Shenmue I & II (2018) review scores?

[swimingdeer]

I think that fair reviewer should provide two reviews angles at once :
1) A retro review of the game, in the original play conditions.
(4:3, tank controls and, maybe without the HD turned on.)
2) A review, from today's standard, with all the fine tuning taken into account.

If the game are a good port of the original games, in legacy condition, (1) could get a 8.5.to 9.

With recent standard, I think (2) should and could get a 8.
(Or a 7 if the reviewer is really strict or find the games too slow at times.)

Personally, I think the best way to play the game would be with L-stick:Look and R-stick:Move.
(You don't really need that much precise control
and it may be more natural to have look and action button for different hands.)
As for the 4:3 cutscenes, they may not get that much criticism,
as people may see this as an artistic indicator that your controls are restricted.

Globally, the games could get a 8, from a fair and thorough review.
(Less, maybe 7.5, if the reviewers don't try and find their own way of playing the game)


Then, again, if SH1 and SH2 are reviewed separately, their respective scores will depend on
>how SH2 handle the Xbox-SH2 sources
>how people feel about the starting pace of SH1.

 

[Kirino_Matsuyama]

Sorry Let’s Get Sweaty, this is a bit off topic, but I think I need to say something ?

Hi DigitalDuck,

Your comments seemed a quite severe, so firstly I’m sorry about using the dollar signs for Sega. It was the first time that I saw it being used, and I copied it from Reminisce as I thought he had some valid points. In hindsight I guess it was a little immature.

Businesses exist to make money. It's what they are, it's what they do. If you've reached adulthood and not realised that yet then maybe you need to get out in the world more.

Wow, a bit harsh, but you’re right. However, I have a different view about this. Please hear me out, well I feel companies with this cutthroat mentality, who only think about money, that don’t want to innovate and are not looking out for their fans, and supporters disgust me. I'm one of those strange people who would boycott using a product or buying a console if I didn’t like the company.​

​

So, I totally understand your point that business exist to make money, but in my eyes anyway, its how businesses go about making money that makes the biggest difference to me.​

SEGA are a business. SEGA didn't fund Shenmue III because they didn't think Shenmue III was profitable, and therefore ran counter to the goal of making money.

I mostly agree, but I think Sega knew Shenmue III would make at least a little profit. Although, a new instalment of Yakuza would be an easier way to make money. Sega are a relatively small company now, so maybe they couldn’t afford to divide their team up to work on both titles. I don’t know, but in my eyes, Sega took the easy route.​

Sony are also a business. Sony funded Shenmue III because they thought Shenmue III was profitable, and therefore aligned with the goal of making money.

Maybe Sony saw the same amount of profit in Shenmue III as Sega, but I think that Sony also felt the passion of the Japanese legend Yu Suzuki, who wanted to finish his magnum opus; And this was the deciding factor. This is just my opinion though ?​

Neither business produces games out of "love". If you think SEGA funded the first two games because they cared about their fanbase and wanted to make them happy, you're naïve. They did it because they thought it would make them money. They were wrong. They didn't do the same for Shenmue III because they thought it would follow the trend set by the first two games and not make them money. Let's hope they were wrong.

I agree with you, I hope that they were wrong and we all can really surprise them. About what you said “Neither business produces games out of "love"”, this might be the case most of the time, but this is Shenmue we’re talking about. I might be wrong, but I don’t think you can just like Shenmue. It’s a game that you are disinterested in or that you adore.​

​

I feel that Sega funded the first games because they still had members of staff high up who were in the latter group. The disinterested members of staff knew with the current excitement for Shenmue III it was best for business to help in funding it.​

Similarly if you think Sony are funding the third game because they care about the fanbase and want to make them happy, you're naïve. They're doing it because they thought it would make them money. Let's hope they're right.

I also hope that it makes them lots of money, but once again I don’t think it was just because of money. I think that during the undisclosed meetings behind closed doors with Yu Suzuki and Sony, Suzuki-san’s enthusiasm for Shenmue was infectious.[\indent]​

​

You wake up on your bed that was produced to make money, turn off your alarm clock that was produced to make money, have a shower with water that is provided to you to make money, using soap that was produced to make money and shampoo that was produced to make money, brush your teeth using a toothbrush that was produced to make money and toothpaste that was produced to make money, spit it into your sink that was produced to make money and fitted by someone to make money, pour your box of cereal that was produced to make money into a bowl that was produced to make money, add milk that was produced to make money, eat it using a spoon that was produced to make money, put on clothes that were produced to make money, step outside your front door that was produced by someone to make money, take out your keys that were cut by someone to make money, and lock your front door in order to stop people from stealing your stuff in order to make money.

