[Arial Type]

This question has bothered me for a long time. But only recently I played Shenmue. I really enjoyed it, although the FREE gameplay wasn't as free as I hoped, and the story felt rather mediocre. Still the game is very innovative and has lots of potential. It wasn't defined as an ag - or any particular genre - in 1999. But what about today? The times have changed, the market too.

There were three major points that confused reviewers back in 1999:
1. There are no puzzles. But since when it was a problem? In 90's we had The Last Express and Blade Runner, in 00's - Fahrenheit and Dreamfall. None of them is harder than Shenmue. And there are puzzles of "person-hunting" type that are actually fun. There are even a couple of inventory puzzles to enjoy.

2. It relies on QTE heavily. True, there are QTE moments, especially in the third part. Shenmue is even credited with inventing the modern QTE. But it's only a minor part of the game and is nothing compared to the tortures of Heavy Rain and Fahrenheit.

3. There is combat. Again, until the third part you don't think much of it. But there are about 8 fights, and all of them could be won with just 2-3 effective moves. The only trouble for me were the two final bosses. And by "trouble" I mean I had to fight them twice. While fighting (and forklift racing, yeah!) might be considered an important part of the gameplay, there are Dreamfall and L.A. Noire that share the same fate with Shenmue.

Add to this "real" real-time with day/night cycles and weather changes, lots of completely different characters with unique daily routines that bother to discuss any problem with you, an advanced freedom of exploration (opening every drawer, grabbing every vase and putting it back), 3D that still holds well, bad voice-overs and wonderful music score, and you get a classy ag that is missing from the website and the TOP-100. While the story remains unfinished (and I read it wasn't finished even with the 2nd game), again, we have Syberia, or Simon the Sorcerer 2 for that matter.

So what do you think?

[orient]

I've mentioned Shenmue here in the past. Whether Adventure Gamers class it as an adventure is inconsequential, but I do think it's an incredible, often misunderstood game that not enough people have played (and like Syberia, the first game is incomplete without playing the second in my opinion).

At its heart, Shenmue is a detective game. The vast majority of the game is spent talking to people, exploring, developing relationships and working leads.

One of the most common misconceptions, as you've mentioned, is that Shenmue is mostly Quick Time Events, when really it isn't. There are a few, but if you "lose", it usually has no consequence, or you can instantly retry. The button combinations are the same every time so it's possible to memorise the order in which they pop up. Unlike many games with QTEs, they make sense within the context of the game, so if Ryo goes to punch somebody, the button that you're required to push will be the same button as the "punch" button in the real-time combat sections.

And yes, there are a handful of combat sequences, but unlike Dreamfall, it's a fully functioning, well-realised combat system that is fun to master if you're so inclined.

With the imminent HD re-releases of Shenmue I & II on XBLA/PSN, hopefully more people will get to experience one of the most ambitious series in the history of the medium.

[Arial Type]

Originally Posted by orient

With the imminent HD re-releases of Shenmue I & II on XBLA/PSN, hopefully more people will get to experience one of the most ambitious series in the history of the medium.

Oh, I didn't know that. Now my post sounds like an ad

But really, Shenmue (and hopefully its sequel) deserved much more attention from the adventure community. Especially since most of the game elements, even fight sequences, feel very smooth and well-integrated into the storyline. And while I didn't explore it, I think there are alternative routes to some of them. Like when I failed too many times in a stealth sequence (yes, there's even a very brief stealth sequence), I got an unexpected help.

[Idrisguitar]

I would agree,

Shenmue 1+2 are up there as my favourite games ever made. i am worried the story might have less effect if i play them again now but they will always provide the fondest memories.

A detective game is the perfect way to describe them. It was such a deep and ambitious game, defining it as anything would be hard to do 100%. but yeah I do wonder how the adventure die-hards took to it back when it came out.

[thejobloshow]

Even with the exploration, the QTEs and all that player choice I still think the core mechanics of Shenmue are the beat 'em up elements and I would call Shenmue a sophisticated beat 'em up game.

However, it does call to attention the limits of genre labels and vagueness of the term 'adventure'.

[Idrisguitar]

Originally Posted by thejobloshow

Even with the exploration, the QTEs and all that player choice I still think the core mechanics of Shenmue are the beat 'em up elements and I would call Shenmue a sophisticated beat 'em up game.

However, it does call to attention the limits of genre labels and vagueness of the term 'adventure'.

that just literally made my stomach twitch.

my opinion, but the combat system was just a way to settle disputes (as most story based games have to have, Final fantasy for example has turn based battles)

but yeah, the sentence in bold could not clash more with my opinion, and i'm sure many more fans of the game would agree with my view.

the easiest way to classify the game if you had to, would be to say it's is a story and character based RPG that prided it self on atmosphere and detail, and happened to have a few (very few) QTEs and a (not very often used) real-time combat system.

[thejobloshow]

Originally Posted by Idrisguitar

my opinion, but the combat system was just a way to settle disputes (as most story based games have to have, Final fantasy for example has turn based battles)

Yeah, perhaps I'm breaking down the game too much.

It's so rare to see a game like Shenmue that has a vastly open world but also incorporates very narrow arcade style mechanics like the Quick Time Events. It's a very stark contrast and perhaps it belongs in a category of its own like cinematic sandbox, arcade adventure or something similar.

[TiAgUh]

It's a chores game cause that's basically what you do, one after another, either to earn a few bucks, train or move the story along. I still have nightmares from the forklift race.

[Trickless]

Shenmue has different genre characteristics thrown together (action, adventure, simulation), but yeah i probably would lean towards it being an RPG.

