Stuff Shenmue Did That Most Games Don't Do Now

[Guppy]

ps: Yeah I know I am a super Shenmue fanboy, but I am not speaking out of Nostalgia. I did not play Shenmue before the year 2018 and I tried the famous open world games out before I played Shenmue. So I am rather objective because I tried the supposedly better games out before I tried out Shenmue.

Okay... So I guess there's that: Shenmue is the only series that allow its players to be super fanboys while at the same time be rather objective.

 

[Yokosuka]

The fun of trying to be in the right place at the right time to unlock a special event like an easter egg. Animal Crossing and Deadly Premonition are based on the same concept.

 

[BlueMue]

Shenmue takes hidden scenes even further than that, considering the bunch meant for players that struggle more than should ever be possible, practically locking them behind a massive stupidity vault door.

Very unfair but I like to mention it somewhere, so I leave it here: Shenmue is a bigger star of an era than any new game.
Since it came out in Japan a mere 3 days before the millenium, being cutting edge in every aspect, it is undeniable that Shenmue is the absolute pinnacle of 20th century gaming in experience and technology. This is rarely brought up for some reason.

 

[Zoltor]

Shenmue takes hidden scenes even further than that, considering the bunch meant for players that struggle more than should ever be possible, practically locking them behind a massive stupidity vault door.

Very unfair but I like to mention it somewhere, so I leave it here: Shenmue is a bigger star of an era than any new game.
Since it came out in Japan a mere 3 days before the millenium, being cutting edge in every aspect, it is undeniable that Shenmue is the absolute pinnacle of 20th century gaming in experience and technology. This is rarely brought up for some reason.

This is so true, although some special scenes go in the other direction as well, being nearly impossible to get(example is that QTE when first meeting Ren, no one's going to get it, unless they're a vet of the game, who knows when the prompt is going to popup, and what button to push before the button prompt even shows up). As far as I know, no games outside of the Shenmue franchise has ever done this within a single story path(not talking about things like stories that's break off that lead to multiple endings or things like that)

 

[Bule]

Shenmue allowed you to take a job as a forklift truck driver. Most games don't do that now.

Also running a Lucky Hit stand. These modern games don't let you manage your own Lucky Hit stand at all.

Two of my favourite parts of Shenmue - driving the forklift around the harbour shouting at people to get out of my way, and running a Lucky Hit stand, shouting at passersby to play the game so I can make some money.

Hmm. Maybe I just like shouting at people.

 

[Bule]

And let's not forget the telephone that actually forces you to dial numbers to call people. Most modern games when you call someone, you just press a button and it dials out. Not good ol' Shenmue

 

[Zoltor]

And let's not forget the telephone that actually forces you to dial numbers to call people. Most modern games when you call someone, you just press a button and it dials out. Not good ol' Shenmue

Yea that's definitely fairly unique, and such a awesome detail to have. These days a developer would never dare to add that type of detail(well except Elite Dangerous, but that was specifically designed with only the super hardcore in mind, so yea), because they would be afraid to scare away potential players.

 

[RyoHazuki84]

And let's not forget the telephone that actually forces you to dial numbers to call people. Most modern games when you call someone, you just press a button and it dials out. Not good ol' Shenmue

Yes, you even have a rotary dial at Ryo’s house or at the cigarette stand near the bus stop. These days, most games are modern and appropriately adopt the technology we have today, which is by no means a bad thing, but Shenmue takes you back to the good old days.

 

[ShinChuck]

Piggybacking on a lot of what's already been said, Shenmue's open world is still, I think one of the best there is, and a great example of "bigger isn't always better". Games like GTA are huge, but the worlds are heavily meaningless: there are only a few locales with genuine personality. Ditto for the NPCs: most of them really aren't even characters, they're just random polygons of little to no meaning beyond a few stars to your bounty, and a person you just saw in one place (and maybe inadvertently ran over) is going to appear dozens and hundreds of times throughout the game world.

These open worlds are fun playgrounds but with little connection to reality.

Shenmue's maps are relatively small by comparison. There are fewer buildings, fewer locales, and everything is grounded: you can't just plow over anyone in your path, have a chuckle, and move on. Everyone has a name and backstory, a schedule, a family, challenges they face, and a life, and the games both make sure you know that but without telling you everything--just like real life. Oftentimes Shenmue surprises you by letting you think you've learned something about a random NPC (this lady is just looking for a date, this guy is always drunk) only to further surprise you (she's actually looking for her lost sister, and he's just pretending to be a drunk for attention!)--if you're willing to dig even deeper.

It feels like a living, breathing world, not a vague video game approximation.

In Infamous or GTA, I remember events, but not places or anything more a handful of main characters. I can't think of any equivalent to the two I mentioned above, and those are only two of dozens of minor players in the Shenmue world that I could point to. Games like Skyrim edge closer with a world of named NPCs and their own schedules and lives, but even those are rarely fleshed out beyond a name, and the world still heavily populated by "Bandit Thug" or "High Elf". Even though I haven't given Shenmue I and II serious playthroughs in years, I could give you a tour of Dobuita or Wan Chai, tell you where the best shops are, and tell you all about the people I've met, because it feels like I lived in that world.