- Joined
- Sep 3, 2018
- Favourite title
- Shenmue
- Currently playing
- Rise of the Ronin
It seems that way, but I honestly believe it isn't the overarching plot that sticks with people most -- it's the characters, the locations, the atmosphere, and the sense of mystery. It's the world you're able to live in. To me, that's what Shenmue is all about. Do I think Shenmue III was a success in regards to all of these criteria? No, especially in the character department, but I can understand why they prioritized things like a semi-open-world, an economy, and side activities overfilling the game with story beat after story beat because living in the world is essential to the Shenmue experience. We could argue all day over what the "correct" balance is -- many would say there isn't enough main story in the first game, and as fans, we may act like Shenmue II is an action-packed story-filled blockbuster, but I've watched LPers who found it just as slow and meandering as the first game -- but I'm not about to go down that rabbit hole again.
While I agree with the general sentiment, try telling that to Shenmue fans from two years ago, many of whom were expecting nothing short of the full Shenmue experience, and were ready to disavow the game completely if it didn't deliver that. Now imagine the immense pressure Yu and his team would've been under knowing that, and knowing people have been waiting 18 years for something that feels like Shenmue, with 70,000 already paid up and waiting. It's very easy to understand why they took the road they did with Shenmue III.
I would contend that most of the elements you listed that attract you to Shenmue are tenets of a well-written story. For example, the atmosphere can easily be synonymous with the tone, or memorable characters due to their impact on the narrative. Some locations are more fondly remembered over others due to their amount of detail or where they fit into the plot. An engaging mystery is one that is well-written. Also, let's be honest, Shenmue isn't the first story to do the proverbial Kung Fu coming of age adventure. However, what made it distinct was its writing.
You raise a fair point about the pressure Suzuki was under for developing Shenmue III. Given how most fans see how faithful Shenmue III is to the originals, I will concede this point. I'll only point out that Suzuki could have given us the full experience without as many sacrifices.
For example, I don't need a Smart Ball or a Lucky Hit stand around every corner. I don't need multiple shops that offer false choices to the player. An easy way to resolve this would be to create a centralized hub for most of the minigames and shopping while including a few extras off the beaten path similar to Shenmue II. That way you get the best of both worlds.
Of course, hindsight is 20/20 after all.
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