- Joined
- Sep 3, 2018
- Favourite title
- Shenmue
- Currently playing
- Rise of the Ronin
I see both 1 & 2 as simply just chapters in one grand story. Asking me which I prefer is like asking me which child is my favorite and that's something I can't do. Both games have their own strengths and weaknesses so they balance each other out.
Shenmue 1 has a more intimate feeling to it than Shenmue 2 does. I actually enjoy the slower pace because it gave me time to take everything all in and felt very similar to traditional Japanese cinema. I like how the game was also more detailed in that you could interact more with the environment or how characters had set schedules. I love how the arcade minigames actually pass time and the ability to train your moves and grow stronger with them. Characters like Guizhang, Nozomi, Iwao, and Lan-Di all left a strong impression on me. Finally Shenmue 1 told the entirety of Chapter One of Suzuki-sama's story and gave a wonderful sense of completeness.
Shenmue 2 feels like a better "game" overall because you're given much more to do compared to one. Shenmue 2 feels like a genuine wuxia film and shows how naive Ryo truly is in the world. The highlights for me though is the stronger emphasis on martial arts philosophy compared to the first game. The four Wude, catching leaves, focusing on the "minds eye" really nails it home. Also, the time spent with Shenhua is some of the best writing I've seen in a video game. After an extremely action packed journey through Kowloon it's nice to catch my breath again. It shows that Shenmue 2 still takes the time to be contemplative and have you absorb the deep atmosphere. And finally characters like Ren, Xuying, Joy, Shenhua, and Fangmei left just as strong of an impression as characters like Guizhang and Nozomi.
Where each game falters is that one has less stuff to do and had less options from a "gaming" perspective while two feels too streamlined and less detailed overall. Shenmue 2 also took several chapters and spliced together various elements from each of them so it feels less whole.
So at the end of the day I find both games to be masterpieces that have their strengths and weaknesses.
Shenmue 1 has a more intimate feeling to it than Shenmue 2 does. I actually enjoy the slower pace because it gave me time to take everything all in and felt very similar to traditional Japanese cinema. I like how the game was also more detailed in that you could interact more with the environment or how characters had set schedules. I love how the arcade minigames actually pass time and the ability to train your moves and grow stronger with them. Characters like Guizhang, Nozomi, Iwao, and Lan-Di all left a strong impression on me. Finally Shenmue 1 told the entirety of Chapter One of Suzuki-sama's story and gave a wonderful sense of completeness.
Shenmue 2 feels like a better "game" overall because you're given much more to do compared to one. Shenmue 2 feels like a genuine wuxia film and shows how naive Ryo truly is in the world. The highlights for me though is the stronger emphasis on martial arts philosophy compared to the first game. The four Wude, catching leaves, focusing on the "minds eye" really nails it home. Also, the time spent with Shenhua is some of the best writing I've seen in a video game. After an extremely action packed journey through Kowloon it's nice to catch my breath again. It shows that Shenmue 2 still takes the time to be contemplative and have you absorb the deep atmosphere. And finally characters like Ren, Xuying, Joy, Shenhua, and Fangmei left just as strong of an impression as characters like Guizhang and Nozomi.
Where each game falters is that one has less stuff to do and had less options from a "gaming" perspective while two feels too streamlined and less detailed overall. Shenmue 2 also took several chapters and spliced together various elements from each of them so it feels less whole.
So at the end of the day I find both games to be masterpieces that have their strengths and weaknesses.
Last edited: