I will never forget how excited I was when I purchased my Dreamcast. I was at Florida State University, freshman year. Of course I used my rent money to buy it, but it was worth it. Going from a PlayStation to the Dreamcast was unbelievable. The graphics were amazing, plus who could forget the VMU? Picking my plays on my controller instead of the in-game screen in NFL 2K blew my mind. Yet and still, there will always be one game that will stay with me forever, and that game is Shenmue.

But why? Why was Shenmue such a special game to so many gamers? What made it different than most other games ever made? I think to answer these questions one must start from the basis behind the game.



Shenmue was an RPG/Action/Adventure/Open world game. That alone separates it from alot of games at the time, which was near the end of 2000. You played a guy named Ryo Hazuki who's father was killed over an ancient artifact. Ryo goes on a quest to find out why his father was killed as well as avenge his death. The story is fine, it's the actual gameplay that sets this title apart even to this day.

First of all, the graphics in Shenmue outdoes some titles out on the Xbox 360 right now; 9 years later. Faces in the game were realistic and the world itself was alive. Day and night really felt like different games, and even had quests set up around time. This is where Shenmue makes itself one of the most influential games of the new millenium: immersion.



You felt like you were Ryo. You woke up in the morning, picked up your allowance off the table your mom leaves you, then you head out into the city. You can talk to nearly everyone in the game, and it isn't just for fluff. People actually help you and give you clues to your father's death. When in town, there are shops that open and close, fruit vendors trying to make a buck, there is even an arcade room to play classic Sega titles! The world of Shenmue is the star of the game, and it kept you wanting to visit it over and over again.

Another key element of immersion is the story. Quests were based solely on Ryo trying to find out who killed his father, having you talk to various people around town. The key here is that many quests counted on you talking to a specific NPC, but that NPC would only be available at a certain time of day. So if its 9 in the morning but your NPC isn't expected to show up until 8pm at night, you have 11 hours to kill. What do you do during this time you ask? Whatever you want. You can work out in the dojo and learn new martial arts moves. Or you can hang out at home and play your Sega. Matter of fact, why not call your girlfriend and see what she's up to? Endless things to do in Shenmue keeps up that immersion into the game.



Immersion. The more you feel apart of the game, the more enjoyment there is to have. I won't even go into the Quick Time Events or the fighting sequences that were in the game, they were awesome as well and added to the immersion into Ryo and into finding your father's killer.

Shenmue set the standard for many games today. Yu Suzuki. the creator of Shenmue, raised the bar before there was even a bar! Games like Mass Effect, Grand Theft Auto IV, and even Half-Life 2 have taken something from Shenmue. Whether its the graphics, NPC interaction, or world immersion, Shenmue did this nearly a decade ago on a less powerful system. Unfortunately the Dreamcast went down the drain and so did Shenmue for the mass audience, many gamers are hoping for a re-vamped Shenmue for this gen. I am included.