That game really made me feel like I was living in 80s Japan. Walking the streets, talking to anyone you wanted to, collecting toys, playing arcades, grabbing food and even working jobs. And to top it all off was there was pretty sweet fighting system in there too. The details of all the small nuances in the game, the fluid movements, tons of different actions, locations galore, even the change of time, seasons and scheduling events was such a brand-new concept at that time. That’s what you got with a 9-year developed game from Yu Suzuki. I was so engaged with the story being about the ultimate perfect age of around 12 years old to indulge in its tales, emotions and character interactions.
What if it wouldn’t work on my system? Also, why did GameStop have this random Pal copy? (I’ve never seen any other foreign copies at a GameStop since.) And it was a time when you couldn’t easily check your phone for quick answers. In fact, only rich kids would have had a cell phone then. And as the story goes, I never grabbed that copy. Bummer… In hindsight I wish I would have. Even at that price, it would have been much more worth it to play Shenmue 2 when it initially came out. Instead of having to wait for the Original Xbox version to come out later down the line. Which was cool that it did eventually make it state side. But by that time, the magic hour of really digesting that world had faded.
So we got a remastered, HD version of both Shenmue 1 and 2 coming out on both PS4 and Xbox One. Too bad not Nintendo Switch, maybe later down the line. That to me is always the best system for classic styled games. And having Shenmue on a cartridge would just be so bad ass! But whatever. I had to pre order the game anyways. A must. Even though I technically still own both Shenmue games. I just love supporting the idea of bringing back old games.
With Shenmue I wonder if the small things of interacting in the world, working a job and running from contact to contact might seem a bit tedious to the adult mind. Almost too similar to real life. As a kid, the longer the game the better. The more things you can do, the sweeter the deal. Collecting all kinds of items, Gotta Catch Em’ All was my philosophy. But these days I gravitate towards games that feel like a long movie with action gameplay sprinkled in-between the story line.
I know this all seems like different mixed feelings on a game that shaped my childhood. And I believe only one answer is in order. From the words of ole Captain Ron, “If anything is going to happen, it’s going to happen out there.” And I think that is the best way to go about experiencing Shenmue 1 and 2 again in the HD remaster. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Spencer Scott Holmes
That “Pizza Boyz” Comic Guy.