"The content between Yakuza 3 US/UK and Yakuza JP is a little different in that we took out certain bits in order to bring the game to the west in the time alloted for us to do so," a Sega rep told IGN. "The parts we ended up taking out were parts that we felt wouldn't make sense (like a Japanese history quiz game) or wouldn't resonate as much (such as the concept of a hostess club)."
You may have gone on a karaoke date with Rina in the demo. In the original game, you meet her in a hostess club, and have to buy her gifts and learn about her in conversations. Now, we suppose, she'll just randomly call you like she did in the demo. Somehow, the dating won't be affected, as the Sega rep assured IGN that "the story experience was the same as the Japanese version."
(Updated) Kotaku is officially against it now.
http://kotaku.com/5478862/sega-you-are-once-again-making-a-giant-mistake
Hostess club is the hardest thing to get over. I was expecting this, many people are canceling there pre-orders over this. The things that get me in this statement are how the rep says "we feel it wouldn't make sense or won't resonate"
First off I am not a
ing idiot, nor is the American public. We can understand hostess clubs plenty and it's basically paying a female money to talk to her sometimes leading to prostitution. Done, explained, although its a not-so-common case that sex may get involved, its definitely not in the game. The Japanese quiz game I can understand, duh however this was a important opportunity for many people to get the full experience of Japanese culture and learn something! This side of japan is Not often seen and is usually poorly depicted by things like anime, TV shows and people who think all Japanese can be or are still samurai. Not only am I pissed off, I find this somewhat racist in the fact that Sega is cutting the content for a stupid reason like we wouldn't understand. The Japanese are a 98% homogeneous culture and racism is very common naturally because of this majority (its practically impossible to become a citizen, I bet even cheapyd can vouch for that). This is more then just sega here and before I go off into a even bigger rant I leave you with this message below.
Send us comments to: Sega of America, 350 Rhode Island Street, Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94103.
Please watch the below video and voice you opinion against this decision.
I just hope Mahjong is still in it.
Sega Yakuza 3 Forum link:
http://forums.sega.com/forumdisplay.php?f=114
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oGVFt8kG08
Also Check out Sega's forum if your too lazy to call or write, all the topics are about this subject.
http://forums.sega.com/forumdisplay.php?f=114
2/25/2010 Update!
http://blogs.sega.com/usa/2010/02/24...with-yakuza-3/
Sega has confirmed that our voices are being heard! While they still haven't decided to add the removed content, they are feeling the full effect of our pressure and we must not let off them until they give us what we want!. So far they have now pre-packed some DLC codes (I believe the same from gamestop but am not sure) with in the copies that will be available but I am sure they will fold and add the content. Keep up the Great work responding to them!
2/27/2010 Update!
Here are the confirmed cut trophies, there is still more stuff based on what I've been reading but these are confirmed
Firm Player Bronze
Won a game of shogi (Japanese chess) without ever moving the King.
Sunbathing Dragon Bronze
You called at Mahjohng whilst still waiting for the horse
Fat arm Bronze
You spent over 300,000 yen in a Cabaret in one go.
Good Coordinator Bronze
You coordinated the girls well in the Kabatsuku
Este-mania Bronze
Played the 2 Este modes.
This should be a confirmed 10% However there is more stuff based on what I saw in the trophies.
Update! 3/3/2010
we now know whats cut via wikipeda but everybody uses it as a referance nowadays
10 (all) Hostess/Cabaret Clubs Cut
4 Mini-Games cut
(Answer X Answer, Shogi, Mahjong, Massage Parlor)
2 Missions Cut (idk but one was a Transexual one so...)
and a few items/dlc stuff not worth mentioning
Update 3/3/2010!
Sega posted a new blog on Yakuza 3,
http://blogs.sega.com/usa/2010/03/03...ma17/#comments
Hmm seems sketchy to me, we will just have to find out when its released.
More Confirmed Mission cuts 3/13/2010
The following quests were cut because they were deemed unsuitable for the Western audience.
Chapter 3 and 4 listed cuts (confirmed by players of both games)
I Wanna Go to Tokyo pt. 1
The Brewer's Treasure
Make the No. 1 Cabaret Club Girl!
English Conversation Solicitor step 1
English Conversation Solicitor step 2
Love's Cupid
Love's Cupid Continues
Love's Cupid Continues Again
A Trip Before Marriage
Chapter 5
Manga Artist Debut (Mangaka Debut)
The Runaway Phone Chat Girl (Terekura Iede Musume)
I Wanna Go to Tokyo pt. 2
Great Genius Showdown
Is she talking about me...?
Ayukawa Rina***
Chapter 6
A Satisfying Yakuza (Iyashiikei Yakuza)
Chapter 9
The Mars Fighter Invades Tokyo (Toukyou Shinryaku Kasei Fighter)
Chapter 10
Love's Cupid - The Finale (Koi no Cupid Kanketsuhen)
I Wanna Go to Tokyo pt. 3 (Toukyou ni Ikitai Dai 3 Hanashi)
English Conversation Solicitor step 3 (Eikaiwa no Kan'yuu step.3)
English Conversation Solicitor step 4 (Eikaiwa no Kan'yuu step.4)
Thats all 22 cut side missions, That's WAY more then the 1% Sega only claims to have cut. Including the mini games this adds up to 15-20% of cut time that could have been played in the game. This should be my last update unless we get better news, Please continue to Shout out and voice your opinion on this Directly to sega by sending them a letter or Calling them up. Thanks for all your support on this.
