Anyways Andrex, I'm not sure if Shenmue is your thing. I'm not sure. It COULD be, but it's possible it won't be either. You tend to like games that are all about mechanics, games like Mario or Monster Hunter. However, you do enjoy alternative gaming too, like Animal Crossing. Shenmue isn't completely like Animal Crossing. The goal in Shenmue is to become a martial arts master in the traditional kung fu movie vein. The goal in Animal Crossing is to pay your stuff off. However, they create similar play mindsets for me. They're both games you boot up to RELAX. Shenmue is a game that requires patience. It isn't a game like modern games where everything is rewarded every time all the time. It's a game series about patience, sometimes literally. In Animal Crossing you plant stuff, dig for fossils, rearrange furniture, you have to wake up on Sunday to get beets, you only have one chance a day or a week to do certain things like get fortune telling or buy art from Redd if you don't cheat. Likewise, Shenmue is about getting information, and sometimes passing the time till the next event. Shenmue is also story-based, but if you're not interested in the story you don't have to fuck with it. So I'm split. I think you could love it, I think you could hate it. Like with Animal Crossing it's not really a game series with much middle ground. Either you get it or you don't. But I'd say with a big caveat that Shenmue is also a game that takes some time to adjust and "get". Even I didn't understand what the fuck I was playing when I first played it, but by the time I beat it it became one of my favorite games.
For what it's worth, 1 is not really action-based. You don't have a single fight on the first disc, I think, beyond the Sakuragaoka Park fight. But like I said, it's a game series about build up, and disc 3 becomes loads with fights. Shenmue II however, has tons of fights and has much more action-packed, fish out of water, traditional kung fu movie set up.
I highly suggest watching this, Andy.
