Topic: Shenmue

I recently bought a Dreamcast and it came with a bunch of Sega Magazine demo discs. On one of those discs is a video of Shenmue. I've been reading up on it and it seems to be pretty amazing, but in the video it just reminds me of Grand Theft Auto or True Crime. Can anyone who's played the game tell me about it? And do the review scores from ten years ago still hold up today? Has it aged well?

I wouldn't compare it to games like GTA, although GTA III was obviously inspired by it. It was announced back then as a 'new kind of RPG'. This game is so unique that it isn't really comparable to other titles. As for the story; it's quite intriguing. The intro remains one of the most memorable intros I've ever seen. And I don't want to spoil any of it here. The gameplay is quite diverse; your basic stance is 3rd person, but you can always navigate through first person. You can talk / interact with most people you meet. There's a day-to-night cycle which was revolutionary back then; the town became completely different at night. It also contains a weather system that makes it sometimes rain and snow. This game was also the one that started QTEs (Quick Time Events); events in which the player must press a button to dodge or hit something by pressing the right button at the right time; an element which is also very common today (in games like Resident Evil 4). And a Yu Suzuki title such as Shenmue wouldn't be complete without an extensive fighting system. You can learn new moves along your journey by wise, elder martial artists and ancient scrolls.

It's one of the most atmospheric games I've ever played, and ended up somewhere in my Top 5 all-time favorites.

@wizzrobe And by atmospheric you mean what exactly?

Edit: also how are the controls? Most first person dreamcast games i've played controlled terribly

The atmosphere which the game breathes. The music plays a key part in that. It's hard to explain such things in words, but obvious when you're immersed into the game.

As for the controls, I never experienced any problem. You can walk (or run) while using either the Dpad or analogue stick, and the same goes for first-person navigation. You cannot walk while being in first person, and the camera will lock onto certain people which can be talked to and objects which can be manipulated (picked up). The further you press the shoulder-trigger (can't remember...L or R), the further the camera zooms, up to the level of first person (so there's no 'switching' of 2 views).

And how's the sequel? Any real differences between the Dreamcast and Xbox version other than being able to transfer your save data on the Dreamcast one?

The sequel was massive. There were more places to visit (two cities and a huge mountain). There were more minigames to be played (including complete arcade versions of OutRun and AfterBurner II), there was an ability to follow 'locked-on' people. Ryo gets a lot of more challenges on his path. One involves for instance navigating a HUGE, (almost) deserted building dodging enemies. Amazing game. The Xbox version used a bloom-filter which made exploring at night a much more (graphically) pleasant experience. And it came packed with the Shenmue : The Movie video DVD; a compilation of key cutscenes of the first Shenmue, telling the first story.

I need to find a copy o' this and Street Fighter III and I think I'll be happy

Good luck my friend, it's definitely worth it.

Shenmue was really detailed for 1999. I loved playing darts and seeing Space Harrier at the arcade. Too bad it was episodic and all three games never came out. Maybe it will get a digital release someday, but I think SEGA has waited too long to release it. If Shenmue 3 came here tomorrow would people even care? I played a thing called Dreamfall and it made me forget all about Shenmue. Sadly Dreamfall is also episodic. Now someone will probably make a game that makes me forget Dreamfall before FunCom gets around to making it's finale.

Eh. Just buy Yakuza 4. It's Shenmue, but with a proper game mixed in.

I recently bought a Dreamcast as well, and I picked up Shenmue with it. I've only played about a half hour of it, the graphics are better then most Wii games, the controls take a bit of getting used to, but I prefer playing my other DC games, like Soul Calibur, Marvel VS Capcom 2, and Street Fighter III 3rd Strike. I just don't have the time to invest in a big game like Shenmue, but I've thoroughly been enjoying Skyward Sword lately

congratulations for buying the greatest game ever produced! I hope for you it'll have the same emotional impact that it had on me when I played both chapters 10 years ago.

Yes: it's nothing like Grand Theft Auto or True Crime.

I also see you're from the US — Shenmue 2 was never released on Dreamcast in the States so you'd need to import it or grab the Xbox version.

Here's something I wrote about why Shenmue is the second-best SEGA game ever.

It's a love it or hate it type of game. I wasn't a fan of searching for sailors and driving forklifts.

well, it's a good thing that only a small portion of the game is about searching for sailor and forklifts races then! It's like saying that Metroid is all about searching for upgrade items.

By the way, the "open world" formula Shenmue introduced has been used in many games, most notably Gran Theft Auto and Yakuza, but these games are pretty far from what Suzuki achieved with Shenmue. Creating an "open world" doesn't mean just stuffing the game with mini-games, side quests and items to buy in stores.

I haven't played modern days GTAs and Yakuzas (I just played their PS2 incarnations) but they were nothing like Shenmue: their open world is a gimmick. There was no sense of time, no sense of hurry — in Shenmue, you got the feeling that the town had a life of its own and events weren't waiting for you to be triggered. If there's an event on a particular day and you miss it, then you miss it. If you have an appointment at 4.00PM and its 12.00AM, then you have to wait etc etc
Of course, it's not something you consciously notice: the breathing world you're living in sucks you in and everything feels natural. It's a very unique experience. I really hope you approach the game with an open mind and in a non-challenging way (like "c'mon legendary game, impress me!"). And the same goes for Shenmue II: the two game are inseparable, really (and we're still waiting for the last 11 chapters!)

@james nicely written article.

About how long is this game? And is it replayable like the gtas and stuff, as in is it fun to just go around doing random things for three hours straight?

So Shenmue is Harvest Moon, without any game involved. Harvest Moon came first, BTW.

Also, there's a massive open-world outside your house called "the real world." The reason I much much much much much much much (etc, lots more "much") prefered Yakuza games is that the Yakuza games had a point about them, beyond being a low resolution approximation of real life.

As for being a living, breathing world. Yakuza 4 makes me homesick for Japan. Shenmue never did that.

So I reiterate - you guys who haven't played Shenmue before should just jump up and play Yakuza 4. Same idea, but with some game thrown in.

the comparison with Harvest Moon is not totally out of this world, although in HM the time management doesn't exactly interfere with the plot (if there was one) and it's reduced to a simple "Sunday - Closed - can't buy the item".

Also I don't get your point about the "real world" thing. Honestly, it looks like you're deliberately forgetting that there's a whole game to Shenmue beside interactive with an open world just for the sake of it. You're investigating and you need to interact with the people to find leads etc etc. It's true you can do wherever you want, but to advance in the game you need to understand your clues and go to the right place at the right time.

as for the homesick factor, it might be due to the fact that Yakuza pictures a glamorous modern-days japanese metropolitan area, while Shenmue pictures a small town from the 80s.

That said, I'm not saying Shenmue is better than Yakuza 4 or anything like that. They are games released with 10 years of difference and with very different goals. Shenmue might not fit in modern days standards — although it influenced the structure of "open world" games, it didn't influence the content. It is as an unique experience nowdays as it was ten years ago: proof is that most of modern days "open world videogames" things like replay value, minigames, side missions etc do not apply to Shenmue — it's a totally different experience. I just wish people play Shenmue as it is, and keep focusing on what it does instead of what it should do according to modern standards. It really is a poetic game.

This. A genious work of art.