SEGA has officially announced that Yakuza 3 will be hitting western shores in March 2010. Released exclusively on the PS3 in Japan on February 26, 2009, Sega was initially reluctant to release the game for the western audience but months of requests from fans of the series, has led to a change of plans.

Sean Ratcliffe, VP of Marketing, SEGA of America, said in a statement,

Since its release in Japan, gamers in the west have wanted to know whether SEGA would be releasing Yakuza 3 in the west.



Today I’d like to tell all the Yakuza fans. We’ve heard you. We’re bringing it. Get ready for your initiation into the Japanese underworld!



The game was well received by most critics, Japanese gaming mag Famitsu rated the game 38/40 and Eurogamer gave it a respectable 8/10.

Yakuza 3 will feature the game’s original Japanese voiceover with full English subtitles. The transition to the PlayStation 3 has allowed SEGA of Japanâ€™s CS1 team to add an unprecedented level of environmental detail and realism to the game â€“ a hallmark of the series that fans have come to expect. In this action-adventure sequel, players will take on the role of Kiryu Kazuma to explore rich and realistic environments, take part in a multitude of unique mini-games and experience the deepest combat experience in the series yet. In addition to the familiar Tokyo haunts from the first two games, fans will also discover a completely new setting on the tropical island of Okinawa where, accompanied by his adoptive daughter Haruka, Kazuma manages an orphanage. However, he is allowed no respite in this idyllic retreat and before long he is once again forced to deal with his sordid past.