/vr/ - Retro Games

I like both games a lot, but for some reason I decided to play Shenmue 2 first, and going backwards to 1 felt like a massive downgrade. Both games are relatively the same length, but 2 has significantly more locations and optional content. There are about 20 large locations in 2, whereas in 1 you spend 90% of the game in Dobuita and the Harbor (Yamanose and Sakuragaoka are essentially only there for cutscenes). Shenmue 2 also has a much better sense of dynamic pacing. The story goes from fast, to slow, to very fast, and finally to very slow. Shenmue 1 is just slow for the entire game. You spend 1/3rd of the game investigating leads only to reach a dead end, and then a plot macguffin arrives in the mail directing you to Master Chen. From there you find the dragon mirror, and everything after that is sort of a blur. The biggest improvement in 2 was simply the gameplay though. No more having to wait to progress the story, and no more 8 hours of mandatory forklift bullshit every day, which takes roughly 30 minutes in real time. The fighting sections are also tougher in 2, which I liked. But to end on a positive note about Shenmue 1, the characters and world feel more intimate, being that it's Ryo's hometown, and Ryo himself comes across as being more endearing and relatable. He is probably the most relatable 18 year old put into any game.

TL;DR - Both Shenmue 1 & 2 are great, but I don't think that I will ever replay 1. I am eager to check out 3.

Shenmue is starting to lose me.
It was impressive when I started it, but over time the novelty wore off.
There's actually very little for Ryo to interact with.
>you can walk into a bunch of stores
Besides Tomato Mart you can't buy anything
>you can talk to NPCs
They either brush you off with a line or just repeat shit about the same topic
>its comfy
Yeah its comfy and atmospheric, but that only carries it so far.
Not to mention the amount of just wiating around, which was neat at first but really dragged the game out. I just did the beat where I saw the tattoo guy, does it improve?