General Impressions

code l name said:
Perhaps that was feeling right after release but I am sure if you ask the majority of fans now and in the proceeding years, the consensus was that Disk 4 is widely beloved. And the swerve in tone and pace is why Shenmue 3 was so anticipated in conjunction with cliff hanger ending.

The fact they didn’t engage in nightly conversations with such a pivotal character like Shenhua just strikes me as odd. Not that I am saying it would have changed their overall attitude of the game but it just feels surprising.
Click to expand...


Yea, the whole Shenhua, and Guilin section of Shenmue 2 is widely agreed on as being the single best part of 2. Shenhua is literally the most realistic character ever made(to date, Shenhua, and Fangmei are still the two most realistic characters ever created, with nothing coming even remotely close to such), the discussions feel so organic, it really gives her life. Also the placement of that whole section, makes it come off as a reward for all the craziness Ryo was forced to go through, nevermind the profound ending.
 
SparkThaMetal said:
Disagree entirely, its obviously the start of 3 and therefore doesnt fit as an ending gameplay wise.
There is basically no gameplay. Its literally running and talking for almost the whole disc
Click to expand...


Seeing video games only through the gameplay lense is rather short sighted.

There is gameplay. Is it a demanding one ? No. But there are gameplay mechanics, through the discussion tree and some QTEs. But it's a chapter that focus entirely on the narration and it's one of the best I've seen in gaming.

As for it being the ending of 2 or the beginning of 3, does it matter ? And what does it have to do with its qualities ?

It's just a masterpiece.
 
I always thought that disk 4 is simply magical and one of the heights of gaming as one of the few instances that games can actuallybbe considered art and not juat products.

It is fine to not like it since it is a really slow paced section and not for everyone (there are people that what seeks in videogames is a more immediate adrenaline rush, etc...). However, I did not find much games out there with the character chemistry that Shenhua and Ryo had there (not even Shenmue 3 IMHO) and I still believe is one of the prime examples on how to make engaging dialog trees just for the sake of world building and character personalization which videogame tend to not do that well.
 
Disc 4 trancends magnificence.

It's a unique and special experience, even to this day.

Saying it's "too slow" or whatever doesn't even make any sense. With the exception of Kowloon, pretty much the entirety of Shenmue is slow paced.

Disc 4 is always the moment I looked forward to the most in my playthroughs of the first two games, every single time.
 
Zoltor said:
Yea, the whole Shenhua, and Guilin section of Shenmue 2 is widely agreed on as being the single best part of 2.
Shenhua is literally the most realistic character ever made(to date, Shenhua, and Fangmei are still the two most realistic characters ever created, with nothing coming even remotely close to such), the discussions feel so organic, it really gives her life. Also the placement of that whole section, makes it come off as a reward for all the craziness Ryo was forced to go through, nevermind the profound ending.
Click to expand...

No it's not.
 
Disc 4 is also good because it acts as a denouement for the story (in S2). Most games just end right after the climax but proper stories should have a a slower piece following the climax. You don't see many stories outside of games (and maybe some dumb action movies) ending at the climax of the story.

If Shenmue ever ends I expect the ending to have a long playable denouement to wrap it up. Maybe Ryo returns to Japan or stays in China idk, but it shouldn't just end with Lan Di getting defeated a 2 min cutscene then wrap to credits.

Part of properly pacing a story means knowing when to peak and valley.
 
mjqjazzbar said:
You’re right, man. Shenmue 1 and 2 have terrible combat, Shenmue 2 Disc 4 sucks, and Shenmue 3 is the greatest game of all time. Nailed it. You’re the guy to steer us all into the light. Now, can we move on to something grounded in reality?
Click to expand...
Nah, I never said that Shenmue 3 is the best game of all time.

BTW, Shenmue 1 and 2 were pretty poor games compared to GTA 3. Despite this that GTA 3 had far less budget than Shenmue.
 
Dg1995 said:
Nah, I never said that Shenmue 3 is the best game of all time.

BTW, Shenmue 1 and 2 were pretty poor games compared to GTA 3. Despite this that GTA 3 had far less budget than Shenmue.
Click to expand...
What??? They're totally different games. OK open world but very, very different takes.

One is a massive but not densely populated world where you drive around, shoot stuff, do a mission and repeat. You also can't go indoors at all. GTA 3 was great fun and deserving of the plaudits but it's not even trying to do the same thing.

The other is a densely populated world which focuses in on story telling, character development and immersion. Often Shenmue (1 and 2) makes the conversation as being some if the best and most influential games of the time period. Shenmue 1 divided the reviewers, that's fair to say. But Shenmue II is universally acclaimed as a masterpiece.

So while that's your opinion, I think you will find a great deal of people, out side of here, that would disagree with your stance. Shenmue 1 (maybe to a lesser extent) and Shenmue 2 are very very good games, so much so many reviewers even overlooked the lack of update in the HD releases because of the world and storytelling.

Shenmue changed the way games were made. The way AAA is done now, Shenmue started it. Full VO, interactive world, mo-cap (outside of the fighting genre) building an engine, making it work, the technical skills to pull this off on a DC.

