What a disappointment

I feel a bit out of place here then, I thought Niaowu was immensely better than Bailu, the only part of Niaowu I didnt like was the finale, but like, at least it had a finale, Bailu just sort of ended.
 
jsh020 said:
I feel a bit out of place here then, I thought Niaowu was immensely better than Bailu, the only part of Niaowu I didnt like was the finale, but like, at least it had a finale, Bailu just sort of ended.
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Chobu didn’t bother me that badly. I think it was just the simple rural charm of Bailu that got me. Where as Chobu just felt a bit alienating. Some wonderful sights in Chobu though...the temples are gorgeous to look at...and there is a bit more in the way of action too. But I don’t know, Bailu just had a certain charm that Chobu kind of lacked. (Shrugs)
 
I think the charm of Bailu was that it was very different from the other places we've explored so far. Niaowu, on the other hand, felt a lot more like Aberdeen/Wan Chai.
 
I also got the kind of closure in a similar sense to you, the one that got away kind of deal.
But I would still really appreciate new games in the series or other games designed similarly.
Even if I questioned a lot of the game, I enjoyed the fuck out of it, part nostalgia, part that it's still a unique flavor.
I can understand why other games don't go this route, I understand why some players think the game doesn't respect their time (or simply don't care about the core gameplay).

The image of FFXV flashed on my mind and with so much money poured on it and some of the best looking environments I've ever seen on a videogame, everything feels lifeless and just a pretty backdrop for something that actually isn't there, and I can totally understand some of the decisions YS took and why Shenmue is still such an unique franchise.

I have felt so many times the need in games to just roam around a little, but even if I do most games just lack that depth a real place would have and Shenmue does provides me with that outlet, hell, I can just look at a garbage bin next to a soda machine and feel immersed into it, entering a warehouse that serves no fucking purpose more than being there, looking at different bars each one with their own vibe and thinking which one would be my favorite drinking hole, spamming the same NPC just to see how many ways of saying nothing they have, I just love it.

Shine on Yu crazy diamond.
 
Nope. Absolutely not OK with the series being dead.

It's weird to think that there's this man who has been waiting for over a decade to tell the story of his magnum opus, and then the guy actually gets the one in a million chance to make the third game and he decides to make a game which does not progress the story.

Why did he do this? I think S3 proved that while Yu has created a great story, he is not a storyteller. He needs others to execute the storytelling for him.

Masahiro Yoshimoto being an "early contributor" on S3 didn't help, did it? I'd say bring back Yoshimoto as Chief Writer for S4 and wrap things up. Tell us the story, but tell it skillfully, not S3 style. Don't waste time and money on huge environments, too many jobs and silly games with Shenhua. Half the size of Niaowu and half the size of Bailu would have been more than enough if there had actually been stuff happening there.

Just bring in somebody who can skillfully finish the storytelling job and give us that fourth game to finish the Saga.

Whatever is needed to get us that fourth game, count me in!
 
I’m not fine with it being dead, but it would hurt less now.

Shenmue 2 is one of the greatest games of all time, so it would really sting if that was where things ended.

Shenmue 3 is a great game with a terrible final stretch, so it’s easier to let go of something when it leaves such a bad taste in your mouth.
 
I think there is an argument to be made that certain pieces of art belong to their era and it is somewhat illusory to want to make them again years later as if nothing has changed.

In the case of Shenmue, not only have games and technology changed, but it's not the same budget nor the same team, so there's just no way you can recreate a similar experience.
 
Shenmue III just doesn't feel as special. And it's not about nostalgia goggles. I replayed I and II in April. I introduced people to the serie this year and it became one of the best game ever (especially 2). But as for 3... It just doesn't feel as brillant, as well wrote or directed. And I dont think it's only a budget problem. A lot of things are a total head scratcher. The game is lacking in the character department.

And while I enjoyed a lot those Ryo and Shenhua conversations... It also felt cheap af. Like, I get some budget constraint. But was it worth it to make fuck knows how many Chobu chan Fighter arcade machine rather than properly animate those night conversation, even if it was with the same animation and just make Ryo sit down ? Shenmue II did it better in the campfire scene.

I think the problem with Shenmue III is that it's trying to be a complete Shenmue experience on a budget. The problem is, trying to do everything on a budget means you're excellent at nothing.
 
Except Yu actually did manage to create a similar experience. The atmosphere, the feel, the soundtrack, the gameplay, the minigames, the whole Shenmue Experience - it's all there. And like @shredingskin and others said before, it is delivered in a way and a flavor nobody else in the industry can create. The only things that were lacking were plot development and character development. And that could have been solved by a handful of meaningful dialogs. It's got nothing to do with budget or fancy set pieces or whatever. Which makes it all the more painful as a fan.

I don't care about anything else. I just want this story finished - and it can only be experienced through the medium of video game, I don't want a Novel, Manga, movie or any other format.

Just put Yoshimoto in charge of the story and wrap it up with S4. Everything else, Yu has proven he's still got it. Just let Yoshimoto handle the story part again and we're golden.
 
hyo_razuki said:
Except Yu actually did manage to create a similar experience. The atmosphere, the feel, the soundtrack, the gameplay, the minigames, the whole Shenmue Experience - it's all there. And like @shredingskin and others said before, it is delivered in a way and a flavor nobody else in the industry can create. The only things that were lacking were plot development and character development. And that could have been solved by a handful of meaningful dialogs. It's got nothing to do with budget or fancy set pieces or whatever. Which makes it all the more painful as a fan.

