Customer Reviews

Shenmue

5 star:		(224)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Shenmue is without questin one of the best games I have ever played. I am a diehard rpg fan and this game has enough rpg elements to keep any fan happy for quite some time. Not only that, it also has many different attributes for those looking for an action game. You fight with many people in real time and it never gets boring or repetitive. But the control is intuitive and easy to pick up. One of the greatest things about this game is the depth of storyline and overall gameplay. There are so many small things you can do to make you feel like you are an integral part of this virtual world. the storyline is also great although I won't reveal the twists to those of you who havn't played the game. That would spoil some of the fun wouldn't it? But thats not to say that this game doesn't have excellent replay value. You can do it over and over again and never get bored. It has kept me up into the early hours of the morning more than several times and all but depleted my supply of coffee. One last thing is the graphics. they are some of the most beautifal I have ever seen. You will start to question whether going through the glass screen on your t.v will be leaving the real world or going into it. They are just downwright amazing. The Bottom line is buy this game no matter what Genre your a fan of. This is truly a game that defies classification. Even if you dont have a dreamcast you can buy one of those as well. But whatever you have to do GET THIS GAME. You will find that this alone is enough reason to own a dreamcast.

I'm not an RPG fan. I'm not even an adventure game fan. I bought Shenmue completely over the pressure of my friends. I've owned the game for the past five days, and i've allready lost 30 hours of my life to it. Let's put it this way..It is very rare that a game does that to me. Extremely rare.

Shenmue's perfect in a lot of ways. It's storyline, avenging your father's death, may seem generic, but Shenmue manages to transform it into an epic and involving tale. Going through the game, interacting with it's enviroments and characters, it's all just the unique experince that *is* Shenmue.

The game's music is incredible, most of the time flawless. The graphics are unbeleivable and the level of detail is just scary. Once you finish the game, you will indeed be on the edge of your seat of the sequels to come, but I think Shenmue has been introduced to us, and in perfect form. I dont give the game five stars just on the hype. I give the game five stars because it's just that good.

I have to hand it to Yu Suzuki and Sega. Their games may not be immediate classics, but they are clearly groundbreaking, and players will look back at them and say "wow, I can't believe this game was that inventive".

I've played Shenmue for only a few days, and I have to say it's one of the best games I've ever played. The quality and attention to graphic detail is stunning. Clearly, when you're looking at some characters' face it's hard to imagine that they are made up of polygons.

Twitch gamers will not be happy. If you're in for a quick, visceral fix you'll be disappointed. But if you like exploring, like seeing what's behind the corner or underneath that tricycle or even what's in someone's desktop drawer, you will be estatic.

Shenmue is just one of those games you can sit down and play. Play and play. Even without following the plotline to the tee, you can still do a million things.

If you have a Dreamcast buy Shenmue. If you don't have a Dreamcast, do yourself a favor and get one. This game, and many others (hint, hint, NFL2K1, hint) are definitely worth it.

I recently wrote a review for Shenmue and I realize that my judgment was completely premature. I hadn't completed the game yet. In fact, I wasn't very far. Anyway, this game, though frustrating at times (trying to find people, etc.) is amazing. The graphics are crystal clear, control is great, fights are awesome, and the realism is unparalleled.

People exist in Shenmue as they do in the real world. You have friends, enemies, and strangers that go about their lives and aren't concerned with yours.

My personal favorite parts of the game include the following:

1.) Your job at the harbor. Driving a forklift is so cool! Plus, you race with your co-workers everyday before you begin your work. You are supposed to move crates around to different warehouses. It's pretty fun really...
2.) Real-time battles. I think there should be a Shemue fighting game because I loved these battles. There's nothing quite like getting in a fight with six people and using your moves you've learned from friends to beat the ... out of all of them.
3.) The instantaneous judgment situations. At certain parts of the game, a button will flash on the screen, and if you don't press the button you will (for example) get punched in the face.

So, in conclusion, kudos to Yu Suzuki and everyone at Sega of America, inc. You've done a great job!

