The question isn't is Yu Suzuki out of touch with gaming standards. The question is are you out of touch of what the Shenmue is. Its F.R.E.E. a genre of games unto itself. If you can't wrap your head around that, perhaps you are better off playing Call of Duty , or unoriginal uninspired games like Assasins Creed that get reproduced every single year with no innovation. What baffles me is these hipporcrites that level complaints against Shenmue III, saying it has not match modern game advancedments. Lol, what advancements ? The only thing that has inmproved over the years is online service, which doesnt fit Shenmue, and graphics. Shenmue III has beautifully rendered graphics. Anytime there is a slight advancement in modern gameplay, it is rolled back because hard headed slacker casual gamers find them too difficult. Motion controls on the PS3 sixaxis and Dual shock 4 fo example. The Kinect was completely removed from the Xbone package. Environmental destruction is drastically reduced in Battlefield 4 from Battlefield 3 to the point of being non-existent. All braindead casuals want to do is button mash badly against ai opponents, fail upwards with regenerating health, and be treated to a cutscene while they drool on their controller. If that is the formula you want forced into Shenmue 4, please, go play something else. Fornite , most likely.
The use of conversations to advance the story is Shenmue's signature, thats why it is retained in Shenmue III. The game is at its core, a detective mystery game. A F.R.E.E. which is a hybrid of many genres. Please get a clue, or a degree from a reputable university in Digital Entertainment Development before you start leveling complaints about Virtua Fighter's developer being at game design.