10 Beloved Video Games That Left A Horrible First Impression
6. Shenmue II
Since the announcement of Shenmue 3 almost fifteen years after the release of the previous instalment, the Japanese series has seen a new lease of life as new players return to the previous games to find out what they've been missing out on.
However, the gameplay of Shenmue isn't exactly the most immediately gripping aspect of the series, and in fact most of what you do in these games doesn't come close to the constant explosive action of modern blockbusters.
As a result, Shenmue 2 can initially feel quite boring, especially as you slog across opening levels that barely have you touching the controller at all. Throw in some awkward dialogue and the seeds of a narrative that doesn't really begin to satisfy or make sense until much later and what you're left with is a confusing and jarring introduction to the series.
But while playing Shenmue is weird, slow, and oftentimes accidentally hilarious, it's exactly because of these same features why the game - and the series at large - is considered to be so special all these years later.
Sadly, this slow-burn didn't help the game at the time, as the acquired-taste nature of the title meant it was unable to recoup its then unprecedented $70 million budget.