The Yakuza games have always offered players the option to experience some of Sega's beloved arcade titles like Virtua Fighter and Space Harrier, courtesy of the in-game arcades. This carried over to the spin-off game Judgment as well but it looks as if the sequel, Lost Judgment, will, for the first time, provide players access to one of Sega's home consoles. Specifically, the Sega Master System.
The console's addition can be seen in new footage of Lost Judgment that was uploaded to Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's YouTube account, and was first spotted by VGC. The console can be located in the office of Takayuki Yagami, the returning main lead from the first game. It's also not just for decoration since Yagami can take some time out of solving cases to play games on the console.
In the footage, two Master System games were shown off. The first is Alex Kidd in Miracle World, the very first entry in Sega's 2D platforming series, which released in 1986. Coincidentally enough, the game is receiving a remake this month for modern platforms. The second is 1987's Penguin Land, a puzzle-platformer where players must guide an egg to the end of a stage without it breaking. It's also the second entry in Sega's Doki Doki Penguin Land series, which is possibly one of its more obscure IPs.
It's currently unknown if there are any more games available on the console. There are certainly enough contenders to offer players a healthy amount of retro Master System games. During its lifetime, it was home to other Sega franchises like Space Harrier, OutRun, and of course Sonic the Hedgehog. At the very least, the inclusion of the Master System doesn't mean arcades will no longer be available, as fighting game Sonic the Fighters was confirmed to be playable in Lost Judgment not too long ago.
The console appears to replace the pinball machine Yagami originally owned in the first Judgment, although it had already been swapped out for an OutRun arcade machine in the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S remaster. The footage also shows some other gameplay footage, such as Yagami skateboarding around the city, taking part in a rhythm game at a school, and some of the game's new combat.
Another action-brawler, Lost Judgment will see private detective Yagami head to Yokohama, the setting of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, to solve a new mystery. Story details are still thin, but a number of characters will be returning to aid Yagami and the Lost Judgment announcement trailer may suggest an even darker tone, which would be impressive considering the first game involved a serial killer taking their victims' eyes.
Lost Judgment releases for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on September 24th.
Source: VGC