Shenmue III predictions (15+ years in the making)

Ryo's destiny probably is taking the whole Chiyoumen down,. We will most likely learn why Iwao was killed and Ryo will realize that fighting Lan Di is only a small part of his task.

The theory of Ryo and Lan Di teaming up to take down the other four Chiyoumen leaders may seem outlandish at first glance but it is quite intriguing the more you think about it.

That's what I believe is going to happen. I think at some point Lan Di goes rogue against the Chiyoumen and ends up either sacrificing himself or getting killed by Tentei. In that VFRPG Chapter slide, the one that has Ryo/Akira holding a dead body walking down to the statue. I think he's carrying Lan Di. Alternately it could potentially be Ren, as I think that's where Akira's headband comes from. Either way, I still have a strong feeling Lan Di is going to die by the hands of Tentei at Shenmue IV or V.
 
I think Shenmue III may have the most story progression out of the the 3 games so far. Shenmue I only covered about 5% of the story at best. In the grand scheme of things, Shenmue I really is like Shenmue 0 as the story really doesn't get going until 2. By the time we get to the end of II. I think we're only about 15% through the story at best.

With that said, Shenmue III to me is like part 2 of the entire saga.where as Shenmue II is the real part I of the story and Shenmue I is really a prequel.
 
I just hope they can match the pacing and story presentation of the first two games.

The first two games are just so excellently paced, and the way bits of story and development are presented to you is what makes it so enticing.

I haven’t kept up much with the development itself, does he have any of the original writers and story planners back?
 
Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread. However, I just had to get this off my chest.

I created this thread, and shared my thoughts, a few months before Shenmue III was due to be released. Like a lot of Shenmue fans, I tried playing the game. However, I am no longer a 14-year-old buy. I am a husband and a father, who has three businesses to run. So, after about a year of putting it off, I spend an evening watching the cut scene videos on YouTube, so I could catch up with the story. Result? I am SO glad that I did not "hold out" for playing Shenmue III "one day".

After all that waiting, Shenmue III was a colossal disappointment.

The story-telling was simply terrible.

In the credits, I saw the logo for Shenmue Dojo and must conclude that either Suzuki or somebody in his inner circle pays attention to these threads. If so, I sincerely hope somebody passes the following advice to him:

(1) Read Console Wars.

(2) Recognize that the essence of Shenmue is NOT what Suzuki says it is; it's what the fans say it.

IMHO, the essence of Shenmue is the story. Not the gimmicks. Not the arcade games. Not the fishing or wood chopping. The STORY. We want to dive deeper into the mystery. This is what drove us throw the last two games.

(3) Fire the person who was responsible for the story-telling in Shenmue III. And, yes, if it was Suzuki, then he needs to fire himself. Find a real writer who is at the same calibre as the person who lead the storytelling for SI and SII.

On the flip side...

The environment was simply superb. And the music fantastic. Bravo.
 
This was an interesting thread to resurrect. I enjoyed reading a lot of the theories postulated before the release, many of them were close to the mark, particularly surrounding Ren. Although I suspect an ultimate sacrifice won’t be seen until later in the story.

Also it looks like @Peter had some insider information or his skepticism proved to be accurate!

@MarkDiSama While I had a pretty visceral reaction upon first completing Shenmue 3 and had a lot of issues with the storytelling I think even the most ardent Shenmue fans would still say watching the games cinematics is very different than experiencing the game itself. Think about if you just had watched Shenmue the movie instead of playing Chapter 1 and living and playing out those big and small moments.

Shenmue 3 was always going to be a compromised product, I am still blown away what they were able to achieve on such a tight budget however I think they’ve heard of feedback loud and clear regarding story and characters if there will be a 4th title. The one point I will come back to is despite lack of real progress none of the core characters have been assassinated or act completely different than seen in previous two games and for me that’s really important moving forward.
 
Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread. However, I just had to get this off my chest.

I created this thread, and shared my thoughts, a few months before Shenmue III was due to be released. Like a lot of Shenmue fans, I tried playing the game. However, I am no longer a 14-year-old buy. I am a husband and a father, who has three businesses to run. So, after about a year of putting it off, I spend an evening watching the cut scene videos on YouTube, so I could catch up with the story. Result? I am SO glad that I did not "hold out" for playing Shenmue III "one day".

After all that waiting, Shenmue III was a colossal disappointment.

The story-telling was simply terrible.

In the credits, I saw the logo for Shenmue Dojo and must conclude that either Suzuki or somebody in his inner circle pays attention to these threads. If so, I sincerely hope somebody passes the following advice to him:

(1) Read Console Wars.

(2) Recognize that the essence of Shenmue is NOT what Suzuki says it is; it's what the fans say it.

IMHO, the essence of Shenmue is the story. Not the gimmicks. Not the arcade games. Not the fishing or wood chopping. The STORY. We want to dive deeper into the mystery. This is what drove us throw the last two games.

