Shenmue HD - Wish Road

Channel:

The Crimson Emo

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Published on May 25, 2021 2:42:36 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tvS-aF4xx4

Game:

Shenmue I & II: HD Collection (2018)

Duration: 2:38

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2

One of my favourite moments in all of Shenmue is the late night drive Ryo and Nozomi take together through Yokosuka after you rescue her from the Mad Angels. It really was an incredible moment back then seeing how fully realised this entire world was after spending the majority of the entire game trapped in a small neighbourhood following routines and taking the bus to work everyday only to then realise Ryo actually does live in a large Japanese City that lives and functions even without him.

Seeing all of this on the Dreamcast was impressive back in the day but what really makes this still hold up in my opinion wasn't how real it all looked, it was how real it all felt. This was the first time in my entire life I've ever played a video game where the world felt real. Where the NPC pedestrians actually felt like real people living in a virtual, Matrix like world, who have their own lives, jobs and homes even if you [the player] don't see it or don't interact with it. The only other game series I can think of that comes close to this level of detail is either The Sims or Animal Crossing but even then this was on another level.

To this very day the entire world of Shenmue still blows my mind and I'm still wrapping my head over how passionately attached I became to it all. Not because of the game itself but the world it all takes place in. Every single NPC, every single one. I know them by name, I know them like family. Yokosuka feels like a fond childhood memory even though I've never even been there. Shenmue 1 and 2 were just THAT good at what they do and rare few video games ever come close to creating that emotional attachment I felt when playing these two games.

This cutscene was the moment that cemented it for me.

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