combining innovative gameplay with cinema-like story telling and character development on the back of Japan's criminal underground. Yakuza received generally positive reviews among Western critics earning a 75 out of 100 in Metacritic. IGN praised its combat system and sense of style but criticized its tedious gameplay. Newtype USA called it "the adult-themed spiritual successor to the Dreamcast's Shenmue series" and found that the fighting system would interest many players. GamePro similarly compared it with Shenmue based on the amount of subscenarios. 1UP.com saw the potential of the fighting as it often earned the player money which can be used to buy items in the city. GameRevolution criticized the number of random encounters which resulted in a large amount of loading times. He also criticized the simplicity of the fighting system and few notable issues with GameTrailers agreeing on the difficulty in centering on an enemy. The amount of sidequests available received generally favorable response. The game has been praised for the design of the city. 1Up.com wrote it was an "incredibly realistic and accurate portrayal of Tokyo's Kabuki-cho district", while IGN thought "the city actually feels alive." However, GameRevolution complained there is not much not to do in the streets "besides look for people who want to talk to you and begin missions". Delivery of the English voice acting was also praised. GameRevolution also praised it as "From an audio/video standpoint, Yakuza is exceptionally well-produced. Although the cut-scenes are all use the in-game engine, the complicated facial expressions are shockingly intricate and colorful, while some of the floral tattoos look too good to be true." UGO Networks praised the seriousness of the story as the game "respects and appreciates yakuza culture and its often forgotten roots in the samurai tradition/bushido code" and thus lamented the lack of the Japanese audio. GameTrailers also wished for a Japanese audio option, despite noting the English dub did a fine job. GameZone called it an "epic story that will keep you exploring the world filled with criminals and Kazuma's only friends who will help him along the way." Eurogamer also commented on the narrative praising the contrast between Kiryu's kindness and Nishikiyama's brooding. The game sold 232,650 units in Japan during 2005. In 2006 it shipped 345,323 units. Due to its commercial success on the Japanese market, Yakuza had a PlayStation 2 the Best edition on October 26, 2006, and an exceptional reprint