7. Yakuza. The best video game series

• The Best Contemporary Video Game Series
• 14. Call of Duty
• 13. Sid Meier's Civilization
• 12. Fallout
• 11. Doom
• 10. Persona
• 9. Total War
• 8. Final Fantasy
• 7. Yakuza
• 6. Demon's and Dark Souls
• 5. Baldur's Gate
• 4. Assassin's Creed
• 3. Grand Theft Auto
• 2. Mass Effect
• 1. Uncharted

7. Yakuza

Yakuza is, according to some, Japanese version of Grand Theft Auto, but it's actually much more than that. A sandbox adventure in which we assume the role of a member of a criminal group, of course, in Japan. There's definitely more melee fighting than shooting, especially with the use of strange or random props. There are also much more original and varied side activities and ubiquitous mini-games.

The series also brilliantly captures all the Japanese "quirks" that a citizen of the Western world sees. First of all, apart from the ubiquitous exotics, Yakuza features a really engaging storyline and interesting characters whose stories, problems and various threads can be drawn logically through several episodes. Yakuza requires players to get through the aforementioned "Japanhood," but it really rewards one of the more interesting universes we can find in the gaming world.

1. More about the Yakuza series