According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence, Strong Language, Use of Tobacco & Alcohol
Parents should be aware that this game is rated for teens because the dialogue is peppered with PG-13 level profanity. Parents may also have ethical issues with high-degree of realism in the game especially in its portrayal of violence used to resolve most conflicts and the criminal element in the form of gang members and unsavory-looking thugs.
Dreamcast owners expecting Shenmue to be the official swan song of the system are going to have to wait awhile longer. While Shenmue has some great qualities to it and has many revolutionary features, the game is also undoubtedly wrought with consistency and balance problems. Shenmue is also a hard title to recommend to fans of specific genres because this game elevates the term hybrid or cross-genre to all new levels. Shenmue consists of all kinds of different styles of play that range from a Dragons Lair-like QTE system to a free roaming 3-D fighting engine. Though if I had to pick one genre, I would have to say that Shenmue is most like a role-playing game in the truest sense. Players must inhabit the life of Ryo Hazuki.