November 29, 1986: Ryo Hazuki comes home to witness a gang leader beating his father to death. Being the good son and martial artist that he is, Ryo steps in to defend his daddy, only to get the stuffing beaten out of him. Ryo's knocked out, his dad's dead, and Lan Di - the gangster - rides off into the sunset with the dragon mirror. What is the dragon mirror? Why did Lan Di kill Hazuki-sensei? Will Ryo exact revenge on the evil Lan Di? For the answers to these questions, you'll have to play Yu Suzuki's gift to the children of the 21st century, Sega's Shenmue. However, if you want to know if you'll enjoy the experience en route to these aforementioned answers, keep reading.
At the outset, Shenmue appears to be a run-of-the-mill role-playing game. You wander around, search for items, talk to people, and gather clues - all in an effort to track down the elder Hazuki's killer. Appearances can be deceiving, though - especially when a game packs a development budget of $70 million. Utilizing the revolutionary FREE (Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment) system, Shenmue attempts to combine a number of tried-and-true gameplay elements with previously unseen levels of realism and a first-rate story of loss, love, and betrayal. These elements fall under four categories: FREE Quest, FREE Battle, Quick Timer Events, and minigames.
The FREE Quest system is the main portion of the game, where you'll spend hours interacting with people, places, and things throughout Shenmue's five gorgeous environments. Within each town, you can talk to every human inhabitant, examine every object, knock on every door, and explore every shop - all while time passes, seasons change, and weather intrudes with an amount of graphical splendor bordering on real life. On the positive end of things, splashing through mud puddles, interacting with friends, and gathering clues is fun and easy. On the negative side, though, there's not enough interstitial interaction. You can knock on every apartment door, but no one ever answers. You can enter every open shop and restaurant, but you can never order food or buy items. The only exceptions to this are three convenience stores, a gambling house, and a video arcade. In many ways, FREE Quest feels like an old style text adventure, albeit filled with appointments and curfews.
As you gather clues to Lan Di's whereabouts, random interruptions in gameplay called Quick Timer Events will erupt from time to time. These QTEs, which are similar to the quick-response games found in Beatmania and Dragon's Lair, require split-second controller responses to hazardous stimuli. If an opponent attacks from the left, you'll be tapping right, but if you need to punch, you'll be hitting A, and so on. These random interruptions are neat, but they're far too underutilized to reach their full potential. As such, they're more of an aggravation than anything else, especially since they tend to lead into long FMV sequences. The first disc is thankfully light on QTEs, but you'd better get used to them - by disc three you'll be experiencing at least one per Shenmue day.
The other main gameplay element is known as FREE Battle, and it's basically a play on Sega's Virtua Fighter. Mad Angel gang members wander onscreen or attack suddenly, challenging Ryo. Using the controller, you need to execute punches, kicks, and assorted melee moves in order to vanquish your foes. Should you succeed, an FMV sequence or the chance to talk to someone awaits. Should you fail, well, you'll just try again, because outside of one instance, you can't truly fail in Shenmue. The FREE Battle system is decently executed, but it's hampered by tedious practice requirements and a lack of skilled opponents. Other than Chai, a sickly kung fu expert, each of the game's opponents is easy to defeat. Worse than this, however, there are just never enough battles. Should you beat Shenmue, you'll have participated in approximately 20 hand-to-hand combat situations, the majority of which occur on the third disc.
The game also includes a number of minigames, such as Hang On, darts, and Space Harrier. Each of these minigames will prepare you for tasks later in the game, and they also provide a decent diversion from some of the game's more tedious time elements. As a bonus, you can even win Hang On and Space Harrier CDs within the game to play on Ryo's Sega Saturn at the Hazuki residence. There's also a Pokémon-inspired collecting aspect to consider, as you can acquire a number of toys and trinkets to add to Ryo's collection of knickknacks. Frankly, it's a darn good thing Shenmue has these diversions, because there's a dark side to consider with all of the aforementioned realism.
When you get right down to it, waiting for appointments, running errands, and circulating back and forth between towns is one of the most tedious things about human life. Ryo's father is dead, and as the person in charge of finding the killer, you also assume the restrictions of his life. Ryo wakes up at 8:30am and must be in bed by 11:30pm. This gives you 15 hours per game day to talk to people, hunt down clues, and make progress. However, some people only appear at certain times of the day, while others require that you make appointments to see them. Since each hour within the game takes roughly five minutes to pass, it's not uncommon to find yourself with 30 minutes to waste. The minigames and martial arts training elements help, but after three discs, these things become boring as well. By the time you're driving forklifts and participating in the game's QTE-filled conclusion, hours upon hours of boredom will have taken their toll. Exacerbating the situation, disc one is mostly exposition and disc two mostly gallivanting about, while disc three contains the brunt of the game's true gameplay elements.
