14 DAY TRIAL // Yakuza: Dead Souls is, unfortunately, filled to the brim with Loading Now screens and, for the first 15 to 20 minutes of the game, they separate cutscene after cutscene, with the game never allowing me to take actual control over the main character and shoot some zombies.
I understand that Yakuza needs some time to set up the story, to show me how the zombie outbreak happens and to remind me of its core mechanics. But there were at least three sequences where I was not allowed to actually play the game despite the fact that everything happening on screen could be done with me in control.
After about half an hour of Loading Now and dialog that aims for humor but never hits, I began actually exploring the streets of Tokyo, looking for a medic for my trusted assistant and finding creative ways to kill the zombies that seem to be everywhere.
I used several bicycles, some gas cans, one huge pipe, a trash can and a couch to hit zombies and all of them did a splendid job at killing them after a few strikes, earning me an Old School trophy after a few minutes of play time.
But Yakuza: Dead Souls really wants me to try and shoot the shambling enemies, which means that I am often driven through sections where no suitable melee weapons are offered.
The gun mechanics are a little fiddly and I have not yet grown comfortable with their use, but they are efficient.
A normal zombie takes about three hits to go down, unless one goes for the very efficient headshot, and a combination of swift melee kicks and running manages to give players the space they need to run around and aim carefully.
Ammunition for the basic weapon is also infinite, which further encourages use of firearms, but I hope that the developers have populated the rest of the game with more opportunities for melee slugfests.
We intended to add a gameplay video for Yakuza: Dead Souls, but unfortunately we were unable to do so because of SEGA.