Shenmue 3 - An Honest Critique by a Longtime Fan

[@RondyWooten]

I waited 26 years for Streets of Rage 4. Thankfully it actually turned out great.

[@garywintle8023]

Shenmue 3 is a step back from Shenmue 2, which had a tight structure, good pacing, and strong storytelling. Shenmue 3 feels more like Shenmue 1, with the glacial pace and clunkiness of the original returning.

[@claytonyoung1351]

Shenmue 3 is great. Worth the wait. A game made for the fans

[@mrsir5784]

@@garywintle8023 shenmue 3 doesn't feel like shenmue one to me at all shenmue 3 sucks the first shenmue is great in my opinion one of my favorite games. shenmue 3 just doesnt feel like a shenmue game at all. I actually dont get bored still even with the first one. first time I played shenmue 3 the game was just boring dull flat no excitement the fighting system is absolute ass and is not rewarding at all the characters are ugly asf dont look good

[@nathancosta36]

You've waited longer than I've been alive! What an incredible veteran! 😃 BTW I've never played Shenmue 3

[@falconeshield]

I didn't wait for it, and it was amazing

[@akyruz8345]

The 2 town arcs literally share the same plot: someone gets kidnapped, you get your ass kicked by the kidnapper and have to get a ridiculously expensive move to beat him... technical problems aside, in the end it felt like this game didnt really add anything to the story except for the very last bit.

[@DontTrustAshesFakeVideos]

Exactly, i reckon the tuth is, suzuki doesnt have much a clue of the supposed future story past the end of Shenmue II. So as they had practically zero story to work with so it trned into a time wasting mission to pad out the playtime to make it feel like its more of a game than it is.

[@ottolehto]

As someone who only played all three Shenmue games back to back this year (2020) for the first time, I have an interesting perspective on the trilogy. Overall, they made me a new fan in 2020 despite all the outdated mechanics. The first game is pretty rough but the story and the charm got me hooked. S2 really impressed me, especially towards the end, and I consider it a flawed masterpiece. But Shenmue 3 is clearly a disappointment, especially coming after S2, with 19 years of improvements in game design not taken on board at all. Nonetheless, I had a pretty good time with it. I would give it a 6/10. The world is beautiful and colourful, hanging out with Shenhua is charming, and Niaowu is a cool place to explore. Sadly the combat is garbage, the minigames range from middling to terrible, the story goes nowhere, the skill training is laughably boring, the dialogue is stilted, etc... If S2 is still a 9/10 game if you overlook some of its outdated mechanics, and S1 is a solid 7/10, S3 falls behind at a 6/10 - and it only rates so high because it does not have competition: neither Yakuza nor GTA scratch quite the same itch or create the same feeling. And I say that as someone who only learned to love the series AFTER playing Yakuza. Anyway, I hope they manage to continue the story SOMEHOW and make S4 better since the series deserves a proper sendoff.

[@AgentMorgan2010]

This is really interesting to hear, because I think you are a very rare unicorn. Also interesting that, as a new fan, your experience is similar to the vast majority of existing ones. I will say I do think a big reason that Shenmue II hits as hard as it does is because of the groundwork laid down in the original. You get to know that small little town quite well, there's no time skip, and it's through syncing with Ryo's daily routine, life, and schedule that you come to have a common purpose with him and become so invested in the story. When you get off that boat into a big city in part 2, you really feel like a fish out of water and the adventure really begins. And Shenmue II is just a lot faster paced and more exciting. But you really need that first one to set you up emotionally for the proceedings. Shenmue III... I feel like barely anything even happened and it was largely pointless. Huge letdown after 20 damn years.

[@insekki]

I’m sorry

[@johnnada6855]

I Yu Suzuki says "i want to make Shenmue 4" i´ll be the first to give my money, Shenmue is amazing

[@sigurdtheblue]

Black garlic is not raw, it is very slowly roasted and tastes surprisingly sweet and I don't think it smells. It also has a fruit-like texture.

[@jackssr6568]

Impressive garlic knowledge!

