Fighter Direct 2025 Spring livestream, where legacy series producer Seiji Aoki confirmed the long-requested console versions. Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. originally launched for PC via Steam on January 28 with 4K visuals, enhanced textures, and modernised online capabilities. Aoki acknowledged fan feedback from platforms like the official Virtua Fighter Discord, stating: 'We've heard your requests for multiplatform support. Our development team is thrilled to finally bring this title to consoles, allowing players across all systems to experience it together.' No specific release date has been confirmed, but SEGA teased that additional content will be revealed in future updates. The developers emphasised that the upcoming versions are 'much more than a simple port', hinting at expanded features beyond the PC release. For PlayStation users, Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown is currently playable via backwards compatibility on PS5, but R.E.V.O. marks a definitive next-gen update for the iconic fighter. The inclusion of rollback netcode aims to provide a smoother and more responsive online experience, especially crucial for competitive play. With cross-play functionality, players on PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2 will be able to compete regardless of platform—bringing together the Virtua Fighter community for the first time across multiple systems. Further announcements regarding content and release timing are expected in the coming months.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Perfect Pirate Video Game Does Exist
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Nowadays, video games developers love to show off the transparent size of their work. You can't watch any presentation from a gaming giant like Sony or Microsoft without hearing about billions of procedurally generated planets, zero loading screens, and over sixty-hour-long story campaigns. You would think that the technology could feed and bathe players now too. (Gamers could use some of that, actually). But many video game developers forget that just because I can pick a point on a map and go to it doesn't necessarily mean that there's anything to do there once I arrive. You still need to make a game! No one understands this more than the team behind Yakuza. The video game franchise, now operated by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, produces maximalist experiences akin only to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's room made entirely of candy. Every time I step into one of Yakuza's campy and stylish new games, it feels as if I could lick the wallpaper and taste the snozzberries. The river is flowing with real chocolate—and the maps are bustling with activity. I say all this because I don't want Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's latest title to deter you from experiencing its greatness. Yes, I'm talking about a video game titled Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. And yes, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a masterpiece. The story follows Goro Majima, a former Yakuza big shot who washes ashore on a Hawaiian island with no memory of his past. Long time fans of the Yakuza series are very familiar with Majima. The gangster with an eyepatch has been a protagonist and fan-favorite character over the franchise's twenty-year history. For new players, just know that Majima has amnesia now. So, I wouldn't feel too daunted if you're dipping your toes in the Pirate Yakuza waters for the first time. On Majima's search for an identity, he gathers his new friends and takes to the seas as a pirate. If it sounds ridiculous, don't worry. This is a ridiculous game. (Some of the best games are.) Clearly, the strategy was to become the first studio in a long time to produce an enjoyable pirate game and then just figure out the plot later. That Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio would succeed at either goal—let alone both—is a miracle.$59.99 at The actual game itself consists of navigating your ship from island to island as you stomp out enemy pirate crew and bag their treasures. Doubloons that you earn from these madcap brawls can be spent on learning new fighting moves, leveling up your crew, and even decking out your ship. Plus, each port of call contains new crew members to acquire and side quests to lose yourself in. Like any Yakuza title, towns are filled with karaoke bars, go-karts, darts, gaming parlors, arcades with old SEGA titles built in, and dozens of mini-games. There's even an easy-to-miss subplot involving the dread pirate Zeus and his Devil Flags fleet that unlock some of the wackiest enhancements in the entire game. After one of four encounters for magical treasure, I acquired a pirate violin that summons ghost sharks. And it doesn't stop there. Aside from the brawls on land, Pirate Yakuza also contains naval battles. Players control the ship when they sail the ocean between rest stops, complete with port and starboard cannons. Different crew members you pick up excel at various skills such as ship repair and cannon power, and each of them come with their own unique skills. Majima can also walk around the ship and revive fallen crewmen or put out fires from enemy cannons. Though it's not something I had to do often—since Pirate Yakuza isn't that challenging of a game—it was highly impressive that the naval battle would continue around me even as I switched from controlling the ship with an eagle-eye view of the battlefield to zooming in and controlling Majima running around onboard. If you're looking for a challenge outside of the regular twenty-five-hour story campaign, Pirate Yakuza also contains a pirate coliseum called Madlantis that is chock full of more advanced levels. Though I've barely begun to scratch the surface of these challenges in my play-through so far, it seems like the steeper difficulty curve will require me to abandon my bone-headed and reckless offense that carried me through the main game. When the credits rolled on Pirate Yakuza, I felt like Violet Beauregarde after Willy Wonka turned her into a giant blueberry. There's simply so much to uncover, collect, and customize in this wacky 'sidequel' from the mainline Yakuza games that I might need to step away before I start calling my coworkers 'matey.' At the same time, I applaud the spin-off for making a pirate game so good that it's a wonder they've never done one before. Knowing the Yakuza franchise, they probably never will again. What eccentric adventure could possible follow Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii? Medieval jousting in Olde England, perhaps? Gladiator fights in Rome? Curling in Canada? Laugh now, but Pirate Yakuza proves that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio only improves with each new level of lunacy. The video game is now available for purchase on PlayStation 5, Xbox and Steam. Call me a sick scurvy sea dog, but I can't wait for whatever comes next. It's a pirate's life for me. You Might Also Like Kid Cudi Is All Right 16 Best Shoe Organizers For Storing and Displaying Your Kicks
