This made me think on a tangent, on whether divulging spoilers for an interactive experience have a heavier "stigma" than for books or movies. Five or 10 years from now, or even a month from now, I can't imagine being offended if someone were to spoil who dies in "Avengers: Infinity War", or the 3rd season of GoT. Whereas a video game is much more inherently about the "journey" -- e.g. you have to do some work to get to the end. I think I'd be annoyed if people were just spoiling "The Last of Us" 10 years after its release (which is likely to be after its sequel is released).

That said, I don't think I'll ever find time to play the original Shenmue. But hearing more details about why it has cultivated such a fond following makes me very interested in playing its Kickstarted sequel.

I don't think so personally, because the game is something that should be experienced. Just reading about it, is like reading about food.

I'm not saying don't read it, I'm saying if you want to play the game, consider playing it without preconceptions.

Unlike other mediums, the number of people who play games has grown exponentially over those 20 years.

I think it's safe to say that the vast majority of people who play games now have never experienced Shenmue even though it was a blockbuster title on the 9 million Dreamcasts that shipped worldwide.

And you're not only spoiling the 20 year old version, you're also spoiling the HD remaster that can be bought right now on PC.