Things I Played: Shenmue HD - Methodical Detective Work and Kung Fu

I never played the original Shenmue back in the day so it's been an interesting experiencing going through the remastered version in crisp, clean high definition. Of course I turned on the Japanese VA and put it in 4:3 mode straight away because momma didn't raise no fool.

It's interesting to see how open-world games were envisaged back in the early 2000s; it's nothing like today's perfectly designed adventures that keep the player entertained within an inch of their lives. Shenmue is more of a cross between Animal Crossing in its rigorous appreciation of the mundane qualities of everyday life, and Yakuza in its bloodthirsty Virtua Fighter-inspired combat. It's full of tension, excitement and fear, and that's not just when you're waiting to see which gatcha capsule you've won.

Like any good lover it has plenty of infuriating moments. The harbour part towards the end is tremendously boring. It's basically five days of moving boxes in warehouses where the game grinds the game to a complete halt. The romance between the game's main character Ryo and Nozomi didn't work for me either, but  I did shed a tear at the thought of hotdog vendor Tom leaving to go back to America. Don't worry hot-dog bro, we'll always have Yokosuka.

All in all, Shenmue is a decent game that strikes up a strong nostalgia trip. It's a lot like remembering what it used to be trying to find a payphone. Remember those? I do. BT boxes everywhere.

I'm already looking forward to the second game.

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