The Yu Suzuki Resume

Look back at career highlights from the man behind Hang-On, Virtua Fighter, and Shenmue.

By: James Mielke

[Editor’s Note: As part of this week’s Shenmue anniversary Cover Story, former 1UP editor/current Q Entertainment producer James Mielke wrote up his thoughts on highlights from Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki’s past.]

To fully appreciate the impact Yu Suzuki had on the gaming landscape, we must look back across the great expanse of his works and pick out the cream of the crop from a resumé that reads like a highlight reel. While he may not have made the very first video games to feature motorcycles, airplanes, cars, or karate, he made the ones that mattered. Let’s take a look at some of the most important games of his career.

Hang-On – July 1985