The Shenmue 3 Review Thread

Review from Techdue.com. No score but the article is quite positive. The writer mentions the detailed world and thinks that it is worthwile to try out the game.


Shenmue is between the 30 best video games of 2019!!!

Not totally surprising considering their score but it's interesting that they put it higher up, ahead of some big names. Actually, their list includes quite a few smaller titles. I read other reviews by them and they often seem to analyze games a bit differently compared to the more regular gaming sites. Sometimes referencing other art or the thoughts that a game provokes.
 
I just find it weird how angry/hostile the people who dislike Shenmue seem to be. Like, what the fuck are they so upset about? Is it somehow interfering with their enjoyment of other games? I really don't get it. I thought some of you were being dramatic when you said people have it out for this series, but I've begun to see the light.

Here's a TERRIBLY negative article from today, with even worse commenters:

Jim Sterling really makes these people go apeshit.
 
List of reviews from various outlets sorted by score and platform.

PS4

100
  • DIGITALLY DOWNLOADED

9+
  • 90 - IGN Japan
  • 90 - Slant Magazine
8+
  • 85 - DualShockers
  • 85 - Gaming Trend
  • 85 - PSX-Sense.nl
  • 83 - 4players.de
  • 80 - DarkStation
  • 80 - The Guardian
  • 80 - Gamesradar
  • 80 - GameCritics
  • 80 - Videogamer
  • 80 - Game Revolution
  • 80 - LaPS4
  • 80 - Hobby Consolas
  • 80 - Twinfinite
  • 80 - VGC
  • 80 - PlayStation Universe
  • 80 - We Got This Covered
  • 80 - Wfftech
7+
  • 78 - Atomix
  • 76 - GamePro Germany
  • 75 - Gamer.nl
  • 75 - EveryEye.it
  • 75 - Multiplayer.it
  • 75 - The Games Machine
  • 73 - Spazio Games
  • 72 - Vandal
  • 70 - Hardcore Gamer
  • 70 - EasyAllies
  • 70 - Destructoid
  • 70 - Eurogamer Italy
  • 70 - RPG Fan
  • 70 - IGN Spain
  • 70 - IGN Italia
  • 70 - Gameblog.fr
6+
  • 65 - Gamecrate
  • 65 - 3DJuegos
  • 65 - PlayStation Lifestyle
  • 60 - CG Magazine
  • 60 - GameInformer
  • 60 - Gamespew
  • 60 - Impulsegamer
  • 60 - CheatCodeCentral
  • 60 - Metro GameCentral
  • 60 - Worth Playing
  • 60 - M3
  • 60 - Cogconnected
  • 60 - VG247
5+
  • 55 - XGN
  • 50 - JeuxVideo
  • 50 - JeuxActu
  • 50 - GameSpot
  • 50 - God is a Geek
  • 50 - USGamer
4+
  • 45 - Gamers Heroes
  • 40 - Trusted Reviews
PC
  • 83 - PC Gamer
  • 80 - GameStar
  • 80 - PC Invasion
  • 80 - Hooked Gamers
  • 70 - WindowsCentral
  • 70 - Screenrant
  • 70 - Gamersky
  • 67 - GameSpace
  • 59 - IGN America
  • 58 - RageQuit.gr
  • 50 - Game Over

UNRANKED (Not on Metacritic for PS4)
  • 100 - Hey Poor Player
  • 99 - Paste Magazine
  • 95 - NicheGamer
  • 85 - Pure PlayStation
  • 85 - MundoGamers
  • 82 - M! Gaming
  • 80 - Pocket Lint
  • 80 - FZ.se
  • 80 - Gamereactor
  • 80 - Mspoweruser
  • 80 - Navigames
  • 80 - Famitsu
  • 75 - Meristation (Mc-bound, rated for both PC and PS4)
  • 70 - PlayStationTrophies
  • 70 - Gamingbolt
  • 60 - Game Reactor Norway
  • 60 - AllGamersInn
  • 50 - Le Journal du geek
  • 40 - Denofgeek
  • 40 - AngryJoe Show
  • 40 - Comicbook
OTHER

Positive:
  • LADBible (it's actually a very positive review, but the score is IDK/10 . They REALLY understand Shenmue-fans)
  • Eurogamer (recommended)
  • Gamesack (Fair)
  • Kotaku (Understands Shenmue to a T.)
  • Techdue (Positive)
  • Honey's Anime (Fair)

Negative:
  • Polygon (Totally trashes Shenmue. Unfair review where it is questionable if the reviewer even played the game)
 
Last edited:
Well that's weird, it's uploaded on Gematsu's channel but there's still no article up for it. How did you even find this Tsukuyomimagi99?

