Shenmue I & II HD Collection (PS4) Review

Timeless classics.

 Two of the most ambitious and celebrated games of their time, renowned for their captivating storytelling and endearing characters have finally been remastered, Shenmue I & II HD Collection. Following a young martial artist's quest to avenge the murder of his father, the Shenmue games have captured the hearts of many players over the years. I've been hearing nothing but praise for the games and anticipation for Shenmue III, I thought that I'd get up to speed by playing the first two games. Does Shenmue I & II still hold up after all these years or are they best left as relics of their time?

 Shenmue chronicles the tale of martial artist Ryo Hazuki, who witnesses the death of his father at the hands of a green-cloaked man known as Lan Di. Armed with nothing but burning determination, Ryo aims to avenge his father against those responsible. Shenmue II picks up where the first one left off with Ryo still on the chase for Lan Di. This time, Ryo's fresh off the boat to Hong Kong, China and finds himself meeting a new cast of characters. It's the standard revenge tale that's for sure, but what I love about both games is that the characters are lovingly memorable and some of moments such as that iconic motorcycle scenes of Shenmue were just plain awesome. Ryo is a great lead and over the course of the games evolves from being brash and revenge-obsessed kid to a more reserved and focused marital artist.

Ryo's in for a long adventure.

 The Shenmue games are more exploration-heavy games than action ones. Ryo will go about exploring 80s Japan and Hong Kong looking for leads related to the organization that killed his father. There are occasional brawler fights but the main draw is exploring the environments around town. You do so by engaging with the locals in hopes getting a clue or two. At times, you'll be asked to come during various times of the day as certain NPCs have different schedules and will often talk to you depending on their mood. There is no map button to bring up your current location. Instead, you must look around for map posts in order to find your whereabouts. It sounds archaic and inconvenient by today's standards, but I feel that they do a good job of involving you in the game's world in a direct manner. Conversely, since Shenmue II feature larger areas to explore, you'll be given the option to buy a map since it's easier to get lost this time around.

There's lots of stuff to see around town.

 Moreover, Shenmue I & II introduced some really innovative mechanics back in the day. For starters the games pioneered the use of "quick time events" (QTE) where you must press the right combination of buttons during certain gameplay segments. The games are chunk full of them and Shenmue II will sure give your reflexes a workout. Additionally, the games follow a real-time clock where NPCs have specific times where they are active and shops and buses follow their timetables and will close at night. That doesn't stop there, even the weather changes dynamically throughout the day, with noticeable changes to shadows and lighting. Impressive attention to detail, that's for sure.

The gameplay still plays well, despite feeling 

clunky on occasions.

 Shenmue I & II's action parts has you beating up thugs using Ryo's jiujitsu moves by performing combos using button combinations or by QTE commands. Ryo can also refine his moveset by practicing in parking lots throughout the day while also learning new moves by learning them from characters or just buying them from stores. Despite feeling stiff on occasions, the fighting still feels decent and fun when you're spamming moves to thrash enemies. In some regards, I feel like it's a precursor to Sega's Yakuza series, which itself borrows heavily from the Shenmue games. 

 The Shenmue games are slow-paced ones, and often times you'll be asked to visit certain characters at specific hours of the day. The question then becomes "what do I do to kill time?" Fortunately, the games have some neat distractions you can engage in. Both games feature an arcade where you can play classic Sega games such as Outrun and Space Harrier as well as a simple game of darts. There are collectables in the form of capsule toys inspired by Sega properties, which are enticing to collect. Shenmue II packs some wild distractions such as arm wrestling, gambling, and duck racing of all things! Amusingly enough, you can score a job as a forklift driver during Shenmue in an effort to earn some cash and while it sounds mundane carrying boxes back and forth to warehouses, I found to be strangely addictive, especially the races.

Forklift time!

 Shenmue I & II both have held up decently nearly 20 years later, thanks to their enormous budget no doubt. The games featured stunning environment work and sceneries, which were jaw-dropping back in the day and still manage to entertain today. The HD release polishes some of the character models and textures while also updating the aged user interface. Better yet, the games now feature full-screen support though the games often switch between resolutions during various points, making things slightly disruptive. Voicework is good for the time, however, the quality feels off in the remaster. The performances, including Corey Marshall as Ryo was great, though I felt much of the voices were stiff-sounding sometimes; some were just plain bad, however. Thankfully, the soundtrack remains as grand as ever, packing many memorable tracks. Some favorites include the iconic main theme, the intense motorcycle chase theme, and the laid-back, calm theme when playing a game of darts.

Shenmue I & II still look good many years later.

 I have to say, I'm in awe after playing the Shenmue I & II Collection. I came in with the expectation of them being old, clunky games and left with a strong urge for a third game. Both games held up surprisingly well and the HD release does a fine job of polishing the graphics and interface. The story, characters, and world were all exceptional and despite the clunky gameplay, playing both games was indeed a memorable experience. I'm glad that I finally had the chance of playing these games as I'm eagerly awaiting for Shenmue III to release late this year, and here's hoping it'll a fantastic experience just like its predecessors were.