Shenmue I & II (2018) review scores?

See post for explanation

  • 10

    Votes: 3 4.0%

  • 9

    Votes: 7 9.3%

  • 8

    Votes: 22 29.3%

  • 7

    Votes: 31 41.3%

  • 6

    Votes: 8 10.7%

  • 5

    Votes: 3 4.0%

  • 4

    Votes: 1 1.3%

  • 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 1

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    75
  • Poll closed .
Let's Get Sweaty

Let's Get Sweaty

Joined
Jul 27, 2018
Location
United Kingdom
Currently playing
Shenmue II
Overlooking the possibility of either positive or negative surprises laying in wait upon playing: if this month's new release of Shenmue I & II matches your current expectations, based on your experience of the original games and what we know so far about any differences, what do you think will be the fairest review score?

Not necessarily the one you most expect reviewers to give, or the one you're most hoping for, but which score out of 10 would you see on a review and most likely think, "Yeah, that's about right"?

(This pre-release poll is to allow comparison with our own impressions post-release, not to prematurely determine a correct score to bash reviewers over the head with.)
 
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8.5/10 would be fair. Deducting points due to 4:3 cutscenes, compressed audio, and Dreamcast limitations carrying over (NPCs phasing in 'n out).

I expect actual reviews to hover between 5 to 7/10.
 
A 7.5 may seem about right. Added a few cool features and improved load-times but otherwise I don't think the experience will be noticeably different than the original Dreamcast versions played with VGA from what I've seen. Not to say that's a bad thing as it will still be the two best games of all time.
 
10/10. They are still almost 2 decades old games and so should be reviewed with that frame of mind. IGN for example gave the first game basically a perfect score at the time (when IGN cared about the quality of its reviews). The games per se didn't innovate in all of its elements, but the sheer realization of its detailed 3D free roaming world was unheard of and still unmatched even by its peers like Deus Ex and GTA III, which came out way after the time the first Shenmue did. The one feature that Shenmue did as one of the first is having dialogue trees, events and actions tied to a time/weather system, and together with the NPCs having their own daily routine it basically creates the illusion of a 3D world that functions independent from the player's actions. It's still up to date one of few games that has that signature mechanic.
Now about the ports, this is the first time the games were brought over to a modern console (HD/4K systems), and Shenmue I in particular is being ported to a platform other than the original Dreamcast for the first time. So again 10/10 and 0 on bias. ;)

IGN, this time please plagiarize on any 10/10 Shenmue reviews out there.
 
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I think it will get solid 7's. So many people that are gamers today and sadly, in gaming journalism appear to have a bad form of ADHD where they have to have action every 5 seconds in order to enjoy something. Oh, and it has to be new action every 30 min or so or the game is too repetitive.

I don't anticipate modern critics to give Shenmue what it deserves and frankly, I don't care what they have to say. I don't care for other games so why worry what they have to say about a favorite series?
 
While I think there will be a fair amount of reviews dismissing the port as being low quality, or the game for being boring in general, I do think there will be just as many critics who appreciate the game for what it is/was and will factor in the historical/cultural significance of Shenmue into their scores.

I voted 8 because I want to be optimistic, but I anticipate 7s and 8s.

The thing I'm most dreading seeing is the base, clickbait-y reviewers who will use the HD re-releases as an opportunity to go for another round of bashing the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter.
 
-1 for 4:3 cutscenes
-1 for unenhanced audio/graphics
-1 for no Shenmue III transfers

I think 7/10 is fair.
 
We really have to take reviews with a pinch of salt but I would be happy with a 7 given the age of the game. The truth is that so many people will not warm to the game due to certain tasks taking too long even though this is the original charm. I would really not even worry that many people won't like it and enjoy the re-release. Some reviews will be 5, some will be 8... but we know the true gamers will all give it 8 plus
 
Back in the time the original game was released, Ign gave it a 9.7. That being said, I will be angry if they don't give this collection at the very least an 8.0.
 
