When ya first got shenmue I ......

[mue 26]

I just seem to remember being completely swept up by it's atmosphere, me and my brother both. The music, the setting, the openness, the weird voice acting, the fact you had to go back to bed ever night. It was like nothing else I had played. I was completely absorbed with following the trail of Lan Di, right from the get go. Shortly after I got the game, I remember being at school one day and having to phone home, my brother picked up the phone and enthusiastically told me straight away how he had just progressed much further and all this exciting stuff was happening in Shenmue (we were playing the same save..), I was so annoyed. After that I vowed to hide the game whenever I wasn't home and he was. Hahaha. It was that kind of game.

[lavrentis]

Just pure nostalgia, I can't describe the time and era I first played S1 but I'm sure many of you will feel the same.

[Yokosuka Martian]

The theme song of the game is also something that you can never forget (Well that and Morning Fog's wave). Synonymous with the game and just an amazing soundtrack, period.

[RyoHazuki84]

Thankfully back in my home town, I had a video game store that sold import games. I was looking forward to this game throughout 1999. I had an import Dreamcast and I was taking Japanese classes at my high school. I would look up whatever news on the internet and read the copies of Famitsu my store was getting. I felt I had to get this game. Then on December 31, 1999, I got my copy. Hell, I still proudly have my receipt which still has my mom's old credit card number lol. I was excited as the N64 boy!!! And even when midnight struck for the year 2000, I was in Ryo's house exploring what to do. I didn't care about the countdown. I waited a whole year for this game and I spent the beginning of the year 2000 at the age of 15 1/2 playing this game I was dying to play.

I was amazed by the intro alone. Even when I only had about a year and a half of Japanese study, I understood the tension and the stakes behind what Ryo must do. The graphics were and are still amazing. I love the martial arts. I love Japan. I love games. This game was a combination of everything I am passionate for and no other game could ever come close to offering that.

The closest is Ryu Ga Gotoku/Yakuza, but does not embody the vision of FREE in my point of view.

[Fenix]

When you first bought Shenmue I, what did you think of the game when you first popped the cd into the dreamcast???

I played the japaneses version in a friend's DC one year before it comes to western so I was only kinda nervious to make again everything.

I loved Shenmue since it was a beta. But my most funny history was when final version was showed into videogames magazine. My 1st impresion was "Oh shit, that fucking sonyers showing again the FMV sequences. What's the goal to make something like that if the playable version is finally a shit?". I started reading the article and when Shenmue and Dreamcast appeared I remeber how shocking it was to me. This was not a fucking PSX overpowered FMV, it was the final game of the Project Berkley's VHS I seen months ago.

[KiBa]

I almost died of joy. At the very moment it started, I became a born-again human, feeling wonder for the first time since I was very small.

[Bluecast]

Ok I said it many times but in 1998 first heard about this game in a magazine and followed the hype as well as the Dreamcast. Sadly was not able to get either until 2002 when I had a Gamecube already. However I popped in Shenmue and my mind was blown. For all knew this was the worst game ever made as all I played to that point was Mario games aside from the odd PC/console game at friends houses and Kiosk demo's. I just walked around everywhere talked to everyone. Tried going in houses tried shopping tried every door I saw. I even thought the theater might open at some point and see a video. I expected a short Shenmue Promo or something. This to me then had no limits and the most realistic mind blowing thing EVER my eyes had seen.


The detail the visuals. It felt so real! I remember wanting to get across the street from the bus stop wanting to find a game store. Yes it was so realistic to me then I thought I could shop across the street. Something I know now you can't do without a mod. Picking things up the music. The atmosphere was amazing! To this day my most played DC game and mostly to explore. While it may no longer be my fave series and gotten into many series and played many games and consoles since. Shenmue still to me is the most mind blowing immersive atmospheric game even with the aging visuals(which still look nice to me)

[spud1897]

I got the game for my 14th birthday, so Jan 2001. I remember myself and a friend I went to school with talking about the game as he also had a dreamcast and let me borrow the whats shenmue video.

Once I got it I remember thinking christ how good does this game look, the opening scenes made me pissed off at Lan Di and wanting revenge. The rest has been said many a time, one awesome game that I still play once a year.

[_StreetSonic_]

I was very excited to play this game before the game came out in the US. I had at least one magazine that talked about the game. I read the article and looked at the pictures over and over. I couldn't wait to use the vending machines in the game.

I think I got the game around the US release date. I was blown away by the opening. Even my dad was impressed. I had to sacrifice my beloved Chao saved file to save the game. Sometimes I regret that, but I didn't have another memory card at the time. I loved the story, characters, etc. I did get bored with all the waiting and I never liked the forklift racing and job.

[Feelers Rebo]

I never liked the forklift racing and job.

Perhaps this belongs in the unpopular opinions thread, but I enjoyed the forklift shit for some reason. Maybe I'm simple-minded?

[Fenix]

I never liked the forklift racing and job.

Perhaps this belongs in the unpopular opinions thread, but I enjoyed the forklift shit for some reason. Maybe I'm simple-minded?

I think he means that it take too many hours on the day. You almost have no time to buy toy capsules or try to win prizes.

[Feelers Rebo]

Maybe so, but you still have evenings to try all that, and it's a small portion of the game anyway.

[shengoro86]

Wow I cant believe how long ago I posted in this topic.

Nice bump!!

If I had bumped, I would have gotten another warning!


Anywho, I already posted mine, but re-reading my post really brings back those memories. Great times. I remember being blown away by the amazing attention to micro-details along with a nice build up to the macroscopic view of Shenmue's world.

[jalvarez82]

I was very impressed by the game's graphics, and the amount of freedom you had, which at the time was revolutionary. So I knew the game had potential to be great. But to be completely honest, it was the crappy English dialogue that lost my interest in advancing into the storyline.

[Yokosuka Martian]

Glad I still get to see more people's responses when they first played the game. Thanks for that