Shenmue 1 & 2 - Worth Playing?

Destructoid recommends the Shenmue remake:

Should you play Shenmue 1+2 Hd?

Should you give Shenmue your time in 2018? After the huge announcement of Shenmue 3 at the PlayStation E3 conference in 2015, Shenmue had a huge resurgence in popularity and many fans and newcomers alike began begging for a re-release in HD all over again, fans had asked for an HD collection ever since the release of Yakuza 2 in 2006 which featured a fighting system that was considered incredibly advanced for its time and was the first time Sega put a lot of attention into the audio production of one of their key video games.
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There are many reasons to be excited about Shenmue 1+2 HD whether you're a hardcore fan, a casual fan, or a Yakuza fan just looking to see where the series began since Yakuza is a spiritual successor to Shenmue and it's not unrealistic to think had the series continued under Sega that Ryo would've joined the Yakuza maybe even fight alongside Kazama Kiryu. My final verdict is Yes, You should absolutely play Shenmue 1+2 HD and give Shenmue your time in 2018! It's also a much more affordable way to catch up on the Shenmue series before the release of the long-anticipated Shenmue 3 in 2019!

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No. It was very boring and stilted then, and it would be extremely painful today. One of the most overrated games ever, IMO.

I wouldn't call Shenmue boring, but it is definitely a little slow-paced for today's audience.
Shenmue was a strange blend of Asian culture, open-world adventure, minigames, and martial-arts brawler.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first two and looking forward to Shenmue III, but I do hope for less drawer-pulling and more ass-kicking.

I haven't played 1 as it was for Dreamcast, but I played (not finished ) 2 on my great old original xbox (best console ever) and it was a great game and still is more than relevant..

Also looking forward to 3..

Originally Posted by Vindicator
I wouldn't call Shenmue boring, but it is definitely a little slow-paced for today's audience.

I'm 47. I have played some of the most drawn out, slow paced games in history. I played games on a Vic 20 tape drive. I like text adventures. I'm playing Sunless Skies right now and digging it.

Shenmue is boring.

PC Gamer disagrees, youngster.

Originally Posted by Zloth
PC Gamer disagrees, youngster.

I'll bet you $1000 I'm older than that reviewer.

Maybe Shenmue was an open world game before open world games were viable, I dunno. But I remember playing it on Dreamcast and having to drag myself through it. Back and forth through town, having insipid, non-sequitur fueled "conversations", driving forklifts for an hour at a time, fighting clunky fights. Ugh. The best part was playing Space Harrier. Which was, you know, already a game.