Shenmue 1 & 2 Reviews
Shenmue 1+2 is the best way to either acquaint yourself with or revisit this legendary saga, especially before the looming release of Shenmue 3 in 2019.
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.
And hey, any game that can be described as Virtua Fighter meets The Sims, set in Japan during the 1980s, always will.
As a series that has a huge legacy and influenced many games since its release, Shenmue hasn't managed to age that well. The awkward control scheme takes some time to get used to, and there are some unfortunate bugs that seem to hit hard enough to ruin the experience, but the story still has a lot of heart and charm to make you care enough to finish it.
Despite the technical issues with the game, it still a great gaming experience and worth the try
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Shenmue I & II brings the Dreamcast classics to a new audience as well as those nostalgic for the old days. They are still fun, exciting games even with a few quirks due to their age and are well worth playing in 2018.
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.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.