Shenmue HD reviews and discussion

GYO6161 said:
Big surprise, he trashed it. God i hate gaming culture/community.
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I like his reviews and think they're really entertaining but I get why he doesn't like Shenmue, it really shouldn't surprise or annoy you guys. Shenmue definitely isn't for everyone, years of unsuccessfully introducing people to the game has taught me that.
 
Bambi said:
I like his reviews and think they're really entertaining but I get why he doesn't like Shenmue, it really shouldn't surprise or annoy you guys. Shenmue definitely isn't for everyone, years of unsuccessfully introducing people to the game has taught me that.
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It doesn't surprise me. It is pretty much what I expected. Like you say, Shenmue isn't for everyone, but it is still kind of sad and annoying that so many of these popular Youtubers say the game is bad. :(
 
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Gavan said:
It doesn't surprise me. It is pretty much what I expected. Like you say, Shenmue isn't for everyone, but it is still kind of sad and annoying that so many of these popular Youtubers say the game is bad. :(
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It's a very niche game, meaning to most people it IS bad... It is sad to see but don't be annoyed by people's different tastes. Some people can't stand how Shenmue operates and I get that, most of his points were valid. The actual annoying part to me is that all these youtubers panning Shenmue only bring up the first game and how boring and slow it is, completely ignoring it's sequel which in comparison is a totally different animal...
 
Those types of reviewers get more views when they slam sacred cows. I wouldn't take anything they say too seriously. I actually think those hyperbolic negative reviews make people want to check games like Shenmue out just for the irony factor. They make Shenmue look & sound so bad that I think kids want to check it out.
 
Plus when it comes to people like Yahtzee and Jim Sterling, trashing games is kind of their thing. These videos are entertainment first and factual second. It's more entertaining to criticise than it is to praise which is why they are so negative and often neglect positives from the second game (which would throw off the pacing and delivery of the piece).

I can't exactly blame Yahtzee for ripping into Shenmue when the whole point of Zero Punctuation is to be cynical and snarky. He heavily criticises most games he features (hamming it up for comedic effect), so Shenmue shouldn't get a free pass on that when hyperbole is such a huge part of his formula.

If you want an example of an ultimately negative review on Shenmue that's factual first (rather than entertainment), check out Dunky's review and you'll be able to see the difference. He fairly criticises certain elements whilst acknowledging the positives and the impact the franchise had on the industry. I actually think his review was really well done, despite it being rather critical.
 
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mjqjazzbar said:
I actually think those hyperbolic negative reviews make people want to check games like Shenmue out just for the irony factor. They make Shenmue look & sound so bad that I think kids want to check it out.
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Yeah I have seen some people in the comments of those videos say "I have to play this now just to see how bad it is" lol :rolleyes:
 
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Kodama said:
The actual annoying part to me is that all these youtubers panning Shenmue only bring up the first game and how boring and slow it is, completely ignoring it's sequel which in comparison is a totally different animal...
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To be fair that's an issue you'll run into when recommending Shenmue to anyone.

I'm sure there's a contingent of players (and reviewers) that would have a more favourable view of the series if they'd tried even a little of the second game but as a purist you're always going to recommend people play through the first game in its entirety before moving onto the second. The problem arises (in my experience at least) when people come to the end of the first game and haven't enjoyed it enough to move onto second despite your assurances that it's "better."

We have to consider that whilst it's frustrating they actually might be right in not doing so, would the faster paced more action orientated Shenmue II be as rewarding an experience if you didn't already have such a strong attachment to Ryo and his plight?

It's impossible to say for sure but we shouldn't forget that many of us absolutely loved the first game before the second was even released so maybe it really is as simple as "Shenmue's not everyone."

When you look at it from that point of view this community really is amazing.
 
Yeah, it's always amazed me that I'm not just crazy and others out there love these games as much as I do. At the end of the day, that's all that matters to me. I know they're not for everyone and that's fine. It's just good to know I'm not nuts for finding these weird little games so amazing.
 
mjqjazzbar said:
Yeah, it's always amazed me that I'm not just crazy and others out there love these games as much as I do. At the end of the day, that's all that matters to me. I know they're not for everyone and that's fine. It's just good to know I'm not nuts for finding these weird little games so amazing.
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I was happy up until 2015 thinking I was pretty much the only hardcore Shenmue fan in existance lol... So glad I was dead wrong though...
 
Bambi said:
We have to consider that whilst it's frustrating they actually might be right in not doing so, would the faster paced more action orientated Shenmue II be as rewarding an experience if you didn't already have such a strong attachment to Ryo and his plight?
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Actually, even without the Movie DVD, the simple digest trailer in the Dreamcast version did a good job of letting you in on the story and care about Ryo. Especially beginning in Hong Kong the steam really gets rolling. Also think, Yokosuka wasn't suppose to be so lengthy for an entire game. The slowed down pace and incredible details Yu Suzuki felt compelled to create for a revamped structure, but originally the games likely could've both been quite quicker like chapters 3-5, in my mind.
 
xatruio said:
Actually, even without the Movie DVD, the simple digest trailer in the Dreamcast version did a good job of letting you in on the story and care about Ryo. Especially beginning in Hong Kong the steam really gets rolling. Also think, Yokosuka wasn't suppose to be so lengthy for an entire game. The slowed down pace and incredible details Yu Suzuki felt compelled to create for a revamped structure, but originally the games likely could've both been quite quicker like chapters 3-5, in my mind.
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That sounds reasonable, there's definitely points in the game where the game is "gated" behind seemingly arbitrary time requirements.

This happens a lot in disc 3, one of the worst offenders being where Shozo (homeless man) tells you the Mad Angels can be found at night, the cutscene where you find them can only be triggered the following night.
 
Bambi said:
This happens a lot in disc 3, one of the worst offenders being where Shozo (homeless man) tells you the Mad Angels can be found at night, the cutscene where you find them can only be triggered the following night.
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Not quite - this only happens if you talk to Shozo straight after saving Mark outside Warehouse No. 17.
 
Not necessarily faster, but if you take your time day-by-day, event-by-event, then the night they show up could the same night if you simply don't do much besides gaming/trainging/collecting after Mark incident. Speaking to Shozo about it the next day won't make you wait 'til tomorrow if I recall.
 
I notice one thread about all the negative reviews...they never explore the depth of shenmue. It's always criticizing the games after skimming the surface levels. Yet most positive reviews usually comes from after a nice deep dive into & interacting w/ the ocean of deep game designs shenmue has to offer. To truly appreciate the sea that is shenmue...you gotta take your time to explore its complex ecosystems.:geek:
 
The Yakuza series is arguably the much more fighty natural evolution to Shenmue's schtick.
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The Grand Theft Auto series is arguably the much more crimey natural evolution to Mario Kart's schtick.
 
So tired of the Yakuza comparisons. Selfish but it makes me wish Yakuza never existed. Granted that will problably mean people will find another series to bash Shenmue but still. Ugh.
 
Let's not let our fandom delude ourselves, Yakuza is very much based off of Shenmue and is the modern casualized version of Shenmue 2. Shenmue 1 is a completely unique game that can't be compared to anything but Shenmue 2 is very much a primitive version of modern Yakuza games... It's still very unique of course but there are A LOT of similarities...
 
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