There's a relatively small group of gamers who were just alive at the right time to have had a Dreamcast during their coming-of-age years, and there's a few moments where you realize you're now playing the future. For me, one was going from Sonic 2 to being chomped in half by a giant snake in Resident Evil 1, and later, going from random PS1 games right into the Dreamcast in the Fall of 1999, Sonic Adventure's famous whale scene and specifically in Shenmue for me, the moment I stepped out of the Hazuki Dojo and into Yamanose. Even today, hearing the Yamanose music in the podcast as I'm driving to work brings me back to when I was 21 years old. Which brings me to the podcast itself.
It's very well done, there's great episodes that break down the hosts' favorite tunes from each game, along with comparisons from each host. They don't have the same tastes exactly, which is beneficial for this type of podcast. There are episodes dedicated specifically to the playthrough of each Dreamcast disc of the 2 games, which is wonderful, as there's far too much information in Shenmue to fit a game into one episode I believe. They took extensive notes, which helps aid in the nostalgia. I was lucky enough to be playing through the games again for the first time in 15 years, and was able to listen to a new disc-based episode after I beat said disc. (Though note there is a minor spoiler in the Shenmue 1 disc 2 episode regarding events at the end of the game).
They also cover new Shenmue III news, which is great, and I hope they continue to do so. And the episodes while honest, are performed with the present day in mind, and they reflect oddities about the games as played today, which made sense in 1999 because they were mindblowing then, but strange or obtuse now.
It's a great podcast, and I hope it continues, as if you're a past Shenmue gamer looking for some dopamine nostalgia hits, there's not much else that can do that for you, outside of reading some forums while listening to the soundtrack.
For balance, as nothing is perfect, if I were forced to find something to complain about, Adam has a thing where he appends an "S" to the end of "where." (Example: 'Somewheres', 'Anywheres', 'nowheres') Matt's forcing of the proper pronunciation of japanese works can get a little tedious at times, especially when there's 2-3 tried to Yokosuka the Japanese way, but again, these are super minor, and only listed here for balance.
I can't recommend the podcast enough for people looking to listen to something about Shenmue and get some nostalgia trips, while also being kept up on the lastest Shenmue III news.
Meanwhile, I'll look forward to leaving my house to go to work, with Matt announcing the podcast title, hearing the Shenmue menu music, and just as I'm getting onto a crowded highway on-ramp, hearing the Yamanose music - which always brings me back to soccer ball QTE's, kittens, and more importantly, a time when life was simpler, and I didn't have to go to work.
Keep up the great work!
