All of this is great, but it does feel clunky and dated today. The tank-like controls have been updated but are still a nuisance, with Ryo getting stuck between trees and on cats time and time again during my playthrough. Navigating through Yokosuka’s thinner streets was a test of my patience, rather than my dexterity, and even the fights – that felt utterly unbelievable twenty years ago – feel a little gummy now. Nothing has really aged all that well, and with a bit more love and attention I can’t help but feel that this shock back to 1999s standards could have been mitigated somewhat. We’ve seen some absolutely amazing remakes hitting the shelves these last few years that ensure you don’t need to entirely rely on nostalgia to enjoy past classics, and I wish the same could be said for the Shenmue collection. It deserves better.
Presentation:
The presentation is where this release shines, and seems to be the only meaningful upgrade this package has got from the Dreamcast originals. The game looks great in 1080p, with crisp visuals saving us from what was a much muddier affair, even with the Dreamcast’s relatively sharp VGA output. The 16:9 presentation is great too, allowing a much nicer, more comfortable view of the action – even if the game has to revert to a 4:3 aspect ratio for the cutscenes. This is understandable and largely negligible once you get used to it.
The audio is a really mixed bag though. The music and nostalgic sound effects from the original are fun and retro, but the same can’t be said for the voice acting. The acting itself is pretty appalling across the board, as it seemed to be the case for most Dreamcast games, but Ryo’s voice actor grows on you throughout the game (and not just in a so-bad-its-good, way, either. He’s genuinely fun to listen to.) The quality of the actual recording though is instantly shocking, with a tinny, echo-y sound that I can’t understand was okayed for the original release, nevermind this one.
Conclusion:
Shenmue is one of my favourite games of all time, and this remaster is undoubtedly the best way to play it today. Now, having read my review above and looking at the score below, that sentence might feel a bit disingenuous – it doesn’t quite add up, right? But Shenmue is a product of its time – it was never going to win a new audience twenty years later – and honestly I think I’d advise against them checking it out. This game blazed trails and redefined gaming, but it was never likely to survive the ravages of time without a serious remake. If you have the nostalgia for it, that will see you through the rougher edges of this no-frills re-release. If you’re wanting to gear up for Shenmue III next year, there’s no better place to do it than here. If you’re wondering what Shenmue is, maybe it’s for the best you don’t find out.
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