Possibly the most enjoyable aspect of Shenmue is the real-time fighting system. It has obvious links with the Virtua Fighter series (after all, they share a creator!), but you can fight multiple opponents at once as in Sega's Japanese arcade hit, Spikeout. This has so much in common with Virtua Fighter that I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Ryo as a new or hidden character in Virtua Fighter 4.
My only gripe about this engine is that Ryo has an annoying habit of facing away from enemies, but this is a very minor annoyance.
Check out the pictures below of the real-time fighting engine.
Previously only used in the forgettable Dynamite Cop/Deka 2, the above-average Die Hard Arcade, and the obscure arcade games Dragon's Lair 1 & 2, the QTE sections of the game will be new to most gamers.
Despite being criticised for 'over-simplifying' the gameplay, I think QTEs add immeasurably to it. After all, if the whole game was real-time, you couldn't have the surprise of a drunk man jumping out and trying to smash a beer bottle over your head, could you?
The idea behind QTE is so simple that it's surprising that it was never used more before, and insures that it will probably be shamelessly ripped of for years to come. All it involves is a button command flashing up on the screen, and you're given about a second to press the relevant button to activate a set move, which could have a variety of effects, such as kicking an enemy over a railing, or managing to keep your balance on a narrow pole.
Check out these pictures of Ryo in a couple of QTE sequences.
