The Shenmue Series (All DC and Xbox owners read)
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 9:25 am
As I'm sure you all know, I imported Shenmue II (Dreamcast version) from Europe for Christmas.
I've made the game a part of my daily schedule and played nearly every day. I also used a walkthrough that my parents got me throughout the whole game. I only just now beat it.
You can think of this post as an awakening -- as an urging for you to buy this most respectable game.
What is Shenmue? You take control of 18 year old Ryo Hazuki and search throughout Japan and later China to avenge your father's death. At first it may sound really generic, but the storyline unfolds and it is nothing that you'd expect.
The main thing that got Shenmue the publicity that it did is that you could do anything. Basically, that's true. There is no real genre. You fight in lots of street fights, you have QTEs (Quick-Timed Events) to play through, and all sorts of other stuff.
I'd call it an "adventure" game, but that's about all you can call it. While you adventure as Ryo, you can get a job, talk to people, fight, and do all sorts of other stuff. I personally enjoy chilling at the arcades all day and wasting my hard-earned money on the arcades. The arcades are classic Sega games that really correspond with the timeline. It's 1985, thus you play games like Outrun, Space Harrier, and all of those other 8-16 bit classic Sega games.
You can do so much stuff that you can open every drawer and lift things out, turn on every light, buy random gumballs and drinks from machines on the side of the road.
Shenmue isn't a game, it's an experience. It's a journey. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wanna kill somebody.
It's just that the game is so complete. It leaves the gamer wanting nothing but a sequel (desperately). The game became a part of my life and now that I've owned it, all that I can do is wait for Shenmue Online.
If you have an X-box or Dreamcast, you owe it to the world to at least give Shenmue a chance. I feel like barfing for everybody who owns either of the two consoles and hasn't even played Shenmue. Especially you Dreamcast owners. It's $7 at Rhino. Yes, I know it's exact price. $7. It's four discs and that price for that much fun is insane. GET IT!
I've made the game a part of my daily schedule and played nearly every day. I also used a walkthrough that my parents got me throughout the whole game. I only just now beat it.
You can think of this post as an awakening -- as an urging for you to buy this most respectable game.
What is Shenmue? You take control of 18 year old Ryo Hazuki and search throughout Japan and later China to avenge your father's death. At first it may sound really generic, but the storyline unfolds and it is nothing that you'd expect.
The main thing that got Shenmue the publicity that it did is that you could do anything. Basically, that's true. There is no real genre. You fight in lots of street fights, you have QTEs (Quick-Timed Events) to play through, and all sorts of other stuff.
I'd call it an "adventure" game, but that's about all you can call it. While you adventure as Ryo, you can get a job, talk to people, fight, and do all sorts of other stuff. I personally enjoy chilling at the arcades all day and wasting my hard-earned money on the arcades. The arcades are classic Sega games that really correspond with the timeline. It's 1985, thus you play games like Outrun, Space Harrier, and all of those other 8-16 bit classic Sega games.
You can do so much stuff that you can open every drawer and lift things out, turn on every light, buy random gumballs and drinks from machines on the side of the road.
Shenmue isn't a game, it's an experience. It's a journey. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wanna kill somebody.
It's just that the game is so complete. It leaves the gamer wanting nothing but a sequel (desperately). The game became a part of my life and now that I've owned it, all that I can do is wait for Shenmue Online.
If you have an X-box or Dreamcast, you owe it to the world to at least give Shenmue a chance. I feel like barfing for everybody who owns either of the two consoles and hasn't even played Shenmue. Especially you Dreamcast owners. It's $7 at Rhino. Yes, I know it's exact price. $7. It's four discs and that price for that much fun is insane. GET IT!