Also when I opened the video it was at 5 likes and 4 dislikes, so it may be worth popping in and giving it a like.

I am subscribed to Gematsu's YouTube channel and received a notice this morning.
 
I just find it weird how angry/hostile the people who dislike Shenmue seem to be. Like, what the fuck are they so upset about? Is it somehow interfering with their enjoyment of other games? I really don't get it. I thought some of you were being dramatic when you said people have it out for this series, but I've begun to see the light.

Here's a TERRIBLY negative article from today, with even worse commenters:

Jim Sterling really makes these people go apeshit.

And of course it's mostly the EGS whiners

Imagine spending your life THAT upset about a store front...a fucking store front. I wish I had enough time in my life to be THAT upset about something that stupidly trivial. But I got other things to worry about in life instead.
 
It's a pity that they didn't like the game at all in the end. Judging by that article from late August they sounded like fans who were really looking forward to it.
 
Yu Suzuki was only half-joking when in an interview he said Shenmue is really a game that tests your personality/habits/affinity to details...I mean look at what others on gaming forums pick up that press and outrage Utuber personalities and their cult missed out by focusing on the few dead-woods in a serene forest.

ambitious s3 dialogue.png
shenmue 3.png
shenmue 4.png
shenmue beauty number 3.png
shenmue ambition 2.png
And people rather trust some haters on the interweb instead of doing a balance research? An art-house masterpiece is literally flying over the main-streamers & modern gamer's heads. Talk about throwing away a silver bullet in the debate around games as an art form.
 

Attachments

  • shenmue ambition 2.png
    shenmue ambition 2.png
    34.2 KB · Views: 2
  • shenmue beauty number 3.png
    shenmue beauty number 3.png
    30.7 KB · Views: 2
  • shenmue beauty number 3.png
    shenmue beauty number 3.png
    30.7 KB · Views: 2
Regarding this whole review topic in general, I find reviews of Shenmue to be a non-issue.

Take a look at the original Shenmue 1 and 2 reviews, or even the HD remakes, how can anyone possibly score this game less than 100%. It's flawless. And yet there are those who have.

For example, Shenmue 2 Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox/shenmue-ii/critic-reviews

Only 8 out of 31 reviewers scored the game higher than 90%. To me, this is just incomprehensible.

So when Shenmue 3 receives a bunch of low blows (as it has), I'm forever reassured that the stupidity of man knows no bounds.
 
Regarding this whole review topic in general, I find reviews of Shenmue to be a non-issue.

Take a look at the original Shenmue 1 and 2 reviews, or even the HD remakes, how can anyone possibly score this game less than 100%. It's flawless. And yet there are those who have.

For example, Shenmue 2 Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox/shenmue-ii/critic-reviews

Only 8 out of 31 reviewers scored the game higher than 90%. To me, this is just incomprehensible.

So when Shenmue 3 receives a bunch of low blows (as it has), I'm forever reassured that the stupidity of man knows no bounds.

i absolutely love Shenmue beyond any other game ever, but it’s not flawless.
 
Regarding this whole review topic in general, I find reviews of Shenmue to be a non-issue.

Take a look at the original Shenmue 1 and 2 reviews, or even the HD remakes, how can anyone possibly score this game less than 100%. It's flawless. And yet there are those who have.

For example, Shenmue 2 Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox/shenmue-ii/critic-reviews

Only 8 out of 31 reviewers scored the game higher than 90%. To me, this is just incomprehensible.

So when Shenmue 3 receives a bunch of low blows (as it has), I'm forever reassured that the stupidity of man knows no bounds.
I'd say there's certainly a majority of badly written reviews that have basically gone after Shenmue and generally you can tell those ones a mile away.