[@AaIsForAaliyas]

Its cured to a point its rotten hence why its black. There's techniques that prevent it from being poisonous hence it was done correctly more umami than sweet

[@MrMolotov69]

I too bought the first Shenmue when it was released on the Dreamcast and Shenmue 2 as well when it was released. I just finished Shenmue 3 and went into it open minded without reading any reviews. I actually like that the kept the pace and the gameplay true to the first two games, instead of utilising the latest gaming technology to make something more modern. It brought me back to playing the franchise 20 years ago so I appreciated the nostalgia. That said, I don’t understand why they didn’t conclude the story and give us closure. After making the original fans wait 20 years you would think we deserve a satisfying ending but instead left us waiting again for a shenmue 4 that likely will never come.

[@TheGameShocker]

My love for Shenmue died with this game. Everything you said is spot on. My experience was painfully, I let my friend borrow the game and I never asked for it back lol.

[@WithoutNumbers]

20:00 Who is she? At that moment, I thought that there was probably some kind of story connected with her while they were sailing on the ship, like with the little girl that Ryo saved from the bald man, which was shown in the comic book telling about the events between parts 1 and 2.

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

It’s crazy how character models from a game made in 2001 look better than the ones made 18 years later. Even something as simple as Ryo’s jacket had all it’s life sucked out of it.

[@MtMarshi]

As a HUGE shenmue fan I have to say this was spot on critique. The worst thing about Shenmue 3 for me was how insignificant the entire plot was. At the end of Shenmue 2 we are faced with a levitating magical sword and a call of destiny seeming to come to pass. Move to Shenmue 3 and the magic of the Sword is NEVER mentioned again and instead you play the entire game looking for the guy who made the giant mirrors via LOOOOOOOTS of boring npc nagging. The original games had an atmosphere of epicness or something far grander just around the cormer. Shenmue 3 feels like a TV movie after the original two theatrical masterpieces.

[@TihomirSikorsky]

you are wrong, it's just mere nostalgia. the 1st and 2nd shenmue was almost full of the same boring dull shit and plot filtered by a drop per hour. for the first game it was slightly different, cause the graphics seemed fantastic for that time and it was supposed to be a prologue/tech demo and the real action game would be coming next. but it never would.

[@gabrielmontreuil]

​@@TihomirSikorsky Shenmue 1 & 2 felt like an actual martial art revenge movie turned into a game. Shenmue 3 feels like a parody of previous Shenmue games.

[@Jose-se9pu]

As another youtuber said, "we waited 18 years for a filler episode"

[@VVVHHHSSS]

I played these games for the first time last month and they're pretty great.

[@fugui2222]

the ending always made me laugh - so 20 years 0 story progression or character development, i thought this was a game not real life

[@jackssr6568]

Your comment made me laugh 😂

[@orangeslash1667]

@@jackssr6568 Good news there is going to be a Shenmue Anime!!!!!!!

[@jethrobaarda7442]

Wtf why would you record your audio in a studio where some guy was practicing the same drum solo continuously?

[@shodan6401]

Everyone keeps saying that this game was croud-funded with 7m dollars, which is just plain wrong. It did get that sum from croud-funding, but it also received undisclosed tens of millions of dollars from no less than five major corporations, including Sony, Sega, Shibuya Productions, Deep Silver (the publisher), and Epic Games. Considering that the very first Shenmue had the largest budget in history at that time by far (anywhere from 50 - 70 million, depending on who you ask), I'd surmise that this game came in at well above that figure. So at least from the perspective of finances there is no excuse for how poorly this game looks, performs or sold.

[@khogamevietsub]

Yeah, 7 million dollar is just the number Yu Suzuki use to show other corporation that fan still want the game, in order to ask more budget. There are no way this game cost 7mil to make

[@andrewtheone7]

I really believe Yu tried his best with what he had. Kickstarter and budget constraints. I'm happy and a lil disappointed that it didn't measure up but I'm still happy that it exist. With the budget they had i respect it. Honestly I wish they stayed out of being whole next gen, keep the old school graphics. Release on steam or just pc. High quality story, voice acting, great gameplay . Stay away from being a visual piece, 4k textures and clean faces. The budget couldn't afford it. Idk it's hard to produce a witcher 3 type game when your funds are so limited. Maybe that's why??

