Dreddz,
you like Shenmue, yes? (Yakuza is even mentioned in that thread :P)
This ain't Shenmue :P But it seems like that kind of game. It is made by Sega, after all. The combat in Shenmue wasn't that deep--in fact the all-around gameplay itself wasn't so hot. Nobody cared about that because the story is what was awesome, and left all of who've played it punching walls waiting for a Shenmue 3.
The fact that this is being fashioned somewhat like Shenmue is what really got me interested in Yakuza. I wouldn't write this game off yet.