However that shouldn't discredit some of the things the other, lower scored, reviews talk about which have been subjects of discussions here. There's certainly elements of Shenmue III that could be improved for a Shenmue 4.
 
Yu Suzuki was only half-joking when in an interview he said Shenmue is really a game that tests your personality/habits/affinity to details...I mean look at what others on gaming forums pick up that press and outrage Utuber personalities and their cult missed out by focusing on the few dead-woods in a serene forest.

View attachment 6183
View attachment 6185
View attachment 6188
View attachment 6189
View attachment 6190
And people rather trust some haters on the interweb instead of doing a balance research? An art-house masterpiece is literally flying over the main-streamers & modern gamer's heads. Talk about throwing away a silver bullet in the debate around games as an art form.


I was watching a Maximillian Dood Twitch stream uploaded to YouTube and while he said he was enjoying the game in the stream when asked, often he'd just skip over any of the Ryo and Shenhua conversations when they're at home in Bailu village
So I'd understand that if it was his second playthrough and he was just streaming it for entertainment purposes to keep the pacing faster, but it was his first playthrough so no, and then it only serves as him not getting the full experience and also not presenting the game in its full experience to anyone watching his streams who might not be familiar with Shenmue but are a fan of him.
 
I was watching a Maximillian Dood Twitch stream uploaded to YouTube and while he said he was enjoying the game in the stream when asked, often he'd just skip over any of the Ryo and Shenhua conversations when they're at home in Bailu village
So I'd understand that if it was his second playthrough and he was just streaming it for entertainment purposes to keep the pacing faster, but it was his first playthrough so no, and then it only serves as him not getting the full experience and also not presenting the game in its full experience to anyone watching his streams who might not be familiar with Shenmue but are a fan of him.
That’s unfortunate. I typically like his content, but I get the sense that his appreciation of the game largely comes from respect for Suzuki-san and not a genuine interest in the story or true love of the setting/world it has built. Without having a streamer who loves exploring all the little details of these games, I think the typical viewer will have trouble understanding the real value of the Shenmue experience. We need streams from people like Huber or Joe from Gamesack for people to see what makes Shenmue special. It’s also inherently difficult to demonstrate the sheer variety and wealth of content offered to the player within a single YouTube video, given that the best part about Shenmue is the unique experience afforded to each player/playthrough. Only dedicated channels such as Bluemue’s really show off what the game has to offer, and even then, it’s hard for viewers who haven’t played to understand what they’re seeing without knowing the context.
 
Last edited:
That’s unfortunate. I typically like his content, but I get the sense that his appreciation of the game largely comes from respect for Suzuki-san and not a genuine interest in the story or true love of the setting/world it has built. Without having a streamer who loves exploring all the little details of these games, I think the typically viewer will have trouble understanding the real value of the Shenmue experience. We need streams from people like Huber or Joe from Gamesack for people to see what makes Shenmue special. It’s also inherently difficult to demonstrate the sheer variety and wealth of content offered to the player within a single YouTube video, given that the best part about Shenmue is the unique experience afforded to each player/playthrough. Only dedicated channels such as Bluemue’s really show off what the game has to offer, and even then, it’s hard for viewers who haven’t played to understand what they’re seeing without knowing the context.


problem is they're not as popular and influential.

Consider even a mainstream guy like AngryJoe helped turn the tide of public opinion with his Yakuza Zero review.
And that was a guy who previously last gen only reviewed games that came out on the Xbox 360 because he didnt even own a PS3. So he never even played a Yakuza game before.
 
problem is they're not as popular and influential.

Consider even a mainstream guy like AngryJoe helped turn the tide of public opinion with his Yakuza Zero review.
And that was a guy who previously last gen only reviewed games that came out on the Xbox 360 because he didnt even own a PS3. So he never even played a Yakuza game before.
Wow I didn’t realize how popular AngryJoe was until I just looked him up. I hadn’t heard of him until Yakuza 0 and I never really watched his video on it. I didn’t expect him to have such a bigger viewer base than Easy Allies and Gamesack. Gaming companies need to make a greater effort to control the narrative of their games by utilizing social media better. Sega should put the same effort into their other properties’ online presence that they have done with Sonic.
 
Back
Top