While these games lack a large, sprawling open world, they instead focus on micro details. Drawers can be opened, objects picked up and examined. Everyone has their own routine in the day.

It's this sense of feeling like you're in a living, breathing place that makes Shenmue I & II so magical. Couple that with a revenge tale and the aesthetic of a 1980s Asian action film, and you get something that no one else has really accomplished before or since.

Of course, many people will hate Shenmue. That's fair enough. But while they can deny that it's good, they cannot deny that it's unique. And it's that uniqueness that makes Shenmue I & II so special to its fans.

While these games lack a large, sprawling open world, they instead focus on micro details. Drawers can be opened, objects picked up and examined. Everyone has their own routine in the day. It's this sense of feeling like you're in a living, breathing place that makes Shenmue I & II so magical. Couple that with a revenge tale and the aesthetic of a 1980s Asian action film, and you get something that no one else has really accomplished before or since. Of course, many people will hate Shenmue. That's fair enough. But while they can deny that it's good, they cannot deny that it's unique. And it's that uniqueness that makes Shenmue I & II so special to its fans.