Welcome to the Fantasy Zone
Sega has released a third video in their ongoingWhat is Shenmue?series,which attempts to explain the appeal and lasting inspirationthat the classic Dreamcast (and later the Xbox) RPGs brought to the party.
This new video – narrated by Ryo Hazuki’s voice actor, Corey Marshall – looks at two particular aspects ofShenmue I & II, namely combat and mini-games.Shenmueis well-known for Ryo’s kung-fu brawls with surly types. Although these fights were pretty stylish, thanks to the use of real-life martial arts maneuvers, they were pretty clunky, switching between QTE commands and rudimentary real-time combat akin to theVirtua Fightergames.
When not stomping skulls into the tarmac, Ryo could chill out with various side-attractions, these included visiting the arcade, where players could play fully-emulated versions of Sega classics such asSpace HarrierandHang-On, chilling out with a beverage, or even… erm… racing ducks down the high street. With this blend of both fun and bizarre mini-games and gang-based brawling, you may see the influenceShenmuewould have on Sega’s excellentYakuzaseries.
Shenmue I & IIlaunches August 21 on PS4, PC and Xbox One.
