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Confession time: I've never played either Shenmue game.

master15 said:
Disgaree, as said on omake file they hinted at Shenhua since Ryo dreams in Shenmue, to have her not appear in the 2nd game would have been really poor choice, plus I see the Guilin chapter as a prologue to the larger story. If things concluded on the top of Yellow head building it would have been great, but seeing giant mirrors in cave, the sword, the letter and poem, it really hints at where potentially the story was heading. Which unfortuntely makes the lack of Shenmue 3 more painful :lol
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I suppose they didn't know that Shenmue 3 was going to be almost nonexistant when they were making Shenmue 2. There WAS a little disappointment when I thought it was going to end, and I got this extra that was like a "hey, I'm getting two games in one" moment.
 
Gee... Beeing a gamer, why should I bother playing one of the most incredible experiences to ever hit a console? I can't think of any good reason...
 
Undubbed said:
I don't really get the super praise this game gets. It's a little interesting but definitely gets old not too long after I start.

It seems good enough though. I may muster up the interest some day to actually play it to the end.
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Tone of detail and interactivity, plus the combat is not bad, but everything else though is shit: the voice acting, the story, characters, searching for sailors, etc.
 
ShadowgeistX said:
I suppose they didn't know that Shenmue 3 was going to be almost nonexistant when they were making Shenmue 2.
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Right, well there was a ton of content and of course unreleased screens which showed they at first wanted Shenmue 2 to extend past the
cave scene
 
Shenmue is a very unique series.

I've only played Shenmue 2, and I enjoyed my time with it. But it's not like other games. It moves very, very slowly, and not a lot happens. You'll spend time doing boring jobs, or wandering the streets asking for directions, and you won't feel like you're going anywhere. But when you get to a sequence where something happens, it matters, because you worked for that, and it really creates a lot of intensity and attachment. You're building everything towards those climactic moments.

That slow pace could turn some people off, but if you're fine with that, there's nothing else like it out there.

The ending is a bitch, though, especially given that there will never be a Shenmue 3. Still, that shouldn't keep you from playing it.
 
I don't think it'll hold up but who knows, go for it. It would be cool if you could get dual stick support for it on the PC, allowing you to control camera with r. stick and so on.
 
Not a huge loss, they're both kind of dull. Also, it's a story that will never get an ending, which is a huge caution against the series for anyone thinking of trying it. The game environments were really well-done, and there aren't many games that do it better even today, but even with the high quality of those environments, the things that happen in them are by and large kind of lacking.
 
permutated said:
But why should I bother? I've heard it's incredible, I have the original Dreamcast version I just picked up when I bought a whole bunch of other games (they just gave it to me)...but why even play a game that Sega has said time and time again that they have no interest in completing (the storyline of).

Yes, I understand the game is one of the most incredible experiences to ever hit a console, but what's the point of playing something that's only 2/3 done, and will never be finished? It's like reading a book that never has a climax...wasting a whole bunch of your life on something that has no resolution?

Give me a good reason and I'll give it a shot, but I see no point right now.

**This is not a Shenmue hate thread, this is a "I don't understand please explain this all to me" thread**
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You shouldn't, it's simply not one of those games that age well. You're better off playing a game like Yakuza, which is much more streamlined.
 
I played and loved the first one on the DC when it came out and I felt strangely compelled to do all the menial tasks and train my moves while I waited 6 hours to meet some NPC for a mission :)

The I tried to play Shenmue 2 on the Xbox and couldn't get into it all. It felt so archaic. Why the hell was I walking slowly and moving books from one side of the room to the other?? Why was I walking back and forth in town, moving from one NPC to another just to glean one tiny bit of info. Nothing's happening.

I put it aside and never picked it back up.

Obviously, I don't think the game mechanics have aged too well. If you didn't play it when it first came out, there's probably no point trying it now... unless you consider yourself a gaming historian :\
 
Your confession is SMALL TIME, OP. I've never played a Zelda game despite owning all Nintendo consoles pre-Gamecube.

And yeah, I've also never played Shenmue despite owning a dreamcast.
 
This is the best thing of Shenmue 1. That's it.
batman.gif
 
dude! i rented the original dc game back in the day but all i remember was being like wtf am i doing? ya know! running around some town and talking to npcs and shit. idk, it was a long time ago ok?!
 
