Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Revolutionary"

Shenmue is a game you have to play to experience the unique sensation, atmosphere and revolution that Sega have brought to the gaming world. From the beginning to the unravelling of Shenmue's mystery, this is just amazing.

You play the role of Ryo Hazuka, a young man who witnesses the death of his own father by the hands of a man named, Lan Di. Unaware of who this mysterious man is, Ryo seeks vengance and begins his adventure to find Lan Di and avenge his father. Throughout his journeys, Ryo finds friends, enemies uncovers more mysterys of why his father had to be killed, and what Lan Di was truely seeking.

This is truely an emotional ride to say the least, you'll grow to love characters, become fond of the home town of Dobuita, and only be hungry for more once the credits roll. Shenmue is honestly unlike any other game which, despite some minor flaws, makes this truely the greatest game on the Dreamcast system, if not one of the most memorable of all time.

The flaws of Shenmue are clear to see from the start, the controls can be a little bit of a pain, due to only having 1 analog and a d-pad, you'll find yourself having trouble when trying to move Ryo around in small areas or trying to aim him at specific objects. This doesn't occur regulary (only of course if you're looking for it) and it's unnoticable in open areas which thankfully, Shenmue consists of.

The town of Dobuita is rather fun to explore, from it's open stalls, to it's convenience stores and to it's arcade where classics such as space harrier can be played! What fun. If one thing is clear about this town, it's very lively. You'll see people from near all age groups, from young school girls to elderly men. It's actually possible to speak to everyone for any bit of information.

Which brings me to how Shenmue plays out. Ryo doesn't just go around kicking everyone's butt to find out what he needs, no, he investigates. The majority of the time in Shenmue you will find yourself exploring and investigating... but don't worry, there are also fun quick-time events which require you to tap a specific button shown on the screen in time, and some fun fights that work and feel really fun to get involved in. However, to find out about something that you need to know, such as where to find a certain shop or person, you'll need to ask around and get as much information as you need. Nevertheless, it's fun and interesting, especially when you're looking around the nooks and crannies of dobuita and finding interesting things, such as the little capsule machines where you can find a whole roster of SEGA characters.

Shenmue is a lengthy game too, the game itself is three disks long, and unless you're purposely trying to rush through the game, it takes time to soak up almost everything that inside the game of Shenmue.

As I said, simply put, Shenmue is game that in my opinion has to be experienced, if not just for it's unique feel that no game on the market has. Shenmue is brilliant.