Random Shenmue Thoughts

Thomasina said:
Excellent. I would like to make one of those for my front or backyard someday. You ever seen one in real life, Switch?
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Yes occasionally, in public Japanese gardens, and they're just as relaxing as shown in the game. They're not too hard to make either if you have access to bamboo - I made one when I was a kid!. Just need to get the balance right.
 
I just caught myself yet again... I was gulping down a bottle of coke and exclaimed "Ah, good!" while holding the bottle like Ryo.

I always do this when I gulp down a coke fast.
 
I'm sure many others are the same, but today is the 20th anniversary of playing Shenmue for the first time <3

I can barely remember what I did last week, but this memory is permanently sealed in my memory!!
 
bcdcdude said:
I'm sure many others are the same, but today is the 20th anniversary of playing Shenmue for the first time <3

I can barely remember what I did last week, but this memory is permanently sealed in my memory!!
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How old were you, if I might ask?
 
bcdcdude said:
I was 15! A grand Christmas it was too (I still have my Samba De Amigo with maracas too!)
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Did you get a new pipe, pair of slippers, and a crate of Werther's Original today, old man?
 
ShenGCH said:
Did you get a new pipe, pair of slippers, and a crate of Werther's Original today, old man?
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Well...I did get a new pair of slippers. You might be interested to know that I wear a lot of tweed and live in the countryside. In other words, stop spying on me!!

Now I need a nap before finishing a Chilean avant-garde film directed by a 90 year old shamanistic polymath~
 
I think the worst scenario in the first game is the game of chicken Ryo engages in against the Mad Angels chasing the old homeless guy. What are the chances a motorcycle gang is going to lend you their motorcycle in a game of chicken with the likelihood of the bike getting wrecked?

I think that's the only scene where I'm completely detached due to disbelief. Everything else is fine and fun, but this one is awful.
 
Just started my annual Shenmue 1 + 2 playthrough and am once again reminded just how bad the pacing is at the beginning of the first game. I’ve just finished waiting 4 in game hours for the bar to open and am now waiting a full in game day for Tony and Smith to show up.

I get that the idea was for players to explore while they wait, but when you just want to get through the game as quickly as possible it’s incredibly frustrating. It’s not too difficult to see why some people didn’t enjoy the first Shenmue game. Thanks heavens for the wait functionality in subsequent games!
 
I love the slow pace of the game, in my opinion Shenmue Games are relaxing, i prefer to play Shenmue games in a slow way,

Shenmue games is like therapy for me, Shenmue even helps me dealing with my mother’s death and other problems in my life, i can really feel Yokosuka and the characters, i just love hanging around in Yokosuka, talking with the characters (every character is so unique) seeing how Megumi and the kitten is doing, feeding the kitten, buying cassette tapes to complete the collection, trainning, maybe calling to Nozomi, buying capsule toys, living Ryo’s life, seeing the change in the weather, listening to the animals making noise and seeing a dog passing by, hearing the music and much more, there are so many details in the game.

It is like i’m there in that place, it is something so unique and special for me, and i never experienced this feeling in any other game series, and when Ryo is leaving Yokosuka is so emotional because we got the chance to really get to know Yokosuka and the characters, it is just amazing for me.
 
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Hiki said:
I love the slow pace of the game, in my opinion Shenmue Games are relaxing, i prefer to play Shenmue games in a slow way,

Shenmue games is like therapy for me, Shenmue even helps me dealing with my mother’s death and other problems in my life, i can really feel Yokosuka and the characters, i just love hanging around in Yokosuka, talking with the characters, seeing how Megumi and the kitten is doing, feeding the kitten, buying cassette tapes to complete the collection, trainning, maybe calling to Nozomi, buying capsule toys, living Ryo’s life, seeing the change in the weather, listening to the animals making noise and seeing a dog passing by, hearing the music and much more, there are so many details in the game.

It is like i’m there in that place, it is something so unique and special for me, and i never experienced this feeling in any other game series, and when Ryo is leaving Yokosuka is so emotional because we got the chance to really get to know Yokosuka and the characters, it is just amazing for me.
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Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I love to relax and soak in every minuscule detail in a Shenmue playthrough. Lately, however, I find that I rarely have the time to play video games and so had hoped to play through both Shenmue 1 & 2 in a single day as for once I have absolutely nothing else to do. Obviously the game has other ideas (I’m now waiting for the tattoo parlor to open).

Id like to think that most people will explore during the downtime on their first playthrough, but taking away the option to progress doesn’t seem like a good way of encouraging that. In that respect, I’d find it hard to argue that it’s good game design. I think the sequel does a much better job in this regard thanks in large to the wait function although looking back at my experiences with Shenmue III, I do think it takes a small step backwards.

Choice is never a bad thing in video games and, as a series, Shenmue does have a habit of making a lot of those choices for the player. Designing a game that is better played at a slow pace is all well and good, but forcing players to slow down only runs the risk of alienating them. I know that I could be doing other things rather than standing outside the door to the tattoo parlor until 14:00 but I don’t want to because I’ve done it all a thousand times before.
 
tomboz said:
Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I love to relax and soak in every minuscule detail in a Shenmue playthrough. Lately, however, I find that I rarely have the time to play video games and so had hoped to play through both Shenmue 1 & 2 in a single day as for once I have absolutely nothing else to do. Obviously the game has other ideas (I’m now waiting for the tattoo parlor to open).

Id like to think that most people will explore during the downtime on their first playthrough, but taking away the option to progress doesn’t seem like a good way of encouraging that. In that respect, I’d find it hard to argue that it’s good game design. I think the sequel does a much better job in this regard thanks in large to the wait function although looking back at my experiences with Shenmue III, I do think it takes a small step backwards.

Choice is never a bad thing in video games and, as a series, Shenmue does have a habit of making a lot of those choices for the player. Designing a game that is better played at a slow pace is all well and good, but forcing players to slow down only runs the risk of alienating them. I know that I could be doing other things rather than standing outside the door to the tattoo parlor until 14:00 but I don’t want to because I’ve done it all a thousand times before.
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I understand and respect your opinion. For people that don't want to wait it should have been in the game the option to skip this wait time, options for all types of players is a good thing,

For me the wait time is not a problem because i really love to play Shenmue games in a slow way.

Even in the work part (forklift) that we have to work everyday in the game is like a therapy for me, and when the work part is over and Ryo lose the job i even miss the forklift part, is just how i feel when i play the game, is like i’m in some kind of therapy, relaxing.
 
Hiki said:
I understand and respect your opinion. For people that don't want to wait it should have been in the game the option to skip this wait time, options for all types of players is a good thing,

For me the wait time is not a problem because i really love to play Shenmue games in a slow way.

Even in the work part (forklift) that we have to work everyday in the game is like a therapy for me, and when the work part is over and Ryo lose the job i even miss the forklift part, is just how i feel when i play the game, is like i’m in some kind of therapy, relaxing.
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I don’t have any issues with the forklift section at all as not only does it play an important part in the game’s narrative, but it also involves the player doing something. Not only that, but the story continues to unfold around Ryo’s working days and - as you say - they can also be quite relaxing.

I can see why some people might not like the forklift section though although wouldn’t really put it in the same bracket as the waiting sections due to the latter being entirely passive. Moreover, the latter’s positioning so early in the game completely kills the momentum before it really has a chance to get going. It might be realistic, but it does very little to improve the Shenmue experience and arguably detracts from it.
 
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