So how doese shenmue 3 make you feel about the franchise in general

Zhenmue

Zhenmue

Joined
Nov 27, 2019
has it increased your enthusiasm decreased it or made you indifferent to it


It's left me in a strange place as I do like shenmue 3 and can completely understand peaples issues with it and some aspects of the game left me underwhelmed mainly combat system and lack of story progression and pace but I can forgive some of these things due to tight budget

I in no way feel that overall it was a bad game I think it's good but with some not so great aspects but it did miss some opportunities to expand the story I genuinely dont feel it's undone the franchise like say the star wars prequals I just feel it's a small part of the overall story and its short comings may be less of an issue depending how the sequels go

But on the other hand i do feel it is the weakest of the 3 as it just lacks that real cinematic feel and senes of wonder and mystic the 1st two had like for example finding the secret door in the dojo in shenmue 1 or the themes hinted at at the end of 2 that was so beautifully done

3 for me had moments that did genuinely put a smile on my face mainly some of the interactions with shenfa and ryo starting to act more like a person and even crack the odd one liner and it felt to me like a genuine progression for him in terms of his personality but then there is the pace and structure issues like all those chats and intimacy with him and shenhua are thrown right out of the window when we get to chobu even to the extent where on my playthrough I thought that there lack of interaction was some sort of falling out at 1st I thought she had gone all cold on ryu becouse he was eyeing up the woman on the boat but no it's more like they just didn't write much script for the two of them in the second halfe


Then when I thought oh there must be loads left of this game we get the really abrupt final and strangely directed writing on the ending

I must say I will for sure play shenmue 4 when or if it ever comes out and my enthusiasm to do so hasn't diminished but my expectations for the story and game play are much lower than my expectations of what I thought 3 would be like say 5 or 6 years ago

the moment Shen 3 was announced and backed on Kickstarter I knew to lower my expectations somewhat due to budget and long time gap and overall I feel shenmue 3 is a respectable game but nothing ground breaking and I'm expecting more of the same with 4 which if that is what we get I will live and be ok by that but not overly moved by it

But I'm more than ready to welcome being surprised and I do feel shenmue is a great franchise overall

How are you guys all feeling about it ?
 
I'm expecting bigger and better things from Shenmue IV.

This is the team's first big game and a learning process not only for Suzuki but all of his staff.

The game has been produced on a shoestring budget and it's a wonder it's as good as it is, IMO.

All that effort that went into the game engine, the economy, the fighting system...it's all solid groundwork for a bigger and better entry.

I really love Shenmue 3 as a game, the story progression and presentation is disappointing but the actual game? Brilliant , wonderfully playable and unlike anything else on the market.
 
Down by Law said:
I'm expecting bigger and better things from Shenmue IV.

This is the team's first big game and a learning process not only for Suzuki but all of his staff.

The game has been produced on a shoestring budget and it's a wonder it's as good as it is, IMO.

All that effort that went into the game engine, the economy, the fighting system...it's all solid groundwork for a bigger and better entry.

I really love Shenmue 3 as a game, the story progression and presentation is disappointing but the actual game? Brilliant , wonderfully playable and unlike anything else on the market.
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Yes I do agree that depending on how much money they can get to make 4 will likely determine the outcome overall and yes the foundation built from this game will make it easer to start the next one I just hope the narrative issues in 3 was due to budget rather than yu loosing his touch
 
Overall I liked Shenmue 3 but I must admit the lack of story progression was disappointing. The team sacrificed a highly anticipated 18 year wait to give us a little story development and focused on non essentials like mini games, having to eat food, etc. This first DLC sounds like crap too, I'd rather have all story related DLC to help flesh out what they didn't include. I really enjoyed Shenmue 3 but it doesn't live up to the first two, and I only mean that in the sense that they didn't tell enough of the story to move us along. I'm hoping if Shenmue 4 ever sees the light of day that the story will conclude or at the very least cover a lot more ground like the second one did.
 
I can live with the slow pace this is shenmue after all but it just wasn't overal as effective as 1&2 a d felt like it had some narrative blunders
 
First off I haven’t finished the game yet but I’m likely at about 80% of the story. But I’m torn so far. I’m loving the game even with some missteps. It feels undoubtedly Shenmue. I think where I’m torn is that there is so much fluff in the game with the herbs and mini games. All of that makes Shenmue 3 feel like a Shenmue game. But the story progression so far seems so minimal. I would imagine if you stripped some of the mini games away what would have been saved from the developmental budget wouldn’t increase the amount of story bits.

However I look around the world at so much to do but that’s secondary to why I play Shenmue. I play Shenmue because I want to see what happens next in the story. The first two had a more constant drip of information about the overall story.

I feel like 4 is inevitable so I can only hope with the engine being built they can focus on more story and more locations. If Shenmue 3 is this generation’s Shenmue 1, I hope Shenmue 4 is more like Shenmue 2 in the locations and story if that makes sense.
 