[@garywintle8023]

They should have just focused on the quality of life gameplay tweaks, and cutting out the fat and streamlining the story.

[@AgentMorgan2010]

Yeah, that's what I said from the beginning. They should have just continued with the original assets to cut costs and focus on the gameplay, and it would actually appeal to most of the existing fanbase. And yes, he should have cut and streamlined the storyline, and, most importantly, _wrapped it up._ Fans wanted closure more than anything, and there isn't gonna be a Shenmue IV now.

[@falconeshield]

I'm not. 18 years for this?

[@caliconnected_]

The LAN DI fight still pisses me off all these years later

[@TheDondajonhon46]

Excuse me... Would you like to try a game of Lucky Hit?

[@jackssr6568]

What the...?

[@RavenShinyThings]

Shenmue 3 mods is the answer to make it better as no remaster to bring it back to shenmue 2 standards

[@WithoutNumbers]

Yes, obviously no one can fix combat system.

[@Jose-se9pu]

There is a difference between been a fan, and been a fanboy. If you say Shenmue III is a good game and "everything you wanted", you are just plain delusional. Shenmue III broke my soul, but at least I'm happy to see more and more fans openly saying "it was bad", there is no worse fandom than a blind fandom. Shenmue deserved better, but we fans, after almost two decades, also deserved better.

[@Shuyin781]

I completely agree with you. When you've waited 19 years for a game, you can expect to have something better than a game that feels like it belongs to the dreamcast, especially after 2 decades of games improving the open world genre as a whole. Shenmue 3 was awful, plain and simple.

[@danwarb1]

The first 2 games are misrepresented in this video. Comparison with characters and cinematics from the old games illustrate how jankey the 3rd is. The Witcher 3 comparison was dumb.

[@kaionogueira4601]

I disagree completely. The old games have the same flaws than the new Shenmue 3. Shenmue 3 could be better? Yeah, but it still the SAME old Shenmue. It's a game for Shenmue fans, almost the exactly glory AND flaws still here, i dont care for modernization in this game, i want Shenmue beeing Shenmue, i really like all this nostalgia. Come on guys, this has always been SHENMUE you agreeing or not.

[@jamesi34]

@@kaionogueira4601 so you're saying Shenmue has always sucked? you could be on to something...

[@awakenedsoul2638]

Jose 84 I agree with the part EVERYTHING YOU WANTED, you are just plain delusional. But saying Shenmue III is a good game, YOU ARE JUST PLAIN DELUSIONAL. I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH YOU ON THIS ONE! No matter how bad the game is it is up to the player to describe the game and play the game because they consider it good. You have high hopes of III, I am with you on this one but it never broke my soul because Shenmue IV will be grand. I am telling you I still gave this game an EIGHT OUT OF TEN but it could have been a 9.

[@Brylant1980]

What is wrong with the animations? It looks choppy like u play in 10fps?

[@MasDouc]

It's not like that at all, this guy's recording software blows

[@geohunk]

@jacks sr, why is the frame rate so bad? Are you playing the PC version?

[@ArrowValley]

I actually purchased a PS4 just to play this game...big mistake that was. I got as far as chasing the chickens and just gave up. I love the Shenmue Dreamcast games but on hindsight, it might be best to have left this series in the past. Or better yet, completely have rebooted the series.

[@shady6131]

well, since u already have a ps4 now, play yakuza 0.

[@joro8693]

Yeah it did reboot it’s called yakuza and it’s the greatest thing ever. Especially since you got a ps4 it’s worth it

[@enelhorno2024]

Get Ghost of Tsushima. Awesome game only on PS4.

[@firecrackerjack68]

@@joro8693 Yakuza's actually more of a spiritual successor than a reboot.

