Shenmue (1999)

Developer: Sega AM2
Publisher: Sega
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Dreamcast
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
Rating: 4.3 of 5, 148 player ratings
Main story: about 80 hours
Completionist: about 120 hours
Where to get it: Xbox

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The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A sweeping martial-arts revenge saga set in 1980s Japan, blending open-world exploration with deep narrative and everyday life.

cinematicopen worldslow burnstory-drivenatmosphericnostalgicadventure

About

"He shall appear from a far Eastern land across the sea. A young man who has yet to know his potential. This potential is a power that can either destroy him, or realize his will. His courage shall determine his fate. The path he must traverse, fraught with adversity, I await whilst praying. For this destiny predetermined since ancient times... A pitch, black night unfolds with the morning star as its only light. And thus the saga, begins..." This first chapter of Shenmue kicks off Yu Suzuki's cinematic Dreamcast tour-de-force, an exploration-heavy adventure that has players immerse themselves in Yokosuka, Japan. Players slip into the role of a young martial artist named Ryo Hazuki, who is on the trail of his father's killer. On the way, players must talk with hundreds of characters, engage in martial arts battles, and marvel at the realistic depiction of the Japanese coastal town.

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This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.