Shenmue completed

[RCBH928]

I just reached a feat in my video gaming life, I completed Shenmue!
One of the games I most anticipated to play, wondered about, always wanted to discover, and bought the sequel on the xbox before the original just to make sure I have it around to play once I complete the original.

Now I am not a fanboy of Sega, this is the first time I played Shenmue, and I never owned a Dreamcast before.
When I got Ocarina of Time('98 game) I was told this is the best game created ever, during its time. Wow. When I played it, although a very good game I never noticed whats the big deal about. Now I played Shenmue('99 game) and I think I can say this IS the best game ever created given the time of its release. This game is a masterpiece, as I noticed even the minor details have been crafted with thought..

I can write an essay on why would I make such a claim, but here are quick points on why I am impressed:

Graphics&performance:
*I think this is the first "sandbox" game for the consoles/pc where you can do anything you decide in 3D.
-The graphics are jaw-dropping in my opinion, compare to N64 and psx games released in '99
*Smart loading system AND fast! In that era, we were used for loading games for each room or scene change, which was irritating. In Shenmue, you almost load the WHOLE city at once not each room.

Level Design:
*The game levels(or cities) are not small that its boring, yet its not large that makes roaming around them a chore . Its the perfect size!
-Enough places in a limited sized levels. In the city, there are multiple restaurants , bars, shops,flower shops and much more.
*Level design is clear and not confusing


====Spoilers====

Game design:
*The game doesn't get you confused, they give you a note book that tells you exactly what is your next objective, not wondering "whats next whats next"
-Talking to people is actually enjoyable, They get to the point and you can skip the chatter if you know what they are going to say. You don't have to see the whole dialogue written out before you can press skip.
*They don't give you a choice of 4 things to say, with 3 of them being meaningless and you don't get anything out of them. On the other hand, based on what is your next objective you can go back to all the people and they will give you a different reaction each time! How smart is that?
-The game keeps you surprised and excited. Whenever you got the hang of it, something new comes along. Like finding a secret place in the dojo, or getting a job(totally different thing to do in the game), or that the game tricks you into thinking you are going to travel after buying a ticket but the travel agency rip you off! A lot of things in this game you just don't see coming.

Random points
-This game is an RPG, Fighter, Adventure, Mystery , and kind of got some "point and click" elements to it. It does all of these things well, now can you tell me a game that will do that? Now can you imagine it was released in '99 when 500mhz PC is considered fast!

-The story element is actually interesting, and I wanted to know more and see what is going to happen.I don't remember a videogame played with such an interesting story including final fantasy 6.

-Characters for the most part are down to earth and believable, game characters are usually out of this world with out of proportion sizes and super skills abilities. In shenmue you got stuff like a cook, a bar tender, a mom, and a family friend. Its like real life.

-Surprisingly, I didn't get bored with moving crates around. Somehow I liked it, and I think that is part of the genius behind Shenmue's design.

-I am convinced, Tom the hot dog seller, is the most annoying character in any video game.

as I said, I can write a whole essay about how good Shenmue is and all of this is just from the top of my mind.
I am really sorry to see this title not selling. I would have blamed it on the slower pace of the game, but rpgs , which are very long and very slow, are selling like crazy .

One thing I can confirm , Sega really tried to bite more than they can chew. They were really going after the perfect game. I can see that the aim they were going for is still not achievable by today's standard. Its just too much.

Would you like to share your feelings about Shenmue with me?

[Spike77]

Congrats King I know exactly how you feel, Shenmue was the 3rd game I bought for my dreamcast and it was literally a jawdropping experience for me. $70 million masterpiece!

[dsheinem]

When I played this game I got far enough to get to the arcade. When I realized the games in the arcade were 100000X more fun than the actual Shenmue game, I stopped playing.

[noiseredux]

I don't know about Shenmue, but as a huge Zelda fan I still think Ocarina is overrated.

[Bikeage]

When I played this game I got far enough to get to the arcade. When I realized the games in the arcade were 100000X more fun than the actual Shenmue game, I stopped playing.

This, and....

I don't know about Shenmue, but as a huge Zelda fan I still think Ocarina is overrated.

This. Shenmue is one of a handful of games that I still own from ten years ago, and sadly thats about the last time I played it.

[AppleQueso]

I've been slowly digging my way through shenmue, and I'm pretty divided by it. I don't know if I'm going to push forward with it or not. I really like the overall mood and atmosphere of the game and the overall concept is pretty neat, but the gameplay itself feels well... boring and kinda scattered. The sudden genre change when you get into a fight with multiple people for example, it just feels jarring and out of place. Plus the basic controls are kind of clunky and awkward.

I don't know, I don't feel like I dislike the game really, but I don't feel like I'm enjoying it much either. It sort of feels like what Zelda would be without the dungeons or action and with just one long side quest...

Speaking of Zelda...

I don't know about Shenmue, but as a huge Zelda fan I still think Ocarina is overrated.

By this, do you just mean that you don't really agree with the "GREATEST GAME IN HISTORY" view or do you simply dislike the game altogether? Because personally I still think Ocarina is, at the very least, the most balanced and well designed of the 3D games. I prefer most of the 2D games over it though.

[noiseredux]

Speaking of Zelda...

I don't know about Shenmue, but as a huge Zelda fan I still think Ocarina is overrated.

By this, do you just mean that you don't really agree with the "GREATEST GAME IN HISTORY" view or do you simply dislike the game altogether? Because personally I still think Ocarina is, at the very least, the most balanced and well designed of the 3D games. I prefer most of the 2D games over it though.

I just mean I don't think it's the Great Game In History. I don't even think it's the greatest game in the Zelda series. I agree that the 2D games are usually better. (3D-wise, I prefer Wind Waker myself, though I know that one is hated by some fans). I certainly don't hate Ocarina, but there's long list of games I'd think of as Greatest Of All Time way before it crossed my mind.

[Xonticus]

I preordered Shenmue and got the Guide Book back in the day... my sister needed the guide book, I just got it cause they gave me a deal on it.

Anyways, The storytelling, the graphics, the freedom to "do whatever you want" was amazing, and I believe helped pioneer the modern RPG genre. I remember when the game came out, Yu Suzuki coined the new genre "F.R.E.E" or Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenmue) to try and describe the game. I guess if it was made now, it would just be an "Action RPG Sandbox" game.

[Hatta]

Shenmue is a remarkable game, really a classic, but don't give it too much credit for creating the sandbox style play. Consider Ultima IV, The Magic Candle, or Alternate Reality: The City for earlier RPGs that created a really rich world to explore.

[Anthony817]

I am very humbled to hear that a non Sega Fan is sayin this is the best game they have ever played. I am glad to see that you enjoyed it, and I think you can see now why we have been clamoring for a sequal to provide closure to the series, the story is just that great, and I feel you really feel a bond with Ryo and want him to get Lan DI and avenge his fathers death.

Part 2 should be played on Dreamcast too. You can burn a moded version of the game that will work on any version Dreamcast from any region, and has the American English Speech modded into the game from the Xbox version of part 2.

Trust me, this is the way it is meant to be played.

http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewto ... 37&t=40768

There are versions for 80 and 99 min cdr's. I recomend locating the rarer 99min Cdr's, as they are almost 1gb in size and fit more data on the disc with better quality voices.