Shenmue III for me hasn't changed how I feel about the franchise. I divide Shenmue III into 2 halves. Bailu is truly Shenmue. You can see the time and effort in that and the leaving cut scenes are some of best in the game> Niawou I enjoyed but not as much. It's clear they ran out of time, the castle was good but rushed.

What I saw in III was the potential for a great Shenmue IV. Shenmue I was the same leading into Shenmue II for me. If this is the same pattern then we're in for a heck of a ride.

I know some people have said this has tainted/ruined their experience of the franchise. What I say to that is just remember the good times from the first 2 games. OK you didn't like Shenmue III but there's more good stuff to come.
 
Ultimately my disappointment is rooted less in the lack of overall story progression but in the little ret-cons and inconsistencies.

In a way I think III might have confirmed my fears that the story isn't as epic as I thought, but had been bolstered by great storytelling, cutscenes direction, and characters - something Shenmue III sorely lacked. At the same time, I'm really excited to see where Shenmue IV leads and have a lot of hope they can clean up the weaker points now that there's a framework in place.
 
My main expectation was that Shenmue 3 feels complementary with the former episodes like Shenmue 2 did with Shenmue 1, that the game ends to have its own flavour, strenghts and weaknesses.

All in all, it just feels weaker everywhere but fun. Too much fun to say it's not a good game neither a Shenmue game, and you have to give YSnet credit for that. However, it's the first time I do feel a discontinuity in the saga. The Shenmue core is there but the substance. It's hard to say you're "enthusiast" when your game lacks so much of emotion despite all the blatant love they tried to convey.

Nonetheless, I think my passion is still there and I would like to forget Shenmue for once in my life but I probably can't.

Bailu Village was wasted in my opinion (the first very meeting between Shenhua and Ren too?) but it's not like Lan Di turned to be complicit with aliens or Ryo was using flashing balls anyway, was he? As someone said, nothing has really been destroyed. The second straight iteration of a game studio is often a success history-wise. Yu just needs to say he announces IV, he's bringing back Baisha or has some fresh ideas to implement and I splash my bills onto his face immediately.
 
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Shenmue III has not diminished my enthusiasm for the series one iota. If Yu Suzuki were to open up a Kickstarter for Shenmue IV tomorrow, you bet your ass I would be donating. Like I have said in the past, I am loyal to Suzuki’s Shenmue to the very end and will go down with that proverbial ship if that time ever comes. In my eyes, you do not give up on what you love just because it has some flaws.
 
I was originally pessimistic about the future of the franchise based on how the Kickstarter was handled.

However the game itself was... decent I think is the term.

The world building and characters definitely feel Shenmue. However the story progression is a complete disaster, let's not kid ourselves. Waiting almost 20 years for whatever we got in terms of story is a huge disappointment.

What I expect from a Shenmue game is that it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. But for the journey to feel impactful, there needs to be substance. Here there is so much fluff that it's hard to know where things are going. Some fluff is important and very much in the spirit of Shenmue, but there has to be a balance between story advancement and fluff, and I don't think this balance has been struck with Shenmue 3.

Overall I am neither optimistic neither pessimistic - Shenmue 1 also started slow. I will still play Shenmue 4, but my expectations will be much higher. Cut all the useless fluff and develop the story you started more than 20 years ago. If going from Shennmue 3 to Shenmue 4 feels like going from 1 to 2, then I'm on board til the end. However if it's stagnant and Shenmue 4 feels like Shenmue 3 with style over substance then I'm out.
 
shibeouya said:
I was originally pessimistic about the future of the franchise based on how the Kickstarter was handled.

However the game itself was... decent I think is the term.

The world building and characters definitely feel Shenmue. However the story progression is a complete disaster, let's not kid ourselves. Waiting almost 20 years for whatever we got in terms of story is a huge disappointment.

What I expect from a Shenmue game is that it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. But for the journey to feel impactful, there needs to be substance. Here there is so much fluff that it's hard to know where things are going. Some fluff is important and very much in the spirit of Shenmue, but there has to be a balance between story advancement and fluff, and I don't think this balance has been struck with Shenmue 3.

Overall I am neither optimistic neither pessimistic - Shenmue 1 also started slow. I will still play Shenmue 4, but my expectations will be much higher. Cut all the useless fluff and develop the story you started more than 20 years ago. If going from Shennmue 3 to Shenmue 4 feels like going from 1 to 2, then I'm on board til the end. However if it's stagnant and Shenmue 4 feels like Shenmue 3 with style over substance then I'm out.
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Pretty much my thoughts. I liked Shenmue III a lot, but there is still some room for improvement and I think now that they got used to Unreal 4, Shenmue IV and potentially future sequels won't feel as rushed as III ended up being.
 