If you have a Dreamcast and don't buy this game you are missing an amazing experience. To not have this in your library is like not having "Soul Caliber" or "Crazy Taxi." This game is really the best game I have ever played. Beautiful graphics are definitely here, as can be witnessed by the screen shots published in various magazines and posted on websites, but they are only the pretty colored paper wrapping this fanatastic gift from Yu Suzuki.

This game is what so many others out there are not, fun and entertaining. In this title it doesn't feel like you are playing a game, but living a life. I started to think of it like the movie "The Truman Show" after a while. Believe it or not you become so immersed in Ryo Hazuki's life that when you do see something that disrupts the illusion, you feel a mild shock. Walking up closely to characters who were eating at a burger stand and seeing that they really were not eating their food, but simply moving it close to their faces was one such slap in the face for me.

One of the key factors involved in making this illusion of reality float is that no single challenge seems out of place, neither too difficult nor too easy. I enjoy a decent challenge like any other gamer out there, but I also think that this can definately detract from the fun. The difficulty of this game reminded me a lot of "Metal Gear Solid" or "The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time." It isn't a cake walk, but it certainly isn't Rocket Science. The real emphasis here is the story, and what a story it is.

You begin the game on the day that Ryo Hazuki's father is murdered by a mysterious man dressed in elaborate silken robes. From this point on your focus is to discover the man's identity, find out why he killed Ryo's father, and deal out justice. But Ryo doesn't own even one rocket launcher, let alone a pistol to aid his cause. Heck the guy doesn't own a car, so he either has to walk or ride the bus to get anywhere. He progresses through the game by talking to people to gain information (by the way I am so glad they did not subtitle this game; the voice acting is really really good, something rarely found in a game of this sort) and when talking doesn't work, he employs his skills in martial arts. There is a real fighting engine in this game, not just some slopped together mess. It of course is like Virtua Fighter (Yu Suzuki you know) and it plays very nicely.

The Quick Timer Events (these are like the original Dragon's Lair back in the olden days) that were talked about so much are fun to participate in and do not dominate the gameplay at all. They actually are interactive FMV sequences. Any game of this sort will have FMVs to carry the story along, this one is no different except that in some of them you get a chance to participate. Again these sequences do not dominate the game, they are scattered throughout, but they in no way make this game anything near the Simon Says type of affair that some outlets were speculating before release. This is a game that may only take you four days of constant play to finish, so if quantity is what you crave you may be disappointed. Yet, there are so many cool things to do besides solve the mystery you could easily play one game for a month at least. From collecting all the little toys in various vending machines, playing arcade classic "Hang On" or an addicting darts game to gambling away your allowence at the slot machines (my personal favorite) there is plenty to keep you occupied besides the main quest. But, as far as quantity versus quality goes I will say this: I can easily finish "Metal Gear Solid" in about four hours and I can Whup "Resident Evil:Code Veronica" in about two days, yet I love both of these games and count them as timeless classics and always will.

The coolest part of all is that this is only Chapter One. What will Ryo do next? Whatever it is, I hope he does it soon. I can't wait to see where Yu Suzuki takes this amazing tale in the future!

There are some one-star reviews of this game. There are many more four- and five-star reviews, mainly because the kind of person you need to be to rate Shenmue 1 star doesn't often have the attention span necessary to write an entire Amazon review.

This is where a lot of people are going wrong reviewing this game. They spend a few hours cluelessly wandering around, not using the Notebook which *tells you* what you're looking for now, not going to the fortune teller in Dobuita who *gives you clues*, not using their own mental processes to *think* about what Ryo should be doing, and on the basis of this conclude that it sucks. Not true. Usually the next piece of information can be found in a matter of minutes, letting you ever closer to the action sequences - Virtua Fighter style fights with up to 70 enemies (Shenmue was originally planned as a Virtua Fighter RPG), QTE reaction tests, movie cutscenes that can be amazingly realistic at times, minigames like forklift and motorcycle riding, arcade games (play Space Harrier all over again!), etc. Even mundane things like going shopping, feeding a pet cat, using vending machines. There's enough to do.

