Xbox Game Pass generally excels when it comes to day one games from first-party studios, but third-party day one releases are much rarer. Today, it was announced that Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name will be coming day one to Game Pass on Xbox and PC via the Microsoft Store. The Man Who Erased His Name features the Yakuza franchise’s stalwart Kazuma Kiryu returning under an assumed identity after faking his death at the end of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.
The game has garnered a lot of hype recently over its arcade games, which will include Fighting Vipers 2 - which has never been released on the home market outside of the Dreamcast even with several classic Sega fighters getting digital re-releases over a decade ago. It will also have Daytona USA 2 getting its first home version of any kind as the unbranded Sega Racing Classic 2. The Sega Racing Classic name was first used for an arcade re-release of Daytona USA before its Xbox Live Arcade, Steam, and PS3-era PSN re-release - and the Xbox 360 version can still be played on the Xbox Series family of consoles if you bought it before it was delisted. The Man Who Erased His Name will allow the Xbox One and Series platforms to be able to play each of the two mainline Daytona USA games in some way.
Beyond that entry, Like a Dragon fans will also be able to enjoy Like a Dragon: Ishin! - the remake of a previously Japanese-only PS3 game. This was first released on last and current-gen consoles in February of 2023 and is set in the Late Edo period of Japan. Both games are action-centric, but Ishin! features a lot of swordplay, with a katana being a default weapon while others are available as well. You can also go with hand-to-hand combat, mastering a pistol, or a hybrid Wild Dancer style that merges gunplay with swordplay. It’s a very different-feeling game in a lot of ways, largely due to the setting and time period.
Having both of these games on Game Pass makes the service an even better deal because while Ishin! has gone on sale a few times, it’s rare and it’s also a bit of a harder sell to franchise fans used to the more modern-day settings and large array of extra games to play thanks to the arcade lineup. Getting The Man Who Erased His Name on day one is a huge get for the service because that entry has a lot of traction thanks to the arcade lineup and now folks can enjoy it on day one with no additional cost if they have the service.
