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There's a good chance that many of you were going to play through Yakuza 3 without messing with the hostess club segments or the Answer x Answer arcade quiz game. Now, it's a certainty.

"The content between Yakuza 3 US/UK and Yakuza JP is a little different in that we took out certain bits in order to bring the game to the west in the time alloted for us to do so," a Sega rep told IGN. "The parts we ended up taking out were parts that we felt wouldn't make sense (like a Japanese history quiz game) or wouldn't resonate as much (such as the concept of a hostess club)."

You may have gone on a karaoke date with Rina in the demo. In the original game, you meet her in a hostess club, and have to buy her gifts and learn about her in conversations. Now, we suppose, she'll just randomly call you like she did in the demo. Somehow, the dating won't be affected, as the Sega rep assured IGN that "the story experience was the same as the Japanese version."

Who can blame Sega for cutting some of the more culturally Japanese elements from this role-playing game about modern Japanese culture? After all, it must have been in a rush to release on the same day as Final Fantasy XIII.

It's time for Sony's big PSN series premiere. Yep, The Tester is now available to download for free on your PSP and PS3. We promised SCEA's Chris Morell not to make fun of it here, so let's move on to the good stuff.

Notably, there are three PSone classics, in addition to downloadable demos of Yakuza 3 and Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. Some major DLC lands today as well, for Resident Evil 5, Assassin's Creed II, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

The latest trailer for Yakuza 3 (after the break) purportedly introduces the characters in the upcoming PS3 crime drama, but unless you're already familiar with the series, it's going to be a bunch of incomprehensible Japanese names, listed by affiliation with incomprehensibly-named crime families. However, if you take it as a few minutes of badasses glowering (and taking care of children) and slapping dudes, it's pretty entertaining.

If you're in Europe, you can step into Kazuma Kiryu's shoes right now with the demo. With any luck, North America will be able to join you in those increasingly crowded shoes later today.

It looks like it's safe to say that the PSN's dry season has finally come to a close, as this week's update is positively moist with new content. Europe's finally getting its hands on Peggle and a demo for Yakuza 3, a bunch of games went on sale (such as Marvel vs. Capcom 2), new content was added to Assassin's Creed 2 and Resident Evil 5, and Otis Redding made his debut on Rock Band. All was right with the world.

Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi isn't just known for his bright orange tan. He's produced a number of titles for Sega, including Shenmue and, most recently, the Yakuza franchise. Although Nagoshi is already working on Yakuza 4 for Japan, the producer talked about some of his influences for the game's first English-language dev diary.

Yakuza 3 is unabashedly Japanese, so much so that mainstream Western audiences may be unlikely to relate. Nagoshi explains in the video that as a fan of Japanese cinema, he intended on "using a Japanese style to express [human drama]" in the game. "It might feel new to the Western market, but to the Japanese market it's something we grew up on, so we're used to it."

No wonder the Yakuza franchise has earned its cult status in the West. While its use of Japanese camp may be confusing to many, that's precisely what English-speaking fans love about the franchise. Thankfully, it won't be too much longer until everyone will be able to play Yakuza 3 ... and understand what's going on.

If you're willing to commit to purchasing Yakuza 3 next month, despite the fact that your pre-order bill already includes God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII, you'll be rewarded with extra content. In North America, a pre-order comes with four DLC bonuses, including a "Battle for Survival" boss-rush mode, two tournament modes and a "Haruka's Request" set of missions. Pre-ordering from GameStop will add an additional Challenge Pack, containing alternate costumes and two-player pool, bowling, darts, and golf minigames.

In Europe, the Challenge Pack is the lone pre-order bonus, as Yakuza 3 will be released in "Premium Edition" format, which includes the other DLC mentioned above, a 31-track soundtrack and a "Yakuza Who's Who" guide to the characters -- useful for distinguishing the good gangsters from the bad gangsters!

In Japan, Sega gave away eight weeks worth of free DLC following the launch of Yakuza 3. However, it looks like Sega has something different planned for its upcoming US release. A new GameStop listing spotted by VG247 promotes an exclusive "Challenge Pack." According to the retailer, this Pack adds a variety of two player mini-games, including pool, darts, bowling and golf. In addition, there are special outfits for Haruka, Kazuma and Rikiya to wear -- all content that was originally released for free in Japan.

We're hoping this GameStop exclusive DLC won't stay exclusive for too long. inFamous' Gigawatt Blades also started as a GameStop exclusive, only to appear on the PlayStation Store for free a few months later. However, for those looking for the "complete" Yakuza 3 experience as soon as possible, it seems a trip to GameStop is necessary. At least the store is offering a $5 discount on the game.

After announcing a March release window for Yakuza 3, Sega has now confirmed that the Japanese crime game will invade European shores on March 12. As previously announced, the game will feature the original Japanese voice cast and English subtitles. Eurogamer also points out that Yakuza 4 will see its Japanese release this March. The new sequel is based on the same engine as Yakuza 3, hence the quick development turnaround.

Check out some new screens in the gallery below.