I get your point about money, but for me isn’t not so simple. For a company that is in the business of making beds, are they going to be importing beds from China for the cheapest possible price and selling for the most they can get or are they an iso registered business specialising in mattresses that have been made with FDA certified materials. I don’t know much about beds ? but I would rather choose a bed from the second mentioned company.​

​

Complaining about a business because they're trying to make money is like complaining about a human because they're breathing.

​

I just used the dollar sign and didn’t complain about the above. So once again I’m sorry if that wound you up​

​

I do understand what you are saying though, and do agree that most companies are like that. However, it’s the companies that think outside the box, innovate and revolutionise their respective industries’ that really interest me. I might be naive or immature, but I still believe that there are companies out there aren’t just in it for the money.​

​

＿|￣|●​

 

[DigitalDuck]

Your comments seemed a quite severe, so firstly I’m sorry about using the dollar signs for Sega. It was the first time that I saw it being used, and I copied it from Reminisce as I thought he had some valid points. In hindsight I guess it was a little immature.

You're absolutely right, and I apologise for being so terse - it certainly wasn't intended to be as aggressive as it came across.

Wow, a bit harsh, but you’re right. However, I have a different view about this. Please hear me out, well I feel companies with this cutthroat mentality, who only think about money, that don’t want to innovate and are not looking out for their fans, and supporters disgust me. I'm one of those strange people who would boycott using a product or buying a console if I didn’t like the company.

So, I totally understand your point that business exist to make money, but in my eyes anyway, its how businesses go about making money that makes the biggest difference to me.

I find this strange because the companies that want to innovate and look out for their fans and supporters only do so because they believe (and usually rightly) that it increases profits.

Of course, I'm not saying that it makes no difference whether a business tries to cater to its fans or not - obviously, as a consumer you want better service and products that better fulfill your needs. I'm just saying that to claim only one company in particular is "only thinking about money" is missing the forest for the trees. Every business has the primary goal of making money.

I mostly agree, but I think Sega knew Shenmue III would make at least a little profit. Although, a new instalment of Yakuza would be an easier way to make money. Sega are a relatively small company now, so maybe they couldn’t afford to divide their team up to work on both titles. I don’t know, but in my eyes, Sega took the easy route.

This is entirely possible. Every potential profitmaker has risks attached to it, with caveats that could cause either a loss on the product itself, or a loss on future products (due to reputation loss); and perhaps SEGA felt that the risks outweighed the potential rewards.

Maybe Sony saw the same amount of profit in Shenmue III as Sega, but I think that Sony also felt the passion of the Japanese legend Yu Suzuki, who wanted to finish his magnum opus; And this was the deciding factor. This is just my opinion though ?

If Sony funded the project because they "felt the passion", then it would be because they expected gamers to also feel the passion and therefore give them money. That's how business works.

I agree with you, I hope that they were wrong and we all can really surprise them. About what you said “Neither business produces games out of "love"”, this might be the case most of the time, but this is Shenmue we’re talking about. I might be wrong, but I don’t think you can just like Shenmue. It’s a game that you are disinterested in or that you adore.

I feel that Sega funded the first games because they still had members of staff high up who were in the latter group. The disinterested members of staff knew with the current excitement for Shenmue III it was best for business to help in funding it.

I also hope that it makes them lots of money, but once again I don’t think it was just because of money. I think that during the undisclosed meetings behind closed doors with Yu Suzuki and Sony, Suzuki-san’s enthusiasm for Shenmue was infectious.

Okay, let's assume that Sony are doing this out of "love". That they feel Suzuki's passion and enthusiasm, and really want him to make the game he's always wanted to.

Why now? Why not 15 years ago? And why not just throw in that extra couple of million so he doesn't need to go to Kickstarter and deal with the general public being financiers, and the constant updates necessary because of that? Wouldn't that have given Suzuki the freedom he needs, and let him make the game he truly wanted?

