Kotaku.au recently published an article describing perhaps a rather concerning scenario: it appears the Share functionality that is part of the Playstation 4 is restricted, to a degree, with regards to Yakuza Zero. Sharing is one of the hallmark features of the Playstation 4 (and arguably, a symbol of the direction of modern gaming in general), allowing gamers to share screenshots or videos of a game they’re playing with friends, or even stream their gameplay on Twitch as the person is playing.

Those who play games on the Playstation 4 may already be familiar with the message “Gameplay recording paused because you entered a blocked scene.” White text, black box. Essentially, what is happening with Yakuza Zero is that this message pops up whenever someone enters into the main story of the game or views certain cutscenes. What results is that, broadly speaking, it would seem players only have Sharing capabilities when at the title screen/interlude screens or when playing minigames. As the article mentions, it’s worth noting that Yakuza Ishin is even more restricted: Sharing of personal media from Yakuza Ishin only works when playing in an arena in game or after playing a certain mode that is unlocked after clearing Ishin, per Kotaku.

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Pictured above is the Yakuza Zero-themed A Series of the Sony Walkman. Push Square writes that Sony is producing these special Walkmans to help celebrate the Yakuza series’ 10th anniversary in Japan. A product page for the Walkman is already open and Sony is taking preorders. It is another item in what’s becoming a substantial list of instances of Sony showing support for Sega properties in Japan. Most recently, we wrote about limited edition Yakuza Zero-themed Playstation 4 consoles being offered in Japan. It’s truly a remarkable sign of the times.

The “Walkman” name has long been a part of Sony’s product history (sometimes as a mobile phone! though the Walkman-branded phones are now discontinued) but it is probably most well known for being an iconic name in portable music players before the advent of the iPod. The Walkman was the first portable music player released for mass consumption. It’s still iterated upon and is now present in the form you see above. Just by quick research of my own, some notable A-series features include the expansion of memory by using an SD card, and the ability to play FLAC and .wav files (which Apple’s iTunes doesn’t properly support.)

Buying this will set you a back a cool ¥29,980. You may want to put in some time with the Tojo Clan to secure this one! If you purchase one of these Walkman devices from Sony, it does come preloaded with a selection of tunes from the Yakuza series, which you can check out on Sony’s product page linked above.

In other news, a Japanese demo for Yakuza Zero is out on the PSN store, for both Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 users. It’s been out since last week and is exclusive only to those who already have Playstation Plus, but the demo will be available to non-subscribers at a later date according to this Gematsu article. The demo features the first hour and a half or so of Kazuma Kiryu’s scenario. There is video footage of the demo posted after the break captured by a generous gamer; it’s an hour and ten minutes long, so get a drink or two ready!

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Sega showed off Yakuza Zero at the Taipei Game Show held this past weekend. This game is being localized in Chinese, so it’s a move that is understandable as Sega increases their overtures to this market with the Chinese localizations of Shining Resonance and Phantasy Star Nova. There was a Chinese interpreter translating the speaker’s demonstration on stage.

These videos were shown off at a stage event and are captured through mobile phones, and are not direct feed videos. The quality is pretty good, in my opinion. They are all under two minutes long, and feature combat sequences: two with Kiryu, and one with Majima. Some random encounters have unique introductory sequences, which is a nice touch.

To watch the videos, continue reading!

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Gematsu writes that a new entry has been made into the Yakuza Zero Video Series with the introduction of Kiryu “Chapter One.” For those who are unaware, Sega is periodically releasing approximately half-hour long videos centered on certain important aspects of Yakuza Zero leading up to the game’s release. This video is about the early parts of Kiryu’s scenario in Yakuza Zero.

The game itself starts roughly at the 2:30 mark, opening with the oft-promoted cutscene of Kiryu roughing up an indebted client that seems to exemplify the Dragon of Dojima’s rough and complicated past. Viewers will also be watch to watch a random encounter from start to finish, with new special effects in tow. There’s also a karaoke segment that follows shortly after encountering Akira Nishikiyama. Towards the end of the video, reference is made to the Yakuza Zero-themed Hot Dog Press cover art – for more information on it, check out this Yakuza Fan link.

It’s worth noting that certain dialogue segments seem quite stylized, in a way that I personally think looks cool. One such example can be seen with Nishiki and Kiryu talking after the karaoke segment.

Continue reading to check out the video!

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Last week a seven-minute trailer for Yakuza Zero was shared with fans on the internet. We wrote about it here.

Kotaku East published an article this week containing that same trailer but with English subtitles added on to the video. The same writer has previously published another article featuring English subs for a different Yakuza Zero trailer.

The trailer is embedded onto a video player on the Kotaku article. Be sure to check out the trailer with subtitles here!