(3) Fire the person who was responsible for the story-telling in Shenmue III. And, yes, if it was Suzuki, then he needs to fire himself. Find a real writer who is of the same caliber as the person who leads the storytelling for SI and SII.

On the flip side...

The environment was simply superb. And the music fantastic. Bravo.
While I agree that the story in Shenmue III is bad, I vehemently disagree with you about firing Suzuki. If there is one thing that will make me walk away from Shenmue it would be this. This wonderful story from the first two parts came from Suzuki's imagination dovetailed with his experiences in China. But you're suggesting he should be fired because of one bad outing? That is absurd, asinine, or just plain ridiculous; Yu Suzuki is human, not some sort of infallible God.

I have not seen any other video game franchise achieve what Shenmue has done as a martial arts epic (outside of Virtua Fighter perhaps). For me, Shenmue is not just about the story or gameplay, it's about being a spiritually enriching experience that only Suzuki can convey.
 
Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread. However, I just had to get this off my chest.

I created this thread, and shared my thoughts, a few months before Shenmue III was due to be released. Like a lot of Shenmue fans, I tried playing the game. However, I am no longer a 14-year-old buy. I am a husband and a father, who has three businesses to run. So, after about a year of putting it off, I spend an evening watching the cut scene videos on YouTube, so I could catch up with the story. Result? I am SO glad that I did not "hold out" for playing Shenmue III "one day".

After all that waiting, Shenmue III was a colossal disappointment.

The story-telling was simply terrible.

In the credits, I saw the logo for Shenmue Dojo and must conclude that either Suzuki or somebody in his inner circle pays attention to these threads. If so, I sincerely hope somebody passes the following advice to him:

(1) Read Console Wars.

(2) Recognize that the essence of Shenmue is NOT what Suzuki says it is; it's what the fans say it.

IMHO, the essence of Shenmue is the story. Not the gimmicks. Not the arcade games. Not the fishing or wood chopping. The STORY. We want to dive deeper into the mystery. This is what drove us throw the last two games.

(3) Fire the person who was responsible for the story-telling in Shenmue III. And, yes, if it was Suzuki, then he needs to fire himself. Find a real writer who is at the same calibre as the person who lead the storytelling for SI and SII.

On the flip side...

The environment was simply superb. And the music fantastic. Bravo.


Could you please elaborate on this? I've read the Console Wars book and I found it to be very fascinating and excellent read. But I'm wondering how this correlates to Shenmue 3?
 
Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread. However, I just had to get this off my chest.

I created this thread, and shared my thoughts, a few months before Shenmue III was due to be released. Like a lot of Shenmue fans, I tried playing the game. However, I am no longer a 14-year-old buy. I am a husband and a father, who has three businesses to run. So, after about a year of putting it off, I spend an evening watching the cut scene videos on YouTube, so I could catch up with the story. Result? I am SO glad that I did not "hold out" for playing Shenmue III "one day".

After all that waiting, Shenmue III was a colossal disappointment.

The story-telling was simply terrible.

In the credits, I saw the logo for Shenmue Dojo and must conclude that either Suzuki or somebody in his inner circle pays attention to these threads. If so, I sincerely hope somebody passes the following advice to him:

(1) Read Console Wars.

(2) Recognize that the essence of Shenmue is NOT what Suzuki says it is; it's what the fans say it.

IMHO, the essence of Shenmue is the story. Not the gimmicks. Not the arcade games. Not the fishing or wood chopping. The STORY. We want to dive deeper into the mystery. This is what drove us throw the last two games.

(3) Fire the person who was responsible for the story-telling in Shenmue III. And, yes, if it was Suzuki, then he needs to fire himself. Find a real writer who is at the same calibre as the person who lead the storytelling for SI and SII.

On the flip side...

The environment was simply superb. And the music fantastic. Bravo.
I believe you are missing out by not playing Shenmue 3 and experience it by yourself.
I do agree that the story is the weakest part of the game to some extent; mainly because of the time that passed between Shen 2 and Shen 3 wich made it almost mandatory to have at least some big revelation because of the high expectations and the way Shen 2 ended.
But apart from that in my opinion there is a lot to like about Shenmue 3 specially if you are a fan of the series; because all of the essence of the Shenmue games is there.
Shenmue 3 is beautifull to look at; the setting and atmosphere of the locations is amazing; the atention to detail in every single shop; room; temple; etc... is superb.
The conversations with Shenhua at night in Bailu village at her house is one of the most beautifull and memorable moments not just of Shenmue 3 but of the entire series.
The daily routine of training; chopping wood to earn money; buying food; gathering herbs while listening to Shenmue music and the surrounding nature and apreciating its beauty that was superbly well crafted; talking with the locals every day and realizing that they start treating you as a local.
I could go on and on with more reasons why you should experience Shenmue 3 by yourself; but that is up for you to decide; the only thing I can say is that overhaul I was not disapointed and that in a way I felt a more intimate connection in Shenmue 3 by feeling that everything felt connected in the world compared with the previous games of the series.
Is Shenmue 3 for me the best game in the series !? No; but in some areas it is better than the first two games.
For me what is important is that the essence is there and that it felt very "Shenmue" indeed.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, this thread is depressing to read nowadays. I would say "colossal disappointment" is a really accurate description for Shenmue III when it comes to story progression. I think most of us were prepared to be disappointed about the graphics, the animations, the size of the world, the amount of side content, the voice acting, or the battle system. But story content was one of the few things that seemed impossible for the game to be lacking, when it was announced.