Now: the voice acting. The voice acting ranges from fantstic (Ryo, Nozomi, Chen Gui Zhang) to terrible (some passersby, children). Note that most of the important voices are great. It's almost a formula: the less plot-important a character, the worse their voice. Desperate loser Goro is a real overactor. But then in RL desperate losers *do* overact to impress.

Why four stars? I'd like 4 1/2. But it is rather too easy (can't "Game Over" at all). It's also relatively short. But what is there is absolutely beautiful. The final disc in particular made my jaw hit the ground on more than one occasion. My final "day" of game time left a mark. Just like the final scenes episode of the final episode of your favourite TV show, you could tell: "This is it. This is ending, and soon." It's beautiful.

If you read this far, congratulations! You have the attention span Shenmue would like you to have. Go buy. Now.

Yet another game that shows the talent that Sega has over Sony. PS2 has no games like this, rather rehashes of yester-generation games. AM2's Shenmue represents another new change in 3-D gaming, just like the change The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time had over previous adventure games. It also shows that Sega is just as creative in making new kinds of games as Nintendo.

Shenmue is the brainchild of Yu Suzuki, who has created the most expensive game ever and a new type of gameplay he calls FREE. Of course, it follows a storyline, but the world of Shenmue is to explore the city of Yokosuka to get to where you want and when you need to. It's a complete living world. It has days and nights and the city is complete with your everyday usual stuff. Not since Super Mario 64 have I played a game that gives a new experience.

The reason why I gave this game four stars is because the game is not one game, it's only the beginning, therefore once you beat it, you'll have to wait (and wonder) what's going to be in Chapter 2. Also, the game is too realistic here and there; for example, to call someone you'll have to individually press the digits on the phone pad, and as for the day and night feaure, the time is always consistant. You can't skip to the next day when you want to.

Though with these flaws, there is no way Shenmue can be overlooked. It's a new type of game, and the majority of gamers won't care about its flaws too much because of all the possible things to do (when Super Mario 64 debuted, no one cared about its flaws like the annoying camera control, because, as stated, it was a new type of game and experience). Get a copy and enjoy.

