@Sergeynest : Hey, thank you for reading my post =) And so much thanks for the research and the convenient video. That's great! =) It's amazing that it is even called the Phoenix Town. Is Shenmue based on a real story after all? haha
I finished the game two days ago. Here's what I wrote down while I played.
**Shenmue III - The controversy**
When I play Sonic or World of Warcraft or Counter Strike or whatever, I never wonder what someone else thought at that point of the game or what he or she felt like. If someone asked me why I play these games, I might say that I find them fun or entertaining or thrilling. And I’d expect a similar answer from most people for most games. On the other hand, when I go to an art gallery (not that I ever do, haha) and I asked someone why he or she likes a certain painting I would certainly get a different answer from each single person. And not only any answer, but an answer that touches complex emotions and triggers deeper thoughts and views to reflect upon. Not in the exact same, but at least in a similar way, playing Shenmue is for me not only entertaining, but rather meaningful. In my eyes Shenmue is a work of Art. As such, it consists not only of the game itself, but just as much of its history, its impact (or not-impact^^) to the game industry and its community.
As I mentioned earlier, I never read any discussions about Shenmue 3 before I played it, because I wanted to avoid spoilers and experience the game with an open mind. But naturally, as I played, a lot of thoughts and questions came to my mind, so I started reading discussions and forum entries. And I found them, without exception, controversial. I asked myself why people seem to have such great differences in opinion about this game. At one point I came to a simple conclusion: Everyone sees and experiences something unique when playing Shenmue, just like everyone sees and experiences something unique when looking at a particular painting.
**Fighting**
I want to talk about Martial Arts in Shenmue III a bit more. First about the Battles. I had my difficulties at the beginning but got into it quickly. I spent a lot of time for training and I always had great fights. I found them challenging, yet fair (I play on hard). Especially the fight at the casino I enjoyed a lot. I noticed that the shelves break, when you smash your opponents into them, and I found that super cool. When I play the game again, I will create a save game before that fight
. For me, the fighting mechanics work for 1on1 just as well as for multiple opponents and I find that remarkable. The multiple-opponents-fights I enjoyed in Shenmue 3 even more than I did in the traditional titles. I believe that the aspect of fighting multiple opponents is important to Yu and naturally that effects the mechanics a lot.
The fighting system is certainly different from the old titles, but I find the main aspects remained the same. Here are some points that I like about it.
- The 3D-System: When practicing real martial arts, you understand that footwork is half the battle. Shenmue’s 3D-System gives credit to that. Manage the distance, dodge and find a good angle to strike. That’s the key to win a battle.
- Moves: There are many moves to learn and remember. And every move has it’s own quality, that gives it its own value. Some moves are slow, but powerful, some can stun, some throw the opponent on the ground, some are good to interrupt the opponent’s attack, some hit multiple opponents at the same time, some help you get out of a corner, etc. The more moves you know, the better you can react to each situation. Get a good set of Move Scrolls, remember as much moves as you can, understand their advantages and disadvantages and understand which move fits which situation.
- Feeling: It also feels to me, that the button-combinations somehow relate to the kind of move, they trigger. Which is cool and makes the fighting intuitive.
- Simple and realistic: There are no power bars that fill up to enable super hyper blows. There are no ultra-finishing strikes. There are simply different kind of attacks with their own qualities. Yet it is hard to master. Certainly, the fighting is exaggerated, but it contains the basic aspects of real martial arts and it FEELS realistic. Timing is important, as well as dodging. The moves make sense. You can recognize different styles.
Downside: What I certainly miss are throws... Here, the old games have a big advantage, in my opinion.
Since I like the fighting in Shenmue, so I looked for a game, that is similar. To my surprise, I did not find any game that satisfied me. (Recommendations are welcome.)
