The rumours of the new/port of Shenmue made me get all nostalgic and watch the first 30 mins on YouTube.
Goddamn that shit almost made me tear up.
I didn't really get into gaming until later in life. Games were banned in my home as a child so it wasn't until I was about 13 or so that I actually got to play games. One of the first games I ever played from start to finish was Shenmue...
I was just discussing it with my girlfriend and I explained to her that back then this game was so ahead of its time.
I'd never played a game where the world was so alive and immersive. I could just get lost wondering around town, taking in the sites, speaking to people, spending my money on toys, drinks, arcade games etc.
The fact that it was one of the first games that I really played properly made it all even better for me. I'd never felt so 'involved' in a game before probably because I'd only played more arcade type games like Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi and Virtua Fighter (Dreamcast was the first console that I actually owned).
Looking back on it, it actually feels like I was there.
It feels like I actually visited 1986 Japan and worked on the docks. Like a holiday that I went on 14 years ago...
Watching it all again on YouTube just brought so many memories flooding back.
What's even crazier is that I only played through it once. Just once, start to finish, all those years ago and I still remember it vividly! I remember faces of people I met, sites I saw and the home/dojo that I lived in.
No other game has ever really had that impact on me. I miss good Dreamcast era Sega