Unlike some ignorant gamers, my opinion is 100% fair and unbiased. I have no favorite between Nintendo, Sega and Sony, and I never will. I'm a hardcore gamer--I play games to play games, that's all. The only reason I mention this is because everybody seems to be throwing that "fanboy" word around at anyone who shares their opinion on a game, Shenmue particularly (just look at some of these reviews). With that said, onto my review: If you're a gamer, you've already heard it all about Shenmue--some love it, some hate it. EVERY gamer has an opinion on this game now... And I just so happen to love it. First things first: Shenmue is NOT the best game ever like it was hyped up to be, it's not the best 3D game ever like Next Generation thinks it is, it's not the best Dreamcast game so far, and it's not even the game of the year. What Shenmue is, however, is Yu Suzuki's new groundbreaking masterpiece that could have been at the top of all those best of lists if it wasn't crippled with numerous minor problems. This game is pretty flawed... so much so, I don't even know where to begin. I guess my biggest complaint would be the control. It definitely takes awhile to get used to, as it's not very accurate or precise, it's a bit on the sluggish side, and sometimes it's overly responsive. The control isn't the worst ever, and I've played games that are worst (Parasite Eve just sprang to mind...), but it could have been so much better, too. My second biggest complaint would be the voice acting. In one word--horrible! If you thought Resident Evil was bad, you haven't heard nothing yet. Goro's line of "What's groovin', bro?" is the single dumbest line in video game history. But despite the voice acting being awful, it also has that it's-so-bad-it's-addicting quality to it that Resident Evil does. There's the option of just reading the text, yet, I never used it. The voice acting is so bad that it kept me wanting more. I wouldn't say that it's so bad it's good, because it isn't. Instead it's just hilarious. It's like those classic kung fu flicks. Don't get me wrong, I wish the voice acting was done by real professionals, but at least there's humor in the game. The music would be my next complaint. I've never really been a huge fan of video game music, and Shenmue reminds me as to why I probably never will be. Most of it is snooze material, while the rest isn't enough to be classified as music. Falling somewhere between the stuff you hear in an elevator and *shudder* J-Pop, Shenmue is a prime example of just why video game music won't--and, for the love of all things musical, shouldn't--ever appeal to that outside of its game realm. What makes this even sadder is the fact that you can buy cassette tapes in the game and then hear the .... My favorite part of the game was fighting. Sadly, there weren't as many fights as you'd think there would be. Also, and while this won't apply to some, I found the game easy. Clue A leads directly to clue B which points right at clue C and so on. And if all that isn't bad enough, I didn't see anything in the way of replay value either. Now, I can overlook all that stuff, IF the game itself is that good. And, let me tell you, it sure is. The story goes a little something like this: Arriving at his home, Ryo Hazuki realizes that something's not right as he looks around at the entrance. The doors are wide open, a sign is smashed, and there's a mysterious black car as well. As he goes in, he finds his friends have been beat up. When he walks into the dojo, his father, Iwao, and a mysterious man are at odds. The man is asking for a mirror that Iwao keeps refusing to hand over. Iwao and the man fight and Iwao is knocked down. As Ryo tries to interfere, the man uses Ryo's life as a trade for the mirror. After he is told where the mirror is, Ryo is free, and then the man and Iwao fight again, this time Iwao was dealt a devastating blow that kills him. And as the game says: "And thus, the saga begins..." Original? No; nobody is these days, but effective and enthralling? Very. The first thing you'll notice about this game is the freedom you have. You can search through drawers, turn off lights, train in the dojo, play classic Yu Suzuki games in your living room (Hang On and Space Harrier, to be specific), take pictures off the walls, and even use the telephone... and to think, that's just the stuff you can do at Ryo's house! Wait until you get outside. You can interact with anyone, go to the arcade (darts and QTE Title were my favorites), feed a cat, shop 'til you drop (you can buy everything from little toys to a bag of chips), drink soft drinks or coffee, and you even get a job! Actually, forget what I said earlier, the first thing you'll notice isn't the freedom, but the graphics. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if Yu Suzuki came out and said he hired a small third world company to work on the graphics alone for this game. The graphics are by far and away the best of any console game yet. PS2 doesn't have anything this good looking on its system, and it will be awhile before it does, too. Graphics certainly don't make or break a game, but they are a nice bonus, and even those jaded gamers who sneer will be drooling like a dog after seeing the eye candy this game has in store. Simply put--anyone who tries to tell you the graphics aren't impressive is a fool and/or liar. My favorite aspect to the game is the fighting system, or more specifically, the fights. The fighting system is surprisingly deep, with a lot of moves to learn and master. You have your standard punch, kick and throw moves, but it goes beyond that in depth. You can uncover moves by practicing, having them taught to you, or by buying them. But when it comes down to fighting itself, there's nothing like it. The fighting system is like Tekken or Virtua Fighter, but completely free roaming; you can run behid someone if you want. You more often than not fight numerous opponents, and this also makes things tricky as you could be fighting more than one person at the same time. Then there's the Dragon's Lair-esque parts of the game, or as they're called here, QTE (Quick Timer Events). For those that never played Dragon's Lair, the point of the game was to quickly press certain buttons at a certain time of event. For instance, when you're about to get hit, the A button may flash in the middle of your screen for you to push. If you don't do it quickly enough, well, you get hit. Simple as that. This happens quite often, and it's pretty fun, actually. Later in the game, you even get a job at the harbor moving crates. Riding around on your forklift is funner than you think, especially since you're work is often interrupted by a certain gang... And while I didn't love all the characters, I did like some a lot. Ryo, of course, and Master Chen's son (yeah, I forgot his name, sue me). Hype has a way of destroying a game. Just look at Metal Gear Solid (read: very overrated). And Shenmue is a flawed game. It's not perfect. It's short, and the ending just leaves it open to its second chapter, but it's a groundbreaking masterpiece that every gamer must play nonetheless.

