How to 'modernize' Shenmue IV without losing the essence of Shenmue?
- Thread starter mjqjazzbar
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Yes i noticed that too, when using the mobile site replying includes any [QUOTES] that were included in previous messages, they all start adding up. How do i notify a moderator?
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- Nov 27, 2019
I'd say the combat and just how Ryo physically moves in general. While I was glad Ryo no longer controls like a tank, he still controls like a U Haul truck(mainly when running). I dont need some GTA Euphoria physics level shit, but I dont wanna feel like the character has a circuit board and wires underneath. Im playing Judgement right now and I'm loving the way the character can walk and run with ease. I would like a "looser" feel to the controls. Funny enough, the game gives me Shenmue vibes(and I dont just mean the while Yakuza comparison and judgement is in the Yakiza universe). The main character wears slim blue Jean's, white sneakers and a leather jacket.
The combat was pretty fun in S3, given the limitations, but the rigidness of it kinda took away from it.
Incoming, another Judgement comparison:
I'm also really liking the combat im judgement and would like to see similar mechanics implemented in 4(minus the over the top moves you see in yakuza/judgement). For example, you can freely run around in combat and choose when you want to lock onto someone, so if you want to get yourself out of a corner and get some space, you can do that.
Id also like to see enemies react to attacks better and more realistically(by video game physics standards). S3 has this issue when you knock someone down, they stiffly kinds fly back at normal speed, land on the ground ass first, then SLOWLY rest their back on the ground as if they are in an electric recliner. There is in combination with how poorly the ragdolls physics were implemented because the engage at the ass end of the knockdown animation. For a game heavily focused on marital arts, I like the damage of my attacks to really be conveyed convincingly. The shoulder bust in the first two still sound awesome today.
The combat was pretty fun in S3, given the limitations, but the rigidness of it kinda took away from it.
Incoming, another Judgement comparison:
I'm also really liking the combat im judgement and would like to see similar mechanics implemented in 4(minus the over the top moves you see in yakuza/judgement). For example, you can freely run around in combat and choose when you want to lock onto someone, so if you want to get yourself out of a corner and get some space, you can do that.
Id also like to see enemies react to attacks better and more realistically(by video game physics standards). S3 has this issue when you knock someone down, they stiffly kinds fly back at normal speed, land on the ground ass first, then SLOWLY rest their back on the ground as if they are in an electric recliner. There is in combination with how poorly the ragdolls physics were implemented because the engage at the ass end of the knockdown animation. For a game heavily focused on marital arts, I like the damage of my attacks to really be conveyed convincingly. The shoulder bust in the first two still sound awesome today.
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- Joined
- Jan 22, 2020
I feel like Shenmue slides around too much, like he doesn't take a step to move but just glides around, sort of like the Batman Arkham games but not nearly as bad. I don't remember that in Shenmue 1 or 2 I'm pretty sure his feet were solid unless you moved him or an opponent knocked you.
I think ragdoll physics were part of the Kickstarter goals that were not reached.
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- Nov 27, 2019
Yeah, you can't really cover much ground in combat. It's like a 2d-plane fighting game when you glide. But given how you can hit or get hit when the moves may not necessarily connect should given you a little more freedom of movement.
And I cant imagine ragdoll physics being that much of an expense in 2020, given how common it is now. Even these little popup mobile games have ragdolls implemented. 15-20 years ago I would think yeah, it would be pretty costly as that's when the whole "realistic" physics and interactive environments was really being pushed as a feature in games(Max Payne 2 powered by Havok, PsyOps powered by Havok, etc.)
There are ragdolls in the game, they're just poorly implemented. They would've been better using 5 or 6 premade knockdown animations.
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- Aug 2, 2018
I feel like those intro cutscenes with fades to black were made early on before they fully got the hang of the engine. In general the start of the game is is quite janky but it improved by the time Bailu opens up and further again in Niawu. I suppose in triple-A games they would of gone back over these parts and polised them but not so with an indie title.
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- What's Shenmue
The "modernization" I most want to see is in things like display and accessibility options. I want to be able to enlarge the text and HUD elements (or disable the HUD entirely), pause during dialogue and cutscenes, lengthen the QTE windows*, that sort of thing. A "Photo Mode" would be an absolute blessing, too— the system-level screenshots are an acceptable solution but I'd love to have the flexibility an integrated mode allows (hiding the HUD, moving the camera just so, etc).
* I had a bizarre amount of trouble with them in III; the timing felt really tight, and I almost never got them on my first go. It's strange, because I replayed the previous games in advance, and had little trouble there.
* I had a bizarre amount of trouble with them in III; the timing felt really tight, and I almost never got them on my first go. It's strange, because I replayed the previous games in advance, and had little trouble there.
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- Aug 19, 2018
After playing games like Horizon or God of War where you had cinematic mode were you customize or disable the HUD, I was championing for similar options before release. Sadly they didn’t include this but as you can see from @BlueMue video the game is so much more immersive without it-
You weren’t the only one. The timing window for QTE’s in Shenmue is mercifully short and really broken in it’s current state. The fact I can clear and get pretty substantial scores as super expert in QTE arcade game yet failed 90% of QTE’s first time. There’s clearly a disconnect and again something that should have been extensively play tested.
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- Jan 22, 2020
I think it's being in the moment. I'm really good at the QTE arcade game because i know it's what I'm about to do and with the boxing one you can see which part comes up and it correlates. When catching ducks, fighting etc there's more to lose so there's more pressure and no clear indication when it's going to happen or which button it's going to be.
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- Aug 19, 2018
I don’t quite agree with that logic at all. With Excite QTE unless you’ve memorized the button prompts, there’s equally no indication what input is required, same as regular QTE’s. I mean I could understand if there was an abrupt or sudden QTE’s but they are often punctuated by load screen in Shenmue 3 so I was often prepared yet failed majority of time due to far too short timing window and on rare occasions the game not recognizing the right input.
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spud1897
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What we have to remember, without sounding arrogant, is that we're a select minority of the fanbase. There's a few thousand of us on here and the kickstarter had 70k backers more or less.
So I'd say we're among the hardcore fanbase who will tend to criticise more harshly in some areas. Not saying it's not deserved or one view is better than another etc but my point is we represent a small portion of the fanbase.
Over on social media I keep seeing new people finding the older titles and then picking up Shenmue III. Most seem to like it so there's definitely a desire in the wider fan base IMO
So I'd say we're among the hardcore fanbase who will tend to criticise more harshly in some areas. Not saying it's not deserved or one view is better than another etc but my point is we represent a small portion of the fanbase.
Over on social media I keep seeing new people finding the older titles and then picking up Shenmue III. Most seem to like it so there's definitely a desire in the wider fan base IMO
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- Jul 28, 2018
I don't put much value in Metacritic but I think it's telling that the user score is over a point higher than the press score, even with 1000+ user reviews. That 7.9 feels pretty accurate to the overall feeling in the wider community, while sometimes on here it can feel like the general reception was more negative. Definitely not representative of everyone.
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- Jan 22, 2020
As someone who grew up looking forward to and then playing Shenmue when it first came out I am curious what people who have never played any of them think about each one and how 3 compared to the first two.
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- Aug 26, 2018
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- Shenmue IIx
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- Tekken 7/Rouge Company/Yakuza 0
I would like the voice acting to be better. I know bad voice acting is part of Shenmue's charm but at this point, it's just not doing the game any favors. The story would feel much more impactful if the voice acting was better.
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- Aug 22, 2018
I don’t think the voice acting is charming, more something we’ve come to expect and begrudgingly accept.
I will make this point until I'm dead. Shenmue could have the best actors/script/direction in the voice acting department and you'd still have mindless neanderthals say "The voice acting is so cheesy and bad and over the top lolol" because that is all that they are programmed to say.
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- Aug 22, 2018
It’s a difficult reputation to shake as that’s now what people have come to expect. I have to say, I did think some of the voice acting was better in Shenmue 3 (Corey really nailed that Lan Di encounter, for example), but there are times where it felt like the actors were reading the script blind and had no idea of the context.
Oh, I agree. All three games are kinda hit and miss. But I tend to think most of the main stuff is done fairly well. But don't go saying that out loud, or else the Shakespearean Scholar Shenmue Society will tear you down for it.
For III, I think most of that was bad direction and scripting...and localization. You can tell there is context missing for example when Ryo says he is looking for Yuan and the other character says "No, I haven't.", for example. Clearly those two voice actors weren't in the studio recording that conversation together in one take...it was lazy localization and placement of the lines that were likely recorded our of context and just cut and pasted together in a rush. That's my take on it anyways. Makes for some super awkward lines, but I don't blame the actors and actresses.
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- Aug 22, 2018
I was surprised to see that they did actually have somebody directing the actors in the studio this time around. I don’t want to criticize him as I don’t know the circumstances, but the whole process definitely felt a little disjointed.
It definitely feels as though the English dub is something of an afterthought for the development team, which I can understand as they are predominantly Japanese and being lead by a Japanese man. Unfortunately, with 80% of the game’s sales coming outside of Japan, this hasn’t done the game any favors commercially or critically.