Without Shenmue, We Wouldn't Have Yakuza

As Shenmue 2 celebrates its 20th anniversary, let’s look back on how it made Yakuza possible.

[Absonite]

I'd rather have Shenmue.

[-Hermit-]

I prefer Shenmue, but I am happy we have both. I don't like the constant comparisons between the two though. Anybody that likes and plays both of them enough can tell that they are very different games. There really aren't many similarities.

[Petebloodyonion]

I always felt that Yakuza was the spiriual successor to Shenmue or the natural evolution of Shenmue.
The settings of a Yakuza or a very Japanese-oriented story.
The open-world element with restaurants, convenience stores, and arcades.
Playing arcade games like Space-Harrier and Hang-on (is it me or Space Harrier is always there)
Collecting toy capsule

[SimpleSlave]

"...natural evolution of Shenmue." No. While it is very tempting to get to this conclusion, this is incorrect. In fact, while Yakuza have refined some aspects (fighting, controls, etc.) that where present in Shenmue, the reality is that Shenmue is still the more advance and ambitious game when it comes to its gameplay systems and presentation.

In Shenmue, NPC's had routines, there was a day/night cycle, stores would actually close, there was a weather system in place, etc. Shenmue was not trying to pretend to be a slice of life but actually let you play a slice of life.

I understand it might seem insignificant to most, but it makes a huge difference and thus is makes for a vastly different experience than Yakuza.

[FreeckyCake]

Takeshi Kitano films and Fist of the North Star too.