There's an undeniable charm to just how boring this game is.
Shenmue is... an experience. When it came out, it was revolutionary with how detailed and lifelike it felt. But playing it now? It's clunky, the pacing is super slow, and voice acting is hilarious (in a bad way). It's got this nostalgic charm if you played it back in the day, and the revenge story can be gripping, but for newcomers, it's a tough sell. A piece of gaming history for sure, but not necessarily a fun one.
Another comfort game. I love when a game is fully committed to making you engage in really mundane tasks. Walking down the hill from your home, passing all the other houses on your way into town, maybe trying your luck with the gacha along the way, making sure to grab some cat food on the way back home, slowly crossing things off your checklist. This shit is exciting to me. Shenmue nails all of that perfectly. Over the course of the game, I became intimately familiar with Yokosuka and its denizens. It almost felt like a second home. It’s one of my favourites. I love it.
i wanted to exact revenge on my father's murderer, not be part of slave labor and get a job (but became forklift verified)
Great music, but holy shit, is it miserable to actually play.
I am fascinated by Shenmue as a concept and its execution is bizarrely enticing, but this game is not right for this time in my life. I do not have the time currently to wait half an hour or longer for a timed event to occur, but perhaps when I am less busy I will come back to this game and digest its strangeness.
Shenmue broke me
Its a very unique game and one that was impressive for the time, hell the graphics are still pretty good today. But god damn, did I NOT like doing a 9-5 for the latter half. I really liked the more realistic parts of Shenmue up UNTIL that point. Since, for the most part, if I was waiting for somebody, I could at least drink a soder and play QUICK-TIME-EVENT the iconic arcade game.
Its a very unique game and one that was impressive for the time, hell the graphics are still pretty good today. But god damn, did I NOT like doing a 9-5 for the latter half. I really liked the more realistic parts of Shenmue up UNTIL that point. Since, for the most part, if I was waiting for somebody, I could at least drink a soder and play QUICK-TIME-EVENT the iconic arcade game.
Ho pareri discordanti su questo gioco. Ma anche nostalgia.
A flawed game with a lot of needless friction, but also a sublime realization of some insane ambitions. If you’re willing to accept it for its faults, Shenmue is the pinnacle of janky perfection and an experience unto itself.