Shenmue cover art

Game entry

Shenmue

1999 · Adventure, JRPG, Beat 'em up, Simulation, Sandbox · PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Dreamcast · Sega

Shenmue is ranked no. 264 among the best video games of all time by GameForever voters, with an ELO score of 1,775 and 67% of duels won.

World rank

no. 264

ELO score

1,775

Wins

67%

Duels played

93

Join the debate · 29

About Shenmue

"He shall appear from a far Eastern land across the sea. A young man who has yet to know his potential. This potential is a power that can either destroy him, or realize his will. His courage shall determine his fate. The path he must traverse, fraught with adversity, I await whilst praying. For this destiny predetermined since ancient times... A pitch, black night unfolds with the morning star as its only light. And thus the saga, begins..."

This first chapter of Shenmue kicks off Yu Suzuki's cinematic Dreamcast tour-de-force, an exploration-heavy adventure that has players immerse themselves in Yokosuka, Japan. Players slip into the role of a young martial artist named Ryo Hazuki, who is on the trail of his father's killer. On the way, players must talk with hundreds of characters, engage in martial arts battles, and marvel at the realistic depiction of the Japanese coastal town.

The community says

I still remember spending an entire afternoon just talking to shopkeepers instead of following the main story, it felt strange but weirdly calming at the time

ELO progression

Score moved from 1,500 to 1,775 ELO points over the last 123 days.

Head-to-head

Direct record on the most played match-ups.

In the same genre

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Keep exploring

Greatest adventure games Ranking of PlayStation games Top games on Xbox Ranking of SEGA games The best 1990s games The best games of 1999

Around this spot

The games Shenmue sits between in the world ranking.

  1. 261 Spyro the Dragon 1,775
  2. 262 Horizon Forbidden West 1,775
  3. 263 Nioh 1,775
  4. 264 Shenmue 1,775
  5. 265 Star Wars: Battlefront II 1,774
  6. 266 Return of the Obra Dinn 1,774
  7. 267 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 1,774

More games from Sega

Released in 1999

The community

The debate

29 comments

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  1. ArcadeNinja

    I still remember spending an entire afternoon just talking to shopkeepers instead of following the main story, it felt strange but weirdly calming at the time

    Élodie_44

    Pareil de mon côté, cette lenteur m'a scotchée plus que n'importe quelle scène d'action ailleurs, ça compte pour rien ça

    QuestRex2

    Ça me rassure de voir que d'autres ont ressenti ce calme, ça compte peut-être plus dans son classement qu'on ne le pense

  2. Neon_Picard

    On loue toujours son ambition mais est-ce que quelqu'un ici a vraiment fini l'enquête sans consulter une soluce

  3. TurboBard2

    À l'époque tout le monde parlait des graphismes de Devil May Cry 3 mais nous on restait scotchés devant un jeu qui filmait juste la pluie tomber sur un parking désert

  4. QuestKnight

    Est-ce que Stardew Valley n'a pas simplement pris la routine de Shenmue et l'a rendue plus digeste pour tout le monde, sans le poids du reste

    jeannine68

    J'ai voté dans une trentaine de duels contre Stardew et le vrai souci c'est qu'on confond ambition et rythme digeste

  5. ArcadePhoenix

    Mon père m'a laissé la manette un dimanche pluvieux et je me souviens surtout d'avoir cherché des heures un type précis dans le port

    GlitchOwl95

    Cherché un type dans le port des heures, franchement ça résume tout le problème que j'ai avec ce jeu

    Nova_Corwin

    Replying to GlitchOwl95

    The dialogue trees do feel stiff by today's standards, though the environmental detail still holds up surprisingly well in places

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