Yakuza 2 the 2nd game in the series with a great story
You play as the protagonist Kazuma Kiryu an ex-chairman and ex-yakuza mafia soldier has decided to try and live in peace with his niece Haruka. A few years have past from the first game and now a new plot has appeared when a Korean mafia group the Jingweon steps in and causes havoc. During this time the Omi clan from Osaka is waging a war against the Tojo clan from Tokyo. Kazuma must re-enter the crime underworld to resolve this problem.
The game has improved in many ways such as a better combat system, sharpened game graphics which looks a lot better than the first one and now their is no longer the off sync and bad english translation. Like all good japanese games they decided to keep the japanese voices and go for the good old english subtitles. Which surprisingly work pretty well.
This time instead of concentrating on Tokyo's Kamurocho you also head to Osaka with its very own side quest's. The stuff such as the hostess club's mission and the cage fights in purgatory remains intact. But they could have added more like they did to Yakuza 3. But still its a good package and its a good way to keep you playing when you're not following the story. If you have a Yakuza 1 saved game you will receive some beginning items from your niece Haruka which is good for people who is just starting out the game.
My last thoughts are that this game can add a lot more but with the new story, new location's and secrets to find also more side missions like owning a hostess club will keep you busy for awhile since after you beaten the game you have the choice to choose adventure mode which mainly focuses on the side quests but harder.
The Verdict:
Story: Nice continuation from the last Yakuza
Gameplay: Improved battle system means harder to die
Graphics: Sharpened textures which makes the game look good on the ps2
Overall Score: 9.5/10