Himuro said:
3. Chapter 2 is the boat ride. Shenmue II covers chapters 3-5.

So Shenmue 3 would start on chapter 6.
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Shenmue 2 is chapters 3-6, this is an image drawn by Shin Ishikawa sometime after the Xbox release of SII:
showImg2.gif


1: Yokosuka (Shenmue 1)
2: Boat Ride (Was cut from Shenmue 2)
3: Aberdeen (Shenmue 2. Was originally meant to be longer)
4: Wan Chai (Shenmue 2)
5: Kowloon (Shenmue 2)
6: Guilin (Shenmue 2)

There are 16 chapters total we are only around 1/3rd of the way through.
 
karasu said:
Shenmue's combat is ten years ahead of any similar game.
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THIS

And the world is incredibly immersive.

Too bad it cost 10 bazillion dollars to make.

Flawed, but incredibly important game.
It's a shame that I'll never hear the end of the story.
 
You shouldn't bother with Shenmue, actually, not unless you're really, really curious. Despite there being lots of ultra-die-hard people who love the game to death (I'm one of them), the game is most definitely not for everyone.

It's very tedious. It can, at times, feel like it's moving at a snail's pace (this is especially a problem in the original Shenmue). I mean, the game basically tries to simulate real life as much as possible, even the boring stuff, like standing around and waiting for a guy to show up at a location.

But, because of Shenmue's dedication to simulating even the boring parts of life, it's one of the most immersive games I can ever remember playing. If you can stomach the intense and astronomical tedium, Shenmue is (or at least was) an amazing game. Shenmue II does try and crank up the game's pace a bit - the plot moves a lot faster and there are a number of changes to streamline stuff (like if you arrive somewhere early you'll be given the option to jump ahead in time rather than having to stand around and physically wait).
 
It's way overrated, to be honest. I've still got a copy of the Dreamcast original but unless you really like controlling a guy woodenly walking through city streets there's not much there besides the arcade with Genesis games :lol

karasu said:
Shenmue's combat is ten years ahead of any similar game.
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Well it probably helps that it's pretty much lifted right outta VF, don't you think?
 
RICH UNCLE PENNYBAGS said:
Well it probably helps that it's pretty much lifted right outta VF, don't you think?
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Yes, which is why it's FUCKING AWESOME.

Combat in Shenmue is awesome. Shenmue 2 allowed you to do more of it, at least.
 
RICH UNCLE PENNYBAGS said:
Well, why not skip out on the boring walking around asking about sailors and just play VF isntead?
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I really enjoyed walking around, taking in the atmosphere, examining things, talking to people.

I especially liked how I could hold the right trigger to walk forward, and then look around with the stick. Genius, letting me look around while moving to a destination.

When push came to shove, I had an awesome fighting engine to kick ass with.

I don't see how you could complain about it... unless you just want to run around and kill shit all the time in your games.
 
KTallguy said:
I really enjoyed walking around, taking in the atmosphere, examining things, talking to people.
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I mean that's the thing though isn't it, those that love the game often cite feeling in Ryo's shoes and that sense of exploration was increased ten fold in the sequel, certainly providing that feeling of being a foriegn in a new place.

As a kid I lived a few years both in Hong Kong and China and in some respects Shenmue nails certain specifics about the environments I've yet to see replicated by any game. I mean it was that inane attention to detail, which tends to turn off a certain audience and obviously attract another group.
 
I don't see why everyone assumes there will never be a third installment. Although it didn't receive the box office numbers it expected, it has build a large enough fanbase that a third installation is more than viable? There is even a shenmue MMORPG now?

The first two are great games, independent of its whole franchise. Although I don't think you can introduce it to new players in 2008.
 
I dont understand what threads like this are for...

Play it if you want to. Why would anyone else give a shit if you play Shenmue or dont?

I dont know.
I just dont get it.
 
They're definitely good games, but I can't say you're missing much outside of an important point in videogame history. They were quite revolutionary at the time.
 
Confession: I never finished either shenmue game even half of the way but I own both of them...
 