I already had the dreamcast when it first came out. I think it's like 9/9/99. Anyway, then after one month, I sold the system and wit for Playstation 2 cause I didn't found that many uses of Dreamcast. Then I heard about shenmue and one my friend told me that you could do almost anything you want in that game. I didn't actually believed but the screen shots at segaweb.com did. Then I couldn't wait to play shenmue and I bought the Sega Dreamcast again for 100 bucks. Now after beating that game, the only thing I could say is this: Unbelievable.

Shenmue servers realistic environment including FREE World. Now the creator Yu Suzuki, created a new genre cause it couldn't fit any exit ones. It's called FREE which stands for "Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment". The Graphics are real, People in the streets just look like in real life. Each time when you talk to people, they talk different things. I'm a Game Developer and I respect that sega went through lot of trouble for making this and spend over $70million dollars. This is one realistic game that will give you FREEDOM of your own. The story is Unbelievable and the story will stay in your heart forever. Shenmue 2 will be out soon.

But Shenmue IS NOT for everyone. If you don't like slow games, then there is no reason to get this. It requires Patience. That is all you need. You may need to find some clues and stuff. But if you have some patience, then Shenmue will blow your mind away using one of the state-of-the-art Technology. There is also some Movie scenes. These scenes will show you some ideas about what's going on just in case you're lost in the graphics.

Graphically, shenmue is a masterpiece. Yu Suzuki is one of the respected sega's designer and the Lead Developer of AM2. When you get shenmue you get the following things:

1) 3 Disc 2) Shenmue Passport

One additional Disc comes with Shenmue: Limited Edition. The addtion disc contains Sound Tracks from shenmue. Shenmue deliers one of the best sound tracks ever. Sound will change your mood while playing this Masterpiece.

All you need is atleast 60 blocks of Memmory from your Memmory Card and ofcourse a Sega Dreamcast:). Also to enjoy this full game, you MUST need the MEMMORY CARD since it's 3 disc long and the only way to collect the data from the other disc is using memmory.

Well I hope this review will help you decide whether it's a good game for you or not. If you already own this and if you need help or Guide, then you may contact me at Gearun2000@cs.com.

-Lenny

The answer to the question that you seek: WHAT IS SHENMUE? No doubt Shenmue equals future classic. If you are giving or receiving the gift of Sega this year, make Shenmue part of that holiday love. Forget "It's a Wonderful life", all you need is Shenmue. The depth and detail of this rpg/adventure/fighter/etc. is phenomenal. From the opening movie to the time you finally decide you want to take a real sleep as opposed to a virtual rest, you will be amazed. Shenmue is a living breathing entity. As Ryo Hazuki, you search for your fathers killer. You'll meet new friends and allies along the way, some of whom become more helpful the more you talk to them. Don't walk away right away and people will remember things they overheard or witnessed. Other times they'll be too busy working and send you away. You can interact with almost eveything and everyone. While exploring you'll be suddenly thrust into fights, which are divided into a regular brawl with a health meter, or a Quick time event involving a quick button press. The QTE's are sometimes difficult, but if you get beat down, you'll get another chance, or you'll miss out and take a different path in the story. Miss your appoinments and your outcome will vary. There's an arcade where you can play Sega classics or hone your reflexes. You can collect toys from vending machines, buy food for the kitten you find orphaned outside your home. Each day you'll have until bedtime to play detective. The daytime and weather changes are gorgeous. As dusk approaches you'll soon grow concious of your guardians naggings. The adventure spans 3 disks with a 4th disc serving as a collections data disc and website browser. Here you can trade items you've collected or post your scores on the various arcade games. Check out the stats of your present game, seems like they keep track of everything here. Now while you've heard this before, don't think all the hype will ruin this game for you, because you will never truly now Shenmue's greatness until you play this game. By the way, make sure you stock up your fridge when you do. Hours of seeing soda machines and other virtual food items WILL EVENTUALLY FORCE YOU TO STOP PLAYING AND EAT, starving to death while playing a game is never an acceptable obituary.