But, at the same time, I would also strongly encourage you, @MarkDiSama, to play the game. Or, if it's absolutely impossible to do so, at least watch the Youtube videos of the Shenhua & Ryo night conversations, and of the telephone calls too. And then listen to the official full soundtrack in Spotify (or any other platform), with all that unused music and all those high quality versions of previous games tracks.

Apart from the dreadful story, there's still some enjoyment to be squeezed from the game if Shenmue I& II were that important to you. And keep hoping for a better Shenmue IV (or the story being properly developed through the Anime or something).
 
so it looks like @Peter had some insider information or his skepticism proved to be accurate!
I had to go back and read what I wrote, since I don't remember it. I can't even remember 2019 unless I get specifics. Life became a blur that year, both for good and bad reasons.

When you wait for something for 18 long years, and engage with something so passionately that it becomes a part of your life, it will never hit the high standards you will have set for it. Unfortunately Shenmue 3 will never be a good experience for me to remember due to what I had going on personally, and maybe in a way, that's a good thing since it offers me a genuine excuse. I want to love Shenmue 3 like I do the two original instalments, but I never will. Despite that, I really want to play it again, for the first time since my fateful first playthrough.

As time as went on, I developed a sense of neutrality to the third game. I don't read negative comments about Shenmue 3 and feel personally attacked, as is the nature of being a "fanboy" of something. The simple reason is that I can see the issues raised, even if I don't agree with them. I can also understand the counterarguments for those issues. I guess I just choose not to get involved.

I do, however, feel that the scenario writing of Shenmue 3 did fail. I am not sure how it was discussed or planned out, but it has caused me to wonder why, and I am drawing to the conclusion that in the nature of the Kickstarter, finances, and most importantly, time, that the entire narrative of the game was unfortunately compromised. Just to be clear on this, I am not talking about the overall story of Shenmue, as laid out in the scripts. I am talking about all of the character building, scenario scripting, conversation patterns and emotional pathos within the game itself. Both as a standalone Shenmue 3, as well as references to the two previous games. It should have been fine, especially with Masahiro Yoshimoto on board. I should also stress at this point that when I mention the word scripts, I am not talking as someone in the know. Yes I do have the script sets for the first two games, bit I have not read them, or even translated them to read them in the first place. They are away, under lock and key.

I am just talking about my own opinions, and as an amateur screenwriter. I have dabbled in it over the years, and currently have 4 Doctor Who scripts written, just from imagination (I was simply inspired to do this as a fan of the show, and couldn't believe what the current showrunner/lead writer Chris Chibnall has done to the show. Be thankful Yu-san is still calling the shots to his story, instead of some Muppet coming in and retconning the 20 year lore of Shenmue). It's not easy to write a screenplay at all, honestly. You need to really understand your characters as individuals, their relationship with other characters, and what you want to achieve over the course of your story, both narratively and most importantly, emotionally.
This is where I believe Shenmue 3 dropped the ball. Not on its overall story, but in its character development. The small details. The relationships. The shared emotions, combined with individual characterisation. You could spend months crafting one or two lines which, to a non Shenmue fan, would mean nothing, but to us, would greatly help us feel an attachment in an instant.
A quick example of this is when we arrive in Bailu Village, Ryo can partake in Lucky Hit. He will chat to the vendor, and have a go. Whilst it may seem like nothing, I would have inserted this line;

"Oh. Lucky Hit? I know this game. I played it when I was in Hong Kong".

A simple line, which may seem like nothing, but as someone who has played Shenmue 2, you will instantly think of playing Lucky Hit in Hong Kong or Kowloon. You are taken back to when you, as the player, played the re-release a couple of years ago, or, 15 years ago on your Dreamcast. It makes the player feel like they are right there in Bailu Village with Ryo, but also that they have came along with him on his journey. It also gives Ryo a slight bit of development, in reminicing about past experiences, as well as establishing a little bit of a closer relationship with the vendor, as he isn't some blown in mug tourist who is ripe for a hustle. Check out the YouTube channel by @BlueMue for ridiculous random NPC dialogue which gives them all character backstory, insight and development. I know we didn't have the budget for that, but for Shenmue 3, it's main character roster should have had this level of dedication.

