Shenmue

[Himuro]

Now that I'm back to business I might as well add to the community even if some people feel I should stop being a Suikoden fan (:().

I recently got a Dreamcast and Shenmue for free. Before I warmed up to the game I honestly hated it to tell you the truth. Now, you see me replaying this game right after completing it. I imported the DC PAL version because I don't want it on my Xbox (aside from collector purposes). Once on Dreamcast always on Dreamcast.

So anyways, I just wanted to jot down my thoughts for the game some place.

First off, I would like to say I'm a huge fan of Grand Theft Auto games. I love non linearity. I love not being told what to do. I love love love sidequests in general. Shenmue, for the most part is my dream game. It feels realistic, cohesive, has an amazing story, a perfect mixture of every single genre..it's quite a game.

It was unlike any other game I've played in my life. Sure, the pacing was a little slow at the beginning, but once you get used to the area, what all the pedestrians in the town of Yokosuka do (so if you're looking for specific information it becomes a lot more easier) and so forth, finding where to go and get information becomes as easy as 1,2,3.

I'm replaying it now, and I'm liking it even more than the first time because I know what to do now. What took 3-4 hours the first go around took me 30 minutes. It's a really fun game.

When I played Shenmue I was immersed in Shenmue. The cutscenes, ESPECIALLY the cutscenes, are all amazing. The use of QTE (quick time events) is nothing short of amazing. Chases in the middle of a busy Japanese street, beating up punks in bars, blocking and evading punches in cutscenes. Shenmue easily has the best cutscenes I've witnessed in a game. And further more, even if the characterization is subtle, I have a soft spot for all the characters in the game. What makes Shenmue so immersive is how every npc makes note of small things like the weather changes, what holiday season it is, that they're cramming for College entrance exams, the fact you have been skipping school, it's things like that which bring the Shenmue universe together unlike any other game I've played. It feels so natural. It's just a beautiful game.

I cannot wait for Shenmue 2. Apparently that game fixes every problem I had with the orginal.

This thread was awfully written. What a bunch of random points. Haha.
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[Shula]

I loved that Shenmue too!!! I remember I played it non stop when i first got it for Christmas. Those QTE's were funny I liked one of the first ones where you had to kick a soccerball and if you missed it would hit some kid! :*laugh*: Sadly when I was half way through with the game my DC and games were stolen so i never finished it to this day. :cry:

[nocturne1337]

i love shenmue though i tired to replay it lately and it didnt hold my interest, i loved the QTE sequnces(like i do in every game that has them)!

i loved the martial arts interests as my goal is to somday go to japn or china and studys the martial arts and travel around.
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[malicesoul]

Ah yes, I loved Shenmue too. Innovater of the QTE and still does it the best! Ideally I would every town and every rpg to be like Shenmue. Here's nothing quite as lively and active as the towns in Shenmue. Every single NPC has their own lives and daily routines. A truly amazing game. That being said, you must get Shenmue II for Xbox (or Dreamcast if you can read Japanese). Its bigger and better and every way. The music is awesome too! Enjoy it. I still weep everytime I realize the series is dead :(

[Zephon]

ye, that game was great, but I thought there were gonna be 6 parts. only sad part I found was that Shenmue 2 was in Japanese unlike the first part :(

Zephon

[Himuro]

I beat Shenmue II.

I don't know what to say really, other than,"Why the fuck is Shenmue III not out when this came out in 2001?" as I bang my head against the wall.

Shenmue constantly takes turns I don't expect.

It went from a tale about a boy who seeks revenge for his father's death, to a story about these Chinese mafia and it's influence in a Japanese city, then to a martial arts story, and now it's an epic story that feels like straight out of a Chinese legend akin to Journey to the West. A truly modern epic.

Shenmue I was the precursor, it was a small piece to the overall picture. Shenmue II is....a masterpiece. Shenmue I was a good game. Shenmue II may end up in my top 10 already. I am serious here, and discs 2-4 of Shenmue II may actually make this game my game of the fucking generation, topping Grand Theft Auto III. Disc 3, in particular, is nothing but non stop action, qte, and one badass exhilirating experience that tops itself constantly. I always said while playing it,"Man, there is NO WAY this game can top it self as of now. I mean, I've gone from being chased around in a building by Chinese Mafia thugs handcuffed to Ren, to taking out street fighters and fighting them in pits Virtua Fighter style." Boy was I wrong! For fear of spoilers all I can say is: Yellow Head Building is the fucking shit. A tranny (she was changed to a female in PAL DC and PAL, NA Xbox versions) chasing you with a chainsaw. That is all I can say.

The whole game was a ride, and I really really suggest it. I'm sure most aren't willing to try it out though, but if you have the patience (much like Ryo and his journey) you will be rewarded with one of the best games ever created. I do not care how you play it. Import it for DC from the UK like I did, or buy it for Xbox. I do not care. Playing Shenmue I is not required but it really really adds to the experience. And I mean really.

I'm trying to gather all of my thoughts right now. I honestly can't fathom what to think, because ending this game has left me breathless. I really really did not want this game to end. Playing Shenmue II was one of the greatest gaming experiences I have had. I keep repeating that don't I? It was one of the few, hell, probably the only game I have played where it felt like my emotions and personality carried through the game. It's something I just can't explain that well. When characters spoke to Ryo about life, patience, or anything of the sort, I felt that he/she was speaking to me as well (as dumb as that sounds). Like someone else said,"I found it so amazing how Ryo's in-game emotions were married to mine, and how I was brash and in a rush to progress through the game yet I had to be patient and dilligent (Especially with the leaf-catching) to move on." Ryo may not be the brightest main character out there, and sometimes we question whether he's gay, straight, or both... but there is a sort of connection I feel as I play him, more so than any other character.

The way these games contrast is magnificent: man surviving in the city vs man surviving in nature; The close to home feel in Shenmue I vs stranger in a distant land feel in Shenmue II. The description sounds clichebut in Shenmue I and II it's done so well, it's pretty damn hard to describe how it is but Shenmue series, unlike other games, feels natural. It has a certain feeling to it that I don't get from other games (more specifically Shenmue II wayyyyyyyyyy more so than the first one).

I think this review best describes my feelings.

http://www.gamecritics.com/review/shenmue2/main.php
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[Sophita]

I played the first one and rather enjoyed it. It was a breathe of fresh air and I liked the mystery of it. It mixed your standard RPG with a point and click adventure game and a bit of a fighter, even, and did it well.

But I was rather annoyed with it when the second failed to materialize in America on the Dreamcast (;_;) and - well, have there even been any more? I think the project has been completely given up on, sadly enough. ;_;

I will say the one thing I did find annoying at times was the rtue time aspect. When I'm playing a game, the last thing I want to be doing is killing time waiting for a certain time to come up so I can go do something.
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[Banned34]

I remember the hype of Shenmue being the first chapter game to have a sequel every few months...how many years has it been now? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz