Game: Shenmue
Platform: Sega Dreamcast
I paid: $5 @ GameCrazy
In one word, Shenmue is different. Odds are, you've never played anything quite like it. At least not all at once. Shenmue makes use of a system called FREE, which stands for something I can't remember. It seemed pretty contrived, though. The word free, however, fits the feeling of the game very well. The entire world (as it is) is available to you nearly from the beginning of the game. Shenmue is immersive, and for its time, it was graphically impressive. It's not for everybody, however. You'll either love it or you'll hate it. I finished it this morning and I'm writing a review, so you can probably guess which camp I fall into.
Genre: I'm still not sure what genre Shenmue is. If I were stocking a game store, I'd probably put it in with the RPGs, but only because there isn't an "RPG/fighting/adventure (point-and-click style) section. RPG is the prevailing genre: there is a decent story, crummy voice acting, battles, and mini-games. The combat isn't your normal RPG fair though. Combat feels like a simplified version of Virtua Fighter, and the environment and serene (and slow) pacing remind me of old Sierra and LucasArts point-and-click adventure games. The mini-games are either ports of old Sega titles (Space Harrier and Hang On) or practice for Quick Timer Events.
Story: I think the story hung together very well, and I really liked the notebook that Ryo, the main character, takes notes in throughout the game. It all starts when Ryo comes home and witnesses his father's death at the hands of Lan Di. Ryo is consumed, and he vows to find Lan Di and avenge his father. The story goes from there, and it all seems fairly plausible (except for the forklift races, but they're fun so I'll let it slide).
Controls: The control scheme is absolutely terrible. I have a 3D environment and an analog stick. Why am I forced to move with the D-pad? My thumb naturally falls on the analog control, and movement would have felt much more natural. The ability to assign a figthing more to the R trigger seems handy, but why would I ever need to remember a combo if I can just assign my most powerful move to R? And why, oh why, did I pick up 90% of the items in my inventory? Either I missed every single optional thing in the game, or the player is allowed to pick up things at random to stow in his virtual pants. I'm fairly certain it's the latter, but I'd much prefer the former.
Combat: Half of it is great, half of it pissed me off. I love the Quick Timer Events (QTE). Virtua Fighter was never really my thing so I didn't really get into free battle. It was cool to battle in the same place I walk around and talk to people, but I quit fighting games when they entered the 3rd dimension. Free battle reminded me why. I execute moves in the wrong direction all the time. My fault: probably. Valid gripe: I think so.
QTE: I like the QTE so much that they get their own section. QTE makes cut scenes interactive. I can't stress enough how much this improves the game and the immersion. The scene is different depending on how good you are at QTE. You may escape a fight unscathed or you may take a punch to the stomach. You may follow the light skinned thug or the dark skinned thug. QTE makes interactive fiction more interactive. Other developers are taking note of this, too. RE4, God of War, and a boss fight in Sly Cooper all use QTE (or something similar to it).
Overall: Give it a shot if you've got a Dreamcast. I picked up my copy for $5 from GameCrazy. It's disc only, but I know I'll play it again.
7/10 - Above average, but not without its fair share of flaws
Platform: Sega Dreamcast
I paid: $5 @ GameCrazy
In one word, Shenmue is different. Odds are, you've never played anything quite like it. At least not all at once. Shenmue makes use of a system called FREE, which stands for something I can't remember. It seemed pretty contrived, though. The word free, however, fits the feeling of the game very well. The entire world (as it is) is available to you nearly from the beginning of the game. Shenmue is immersive, and for its time, it was graphically impressive. It's not for everybody, however. You'll either love it or you'll hate it. I finished it this morning and I'm writing a review, so you can probably guess which camp I fall into.
Genre: I'm still not sure what genre Shenmue is. If I were stocking a game store, I'd probably put it in with the RPGs, but only because there isn't an "RPG/fighting/adventure (point-and-click style) section. RPG is the prevailing genre: there is a decent story, crummy voice acting, battles, and mini-games. The combat isn't your normal RPG fair though. Combat feels like a simplified version of Virtua Fighter, and the environment and serene (and slow) pacing remind me of old Sierra and LucasArts point-and-click adventure games. The mini-games are either ports of old Sega titles (Space Harrier and Hang On) or practice for Quick Timer Events.
Story: I think the story hung together very well, and I really liked the notebook that Ryo, the main character, takes notes in throughout the game. It all starts when Ryo comes home and witnesses his father's death at the hands of Lan Di. Ryo is consumed, and he vows to find Lan Di and avenge his father. The story goes from there, and it all seems fairly plausible (except for the forklift races, but they're fun so I'll let it slide).
Controls: The control scheme is absolutely terrible. I have a 3D environment and an analog stick. Why am I forced to move with the D-pad? My thumb naturally falls on the analog control, and movement would have felt much more natural. The ability to assign a figthing more to the R trigger seems handy, but why would I ever need to remember a combo if I can just assign my most powerful move to R? And why, oh why, did I pick up 90% of the items in my inventory? Either I missed every single optional thing in the game, or the player is allowed to pick up things at random to stow in his virtual pants. I'm fairly certain it's the latter, but I'd much prefer the former.
Combat: Half of it is great, half of it pissed me off. I love the Quick Timer Events (QTE). Virtua Fighter was never really my thing so I didn't really get into free battle. It was cool to battle in the same place I walk around and talk to people, but I quit fighting games when they entered the 3rd dimension. Free battle reminded me why. I execute moves in the wrong direction all the time. My fault: probably. Valid gripe: I think so.
QTE: I like the QTE so much that they get their own section. QTE makes cut scenes interactive. I can't stress enough how much this improves the game and the immersion. The scene is different depending on how good you are at QTE. You may escape a fight unscathed or you may take a punch to the stomach. You may follow the light skinned thug or the dark skinned thug. QTE makes interactive fiction more interactive. Other developers are taking note of this, too. RE4, God of War, and a boss fight in Sly Cooper all use QTE (or something similar to it).
Overall: Give it a shot if you've got a Dreamcast. I picked up my copy for $5 from GameCrazy. It's disc only, but I know I'll play it again.
7/10 - Above average, but not without its fair share of flaws