As a lead in from that, I have to address one more thing which I seen as a problem for even the detachment to characters when they were at least given some individual quality; sidequests.
This would have went a long way to fixing the issue. I did not enjoy the sidequest sectioning of both characters and in the notebook. It pigeon holed their relevancy, demeaning their actual story. Whilst I cannot remember her name, I will just refer to her as the Shrine Maiden. Whilst she shows up to help at the end of the game, it feels out of place, and I don't feel an attachment to her by that point. That is despite having interactions with her both within the main story, as well as a standalone sidequest. The simple solution would have been to marry her sidequest (and all sidequests with significant characters for that matter) into the actual storyline. Whilst it's just a glorified fetch quest, it would have meant so much more to actually be forced to complete that, as part of her story in the game. Make it so you cannot progress without doing that for her. With a few extra lines of dialogue and a bit more care, her relationship with Ryo would feel a lot more natural, and carry more gravitas to her involvement at the Castle. Because her sidequest is tucked away in that section of the notebook once complete, it's just a modern day gaming box checked, and becomes worthless.
Even if it's not done well, the big guy in Lieu He Hall's relationship with Master Bei is an absolute scrape over the line for his reasoning for being at the Castle. He wants to help, even if we don't have any connection to his reasoning. But the Shrine Lady.... It's not hard to give her a little more motivation on an emotional level. I dunno, off the top of my head, give her an estranged brother who she hasn't spoken to in years, because he is a member of the Red Snakes gang. Automatically, she is invested emotionally into Ryo's pursuit of the gang, even if it isn't for the same reasons. We, as a player, are therefore also invested. Not just at a base level, but because it leans itself more to the lore of Shenmue. He will have fallen into the dark path, a choice which is heavily emphasised to Ryo along his journey. It also shares connotations, and teases what has been set up with Xiuying and Ziming in Shenmue 2, and what future events found come in the series. You could do anything with this little addition, which would have great payouts for you as the player.

I could ramble on about this stuff for days but I fear this post is already too long, and doesn't begin to scratch the surface of how I feel about this specific issue with Shenmue 3. It is my only issue with the game, and for me, unfortunately the biggest. I don't have a problem with anything else, even if I recognise others' issues with things like the combat system, voice acting etc. Even without the game being greenlit, the writing for Shenmue 4 better be underway a long time ago, and I am not talking about the major scenes or overall journey. That's already locked in, and should essentially write itself. I am talking about character development and interlinking relationships. Something which the first 2 games excelled in.
 
Last edited:
I think Shenmue III may have the most story progression out of the the 3 games so far. Shenmue I only covered about 5% of the story at best. In the grand scheme of things, Shenmue I really is like Shenmue 0 as the story really doesn't get going until 2. By the time we get to the end of II. I think we're only about 15% through the story at best.
Ugggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggh.

The saddest part is that it seems that the lack of story progression was probably INTENTIONAL. Yu said that Shenmue 3 was always meant to expand inwards instead of outwards in an interview before the Kickstarter was even a thing, and that's reflected by the focus on Ryo and Shenhua. Now that's not necessarily a bad thing, to give depth to the main characters in the story through gameplay. And I'll admit that the scenes with the two bonding are some of my favorite parts of the story. The issue is that the story around those character moments is very, very rushed and unremarkable. Ryo loses to a big buff guy, so he has to train to beat him, again. And again again. Unlike saving the deer, it feels pointless and repetitive. Just filler for filler.

In fairness, he did say that the game would reveal the meaning of the prophecy, and there's evidence that the castle sequence was going to be part of a much longer section. But. Even if those were kept in, the sections before it honestly still would've felt very lackluster. Shenmue 1&2 had a LOT of filler, the difference is that it felt like it had a point. Ryo was investigating and learning the insides and outs of the gangs he faced, about the cultures of the people he met, learning about the history of Martial Arts. There was this progression to the process. And some of that is in S3, admittedly, but it's not the drive of the plot. It's Ryo getting beat up and then needing to level grind. It's like if Ryo's training with Master Lishao all happened AFTER Ryo got beaten by Dou Niu. Which is almost literally what it was.

But I'm getting off track. I feel it was most probably intentional because of what the original version of Shenmue's story was, a two-game RPG saga on the Saturn. It wasn't FREE. It was just a really innovative RPG. It was probably much more linear and shorter than the Shenmue we finally got. And in a lot of the behind-the-scenes footage, they clearly display the old Legend Of Akira scripts very prominently.

IMO I think they followed those scripts TOO well and forgot to account for the fact that the original version of the game wasn't as nearly as open of an open world as Shenmue is. The first two Shenmue's screenplays (meaning, the dialogue, and incidental scenes) were actually written by Masahiro Yoshimoto, not Suzuki, even tho he designed the entire story otherwise. Peter already hit the bullseye on why that's a major factor above. But it really tells that the story feels like a first draft instead of a third piece to the saga. It was an RPG fetch quest. Not Shenmue.

It's very harsh to say, but, I honest-to-the-gods hope that Suzuki just decides to trim the story up in Shenmue 4 when it comes. If he can't flesh out the various little story set pieces enough to make every single part of them feel properly developed, then he should just cut to the point.
 
