Here’s the first peek at Yakuza 5

They…they all look the same, and that’s coming from a hardcore series fan. Actually, it seems they’ve upgraded something under the hood. Recently, Sega’s Toshihiro Nagoshi revealed that a new engine has been put in place for this next game, and these new character and setting shots on the newly launched official web page for Yakuza 5 serve as proof. Very nice.

Still, Kiryu looks like he needs a nap, Akiyama looks like he needs a new jacket, and Haruka is growing up. And if you haven’t heard, Haruka is now a main character, and will be playable.

One of the categories on the official site shows scenery from “five big cities” in Japan, which points to us getting out of Tokyo’s Kamurocho red light district for a change. Yakuza 5 will cover the whole country, from Fukuoka to Nagoya to Osaka and all the way up to Sapporo. Five cities, five main characters — Yakuza 5! Get it?

I can’t wait.

Japan gets their Yakuza 5 this December. I suspect we’ll have a longer wait.