Judgment
During the Tokyo Game Show 2022 we have seen many very diversified announcements. As per tradition, the Japanese fair was the scene of many videogame novelties produced by Asian and purely Japanese studios and companies. Among all the news, it is worth noting the arrival of the two chapters of Judgment on PC, and this debut has soon activated the community of modders, thanks to which it is now possible to play the first chapter of the Yakuza spin-off saga as it was thought from the beginning by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.
To replace Taki within Judgment (which you can buy on Amazon) was Miou Tanaka, who was however much appreciated by fans, especially given the short time with which he managed to enter the part of character. But thanks to the modder community it is now possible to see what Captain Hamura in the facial features of actor Pierre Taki should have looked like before the allegations came out.
Drug cases in Japan carry a lot more weight heavy compared to what we are used to seeing in the West. It has already happened in the past that some actors have lost their parts and have been sidelined after being discovered to have used illegal substances. SEGA itself took the game out of business shortly after Taki's case exploded in Japan.
Judgment mod adds cut actor Pierre Taki back into the game
A rare instance of a human being ported from console
Fans of Yakuza spin-off Judgment and of Japanese actors who’ve been naughty will be pleased to hear that there’s a mod to restore the voice and likeness of Pierre Taki to the game. Taki-san's performance as character Kyohei Hamura was removed from the Japanese version of Judgment after he was arrested for possession and use of cocaine in 2019, never making it to the West. Now, the Judgment Pierre Taki Restoration Patch finally brings the scrubbed actor back for the very first time, over here at least.
Judgment wasn’t available on PC until this month, when Sega finally released the whole series to date on Steam. Modders have essentially ported the PS4 version of Pierre Taki over to the Steam version, which you can find over on NexusMods. Taki portrayed Hamura, a captain of the Matsugane family, who are members of the Tojo clan. They’re the massive crime family that Yakuza protagonist Kazuma Kiryu was part of. Due to his arrest, Taki’s performance as Olaf in the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts III was scrapped too – couldn’t they let it go?
Devs Ryu Ga Gotoku are pretty busy working on more Yakuza games, except the series is now called Like A Dragon everywhere to match the Japanese moniker. Three games in the long-running series are releasing over the next few years, starting with historical remake Like A Dragon: Ishin! in February. Also coming in 2023 is the Kiryu-starring Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, possibly the best name for a game I’ve ever seen, and certainly one of the longest. Expected out in 2024 is the next mainline Yakuza game, Like A Dragon 8.
The Judgment Collection is on Steam for £84/$99/€99. You can grab each game individually too. The Pierre Taki Restoration Patch is on NexusMods here.