[@who432]

Yu Suzuki lost me after this one. I've spent my last penny on Shenmue after this.

[@kidpresentable6004]

Don't let the door hit you on the way I Out

[@valgas17]

Shenmue IV will not get made. Shenmue III was a disappointment commercially and critically. As someone else commented on here, there's a difference between fans and fanboys. Seems like the majority of Shenmue fans didn't like the third game, and there aren't enough delusional fanboys to Kickstart a fourth game.

[@zachthezombie]

I think the complaints about the English dubbing is fair but that's why I play it in Japanese with subtitles but the there is the issue with the subtitles localisation being off

[@cloudtx]

Good take man. As someone who has never played Shenmue but enjoys Yakuza, would you recommend the original game?

[@jackssr6568]

I played Shenmue on the Dreamcast in 2000 and loved it but I would only recommend it to newcomers now if they are interested in video game history. Shenmue was a landmark title in many ways back in 99 and you will recognise many of the foundations of Yakuza's gameplay in it. But it has dated badly and some aspects of it were ludicrous even at the time of its release. Everything Shenmue does, Yakuza does better. Shenmue 2 is the high watermark of the series, that was Shenmue at its peak.

[@MasDouc]

@@jackssr6568 Completely disagree, Yakuza is alright but it doesn't capture that Shenmue magic.

[@Shuyin781]

@@MasDouc by Magic, you mean the boredom you're feeling playing it?

[@painkeller20]

@@Shuyin781 what he mean how the game capture the feeling of journey... If you are into action games only then this game is not for you.. The game is about patience understand culture and organise your time... If you look for endless action then go for different game...

[@Shuyin781]

@@painkeller20 why do you immediately assume that I'm into action game? I'm into story driven game, what Shenmue strives to be, but fails miserably. The reason to that is that for story driven game like Shenmue, the story is the skeleton of the game. If it's bad, everything that comes around it (gameplay, game design, graphics...) don't hold, and the immersion is ruined. And shenmue's story is dull and boring, and its characters are emotionless and uninteresting. There's far better way to understand Japanese culture, than playing Shenmue

[@elin111]

Shenmue 3 much like several spiritual successors or distant sequels fell into the pitfall of trying too hard to be faithful to the source material but failing to acknowledge that the source material has not aged well. Compare to Crash Bandicoot 4 that follows the classic formula but not only expands the core idea in a way that feels modernized, but also trims the unnecessary fat from it and actively corrects most (keyword being most) of the issues the older games had.

[@TheDr502]

What I've always loved about Shenmue is the setting. Now, we all know that the series mainly takes place in mainland China in the late 1980s, which is merely 30-35 years before the year 2000. Yet, the story almost sounds like ancient Chinese folklore from 1200 BCE or so. You've got the weary traveler who's hellbent on mastering martial arts to avenge his father's murder; a simple villager who's searching for her father's whereabouts; a pirate who's just looking for gold and treasure; and the main villain, who is a mysterious figure with seemingly invincible and unconquerable powers. Finally, you've got these magical stones known as the Phoenix and Dragon Mirrors, whom all of these individuals are pursuing to unleash the powers within them. Because of this setting, Shenmue's story is malleable enough to work outside of video game development. Shenmue worked quite well as an anime, and it's unfortunate that its time was cut short by the disastrous WB/Discovery merger that led to the cancellation of countless amazing shows. However, they could continue the story as a manga or a novel as well. Getting better writers, of course, would be mandatory to ensure that Shenmue remains just as entertaining in a book format. I see Yu Suzuki's passion for the series. I see that he's determined to complete Shenmue's story. I myself would love to see whether Ryo does avenge his dad's murder or if maybe he concludes that revenge isn't the answer. But, Suzuki has stated that he always wanted Shenmue to be a 13-game series. That only works for series that have sold 30 million+ units or so within 20 years or less, and we know Shenmue hasn't achieved that. As a result, Yu Suzuki would find it easier to finish Shenmue's story as in a less expensive and time-intensive format such as a book.

