10 Video Games Better Than The Sum Of Their Parts
6. Shenmue
Shenmue may have wowed the world back in 1999 with its unprecedented level of graphical realism, but those who actually sat down to play SEGA's open-world innovator definitely needed time to adapt to the game's idiosyncrasies.
Despite billing itself as a martial arts epic, Shenmue's pace is as laid back as the sleepy rural suburb of Yokosuka in which it takes place. As protagonist Ryo Hazuki, most of your time will be spent playing capsule machines, petting cats, hanging out at the arcade and quizzing the appallingly voice-acted locals (at least in the English dub). The actual martial arts part of the equation is barely a factor, with Ryo only getting into a handful of fights across the course of the adventure.
Yet Shenmue's glacial pace and barely-there plot has its own unique appeal. Shenmue's obsessive detail with minutiae, and its obsession with clock watching (each inhabitant follows a schedule you need to keep track of) make it feel like a prototype for today's life simulators. Collecting trinkets, hanging out with kooky citizens, keeping track of the time - it's like Animal Crossing, except set in real life. (A theme SEGA returned to with Like A Dragon's Dondonko Island).
Treat Shenmue as less of a game, and more of a chance to simulate life in eighties Japan, and you'll walk away treasuring one of gaming's most unique experiences.