Shenmue 1 & 2 Reviews
A carefully conserved milestone of the medium, inviting to a fascinating journey through time to the beginnings of modern game design.
Review in German | Read full review
These are not remakes of the original Shenmue games. We accept these ports as they are, flaws and all, because they have a wonderful and engaging story that has kept fans wanting more for 18 years.
Shenmue I & II gives players the opportunity to experience slightly updated versions of two of the all-time greatest games. Even though we would have loved for Shenmue I and II to get real remakes, both games still have a lot to offer to 2018 gamers. Very few titles can claim to be as immersive as Shenmue I and II and it's great to be able to dive into its universe once more. What could have been if the port hadn't been so lazy.
Review in French | Read full review
If you're looking forward to Shenmue III, this is the perfect time to brush up on the series.
As it stands, you get classics, and a hopeful outlook there is more to come in the third installment of the series.
Shenmue I & II is just a broken mess of former Dreamcast legends.
Review in Polish | Read full review
A missed opportunity to update a classic, resulting in a cynical bug-ridden release. Shenmue deserved better than this.
Yu Suzuki's magnum opus may still retain many of its core flaws, but this remains a series that is well worth experiencing for yourself.
Shenmue I & II are two great games that allow players to experience just before the sequel releases late next year. There might not be much for returning fans, besides nostalgia or as a refresher, but they're good enough for that to be more than enough. While I doubt many have played the original Dreamcast releases, the sequel likely piqued the interest of many. Sure, the game is two decades old and it has aged, but if you can get past the shortcomings, you are in for great storytelling and an enjoyable brawling experience. For a remastered release, it's the best one and certainly good enough to warrant a purchase.
Shenmue innovated in enigmatic ways that remain inspirational for today’s game designers. These games exude an unlikely warmth that maintains even when Ryo’s jumped by bad guys, clips his hand through a piece of scenery to buy a new toy, or is made to haul crates across dockyards opposite a grunting co-worker.
If it weren't for some technical aspects and mechanics held back by their age, Shenmue would be easy to recommend to just about anyone. So long as Shenmue 3 really adapts itself for the modern gamer while still remaining Shenmue at its core, it could be something incredibly special. After hearing about this series for so long (both through praise and criticism), I can safely say I am a believer in Shenmue and can't wait to play 3 next year.
When it comes down to it, Shenmue I & II are very much games that helped define the action and adventure genre of 3D games, meaning that for some, the titles, especially the first game, may feel dated, however, for those who can look past that, Shenmue I & II both offer some of the best in storytelling, atmosphere, and charm, that even some other contemporary titles fail to capture.
And hey, any game that can be described as Virtua Fighter meets The Sims, set in Japan during the 1980s, always will.
Shenmue I and II isn't a perfect collection, but it is the best overall way to experience two remarkable games.
Although Shenmue was initially released nearly two decades ago, the core concept about open-world is still inspiring even in nowadays, and the unique art style still deeply express the aesthetics of eastern culture. However, as a remastered game released in 2018, Shenmue 1&2 actually made very few progress in terms of graphics performance. Besides, the battle system and mission mechanics are still struggling with tons of problems. It might be too difficult for the new generation of players to get used to it.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Despite a lack of optimization in needed areas and some aspects of both games that haven't aged very well, this collection presents a good excuse to jump back into Shenmue 1 and 2, both of which remain inherently engaging games even today.
Whilst there are clear deficiencies in places, this is just due to the fact Shemue is an aged classic. But a classic it remains and whilst other games may have surpassed it from a open-world game point of view, there's never really been anything like Shenmue for nearly 20 years.
Shenmue is incredible- All open world games should be this good. Players hoping for a little more action and less Forklift Operating should check out the Yakuza series.
Shenmue 1 & 2 are two of the most influential videogames ever. The new generations of post-millennial can now discover the origin of the myth.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The first two Shenmue games are undeniably very important, but they fall just short of being great. They are undeniably unique, even all these years after their release, and the best thing that can be said about them is that they are interesting. It is a really fun world the games put forward, and it is great to explore and figure out where to go and what to do next. At the same time, though, they don't necessarily play that well, and they show their age in a lot of unfortunate ways. This is definitely more of an acquired taste, and it is probably best to say that these are better experiences than they are video games. They're worth checking out, particularly for someone that has fond memories of them on the Dreamcast, but be warned that there are some warts that need to be looked past before you dive in headfirst.