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"Shenmue 2 is coming to Europe"

Oh Hurray

Shenmue

*jumps up and down on the first one some more*

It was tongue in cheek as they say but you can't always guarentee that everyone will get what I am saying. Anyway that by the by, I was joking about the puzzles because there aren't any (apart from the basement and the dressing table). I 100% GTA3 and I didn't sweat too much but the Shenmues took me a long time to complete both but I was prepared to stick with it. Don't get me wrong GTA3 was amazing but the Shenmues were more enjoyable and the mini games kept me playing for a long time afterwards where as after completing GTA3 I didn't play it again. Its all about tastes and opinions and in my opinion the Shenmues are better (although a lot different) to the GTA series.

In defence to Alastair, i think he was just being a bit tongue in cheek when he said that the puzzles in Shenmue were too hard for Maverick. There are no hard puzzles in Shenmue! That isnt a criticism of the game, just that its gameplay isnt really geared up to be like that. Its all about exploration and seeing what you can find while at the same time continuing your quest for your fathers killer. You either love it or hate it and anyone reading the messages on this topic will no doubt see that!

ÂLŠ†ÂÎR wrote:
> Then you go and press one button over and over to watch everyone die on
> what I would call a very basic game. In YOUR opinion GTA is better but
> not in mine.

GTA3 has imaginative scenes, and an engrossing plot. The missions are (on the whole) well thought out, and require a reasonable amount of skill, mind-work and sometimes planning. There's a wide amount of weapons, cars and land to weild, and through that, you can have lots and lots of fun.

Pressing one button over and over? Hardly. There's a certain amount of skill required in the missions, and just mucking about. Try to stay alive whilst you've got the FBI, and Army after you. Or have a go at completing the game one hundred percent.

You can have your opinion, but to call such a revolutionary and different game 'basic', and suggest that it requires no skill, is just wrong.

ÂLŠ†ÂÎR wrote:
> Its pobably because the puzzles were too hard for you Mav! Then you go
> and press one button over and over to watch everyone die on what I
> would call a very basic game. In YOUR opinion GTA is better but not in
> mine.

To tell you the truth, I wouldn't even call them puzzles. After years of playing point and clicks (e.g. Broken Sword) and adventure games (e.g. Zelda) with some of the hardest possible puzzles in, I found Shenmue's constant talk to everyone approach boring. In simple terms, it 'did me head in'.

I do agree that there are moments in the original Shenmue that can test your patience a tad and the chinese bit is a case in point. Having said that though its no reason to dismiss the game as rubbish just for a few flaws that it has. No game is perfect and to draw attention to Shenmue's flaws while not commenting on anything that is good about the game is like dismissing a music album as rubbish just because 1 out of the 15 songs on it was crap even though the other 14 were great! To me the game as a whole is fantastic and certainly ranks up there as one of the finest and most ambitious games of recent years. I know the first game has its annoyances but alot of these were rectified in the second one although it doesnt sound like alot of the people slating the game have actually bothered to play the second one! Shenmue 2 is more direct and pacier than the first game and you always have a good idea of where a person is you're looking for and where to go to find them. Its more action packed and also alot bigger too and the game as a whole is alot more refined. Sure there are still ways to improve it but then name me a game that you cant improve on. There isnt one! I do like the idea about being able to fail certain QTE's which then affect the direction your quest takes you on. Would most probably push the game over the 4 disc mark though! 8 disc game anyone?!!

I've never played Shenmue, We was about to, but then we decided to destroy some GTA3 dvds.

The Shenmue games are by no means perfect, but let's face it: they have soul - they are created by someone who gives a sh*t - by someone who has VISION - unlike a lot of other games I could mention.
Don't (over)criticise Shenmue; criticize the mindless boll*cks that s**tomps over the games' chart like FIFA 2002 and those bloody wres**tling games etc.... -

Its pobably because the puzzles were too hard for you Mav! Then you go and press one button over and over to watch everyone die on what I would call a very basic game. In YOUR opinion GTA is better but not in mine.

Finally, got a go on my mates Dreamcast and played Shenmue - the game everyone's been raving about.

We walked around for ages, and realised we'd missed a note on a dresser which was vital to progress. We then bought some soda.

Next, we switched off the console and played GTA3. Much better :D.

The part that really took the biscuit in Shenmue was the chinese bit, where you get some move written in Chinese and need someone to dechiphor it.

Can you go to any of the 15 or so Chinese people in town?

Of course not, you have to track down one person.


And you're totally right about the way it's done.

"I need to find my father's killer"

Yes and how do we do that? By walking around and presing the talk button at every person until one of them says: "he was Chinese"

Then you walk around pressing the talk button at every single person until someone says: "There are some Chinese people __________"

Then you walk there, and ask every single person....you get the idea.

And occasionally, occasionally, you will get a little sequence where you have to press a couple of buttons in order. But don't worry if you fail, you just do it again straight away, and they don't even change the combination...