The Yakuza series is one that has garnered a lot of positive buzz, but has never really made a huge mark in the North American market. Yakuza 2 was one of the last great PS2 games, but went largely ignored since it came out well into the PS3’s lifespan. Because of the poor sales of Yakuza 2, it was assumed that Yakuza 3, which came out in Japan earlier this year, would never see the light of day in the western hemisphere. Guess what? The PlayStation blog has just announced that Yakuza 3 will be coming to North America in March of 2010.

This is huge news, especially since this could be a big exclusive for the PS3—provided people actually buy it this time. I really have to commend Sega for giving second chances to both this and the critically acclaimed Valkyria Chronicles, despite underwhelming North American sales. Now, gamers, you’ve been given another chance as well—you need to actually buy good games if you want more to come. Since Yakuza 4 is already in development in Japan, there is plenty of room for the series to grow if Yakuza 3 does well next March. Sure, it may be up against Final Fantasy XIII, but the two games are entirely different, and there should be room in gamers’ hearts for both.