First of all the world is amazing.  I'm not sure how Suzuki and team pulled it off (maybe the five years in development helped) but Ryu's hometown is accurately rendered down to indvidual leaves and trash in the streets.  Better yet you can interact with everything.  See that apartment complex over there?  You can walk up, head upstairs and knock on one of the doors asking the person inside if they have seen the car your looking for.  Upon realizing that the person doesn't know what your talking about you apoligize and are able to head back.

     People, everyone in the Shenmue world is programmed to have a life.  Certain persons will be at work during the day and your only able to find them (unless you go to their workplace) after hours, or early in the morning, though finding anyone early is hard to do as Ryu's alarm clock doesn't wake him up till 8:33.   People you do interact with are human, real problems, or likes and dislikes, jobs they must get moving for or families they must get home to.

     One character you stumble on at the beginning of the game is a little girl named Megumi-san.  She makes sure that you can keep a secret then shares the fact that momma cat was hit by a black car (the same black car that Ryu is looking for) leaving a kitten to be cared for.  Megumi-san's okasan (mother) won't allow the kitten in the house so it's up to Ryu and the neighboring people to make sure that cat is fed says Megumi.

     Shenmue's story, while nothing revolutionary so far is engrossing nonetheless.    Ryu returns home finding the dojo sign broken in half on the ground.  Upon looking over the grounds he finds his housekeeper lying on the ground dazed.  She warns him about his father before returning to her stupor.  Cautiously Ryu approaches the dojo as Fuku-san (his father's apprentice in martial arts I believe) is tossed out the dojo.

     Running inside to find his father Ryu finds him in conflict with a large man in green named Souryu (this guy rocks in the villain department!)  Souryu is asking Ryu's father about the location of a mirror, and Iwao (Ryu's dad) is not telling.  The two men clash and Ryu's father goes down, prodding Ryu to attack Souryu in rage.  Souryu easily counters and sends Ryu sprawling across the ground with the wind knocked out of him.

     With Iwao still refusing to reveal the location of the mirror Souryu picks Ryu up by the throat Darth Vader style and prepares to kill him hoping to get the information from father.  Iwao relents and Souryu tosses Ryu to the ground.  He then asks Iwao if he remembers Chosonmei.  Iwao does, and Souryu reminds him of the man he killed in Mouson, alarmed and (I don't believe quite aware of what's going on) Iwao struggles to his feet.

     "Come forward, I'll deal you a final blow fitting of this house,"  with those words Souryu and Iwao battle for the final time as Souryu hits Iwao across the room in a sickening scene.  Souryu's henchmen returns with the mirror and they leave the dojo.  Ryu crawls to his father's side to find the life draining away from him.  As he passes Ryu calls his name in anguish.

     A few days later,  Ryu rises and starts his quest to find answers and seek his revenge on Souryu, the game starts wtih you wandering outside of your families (spacious!) estate and down in town to look for information on a black car you saw parked outside as your arrived the on that fateful day.

    Controlwise I found Shenmue took a couple of minutes to get used to but is otherwise right on the money.  Movement is handled with the D-pad while Ryu looks around with the joystick, A is your interact button while the R button zooms the view forward to become first person.  Battles are handled very similiar to the Virtua Fighter series (gee, Yu Suzuki, the man responsible for this title, DID, make the Virtua Fighter series...)

    Music is great, very fitting of the sense of despair but purpose that Ryu is feeling, sound effects are otherwise right on.  You hear a cat meow as you walk past (what's with the game and cats?  least it's not pigs...) Hear hawkers calling their wares, scooters speed by, people talk, frying pans fry, everything sounds like it's real world counterpart.

     It's not even worth touching on the graphics, click on some of the screenshots, they are easily te most impressive I've ever seen in a game, whether console or otherwise and are simply awe-inspiring.

     Oh yes, a word to the wise, it's 1986 in the game, in the local arcade are fully playable versions of Hang On and Space Harrier.   DON'T spend all your  money there playing these classics, you won't like yourself afterwards.

     More to come as I get farther in the game.

Main

In the merchant district.

I smell trouble...

Ice cold refreshements, maybe?

Souryu, the games villain.

Ryu and Megumi looking at her kitten.