Game Pass review #4 Shenmue 1 and 2

When I do officially own these two games. I will finish both of them to doing a follow up review. So it will give more respect than I gave it here. I am just glad to have the opportunity to playing such unique games.

Hi everyone I'm Jack Red, I remember the original Shenmue on Sega Dreamcast many years ago. I believe I gotten up to disc 2 before the game stopped working. I got to be honest, I am thankful to both Microsoft & Sega for having Shenmue games on there. In fact, I'm going to buy these soon to have more time to enjoy both of them.

1. Shenmue 1 and 2 (1999 & 2002, 2018 for newest versions)

Simply because these games are so similar. I figured to review them both at the same time. You play as an high school student named Ryo Hazuki seeking revenge for the death of his father. The first game takes place in Japan with the second one is in China. I loved how both of them makes you feel like you're actually exploring.

Keep in mind, Shenmue 1 and 2 was a precursor to Sega's Yakuza series. I can't say much on the matter since I don't own any Yakuza games but it's a huge PS4 request for yours truly. Now you can interact with the environment similar to real life. Yes there are some exceptions since these are video games.

The story telling pulls you right in. Sometimes the voice acting can get to you since most of them are terrible. Well oh okay maybe not The House of the Dead 2 terrible but still pretty bad. You got to use your head, skills and time management. You will learn moves that will eventually help you out later on.

You can go inside many buildings including arcades. You also can collection stuff with more variety in Shenmue 2. I also liked you got multiple places to sleep at. Which I am happier about in Shenmue 2 since money is treated more like real life. You also got to pay attention since there's quick time events.

I know to a lot of people, Resident Evil 4 was considered to be the one that started it. But Shenmue predates Resident Evil 4 by a few years. It was ultimately RE4 that made the feature famous which is kinda a shame. Shenmue series was truly ahead of their time. I also liked how they went about the achievements.

I am happy they will give you clues even when you're loss with little to no idea what to do. You need to learn more about how it works to get far. Honestly I am proud to say I love Sega with an passion. You can actually feel that love with their references to many Sega franchises including Sonic. Yes you can collect these small figures that have their own sets.

Yes a few parts of the controls are switched a bit between both games. But you still get use to them quickly. Honestly these games are a must if you are a Sega fan like myself. Even if I don't finish them before Game Pass runs out. I am very thankful to experience what I can. These games are truly unique in their own way.

I do need to mention, the original was an Dreamcast game. Shenmue 2 in Japan came out on Dreamcast as well. But they decided to ported to the United States on the original Xbox instead. It is kinda weird, Yakuza has limited releases that aren't on Sony consoles. Yet Shenmue 1 and 2 are on some of those platforms right now.