Shenmue
"He shall appear from a far Eastern land across the sea. A young man who has yet to know his potential. This potential is a power that can either destroy him, or realize his will. His courage shall determine…
Shenmue is an adventure developed by Sega AM2, released 29 December 1999 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Dreamcast and PC (Microsoft Windows). The main story takes about 80 hrs to finish.
What Shenmue is
Shenmue is an adventure game developed by Sega AM2 and released in 1999. It was published by Sega. It is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Dreamcast and PC (Microsoft Windows).
The premise, in the publisher's words
Shenmue is a 1999 action-adventure game created by Yu Suzuki and developed and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. It follows the teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki as he sets out in revenge for the murder of his father in 1980s Yokosuka, Japan. The player explores an open world, fighting opponents in brawler battles and encountering quick-time events. The environmental detail was considered unprecedented, with numerous interactive 3D objects, a day-and-night system, variable weather effects, non-player characters with daily schedules and various minigames.
How it plays
It is played from a third person perspective. Its themes are fantasy, historical, open world and sandbox. It is a single-player game with no multiplayer component.
Where it sits in the Shenmue series
Shenmue is the second of 19 entries we hold in the Shenmue series. It arrived 7 months after What's Shenmue?. The next entry was Shenmue II in 2001. Its critic score of 90 is 14 points above the series average of 76. That makes it the highest-rated entry in the series.
How it was received
Shenmue holds a critic score of 90 out of 100. That places it above 92% of the 7,525 rated adventure games in our database, which average 72. Games released in 1999 averaged 72, so it scored 18 points above the year average. Player ratings track closely with critics at 88, across 149 votes.
How long it takes, and what that costs
The main story runs about 80 hrs. Completing everything takes closer to 120 hrs, roughly 1.5 times the length of the critical path.
What it launched against
Shenmue launched on 29 December 1999, within three weeks of Planescape: Torment, The Typing of the Dead, Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories and Little Fighter 2. It reviewed better than all of them. It was a PlayStation 4 launch-window title.
Released around the same time: Planescape: Torment, The Typing of the Dead, Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories, Little Fighter 2.
Cheats and codes
We have not confirmed any working cheat codes for Shenmue yet. Rather than reprint a list we have not tested, this section stays empty until one is verified.
Official trailer
Sourced from the publisher’s YouTube channel.
Screenshots
All media
Characters
All 30
Quick answers
Shenmue — frequently asked questions
When did Shenmue come out?
How long does it take to beat Shenmue?
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