I had to go back and read what I wrote, since I don't remember it. I can't even remember 2019 unless I get specifics. Life became a blur that year, both for good and bad reasons.

When you wait for something for 18 long years, and engage with something so passionately that it becomes a part of your life, it will never hit the high standards you will have set for it. Unfortunately Shenmue 3 will never be a good experience for me to remember due to what I had going on personally, and maybe in a way, that's a good thing since it offers me a genuine excuse. I want to love Shenmue 3 like I do the two original instalments, but I never will. Despite that, I really want to play it again, for the first time since my fateful first playthrough.

As time as went on, I developed a sense of neutrality to the third game. I don't read negative comments about Shenmue 3 and feel personally attacked, as is the nature of being a "fanboy" of something. The simple reason is that I can see the issues raised, even if I don't agree with them. I can also understand the counterarguments for those issues. I guess I just choose not to get involved.

I do, however, feel that the scenario writing of Shenmue 3 did fail. I am not sure how it was discussed or planned out, but it has caused me to wonder why, and I am drawing to the conclusion that in the nature of the Kickstarter, finances, and most importantly, time, that the entire narrative of the game was unfortunately compromised. Just to be clear on this, I am not talking about the overall story of Shenmue, as laid out in the scripts. I am talking about all of the character building, scenario scripting, conversation patterns and emotional pathos within the game itself. Both as a standalone Shenmue 3, as well as references to the two previous games. It should have been fine, especially with Masahiro Yoshimoto on board. I should also stress at this point that when I mention the word scripts, I am not talking as someone in the know. Yes I do have the script sets for the first two games, bit I have not read them, or even translated them to read them in the first place. They are away, under lock and key.

I am just talking about my own opinions, and as an amateur screenwriter. I have dabbled in it over the years, and currently have 4 Doctor Who scripts written, just from imagination (I was simply inspired to do this as a fan of the show, and couldn't believe what the current showrunner/lead writer Chris Chibnall has done to the show. Be thankful Yu-san is still calling the shots to his story, instead of some Muppet coming in and retconning the 20 year lore of Shenmue). It's not easy to write a screenplay at all, honestly. You need to really understand your characters as individuals, their relationship with other characters, and what you want to achieve over the course of your story, both narratively and most importantly, emotionally.
This is where I believe Shenmue 3 dropped the ball. Not on its overall story, but in its character development. The small details. The relationships. The shared emotions, combined with individual characterisation. You could spend months crafting one or two lines which, to a non Shenmue fan, would mean nothing, but to us, would greatly help us feel an attachment in an instant.
A quick example of this is when we arrive in Bailu Village, Ryo can partake in Lucky Hit. He will chat to the vendor, and have a go. Whilst it may seem like nothing, I would have inserted this line;

"Oh. Lucky Hit? I know this game. I played it when I was in Hong Kong".

A simple line, which may seem like nothing, but as someone who has played Shenmue 2, you will instantly think of playing Lucky Hit in Hong Kong or Kowloon. You are taken back to when you, as the player, played the re-release a couple of years ago, or, 15 years ago on your Dreamcast. It makes the player feel like they are right there in Bailu Village with Ryo, but also that they have came along with him on his journey. It also gives Ryo a slight bit of development, in reminicing about past experiences, as well as establishing a little bit of a closer relationship with the vendor, as he isn't some blown in mug tourist who is ripe for a hustle. Check out the YouTube channel by @BlueMue for ridiculous random NPC dialogue which gives them all character backstory, insight and development. I know we didn't have the budget for that, but for Shenmue 3, it's main character roster should have had this level of dedication.

As a lead in from that, I have to address one more thing which I seen as a problem for even the detachment to characters when they were at least given some individual quality; sidequests.
This would have went a long way to fixing the issue. I did not enjoy the sidequest sectioning of both characters and in the notebook. It pigeon holed their relevancy, demeaning their actual story. Whilst I cannot remember her name, I will just refer to her as the Shrine Maiden. Whilst she shows up to help at the end of the game, it feels out of place, and I don't feel an attachment to her by that point. That is despite having interactions with her both within the main story, as well as a standalone sidequest. The simple solution would have been to marry her sidequest (and all sidequests with significant characters for that matter) into the actual storyline. Whilst it's just a glorified fetch quest, it would have meant so much more to actually be forced to complete that, as part of her story in the game. Make it so you cannot progress without doing that for her. With a few extra lines of dialogue and a bit more care, her relationship with Ryo would feel a lot more natural, and carry more gravitas to her involvement at the Castle. Because her sidequest is tucked away in that section of the notebook once complete, it's just a modern day gaming box checked, and becomes worthless.
Even if it's not done well, the big guy in Lieu He Hall's relationship with Master Bei is an absolute scrape over the line for his reasoning for being at the Castle. He wants to help, even if we don't have any connection to his reasoning. But the Shrine Lady.... It's not hard to give her a little more motivation on an emotional level. I dunno, off the top of my head, give her an estranged brother who she hasn't spoken to in years, because he is a member of the Red Snakes gang. Automatically, she is invested emotionally into Ryo's pursuit of the gang, even if it isn't for the same reasons. We, as a player, are therefore also invested. Not just at a base level, but because it leans itself more to the lore of Shenmue. He will have fallen into the dark path, a choice which is heavily emphasised to Ryo along his journey. It also shares connotations, and teases what has been set up with Xiuying and Ziming in Shenmue 2, and what future events found come in the series. You could do anything with this little addition, which would have great payouts for you as the player.