I believe that was the original intention to begin with anyway. Sega wanted Yu Suzuki to create a killer/big hit RPG for their console, so he came up with Shenmue.

[DustyShinigami]

I've heard and read a lot of good things about Shenmue. I hope that HD re-release comes out soon.

[Idrisguitar]

me too, so desperate to play the games again, in hd on a new console would stop me from worrying about my DC discs from scratching and breaking

[Monolith]

Never play them. Tried a Dreamcast emulator on the pc, but it ran like S*** and didn't look at all like its original version. Can't wait for a superior HD version.

[Dan_Dan_91_07]

Originally Posted by orient

With the imminent HD re-releases of Shenmue I & II on XBLA/PSN, hopefully more people will get to experience one of the most ambitious series in the history of the medium.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

I was going to buy a DC and everything just to play these, but you've just made me aware of this awesome news! Wow, an HD update too...

Edit: Interesting trivia - No. 1 and 2 were the most expensive games of their time.

Also, yeah - I class it as a RPG from everything I have read about it and watching it being played.

[donatelli]

Originally Posted by Trickless

Shenmue has different genre characteristics thrown together (action, adventure, simulation), but yeah i probably would lean towards it being an RPG.

I believe that was the original intention to begin with anyway. Sega wanted Yu Suzuki to create a killer/big hit RPG for their console, so he came up with Shenmue.

Shemue is far from an RPG in the classical sense. Sure, you are heavily submerged in your role as Ryo, but it offers nothing that would classify it as one. It is through-and-through an Adventure game I'd say. You could get away with calling it and Action-Adventure (though I'd prefer Adventure-Action.) It's all about finding information to advance the story, and experiencing the immersion in a highly-realized world. It can be tough to swallow for many, because of the seemingly mundane nature of everything. Personally, I love it because it's a reflection of the real-world, during a specific period of time. I feel as much a part of 1980's "suburban" Japan as I should when playing it.

Originally Posted by Monolith

Never play them. Tried a Dreamcast emulator on the pc, but it ran like S*** and didn't look at all like its original version. Can't wait for a superior HD version.

When did you last play them on said emulator? They run fantastic now and look amazing. Just played through 1 a month or two back.

[LegendLongy]

Originally Posted by orient

With the imminent HD re-releases of Shenmue I & II on XBLA/PSN, hopefully more people will get to experience one of the most ambitious series in the history of the medium.

Oh my god... this is awesome. I loved this game on Xbox and was gutted when I discovered they weren't continuing the story. It's weird because the game had a huge cult following so why not continue it? Hopefully the game will be a success and they'll pull their finger and make Shenmue 3 (wishful thinking).

[Frogacuda]

I'd call it an action adventure since it's not really "pure", but it's definitely more adventure game than not.

[marvio]

Originally Posted by Monolith

Never play them. Tried a Dreamcast emulator on the pc, but it ran like S*** and didn't look at all like its original version. Can't wait for a superior HD version.

Dude, you can buy a dreamcast now for like $20! Do yourself a favor and get one, there are metric tons of good games for it.

Idrisguitar,

The dreamcast has no copy protection, aside from the disc format itself, which is very odd, but if you already own the game, the regular CD's ISO's are very easy to find, so you don't have to keep using your original

[Mikekelly]

Heck, I myself would call this a third person action game. It has boss fights and that's enough for me. But different sites define what is an adventure game differently. I've seen "Spirit Camera" for the 3DS listed as an adventure game. One website gave their adventure game of the year award to Zelda.

Whatever category you put it in, it is an amazing game.

[DGomezCM]

Originally Posted by Arial Type

This question has bothered me for a long time. But only recently I played Shenmue. I really enjoyed it, although the FREE gameplay wasn't as free as I hoped, and the story felt rather mediocre. Still the game is very innovative and has lots of potential. It wasn't defined as an ag - or any particular genre - in 1999. But what about today? The times have changed, the market too.

There were three major points that confused reviewers back in 1999:
1. There are no puzzles. But since when it was a problem? In 90's we had The Last Express and Blade Runner, in 00's - Fahrenheit and Dreamfall. None of them is harder than Shenmue. And there are puzzles of "person-hunting" type that are actually fun. There are even a couple of inventory puzzles to enjoy.

2. It relies on QTE heavily. True, there are QTE moments, especially in the third part. Shenmue is even credited with inventing the modern QTE. But it's only a minor part of the game and is nothing compared to the tortures of Heavy Rain and Fahrenheit.

3. There is combat. Again, until the third part you don't think much of it. But there are about 8 fights, and all of them could be won with just 2-3 effective moves. The only trouble for me were the two final bosses. And by "trouble" I mean I had to fight them twice. While fighting (and forklift racing, yeah!) might be considered an important part of the gameplay, there are Dreamfall and L.A. Noire that share the same fate with Shenmue.

There are some standard puzzles, although they're not integral in Shenmue. The whole process of unlocking the secret entrance to the dojo basement is what I'd classify as a puzzle in the game.

There's also certainly more than 8 fights, but that's a good thing

Originally Posted by donatelli

Shemue is far from an RPG in the classical sense. Sure, you are heavily submerged in your role as Ryo, but it offers nothing that would classify it as one.

The progression of your fighting moves is an element that I would consider to have the essence of an RPG game. As you continually practice and battle against enemies/Fuku-san, your moves improve and become more effective (with some even taking on a different form if mastered).

I wouldn't define Shenmue as an RPG myself, but I certainly wouldn't begrudge anyone else from doing so

[millenia]

I considered it as an action-adventure or vice versa. A decade ago I wouldn't have thought of Shenmue when talking about adventure games but thanks to some interesting and different adventure titles it now sits perfectly into the genre.