Perhaps one slight issue with introducing new people to the Yakuza series, is that the original two Playstation 2 games in the series (Yakuza 1 and Yakuza 2) are pretty damn hard to find on game store shelves, and if you were to like me begin the game with Yakuza 3, the first on the Playstation 3 there is a lot of backstory you are expected to know. The game does provide you with lengthy recap videos in both Yakuza 3 and 4 to cater to newcomers, but nothing beats playing the games and appreciating them how they should initially be.
While nothing official has been confirmed and the listing has since been removed from the Sega Japan website, their online release schedule hinted at a 1st December 2012 release for a Yakuza 1 & 2 HD Edition on the Playstation 3 (Aka. Ryu Ga Gotoku 1 & 2 HD Edition). While this could very well have been a typo, keep an eye out for news on this, and hope that the release is localized to international markets. You can view the listing from a cached version HERE.
Personally I would love to see the first two games receive a HD release, hopefully bringing the visuals a bit closer to the world presented in Yakuza 3 and 4 and giving me the perfect opportunity to brush up on the plots of the first two games.
[Source: Hachima Kikou]
