Gonna pick up Yakuza 4 today and i read in a review that it is a shenmue style game. A quick google (it's early and i'm still on my first cup so maybe i'm missing something obvious) informs me that it is the name of a tree in a game. This tells me nothing, if anyone can enlighten me i would appreciate it.

Ta very much.

Lies, Shenmue was never ported to Xbox. The sequel was.

Shenmue is sill a Dreamcast exclusive. Still waiting on that PS3 re-release....

EDIT: On that note, I highly recommend you get a Dreamcast and a copy of Shenmue. And I don't mean emulator and ISO. Get the system, get the game, and you will not regret the purchase.

And no, you can't have my copy :P

It's like video games had an orgy and created one of the greatest games ever.

*jaw dropped*

Fucking seriously?

I thought everybody knew about Shenmue..... do yourself a favor & buy a Dreamcast, a copy of Shenmue. Then if you own an Xbox or 360 buy Shenmue II. You will not regret it.

But Yakuza isn't a Shenmue style game, Yakuza is just a beat 'em up with a story.
Not that there's anything wrong with that, Yakuza 1-3 were decent games.
Yakuza 4 seems to be the worst of the series.

I was under impression that Yakuza 4 is the highest scoring game in the series? It certainly is getting favorable reviews.

Shenmue is more like a classic adventure game, mixed with a martial arts story set in the 80's, with elements of a brawler thrown in, with really good fighting (from Virtua Fighter I think). It's very slow-paced, so some people (the wrong kind) will find themselves bored to death, but if you soak in the atmosphere and explore when you can, you will have a fantstic experience. It's quite unique.

There are people who will tell you that Yakuza is basically like Shenmue, but those people obviously completely missed the point of Shenmue. Yakuza is good and all, but it's first and foremost a brawler. Shenmue is first and foremost an adventure game.

Well Y4 has only been out for a little while, but what I've read about the story I don't like at all.
But I do tend to get attached to my main character in games :P
And Shenmue is indeed more of an experience of a story in a very interactive, open and engrossing world. It's an adventure with some fighting and QTE, but it's really about the story and the characters.
Yakuza has more of a Story - Fight - Fight - Fight - Story - Fight - Fight - Fight rhythm to it.