Toshihiro Nagoshi's Yakuza series is huge in Japan, but has only a cult following in the west. Many thought Dead Souls would never be released in Britain, but it's a genuinely good thing that it has. Kamurocho, the fictional Tokyo district that has starred in every game in the series so far, is now in the grip of a zombie invasion, which means ditching the franchise's stock in trade hand-to-hand combat for clunky third-person shooting.

It's an awkward system that takes some getting used to, but once you've got to grips with it you'll be taking down the lumbering hordes with a succession of head shots, thanks to a generous auto-targeting system. It does a fine job of making players feel like the lone badass in a sea of weaklings, something the series has always done so well.

Play switches between four characters – suave moneylender Akiyama, the burly, surly Goda, lovable headcase Majima and noble ex-yakuza Kazuma Kiryu – who help out a succession of needy residents as the quarantine zone expands. All four have featured previously in the series, but the rich, complex narrative that runs through it has been jettisoned in favour of a self-contained story and all-out action – the perfect jumping-in point for newcomers.