Quoted from GFAQs, this dude has an account there and made a post about it:
Final Update (unless they actually put stuff back in the game) 3/23/2010
This was all cut and paste by this guy from the Gamefaqs forums, it sounds legit to me so take from it what you will. The Sega Reps never actually cut any content from the game, They are just the PR department not the translators or actual deciders. They are Jackasses, Yes but they didn't actually make the cuts from how they portrayed it. It makes sense if you really did have a limited amount of budget and had to make a tough decision on what to get rid of. While everyone hates this its always is better then nothing so I retract part of my previous statement above because it was a different time and we had less information on what really was going on. You can still think its a conspiracy theory if you like however at this moment I can understand the reasoning behind it. Still though Fight Sega on this, send a letter a voice mail anything to let them know that this isn't a acceptable product and that next time we will not stand for it at all, and we still need closure on the missing content. Thats all I have left to say on this issue, I am looking to make a youtube video of the missing content. If you know how to make video on a ps3 game and/or know how to translate Japanese into subtitles get in contact with me and we can try to at the very least give back what sega took, in video format because its sure better then nothing.
You may have gone on a karaoke date with Rina in the demo. In the original game, you meet her in a hostess club, and have to buy her gifts and learn about her in conversations. Now, we suppose, she'll just randomly call you like she did in the demo. Somehow, the dating won't be affected, as the Sega rep assured IGN that "the story experience was the same as the Japanese version."
(Updated) Kotaku is officially against it now.
http://kotaku.com/5478862/sega-you-are-once-again-making-a-giant-mistake
Hostess club is the hardest thing to get over. I was expecting this, many people are canceling there pre-orders over this. The things that get me in this statement are how the rep says "we feel it wouldn't make sense or won't resonate"
First off I am not a

Send us comments to: Sega of America, 350 Rhode Island Street, Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94103.
Please watch the below video and voice you opinion against this decision.
I just hope Mahjong is still in it.
Sega Yakuza 3 Forum link:
http://forums.sega.com/forumdisplay.php?f=114
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oGVFt8kG08
Also Check out Sega's forum if your too lazy to call or write, all the topics are about this subject.
http://forums.sega.com/forumdisplay.php?f=114
2/25/2010 Update!
http://blogs.sega.com/usa/2010/02/24...with-yakuza-3/
Sega has confirmed that our voices are being heard! While they still haven't decided to add the removed content, they are feeling the full effect of our pressure and we must not let off them until they give us what we want!. So far they have now pre-packed some DLC codes (I believe the same from gamestop but am not sure) with in the copies that will be available but I am sure they will fold and add the content. Keep up the Great work responding to them!
2/27/2010 Update!
Here are the confirmed cut trophies, there is still more stuff based on what I've been reading but these are confirmed
Firm Player Bronze
Won a game of shogi (Japanese chess) without ever moving the King.
Sunbathing Dragon Bronze
You called at Mahjohng whilst still waiting for the horse
Fat arm Bronze
You spent over 300,000 yen in a Cabaret in one go.
Good Coordinator Bronze
You coordinated the girls well in the Kabatsuku
Este-mania Bronze
Played the 2 Este modes.
This should be a confirmed 10% However there is more stuff based on what I saw in the trophies.
Update! 3/3/2010
we now know whats cut via wikipeda but everybody uses it as a referance nowadays
10 (all) Hostess/Cabaret Clubs Cut
4 Mini-Games cut
(Answer X Answer, Shogi, Mahjong, Massage Parlor)
2 Missions Cut (idk but one was a Transexual one so...)
and a few items/dlc stuff not worth mentioning
Update 3/3/2010!
Sega posted a new blog on Yakuza 3,
http://blogs.sega.com/usa/2010/03/03...ma17/#comments
And that’s that! In addition, we’d also like to spotlight another post that went up on our forums earlier this week, with regard to the many responses that continue to pour in from fans about the Hostess clubs and Answer X Answer. (To confirm as well, the Hostesses are in the game, and you can still go on dates, Karaoke, etc, with them.) Please know that while we aren’t able to respond to every comment, our community teams are reading and listening to all the comments, and we are passing those on internally for you guys. You can also add your comment to that discussion here
Hmm seems sketchy to me, we will just have to find out when its released.
More Confirmed Mission cuts 3/13/2010
The following quests were cut because they were deemed unsuitable for the Western audience.
Chapter 3 and 4 listed cuts (confirmed by players of both games)
I Wanna Go to Tokyo pt. 1
The Brewer's Treasure
Make the No. 1 Cabaret Club Girl!
