The amount of lives literally changed by that game is insane. So many people ended up learning Japanese and moving to Japan because of that game. Myself included.
I used to read about the Dreamcast/ Sega Katana on teletext and so provided my own mental screenshots. Descriptions of Sonic Adventure and Shenmue are burnt into my head.
This living breathing world, a population living lives, it felt real. It felt like a place. Because well it is one.
You can still get glimpsesof the feeling of Shenmue in certain places in Japan. In old towns or old dying shopping arcades. The feeling of the material used to construct buildings or the layouts of backstreets and shop fronts. Hell just the vending machines.
The youtubeification of gaming history wrote Sega out of it for the most part but there was a time they were a household name, where their name ment gaming, and when Shenmue came out there was nothing, absolutely nothing like it.
One of those games I dreamt of playing as a kid but never realised that dream. I can pretty much say that about most of Dreamcast bangers as I really wanted that console and thought about it for at least two years as a kid…
Currently Playing: CyberPunk 2077, Tomb Raider Remastered, Super Mario Bros 2, SSX3, Zelda TOTK, Donkey Kong Bananza, Coral Island, Mario Kart World
The greatest game of all time.
The amount of lives literally changed by that game is insane. So many people ended up learning Japanese and moving to Japan because of that game. Myself included.
I used to read about the Dreamcast/ Sega Katana on teletext and so provided my own mental screenshots. Descriptions of Sonic Adventure and Shenmue are burnt into my head.
This living breathing world, a population living lives, it felt real. It felt like a place. Because well it is one.
You can still get glimpsesof the feeling of Shenmue in certain places in Japan. In old towns or old dying shopping arcades. The feeling of the material used to construct buildings or the layouts of backstreets and shop fronts. Hell just the vending machines.
The youtubeification of gaming history wrote Sega out of it for the most part but there was a time they were a household name, where their name ment gaming, and when Shenmue came out there was nothing, absolutely nothing like it.
This is so true! Would love SEGA to revisit the old games!
One of my favourite game series. I actually think it's more immersive playing it today, due to the fast load times. I know for a fact that I could play Shenmue II right now and find shops and buildings I've never been in before. The instantaneous load times make just wandering around a joy.
I'm playing the original on DC at the moment and you forget how long those times were - the modern updates are most welcome.
I actually started playing Shenmue (remastered) for the first time a week or so ago, currently doing the fork lift jobs so think I'm nearing the end.
I've avoided using guides and have just been immersing myself in the world, taking things very slow and speaking to everyone pretty regularly. I've been really enjoying it. I was expecting a jankier Yakuza but Shenmue definitely has its own identity. It feels more like a Japanese-teen simulator than an action-adventure game.
Playing with Japanese audio so the dialogue feels much more natural and grounded than what I've heard of the English VO. Textures are very basic but everything looks super clean and crisp. The music is beautiful. Overall just a really unique, immersive experience that holds up surprisingly well.
With the current trend of "cozy games" and walking sims, and Animal Crossing being a juggernaut, I think Shenmue could resonate with a lot more people today who never gave it a shot before.
Shenmue completely changed my gaming experience. Before the Dreamcast, I was mainly a PC gamer, playing titles like Daggerfall, Ultima VII, and Omikron: The Nomad Soul. I already saw parallels between those games and what Shenmue was trying to achieve, but Shenmue took everything a step further. It wasn’t just about exploration or story anymore. I felt emotionally invested in the characters and their world. That emotional depth is what I truly admire, and I still see traces of it today in the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series. Like a Dragon has become my favorite franchise, and I owe that entirely to the impact Shenmue had on me back then.
Shenmue is still the best open world game bar none (well, I prefer the faster pace of Shenmue II, but this is where it all started). While other games may boast larger worlds, none feel as rich or deep as Shenmue.
I chose Hong Kong as a holiday, partly based on playing Shenmue 2! The first two games were one of the first times I felt I was in a virtual world, primitive as it was. Such a shame I spent all those years waiting on part 3, then bounced off it hard.
Shenmue (both 1 and 2, in a way I've always kind of seen them as the same game split into two parts) are games that I hold very close to my heart. I was 16 when I played them back to back for the first time, on the Dreamcast that i bought off my neighbor in the summer of 2004.
The whole thing felt more like an actual experience rather than just a simple videogame. Along with games like ICO (and later Shadow of the Colossus), Shenmue made me realize the potential videogames have when it comes to art, storytelling and immersion. Ryo's journey really resonated with me, so much so that five years later I traveled to Japan and took the time to visit Yokosuka in real life. Needless to say, it was a very special day, and one of the best memories of my life. The place looks exactly the same, and the game really nailed the unique atmosphere of that town, where Japanese and American cultures intertwine in a very fascinating way. The level of detail portrayed in game is quite honestly insane.
Overall, Shenmue is one of the best and most influential videogames ever made, and its importance cannot be understated.
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Topic: Shennue Turned 25 in the USA This Weekend
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