Nani!?
Shenmueis a strange game that always fascinated me. The open-world adventure follows Ryo as he pursues his father’s killer across Japan and China, but sometimes he’s on an urgent search for sailors, and others he’s just hanging out by that old capsule-toy machine.
Much like the Dreamcast itself,Shenmuewas ahead of its time in a lot of ways. An open world with a large cast of characters, tons of mini-games, and brawler-style combat might have been a little ambitious for the Dreamcast. I was late to the party on getting the console, but when I did,Shenmuewas one of the first games I picked up.
A few years later I would finally get around to playingShenmue IIon the original Xbox and spent a long time feeling bad that the story would more than likely never see its conclusion. WithShenmue IIIaiming for a 2019 release date andremasters of the originaltwo games on the way, it finally looks like Ryo’s tale of revenge will be concluded, but I just don’t think I care anymore.
Last year I finally took the plunge and played my first game in theYakuzaseries. I started withYakuza 0and quickly realized it was everything I ever wanted fromShenmueand more: an open world filled with side activities, in-depth storytelling, and street brawling action. The journey of Kazuma Kiryu captured me almost immediately, and I’m kicking myself for not picking it up sooner.
For the uninitiated,Yakuzafollows the horribly unlucky Kiryu, a ruthless Yakuza turned world’s greatest dad, as he does his best to live a peaceful life all while getting caught up in the politics of power struggles between organized crime syndicates in Japan.
The two series tell incredibly different stories. One is a martial arts tale of redemption, the other a gritty crime story. ButYakuzafully realizes the spirit of whatShenmuewanted to be: a game with a vast world of fleshed-out characters and its fair share of wacky bullshit.
WhileYakuza‘s storytelling is top notch, it isn’t the main reason the series was able to hook me so quickly. Kamurocho, the red-light district where most of the major story beats of each game take place, is full of life and side activities to enjoy. SEGA arcades are filled with UFO catchers and real video games. I spent about four hours just sitting around playingPuyo PuyoinYakuza 6.
Shenmue, much likeYakuza, had its share of leisurely activities to enjoy. Ryo can play darts, billiards, and inShenmue IIhe can even enjoyOutrunandSpace Harrierat the arcade, two games also playable inYakuza 0. The most famousShenmueside activity is the forklift race, a daily event Ryo can participate in once he accepts a job moving containers down at the shipping yard.
Yakuzaalso introduces a more intentional brand of weird thanShenmueever managed to achieve. Any odd shit happening on Ryo’s adventure always seemed like the result of poor localization or the rough character models.Yakuza, however, pumps up the weird in most of the game’s substories, side missions that usually focus on aiding folks around the city.
One such mission inYakuza 0sees Kiryu help a dominatrix learn how to be good at her job while another inYakuza 6has him find stray cats for a local cat cafe because in between beating up street punks, Kiryu moonlights as Kamurocho’s Witcher.
Shenmuemade a fantastic blueprint for what at the time seemed like the most bizarre video game imaginable. Years later,Yakuzawould come along and prove that it could be done bigger and better. It had a rocky start overseas including an attempt at some pretty high-profile voice actors for the English version (Mark Hamill played Goro Majima), but recently starting with the release ofYakuza 0, the series seems to be finding a dedicated audience outside of Japan.
Weird games will always fascinate me, andShenmueis at the top of my list. I’m sure part of that strange air is due to the localization efforts of the time, and I’ll probably keep an eye out to see ifShenmue IIIretains any of that weirdness — but it’s hard to get excited about the new game, or the remasters, now that the Dragon of Dojima has worked his way into my heart.
Yakuzahas been everything I ever wanted out ofShenmue, and I’m sure Peter Glagowski would agree I’m an idiot for not picking up the series sooner. For now, I’m far more excited about the upcomingYakuzaremastersthan a newShenmue. I’d recommend any fan of the curious Dreamcast game who still hasn’t taken the plunge into Kamurocho make it a priority.