**Shenmue III and Martial Arts**
While the fighting system is already a great work in itself, it is just a small piece in the mosaic, that Shenmue creates to illustrate Martial Arts. The game shows different aspects of martial arts in different ways. The way of
learning “by the book” is represented by Dojo’s like the Martial Hall or Wu Shen Hall. These schools are good, but not outstanding and seem to lack the deeper understandings of the art, that the grandmasters have. The villagers train and compete in these schools, but they also train in public places (Especially in Bailu village, where tradition is more respected than in the city). This is one of many ways, in which
the importance of Martial Arts to society is shown. In the Dojo’s and with its students, you may spare and improve your techniques. But the
practical fighting, you will only learn in the streets. Here, Martial Arts has become a tool for entertainment (Rose Garden) and establishing power (Gang wars). This is a bit like the dark side. Another aspect, which I by the way did not find in Shenmue I&II, is the
analytical or theoretical approach. There is a lot of talking about different styles and such in the game. One thing I found super unique and remarkable is the part, where you must guess the Animal Forms. I think they made it very, very good. I do know a bit about martial arts and I could recognize the forms without problems (I don’t know how easy that is for someone who isn’t familiar with MA). And since the fighters in Rose Garden use different styles and you must fight each one with a different strategy, this analytical aspect is even taken to a practical level. The real Martial Arts are represented through the
grandmasters, which in Shenmue are mostly rather peculiar characters. That shows that a person must walk his or her individual path to master the Martial Arts. The Grandmasters are also always concerned about Ryos intentions and believe in virtue. Therefore, they are superior to the “by the book”-practitioners, as well as the street fighters. Furthermore, when Ryo gets tested by Grandmaster Bei, he explains that his style has been kept alive through times when Martial Arts were banned, while he obviously demonstrates a skill that goes beyond Ryo’s comprehension. It becomes clear, that the practitioners, who developed their art in secret were great masters. Thus, the
history of Martial Arts is revisited, and the
tradition is honored.
Sorry if I am lecturing haha. But I have so much to say about it. I could go on forever. I have never seen a movie or read a book or anything, that catches the spirit of Budo in such a great way, for me.
**Other impressions**
Maps- The maps are hilarious
They are so cute. And mostly I can even read them haha.
Capsule Toys- Today I stumbled upon one of the most central parts of Shenmue. Well, it’s actually not important for the story line, but it has been there from the start- Capsule Toy. I had some waiting time in the game and thought hey, I got some extra money, so why not check out the Capsule Toy Machines. I found it so addictive
I really like how they made the Capsule Collection in S3. There are tons of sets. It’s cool to run through the city and try to find a Machine with your favorite Toys.
**What I missed**
I want to mention a few things, that I missed. Now, don’t get me wrong, please. I never wanted this thread to be a review or something. I only use it to record and share the impressions that I had, while playing through the saga. Therefore, I do say these things should have been in the game or should be in the coming games, but rather I want to say that at some point, while playing, it came to my mind that I would really like to
1. Ride a motorcycle.
Riding a bike was a very minor part if Shenmue I. But I think everyone loved it. At least I did. And I saw many fan arts where Ryo rides his bike. With Shenmue III’s many open world possibilities, I would have liked to hop on a bus, take a cap or ride a bike.
2. Have dreams
The dreams in the first game added a lot to its ambience, in my opinion. It could have been nice to take some focus away from the main plot and see more of what is going on inside Ryo’s heart. But talking to Shenhua and making phone calls to old friends was also a great feature =)
3. Eat in a restaurant
Fighting these gangsters in the Casino was tough, but I did well. Why not treat myself with some ice-cream to regain my strength. And afterwards I could sit in a Cafè and relax to some music. That’s what I thought. But the ice cream store did not actually sell ice-cream and I did not find any café where I could sit and order coffee. I mean, that’s just a very little thing. But in that moment, I would have loved to do that.
4. A Story
Well, I will leave it at that.
5. Shenmue online
An open Shenmue World, where you can walk around endlessly, meet other players, fight other players, go on Quests together, …, that would be amazing. I know there was an attempt to create a Shenmue Online. I am not sure if it was ever released. I never played it and I don’t really know what it looked like. But I’d surely support a modern version.
