| Shenmue | |
|---|---|
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| Genre(s) | Action-adventure Interactive cinema Life simulation Social simulation |
| Developer(s) |
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| Publisher(s) |
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| Creator(s) | Yu Suzuki |
| Platform(s) | |
| First release | Shenmue December 29, 1999 |
| Latest release | Shenmue III November 19, 2019 |
Shenmue[a] is an action-adventure game series created, produced and directed by Yu Suzuki. Shenmue (1999) and Shenmue II (2001) were developed by Sega AM2 and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. Shenmue II was later released in 2002 to Western markets by Microsoft Game Studios and ported to the Xbox console. Shenmue III, developed by Suzuki's company Ys Net, was released for the PlayStation 4 and Windows in 2019.
The Shenmue games consist of open-world 3D environments interspersed with brawler battles and quick time events. They include elements of role-playing, life simulation and social simulation games, such as a day-and-night system, variable weather effects, non-player characters with daily schedules and interactive elements, such as vending machines, arcades, and minigames. The story follows the teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki as he travels through 1980s Japan and China in pursuit of his father's killer. The original Shenmue was the most expensive video game ever developed at the time, with an estimated production and marketing cost of US$47 to $70 million, though some of the development also covered Shenmue II.
Shenmue and Shenmue II received mostly positive reviews. Critics praised their graphics, soundtrack, realism and ambition, but criticized their controls, slow pace and voice acting, and the focus on mundane detail divided players. The games attracted a cult following, appearing in several lists of the greatest video games of all time, and are credited for pioneering game systems, including quick time events and open worlds. However, they were commercial failures and further installments entered development hell.
In 2004, Sega announced a spin-off massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Shenmue Online, but it was not released. In 2010, a social game, Shenmue City, was launched in Japan; it was shut down a year later. In 2018, Sega released high-definition ports of Shenmue and Shenmue II for multiple formats. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, Suzuki developed Shenmue III independently. It was released for the PlayStation 4 and Windows in 2019, and received mixed reviews for its similarity to the earlier games. An anime adaptation of Shenmue, co-produced by Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, premiered in February 2022.
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