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Why is Shenmue? by Adam Sipione (Video documentary, 13:06 mins) on 4th Oct, 2026 (inv.nadeko.net)
submitted 9 hours ago by to c/retrogaming@lemmy.world
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Video description:

***A quick disclaimer before we begin: Yes, the story and script for Shenmue were written first, and Yu Suzuki is deeply involved in the story and characters.

When I talk about what I believe Suzuki cares most about, I’m talking about my interpretation of his work, not claiming that this was his explicit intention.

My argument is that, more than simply telling a story, Yu Suzuki always seemed more fascinated by creating a world that felt truly realistic above all else.

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In 1999, Yu Suzuki and SEGA created something unlike almost anything else. Shenmue was ambitious, strange, expensive, and obsessed with details that most games would never bother with.

A lot of videos ask the question "What" Is Shenmue, but in this video I want to discuss the Why. Why is the game the way it is, and why were those decisions made?

0:00 Beyond the walking simulator
1:33 Yus Suzuki's design history
2:54 Redefining the RPG genre
3:59 The philosophy of realism
5:47 Details for their own sake
7:46 World vs story
9:54 Reflecting on the legacy

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[–] [S] 1 point 9 hours ago

Shenmue was the first game of its kind to me. The world felt living, it was immersive, I was even blown away that I had to go to work to earn money and there was an arcade with real arcade games; never saw a game like this before. Yes it had its own issues, being too repetitive in a small village and just walking around to find clues. But it was ground breaking nonetheless.

I was one of the few lucky people living in Europe, where the next installment in the series got published: Shenmue 2. A direct sequel following the end sequence. This game addressed a lot of the issues from the first game, it was bigger, less repetitive and more interesting. And it had to be, because the novelty of the concept was gone at that point. Overall its the better game to me and prefer it over the first game.

I recently purchased Shenmue 3 and started playing on my Steam Deck. It feels just like home, just like back then. Maybe too much, as it is outdated, but that's okay. The announcement of this game on E3 was almost as equally amazing as Final Fantasy 7 Remake. BTW, my favorite reaction to both trailers, just came back to earth from FF7 trailer trying to be professionals and then that happened (timestamp 5:55, but I recommend to watch from start, also be careful they get a bit loud like children): E3 2015 - Final Fantasy Vii Remake and Shenmue Iii Reaction Gametrailers (GT Live): Invidous | YouTube

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