Shenmue

released on Dec 29, 1999

"He shall appear from a far Eastern land across the sea. A young man who has yet to know his potential. This potential is a power that can either destroy him, or realize his will. His courage shall determine his fate. The path he must traverse, fraught with adversity, I await whilst praying. For this destiny predetermined since ancient times... A pitch, black night unfolds with the morning star as its only light. And thus the saga, begins..." This first chapter of Shenmue kicks off Yu Suzuki's cinematic Dreamcast tour-de-force, an exploration-heavy adventure that has players immerse themselves in Yokosuka, Japan. Players slip into the role of a young martial artist named Ryo Hazuki, who is on the trail of his father's killer. On the way, players must talk with hundreds of characters, engage in martial arts battles, and marvel at the realistic depiction of the Japanese coastal town.


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Shenmue was the most comfortable game I've ever played in my life.

Playing a Japan simulator, waking up early in the morning irl and ingame, going outside and running around Sakuragaoka while it was rainy IRL and also rainy in the game, while it played the FREE 1 soundtrack, just going around talking to people... It's so soothing, it made my entire being relaxed, immersed. I felt true happiness, a true sense of belonging in that world Yu Suzuki created. I wish this game was infinite and we were allowed to just live there forever.

I played it back then via NullDC and had a really special time with this game. The pacing really takes some getting used to but is also very unique and somehow cool, you really feel like you've been transported back to the 80s in a small Japanese town. The voice acting is super goofy but also has character, the fighting is really well done (Virtua Fighter style) and all the mini-games and side activities were really ahead of their time. But what I find strongest is the general atmosphere, which is also carried by the excellent music. I'll never forget accompanying Ryo through snowy Dobuita at Christmas. An absolute masterpiece.

mc more autistic than me, highly recommend

truly one of the most impressive games of its time. in its first disk, shenmue really had me hooked with its down to earth character interactions and conversations, and while the english voice acting is a bit iffy, i think that really adds to the vibe. people dont talk perfectly all the time, sometimes conversations are a little stilted, that's just what real life is like, and i think shenmue gets that down perfectly, whether intentional or not. unfortunately, i think once the game started focusing more on the combat and action, thats when it started to lose me. nothing really compared to the atmosphere of shenmue in its first act, and as such the remainder of the game didn't really capture me as much. even so, i'm glad that i played shenmue, and i wouldn't give up my time exploring its world for anything else. even if 40% of that time was spent working a forklift.

I played the pc port that's very whatever
definitely a very impressive game for the time that has not aged so well but honestly I still found it so endearing the world or more like this small town is so alive all the time even though there's not that much to do