Favorite AM2 memory...of course it has to be Shenmue. Shenmue I to be exact.
I can't remember exactly when it was, but it was either late 2001 or early 2002. Before Shenmue II came out in North America, my friend was over at my house. My parents had came back from town, and made a stop at the flea market. They picked up three games to try out on the good ol' Dreamcast: Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense, Grandia II, and Shenmue I. Of course, we tried them all. Vigilante was fun, and the only one we could both play at the same time. Grandia seemed cool, but not something to play when a friend is over. And Shenmue, I honestly brushed it off as being just another game. Wow, was I wrong.
After my friend left the next day, I was able to start exploring more of the two games that were one player only: Grandia and Shenmue I. I ended up getting blown completely away by Shenmue, more than any other game I had ever played...the graphics, the music, everything was incredible and I loved it. I still remember being terribly sick, home from school one day, and I was so thrilled that I got to play it all day
. I remember I was on disc 2, trying to sneak into the old warehouse district, and I kept failing. Shozo Mizuki came and helped me, several times. I could not figure this out. I was so frustrated, that when my mother came in to bring me some breakfast (scrambled eggs and bacon in a bowl, I still remember
), that I asked her to try it for me. Keep in mind I wasn't even in middle school at the time. Of course, she got it, and at this time it was much easier since I had maps and less guards due to Shozo's help. She gets me in to Old Warehouse #8, and I continue the game. I was so shocked when Gui Zhang said "We always have trouble with that gang...those dirty bastards." :D
Anyways, I continued on, loving every minute of it, especially the forklift job, and finished the game. Was incredibly impressed, I was mesmerized by this game. It was instantly my favorite video game of all time, it was a story that drew me in, and made a personal connection with me...I felt sorry for Ryo, I felt his pain throughout all of this, and as cheesy as it may sound, I feel like I kind of grew a little with him through the second game as well.
I was constantly on the internet looking up anything and everything I could about Shenmue II, or if one existed. I was not a current gamer by any means...the Dreamcast was not bought new, in fact, the last console we bought first hand was a Genesis. So I didn't know anything about DC dying, or Shenmue II coming to the Xbox,- right away. I remember finding all sorts of pictures and screenshots, and a really old Project Berkeley ad that was about thirty seconds long, that I still have never seen since (except on my computer!) . I read all sorts of rumors that Ryo would be able to call home to Japan in Shenmue II, would receive letters from Nozomi, and more. Finally, I got word that Shenmue II was coming to Xbox, and I immediately convinced my parents to put one in Walmart layaway. I am in sixth grade now, and I remember instantly making my way over to the video game section every time my family was in Walmart. They had up the Xbox demo disc with the Shenmue II Zhang QTE sequence on it, that started with the Dou Jiang Free Battle. I don't think I ever quite beat that demo due to me never knowing what to do with command QTEs, but I still was in love. So excited to finally get this game. Eventually, I think it was either December 2002 or January 2003, we got the Xbox and Shenmue II out of layaway. The Xbox came with Rallisport Challenge, SEGA GT 2002, and Jet Set Radio Future, but all I wanted to play was Shenmue. We got home with it, and I was so excited! My brother had gone to a school dance that night, and my dad wanted to try out the games with me, but didn't want to watch me play Shenmue. We glanced through the other three games, and he even stayed for a bit to watch Shenmue, and then I was all alone to enjoy the experience. I remember thinking that I needed a memory card to save my game and that I wouldn't be able to save, but when I found out I could, I was ecstatic! I still have that old Xbox with me very first Shenmue II clear file on it...I should go back and check the date, but I think I beat the game around March or April. After that, still not knowing much about the franchise and SEGA's current situations, or Shenmue III, I again swarm the internet to find out when Shenmue III is coming out, because you can't end a game like THAT!!! I stumble upon the Shenmue Dojo on Gamespy's Planet Xbox, and finally registered as a member in April of 2004. I remember all of the letdowns, all of the LanDC hacks and discoveries, the announcement of Shenmue Online, the announcement of Shenmue Gai...all of it. Such a wonderful time playing through those games all those years ago, and here is to my undying wish that we will someday see the ending of the Shenmue saga, as it was meant to be, in a video game.
Of course, playing through Shenmue made me experience Space Harrier, Outrun, Hang On, and Afterburner II. Those were great games, and I have also enjoyed playing Virtua Fighter 2 on Saturn and PC, Virtua Fighter 3 on Dreamcast, Fighters Megamix on Saturn, and more. But nothing compares to Shenmue for me.
Good times, great memories. Thank you, SEGA - AM2.
