Well, thank you for your replies, but most seem to be in the form "Well, yes you're right that is bad BUT excuse #1, excuse #2 ... excuse #n". If it's bad: it's bad, let's admit it. All these mitigating factors aren't going to bring my save back.
It's not that I didn't do the side stuff it's that everything is so obscure and non-intuitive. Half the content like the shops and items haven't been implemented.
1. How was I supposed to know that you're supposed to give tuna to the cat? 90% of the items in your inventory cannot be used, he just looks and rotates them. I looked, and called and petted the Christ out of that cat otherwise.
2. Why would I waste my money on the slots when you get tokens in return and nothing is explained about what to do with the tokens? I talked to all the NPCs, read the manual, listened to the grotesque heads on the Passport disc, it explained nothing about what to do with the SEGA tokens.
Pokemon Red/Blue let you roam the world and do side things and collect Pokemon after you beat the story, it didn't kick yo u out of your save. That was 1996, so a lot of good games back then didn't have these design flaws.
Yeah and as others here have already mentioned; games like Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX all just end forcing you to start a new game leaving behind all progress you made in previous saves. And those are considered to be three of the greatest games of that generation.
What's your point? My point is simple. Game design back then was like the Wild West. There was no template that everyone followed unlike today where everyone seems to just follow the same template as games become more and more homogenized.
Back then, it really was the Wild West where everyone had their own methods and ways of doing things. Mostly because 3D design was still in its experimental days.
I won't lie. I won't sit here and say Shenmue is perfect...it's not. No game is perfect. I mean I love Jet Set Radio with all my heart, but even that game is flawed to shit with its terrible camera system and sometimes too floaty controls.
Shenmue has its own issues...but you gotta remember. There is a level of defensiveness on this forum from people who have been in love with the franchise for over 20 years now. It's only natural they will get defensive if they think someone is being condescending to them. Just saying. I certainly don't think Shenmue is a perfect game. If I'm honest, there are numerous things I don't care for in it. The stealth section in the first game flat out sucks for one thing.
That and I do kind of agree the game can be a little too vague at times in explaining its certain systems. And this is a problem I've seen in a lot of first playthroughs. Take the Giant Bomb endurance run for example. It was frustrating to me as a fan but at the same time, it's not like the game really tells you how to use its systems (unless you look at the passport disc or manual first). And that was ultimately where their frustration came from. As frustrating as that playthrough was to me who is familar with the way Shenmue plays, it was also frustrating to them being completely unfamilar with how to get the most out of it.
It doesn't always do the best job explaining its systems...but at the same time, I can see the benefit in the fact that it does promote the idea of the player exploring its world and learning these things for themselves.
As much as I love Shenmue, it's far from a perfect game even to me.
