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I must be honest, I didn't think I'd find myself writing a review for a Dreamcast game. Then again, I didn't think I'd be this impressed by a console game. It wasn't so much the graphics that drew me in, but the storyline. I must say, this has to be one of the best storylines for a game I've ever come across. Plot twists a plenty in this game by Sega! Not to mention the many, many mini-games littered throughout the game... *drool*

Graphics: 9/10

Wasn't too impressed with the graphics in some aspects, but for a Dreamcast console game, the graphics are fairly nice. Lip-syncing is done fairly well, weather effects look like what they are supposed to, and the clip plane is of moderate size, so that you can't see a mile into the distance, but you can see a good distance ahead of you. Fighting moves are done well, moves flowing fairly fluidly into another.

Only REAL gripe I have is the hands and faces. They aren't GHASTLY, but they seem a little... flat. The hands look very nice, some being rough, some being smooth, however, I rarely see any actual finger movement, just fixed hands that seem to "magically" wrap around things and manage to hold on, even if it's by the very tips of a finger. As with the faces, they seemed a bit flat to me, but I liked the eye motions so I kinda disregarded the flat faces after a while. Overall, graphics are great for a Dreamcast console.

Audio: 9/10

Music. *drool* From the varieties that can be played in Ryo's own cassette player, to the suspenseful music of sneaking around illegally, after-hours in the warehouse district. Quite honestly, I never did tire of the music.

Sound effects are pretty nice too. Dramatic slamming/whooshing sounds when a powerful move is executed, dramatic falling sounds when an enemy slams into the ground, and other well done sound effects.

Only slight drawback I really found were the voices... they sounded a bit low-quality to me. Like fuzzy / too loud for the microphone they inserted the voices with. Otherwise, I found the sound to be well done.

Difficulty: 8/10

Great difficulty! Only thing I have a real gripe about is the fact that some events are excruciatingly difficult and you MUST complete them in order to get by. Personally, I haven't run into anything like that, but I've heard some horror stories.

Storyline progression is a bit slow at times, but it only seems to add to the realism of the game. Getting lost in a big docks district is annoying, but once you get your bearings again, you seem to be past the anger and know your way around better anyway!

Storyline: 10/10

To me, this is where Shenmue truly shines. This is only the beginning of the Shenmue saga, and it is a great beginning at that. The storyline progresses fairly flawlessly and seamlessly, new facts becoming known as you progress through the game, revealing past clues, hints, and questions.

For the sake of spoiling nothing, I will say no more than play this game at all costs!!! (well, almost all costs)

Gameplay: 9/10

Roleplaying Action Gameplay... at times it gets boring when you are constantly running and trying to find information for 9 hours (game-time), but that's what you can expect in a lot of role-playing / mystery games: Getting stuck. So, if you have a gripe about that, quit complaining and play a different genre.

Controls take a bit of getting used to, from basic running around to driving a forklift i- (horn honks, blasting out the sound of the spoiler). After a while, you'll get used to it.

Quicktime events... *shudders of joy and exasperation* You'll learn to love them and dread them. Luckily, you are able to practice in the arcade, which I personally found VERY helpful.

Collecting... "Gotta catch `em all!" *twitch* I can't count how many times I've wasted 5 days worth of allowance at the vending machine in front of the arcade, hoping for a new small collectible toy... *twitch twitch* Addicting, for me, but for you normal people... *shrug*

Arcade games... *thumbs up* Great diversion for when you get bored of the game!

Fighting system, takes a little bit of getting used to, but you'll get the hang of it in no time if you practice in courtyards or empty parks.

Overall, very enjoyable, save some annoying scenes.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

One simple word can sum up my feelings about this game: Enjoyable. If you like solving puzzles and progressing through a very deep storyline, this game is for you! If you absolutely hate roleplaying games, you might still be interested in the fighting sequences in this game, however there aren't really enough that might draw your attention if that's all you are looking for.

Only one thing that I really missed in this game... being able to eat the potato chips -.-;;.

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