Shenmue (DC)

During the time of the release of the Dreamcast many popular titles were promised for the system. However most of the hits were either direct arcade ports or variations of the original arcade version. Developed by Yuu Suzuki, Shenmue was the most anticipated and truly innovative title to reach the Dreamcast system. Most impressive was the use of 3D environments and freedom of movement. Today gamers tend to be rather demanding expecting as much freedom of movement as possible within the game. On the other hand while the areas to explore in Shenmue were vast, the controls were rather restricted and more arcade like. In certain action ...

The first title of what Sega hopes to become an ongoing series, Shenmue is a hugely lavish, expensive and frankly beautiful gaming production. Claiming to break new ground in the synthesis of a ‘real world’ and hyped up more than any game in recent years, Shenmue proves to be both the biggest surprise and the biggest disappointment in recent gaming history. The games begins with you, playing as Ryo Hazuki- high school student and heir to the Hazuki school of karate – having your day interrupted by the arrival of a powerful Chinese martial artist. Tossing his student Fuku-san aside with ease, the stranger approaches Ryo’s father, the ...

Ok, believe it or not, I haven’t had the time to play Shenmue for as much as I would have wanted, and so I must be about the only person to have got it on release day and not completed it yet! Anyway, it doesn’t really matter because I’ve played a bit more now, and my overall thoughts of the game haven’t really changed all that much – it’s still as amazing as I remember on the first day I played it, so I thought I’d try and write a bit more about the game in general. I hope you find my opinion good enough! Here’s something I said earlier! Day 1 of Shenmue: Shenmue is in another dimension - ...