I could ramble on about this stuff for days but I fear this post is already too long, and doesn't begin to scratch the surface of how I feel about this specific issue with Shenmue 3. It is my only issue with the game, and for me, unfortunately the biggest. I don't have a problem with anything else, even if I recognise others' issues with things like the combat system, voice acting etc. Even without the game being greenlit, the writing for Shenmue 4 better be underway a long time ago, and I am not talking about the major scenes or overall journey. That's already locked in, and should essentially write itself. I am talking about character development and interlinking relationships. Something which the first 2 games excelled in.
Well written, and I agree.



However, I would like to challenge the notion presented by @MarkDiSama that the story is what the fans care most about, I think it's a gross generalization. To me, it's all about the atmosphere, and the experience. Ryo and Shenhua arriving in Niaowu and settling in the hotel, daily chats by the balcony, etc... Are one of the highlights for the franchise to me. It's what I play Shenmue for.

If they make Shenmue 4 as, say, an anime or a manga, I wouldn't even read/watch it. The story of Shenmue is fairly generic, IMO. It's the experience of Shenmue as a game that makes it special.

That is not to say the story isn't important, but it's not at the top reasons for why I like the series personally.
 
(2) Recognize that the essence of Shenmue is NOT what Suzuki says it is; it's what the fans say it.

IMHO, the essence of Shenmue is the story. Not the gimmicks. Not the arcade games. Not the fishing or wood chopping. The STORY. We want to dive deeper into the mystery. This is what drove us throw the last two games.
I really have to disagree on those two points. First "the essence of Shenmue is NOT what Suzuki says it is; it's what the fans say it." is completely wrong. You know, as a musician and movie director myself, I can tell you that the best way to create something meaningful, is to make something you, as creator, see as meaningful. Not the fans. What you should offer the fans isn't what they want, you should offer them what they didn't know they wanted.

There are a lot of projects out there (video games, books, movies, tv shows, music) that delivered what the fans asked, and the fans were always disappointed. Because, first of all, not every fans want the same things (going to come back to it later), but also, because when you are making a product, not out of love for it, not out of emotions, innovations etc... but a product that is made to appeal to people, you are bound to fail. You're bound to make something that cannot be considered bad, but that will quickly be forgotten.

Then "the essence of Shenmue is the story. Not the gimmicks. Not the arcade games. Not the fishing or wood chopping. The STORY. We want to dive deeper into the mystery. This is what drove us throw the last two games." is YOUR personnal opinions. For some, yes, it would be the story. Some people like Shenmue because they are genuinely interested by Ryo's journey and what we'll happen to him. For others, it's the combat, the martial arts, how philosophically realistic it is to martial arts. For others, it's the atmosphere. For others it's the mundanity. The slow pace, the settings, the realism, the system...

And that's why you saw some people considering the game to be catastrophic and others liked it. The ones who found the game to be catastrophic are the ones who are attracted by the story and/or the combat. Some who liked it are the people who are attracted by the atmosphere, the pacing, etc...

What YOU want isn't what I want out of a Shenmue game. Hence why it isn't up to us, fans, to decide what Shenmue should be, but why it is Yu Suzuki's decision's.

With Shenmue 3 for example, he took the decisions to make this game as if 18 years of waiting didn't happen. As if it was still a Dreamcast HD game, with Ryo and Shenhua going out of the cave, as if it was 2003, the Dreamcast was successful and we were all just playing Shenmue 3 on Dreamcast.

It doesn't suit everyone, some people wanted to see a more modern Shenmue style. Some others were especially happy, because this is what they wanted. If Suzuki had to listen to fans and tried to appeal to everyone, the game would have no identity, it would simply fall between two stools, and in the end would be shit for everyone.

So Yu Suzuki had to take a clear decision. A decision that wouldn't appeal to everyone, but at least it gives a true identity to Shenmue 3.
 
While the plot was just fine for me, my biggest disappointment was with the lack of character development. But I still enjoyed many other aspects of the game.

As others have rightly pointed out, you can't judge the entirety of a game by watching the cutscenes. However, if the story's all you care about...fair enough, I guess. I've avoided games before if I've heard the story isn't good.

I thought the overarching plot was the number one reason I loved Shenmue for a long time, but when I went back and replayed them, and really considered what connected with me, it was the places, the atmosphere, the little moments between characters. It was the feeling of mystery in the air, not just the story of mystical mirrors and if Ryo will eventually get his revenge.

