Shenmue I and II Xbox One

Originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000 and 2001, Shenmue I & II is an open world action adventure combining jujitsu combat, investigative sleuthing, RPG elements, and memorable mini-games. It pioneered many aspects of modern gaming, including open world city exploration, and was the game that coined the Quick Time Event (QTE). It was one of the first games with a persistent open world, where day cycles to night, weather changes, shops open and close and NPCs go about their business all on their own schedules. Its engrossing epic story and living world created a generation of passionate fans, and the game consistently makes the list of “greatest games of all time”.

Shenmue I & II is an open world action adventure combining jujitsu combat, investigative sleuthing, RPG elements, and memorable mini-games. It pioneered many aspects of modern gaming, including open world city exploration, and was the game that coined the Quick Time Event (QTE). It was one of the first games with a persistent open world, where day cycles to night, weather changes, shops open and close and NPCs go about their business all on their own schedules. Its engrossing epic story and living world created a generation of passionate fans, and the game consistently makes the list of “greatest games of all time”.

The first game is set in a small corner of Yokosuka, including the suburbs of Sakuragaoka and Yamanose and Dobuita, a busy high street with shops, bars, restaurants, and arcades. It’s the 1980s after all. Ryo doesn’t know who killed his father—only that he’s Chinese, wears an elaborate silk coat with a dragon on it, and drives a black car. And so, armed with this information, he wanders his hometown looking for clues. Much of your time in Shenmue is spent on the street asking people questions. Most of them won’t know anything, but the ones who do will trigger further lines of questioning, slowly unravelling the story and leading Ryo down an increasingly dark, dangerous path.