For me it would be a 10. It's my favourite game, and one that I believe has aged extremely gracefully. In fact, I would go as far as to say that if anything, the march of time has only worked to unearth and more fully reveal Shenmue's charms. I think many people will be able to appreciate Shenmue more today than they would have 20 years ago. Shenmue was a revolutionary game at the time of release, but a quiet one. And I think that quietness, that simplicity, is something that can be better appreciated today. Shenmue's (lavish) restraint, its perceived limitations, was always its chief strength, but how much more so in a shaky world where currently anything crazy seems like it could happen and connectivity is limitless and games are overstuffed with pointless things. How refreshing to play a game where you mostly walk around town talking to the neighbours, and drive a fork lift for a bit? And if you want pointless things Shenmue has them too, but done so much more elegantly and sweetly as capsule toys.

Of course there's always that undercurrent of grand and mystical oriental adventure beating like a majestic heart underneath it all, tinging even the most mundane things with a mysterious glow, and it really comes to the fore in the second game. But that too is refreshingly sweet and straightforward really. It's a beautiful coming of age story. And I, personally, as someone who feels he is still coming of age (at a late age) can never have enough of them.

So, reading this post you might correctly be thinking that I mightily like Shenmue, but I reckon I'm going to like it even more in 2018 as an older and more mature person, it's that kind of game. So that would mean I would have to rate it an 11 to represent the increased ardour.
 
Oh I just went with what I believe the core gameplay experience should be scored as. I wasn't considering technical limitations or anything like that.

To me, both games are easily 9/10s regardless of whether audio is compressed or aspect ratios for cutscenes remain 4:3. None of those things hinder the core experience.

I expect review scores will average at about 7/10. Some will be more forgiving of the aspects which have aged and the quality of the port. Others won't be.
 
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I think it may be around 7 and 8 (probably a medium/high 7), but I´m going for the 8 in the poll.

It´s gonna be important that the reviewers know this is an HD port, because if by any chance they think it should have a "remaster", the score will be lower.

I´m more intrigued about the User Score in Metacritic.
 
*Shudder* Completely forgot about review scores.

From what I've seen of the remaster so far, including all its added goodness (Japanese + English, toggling bloom, save transfer ect) I'd easily give the game a 9/10.

I'd expect a 7 to be the minimum fair review score from an outlet that isn't a biased, rabid fan like me.
 
Verderame said:
We'll see tons of "aged poorly" and "overrated" when reviews will come up. I hope you're prepared to that.
Click to expand...

Perhaps, but I think this thread is more asking what you yourself think is the right score.

For me, time has done nothing to dim the game's qualities. I really feel time has only highlighted them. Shenmue's explorable game world is still peerless, nothing since (that I've seen anyway) has really captured that same sense of place, scale and depth, that sense of being lived in.

I think when I first played Shenmue, I thought we'd get more games like it in the future. More game worlds of its quality, and improved upon with superior technology. But that never happened. The world Shenmue created is very special and imbued with a singular magic all of its own.

Sorry, I'll stop my effusive fawning now.
 
mue 26 said:
Perhaps, but I think this thread is more asking what you yourself think is the right score.

For me, time has done nothing to dim the game's qualities. I really feel time has only highlighted them. Shenmue's explorable game world is still peerless, nothing since (that I've seen anyway) has really captured that same sense of place, scale and depth, that sense of being lived in.

I think when I first played Shenmue, I thought we'd get more games like it in the future. More game worlds of its quality, and improved upon with superior technology. But that never happened. The world Shenmue created is very special and imbued with a singular magic all of its own.

Sorry, I'll stop my effusive fawning now.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Open World games have gotten bigger and 'wider' since the release of Shenmue, but non have gotten even close to the depth and attetion to detail found in Shenmue 18 years ago. You bet your ass we're getting the 'outdated' or 'product of its time' complaints, they will throw these phrases around, but won't elaborate further. Just like the people who claim 'Yakuza does everything Shenmue sets out to do, but better'. It's an objectively false statement, but I'm willing that's what the majority of reviews will parrot come launch day, and why I'll avoid reading them for my sanity's sake. /SlightlyOffTopicRant
 
I think it will be around 7/10. My personal score would be 9/10 but Shenmue is not for everyone. Some modern gamers won't like it. So it is just realistic to assume the rating will be in the 7ish range. And that is even quite optimistic.

Some people will call it overrated and aged badly. It could get quite mean from some sides.

I personally do not care. but I hope the new potential fans won't be discouraged to give Shenmue a try.
 
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