Shenmue I & II

Rare are the games that take real-life cities and countries and place them into a game in a way that makes you feel like you’re living there. Shenmue is one of those games. I know this series was a huge deal back in the day, but I never got to experience it then. I finally played it years later on Steam, and honestly, it hooked me immediately. You follow Ryo and the mystery surrounding his story, but at the same time, you’re simply living a life. You walk through neighborhoods, talk to shopkeepers, meet people, ride the bus, go to work, visit arcades, wait for places to open… all these tiny everyday things that sound simple, but make the world feel incredibly special. The first game especially gives you this beautiful glimpse of Japan in the 1980s, while the second expands the journey much further. It almost feels like you’re playing an old anime where you control the main character yourself. And for me, those little details are precious. There is always this mystery pushing you forward, but around it you have normal daily life, side activities and people just existing in the world. You can also easily see why people compare Shenmue to later games like Yakuza. There are so many familiar ideas there, even though Shenmue has its own completely different pace and personality. It has been many years since I last played it, but I still remember how much I loved the experience. So if you enjoy that old-school late-90s/early-2000s gaming feeling, slower storytelling, real locations, I definitely recommend it. It’s old, yes. But it’s special.

Great !

Muito á frente do seu tempo, um dos melhores games já criado

goty

This review is purely for Shenmue I and using the Japanese VA. Yes, my 27 hour playtime was spent, thus far, only on the first game. Shemue is one of those games you hear brought up in conversation every now and again but never really take the time to learn what it is or what makes it so special. For Shenmue, doing so is impossible without experiencing it firsthand the sheer magic it brings. Everything about this game has completely redefined my expectations for what a video game can even be. It has left me with such an immense and unique sense of anemoia that I genuinely don't think you can even begin to replicate or find elsewhere. In no other game have I looked at a swing-set and wondered to myself if I can interact with it somehow and fix it so that the kids in the neighborhood can use it again. No game has ever prompted that level of engagement from me or made me feel as though my choices were taken that seriously and worthwhile to it. It is really just impossible to describe how genuinely masterful that level of engagement and storytelling is unless you've experienced it firsthand. And don't even get me started on the soundtrack. Shenmue takes me back to the feeling of being a kid again playing games the old way. No internet, no guides, everything you can experience is experienced purely through your discovery of it and every time you play the game you discover something new and incredible you never even knew existed. As an upscaled port of Shenmue to PC I think it is just excellent, for the price this game duo is listed for and for the level of effort and detail put into bringing these excellent games to a modern PC interface I think you would be a fool NOT to buy it, or to insist on playing the game through emulation instead. From what I can tell every ounce of character from the original Dreamcast games have been preserved here and are in full effect, just with the modern luxuries you expect from a PC remaster such as higher resolution textures, beautiful widescreen support, 4k output, 60fps, etc. Technically you are buying a product put out by a modern studio that is more than worth it. I plan to update this review when I've finished Shenmue II but in closing all I have to provide this game is resounding applause and my sincerest recommendation. Please give Shenmue and it's beautiful world a chance, I cannot imagine for a second that it will let you down. 9/10.

É um game cativante, desde a representação da cidade, até as individualidades de cada personagem que vamos descobrindo. Fechei o game com 31 horas, mas foi muito, muito e muito mais tempo jogando, admirando e entendendo as mecânicas / mergulhando no universo. RECOMENDO DEMAIS !