Yakuza 0, 2015’s prequel to the long running Yakuza series, will finally be released on the Xbox One on February 26. In addition to the game’s release on the console, the game will immediately be available on Xbox Game Pass alongside next week’s releases such as Ninja Gaiden II and Kingdom Hearts III. Despite an initial release in Japan in 2015, the game got a worldwide release in 2017 and a PC release in 2018, with the Xbox One port serving as a final spot.

Fans who were let down by the dated, long overdue release of Shenmue III will have a chance to cleanse their palette’s with a chance to jump into Shenmue’s spiritual successor. The Yakuza series is experiencing a rebirth with the first two games being remastered under the Yakuza Kiwami title and the seventh entry of the franchise, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, was released last year to critical acclaim.

Yakuza 0 is set in 1988, and follows series protagonist Kiryu Kazama as well as his foil, Goro Majima, find themselves embroiled in a power struggle that may turn into an all-out turf war. The game maintains the same beat ‘em up/RPG hybrid mechanics the series is known for, but added improvements to the combat system that would carry over to both of the excellent Kiwami games.

Releasing alongside Yakuza 0 on Game Pass is also Kingdom Hearts III, which also coincides with a wealth of Kingdom Hearts content making its way to Microsoft’s console, and Wasteland Remastered. As gamers wait for a slew of AAA releases and information about next-gen consoles coming this year, this string of releases on Game Pass seem intent on giving gamers new franchises to discover as the industry slowly builds towards the anticipated releases of Final Fantasy VII and The Last of Us Part II.

This is an extremely strong week of releases for Game Pass. For anyone who hasn’t had a chance to get involved in the Yakuza series, or feel that the series is too deep to get into at the very moment, there’s no better time than now to try it.

Source: Destructoid

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