Tales from the Backlog - Episodes Tagged with “Yakuza”

175: Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (with Brian Edwards)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has risen to the gaming mainstream with its beloved Like a Dragon series, and when a hot streak occurs, a heat check often follows, and there is no bigger heat check than a game where you play through a Hawaiian pirate adventure starring the series' lovable maniac, Goro Majima. So why has Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii fallen out of the conversation, even among series diehards? Did the heat check connect, or is it the beginning of a downturn? All that and more in this great conversation.

Guest info: Brian Edwards

Listen to the Cane and Rinse podcast https://caneandrinse.com/
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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:20 Intros
5:45 Personal Histories With Yakuza Series
9:53 The Yakuza Secret Sauce
14:12 Opening Thoughts about Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
20:34 Like a Dragon Series Fatigue?
35:15 Story Setup, Majima the Leading Man
45:40 Framing Device, Substories, Goofs
1:11:18 Pirate Gameplay, Ship Combat
1:33:51 Action Combat
1:44:59 Mini-Games and Side Activities
1:52:36 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations
1:57:57 Character Issues, Cane and Rinse
2:02:33 Spoiler Wall/Patron Thank-Yous
2:04:37 Spoiler Section- Substories
2:18:42 Spoiler Section- Main Story and Ending

Music used in the episode:

Anchors Aweigh (Saori Yoshida)
Nameless Traveler (Saori Yoshida)
Palekanian Dance (Yuri Fukuda)
Mad Dog (Keitarou Hanada)
Echoes of Hope (Kazuki Takagi)
Masaru's Love Journey (Mitsuhara Fukuyama)

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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155: Shenmue (with Luis Aguasvivas)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0500

I remember reading about Shenmue (AM2 of CRI, Sega, 2000) in the magazines back in the day and really marveling at how cool it all sounded- a revenge/investigation story, a town with characters that live their own lives outside of interacting with you, life in small-town Japan...but I didn't have a Dreamcast, so I never got to play it and eventually forgot about it as everyone else seemed to move on too. But over the past 5 years, I've also become a huge fan of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, and I eventually decided it was finally time to play Shenmue. Listen in to the discussion to hear what we think!

Guest info: Luis Aguasvivas. Find his writing and games criticism at https://aguaspoints.com/ and more at https://linktr.ee/laguav

TIMESTAMPS

Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 0:22
Story Setup/Setting 14:37
Gameplay/Closing Thoughts 39:51
SPOILER WALL/Thank Yous 1:16:24

Music used in the episode

Shenmue - Sedge Tree (Takenobu Mitsuyoshi)
Hip De Hop (Yuzo Koshiro)
Working Man (Osamu Murata)
Hazuki Residence (Takenobu Mitsuyoshi)
Tears of Separation (Ryuji Iuchi)

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

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128: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (with Deadbeatpunk - WTFDYW!?)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

I am FINALLY caught up with Ryu Ga Gotoku and Sega's Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise, and let me tell you, it feels great to play the games as they release now. This time, in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Ichiban, Kiryu and friends take on the streets of Honolulu. This episode talks about the new story, the unique logistical challenge that the non-Japanese setting presented, giant sharks, baby fetish men making snow, and much more.

Joining me for the discussion is DeadbeatPunk, the nicest man on the internet and host of WTFDYW?! podcast. Each episode of WTFDYW?! is a half hour topic discussion about something in particular that the guest wants, whether it be talking about a particular game or type of game, a TV show or a band. It's always a fun listen and it respects your time, and you can find it by going to this website.

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:49
Story Setup 13:50
Presentation 42:42
Gameplay/Combat 45:58
Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Housekeeping 1:04:13
SPOILER WALL 1:09:06

Music featured in the episode is credited to Chihiro Aoki, Keitaro Hanada, Hyd Lunch, Hidenori Shoji, Yuri Fukuda, Saori Yoshida, 83key, and Rintaro Soma. Tracks used: Hawaiian Sunshine, Yokohama Sunset, Crashing Waves, Judgement -Shinpan- Hero Spec Edition, The Oncoming Storm, Dondoko Island, Apathy 2, Eternal Warrior, The Endless World, The Epic Remains, Vacation Ends

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102: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (with Matt aka Stormageddon & Flora Merigold)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The day a new Yakuza / Like a Dragon game drops is like a holiday for me. Imagine my surprise and delight when I realized that we don't have to wait years for new games in the series anymore, as we got the Like a Dragon Ishin! remaster earlier in 2023, and then the connecting game, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name to set up the upcoming Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name didn't need to exist, but I think it does a lot of interesting character work with Kiryu, as well as just being plain old fun to play. I'm joined in this episode by Matt aka Stormageddon ("Fun" and Games, Screen Snark, Reignite podcasts) and Flora Merigold (Left Behind Game Club podcast) to discuss it all! You can check out Flora's writing on Epilogue Gaming, including this article about Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and you can check out Matt's writing over on the "Fun" and Games Patreon (free for all!)

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:25
Story Setup 20:00
Visuals/Voice Acting 55:23
Gameplay 1:11:50
Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Plugs 1:42:06
SPOILER WALL 2:01:10

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74: Like a Dragon: Ishin! (with Nave - Gaming Together)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 24 May 2023 00:00:00 -0400

For longtime fans of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a fun "familiar faces in new places" ride, almost like seeing your favorite characters putting on a play. Your favorite faces and voices take on the roles of historical figures in 1860s Japan, as rival forces compete for the rule of Japan and reshape society as we know it. Joining me in this episode is Nave from Gaming Together: A Cooperative Podcast, and you should check out the show, it's great!

TIMESTAMPS
Intro/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 0:58
Story Setup/Familiar Faces in New Places 11:14
Open World/Setting/Combat 32:08
Visuals/Music/Closing Thoughts 1:03:02
SPOILER WALL 1:17:25

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Why We Love the Yakuza/Like a Dragon Series (with Matt aka Stormageddon)- Producer's Choice

Dave Jackson — Sun, 21 May 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Dave is joined by Matt aka Stormageddon for another Producer's Choice episode, focusing on why we love the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. Ryu Ga Gotoku's long-running crime melodrama series has introduced us to some of our favorite protagonists, side characters and level 100 weirdos through the years, so we wanted to take some time and talk about it. You can find all of Matt's wonderful podcasts ("Fun" and Games, Reignite, Screen Snark) on your favorite podcast app or at their website.

Producer's Choice is a bonus series on Tales from the Backlog, where Patreon supporters at the "Tube Producer" level get to pick an episode topic and come on the show to chat about it. If that sounds cool to you, or you want to vote on games for the show, get patron-only episodes and have my everlasting love and respect, you can support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!. If Patreon isn't your jam, you can buy me a coffee on Ko-fi!
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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

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