To that end, Shenmue III delivered what I wanted on several fronts and failed on others. It's flawed but unique, comforting and calming. Gorgeous and varied in some areas, shallow and limited in others. One thing's for sure, though: I'm glad it exists and I'm glad I got to play it.
 
I think if you take time with Shenmue III and don't just go barrelling through it looking for story and story only, you'll end up having a better time with it. That's not to say you'll forgive it for its story issues...but I think it's a game that you'll get more out of if you don't just rush through it.

Even with the character development issues and such, I still don't feel disappointed by it. I mean I spent at least 60 hours with my first playthrough and I had a great time playing. Granted, I knew going into it not to expect much from the story considering I had talked to @code l name beforehand who had finished the game before I started it. So I knew not to expect much from it regarding story...but I still had a great time playing Shenmue III none the less.

My issues remain more so with the writing than anything else...and some of that boils down to bad translation in the subs (who can forget the badly translated "the cliff temple we visited" line at the end of Shenmue III when that's NOT what they said in Japanese at all or even what happened in the game...not to mention the second Shenmue tree which is not what it says in Japanese)

The bad translation and some questionable writing moments is what I had issue with the most. The fact that Ryo doesn't seem to remember Chai is strange. As too the final twist with Niao Sun is underdeveloped and weak in its reveal.

But then I think of the wonderful moments spent in Bailu and just smile and think "it was worth it for that alone...those nightly conversations with Shenhua continued to give us more insight into Ryo than we've ever had before."

I still think it's just an uneven game that tried to spread its wings too far and too wide. Bailu was amazing for the most part. Chobu felt rushed and like it needed more time in the cooker to me. And yet, I still love the fact that it was ambitious as all hell even on a budget that shouldn't have allowed it. That's the one thing Shenmue has always been...ambitious as all hell and III continued that proudly.

I think Shenmue III was always meant to be the chapters of Ryo getting to know Shenhua while visiting her hometown and highlighting the contrast between Yokosuka and Bailu (which I actually think they achieved pretty well) while Chobu was meant to be the chapter of Ryo finally infiltrating the Chi You Men (which is what I presume Baisha was meant to be) and finally letting the player learn that there is a civil war about to burst within the Chi You Men. I think Shenmue III does one part of that really well (being Bailu) while attempting and mostly failing the second part.

What I'm excited about with SIV now is the chance of meeting more of the Chi You Men as we close further in. That's really what I'm hoping for next. And hence why I'm still kind of excited for IV and why I don't view III as being deflating with its woes.

But to this day, I still very much like the game...and even playing it tonight on stream just gave me that warm fuzzy feeling again...I can't get cynical about Shenmue III for some reason. I just like living in this world and am always rooting for it and its crazy ambitions...now more than ever as its trying to pull off its ambitions on a lesser budget.

It is kinda weird to read these predictions and think "man, that didn't happen at all"


And yet I'm still excited about the prospects of what could happen in IV...actually, I'm maybe more excited for IV because there isn't much we know about it. With SIII, we always had some ideas...i.e) We knew Niao Sun was probably gonna show up in SIII for many years before hand. But with SIV...what do we really know? We're on the way to a cliff temple where the Chi You Men are situated and that's it. I think that's kind of exciting personally. That the next game is a bit more of a mystery than SIII was.
 
Last edited:
When you wait for something for 18 long years, and engage with something so passionately that it becomes a part of your life, it will never hit the high standards you will have set for it. Unfortunately Shenmue 3 will never be a good experience for me to remember due to what I had going on personally, and maybe in a way, that's a good thing since it offers me a genuine excuse. I want to love Shenmue 3 like I do the two original instalments, but I never will. Despite that, I really want to play it again, for the first time since my fateful first playthrough.

For me Shenmue 3 removed from my anticipation and expectations was a much more enjoyable experience. I watched a lot of your original playthrough and had a lot of similar reactions my first time going through.

I also tend to agree, again purely speculating that the KS and having Deep Silver and later Epic on board, meant the project was constantly getting shuffled and experiencing changes with budget and scope which meant certain parts of the game was built out but they never were able to provide enough compelling content or didn’t have time to flesh out characters. That’s also discounting scrapped character perspective system and who knows what the original ending entailed before it was heavily curtailed.

Yet despite all that similar to @danielmann861 I often find myself thinking of the game and jumping in and playing a few hours and every now and then (Like I did last night). Just to soak in the world, play a few mini games or hear the soundtrack. I never did that with the originals but perhaps I am so starved of recent Shenmue content it compels me to do so. I also think despite its litany of problems it still has that Shenmue spirit and that what keeps drawing me back. I played the originals during the formative years of my life, there’s no going back as no game will ever have the same impact. All I can hope is it honours those moments and stays true to those characters.
 
