You're cruel. Yes, I am talking to you. I know what you're thinking right now. Yeah I know EXACTLY what your thinking right now, and it's this... "wtf is Shenmue!?!?" well buddy let me tell you this. It is the greatest game of all time. Yeah you heard me right, I said it, and I meant it. As a gamer all my life, I've come to realize that not all video games get the recognition that they deserve. And it will always be that way. But the treatment that the Shenmue series has recieved just sickens me. I will be bold enough to say that this is the best game I have ever played. How many of you are willing to say that and mean it? Yeah I know all you fanboys out there will argue how halo 2 is "da bomb" and how Gears Of War would kill Shenmue. But this game is different. Did Gears Of War and Halo 2 make a genre of its own? No, I recall them being like most other fps and action games around. Shenmue is not just a game, its an experience. It is in plain words a game that you cannot play just once. Once you play it, you become attached to thie living breathing world inside the game. Shenmue is an RPG set in the 80's in a modern day Japan. You are Ryo Hazuki, a student of the martial arts. And your master is your father. On one fateful day however, you come home on a very snowy day, there is a black sedan outside your door, and it has ran over the sign in front of your house. You run into your front yard and discover your housekeeper injured and barely concious. Ryo walks caustiously to the dojo, only to find his fellow pupil literally fly out from the door way. You rush inside to find possibly the most evil man in existence, a man named Lan Di confronting your father. He is looking for something called the Dragon Mirror. You father will have none of this and is quick to combat this strange man. After moments of fighting, Ryo is quickly caught in the fighting and is about to be killed when his father finally tells him of the wherabouts of the mirror. Finally finding what he wants Lan Di leaves the Hazuki residence leaving behind Ryo and his dying father. With his father's last breath, he reminds Ryo to keep friends... those you love close to you.. and with that.. his father is dead, and the snow turns to rain. And Ryo swears to revenge his fathers death. No, thats not a movie script. That is the beginning of the game. I did not include anything past the opening cinema. Try finding a story like that in a run and gun shooter. In Shenmue you explore a blooming Japan community, searching for clues of the wherabouts of your father's killer. Trying desperatly to find the slightest hair of information that may lead you to him. You communicate with people on the street, they actually give you directions to shops and such, and will be key to you finding your way on your quest. But hey let's just say you are tired of all this revenge and what not. Why not stop for a quick round of darts? Well in Shenmue, that is possible! Shenmue features many arcades, bars, resturaunts, etc. that you will be able to visit while you arent busy on your quest. But all in all, it would literally take me HOURS to describe everything in Shenmue. It is an unforgettable game and arguably the greatest game of all time. As sad as I am to say this, Shenmue 1 or 2 will never recieve the attention that they deserve. It makes me sick that Burger King games sell millions of copys while PERFECT games like Shenmue sit in the bargain bins of EB Games wating for somebody to play them. I have played through this game 27 times, and every single time this game was an experience that I will never forget. It is an amazing game that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys amazing story lines, detailed graphics and environments, and is looking for something more than just another generic game that comes out these days. Please, do yourself a favor, find this game, and its succesor, Shenmue 2. I beg you, do it. If you dont, you are depriving yourself of one of the greatest games of all time.
Other Helpful Reviews for Shenmue: Isshou Yokosuka
there's no doubt of that shenmue is a great game and the game itself is a reason to buy the sega dreamcast . the story is very simple you are ryo hazuki ,a japanese young man that saw his life destroyed when his fa... Read Full Review
This game made me buy a DC When i first saw it i was AMAZING by the graphics, and the music and story drug me in This game is a real masterpiece, simple enough The only game you will ever find like this is Shenmue 2 ... Read Full Review
