25 PlayStation Games You Must Play Before You're 25

By Scott Tailford /

12. Yakuza 5

Sega

Talk about your underrated and completely overlooked franchises. Thanks to being sold in the West 'GTA goes Eastern' (which couldn't be further from the truth), it's true nature as more of a 'Metal Gear-esque plot meets brawling mechanics' only turned people away.

Advertisement

Still, Yakuza remains one of the most consistently high-selling titles in Japan, and for good reason - each and every one of them is hands-down phenomenal, with outstanding graphics, loveable characters and more twists and turns than Resident Evil boss falling down the stairs.

It's in the fantastic, arcady gameplay that sees you going from lobbing gangsters into lampposts one minute, to solving murders, unravelling dodgy politic plots and learning new finishers the next.

Advertisement

Combined, this excels Yakuza into one of the finest PlayStation franchises of all time - one that more than deserves a spot on your digital shelf, and so far, has only gotten better with each subsequent instalment.