A likely answer: Sony were not sure that Shenmue III was going to be profitable. As public demand for the game increased over the years, they agreed to fund the game if it garnered a positive reception on Kickstarter (as large companies frequently use it to test public reaction). It did, so they did.

I get your point about money, but for me isn’t not so simple. For a company that is in the business of making beds, are they going to be importing beds from China for the cheapest possible price and selling for the most they can get or are they an iso registered business specialising in mattresses that have been made with FDA certified materials. I don’t know much about beds ? but I would rather choose a bed from the second mentioned company.

Of course. Generally speaking I'd choose the second company too.

But the registered business adhering to industry standards is doing so because it improves their reputation, and therefore means they can sell more beds. For more money.

I just used the dollar sign and didn’t complain about the above. So once again I’m sorry if that wound you up

I do understand what you are saying though, and do agree that most companies are like that. However, it’s the companies that think outside the box, innovate and revolutionise their respective industries’ that really interest me. I might be naive or immature, but I still believe that there are companies out there aren’t just in it for the money.

I never claimed that companies were only in it for the money; but that is their primary purpose. Businesses that do not put profit first get edged out by competitors fairly quickly. For every 25 businesses that start up, 24 are gone within ten years because they can't afford to keep running.

And I'll throw in an

orz

because I overreacted to what was basically nothing, and that was stupid of me.

 

[ShenmueTree]

Despite my love for the game, I chose 5, not in order to slight the game or anything but Shenmue is a relatively niche type of game, it's basically a 3d style adventure game, the evolution of the point and click adventure, and quite a few sites have for years already made their opinion known that they dislike the game. If they plan to review the port, their dislike of the game is not going to change. Add in the fact that many people seem to believe, despite being told repeatedly that Shenmue is like the Yakuza series, I can just see the disappointment flooding in.

 

[Reprise]

It's pure speculation that Sony used Kickstarter to gauge public interest in Shenmue 3 and I for one don't believe that's how it went down at all. They helped out with marketing and allowed Suzuki to be on their stage at E3, because it was amazing PR for them, without them needing to lift a finger. That's the extent of their involvement as far as I'm concerned. I don't think they contributed much if any financial backing.

 

[Mittens2317]

@DigitalDuck Innit, they should use S£GA or S€GA instead.

 

[Kirino_Matsuyama]

I never claimed that companies were only in it for the money; but that is their primary purpose. Businesses that do not put profit first get edged out by competitors fairly quickly. For every 25 businesses that start up, 24 are gone within ten years because they can't afford to keep running.

And I'll throw in an

orz

because I overreacted to what was basically nothing, and that was stupid of me.

Hi DigitalDuck,

Thanks for taking my view on board.

I don't want to take up too much space, as it's a little off topic, but I'm glad that we could have a civil discussion about it

 

[Suzuki Yu]

People will understand if you liken Zelda to Okami or Darksiders, there are many differences, but at it's core, it's very similar.
This is not the case for Shenmue and Yakuza, where the differences are so significant, they practically occupy different genres.

What will result from these comparisons is that some people might frustrated that this wasn't like their Yakuza games, or others who decide against buying Shenmue because they've heard it's similar to Yakuza.

No good will come out of these comparisons. It's better to make Shenmue stands on it's own merits, instead of likening it to a vastly different franchise that brings along with it a host of problematic expectations.

i agree with you thoroughly.

Shenmue need to be promoted as something special an experience that doesn't exist elsewhere.
which is nothing but the truth.

 

[Mattis]

Although I want it to be a solid 10/10 or 9/10. But this is an old game, and Shenmue was never for everyone. It was a divided game. So I'm hoping for 8/10, but 7/10 is more realistic if it's a fair reviewer. We will see reviewers hating on it, just because. Then you have the reviewers who are great fans, and will give it higher.

 

[Reprise]

Does anyone know when the embargo lifts? Have any reviewers or youtubers said? We know codes have been sent to youtubers.

 

[Van Joel Sandwich]

I agree...the game will most certainly have review score arround 7. Wich I think is super low given the high pristine quality of shenmue 1 and 2.
Don't get me wrong, I'm super grateful that the Shenmue 1 & 2 collection is comming out, and visualy wise is looking very nice. But still think Shenmue deserved better treatment, widescreen / fullscreen cutscenes etc... I would gladly give it more time.
Still very happy this is comming of course.