Versus: Shenmue VS. Nomad Soul
March 13th, 2010 | 
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Yet another new feature, Awesome right? This new feature is an all out brawl in which two oddly similar games will fight for a theoretical award named the “Superior Champion.” So, let’s buckle up and get all hyped up for the first ever edition of Versus! (note: the totally awesome, non-generic title).
Today’s edition involves a character named Ryo Hazuki and musician by the name of David Bowie. In more simplistic terms, the two games chosen to be compared are Shenmue and The Nomad Soul.
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Similarities:
To do a legit comparison we need similar elements in the two games. This section will explain the attributes that make the game comparable.
The first reason for comparing the two titles is that they are both for the same console – the Dreamcast – you can find alternate versions of the games but the versions I am referring to for all of the technical comparisons are the DC editions.
The second point is that both the games have an early examples of “Free-Roaming Game Play” meaning that the path you take isn’t linear and that you can go pretty much anywhere if you feel like doing so. They both have a combat system implemented, by combat I mean fighting engine similar to Virtua Fighter or Soul Calibur, the fighting systems may not be as complex as the previous examples but they are still decent in their own right.
Graphics:
Before I even go into depth for this one, I’m going to tell you now that Shenmue is the clear winner for this category, this one is a no-brainer. With that aside, Nomad Soul doesn’t necessarily have bad graphics, they are just average by Dreamcast standards.
The graphics in Nomad are good enough, however they can occasionally be blocky and a few of the textures are very smudged and ugly. This however doesn’t deteriorate the gameplay with the exception of the occasional slow down.
In Shenmue’s case, this is one of the places the title shines. The graphics are breathtaking even today, I think they’ve stood the test of time. There are no complaints from me and others would be hard pressed to find some.
Sound:
This is a difficult one to compare – so, I am just going to put up music from both the games and you can decide for yourself:
Nomad Soul:
Shenmue:
Game Play:
It’s the all important factor of games, game play (that factor that some games like Heavy Rain seem to forgot about). And this is where both of these game undoubtedly shine the most.
Nomad Soul is very similar to Shenmue’s gameplay you spend a decent amount of time finding out clues about things, in this case it is mainly about yourself (play the game to find out what I am talking about).
Nomad Soul seems to be slightly more action orientated and in my opinion and this is where this game excels the most. Earlier I mentioned the fighting engine admittedly this feels a little generic and easy compared to the standard of fighting games but it also pales when compared to Shenmue’s combat system. It simply feels a little glitchy and sometimes you will be relying entirely on luck which lead to annoyances when you are trying to progress through the game’s story.
Now for Shenmue, I don’t even really think I have to describe this games gameplay…to put it simply: Quick Time Event’s, Classic Sega Arcades, Combat Sequences, Forklift Racing and much more. This game is FAR superior to Nomad Soul – no questions asked however that doesn’t make Nomad Soul a bad game – it’s actually very good.
The Winner:
Shenmue is the clear winner – it features a more involved story, it has better graphics, and it is simply more fun to play. The only real problem is the high price tag. Please bear in mind that Nomad Soul is still a spectacular game and has a very captivating story and it is easier to acquire than Shenmue.
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when i hear about David Bowie, it reminds me of Vanilla Ice. ,~: