Neither Shenmue or Shenmue 2 are perfect. Justifying bad game design in Shenmue 3 in 2019 because it existed in either S1 or S2 20 years ago is irrational.
S1 and S2 are the base from which to build upon. We'd hope S3 would have learned from those games and improved upon them, not amplify the negatives of those games.
See, now you're changing your argument. First it was "Shenmue I & II had great game design, but Shenmue III has terrible game design!" Now it's "Shenmue I & II also had poor game design but Shenmue III didn't improve upon it!"
The fact of the matter is that for almost every "poor game design" choice in Shenmue III, I can come up with something analogous in the first two games. That's just Shenmue. Could the stamina system have been implemented better? Probably. But I accept it because it was part of the new circular economy system, which I think was very well thought out overall. With the exception of maybe combat and the QTE implementation, I find Shenmue III to be the best in the series from a pure gameplay perspective.
Shenmue 1 and 2 gave us options and choices. It didn't force me through all of that other stuff. That's on the player to decide what to do.
I feel like Shenmue III gives you the most options and choices in the series. Yes, you have to earn money and train. But they give you many different ways to do this and they're all fairly fun. And I actually like the fact that you basically need to train to be proficient at fighting. That was always a concept in Shenmue, but the gameplay never reflected it. As Ryo said in Shenmue I, "I'll lose my edge if I don't practice." Shenmue III is the first game in the series that makes the player adhere to GON.
Disc 3 of Shenmue I and Disc 4 of Shenmue II were essentially on-rails. How many options and choices did you have there?
I agree with both of these.
In Bailu, I would talk to Shenhua on my own in the morning before leaving her house. Then I would exit the house and that mandatory cutscene would interrupt, with loading screens. It's invasive and there's no fluidity to it.
Again, it's another element that is forced on the player rather than letting the player choose.
You know what? Forget about the Come Over Guest House example. Now that I think about it, what about Disc 3 of Shenmue I? Each morning you have to watch Ryo wake up and look at his notebook. Then there's a loading screen. Then you have to watch Ryo get off the bus. Then you have to watch Mark's forklift race introduction. Then you have to compete in the forklift race. Then you have to watch Mark give you your prize. Then you have to watch Mark tell you about your route for the day. After all of that, you can finally begin your mandatory forklift job for the day where you still have no real choices or options.
Or how about in Shenmue II when you're forced to air out books every morning until you reach a certain point in the story? Is that not invasive?
Please note that I'm not even complaining about these things. Shenmue I is my favorite game in the series and I love pretty much every moment of it, including Disc 3. I also actually enjoy airing out the books, mostly because of the excellent music and the relaxing atmosphere of it. And Disc 4 of Shenmue II is one of my favorite parts of the series. But considering all of these things (and those are just a few examples), I fail to see how Shenmue I & II give you so many "options and choices" but Shenmue III "forces you through stuff." In many ways, it is quite the opposite.
I completely understand the criticisms about things like story, lack of character development outside of Ryo and Shenhua, and writing/localization. I share many of the same feelings about these aspects of the game. But I 100% disagree that it has "bad game design." It has the most robust gameplay of the series. You despise the inclusion of Face Off so deeply, but the first two games allowed you to pay money to watch a cutscene of Ryo drinking a soda which did absolutely nothing! It's the same thing. Like I said, that's just Shenmue. It's the way it's always been.
