I really dig Sega's Yakuza series and I know there is a small, dedicated fan base for the games out west. I think Sega really mishandled the franchise early on, but I'm glad to see that they've started to put their support behind it as the years went on. I certainly never expected to see Yakuza: Dead Souls get localized, at any rate. In case you were unaware, Yakuza is an extremely popular action RPG series that takes place in Japan. The games sell big over here and are famous for their well told stories and super developed game worlds. 

Yakuza 5 was announced not too long ago but now we're starting to see real details about the game creep out. It's full name is Ryu ga Gotoku 5: Yume Kanaeshi Mono, which can be loosely translated as Yakuza 5: The Fulfiller of Dreams. The game will have a total of five playable characters, up one from the previous game. It's also been confirmed that series badass Kazuma Kiryu will return once again. As was announced some time ago, the five cities in Yakuza 5 are Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka. I'm particularly excited about getting to visit Fukuoka, seeing as I spend so much time there in the real world.

I'd be shocked if this one didn't go west at some point. Any of you readers fans of Yakuza? Sound off!

[via Andriasang]