Confession: I own the Shenmue 2 Xbox Dual pack with the movie and have not watched the movie or played the game yet. I'll just add it to my summer backlog list. :lol
 
MThanded said:
Confession: I never finished either shenmue game even half of the way but I own both of them...
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This for me too. Still I thought the games where awesome. Just that you need a lifetime of free time to actually beat them.
 
Y2Kev said:
Shenmue is so ahead of its time.
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Im not a huge fan of the game, but I can agree 100% that it was ahead of its time. I can give it respect there. It does alot of overly ambitious things, although I dont think it pulls them all off. I would recommend people to try it, certainly not for everyone. I wish you could pass time like in oblivion.
 
It's kind of hard to sell Shenmue on a message board. It's one of those things you have to experience. All these people that are coming in here, talking about how the gameplay isn't anything special, and that there are "better games", are missing the bloody point. I don't look at Shenmue the same way I would look at, say, Halo or Devil May Cry or whatever.
 
Scribble said:
It's kind of hard to sell Shenmue on a message board. It's one of those things you have to experience. All these people that are coming in here, talking about how the gameplay isn't anything special, and that there are "better games", are missing the bloody point. I don't look at Shenmue the same way I would look at, say, Halo or Devil May Cry or whatever.
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That's Wii's life story
 
gamergirly said:
That's Wii's life story
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What? Not really...

Before the Wii came out, I actually convinced myself that, because of the controller, there would never be a bad game for the Wii. Of course I bought it at midnight on launch day and all that.

Now I would have sold the thing already if it weren't for two or three games coming out. And I DON'T sell consoles.
 
jtardiou said:
I don't see why everyone assumes there will never be a third installment. Although it didn't receive the box office numbers it expected, it has build a large enough fanbase that a third installation is more than viable? There is even a shenmue MMORPG now?

The first two are great games, independent of its whole franchise. Although I don't think you can introduce it to new players in 2008.
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The MMO got canceled, along with the other related project they were working on. Shenmue is deader than a doornail, and frankly it's not hard to see why. The first two games probably lost SEGA in excess of $100 million. They'd have to be stupid to revisit the concept when even Microsoft's marketing money couldn't float it to success.
 
zeloe326 said:
Just that you need a lifetime of free time to actually beat them.
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If you take a minimalistic approach to Shenmue I (ie. straight path with walkthrough, or you know what to do), the first game becomes VERY short. If you take the time to enjoy it, questioning people, walking around looking for QTE fights/brawls with thugs, playing minigames and arcade games (like that deliciously awesome punching one), buying/collecting toys, drinks, feeding the cat, etc...it CAN take forever.

It was painful mastering almost all the martial arts moves just to find out that the US version of Shenmue 2 wasn't going to be released =(
 
Segata Sanshiro said:
The MMO got canceled, along with the other related project they were working on. Shenmue is deader than a doornail, and frankly it's not hard to see why. The first two games probably lost SEGA in excess of $100 million. They'd have to be stupid to revisit the concept when even Microsoft's marketing money couldn't float it to success.
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;_;


I hate you, Dad! *runs off, sobbing*
 
Segata Sanshiro said:
They'd have to be stupid to revisit the concept when even Microsoft's marketing money couldn't float it to success.
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What marketing money? Shenmue 2 was released on the Xbox with little more than magazine ads.

Anyways, Simon Jeffrey said that no Shenmue 3 game was in the works but did mention that it was one of the most requested games for them to make. He didn't totally dismiss it from ever happening...

Believe.
 
There's nooo way they could have lost 100 mil+ on both of the games...that would be absolutely stunning. We know Shenmue 1 sold like 1.2 million and Shenmue 2 had to sell at least some being on two platforms and all.

Early prerelease trailers of Shenmue showed they were already deep into development of areas and scenes that would appear in the second game, so I can't imagine the $70 million figure that Suzuki talks about didn't include at least some of the development of the second game. Plus, I always figured MS gave Sega some cash to put it on Xbox (because MS was desperate for "hardcore" stuff at the time). I don't know if there's any truth to that-- probably not-- but I like my preconceived notions.

I have no idea what the project ultimately cost, but damn if SEGA hasn't been the same since. :'(

YUUUUUU COME BACK

at least do something

Sega has Reiko Kodama rotting away doing shitacular remakes and Brain Training games...it's shocking they have Suzuki doing absolutely nothing
 
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