Post by Cervantes on Aug 31, 2017 14:09:19 GMT
I rate it a 5, even though I know it has some flaws that became even more obvious when they were fixed by the sequel. Shenmue 2 improved on the first one in every way, and fixed every little problem people had with the first: you don't have to wait for a specific event (you can just skip the time), you can save at anytime during exploration, the story has a much quicker pace with more interesting things happening, the fighting engine is even better and you get varied oponents, the graphics are even more impressive etc.
But the thing is: the first Shenmue was so far ahead of the curve that no game nowadays can ever hope to replicate its impact. It was both a technical and gameplay marvel: even games that call themselves open-world nowadays don't reach the same amount of detail that Shenmue has - you can open every drawer, notice that everyone has their own routines and interact with pretty much anything. And it's easy for forget that, when this game was released in 1999, it was competing with PS1 and N64 games, so it looked like something that came straight from the future - even when compared to PC games at the time too. Just look at this and compare to any real time cutscene on the PS1 or N64:
A few things got dated, like the QTEs; but then, it must remembered that when Shenmue was released, QTEs were very rare in action games (I can only think of Die Hard Arcade), and in Shenmue they were seen as a way to create more dynamic cutscenes where the player still had to do something. Also, Shenmue's QTEs are much better than most games that came after it: you could fail a few times before really "losing" the event, and even if you lost, the game gave you another chance to do them almost immediately - so it's not like Resident Evil 4 QTEs, which are "Press X not to die" stuff. QTEs are a bad idea in general, but if there's one game that tries to use them right, that game is Shenmue.
One thing that I loved above everything else was the fact that they used Virtua Fighter's engine in the combat scenes. I still think Shenmue's combat is unsurpassed; it's the best 3d realistic beat'em up I've ever played. Sure, you can just abuse a few more powerful and simple moves, but if you invest in learning the more complex parries and grapple moves, then the game truly shines. I'll just post again that video of the 70 oponents battle that I love so much:
On my first time playing the game, I didn't put much thought into the combat, but on a second playthrough I spent hours training and upgrading Ryo's moves and the battles suddenly became these awesome events. This also makes me think that Sega missed a great opportunity at the time by not making a Streets of Rage 4 like this.
But the thing is: the first Shenmue was so far ahead of the curve that no game nowadays can ever hope to replicate its impact. It was both a technical and gameplay marvel: even games that call themselves open-world nowadays don't reach the same amount of detail that Shenmue has - you can open every drawer, notice that everyone has their own routines and interact with pretty much anything. And it's easy for forget that, when this game was released in 1999, it was competing with PS1 and N64 games, so it looked like something that came straight from the future - even when compared to PC games at the time too. Just look at this and compare to any real time cutscene on the PS1 or N64:
A few things got dated, like the QTEs; but then, it must remembered that when Shenmue was released, QTEs were very rare in action games (I can only think of Die Hard Arcade), and in Shenmue they were seen as a way to create more dynamic cutscenes where the player still had to do something. Also, Shenmue's QTEs are much better than most games that came after it: you could fail a few times before really "losing" the event, and even if you lost, the game gave you another chance to do them almost immediately - so it's not like Resident Evil 4 QTEs, which are "Press X not to die" stuff. QTEs are a bad idea in general, but if there's one game that tries to use them right, that game is Shenmue.
One thing that I loved above everything else was the fact that they used Virtua Fighter's engine in the combat scenes. I still think Shenmue's combat is unsurpassed; it's the best 3d realistic beat'em up I've ever played. Sure, you can just abuse a few more powerful and simple moves, but if you invest in learning the more complex parries and grapple moves, then the game truly shines. I'll just post again that video of the 70 oponents battle that I love so much:
On my first time playing the game, I didn't put much thought into the combat, but on a second playthrough I spent hours training and upgrading Ryo's moves and the battles suddenly became these awesome events. This also makes me think that Sega missed a great opportunity at the time by not making a Streets of Rage 4 like this.
