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Dreamcast Shenmue Developer: Sega | Publisher: Sega
Rating: ASoakrates
Type: Adventure RPG Skill Level: Intermediate
Players: 1 Available: Now

There are two kinds of people in this world: those that know about Shenmue, and those that don't. If you're reading this, you more than likely fall into the former category, which means that this game doesn't need an introduction. What else can possibly be said about Yu Suzuki's grandiose genre-blending epic that hasn't already been typed, printed, or spoken?

It's fairly common knowledge that if there's anyone who's stroven for realism in this industry, it's Yu Suzuki. Be it the Rubiks cube intricasies of Virtua Fighter or the precision of professional driving echoed in F355, Suzuki-san has built a well-deserved reputation as the gaming industry's most meticulous, methodical, and certainly ambitious producer. Now, the powerful Dreamcast hardware has allowed him to recreate the one thing that has been on nearly every game designer's mind for over a decade: everyday life. And in what better context to capture such a milestone than an epic martial arts adventure?

The Shenmue universe is all about nuances. We've heard of art imitating life, but this is borderline ludicrous. In your run-of-the-mill RPG, you become familiar with seeing the same guy at the item shop in a nearby town. In Shenmue, you can literally follow this guy to and from his place of work. Every so often you will have to make plans according to someone else's schedule. And yes, even the main character Ryo has his own personal time window to maintain. In Shenmue, life doesn't just exist, it's actually lived. Furthermore, there's a countless number of objects to examine and doors to open. Searching every possible room and observing every possible object is like trying to count the hairs on the heads of everyone in your family. AM2 made sure that the season cycle was in full swing, as well. Should the game last you through Christmastime (in the Shenmue world, that is), you'll see shops decorated with wreaths, and men dressed in Santa garb randomly perusing the snow-covered streets.

What's the point to all this? Simple; immersion. Shenmue isn't realistic just for realism's sake. Everything that happens in Shenmue's world serves to enrapture the player into the game itself, reminding us that Shenmue isn't so easily relegated to being called a "game." That isn't necessarily a high mark, though. In fact, many people wish that Yu Suzuki had stuck to making a "game" in the first place, rather than something meant to overwhelm the player with its sheer scope and size. But in my case, Shenmue succeeded in doing exactly what AM2 wanted it to do. Ryo's quest fits in perfectly with the day to day hustle and bustle of Yokosuka, which piqued my fascination right from the get-go.

Shenmue chronicles the trials and tribulations of 18-year old journeyman Ryo Hazuki on his mission to reveal the shadowy circumstances encompassing his father's murder. You'll follow our hero every step of the way as he delves deep into the Yokosuka underbelly. And it's one gorgeous underbelly, to be sure. Though built on a first generation engine, Shenmue is a beauty, folks, as pretty as it is lifelike. Ryo goes about his exploits through this beautifully accomplished environment in a variety of different gameplay modes, which are rudimentally divided as follows: FREE Quest, Quick Timer Events (QTEs), and Free Battle.

If doing a lot of talking, investigating, and even a little waiting sounds tedious to you, then by all means, stop reading this review right now, because Shenmue is clearly not your bag. Shenmue's unraveling is at its core a constant search for information, ergo, FREE Quest is the mode you'll spend the bulk of your time in. It's also where Yu Suzuki's vision is the most realized. As mentioned before, there are untold amounts of interaction involved in your surroundings, as well as people-a-plenty for you to question and engage in small talk with. These people range from the lovely, good-hearted Nozomi to the optimistic, pseudo-rastafied Tom, with so many others in between.

As his adventure plays out, Ryo will invariably get himself into some situation where he has to catch, dodge, or hit something or someone on very short notice. Enter Quick Timer Events, also known as QTEs or "that mode everyone and their great grandmother's long lost second cousin has equated with Dragon's Lair." Though simplistic in nature, they exist mainly to keep the player tuned into Shenmue's cinematic overtone, and perform this function quite nicely. Truth be told, these sequences are just downright fun to watch, and are so frequent, you'd be foolish to put the controller down during any of the in-game cutscenes.

And then we have Free Battle, where Ryo gets a chance to showcase the fruits of his father's guidance. As is to be expected, Free Battle is very reminiscent of Suzuki's Virtua Fighter outings, containing measurably similar mechanics. There are some interesting new additions, though, such as the "run" button, which allows you to alternate between running and basic movement on the fly, particularly useful when you're in a bad guy sandwich. Even cooler is the "throw" button, used for more than just its namesake. It can also be used defensively to catch the opponents' punches. Nifty. The Free Battle controls are relatively simple, a godsend when you consider the number of opponents that appear onscreen at once. If his arsenal proves too limited, Ryo will have the opportunity to add new moves to his repetoire throughout the game. He can learn these by acquiring special scrolls or by encountering some fellow just gracious enough to teach Ryo the move himself.

When all is said and done, Shenmue is a stunning, amazingly conceived, and solidly executed piece of work. However, what many people (me included) will ultimately see in Shenmue is potential. It's no secret that this saga in its entirety is far from complete, maybe even in doubt. But even though this first of several volumes left me wanting much much more, it left me equally fulfilled. Admittedly, the game does get off to a slow start, but once it's gotten ahold of you, you're a part of it forever. And therein lies Shenmue's real strength.

Had you asked me about my philosophy concerning game production prior to playing Shenmue, I would have told you that games should be fun first, complex second. But is Shenmue "fun"? For all intents and purposes, no. The Shenmue experience is just that; an experience. Not 25-30 hours of sensory gratification. Not a crackling feast of rip-roaring action. Shenmue is best taken as a whole, and absolutely positively cannot be handed a final verdict until completed in full. It's analagous to growing an oak tree in your back yard. If you hang up your water pitcher after having planted the seeds only a couple of days earlier, you're either far too impatient or just not the green thumb type, which is perfectly fine. On the other hand, if you nurture that spot in the ground until a tiny plant sprouts forth, then continue on until you've got something to read a good book under, just maybe you'll see how worth your time and patience some things really are.

· · · Soakrates


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Rating: ASoakrates
Graphics: 10 Sound: 10
Gameplay: 9 Replay: 8
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