Shenmue Dojo

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl60wMwVFEk[/youtube]

He did good job with this.

Very good script, production, etc, but there's one annoying thing that discourages me from unreserved praise and sharing this around with wild abandon. Andrew, if you're reading this - and from the Dojo mention at the end I assume you are - please, you don't need to put on that fake voice when you're narrating. You may not be confident in your natural voice, but it can't be any harder to listen to than the forced gruffness you were attempting for 12 minutes here.

I'm absolutely not saying this to nitpick or be cruel, I'm only bothering to mention it because every other aspect of the video was so good, and it frustrates me that this one irritation that pervades it makes me not want to promote your hard work as much as it otherwise deserves. If you'd just spoken normally, I'd be shouting this link from the rooftops.

Very nice - smooth editing & production, great summary of the game and its features. Also, for what it's worth, I didn't mind the voice at all

Hello all! A.J. Rosa here. This is my first post, though I've been lurking for a bit. I don't like to spread myself too thin. Between answering YouTube comments, the SEGAbits forum and so on, it's hard keeping up with everything. Anyway, I'd just like thank the Dojo for all the support. Shenmue was, without a doubt, the hardest review I've made. Having the Dojo in my corner made the experience much easier to tackle.

Thank you for the kind words, folks. I really appreciate it. Eventually, once I snag a PAL copy, I'll review Shenmue II. I'm sure it would be easier and cheaper to snag an Xbox along with Shenmue II, but I want to review the Dreamcast version. I'm not a big fan of reviewing SEGA games for non-SEGA consoles. I'm kind of weird like that.

As for my voice, I had no choice but to record the narration when I was suffering through a cold. I'm sure the smoking doesn't help either, though I blame the cold. The gruff voice was difficult because I kept blowing takes. Coughing and nose-blowing made everything harder. On top of that, I can't tell you how many times I had to keep myself from saying, "This is Snake. Do you read me, Ryo? I'd like to talk about Shenmue." LOL! In any case, unless I screw myself again, my voice will sound as it has for the last 45 episodes; clear and effeminate.

Ah, okay - I didn't realize you don't always sound like that in your videos, I thought it was a deliberate gimmick. In that case I apologize for the criticism, you couldn't help having a cold, and in that context it's not as annoying.

LOL! Hey, no worries. It's weird though. A few of my viewers told me that they liked it and that I should sound like that all the time. All I could say was give me 5-10 more years of chain smoking and your wish is granted.

I'm curious, did anyone else fall into that oddball routine with the cat, or is it just me? What really makes me laugh in retrospect is how I have no problem whatsoever taking care of that cat, or helping an old lady in the park, yet I hate answering calls/texts in GTAIV. Explain that one.

Great review. My only complaint was little or no mention of Shenmue II, but if a separate video is to come, then yay.

Lan Di-sama wrote: Great review. My only complaint was little or no mention of Shenmue II, but if a separate video is to come, then yay.

Absolutely! A second will come as soon as I snag a PAL Dreamcast copy. I highly doubt I could've talked about both games in 15-minutes or less. Hell, I still feel bad for not going more in-depth on the controls; specifically during the free-battle sequences, as well as some of the little details. You know, like listening to cassettes, or the jukebox. Collecting the little toys. Some of the puzzle solving aspects, like the room hidden beneath the dojo. However, I like to treat the games I review as if the viewer hasn't played them, so I don't like to spoil the fun of discovery....

It's a balancing act. I could've talked about that first game and it's influence on modern gaming for an hour, but that would alienate newcomers I think.

Don't mind me. I'm rambling.

Excellent review! Great use of editing and comedic lines. Look forward to your video on Shenmue 2. (And naturally Shenmue 3 one day as well.)

Thank you, elfshadow! Shenmue III would be a real trip. I just hope that when that one hits, it's a current-gen title. I won't be able to afford the new stuff outta' the gate. I'm getting ahead of myself though. Still need to tackle Shenmue II.

Great video! It makes me want to throw Shenmue in my Dreamcast right now