Don't understand why most people call the Yakuza games "Japanese GTA" Yakuza 3

It's nothing like it. Do people really expect anything and everything where you have a bit of free will to be just like GTA? I never understood it :/

It's nothing like GTA, but I interpret that expression to mean it's a cultural equivalent.

Unfortunately Cyborg, the teenage brats that go and buy this THINKING it's GTA don't care if it's culturally equivalent if they can't pick up hookers, hit old ladies with a car, or go on a murdering spree in the middle of the street.

^Yes, that is EXACTLY my point. Hell, that may be why the games didn't sell as much as it should have too

The first one was advertised as the Japanese GTA and well that piece of bad advertising stuck, so people who don't know better jump in thinking its a GTA style game and come out very disappointed at the end.

it's really one of those games you have to experience to understand what it is.

Unfortunately, people nowadays can't just understand without having it compared to something else, so most websites will automatically compare it to GTA. Not that I don't like GTA, but anyone who goes into this expecting that would be disappointed - although if they gave the game some time - I'm sure they'd enjoy it just fine.

Well...this is how I see it.


Final Fantasy = Japanese Dungeons & Dragons

Yakuza = Japanese Grand Theft Auto


The cultural differences can be seen in gameplay elements.

JRPG's play drastically different from WRPG's.

This Genre I guess we can call Crime Sandbox??? idk lol. But yeah GTA is Western Crime Sandbox & Yakuza is Japanese Crime Sandbox...would that fit better?

Even though there's no Grand Theft Auto taking place in the game it's very similar to the series as far as being a freeroam game centered around criminal activity.