![]() ![]() Ryo attempts to help, only to fall, and force his father to give in to Lan Di, revealing the location of a magical mirror in his possession. Ryo Hazuki arrives home just in time to find his father fighting for his life against the mysterious Lan Di, a Chinese warrior with seemingly supernatural ability. Of course, it’s easy to read that and come away with the impression that I’ve just described an incredibly boring time, and without the accompanying gameplay and story, you’d probably be right (though I know I spent a lot of time just following people around back then…). Allow yourself to be sucked in to the rhythm, and even now, I haven’t played anything quite like it. Individual items can be picked up and examined, regardless of their relevance to the game as a whole. In-game events would happen at specific times, meaning you needed to be in the right place at the right time, more or less. NPCs had schedules to follow, from opening said stores to popping to the local for a drink before stumbling home. Local shops had opening and closing times which were governed by the in-game clock. Those of us who did play it at the time will remember the sheer level of detail was revolutionary for the time, realistic characters and locales immersing you deeply in the simulation. Unfortunately, it didn’t manage to capture the audience at the time, and by the time the sequel was released, the writing was already on the wall for the Dreamcast. Presented as Sega’s grand masterpiece, years in the making and one of the most expensive games produced for the time, Shenmue had a hell of a lot riding on its shoulders. ![]() Sure, things have moved on significantly in the intervening 18 years (so…old…) but it’s clear to see that much like the ill-fated Dreamcast itself, Shenmue was ahead of its time. I have fallen in love all over again, at once marveling at the world presented before me while remember just how these games affected my gaming life for so long. Well, I can safely say that any hesitation I had that revisiting these seminal classics would in someway tarnish my memories of them, has been cast aside. ![]()
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