My Shenmue 3 impressions (5 hours in)

Dietsoap said:
oh no

Edit: just read one line past the "don't read past this" line from your post in the the other thread (should've known better) and oh boy am I bummed out by the implication. I didn't even read what you said beyond that, but I know where it was going. :(
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I’m sorry you saw that, I gave a warning but I want those that haven’t played to go in without having my impressions positive or negative cloud their thoughts.

I will say this to ensure expectations are set correct
the old castle really barley constitutes a separate area and is incredibly short.
I will leave my impressions of end and other story matters to separate three and but post my general thoughts here.
 
code l name said:
I’m sorry you saw that, I gave a warning but I want those that haven’t played to go in without having my impressions positive or negative cloud their thoughts.

I will say this to ensure expectations are set correct
the old castle really barley constitutes a separate area and is incredibly short.
I will leave my impressions of end and other story matters to separate three and but post my general thoughts here.
Click to expand...
So your final impressions and rating compared to S1/S2 are?
Is it worth the 18 years wait?
 
Don’t have the guts to actually open any spoilers, but it’s sounding like folks aren’t liking the last parts of the game.
 
I was happy with the majority of the game, Bailu and Niaowu are surprisingly large, contain a lot of details and the atmosphere is great. The gameplay is also classic Shenmue in most cases, I only didn‘t like the feel of the combat system and the constantly lowering energy which needs to be filled up with food.

The last part and the ending were a letdown but I won‘t go into detail in this thread of course.
 
mjqjazzbar said:
Don’t have the guts to actually open any spoilers, but it’s sounding like folks aren’t liking the last parts of the game.
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That's the impression I got from reading them as well, the story seems uneventful and doesn't explain plot threads from the previous games. That said I avoided going deep into their posts, so don't take my word for it
 
Not a good look to me, maybe instead of side quest and rethinking some of the game design, he should have focused on the main story and some of the kickstater stretch goal.
 
If I am being completely honest, from what I read about the finale (I didnt want to get too spoiled so I only know a little), the finale doesnt sound great but at the same time......I dont really think shenmue 1 had a good finale either. 2 I think did even if the tower climb was tedious at times, but I dont know aside from the 70 man battle being really neat it felt like 1 was just a rushed conflict with some gang dude we never really got to meet, and a final battle with chai that felt like they just threw it in just to have a final fight. From what I heard of 3's ending it didnt really register to me as much worse.
 
I personally don't care about the "underlined" story, because frankly the real story of Shenmue was never about that, it was about Ryo's growth, and the people he meets along the way.

With that in mind, without going into specific dialogues or whatnot, how well was the Shenhua parameter system fleshed out/ Does your relationship with her vare much, depending on what you say to her, and how you handle certain events?

Also are new key characters conplex in how they are connected to Ryo after meeting(for example, I suspect Lin to be the most important new char you meet, providing this to be true as her char art implies, after you get past her introduction event+move on, do you have any other events main or otherwise, tied to her? ).

I really hope you don't just meet a key character, get what you need from them, and then move on, never warranting seeing them ever again.
 
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Sucks to hear that about the last part of the game, but I guess the low-ish budget had to be felt somewhere.

Also, as someone who just reached Niaowu last night, it seems to me that Yu Suzuki prioritised gameplay and atmosphere over going deep with story. Which is a smart choice imo, because you ain’t gonna sell Shenmue to newcomers by focusing on the story, gameplay and atmosphere makes the difference imo and he absolutely nailed those (outside of combat).
 
I mean it's technically only, what, 40% of the story completed after S3? Much more to tell so, of course, it won't be grand. This might be z case where people don't like it, initially, because the expectation level was through the roof, and many have been fantasizing, what could be(?), for 18 years. It might take another play through, and just getting used to the fact Shenmue 3 is there and has an ending (that is not one's personal and/or communities idea of it). It takes time, perhaps, to appreciate what Suzuki's trying to do -- i.e., give reason(s) for a fourth installment. By the way, should I wait for Black Friday or purchase a Pro on eBay?
 
Anyway, to get the thread back on a positive note
i know it’s a small thing, but I absolutely LOVED going out on the balcony of Niaowu Hotel as soon as I arrived to see the port from above like a real tourist. Great touch
 
I also kind of echoe that Shenmue to me isn't actually about the story itself more so the journey along the way, theres some interesting build up there but I never considered 1 and 2 to be some powerhouse of a story especially compared to other games that arent multipart, I think thats the key there actually, shenmue being multipart is the charm cause we get to see all the in between stuff normally skipped over had this only been one game.
 
Zoltor said:
I personally don't care about the "underlined" story, because frankly the story was never about that, it was about Ryo's growth, and the people he meets along the way.

With that in mind, without going into specific dialogues or whatnot, how well was the Shenhua parameter system fleshed out/ Does your relationship with her vare much, depending on what you say to her, and how you handle certain events?

Also are new key characters conplex in how they are connected to Ryo after meeting(for example, I suspect Lin to be the most important new char you meet, providing this to be true as her char art implies, after you get past her introduction event+move on, do you have any other events main or otherwise, tied to her? ).

I really hope you don't just meet a key character, get what you need from them, and then move on, never warranting seeing them ever again.
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I talked a lot to Shenhua but honestly, I don‘t think it does make any difference one way or another. It is possible to talk a bit about her and Ryo‘s past but this seemed to be very superficial. It still has a nice touch to it but she is mostly just a plot device and Ryo talks with her about his current goals.

I wouldn‘t rule out that there are some hidden away conversations though which can be missed. My expectations may have been a bit too high in that regard, the telephone calls are similar, a nice touch but nothing more.
 
jsh020 said:
I also kind of echoe that Shenmue to me isn't actually about the story itself more so the journey along the way, theres some interesting build up there but I never considered 1 and 2 to be some powerhouse of a story especially compared to other games that arent multipart, I think thats the key there actually, shenmue being multipart is the charm cause we get to see all the in between stuff normally skipped over had this only been one game.
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The story has always been its elements and "how," it is told (via the growth, training, people you meet), that ropes you in, but the actual framework of the story, is a revenge plot to avenge your father... which has been done countless times.

I think we love it because of the elements and the method of story telling, but (the main reason why the story wasn't praised when it first came out) people dismissed it as a revenge plot because, on paper, that's all it is... but once you play, you learn and realise that there actually is a difference in the story, than most revenge plots ;).

Not reading anything about the ending at this time, but is it possible there will be supplementary plot with DLC that hasn't been released yet?
 
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