Shenmue

Shenmue was the game that got everyone talking in the year 2000. It was revolutionary for its time, claiming to offer total freedom in a living city filled with NPCs that had their own schedules. I was hyped, and honestly, it was a big reason I bought a Dreamcast. But looking back, what a strange experience it turned out to be!

The game kicks off with a gripping scene where you witness your father's murder, setting you off on a quest for revenge and answers. You navigate through a few areas: your house, the town, and the harbor. Shenmue also threw in mini-games, combat sequences, and something called quick-time events, which were new back then. Visually, it was stunning for its time-arguably the best-looking game around when it released.

So what went wrong?

Right off the bat, I noticed the sound quality felt off. The character voices sounded gritty and subpar-think of the difference between a classic vinyl record and a clear CD. Two years earlier, I had played Metal Gear Solid on PS1, which set a high bar for voice acting. The storytelling also left a lot to be desired. Much of the time, I found myself searching for characters who were just as likely to be missing as the information I needed. You'd often hear, "Oh, you're looking for that guy? Well, he's not here, but you should go ask this other person." The chain of characters you had to track down got tedious.

Some design choices baffled me, too. For example, you'd have to wait in real time for certain places to open, and later you work as a forklift driver for what feels like an eternity. It was almost like the developers took a five-hour game and stretched it into a tedious 25-30 hours. Sure, the level of detail was commendable, but it felt like fluff more than substance.

The combat mechanics were a mixed bag. They featured both free-fighting and quick-time events. While the animation was great, making you feel the impact of a failed QTE, it was still just that-an event designed for a brief moment of excitement. The free-fighting system was reminiscent of Virtua Fighter; I found it challenging, but not in a way that felt enriching. And the characters you encounter? They run the gamut from being helpful to downright bizarre and annoying. For a title that took itself seriously, the peculiar cast sometimes felt out of place.

In hindsight, despite its innovative approach and attention to detail, the core experience just didn't live up to the promise. Details are nice, but they're just sprinkles on top, and if the cake itself isn't solid, it doesn't matter how pretty it looks. When Shenmue II released a few years later, it felt like the excitement had fizzled out.

Ultimately, I remember Shenmue receiving mediocre reviews, even from the most dedicated Dreamcast fans-an 8/10 was about as good as it got. It's a game that showed potential but couldn't quite deliver the experience we all craved.

For all its ambition, I'd rate Shenmue a 7/10. There's beauty in what it tried to achieve, but it ultimately missed the mark.

Shenmue is a video game par excellence. For a western audience it gives us experiences from lands and cultures little known. It is an original and pioneering concept in entertainment, with ideas copied in large budget productions such as GTA IV and Yakuza Ryu Ga Gotoka and production values seen since Final Fantasy X until today.

When Dreamcast owners first saw this game they were stunned at how beautiful the scenery and central characters were drawn. Second viewing and you are aware of the amazing camera work and variety of cut scenes. Third viewing and you realise how immensely rich the score and background music ever present. Fourth viewing and your quest as Ryo Huzuki becomes a world you gladly submit. Fifth viewing and you realise your concept of martial arts is being deepened and nurtured. And beyond a wealth of side games and distractions make the work and world of Shenmue an endearing and longstanding entertainment landmark.

When I found this game by accident. I purchased a Dreamcast because there were already some great titles around. I was completely taken by Shenmue from the first moments of the dramatic opening scene and how that day would shape the central character's life.

Shenmue rewards patient gamers with an enriching experience quite unlike anything else.

Shenmue II is very much similar to Shenmue I although not at all the same experience. I highly recommend Shenmue II as the Xbox game is fully compatible with the xbox360.

But to enjoy the original and in my view the better of the two games you should seek out a Dreamcast and are unlikely to be disappointed if you begin your Shenmue experience here.

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.

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.