How many times have you played and finished shenmue?

[CrazyT]

And do you still occasionally get in the mood or long to be back in the world of shenmue?

Shenmue is such a complex and unpredictable game. Literally every time i've been through it, it had been slightly different. Meeting people i've never met before, seeing cutscenes i've never seen before and obtaining items i never got. Shenmue 2 is full of secrets. I avoid faqs and walkthroughs, but last time i played shenmue 2 a whole new game opened to me.

The best part I love about shenmue is how you can take your save file from game to game. Although there's nothing to gain from it since it stops after 2 . To add a bit to the topic, the last gen of consoles is almost in the past. What would be your platform of choice if there ever came a shenmue 3?

[Randroid]

Shenmue 1: Fully beat it twice

Shenmue 2: Also twice. Once on Dreamcast and again on Xbox. Although, I used to replay the fight scenes non-stop since they made it easy to do so.

It's hard to get back into it now. Can't hook up the Dreamcast to my Tv anymore, and the Xbox version has this weird ghosting thing with movement that the DC version doesn't have.

As far as Shenmue three goes, new Sega Console or PC. No other system is worthy of a new Shenmue.

[TJKitsune]

Beaten both twice as well.  I actually boot the original game up once a year around Christmas and play for a few hours.  So I've started the game like 12 times now, but never fully finished it.  I just like reliving the opening and watching Ryo suffer that horrible event of watching his father die over and over again...because I'm cruel like that, I guess?

[Barry the Nomad]

Shenmue - Finished twice, and played existing saves partially a lot.

Shenmue 2 - Finished once with the PAL import on Dreamcast, got the XBOX version later and played through most of it.

[Centrale]

I've finished each one of them once.  As far as replaying them, I've started both multiple times but got hung up for various reasons.  With Shenmue 2, I got frustrated with the Xbox 360 d-pad and trying to do the work at the pier.  Then I got a RROD and didn't have a transfer cable to bring my game save over to my new Xbox's HDD.  (As I recall in my first playthrough, I ended up mostly using a savegame exploit and a particular gambling booth to save up money.)  I might try it again on an original Xbox when I pick one up.

More recently I started up Shenmue 1 in an emulator, but balked when I realized that I couldn't play the arcade games in the emulator.  Something about a double-emulation being against the laws of thermodynamics.  Then I went and re-bought the DC original and am waiting a while to play them through back-to-back, maybe later this year.

I think they're both worth replaying, because they both have a LOT of hidden content.

As for 3, I'll play it on anything it comes out on... but I guess at this point my preference would be PC.

[lordtomo]

i wished i had this game, it was a part of my life but sadly only pirated it, i wasn't a rich kid then

[CrazyT]

Treason!!!! It doesn't matter you're a lord, this will have consequences

Nah kiddin, I think most of us ended up pirating a few games(aaaargh). Shenmue however was one of the few games we(in our house) didn't among others.

[max_cady]

Shenmue I: 7 times;
Shenmue II: 7 times;

Shenmue II Xbox: One single time.

Right now, I'm not in a mood to revisit this franchise.

[Kevin-N]

Shenmue: 6 times
Shenmue II : 6 times
Shenmue II xbox : 5 times

[pcm92]

2 on both. Unfortunately, they will never make a 3rd. A lot of people think it's just in "developement hell", but I don't think Sega really cares about Shenmue anymore, since it reminds them of the Dreamcast era. An era which they do not want to relive.

[CrazyT]

Has anyone ever done the duck races and unlocked

[spoilers] all the fights on the top floor at the arcade? I think one of them was the tomato shop girl [/spoilers]

[Centrale]

I thought it was the other way around, if you can defeat Izumi, you get access to the duck races?  Man, I tried and tried to defeat Izumi and couldn't get past the complex QTE sequence (yet).  Overall, I would say she's one of the toughest fighters in the whole game.  It is funny to be in a battle and have the Tomato Convenience Store themesong playing.

[CrazyT]

It seems the spoiler button isn't even working. Gonna be honest. The last time, and the only time I did a perfect run like that must have been 4 years ago. I think you may be right because my memories are very vague about this.

Haha but yeah, I agree man. I think one of them was also this american chick you'd meat at the fountain(whatever that place is called). Again, very vague memories. I do remember them being tough. I'm not sure if they were the toughest opponents in the whole game however.
I really liked how many secrets the 2nd game had. The fact everything you did could be replayed later was a great encouragement. Fighting every single fighter, playing all arcade machines and more. I think there was a secret hang-on machine in the final building before you go to that village guilin

[Centrale]

Maybe it was trying to hit that QTE on the 360 d-pad that made it so impossible for me.  Even just moving the boxes perfectly at Workers Pier was impossible with that d-pad.  I never even found that fighting arena when I originally played all the way through on the first Xbox.

Oh yeah, I think that was Eileen Edelweiss by the fountain.  Somehow I completely missed her when I played S2 the first time through... guess I never ran back to the fountain, always past it, so I never noticed her standing there.

[Truesonic]

I've played and beaten Shenmue 1 about 2 times and started a new play through. I also played through Part 2 on xbox about 6 times. I love them both but I can't revisit them knowing there is no true ending.