It's been a while since the legendary Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, first graced PS2 systems in 2005's Yakuza, and it's time to return to where it all began.

Get ready to relive the legend, because the "extreme" HD remake Yakuza Kiwami features completely recreated graphics and fully re-recorded Japanese audio by the original voice actors, as well as added distractions and ~30 minutes of new cutscenes! 

Being retold in Kiwami is the nascent character arc for Yakuza - the game begins with series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu getting sent to prison for the murder of his family patriarch (which he didn't commit). To make matters worse, during the 10 years of his imprisonment, not only does Kiryu's clan expel him from the yakuza, but ¥10 billion (~$100 million) goes missing from the clan treasury. Worse yet, Kiryu's childhood sweetheart is also nowhere to be found, and with the entirety of the Japanese underworld on the hunt for the missing cash, Kiryu is all but lost until he finds the orphan girl Haruka, searching for her aunt who shares the same name as Kiryu's missing love. What follows from there is a web of betrayal, underworld politics, and redemption as nothing will stop Kiryu from regaining his honor. 

What I think has had people really excited since we presented the game at E3 has been the Majima Everywhere system, where everybody’s favorite maniac can spring up on you from any place, at any time.

But you’ll actually want to fight him – mostly because Kiryu’s fourth and most powerful fighting style, the Dragon of Dojima style, is only leveled up by fighting Majima, who has taken it upon himself to retrain Kiryu so that he may regain what he lost in the years he was away from the city.

I won’t even begin to spoil all the incredible, sometimes hilarious, encounters with Majima, but early on in the game, you’ll be notified that “Officer” Majima is working the beat by the Millennium Tower, and he’s on the lookout for any one carrying any suspicious weapons. Try swinging by the area with a knife, gun, or maybe a frozen tuna on your person. You won’t be disappointed.

One more thing about the Majima Everywhere system: he’s rarely the same enemy twice. He’s unpredictable. That’s right, he has all his battle styles previously featured in Yakuza 0, except they’re just as powerful as they were then, so do expect to get beat down with bats, break-danced into the ground, and of course, stabbed, shanked, and cut when he comes at you in Mad Dog style. Did I mention he has Heat Actions too?

For those of you who want a digital copy – you can now preorder your copy on PlayStation 4 for $29.99 and get a free Akira Nishikiyama and Kazuma Kiryu PS4 theme to go with it! This theme features the fearsome looking Dragon of Dojima, and of course, the best bro-gone-bad ever, Akira Nishikiyama, with his evil slicked-back hair.

In addition to Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami provides an excellent starting point for those who have always heard about the series but have yet to try it. It preserves the charm of old-school, PS2-era beat-em-up gameplay, but deftly combines it with a hard-boiled crime drama punctuated with the liveliness of Kamurocho - the fictional red-light district of Tokyo the game is set in - and all the distractions that a red-light district can offer.

Key  Features: 

• A Family Patriarch's Ransom of New Content - "Kiwami" literally translates to "extreme," and the game was named that for good reason. Not just a simple graphical upgrade, Kiwami adds nearly 30 minutes of cutscenes alone, providing all-new insight into the game's plot and creating common threads with series prequel Yakuza 0. There's also added distractions (Pocket Circuit car racing, MesuKing: Battle Bug Beauties, new hostesses, and more), side quests, combat updates, re-recorded Japanese dialogue, and more to bring the original Yakuza game into the latest console generation.
• A Place for Newcomers and Veterans - Yakuza Kiwami is the ultimate bridge in the series: newcomers or those whose Yakuza experience started with Yakuza 0 will have familiar, exacting controls, top-notch SEGA localization, and a solid starting point for entering the Yakuza franchise fresh. Veterans will experience a familiar Kamurocho and plot, but with new levels of story depth and graphical polish.
• But it was me! Majima! - Completely new to Kiwami is the "Majima Everywhere" system, where the series' deranged, one-eyed maniac will constantly surprise and challenge Kiryu to combat when he least expects it. We're talking "popping out of a goofy costume" levels of surprise, so players must stay on their toes and be ready to defend themselves from Kiryu's chief rival.
• Extreme Revitalization - Kiwami is rebuilt from the ground up with all new HD assets, exclusive Japanese voice audio re-recorded by the series cast, and more; optimized for the PlayStation 4 and running in 1080p/60fps. And following suit with SEGA's commitment to the Yakuza series, the game will release in both physical and digital formats in the west.

SEGA also launched the Yakuza Experience website that features an in-depth Yakuza series interactive timeline and character map, as well as the first issue of a 10-part digital comic series, "The Dragon's Path." The comic will recreate iconic moments from the franchise, taking readers from Yakuza 0 up to Yakuza 6, and veterans of the series can expect some surprises in store for them. The interactive timeline and character map will be updated to correspond with each new chapter from the comic.

Yakuza Kiwami will be coming out physically and digitally in the Americas and Europe on Aug. 29 for $29.99/£29.99/€34.99, and pre-orders/first run copies of the physical version will come packaged in a stunning SteelBook.