Truth be told, Shenmue III has almost killed my interest in the franchise. The story retcons along with toning down any mysticism surrounding it because people cried about it (they should be happy about this) and lack of overall story. The retcons had spoiled the story for me at the moment though. I wish they did more with Shenhua who kind of fades into the background during the second part of the game. If IV comes out, I'll look out for spoilers and gameplay before I determine if I want to put money into this again. Shenmue III is not a bad game, but it is a weak entry though. I mean I still will play it but on the PC this time. The patches and DLC is encouraging at least for me to want to play again soon, but like I said, I'm not handing over my money as quickly for IV until I see how things go this time.
 
That Guy. said:
toning down any mysticism surrounding it because people cried about it (they should be happy about this)
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Hang on, you’re saying Yu changed the story to tone down the mysticism because people cried about it? When would this have happened?

i remember when trailers and images were coming out of Shenmue Online, Yu said that he had no interest adding those kind of super-ability type aspects into Shenmue proper.
 
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Sh3ppy said:
Hang on, you’re saying Yu changed the story to tone down the mysticism because people cried about it? When would this have happened?

i remember when trailers and images were coming out of Shenmue Online, Yu said that he had no interest adding those kind of super-ability type aspects into Shenmue proper.
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I'm talking about how the ending in the cave being re-edited involve the sword and the mirrors which is apart of this. That one scene that mystified (no pun intended) everyone who played this game where Shenhua did something to that thug seems like this was another toning down of the mystical part by making it more subtle now and not so obvious, but that is personal speculation on my part. One of the very early trailers that came out long ago showed Shenhua using her powers outwardly to defend herself for example. I'm sure there was more to come with that but that was the least of my complaints.
 
That Guy. said:
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I'm talking about how the ending in the cave being re-edited involve the sword and the mirrors which is apart of this. That one scene that mystified (no pun intended) everyone who played this game where Shenhua did something to that thug seems like this was another toning down of the mystical part by making it more subtle now and not so obvious, but that is personal speculation on my part. One of the very early trailers that came out long ago showed Shenhua using her powers outwardly to defend herself for example. I'm sure there was more to come with that but that was the least of my complaints.
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Yu went that route with the end of Shenmue 2 because he knew it would be the last one and Sega weren’t going to fund a 3rd instalment. So he wanted to go out in a bang. If the plan had been to have a 3rd game from the get go, we wouldn’t have gotten the floating sword.

I think the footage of Shenhua using her powers is from the Project Berkeley footage, right? A lot has changed since that, not least of all as it was Saturn footage.

For what it’s worth, I still think we’ll still see a great deal more of Shenhua’s abilities developing as we’re not even half way through the story yet. It would be a bit early for her to break out some super-abilities which she’s probably not even aware of yet (and hasn’t been pushed to the point where they’ll manifest themselves). The story is not only about Ryo’s growth, but Shenhua’s as well. The way I see it, she’s still relatively innocent and doesn’t really understand her ‘powers’ or the extent of them. So in my mind S3 hasn’t really retconned anything in regards to Shenhua.

This is how I see it anyway.
 
That makes sense then if you do consider that 2 was going to likely be the last game at the time. I mean the rest of your points do make sense. Then again after the way 3 played out, I'm just weary right now of it being better for the next game as no one really knows how things will be handled this time.
 
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I honestly lost interest in the story and franchise. Shenmue 3 was fun to play but its story was not told in the good way like its predecessor (if there was any story). Considering that Shenmue 1+2 had a pretty big development team with various people for various things, it becomes understandable how we all could fall in love with this franchise and the story.

But 3 just does not deliver. They lack people with storytelling skills they had back in the dreamcast era.

Yu is not a magician, he is the guy with the base storyline and was the head of very talented people over at AM2.

But without the manpower that Shenmue 3 lacked, I think following games will never be good storytelling-wise.

After all Yu Suzuki is/was an Arcade developer and I seriously doubt he has skills in other departments.

Also I don't think Shenmue 4 will ever happen.

But if it does, I first will watch Lets Plays before even considering to buy the game.
 
That Guy. said:
That makes sense then if you do consider that 2 was going to likely be the last game at the time. I mean the rest of your points do make sense. Then again after the way 3 played out, I'm just weary right now of it being better for the next game as no one really knows how things will be handled this time.
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There’s no denying that S3 left a lot to be desired narratively speaking. Even for me, and I absolutely loved the game, the story was somewhat lacking. I hate to say it, but it’s true. I do put this down to lack of resources and I guess building the Shenmue world used most of said resources.

Someone mentioned that they can see IV being what S2 was to S1, now that the devs have learned the engine and have many assets already in place. so I would love to see SIV really push ahead with the story and implement those mystical elements. I think the goal is to get to Shenmue V now, so I’m pretty certain Yu knows he must hit the ground running story-wise in the next instalment.

Hopefully it won’t be too long before we find out!
 
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