Shenmue

This game did a lot of things new for its time and is now a cult classic. By the maker of the arcade game Virtua Fighter 3 among others, he was rewarded with free reign to make a completely unique game for the Dreamcast, SEGA's last console that saw a great year of innovative game releases. Shenmue and its sequel are perhaps the most revered of all those games.

The game lets you run free round a limited but highly programmed set of environments interacting with objects and people all while day/night, season and weather change around you as you slowly uncover the mystery of your situation and pursue revenge. While some areas of the game can waste your time, the level of connection you forge with the environment and characters keep you involved and the addictive beauty of the real-time changing world keeps you hooked.

At the time of release it was at its height of technology but it has aged relatively well while also having a lot of retro charm in its styles. However, it does require your patience.

The game's action involves a combo deep combat system similar to Virtua Fighter games as well as minor combat situations and other fast action moments being dealt with by quick time events (QTE). This is where a button shows on screen to be pressed straight away to succeed at an action, and people generally love QTEs or hate them, but I think they're used well and sparingly in Shenmue.

A feature I love is being able to play a couple SEGA arcade games in full at the arcade within the game although my personal favourite doesn't appear until Shenmue 2. The game is heavily Japanese which feels very authentic. If you don't have the time to invest as a working adult to play, you can find longplay videos online totalling about 8 hours to get an idea of the experience without the full emersion or shortened story videos for highlights.

So yeah, this is a cult classic and worth looking into, but decide your level of interest as acquiring the game for dreamcast can be difficult or costly.

Shenmue 1 & 2 are my favorite games of all time, I loved these games because of the atsmphrere, graphics/art design, music, sound effects, level design, storyline, characters, voice acting that's funny and cheesy(which imo adds charm and likability to the game) in English but sounds great in Japanese. The game has so many things you can do to by pass the time with being able to play arcade classics like Space Harrier and Hang on, play darts, buy drinks, listening to music tapes and practicing martial arts to get better. there is a lot of variety in it's gameplay from detective work, Fighting up bad guys, riding a forklift, QTEs and buying items from various shops. The camera does a great job for the most part and it's controls are good and responsive( the only down side is the walking controls which can be a bit awardward at first but you can adjust to it over time plus the rest of the other game modes are fine)The pacing is a bit slow but then gets better as you progress through the game Shenmue is a fantastic experience and something I recommend to people who like sandbox, fighting, RPG plus a good storyline.

This is my favourite game (Along with the second one) of all time. The story drags you in and you feel for the characters, the music is beautiful and the graphics at the time were the best, this was the most expensive game ever made and the quality speaks for it's self. I love this game so much, like the tagline say's not a game but an experience (something like that.) And for me that was true.

Shenmue is the closest a game has ever come to reality. The game's environment is fully interactable in a legal fashion (for example, you can't just barge into a house...you'll knock first). You can open ever drawer and closet in your house, buy and drink a soda, play in the arcades (with two full versions of old-school classics), raise a kitten, talk to every person, ride a motorcycle, and even take a part-time job with riding a forklift.

But that's not the main idea of Shenmue. Shenmue provides a progressing storyline that will keep you mystified and addicted to it's gameplay. In the process of gathering clues, you will go into fights that will play as a 3D fighting game, mostly like Virtua Fighter. The fights in the game are challenging and fun, with wonderfully animated moves that look like they belong in a kung-fu flick. There is also "QTE" (quick-time event) in which you must press a certain button in a certain amount of time. This may sound simple but is actually fun, and heart-pumping. These events are in the form of controlling a cinematic event within the game, and provides a better experience.

Shenmue is a game that may attract gamers and non-gamers alike. It's story, interactivity, logic, and fun makes a pure gaming experience. The game starts out a bit boring and slow, but soon afterwards, it begins to pick up pace and Shenmue then reveals it's shine.

Amazing game for these years back to 99 shenmue 3 back 2019 i hope its good