Shenmue I & II

 Xbox One
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 75 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 75
  3. Negative: 12 out of 75
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  1. hoogafanter
    Oct 1, 2018
    6
    This is the single greatest gaming experience I have ever had. I was enthralled from start to finish, and the ending left me wanting more. The atmosphere is glorious, gameplay is solid, and story is phenomenal. Best game to ever grace this console easily...

    It's the software personification of the dreamcast IMO. Just as Dreamcast symbolizes the end of a hardcore gaming era whilst    This is the single greatest gaming experience I have ever had. I was enthralled from start to finish, and the ending left me wanting more. The atmosphere is glorious, gameplay is solid, and story is phenomenal. Best game to ever grace this console easily...

    It's the software personification of the dreamcast IMO. Just as Dreamcast symbolizes the end of a hardcore gaming era whilst trailblazing the future of the industry(for better or worse), Shenmue is the prime software example of this. A beautifully animated character driven narrative focused open world game, now of which are a dime a dozen, but with arcadish gameplay and a sense of immersion that still has yet to be matched 18 years later.

    Absolutely everything about Shenmue, just like the dreamcast itself, was painfully detailed and no effort was spared. It also pioneered and/or popularized so many common modern gaming tropes its astounding. So much that we take for granted today was absolutely breathtaking with the release of Shenmue...

    The above is my review for the Dreamcast versions... unfortunately these new ports suffer from awful glitches that really ruin the experience. Sega clearly rushed this out to capitalize on the hype and used a **** dev team with a horrible track record to do it...    … Expand
  2. CenkAlp
    Sep 21, 2019
    5
    Hikaye = 6
    Oynanış = 4
    Grafikler = 4
    Sesler = 5
    Keyif = 5
    Atmosfer = 6
    Süre = 5
  3. f1o_o1f
    Jul 15, 2021
    7
    *I have yet to play the second part. The following only concentrates on Shenmue I*

    I'm not sure why, but I kinda liked this game. Nothing really stands out in particular (except for the Music!), but the presentation was excellent and the world seemed very much alive. Combat is not my cup of tea, although there certainly is some potential buried somewhere. It also has some major    *I have yet to play the second part. The following only concentrates on Shenmue I*

    I'm not sure why, but I kinda liked this game. Nothing really stands out in particular (except for the Music!), but the presentation was excellent and the world seemed very much alive.

    Combat is not my cup of tea, although there certainly is some potential buried somewhere. It also has some major design flaws that can get annoying very fast (I advise using some kind of guide. Spoilers should be avoided, but sometimes it's hard to know what to do exactly). The last five or so ingame days also dragged on heavily and was plagued by the most "mistakes" in terms of design.

    It's obviously an older game, but it held up enough to enjoy a first playthrough this time around. The Xbox One port is alright. Some QoL changes here and there would not have hurt the game, but I suppose it was brought over just the way it was 20 years ago. I'm definitely looking forward to the second game    … Expand
  4. Bleeding_Jester
    Nov 20, 2021
    6
    ive heard this game described as The Greatest Worst game and i think that is the perfect way to describe this game

    these games have not aged well and they weren't the best even when they first released (Except maybe Graphics) and it can be a really frustrating game to play but the World is amazing these aren't just open world games these aren't just Martial Arts games these are    ive heard this game described as The Greatest Worst game and i think that is the perfect way to describe this game

    these games have not aged well and they weren't the best even when they first released (Except maybe Graphics) and it can be a really frustrating game to play but the World is amazing these aren't just open world games these aren't just Martial Arts games these are immersive Life Sim games and it does its best to immerse you in its world and that is why you should play the games at least once

    that said these games are a pain to playthrough now they feel clunky to play and they can be really annoying and frustrating to play they    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

56
#56 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2018
91
#91 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Cubed3
    Sep 28, 2020
    60
    It is a really fun world the games put forward, and it is great to explore and figure out where to go and what to do next. At the same time, though, they don't necessarily play that well, and they show their age in a lot of unfortunate ways. This is definitely more of an acquired taste, and it is probably best to say that these are better experiences than they are video games. They're worth checking out, particularly for someone that has fond memories of them on the Dreamcast, but be warned that there are some warts that need to be looked past before you dive in headfirst.
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  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Oct 21, 2018
    70
    An HD re-relase of a beloved series. It's a pity that it hasn't received the remaster treatment. [Nov 2018, p.78]
  3. TheXboxHub
    Sep 11, 2018
    90
    Whether you are a newcomer or a series fanatic these are games that deserve to be played, and with a fantastic price to boot there isn’t really an excuse not to. Play Shenmue. Now.
    Read full review
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