The structure of the game is lazy though. Lazy is the correct word for that. It's almost identical in Bailu and Niaowu.
It's not a problem of engagement either but of balancing and quality.
The game is mostly about tedious tasks with no rewards in a tedious structure. Which makes you feel like Shenmue III is all about repetition. You mostly repeat the same tedious tasks in Bailu and in Niaowu and in the same order.
I also agree that, with all due respect to Ezra, the interview sounds really fanboyish on some aspect. To say that Niaowu pedestrian density is unparalleled when it's worse than Shenmue II... A Dreamcast game. It's not even in the standards of a 20 years old game. It's not even in the standard of PS2/DC titles. It's far behind PS360 titles. And I wont even compare to PS4One titles...
In any case, it's still a nice interview. It's reassuring when it comes to Shenmue IV happening... But less so in terms of what they learned from III.
Lazy comes across as a little disrespectful. Lazy to me is a game that's busted and doesn't work. This does short comings and all, which I won't go into as this always rears its head and quite frankly has become tiresome. Hes made a game he thought fans would enjoy that's subjective in its nature and widely accepted outside of here by the people the game was made for. If it wasn't who would be after a Shenmue 4?
I'm not going into the whole mixed reviews stuff, it's been done.
I've said it above. Esra is a Shenmue fan, always has been but even he knows the story issues. Now the Niaowu comment I agree with to some extent but to go all hyperbole with the DC comment makes me want to scream, is there really a need for it? You made your point.
Yes it's not densely populated as it should be but have you also given thought to the following:
The NPC's in Shenmue II generally don't move around/are scheduled as much. Many are sat in or behind shop stands. The ones that do move about stay within smaller areas unless you ask for directions.
Shenmue 1 isn't that densely populated but each NPC has more purpose than Shenmue 2. Which gives it the homely feel IMO
Second he had, at the time of the originals the best team around him making those games.
Third he said in the same interview that he wants to make more areas like Shenmue I and II & wants more characters on the screen. Why they didnt get that this time is beyond my understanding of the tech involved but I suspect it was causing running issues, which we already know about the pop in on PS4..
Its exciting to know what Shenmue 4 may bring