Supporting the game's thick story and haphazard gameplay, Shenmue's music is a true example of greatness - an example that can't be mentioned enough. Yu Suzuki and his team have come up with one of the best soundtracks ever included in a home video game. On the other hand, the game's voice acting is laughably random. The Shakespearean-caliber performances of the elder Hazuki, Fukuhara, Goro, and Nozomi are to be lauded, but the Ryo character's voice work lacks emphasis and reliability. The boy is stiffer than wood, his emotions are unbelievable, and the way he dryly reacts to Nozomi and Tom's departures is nothing short of heartless. Also, hearing the cadre of Shenmue's children mutter "Hey mister, wanna wrestle?" or "Hi... there... I want... to... play... Mister" gets old pretty quickly. Despite these problems, however, one can't deny that the game's gorgeous visuals and emotion-filled story make it worth experiencing, even if there's a five to one ratio of cutscenes to gameplay.
Perhaps the best feature of Shenmue isn't the game itself, but the Shenmue Passport disc that comes with it. In addition to the copious Internet-related features it boasts, the Passport disc also allows you to view a number of gameplay tutorials and promotional videos, as well as listen to all of Shenmue's wonderfully orchestrated score. Traversing through the tutorials is highly recommended - even more so than reading the manual - but your visit to the Shenmue Passport needn't end there. As you progress through the game, you'll unlock the ability to listen to more music tracks and view more cinema scenes. If you've got your Dreamcast hooked up to the Internet, you can even trade knickknacks, view game statistics, and register your high scores online. Oddly, however, you can't view your inventory or game statistics on the Passport disc without first logging onto the Internet. It's a bit of a bummer, too, since there's really no decent technological reason for it.
Just like the summer letdown D2, Shenmue is not for everyone. It's a game rich in story, visuals, and environmental stimuli, but light on overall gameplay. Fans of whodunits and RPGs will take quicker to the game's overall premise, but there is enough to please the casual gamer as well. Indeed, while Shenmue is revolutionary, the game is far from perfect. Its QTEs aren't as cool as Dance Dance Revolution's, its fighting isn't as diverse as Virtua Fighter's, and the game's main quest is overwrought with contrived situations. Regardless of its many shortcomings, though, Shenmue is an adventure worth experiencing - provided you have the time to invest.
Editor's note: The preceding review is a re-evaluation of Shenmue on GameSpot - the original score overlooked certain significant features that, after consideration, invalidated the original score that the game received. GameSpot regrets the error.
Discussion
To me it is THE best game of its time and my favorite game of all time. (Period Period Period).
This review seems written in the perspective of a hardcore COD gamer. We can't have insanely detailed, story-driven, slow paced AAA games like this anymore because of mainstream gaming. The industry has regressed as casual gamers saturated the market during the xbox/ps2/cube era. Look at the sh*t ps4 and xbox one launched with. No one innovates anymore. Maybe in unique indie side scrollers, but not AAA titles!
"... hours upon hours of boredom will have taken their toll..."
Somebody had ADHD I guess?
I'm glad that Gamespot is more mature now, and can appreciate careful pacing and unique gaming aspects.
Only a 7.8? No wonder since this is the same guy that reviewed Super Metroid and only gave it an 8.5 instead of the 10 it so deserves.
I still can't believe the overwhelming popular opinions for this shitty ass game. It's easily the most overrated video game in history. Shenmue was the dullest thing ever made. Frank Provo's review was EXACTLY on target. If you know the history of the review score debacle, this game was originally given a 6.8, but pressure from SEGA led to them changing the score, which has only happened twice on Gamespot --the other being EVE Online. Shenmue fans are in denial that this was a piece of shit. Get your heads out of your butts! It sucked.
I bought this game on my Dream cast about 12 years ago and loved it. I though it was awesome how you could go in to a cafe/game shop and play space harrier on the arcade machines lol!!!
Every so often, a game is released that redefines a genre or gaming in general and I'd have to say that Shenmue is one of them. 12 years on, I still think of this game and that's worth more than a 7.8 alone.
this is one of those moments where the reviewers opinion got in the way of his job, and it ALWAYS happens on Gamespot, there is regularly a massive difference between scores from this site and scores from other sites. Look at the metacritic rating and the public rating for this one
this review sucked sooo much, Shenmue 1 and 2 are both 9.0+ games, they literally rewrote the book on action/adventure and open world story driven games. Shenmue 2 is probably my favourite game of all time followed closely by 1, they really dropped the ball on this review, who the hell is Frank Provo anyway?
"Good" lol... nice call, Gamespot.
I enjoyed playing this game and finished it like 3 or 4 times. This is one of the best games I have ever played, and even up to now I can't find a game that is as good as this one. I can't believe it received only a 7.8 when repetitive, boring and copycat games receive a rating of 8.5 to 9.0. It really is based on the gamer's taste.
It's definitely one of those game that defined how I view games today. Way too low of a score in my opinion.
not saying the game was perfect, because it wasn't, but 6.8? This game had higher production values than anything that came out in its time, still you gave 5/10 for gameplay? 5/10 means the game is BORING, and I still have to find a single guy who didn't enjoy this game. So yeah, most of the hate is well deserved, not because your points aren't valid, they are, but the score is still way too low for this game.
