Default Prime's Charles Battersby writes: "Hardcore gamers talk about the Dreamcast the way that car lovers talk about a ’57 Chevy, the way that junkies talk about that first pure high. That high was powerful, but short-lived; the Dreamcast debuted in 1999, but was already done with by 2001. The game that best represented this doomed console was Shenmue. It’s been over a decade since I finished Shenmue. I vaguely recall it was about a quest to avenge the death of my father. It ended with a cliffhanger, but a sequel was put out in 2002 that continued the story. Alas, Shenmue II was only released for Japanese and European Dreamcasts. Eventually it was ported to the original Xbox in America, however I had lost interest in it by the time that happened. I wasn’t the only American gamer who wasn’t interested in Shenmue II on Xbox; it didn’t seem to captivate the swarms of Halo fanboys. All that changed when one day I found Shenmue II in a bargain bin for five dollars. "
Shenmue 2 Turns 20 Years: we look back where Ryo's journey stopped and how that absence helped bring him back again thanks to the fans.
From Eurogamer: "Shenmue 2 is 20 years old today.
First released on Dreamcast on 6th September 2001 in Japan, it came to Europe a few months later on November 23rd - and was an Xbox exclusive in North America when it eventually arrived in October the following year."
Good times and I'm glad we got 3. Sure it was not very good but I never thought I would live to see the day and that feels special.
Sega will try to make hundreds and hundreds of Yakuza games in the next 10 years. Because people keep buying them. I wish Sega would try a few Shenmue games. Shenmue could use the full budget that Yakuza and Judgement games get
I played yakuza 0 a year or so ago which was my first yakuza game and it was awesome and I played 6 but I really can't stomach all of them. There's so many. So I would also take more of Shenmue instead.
I liked the fact that that original shenmues especially the first was like more of an adventure game. Well, perhaps there were too many quicktime events.
I have the opposite problem. I played Shenmue I & II a few years ago and found them surprisingly good and compelling. Then I played Yakuza 0 and was absolutely floored by it. Afterwards, I beat Yakuza 1-7 in little over a year and though I can safely say I have had my fill of Yakuza for now (and nothing reached the heights of 0), I could never go back to crusty old Shenmue in light of the improvements Yakuza made. Sorry Shenmue.
@binarymind. Yeah Shenmue was amazing and felt so fresh 20 years ago. I beat 1-2 on my Dreamcast and couldn’t wait for next game. When the next one came nearly 20 years later it was clear Shenmue needed a refresh and I was no longer interested. Not to mention due to the length of time between games the story of 1 and 2 are for the most part lost on me now. Nevertheless, the both games left a pretty big impression on me back in the day and were great for their time.
I can remember finishing Shenmue 2 in 2002 and being extremely excited for the next one. If asked back then I never would have expected that the series would still be incomplete in 2021.
After a surprise announcement at E3 2015 and a massively successful Kickstarter campaign, Shenmue III finally arrived last month and it…. didn’t exactly blow us away. Developer Ys Net has painstakingly recreated the goofy and stilted charm that defined the first two Shenmue games, but that charm sadly isn’t as easy to appreciate in 2019 as it was 20 years ago when the original Shenmue arrived
I thought the fighting techniques were real techniques way back when I was playing the original.
Playing through the original on PS4 atm.
I'd really like to catch up on the series before playing the third.
I enjoy the classic martial arts aspect. It's cliche, but beautifully so!
My only criticism of the first game on PS4 is the classic controls are rather rough and movement has a bit of lag. However, I bought Shenmue I & II Collection on PS Store for $11.99 several days ago and it was still a steal. Very nostalgic and I'd have to assume that the visuals and controls will be significantly better in the third installment. I believe I will love the third.