Last edited:
The very story-driven Shenmue The Movie squeezes the events of a 20-hour long game into a 1.5-hour cutscene compilation that ends up missing a lot of what makes Shenmue 1 great: the immersive 'FREE' life simulator gameplay, worldbuilding side content and detective adventuring coupled with the mysterious story. To focus solely on the story alone, you'd end up missing a lot of the things that make Shenmue 1 a unique and enjoyable game experience. Rather than assessing whether a piece of interactive media is good/bad by just one element (the story), I think Shenmue 3 should really be played at someone's leisure to fully experience the product as originally intended - there is a lot to love about it.

Shenmue 3 is a bit like The Force Awakens. It has a simple story but absolutely spoils itself in capturing a classic Shenmue 'feel' through its gameplay to draw fans back into this soft reboot after a 20-year long hiatus. Now that the foundation has been set, Shenmue 4 can focus more on the story progression.
 
I think if you take time with Shenmue III and don't just go barrelling through it looking for story and story only, you'll end up having a better time with it. That's not to say you'll forgive it for its story issues...but I think it's a game that you'll get more out of if you don't just rush through it.

Even with the character development issues and such, I still don't feel disappointed by it. I mean I spent at least 60 hours with my first playthrough and I had a great time playing. Granted, I knew going into it not to expect much from the story considering I had talked to @code l name beforehand who had finished the game before I started it. So I knew not to expect much from it regarding story...but I still had a great time playing Shenmue III none the less.

My issues remain more so with the writing than anything else...and some of that boils down to bad translation in the subs (who can forget the badly translated "the cliff temple we visited" line at the end of Shenmue III when that's NOT what they said in Japanese at all or even what happened in the game...not to mention the second Shenmue tree which is not what it says in Japanese)

The bad translation and some questionable writing moments is what I had issue with the most. The fact that Ryo doesn't seem to remember Chai is strange. As too the final twist with Niao Sun is underdeveloped and weak in its reveal.

But then I think of the wonderful moments spent in Bailu and just smile and think "it was worth it for that alone...those nightly conversations with Shenhua continued to give us more insight into Ryo than we've ever had before."

I still think it's just an uneven game that tried to spread its wings too far and too wide. Bailu was amazing for the most part. Chobu felt rushed and like it needed more time in the cooker to me. And yet, I still love the fact that it was ambitious as all hell even on a budget that shouldn't have allowed it. That's the one thing Shenmue has always been...ambitious as all hell and III continued that proudly.

I think Shenmue III was always meant to be the chapters of Ryo getting to know Shenhua while visiting her hometown and highlighting the contrast between Yokosuka and Bailu (which I actually think they achieved pretty well) while Chobu was meant to be the chapter of Ryo finally infiltrating the Chi You Men (which is what I presume Baisha was meant to be) and finally letting the player learn that there is a civil war about to burst within the Chi You Men. I think Shenmue III does one part of that really well (being Bailu) while attempting and mostly failing the second part.

What I'm excited about with SIV now is the chance of meeting more of the Chi You Men as we close further in. That's really what I'm hoping for next. And hence why I'm still kind of excited for IV and why I don't view III as being deflating with its woes.

But to this day, I still very much like the game...and even playing it tonight on stream just gave me that warm fuzzy feeling again...I can't get cynical about Shenmue III for some reason. I just like living in this world and am always rooting for it and its crazy ambitions...now more than ever as its trying to pull off its ambitions on a lesser budget.

It is kinda weird to read these predictions and think "man, that didn't happen at all"


And yet I'm still excited about the prospects of what could happen in IV...actually, I'm maybe more excited for IV because there isn't much we know about it. With SIII, we always had some ideas...i.e) We knew Niao Sun was probably gonna show up in SIII for many years before hand. But with SIV...what do we really know? We're on the way to a cliff temple where the Chi You Men are situated and that's it. I think that's kind of exciting personally. That the next game is a bit more of a mystery than SIII was.


Shenmue IV I think is going to be the sequel that many of us thought Shenmue III would be. In terms of story progression, it kinda has to be. There's no way I can see the plot just plodding along without any real plot twists, and revelations throughout.

While Shenmue III is my least favorite in the series, it's good enough to say when asked the question, does this look and feel like a Shenmue game? The answer is a resounding yes. That's good enough for me to stay on board. What I wanted was a good story and some questions answered, but what I didn't expect is for Shenmue III to arguably have the best minigames throughout all 3 games. Goes to show you that Yu Suzuki can really make arcade games in his sleep.

With all that being said, my desire for Shenmue IV is just as strong as it was for III. Nothing has changed on that part. I want Shenmue IV and I want it BAD
 
@ShenSun made reference to Shenmue lll and Shenmue lV having parallels with KOF 2014+2015 IIRC?

Same can be said of Xfiles Season 10 and season 11

10 was good, im as hardcore an xfies fan as Shenmue so I loved them, but understood some possible underwhleming or disppointment reactions. Season 11 made 10 SO MUCH BETTER in retrospect though--with more time and budget and experience back in the groove relearning a bit. Both series had similar long hiatus and then a lot of original crew returning with the creator (Chris Carter and Yu Suzuki)
 
Back
Top