Just like any good tourist guidebook, here’s a map of Kamurocho (a city inspired by the famous red light district in Tokyo), with a numbered list of restaurants, advertising and more that are actually real-life things. We’ve also added the location of the first three zombie bosses*. We’re just nice like that.

*The location of these items doesn’t match those that can be found in real-life. Also, we must warn you: there are no zombies in the real Tokyo – at least, as far as we know – but there are many, many more of them in Yakuza: Dead Souls than we’ve shown on this map. We’ll let you find them all (or let them find you first)!

2. If you’d prefer to eat at home or in your hotel room while watching strange Japanese TV shows, you could buy a pack of Acecook cup noodles from this store. Beware: while in this neighborhood in Yakuza: Dead Souls you’ll come across the fearsome first boss, the Arahabaki Prototype. Eat or be eaten: It’s up to you!

6. Fancy going out for an evening meal? Watami is a culinary paradise! Sashimi, handmade tofu, organic vegetables and fresh Hokkaido mackerel await you, and they go down smoother when accompanied by an original cocktail.

7. Of course, you could buy everyday food and cosmetic items at Don Quijote, but you may be happy to know that you can also buy maid and schoolgirl uniforms to take home as a souvenir for your girlfriend. She will be de-ligh-ted, surely!

8. Karaoke boxes in Tokyo are like trees in a forest. But don’t be fooled by lesser venues: Look for the characteristic blue-colored Karaokan chain stores if you want the real deal. Great rooms, tasty drinks and a good choice of foreign songs (or try some Japanese classics if you think you’re up to the challenge). Still hesitating? Then ask Goro Majima what he thinks about them!

11. Do we really need to tell you that Club SEGA is the absolute best place to go for classic arcade machines and the latest UFO Catchers? But watch your back when you visit this one in Yakuza: Dead Souls — the second boss, Onraki, is lurking just around the corner.

12. Advertising is the key to success and companies like JOYSOUND and Kai Razor know this only too well. The first is a company providing karaoke services; Visit a karaoke box and there’s a fair chance you will use one of their services. The latter is a type of hand razor – convenient for forgetful travelers and handy for all humans, although I’m not sure how zombies find them.

By the way, keep an eye out when you see these two advertisements: you will probably come across the Arahabaki boss, who takes some beating!

Hope you enjoyed the tour, but now you can experience Tokyo for yourself — Yakuza: Dead Souls is available now exclusively on PS3.

A group of activists in Yakuza: Dead Souls is trying to do just that. You can learn more, and even donate to their cause, in the game. Regardless of how you feel about zombie rights, it’s worth a stop to admire their creative protest signs, with slogans like “Zombies are people too!” and “What if your child were a zombie?!”

This is just one of the weirdly funny ways that zombies and real life are linked in Yakuza: Dead Souls. The game is full of clever moments, so get out there and explore Kamurocho to find all that is waiting to be discovered! And if you’re not fighting for zombie rights, you can get all the crazy zombie-killing action you’re craving, with a distinct Yakuza twist.

You can pre-order the game to get a special bonus; trust me – you don’t want to miss out on the assets offered! Yakuza: Dead Souls hits shelves tomorrow in North America, and is exclusive to the PS3.

To see how much things can change once the zombie invasion hits, here are some comparison screens of Kamurocho as it used to be and as it is now in Yakuza: Dead Souls.

Before Zombies – a sunny day in Kamurocho.

After Zombies – yeah, I wouldn’t go in there if I were you.

Before Zombies – what a nice vending machine!

After Zombies – OH GOD, IT’S ON FIRE! (At least the traffic cone survived.)

Before Zombies – I’m not sure that’s a very safe parking spot…

After Zombies – Uh, yeah. Sorry about your car, mister.

Yakuza: Dead Souls has all the crazy zombie-killing action you’re craving, with a distinct Yakuza twist.

A pre-order campaign is currently running. Trust me – you don’t want to miss out on the assets offered! Yakuza: Dead Souls hits shelves on March 13th in North America, March 16th in Europe, and is exclusive to the PS3.

Guns – A reliable source of zombie obliteration. A well-timed headshot goes a long way in zombie eradication, and Yakuza: Dead Souls has more than enough guns to choose from. (Don’t forget that you can play as Ryuji Goda, whose fake arm is a gatling gun!) Additionally, Yakuza: Dead Souls allows you to “heat snipe” items for maximum zombie carnage. Horde of zombies got you craving more fire power? Well then snipe the gas tank on a nearby car and watch the explosion spread!

