Yakuza Kiwami teased for a February 19th PC release
Majima always has one eye on Kiryu
The adventures of the nicest gangster that ever lived and his eyepatched life partner continue soon, if Sega's teasing on the Yakuza Kiwami page on Steam is any indication. Continuing Sega's habit of teasing things in weird, creative ways, the Kiwami store page now contains an animated GIF of Goro Majima emerging from his well to shame (shank?) mankind - for a single frame, the date "February 19th" appears above his head. Scribble it down in your calendars, and finish up Yakuza 0 if you haven't- we're skipping past the 90s and diving into near-modern Kamurocho soon.
For those baffled by the convoluted chronology of the series, Yakuza Kiwami is a comprehensive remake of the original PlayStation 2 Yakuza, rebuilt to the same spec as 80s-set prequel Yakuza 0. A second Kiwami game (a remake of Yakuza 2) is currently available on consoles, while remasters - not remakes - of Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 are on their way to PlayStation 4. With a little luck and a following wind, Sega will bring all of them over to PC. Hopefully we'll also get Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life, the end of Kazuma Kiryu's story and his evolution from gangster god to ultimate dad.
Yakuza Kiwami continues Kazuma Kiryu's story almost two decades later, but on familiar streets. Missing out on most of the 90s, Kiryu spends a decade in jail, emerging into the mid 2000s, bringing a whole new set of problems, adventures and adversaries to the streets of Kamurocho. It's a core part of why the series is so loved - you get to see these characters and the town they live in grow up. In Kiwami, Goro Majima has gone properly off the rails, and constantly hounds Kiryu through the story, leaping out of manholes, disguising himself as workers, police and more. He's recurring comic relief, and only wants to stab you a little bit. Kiwami adds a bundle more mini-games and fleshes out the original game - if you want more in the vein of Yakuza 0, it's on the way.
There's no price on it yet, but Yakuza Kiwami should be out on February 19th. Keep an eye on Steam here. You've also got time to catch up on Yakuza 0, which is currently cheap as chips in the current Humble Monthly.