Shenmue

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

Whatever that secret factor in games is that makes you think "just a little while longer..." is present here in spades.

Daily Radar

Generations X and Y are going to get a sense of what it must have been like to experience the "Ode to Joy" the first time Beethoven turned it loose on the world.

Cincinnati Enquirer

Graphically, Shenmue could be the best-looking game-system title of all time.

Game Fan

"Classic," "masterpiece," and "awe-inspiring" are all words I'd use to describe Shenmue.

Gaming Maxx

Sega has made a masterpiece with this one, and I can't wait until I get my hands on the sequel.

IGN

If the first chapter is an indication of the quality of gameplay, graphics, and sound for each sequel of Shenmue, then it is a gaming experience that no one, casual to hardcore gamer, can miss.

Da Gameboyz

I can sit here and tell you what a wonderful, deep, emotional and entertaining game it is, but you have to actually play this masterpiece in order to appreciate it.

GamerWeb Sega

The immersive gameplay and phenomenally realistic interative environments, the characters and interlinked plots, are enough to make a grown man cry.

Antagonist

The biggest, deepest, most realistic game ever made.

Core Magazine

Gamers looking for a dramatic story line and an epic quest will be absolutely blown away by Shenmue. The amount of detail in the game is astounding as are the graphics, but if you're not the right type of gamer, you may not even notice.

Sega X

Voice acting may suck, and some of the diversions may be questionable, but despite all that, Shenmue will envelope you, not through transcendental tripping, but in the spirit of every great game you've enjoyed and had trouble putting down.

Game Revolution

The pacing can get slow and often you'll spend a great deal of time wandering around talking to people. This is not a good game for the impatient, quick-twitch action junkie.

Dreamcast.net

A GREAT game. It's something that EVERY Dreamcast owner should have. But it's not perfect. It's not DECADES ahead of its time. And it's probably not the "Best game ever made." But it's close.... Damn close!

Gaming Age

Besides the absolutely stunning visuals and breathtaking soundtrack, Shenmue's most amazing feat lies in the emotional interaction between yourself and other people, and the realistic nature of everything around you.

GamePro

The main gripe is that Shenmue is just the first chapter of the overall story, and creator Yu Suzuki has hinted there may be as many as 16 chapters!

Spank!

If you've got some patience and you're prepared to invest a bit of time you'll love Shenmue.

Happy Puppy

To be sure, the game is a breakthrough in several respects, mostly on the visual tip. But someone must've spiked the sake when they came up with that gimmicky misnomer.

CNET Gamecenter

An excellent game that represents a new approach to gaming and significantly raises the artistic bar.

Total Video Games

It's unique enough and does its job well enough that pretty much every gamer on the planet who prefers story and character to mindless shooting will be immediately and addictively drawn into this game.

Gamestyle

By every crucial parameter but one - performance at retail - Shenmue is the golden child.

Dreamcast HQ

Unlike anything you have ever played before. 4 years in the making, and a movie-style budget, help Yu Suzuki bring you what I can only describe as an epic that BEGS to be played.

Planet Dreamcast

I love this game, but I can't say that everyone will. The story's pacing is a little slow; it takes a lot of patience to work your way to the real action (in fact, most of disc one is just conversation and exploration; most of the real action comes at disc three).

DC Swirl

Shenmue may not have been too much fun for yours truly, but it certainly is one of the most memorable to ever come down the pike.

GameSpot

It's a game rich in story, visuals, and environmental stimuli, but light on overall gameplay.

Hot Games

Yes, there's quite a lot to do in Shenmue, and quite a few people to talk to (hundreds, at least), but long stretches of the game will simply bore you to death with tedium.