Melee – If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking, “Alright, guns are cool but what happens if I’m out of ammo or just plain feel like slapping a zombie around?” The answer: pick something up and slap a zombie! Yakuza: Dead Souls lets you play with reliable, time-tested zombie-killing things: chainsaws, baseball bats, grenades, etc., and also allows you to get slightly more creative with your melee weapons: Motorbike? Poles? Desk? Go for it!

Questions about available weapons? Need tips on the art of beating a zombie to death (again) with a couch? Kellie and I are here to answer your questions, and if you’re lucky I might share my super-secret zombie-apocalypse survival tips (Hint: get to a Costco that sells beer and wait for Majima and his sweet eyepatch to show up).

The undead are multiplying and filling the streets of Tokyo’s red light district. The area is quarantined quickly, but degenerates into a district full of terror, panic and devastation. Survivors try to flee the city, but four men rise up to protect those they care most about. If you think zombies are bad, meet the Yakuza.

Playable for the first time in Yakuza: Dead Souls, Goro Majima is nuts about zombie movies. He’s so excited to be killing off zombies that when you’re playing as Majima, you’ll be picking fights with zombies, instead of just merely defending yourself. Now that’s bad ass.

You probably thought Ryuji Goda was dead after Yakuza 2. But you’d be wrong, and not because he’s a reanimated zombie back to munch your brains. He’s more interested in cooking you some takoyaki at a street stall. In case mysteriously reappearing from the presumed-dead for some yummy fried octopus is not ridiculous enough for you, you should know that his prosthetic arm can transform into a gatling gun. You’ve never been able to play as Goda before, and it’s not something you’ll soon forget.

Your returning Yakuza favorites, Shun Akiyama and Kazuma Kiryu, will also be packing some heat: Akiyama specializes in dual handguns to protect himself, and Kiryu, not one to skimp when it comes to strength, will have a very special gun of his own.

Play as your favorite character, grab an attractive hostess to be your butt-kicking sidekick and arm yourself with your favorite gun or whatever item is within reach – chainsaws, bicycles, fire extinguishers, desks or anything else you can pick up. It’s time to fight some zombies!

Want to ask Kate about her favorite item to smack a zombie with? Want to ask Kellie what the heck takoyaki is? We’ll both be in the comments to answer these and any other Yakuza: Dead Souls questions you have for us.

So, what is Yakuza: Dead Souls all about? I traveled to the top of the mountains and spent two weeks meditating to bring you the answers. In the end, that failed, so I just played the entire game instead. It was awesome, and in doing so, I found that this game is a mix of:

• Zombies in Tokyo
• Yakuza with guns
• Beautiful Hostesses

And while I’m not able to reveal how much content from the Japanese version is coming over, let me just say that you fans are going to be very, very happy when you hear how much we’ve included.

The version we’re bringing to the west features the entire storyline, as well as its brand new mini-game: Pachislot. Yakuza: Dead Souls returns you back to the streets of Kamurocho, which is now under attack by hordes of Zombies. Though you won’t be restricted by Zombies as your only threat, as you’ll also face powerful mutants, and, perhaps most dangerous of all, members of the Japanese underworld.

The name Dead Souls has multiple meanings within the game, beyond the obvious “Oh-hey-that’s-totally-a-Zombie” angle. But did I mention the Zombies yet? Well, there are Zombies. Lots of Zombies. So many Zombies I’m going to start using a capital Z when I type Zombies, just to spite all those English professors back in college who said I couldn’t. Zombies, Zombies, Zombies!

Yet even for all the wacky and hilarious Japanese culture laden within the game – and in past Yakuza games, too – there is a strong layer of serious, emotional storytelling taking place here. This game has also convinced me that, without a doubt, Kazuma Kiryu is more manly than both Chuck Norris and Duke Nukem fused together – but that’s for another blog.

If you’re a fan of the series, we’d like to end by saying THANK YOU for going out there and picking up the western releases of Yakuza 3 and 4. Even now, every copy of Yakuza 4 sold, and every pre-order of Yakuza: Dead Souls helps this franchise continue to survive and grow here in the west.

Got a question about Yakuza: Dead Souls? Want to know more about the game or leave a comment below? Please do – I’m aiming to top my previous response numbers with a 100% response ratio this time. All I ask is that you keep the questions Yakuza related, where possible. Thanks guys – and stay tuned for more Zombie goodness from us soon!