I don't care about anything else. I just want this story finished - and it can only be experienced through the medium of video game, I don't want a Novel, Manga, movie or any other format.

Just put Yoshimoto in charge of the story and wrap it up with S4. Everything else, Yu has proven he's still got it. Just let Yoshimoto handle the story part again and we're golden.
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Indeed, but as it was done on a budget, none of the aspects feels especially brillant. So while we still have a good Shenmue experience, it's also one, in my opinion, that isn't as memorable as the two previous ones.
 
hyo_razuki said:
It perfectly did the job for me at least. I think if the storytelling was there it would have felt exactly like S1 & 2 to me.

II do understand where you are coming from though.
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Well, I partially agree with you here. If the story telling was indeed one aspect that was more fledged, even at the expense of another aspect, I think it would've been up here. Maybe not as much as Shenmue II (as this game, for me, hit the nail not only as a Shenmue game, but as a video game as a whole, in term of gameplay, rythm, story telling and such. Shenmue II is a well paced adventure, that keeps reaching new heights and keeps giving in term of content and scope). But at least damn close to Shenmue I. And that's why I think it was a problem with Shenmue III because, if they didn't want to make it such a big Shenmue experience and accept to make concessions on Niaowu's size or on side activities, we could've had a game more focused on its story and its cast.
 
No.

I'm still invested in this story and want to see how things pan out. It's that simple.

If that means I haven't moved on in life because I still find enjoyment in a particular series, then oh well. Jane Austin fans are still immersed in novels from the 1800s and Star Wars fans are still just as passionate about the franchise after 40 years.

Just because Death Stranding is now out, doesn't mean there's suddenly no place for Shenmue or other retro-style video games in 2019.
 
I agree about it feeling like fanservice. Its just too much.

The forklift driving job, the lucky hit stands everywhere, the two huge arcades very close to each other.

It also doesn't help that there is so much that is just so immersion breaking. The t-shirts and capsule toys that are of Ryo and others from Shenmue. My watch that has Shenmue 3 written on it. The Shenmue hall. It all helps to break immersion badly for me.

I haven't completed the game yet, but I do really enjoy how slow paced it is, I don't mind that the story hasn't advanced so much, that isn't an issue for me.
 
And to answer's OP question, I would care if Shenmue IV wouldn't happen. But I just dont feel as hyped as after Shenmue II. Shenmue III really felt... Anti-climatic.
Is it good or bad ? Well if Shenmue IV wouldn't happen, I wouldn't feel as bothered as Shenmue III not happening.
 
All you guys wanna know why Shen2 is a masterpiece and and Shen3 is flat and bad? In Shenmue 2, one of the coolest scenes is Ryo doing the tai chi movements at the cliff, while we have an eagle flying at the night sky with an epic music set. Where he learned that kata? From Jiamim. Probably the best cinematic scene in Shenmue 3, aside some of the engage fight ones, was the end chapter scene of Bailu. He's practicing a kata, the reminds me a lot the one Xuiying did at the end scene of the Hong Kong chapter. If it really is from Xuiying, just put some flashback mind pieces... Or just the sound of her voice. Would be a lot better. But, this is Shenmue 3. What in hell, did he learned in Shenmue 3? Where're the lessons? The chores wich builds patience? There's nothing. That why. Was a big big opportunity to make a way better game. But its ruined now. The Shenmue fan base is split right now. Jhony from "Happy console gamer" has his concerns about the story. And, for me, he was kind with the mess this game is. I'm feeling frustrated, disappointed, let down and pissed. At the same time. But not for a single sec i would be OK with this franchise being dead. Would pledge, would by multiple copies of Shenmue 4. Just get it right.
 
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GhostTrick said:
Shenmue III just doesn't feel as special. And it's not about nostalgia goggles. I replayed I and II in April. I introduced people to the serie this year and it became one of the best game ever (especially 2). But as for 3... It just doesn't feel as brillant, as well wrote or directed. And I dont think it's only a budget problem. A lot of things are a total head scratcher. The game is lacking in the character department.

And while I enjoyed a lot those Ryo and Shenhua conversations... It also felt cheap af. Like, I get some budget constraint. But was it worth it to make fuck knows how many Chobu chan Fighter arcade machine rather than properly animate those night conversation, even if it was with the same animation and just make Ryo sit down ? Shenmue II did it better in the campfire scene.

I think the problem with Shenmue III is that it's trying to be a complete Shenmue experience on a budget. The problem is, trying to do everything on a budget means you're excellent at nothing.
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This...

I didn't like S3 to be honest... I'm still behind Yu Suzuki and the Shenmue series and I would also pledge again a lot of money to see Shenmue 4. The most people don't complain about the gameplay, the mechanics or graphics.. Its the storytelling..

The whole environment is so boring... The bad guys "Thugs" are boring. All the other characters in the game are boring. I can't even remember a single name of someone... No new friendships, no interesting relationships. Compared to the old games where I still know so many characters, their stories even their names.

Those story relevant critics have nothing to do with the budget. The most interesting parts of the game were the conversations with Shenhua... I'm okay with bad graphics, I'm okay with a smaller environment, im okay with so many things where they can reduce costs. Everything is fine for me but don't destroy the beautiful story :(. Don't!

I also don't need 20 Arcades, 320393203920329ß313293ß39 Capsule Toys etc. tbh.

Anyways I hope there will be Shenmue 4 and I'm still a fan. Just a bit dissapointed.
 
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