- Joined
- Aug 8, 2018
- Location
- France
- Currently playing
- SupCom FA, Rocket League, Football Manager, VF5, Myst-Riven
I don't have the courage to watch the video. Being sat over 48 minutes to listen negative critics from an arguably true fan is probably going to hurt the fan I am myself.
But, half part of me does think Shenmue III is a mediocre game. To me, a good game is always about to give you a wide spectrum of decisions or give you the illusion of it. The former is allowed by the gameplay, the latter by an enthralling atmosphere since I define atmosphere as the art of suggesting possibilities, that everything could happen anytime.
Shenmue I & II had a brillant mix of both. Shenmue III was lackluster in everything.
Finding your path, discussing with folks to get interesting bits, earning the folks' confidence, solving mysteries, finding clues, the combat, the mini-games, exploring to find little secret sides... Most of the time, the gameplay was poorly rewarding, interesting or challenging.
It's still possible to get some satisfaction here and there like but it's very minimal or inconsistent.
Main interest of Shenmue 3 is relying on standard mechanics such grinding, evolving, reflexive skills or organizational skills to get the more money and items as fast as possible.
Actually, the mechanics work very well, the idea of interconnected mini-games and buildings is engaging and it's likely one of the objective upgrades compared to Shenmue I&II. But you cannot rely all your interest on pro-addictive mechanics to make your game truly fascinating. The feel of freedom you get in Shenmue III was too ordinary.
About the atmosphere. Guilin has certainly some charm but it looked too fake and videogamy. Niaowu? A beautiful city made of cardboards. The lack of music direction was critical. I'm not going to talk about the story which was as repetitive as the gameplay itself, definitely downgrading the illusion of possible I was talking before.
Then there is the other part of me. The one who knew how to appreciate the game as itself, an indy game facing massive technical constrains. There is still this inexplicable alchemy that makes you feeling good by living in a living world rather than only exploring it. The feat is not as remarkable as it was in Dreamcast but there's still a satisfying glimpse of that unique emotion. The time I spent on this game and some growing desire to replay it someday is indicative that S3 is not fundamentally bad to my mind.
It's sure I will never ever cherish Shenmue III in my life experience. At best, it's a game you like to spend your time like many games in their own way. It did hurt me too much to have a further meaning.
That said, I'm still happy for two points. The first is that it destroyed very few things in Shenmue lore. The game did not make 1&2 pointless (details apart) and the 4th episode has still room to make something right. The second point is that Suzuki is now back in business after fulfilling one of his dreams. Just for that, I'm happy for the man.
But, half part of me does think Shenmue III is a mediocre game. To me, a good game is always about to give you a wide spectrum of decisions or give you the illusion of it. The former is allowed by the gameplay, the latter by an enthralling atmosphere since I define atmosphere as the art of suggesting possibilities, that everything could happen anytime.
Shenmue I & II had a brillant mix of both. Shenmue III was lackluster in everything.
Finding your path, discussing with folks to get interesting bits, earning the folks' confidence, solving mysteries, finding clues, the combat, the mini-games, exploring to find little secret sides... Most of the time, the gameplay was poorly rewarding, interesting or challenging.
It's still possible to get some satisfaction here and there like but it's very minimal or inconsistent.
Main interest of Shenmue 3 is relying on standard mechanics such grinding, evolving, reflexive skills or organizational skills to get the more money and items as fast as possible.
Actually, the mechanics work very well, the idea of interconnected mini-games and buildings is engaging and it's likely one of the objective upgrades compared to Shenmue I&II. But you cannot rely all your interest on pro-addictive mechanics to make your game truly fascinating. The feel of freedom you get in Shenmue III was too ordinary.
About the atmosphere. Guilin has certainly some charm but it looked too fake and videogamy. Niaowu? A beautiful city made of cardboards. The lack of music direction was critical. I'm not going to talk about the story which was as repetitive as the gameplay itself, definitely downgrading the illusion of possible I was talking before.
Then there is the other part of me. The one who knew how to appreciate the game as itself, an indy game facing massive technical constrains. There is still this inexplicable alchemy that makes you feeling good by living in a living world rather than only exploring it. The feat is not as remarkable as it was in Dreamcast but there's still a satisfying glimpse of that unique emotion. The time I spent on this game and some growing desire to replay it someday is indicative that S3 is not fundamentally bad to my mind.
It's sure I will never ever cherish Shenmue III in my life experience. At best, it's a game you like to spend your time like many games in their own way. It did hurt me too much to have a further meaning.
That said, I'm still happy for two points. The first is that it destroyed very few things in Shenmue lore. The game did not make 1&2 pointless (details apart) and the 4th episode has still room to make something right. The second point is that Suzuki is now back in business after fulfilling one of his dreams. Just for that, I'm happy for the man.
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