10 Groundbreaking Video Games That Changed Everything

Shenmue – a critical success, and commercial disappointment – is singlehandedly responsible for transitioning SEGA in a third-party development studio, the company no longer in a position to continue producing games consoles. The budget was ridiculous – anywhere between $50 to $70 million – setting an industry record at the time of its release.

That said, Shenmue is equally responsible for several innovations, making the game incredible important in the history of the medium. It featured weather effects, a day-and-night cycle, and an immersive community of non-playable characters who would perform actions independent of the player, moving throughout the environment and interacting with one another. Besides that, the game features some of the earliest examples of quick-time-events ever recorded, improving its immersive qualities by maintaining player investment constantly.

Shenmue altered the landscape of gaming significantly. It’s became the framework for everything that followed, and set an incredible high precedent in the process.