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The follwing review is by Ramzi Nasrallah (Rambo on the forums).

• Downloadable Review

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The follwing review is by Mario Burton (Feejay Johnson on the forums).

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The follwing review is by Myles Handley (ShenmueGamer on the forums).

There is one game this year that could probably be singled out as the most highly anticipated console game of all time. I remember the media touting its coming months before the Dreamcast was even released in Japan. They guessed it to be the end-all-be-all of the adventure gaming genre. After its release, some would end up agreeing, and to everyone's surprise, some would even laugh at the thought. We're talking about Shenmue, of course. In my opinion, the most graphically intricate and beautiful console game ever made, but the graphics isn't the only thing good about this game, it is also very exciting and fun.

Shenmue is the brainchild of the man who has been called the father of the gaming console, Yu Suzuki. He is the man responsible for such lovable favorites as Hang On, Virtua Fighter, and Space Harrier. If you think hard enough, you might remember dumping buckets of quarters into these games back in the 80's. His work has continuously achieved new levels in the gaming world, by setting more and more standards in the gaming industry. It is no wonder that Shenmue has been such a eagerly received title for the Dreamcast.

Shenmue is the first of its kind to be called F.R.E.E., or Free Reactive Eyes Entertainment. It's a very official name for describing the almost totally interactive environment seen in the game. Of course you can't interact with everything, but being able to get a soda from a soda machine, play old Sega games on your TV set, and going to your local convenience store to pick up a bag of dried fish (because you're all out at home) is definitely a step towards achieving the very ambitious goal that Yu Suzuki is continuously trying to achieve.

The most important aspect of the environment is that it follows a time-cycle. You wake up in the morning at 8:30 and you must return home to sleep by 11:30 each night. Each important event in the storyline of the game is usually based on a specific time of day. This may sound like the second coming for the gaming world, but don't let this fool you. The time-cycle is what keeps Shenmue from becoming an all-time great. There were times during gameplay where I would drop the controller on the ground and take the time to surf the web while waiting for time to pass in the game. I assume that the intent would be for the player to take the time and explore the environment. This would be all right except for the fact that exploration gets a little old after awhile and in the long run makes the story drag.

One good point of the game is the weather and the time of year. Since you are always aware of what time it is, the game also tells you what date it is. You start in the month of December and as time progresses, it will start to rain or snow while you play. The characters react by deploying umbrellas during bad weather. Not only does the weather change, but as December creeps by, Christmas will get closer and the surrounding city will change with added decorations and characters dressed up like Santa.

The Story The story behind Shenmue takes place in Japan during the mid-eighties and is of the standard good versus evil variety. A young boy by the name Ryo Hazuki seeks to avenge the death of his beloved father and on the way to vindication, he uncovers the plot behind the reason for his father's untimely demise. The story maintains a modern Japanese feel as Ryo wanders the streets of his hometown, while injecting a helpful boost of old Chinese folklore when the reasons behind his father's death slowly come to light.

The Game Navigating through the storyline, Shenmue employs several different game modes. When adventuring through the environment, the game is in Quest mode. This allows for standard movement with a third person perspective, but also has a zooming system that makes the environment interactive. As you move, you can zoom into a specific item, such as a desk or the contents of a drawer, and then pick up and either add an item to your inventory or just move it around to inspect it from several different angles. This new interaction is very interesting and I can see that in future games it could provide for some fantastic gameplay, but for Shenmue, it turns out to be more of a novelty then some revolutionary way of experiencing the adventure genre. When the game first starts, you are thrust into this new way of playing and by the time I actually got comfortable with it, I decided I would rather put my tongue in a light socket than search through endless drawers looking for nothing in particular. It is very rare for this interaction to even help you through the progress of the game. Wandering through the city asking countless numbers of nameless characters the same questions over and over is what progresses you through Shenmue.

Overall - 9.5

Game:
Yu Suzuki's Shenmue

Console:
Dreamcast

Pros:
Beautifully rendered world and characters. Best console graphics yet. Creatively interactive environment.

Cons:
Not Much!

More Positive Points:
When you go through it once, then again, you will not do that same things, or buy the same soda, or get the same toy, it is always different. To make it more intresting, try spending all of your money, or always playing in the arcade, or training a lot. Make the game fun to play, and you will play it for years!

-Myles Handley

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Shenmue - Yokosuka.
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