GTA wouldn't have been cheap (though no figures exist) with masses of dialogue but they also bought in the engine. They didn't make it from scratch, lesser/cheaper mo-cap.

As I say both are good games but are very different.
 
Last edited:
Dg1995 said:
Nah, I never said that Shenmue 3 is the best game of all time.

BTW, Shenmue 1 and 2 were pretty poor games compared to GTA 3. Despite this that GTA 3 had far less budget than Shenmue.
Click to expand...
Um... Sure. I'm finding it reaaaaaally hard to believe someone who dislikes Shenmue 1 & 2 joined this forum because they loved Shenmue 3 so much, but I am curious: what specifically attracted you to this series?

I never found GTA 3 engaging beyond the first couple hours of messing around. They started the typical open world problem of too much shit to do, too little substance. Shenmue 1 & 2 were a revelation compared to GTA, imo. Sure, you can't murder a hundred people in 30 seconds in Shenmue, but it's nice playing a game where you're not a homicidal maniac for once.

(I did like San Andreas a bit more than GTA 3, but my interest dropped like a rock for some reason 20 or so hours in and I never returned)
 
Last edited:
danielmann861 said:
You know, after interacting with some fans on Social Media. I'm beginning to think some Shenmue fans are a bunch of drama queens who resort to the most hyperbolic responses imaginable. Speaking frankly.
Click to expand...

You're referring to what we call "Sharen" The Shenmue Karens of the world

dGi3KyX.png


index.php
 
danielmann861 said:
You know, after interacting with some fans on Social Media. I'm beginning to think some Shenmue fans are a bunch of drama queens who resort to the most hyperbolic responses imaginable. Speaking frankly.
Click to expand...
Isn't that kinda normal on social media and people seeking attention and such? The internet is really toxic in my experience and that is why I deleted my social media accounts severeal years ago.
 
Creward said:
Isn't that kinda normal on social media and people seeking attention and such? The internet is really toxic in my experience and that is why I deleted my social media accounts severeal years ago.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. I just never expected it to be in the Shenmue community since the vast majority of us are older and grew up in the pre social media era.

How wrong was I?

I find it quite pathetic if i'm being honest. Grown a$$ adults acting like they're in high school shouting and screaming at every opportunity. Some of the younger fans in their teens are more mature to be frank

It's been a very eye opening experience for me personally.
 
Last edited:
danielmann861 said:
You know, after interacting with some fans on Social Media. I'm beginning to think some Shenmue fans are a bunch of drama queens who resort to the most hyperbolic responses imaginable. Speaking frankly.
Click to expand...
Pretty much.

ShenSun said:
You're referring to what we call "Sharen" The Shenmue Karens of the world

dGi3KyX.png


index.php
Click to expand...
Oh, I am so glad we added this term to our lexicon! :D
 
Hello. I'm a newcomer who recently got into this series like a week ago. I finished 1 and 2 recently and I love them to death with 2 being my one of my favorite games and I came into Shenmue 3 with the hype of the first 2 games and I have my opinions of this game. First lets get this out of the way I love Ryo and Shenhua interactions, Its by far my favorite part of the game. It shows the peaceful nature that I love in this series the overall feel from the first two games is still there. Not to mention the soundtrack is the best so far in my opinion. With that being this game ain't perfect. Its obvious here that my biggest issue with game was the combat. I couldn't tell you how much I was in shock how this combat is. It so stiff, my punches don't have the same impact like the first two games did. The game never encourages me to think outside of the basic when fighting the enemy but that doesn't mean much when the enemy Ai is so annoying to fight especially when its more than one person and they to like gang up on me and the blocking mechanic is bad too. Its like this

I could forgive all of this IF THEY DIDN'T TAKE OUT THE THROW. That was my favorite move to use on enemies it was desperately needed in this game. This gameplay feels like baby's first fighting game mechanic. I know people say all this needs is improvement but no this needs to be removed in favor with Virtua Fighter engine. BTW what honestly stopped them from using an VF engine? Was it a budget it has to be something. And now the story. Lets make this clear the fact that Shenmue 3 doesn't progress it main narrative doesn't bother me in the slightest. Yes the stakes in 1 and 2 were amazing but what got me so in loved with this series was the world itself and how alive it is and how some people feel like real people enjoying their lives. Now with that said the problem with Shenmue 3 story isn't that it doesn't progress its main story, the problem is that it doesn't progress the story its trying to tell right now. What I mean is that It just repeats itself throughout the game before dealing Lan Di. Tell me what's the honest difference in scenarios between Bailu and Naowu. I'd forgive the Body Check and Reverse Body Check if the way I get both moves weren't almost the exact same way.

Now for the ending does it make me mad? Not in the slightest. Going through the series for the first time recently its obvious Ryo wouldn't be on Lan Di level let alone land a hit on him. You could say that it hurts Ryo cause it feels like he hasn't improved one bit but I disagree there. Chai in the first game was tough opponent to beat but here he's not much of a threat to even have a boss fight. Shows Ryo has improved over time. The reason why him not even being a match with Lan Di doesn't bother me is because we went through 2 games where Ryo has sparred with Martial arts masters who have effortlessly dodge his attack and taken him down easily. Xiuying even telling him if she were Lan Di he'd already be dead. Guys I get it. Its 19 years but in game time its been a couple of months. Ryo ain't no shonen protagonist, him becoming the strongest won't happen over night.

