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Shenmue (video game)

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In the game, users take on the role of Ryo Hazuki, a young martial artist, who probes the killing of his father that occurred in Yokosuka during 1986.[1] Shenmue contains a living world whose level of intricacy was unmatched by other games of its era.[2]

Making and release

Shenmue was created by Yu Suzuki.[3] Suzuki and Sega AM2 built a prototype Saturn game called The Old Man and the Peach Tree.[4] The team created over 300 characters, each with names, personalities and relationships.[5] Because arcade sessions are typically very short, Suzuki aimed to craft a more extended experience and studied role-playing games for inspiration.[3]

AM2 started work on a 3D RPG for the Saturn in 1996, which was code-named Guppy.[6] After Sega scrapped a planned graphics accelerator for the Saturn in 1997, the project was shifted to the Dreamcast.[7] The Japanese launch of Shenmue occurred on December 29, 1999.[8]

What the cited sources add

Yu Suzuki spoke about the origins and development of Shenmue at the 2014 Game Developers Conference.[9] Suzuki researched late 1980s role-playing games as the formula for the game he would build.[9] The prototype The Old Man and the Peach Tree tested camera and character controls, a conversation system and combat.[9] Suzuki brought in a screenwriter, a playwright, and movie directors for "borderless development."[9]

Diver noted that in 2014, on a modern HD television, the game still looks handsome.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Shenmue (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Towell, "Why is everybody so excited? What's a Shenmue?", GamesRadar, June 30, 2015; Diver, "Shenmue – discovering the Sega classic 14 years too late", The Guardian, May 2, 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Shenmue (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gill, "'90s Making of Shenmue documentary gives glimpse into legendary game", GameSkinny, November 9, 2015; "Shenmue Review", November 2000; "Shenmue once featured cats that walk on two legs", Eurogamer, March 19, 2014; "Gaming's greatest flops: Shenmue", USgamer, August 8, 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Shenmue (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Corriea, "Creator Yu Suzuki shares the story of Shenmue's development", Polygon, March 19, 2014; Corriea, "Creator Yu Suzuki shares the story of Shenmue's development", Polygon, March 19, 2014 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Shenmue (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Shenmue once featured cats that walk on two legs", Eurogamer, March 19, 2014; Corriea, "Creator Yu Suzuki shares the story of Shenmue's development", Polygon, March 19, 2014 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Shenmue (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: BATDORFF, "Yokosuka street hosts players of video game", Stars and Stripes, April 21, 2006; Corriea, "Creator Yu Suzuki shares the story of Shenmue's development", Polygon, March 19, 2014; Edge, issue 68, January 1999, page 22; Shenmue – 2000 Developer Interview , Shmupulations; "Classic 'Shenmue' Interview Unearthed", Forbes; Richard Stanton, "A Brief History Of Video Games: From Atari to Virtual Reality", Little, Brown Book, 2015, p. 212; Corriea, "Creator Yu Suzuki shares the story of Shenmue's development", Polygon, March 19, 2 en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Shenmue (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Shenmue once featured cats that walk on two legs", Eurogamer, March 19, 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Shenmue (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McFerran, "The 'last and greatest mystery' of the Sega Saturn has been revealed", Time Extension, 6 March 2026; McFerran, "The 'last and greatest mystery' of the Sega Saturn has been revealed", Time Extension, 6 March 2026; "Shenmue, the history", IGN, July 13, 1999; Corriea, "Creator Yu Suzuki shares the story of Shenmue's development", Polygon, March 19, 2014; "Shenmue, the history", IGN, July 13, 1999 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Shenmue (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gantayat, "Shenmue's Japanese Release Officially Delayed", IGN, September 30, 1999; Gantayat, "Shenmue: The Last Great Game of the Millennium", IGN, November 17, 1999; "シェンムー 一章 横須賀 [ドリームキャスト] / ファミ通.com"; "Sega Announces Limited Edition Shenmue", GameSpot; I. G. N. Staff, "The Games of November: America", IGN, 2000-11-03; Barker, Sammy, "Soapbox: Why I Love Shenmue", Push Square, July 16, 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Corriea, "Creator Yu Suzuki shares the story of Shenmue's development", Polygon, March 19, 2014. facts only, no text reused. polygon.com
  10. Diver, "Shenmue – discovering the Sega classic 14 years too late", The Guardian, May 2, 2015. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Shenmue (video game) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Role-playing game, Shenmue

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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