Review of Shenmue

Shenmue (1999 Video Game)
9/10
Just a game?
27 March 2001
Shenmue is the closest a game has ever come to reality. The game's environment is fully interactable in a legal fashion (for example, you can't just barge into a house...you'll knock first). You can open ever drawer and closet in your house, buy and drink a soda, play in the arcades (with two full versions of old-school classics), raise a kitten, talk to every person, ride a motorcycle, and even take a part-time job with riding a forklift.

But that's not the main idea of Shenmue. Shenmue provides a progressing storyline that will keep you mystified and addicted to it's gameplay. In the process of gathering clues, you will go into fights that will play as a 3D fighting game, mostly like Virtua Fighter. The fights in the game are challenging and fun, with wonderfully animated moves that look like they belong in a kung-fu flick. There is also "QTE" (quick-time event) in which you must press a certain button in a certain amount of time. This may sound simple but is actually fun, and heart-pumping. These events are in the form of controlling a cinematic event within the game, and provides a better experience.

Shenmue is a game that may attract gamers and non-gamers alike. It's story, interactivity, logic, and fun makes a pure gaming experience. The game starts out a bit boring and slow, but soon afterwards, it begins to pick up pace and Shenmue then reveals it's shine.
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