After all was said and done, what everyone thought to be Sega's Yakuza 3 wasn't what it was after all. The game released a few months back in Japan wasn't actually a sequel in the series per se, but merely a spin-off. The devs explained that the real Yakuza 3 is yet to come and will supply a truly new chapter on the game's storyline. More after the jump.

Sega Japan held a press conference earlier today to give out details about the PlayStation 3 exclusive Yakuza 3 which will be released in the region early next year.

It was revealed during the event that Yakuza 3 will be hitting Japanese retail shelves on March 6 with a price tag of 7,980 Yen or roughly around US$ 75. More details about the event and the game via the "read more" link below.

It really does pay to know your math. In a bid to uncover the mystery surrounding the mystery PS3 games hinted at by Sega producer Toshihiro Nagoshi at the PlayStation Premiere a couple of months back, the folks at IGN... well... computed the days to the TGS briefing.

Slated for a September 14 date and counting from September 6 (which is today in Japan), that would leave us with eight days to go before the event. So they snooped on a bit more and found themselves staring at the official Yakuza website.

Lo and behold! What do they find? The number eight in its Japanese form, and with a knife through its upper right corner. Interesting, interesting. Could this be the game that will "exceed Yakuza", or is this just coincidence?

We're leaning towards going for the former. Then again, we won't really find out until it comes straight from the horse's mouth. So until the Yakuza prophecy's revealed at the TGS (which is eight days away from now!), let's just all keep our fingers crossed. Stay tuned for more bits on this.

Kotaku reports overhearing Killer7 creator Goichi Suda (AKA Suda 51) at the recent Metal Gear party telling Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi that he's got a big announcement coming up in several weeks' time.

There's been some speculation as to what this will mean for the business. Possibilities include a few details on the Snatcher project with Hideo Kojima or perhaps a title for the Sony PS3. It's quite vague but there's bound to be something cool about it.

If you guys have never heard of Suda's work on Killer7, it's a Nintendo GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2 game which stars a 60-year old assassin with seven different personalities. Each of these personalities have different skills and killing styles, deepening how the game plays. We'll keep you posted for more on this news bit.

SEGA producer Toshihiro Nagoshi who brought us the Super Monkey Ball series, Spikeout, Daytona USA and Yakuza, made some announcements for the PS3 at the PlayStation Premiere in Tokyo. Later, he hinted that he is personally involved with two new games for the PS3.

Escorted by (or escorting) two geishas, Nagoshi said that one of the games was his "biggest production since I started working on consumer games." The geishas are supposedly a hint at the theme of this new game.

He also "expects it to exceed Yakuza in its ability to move players." It is planned to be released Spring 2007. About the other game though, he just says that they will be able to announce details about it in the "not-so-distant future."

Also announced was Senjou no Valkyrie ("Battle Field Valkyrie"), a combination of the action, strategy and RPG genres. It also features a new graphical style that makes the visuals look like a watercolor painting. The technique has been dubbed as "Canvas." More details will be revealed at the Tokyo Game Show in September. The "sound novel," Imabikisou, was announced to be released this October 25.