|
|
 |
 Shenmue
AM2
Sega
Adventure
Dreamcast
Word has been that the adventure genre of gaming is a dying art.
Sales and title releases are incredibly slim. But with a recent
slew of great adventure titles slipping through in the past
two years including Alone in the Dark IV, Excape from
Monkey Island and the revered The Longest Journey, the
immense worlds of adventure have returned. But can this success be
equal on a console?
 Taking
the role of Ryo Hazuki, Shenmue is an epic story that takes
place during 1986 in a small harbor town in Japan. The game opens
as Ryo returns to his home, which is also a dojo that his father
runs. Ryo witnesses his father in an argument with a mysterious
man clad in Chinese garb. As his father and the mysery man fight,
Ryo watches as his father is killed in combat by the other
warrior. Shenmue is the story of how Ryo searches for
answers to his father's past and what he had to do with the
mysterious man. The story is as deep and expansive as the small
town that he lives in, and it doesn't end when you think it may.
Shenmue totally proves how much power the Dreamcast really
has. The city is expansive with hundreds of people in that Ryo can
interact with. Although some are more helpful than others, it all
adds to the feel of the story. Each character is beautifully
modeled complete with voice acting that is decent, but requires a
better script. For the cut-scenes, which use the game engine, it
plays like a movie as Ryo converses with the many people of his
town.
 There
is a number of things that make playing Shenmue a great
game. While you're waiting to meet up with somebody, or passing
the time before you actually have to do anything important, there
are countless ways that Ryo can waste his day. Thrown into the mix
are various vintage arcade games including Sega's Hang-On
and Space Harrier not to mention two different dart boards.
Also, there are vending machines that dispense little toys
featuring characters from Sonic, Virtua Fighter and
more. But I'm getting ahead of myself. There are a few different
ways that Shenmue varies from the standard, wander around
adventure game. Thrown into the game is a simple combat system
with dozens of maneuvers that Ryo can improve as the game
progresses. Not to mention the addition of "quick time"
which tests the player's reaction time by throwing Ryo into
situations where quick reflexes are the key.
Shenmue is the beginning of a great saga that has its
flaws, but also has its merits. A solid story, with an interesting
way to keep the player on their toes make the game totally
playable, not to mention the big money waster, playing arcade
games and buying stupid toys. Although Shenmue II won't be
making it to Dreamcast in America, it will be ported to XBox which
I will be looking forward to.
Final Verdict: 9/10
Shenmue |
 |
|
