2. Shenmue (Debut: 1999 JP – 2000 NA, Dreamcast)

Years ago, I played Assassin’s Creed for the very first time. This was back when the game was new. I loved it, but I hated the way it ended. Shenmue is the reason.

All I could think was “What if no-one plays the game? What if I’m the only one in the world who sees potential in this? What if I’m forced to sit here for years thinking of what could have been?” Yeah, Shenmue has turned me into a nervous wreck when I play planned multigame projects. That’s my nerd life, okay? Every day.

I remember seeing pictures of Shenmue in all the magazines. “What the funk is that?” I asked anyone who would listen. “Can you believe how amazing this looks? Look at them ears. Them has ears!”

After months of pining over every little picture and morsel of details, The Official Dreamcast Magazine finally put a video on one of their demo discs. It was just over 6 minutes long but in the weeks leading to Christmas, the culmination of time I spent watching it amounted to hours. Believe me when I tell you that when I finally got my hands on the final product, nerdgasms were had.

When it looked like North American audiences wouldn’t get to play Shenmue 2, the X-Box acted as a beacon of hope... before thusly becoming the harbinger of reality.

Gamers like myself, will likely only experience a fraction of Yu Suzuki’s full vision. With his decision to leave Sega in order to focus on his own studio, one can only delude oneself into believing that Sega is giving him the right to continue his masterpiece on his own dime. But I’m not holding my breath.

Assassin’s Creed was originally planned to be a trilogy, but at this year’s E3, they officially unveiled the final chapter of the Ezio Trilogy. That’s right, a trilogy within a trilogy. Christopher Nolan would be proud. Meanwhile, Shenmue, a game far ahead of its time, sits in a quiet corner, neglected. Remembered by some, but ignored by everyone else.

Okay. So what could possibly be next? Skies of Arcadia? Toe Jam and Earl? Sega Rally? Shinobi? Panzer Dragoon Saga? Well, whatever you’re thinking, prepare for a major disappointment. Seriously, mentally prepare yourself so that you don’t throw anything at your nice, high resolution, monitor. I hate it when I read these kinds of lists and they pick something controversial just for the sake of making the list unpredictable. The game on the following page is something I am very passionate about, so hear me out... and it’s not even Shining Force.