Shenmue 1 & 2 Reviews
A weird, beautiful, melancholy martial arts adventure. Flawed, but an unforgettable, singular experience.
Yu Suzuki's classics remain as unique and fascinating today as they ever were, if you can tolerate the painfully slow pacing and wooden dialogue.
As a person that didn't play Shenmue when it was new, I found it a very difficult game to come back around to with its awkward controls and plodding nature. The second game is faster and more giving with its content, which makes for a better game and the highlight of the package. Slavish fans of the original will find this a workmanlike repackage of the original games. Modern audiences, though, will still have to overlook some serious rough edges to find out what the big deal is.
It doesn't make the games feel modern, but that likely isn't the point. This HD remaster is mainly here to provide fans with a new way to play some of their favorite games. I can't fault Sega too much for wanting to stick true to the original vision of Shenmue. If you were worried about compatibility issues or crashing, then you can rest easy. These ports are fine.
As far as nostalgia goes, plenty of aging gamers will fall for Shenmue's shonky charms all over again, and revisiting Ryo's tale of revenge can be a deeply enjoyable experience. However, newcomers will face an uphill struggle to get past the poor controls, terrible English voice acting and grinding repetition. It's still a great primer for the third game, but only if you've been here before.
A no brainer for fans of classic gaming. It hasn't aged well in some facets and the port is a bit lazy, but it still offers an unique experience.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Shenmue is still a great game. A masterpiece in art direction. It's emotions,
Review in Italian | Read full review
A strong port and the best way to play these flawed yet brilliant classics
An couple of outstanding adventures almost 20 years ago that are coming almost untouched... That's a good and a bad thing at the same time. If you are an old school gamer that's looking for reliving the original experience it's perfect, but the games are getting old to be as entertaining as they were.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
As someone who's been waiting so long to play them once again, and knowing Shenmue III is on the horizon, playing the original games on current gen and PC is something you should certainly do because they provided so many firsts for video games.
Yes, it looks a little shiner and it is of course the first time the two games have been available as a collection on a console that isn't the Dreamcast (Shenmue II was ported to the original Xbox) but if you have never played these games before, expect a little resistance. It may also be worth holding on a little while and picking it up in an inevitable future sale. Alternatively, if these do not sound like your cup of tea it may be worth taking a look at the Yakuza 0/Kiwami games as these seem to be the natural advancement of Shenmue, with many considering them to be representative of what would have been if Shenmue had been able to continue as a franchise.
For those who have fond memories of Shenmue I & II, these ports will allow you to revisit and experience why you fell in love with them.
Shenmue I & II divided players and critics on the Dreamcast, and will continue to do so on the PlayStation 4. These games are an acquired taste, but there's nothing quite like them, and if you can overcome some of their more awkward idiosyncrasies, you'll be rewarded with a set of revolutionary sandboxes that impress even today. The ports are let down by a handful of recurring bugs, but are otherwise presented authentically, and while the voice acting is no less embarrassing today, there's a charm to both the script and performances that can be endearing to an open mind. There's no question that these titles deserve their place in the annals of gaming history – but whether you'll love them or loathe them will ultimately come down to personal taste.
Shenmue is always Shenmue, a milestone in the video games history that deserves to be rediscovered, despite the original limits and those brought by the ages passage.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Sega have done these classic titles a service by re-releasing them in the original form and resisting the temptation to tamper. Surely as divisive now as they were nearly 20 years ago, Shenmue I & II are not just a great primer for the forthcoming threequel, but also a great opportunity to experience one of gaming's most pioneering series. Welcome back Shenmue, I have missed you dearly.
This Shenmue 2 is a title that borders on excellence, but once again we find the immense obstacle of a remastering that has failed to live up to the legend.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Shemue I & II look like old games but they’re being sold as exactly what they are – a revisit into one of gaming’s most seminal and ground-breaking experiences.
Shenmue I & II collects Sega's classic open-world games and gives them modern touches. The titles feature fun combat and quirky humor, but they also suffer jarring pacing issues.
After years of waiting, Sega finally delivered the Shenmue experience we deserve. Although it's clunky and a little dated, the series holds up incredibly well after nearly 20 years.