Overall do I think this game bad? No I've played worse. Do I feel like it disrespects the original games? No the spirit of this franchise still lives in 3. I just feel there could've been lot of things that could've been ironed out more. Maybe if Shenmue 4 were to be developed the issues I have would be fixed but I don't know that's even a possibility. Now the game is coming to Steam and I do wanna see how good the modding community if they could fix 3's problems like the Sonic community do for Sonic games. May not be as big as the Sonic fandom but sure are passionate as them.
 
BlackBlur said:
Hello. I'm a newcomer who recently got into this series like a week ago. I finished 1 and 2 recently and I love them to death with 2 being my one of my favorite games and I came into Shenmue 3 with the hype of the first 2 games and I have my opinions of this game. First lets get this out of the way I love Ryo and Shenhua interactions, Its by far my favorite part of the game. It shows the peaceful nature that I love in this series the overall feel from the first two games is still there. Not to mention the soundtrack is the best so far in my opinion. With that being this game ain't perfect. Its obvious here that my biggest issue with game was the combat. I couldn't tell you how much I was in shock how this combat is. It so stiff, my punches don't have the same impact like the first two games did. The game never encourages me to think outside of the basic when fighting the enemy but that doesn't mean much when the enemy Ai is so annoying to fight especially when its more than one person and they to like gang up on me and the blocking mechanic is bad too. Its like this

I could forgive all of this IF THEY DIDN'T TAKE OUT THE THROW. That was my favorite move to use on enemies it was desperately needed in this game. This gameplay feels like baby's first fighting game mechanic. I know people say all this needs is improvement but no this needs to be removed in favor with Virtua Fighter engine. BTW what honestly stopped them from using an VF engine? Was it a budget it has to be something. And now the story. Lets make this clear the fact that Shenmue 3 doesn't progress it main narrative doesn't bother me in the slightest. Yes the stakes in 1 and 2 were amazing but what got me so in loved with this series was the world itself and how alive it is and how some people feel like real people enjoying their lives. Now with that said the problem with Shenmue 3 story isn't that it doesn't progress its main story, the problem is that it doesn't progress the story its trying to tell right now. What I mean is that It just repeats itself throughout the game before dealing Lan Di. Tell me what's the honest difference in scenarios between Bailu and Naowu. I'd forgive the Body Check and Reverse Body Check if the way I get both moves weren't almost the exact same way.

Now for the ending does it make me mad? Not in the slightest. Going through the series for the first time recently its obvious Ryo wouldn't be on Lan Di level let alone land a hit on him. You could say that it hurts Ryo cause it feels like he hasn't improved one bit but I disagree there. Chai in the first game was tough opponent to beat but here he's not much of a threat to even have a boss fight. Shows Ryo has improved over time. The reason why him not even being a match with Lan Di doesn't bother me is because we went through 2 games where Ryo has sparred with Martial arts masters who have effortlessly dodge his attack and taken him down easily. Xiuying even telling him if she were Lan Di he'd already be dead. Guys I get it. Its 19 years but in game time its been a couple of months. Ryo ain't no shonen protagonist, him becoming the strongest won't happen over night.

Overall do I think this game bad? No I've played worse. Do I feel like it disrespects the original games? No the spirit of this franchise still lives in 3. I just feel there could've been lot of things that could've been ironed out more. Maybe if Shenmue 4 were to be developed the issues I have would be fixed but I don't know that's even a possibility. Now the game is coming to Steam and I do wanna see how good the modding community if they could fix 3's problems like the Sonic community do for Sonic games. May not be as big as the Sonic fandom but sure are passionate as them.
Click to expand...
A calm and considered viewpoint. I think you summarised the general consensus here overall.

Some liked other bits more than others e.g I didn't mind the fighting, lacked polish but was serviceable.

The modding community have already made some useful mods, check out the Shenmue Modding area, theres a camera mod and turn off stamina mod to name a few.

There's some more little mods in the pipeline too.

All that remains to say is, if I haven't already, is welcome to the Dojo and enjoy the forums :).
 
BlackBlur said:
BTW what honestly stopped them from using an VF engine? Was it a budget it has to be something.
Click to expand...
Yes most likely budget. For instants, Sega told YSNet they would have to pay for the licenses to use other Sega IPs as capsule toys in the game (hence why a lot of the capsule toys ended up being quite generic) so I'd imagine it'd be no different to paying to license the VF engine.

It's pretty poor form from Sega if I'm being honest. Shenmue is their IP at the end of the day so I don't see why they couldn't just give Yu Suzuki the licenses.

Welcome to the Dojo, btw! 😊
 
"I think you summarised the general consensus here overall"

Really I thought most of the fan were happy with Shenmue 3 (despite some problem)
I am very happy with Shenmue 3, I even like the combat and the stamina system :). But I understand some don't like it

I would be curious to see a poll :
-Do you like Shenmue 3
-A lot
-A litlle
-Not so much
-Not at all
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top