You'll kick yourself for not playing this sooner! (Shenmue (DC))

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Product:	Shenmue (DC)
Date:	23/12/00 (3 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Supurb and inovative game play

Disadvantages: None

Shenmue is the baby of Yu Suzuki, Sega's most celebrated designer. As this game takes him in an entirely new direction, he's crafted a new genre name for it; "FREE," or "full reactive eyes entertainment" (his name for what is a blend of adventure, fighting, and timing elements in an exquisitely realized world).

Shenmue tells the story of Ryo Hazuki, a Japanese high schooler troubled with the untimely death of his father at the hands of a mysterious Chinese stranger seeking a mystical mirror his father has hidden on the family property. Fortunately, Ryo's father has taught him well the family's style of martial arts, and he sets out on a quest to find out more so he can avenge his father's death. What that translates to is talking to an amazing array of lifelike characters and scouring the area for information before you can move on. Occasionally, Ryo will encounter a battle that's dispatched via martial arts action -- a simplified take on Virtua Fighter. Other times, he'll become enmeshed in something called a QTE -- or Quick Timer Event -- where you must press a button that flashes onscreen. Still, the chief aspect of the game involves investigating, and that's accomplished by combing Yokosuka and searching out information wherever it might be.


I hadn't really heard anything about Shenmue before I purchased it (the day after I bought my Dreamcast). The game...wow...you don't need another reason to own a Dreamcast than this!
I've played literally hundreds of games on various systems, and I honestly would rate this game in my top three favorites of all time. The detail in the scenery and movement has to be seen to be believed! Shenmue has an engrossing storyline which has been perfectly balanced with it's elements of fighting, exploration, and emotion. The fighting is amazing! Ryo Hazuki has more combat moves available to him than characters you'd find in games whose
only focus is fighting (such as Soul Calibur or Tekken). But more than that, when you hit someone in the face you can see you hit them in the face...likewise a brutal kick to some punk's groin will have painfully appropriate results.
This is one of the few games I have finished that I couldn't wait to play again...and when I did play it again, on the very first day I met people I had never met, learned moves I had never learned, and entered shops I never even noticed!

My best moment:
The massive battle with 70 opponents near the end of the game. Ryo dishes out punishment like no other! My jaw dropped when I knocked out two goons with one punch! Are you STILL reading this?! GO BUY THIS GAME NOW! (you'll kick yourself for not playing it sooner...and trust me...in this game you kick VERY hard!)

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