Shenmue I & II

There is a beautiful story hidden somewhere deep in this game, I am sure of it. I've heard it can be found somewhere outside the Slot House. You see these 41 Hours at review time? At least 35 of them I spent in the Slot House. The rest of that time I spent walking back to the Slot House after I hit curfew. Thanks to Shenmue I now sport a crippling gambling addiction.

I appreciate that Shenmue had crawl so that Like A Dragon/Yakuza could walk and eventually run. However, I think there are many good reasons it quickly became lost in the shuffle of third-person adventure games. The controls take some time to get used to. For a turn-of-the-century game, they're honest not bad. A little tank-control-y, but realistically not that far removed from Red Dead Redemption. However, most of the game is what would be called a walking, and driving, simulator. The player spends so much time just walking/jogging around to unlock the next clue to unlock the next clue. With gatcha, soda pop vending machines and a few Sega arcade games to maybe break it up. The first few fights are just QTEs... which were the style at the time, to be fair. Although, I didn't like them back then, either. What is sad is the actual fighting isn't much better. Even if Ryo has a few moves and fighting some what works like a very basic Virtua Fighter. It feels super unsatisfying. There aren't many belt scroller beat 'em ups from a decade earlier I'd put as worse than here. It can be excused as a pioneer of this sort of game to experiment with being 'realistic' instead of fun. Things like a day and night cycle and waiting for places to open or events to occur. Or not showing button prompts when demonstrating new moves. Or getting a person's attention then actually saying something. However, that doesn't mean the game doesn't suffer for it. There are long, long stretches of boring. And honestly, I not a lot of fun. I probably had more fun playing Space Harrier and Hang On than any other part of the game. Which is why I'm not going to recommend this game. It is probably better to just watch a YouTube Let's Play to cut down on all the wasted time going from place to place or other grinding/time wasting if someone wants to experience the story. As there is little engaging gameplay for 1999, and far, far less for 2026. And that fun factor is where I hang my recommendation. I was predisposed to want to like Shenmue. But I do not have the time nor patience for such a plodding experience. Instead, I give the game credit for being among the first of what it is trying to do, and will say there is certainly a type of player that can enjoy it.

Playing Shenmue 1. Honestly the game is REALLY good, didn't expect that. In the beginning you may feel a bit lost but then you feel like at home. The game gives you plenty of time to explore the places because some story progress can be done only at a certain times so you may have entire days to explore and go around (you physically need to wait time to make a day pass, there's no "skip day" option). Besides this, the atmosphere is incredible

If you enjoy talking, getting clues, talk to some more people, then realize you need a specific time of the day to enter a shop or find a person so you need to waste time by doing stuff to pass time, yeah this game is for you. The vibe and atmosphere, the music, it all is wonderful I won't lie. But as a game it just isn't something I personally am that patient for. I'm not saying the game is bad (although it is certaintly a product of its time) but just not the game for me.

Shenmue is brilliant. If you are at all curious about this series or these games then I highly recommend that you to give them a try. I speak with no nostalgia bias or rose-tinted glasses, these games are superb. Shenmue is an experience like few others, a fully living and breathing world that most games today aren't even able to match. Incredible atmosphere, an engaging story, tons of really clever game design are among just a few of the things this game has going for it. If you are a first time player or somebody who is picking it up again after falling off it, I give you this advice- Shenmue I and II are games that demand engagement with their world, so make the most of your time. The often criticized "Waiting periods" between plot-points are intentional, they are there to give you space to explore, interact, and uncover the many hidden details of these environments. Soon, you find that these seemingly innocuous parts of the world will soon come to play a part in your main quest. Shenmue I & II are not just graphical and technical showcases or a proof of concept, these are rich and deeply rewarding games that are well worth your time- if you are willing to give it some

Joguei Shenmue 1 a anos atrás quando meu único meio de jogar era um xbox one, e desde aquela época sempre que abria o jogo sentia algo diferente. Shenmue é uma série que te ensina a ser paciente, um jogo nada acelerado em que as coisas tem seu próprio ritmo (apesar de te dar meios de tornar a experiência mais rápida). Os personagens tem rotinas, trabalhos, assim como em vários momentos da gameplay somos obrigados a conseguir dinheiro trabalhando para dar sequência na história. É como ler um livro, tudo detalhado, é preciso ter fôlego para aguentar andar várias vezes pelo mesmo lugar, bater na porta dos vizinhos em busca de informações e esperar o horário certo para encontrar alguém ou o estabelecimento abrir. Os cenários trazem uma nostalgia, um ar místico até que melancólico em alguns momentos, e te transportam para um estado de serenidade. É um jogo que acalma a mente e sem dúvidas uma das melhores experiências que tive em toda a vida. Não vivenciei a época em que o jogo foi lançado mas sem dúvidas para aqueles que conseguiram presenciar essa obra de arte nascendo ver Shenmue 3 ser lançado depois de 18 anos deve ter sido uma explosão de sentimentos! Apenas joguem de mente aberta, permita-se perder pelo mapa, comprar bebidas em uma hanbaiki (mesmo que não dê efeito nenhum), jogar minigames nos arcades, conseguir colecionáveis gacha e viver um pouco do que devia ser uma vida no interior do Japão nos anos 90/2000 <3

i can used to play, but now i could not even start

Still looking for sailors...

如果是以这个游戏刚诞生的年代来看，这个游戏无疑是非常优秀的，但以2026年的标准来看游戏的表现和玩法无疑是非常落后的，操作起来非常之不便，我只能向骨灰级玩家推荐这个游戏. If judged by the standards of the era when this game was first released, it is undoubtedly an excellent game. However, by 2026's standards, its performance and gameplay are clearly very outdated, and the controls are extremely inconvenient. I would only recommend this game to hardcore/old school players.