@s4dn3s5, Then read this and it will all fall into place: http://frankprovo.livejournal.com/568275.html
I can't believe that someone could have been disappointed by this game when it came out 12 years ago. This game was amazing
More like Shen-poo, am I right?
@MooncalfReviews Walking around town pressing A on every character you come across until you find someone who tells you to find someone else, who then sends you along somewhere else, who then insists that actually the person you want is actually the hot dog guy you already talked to etc. etc. etc. IS NOT careful pacing. It's dull tedium. Shenmue is a good game overall, but that is a totally legitimate complaint.
@ChiefFreeman People who call it "dull" don't get it, and never will, for the same reason you don't get opera or classical music or fine wine.
@ChiefFreeman You must be a "Shenmue overrated wiseguy" and you follow these rules:
-You never played Shenmue when it came out. You were playing mario games when it came out
-You never played anything from Sega before 2002.
-You don't like Sega.
-You never owned a Dreamcast.
-This game is not overrated. Yes, it has it's flaws and some of the game hasn't aged well, but it's still a classic.
-"Shenmue overrated wiseguy" - If you don't like this game, don't play it. And if others like it, respect their opinions.
@DCUltrapro If you look on metacritic, you'll see there is a massive difference between the highest and lowest score either way (unless the game is a beloved masterpiece), it shouldnt be surprising that sometimes Gamespot is one of them.
@DCUltrapro Shemue did nothing to rewrite the history action/adventure games, unless you think going through mundane, boring every day events in order to progress the story is fun. This game was garbage and Gamespot was the only site that saw it.
@DCUltrapro There was a lot of controversy around this review when it first came out. Frank Provo, who was a freelance reviewer for around 8 years (up to 2008), was under heavy fire from consumers as well as the SEGA employees working in the same building as Gamespot at the time. In fact, the review score was raised from 6.8 to 7.8 in response to the up roar, but no such score change has happened since then and have changed their policy towards reviewers.
@s4dn3s5 he gave it a 7.8 Anyways, yeah it's still too low for this game.
@Ripper_TV You can't trust someone's review because it is merely his/her opinion. We all have different likes/dislikes. For him Shenmue was no fun but for me it's enjoyable. I liked this game.
@s4dn3s5
This game was the greatest game iv ever played. You had to play it on release to appreciate how great it was.
@klarkash-ton
I think it is careful pacing, because it draws you into the fictional universe and makes you feel like you're in a real world, due to the fact that you don't find the answer you are looking for immediately (like you do in modern games). The game only starts off like that, and like all good fiction, builds into the action rather than thrusting it upon you before you even care about the characters or have a sense of the mythos.
If it's factually "dull tedium" then 100,000 people wouldn't still call Shenmue the greatest game ever made to this very day would they? Surely if it's undeniably boring, then it bores everyone. My point is, it's just a matter of taste. I PREFER slow paced things like Breaking Bad or The WIre. You might prefer something like Walking Dead or Dexter.
@ChiefFreeman yeah... no one else is gonna agree with you mate, some people like pathetic dance games, some people like FIFA, some people like COD, others like a game that has a story and unfolds in a realistic way, if you played it properly the game flowed perfectly with the story and "Mundane" as you put it being interspersed with action but hey, if you wanna be ignorant thats fine by me. If you don't like the game then fine, doesn't make it garbage, that's just your opinion
@backgreen4life I played the jap version almost 1 year before it comes out here, good enough for a day 1 I guess
@MooncalfReviews Breaking Bad isn't slow paced -- that is a terrible example, and I'm just assuming you're just namedropping legitimately good entertainment -- not matter how irrelevant to the discussion -- and trying to poison the well by pretending I like tripe The Walking Dead and Dexter. Not so.
As for The Wire, it had phenomenal dialogue and an authenticity to it that Shenmue (at least the US localization) couldn't even pretend to begin to aspire to. It's certainly possible to have a slow burn that is justified, as The Wire shows.
But Shenmue's dialogue isn't on par with "The Wire." It's barely up to "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" snuff. It doesn't justify its slow pacing because nothing is fleshed out in the end, all we get are terrible interactions like this:
Ryo: Have you seen any men wearing black suits? Did you happen to see a black car that day?
Nozomi: A black car?
Ryo: Yeah, it wasn't the kind of car you'd usually see around here.
Nozomi: You know, a car like that splashed mud on me when it sped past.
Nozomi: Why are you asking about that car?
Ryo: No reason.
Shenmue is a really good game despite all its issues -- a classic, even -- but let's not pretend those issues don't exist.
@klarkash-ton Oh I absolutely would not attempt to defend Shenmue's dialogue, because it's poorly translated. Very poorly. But we were talking about pacing, which is one of the things that not only sets Shenmue apart from other games, but also makes it a great game.
As for Breaking Bad, it's my favourite show, probably of all time. I would describe it's pacing as careful, just like Shenmue's. It has lingering, quiet episodes, and it has explosive episodes, and it isn't afraid to slowly build up to the action.
It's just a matter of taste though isn't it? I was absolutely emersed during the slow and "boring" moments of Shenmue, and you weren't.