English Conversation Solicitor step 1
English Conversation Solicitor step 2
Love's Cupid
Love's Cupid Continues
Love's Cupid Continues Again
A Trip Before Marriage
Chapter 5
Manga Artist Debut (Mangaka Debut)
The Runaway Phone Chat Girl (Terekura Iede Musume)
I Wanna Go to Tokyo pt. 2
Great Genius Showdown
Is she talking about me...?
Ayukawa Rina***
Chapter 6
A Satisfying Yakuza (Iyashiikei Yakuza)
Chapter 9
The Mars Fighter Invades Tokyo (Toukyou Shinryaku Kasei Fighter)
Chapter 10
Love's Cupid - The Finale (Koi no Cupid Kanketsuhen)
I Wanna Go to Tokyo pt. 3 (Toukyou ni Ikitai Dai 3 Hanashi)
English Conversation Solicitor step 3 (Eikaiwa no Kan'yuu step.3)
English Conversation Solicitor step 4 (Eikaiwa no Kan'yuu step.4)
Thats all 22 cut side missions, That's WAY more then the 1% Sega only claims to have cut. Including the mini games this adds up to 15-20% of cut time that could have been played in the game. This should be my last update unless we get better news, Please continue to Shout out and voice your opinion on this Directly to sega by sending them a letter or Calling them up. Thanks for all your support on this.
Quoted from GFAQs, this dude has an account there and made a post about it:
Final Update (unless they actually put stuff back in the game) 3/23/2010
"I thought you guys may want to know. I'm Nick Pantazis, I'm a writer and senior editor for VGChartz.com. I visited Sega's offices at GDC last week, and talked to them about the game directly. Two things were confirmed to me, which you'll probably be interested in:
One: Sega knows you're ****ed, but this was the only way the bigwigs would let them localize it at all, was if they limited the budget costs of the localization. Yakuza 1 and 2 were bombs for them in the west. They will consider doing things differently in the future. They actually read message boards like this. No, seriously. They check the internet for reactions. That said, if you just forgo buying it entirely, you're not getting anything else again.
Two: Sega will not be localizing Yakuza 4 at all if Yakuza 3 doesn't see solid sales. It's expensive, and time-consuming, and they have many much more successful franchises they can devote time to. For them to devote any time at all to giving us these games at this point is pure fanservice. Getting it used isn't going to help either. If you actually care about the franchise, I suggest you buy it. Also, there is a misconception that the removal of the hostess club meant the removal of the hostesses themselves. This is not the case. They are still in the game, and dateable.
As a side note, as someone playing the game it's excellent. I have a review copy I've been working on the past few days, and yes, some stuff has been removed, but there are still countless hours of content, a great story, great combat, tons of new locations around Japan to explore, and the Yakuza feeling is absolutely in tact. Skip if if you wish, but understand you yourself are signing the death of this franchise. A boycott of this game doesn't stop Sega from localizing differently next time. It stops them from localizing at all, ever again."
"They aren't threatening people. It's a business reality. The fact of gaming is that things that make money get made. I really enjoy this franchise. I'm posting this because I want people to make a mature and educated purchase decision, rather than the consumer equivalent of "holding your own breath till you pass out like a silly child." What you post will effect Sega's decisions about how they handle localization in the future, but what you buy will not. That will only effect whether you get it or not at all.
Your suggestion that Atlas should localize instead is extremely unlikely, for many reasons, not the least of which is that it costs a lot of money to buy localization rights off a company, especially for a late game in a franchise. In fact I've never seen it done. Do you have any examples of a 3rd or 4th game in a franchise being sold to a new publisher for localization? Especially a small publisher like Atlus. Perhaps you didn't notice, but their finances are deep in the toilet right now. They just reported a $24 million loss..."
I disagree with what he said about Atlus a little, considering Sakura Wars is being brought over by NIS, but then it's not the 4th game released in the US either....>.>
EDIT: Here's his prediction for sales needed for 4:
"I can't say for sure. I know it takes a long time to translate as much text as you find in a lengthy RPG, and the amount you pay staff for a year or so of localization work isn't cheap. However, Yakuza 3 has already sold almost as much as Yakuza 2 did lifetime in North America, in its first week. Almost 50K. That's a pretty damn good start. My guess is 150K-200K would probably cover localization costs, and constitute enough growth to consider future localization worth it, but don't hold that as absolute."
This was all cut and paste by this guy from the Gamefaqs forums, it sounds legit to me so take from it what you will. The Sega Reps never actually cut any content from the game, They are just the PR department not the translators or actual deciders. They are Jackasses, Yes but they didn't actually make the cuts from how they portrayed it. It makes sense if you really did have a limited amount of budget and had to make a tough decision on what to get rid of. While everyone hates this its always is better then nothing so I retract part of my previous statement above because it was a different time and we had less information on what really was going on. You can still think its a conspiracy theory if you like however at this moment I can understand the reasoning behind it. Still though Fight Sega on this, send a letter a voice mail anything to let them know that this isn't a acceptable product and that next time we will not stand for it at all, and we still need closure on the missing content. Thats all I have left to say on this issue, I am looking to make a youtube video of the missing content. If you know how to make video on a ps3 game and/or know how to translate Japanese into subtitles get in contact with me and we can try to at the very least give back what sega took, in video format because its sure better then nothing.
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