[@Mohammed1000real]

Streets of Rage 4, Yakuza 3 and the Sakura Wars reboot is infinitely better than Shenmue 3 in everyway, you could clearly tell that this wasn't the Shenmue 3 we wanted. But maybe Shenmue 4 will finally fix that, who knows?

[@kamudo999]

is there even being announced?

[@jounouchi123]

well im on the boat of playing it back in the day and playing 3 now after backing it. not counting the graphics, it looked like it was made straight a few years after shenmue 2. guess it was a "blast from the past" i suppose, true nostalgia: the game that never came out, but years later when the world has better options out there still im backing 4 if it comes out

[@BB0ysGames]

Shenmue deserved more time in development

[@robb7371]

what happened to the akido throws like in shen 2

[@cd-rommasterclass19]

By 2019, it had been over a decade since I had last played Shenmue 1 & 2; so, before Shen 3 was out, I gave the originals another spin; my mind was blown once more at how impressive these games looked and functioned all around. I was excited for Shenmue 3; but as I had predicted; it turn out to be a disaster... Ryo's delusional, forgot about all that he had learned before, gets beaten up by random low tier thugs, and even gets to grind for the same exact move twice, just so he can defeat the second (last) boss... Fighting system is quite possibly the worst I've ever experienced in a game! Not expecting this from the creator of Virtua Fighter. Graphically, it's an amateurish mess with clashing art styles; you've got a mix of anime, cartoonish and realistic humans; scenery leaves a lot to be desired in places, it does feel off sometimes. Voice acting could be exculable back in 99 and 01, due to translation errors and less experienced voice actors... But now? No way! ...The entirety of it feels infact like a parody of the originals. There are barely to no interiors to explore as well. ...and man I could go on; Shenmue 3 was but an embarrassment, and for as unfortunate as it might be, the fanbase can't shut up about how it feels and plays exactly like Shenmue 1 & 2 did! It does not, it's been downgraded, and stupidified.

[@frigginsepone446]

Pro: That the game was made at all Cons: ...are complicated... *LOL* But seriously, what a precise and analytic game critique. I'd say other reviewers should take this as an example, but I guess you can only hit the nail on the head if you love a game/series and therefore know it in and out. Thanks for this one!

[@jackssr6568]

Thanks muchly! 😀

[@themerote]

It actually looks frickin amazing in VR with UEVR

[@ShiftNova]

I feel like Shenmue 1, and especially 2 combat was much better than 3. Every move you performed felt like it actually doing something.

[@TheSupremeSkill]

You assured my assumption this game is just bland and boring. I really was eager to try this out, but they just weren't trying hard. Could be enjoyable if it was cut down to third or fourth of the playtime: Cut the crap, make most of stuff optional, less training and more action. Voila! Btw, I don't understand The Witcher reference, it is a game absolutely riddled with awkward, cliche and badly animated scenes.

[@awakenedsoul2638]

If you will dedicate 7 months of playing this game, I am telling you this is worth your time.

[@TheSupremeSkill]

@@awakenedsoul2638 But how?

[@awakenedsoul2638]

@@TheSupremeSkill Feel your body the interest to play it. I was joking when I said 7 months. Just play it for 1 - 2 months. Maybe you do not know how to play the game or you are listening to the negative things people said about this game, specially super eye patch wolf.

[@kalodawg8297]

@@awakenedsoul2638 or... spend those 2 months actually playing good games? Or doing something productive like learning an instrument? Why the f* would I have to waste 2 months of my time on a game lmao. That'e just stockholm syndrome

[@awakenedsoul2638]

@@kalodawg8297 Did I said like play it non stop the whole day, you will not shit, pee, eat and sleep? WHAT THE FU#4CK ARE YOU? HOW DAAAAAAA FFFUUUU#@CK DOES YOUR BRAIN FUNCTIONS? I said that because many people misunderstand this game. You just butted in, I was not talking to you and you was not here.

[@themetus2190]

Problem is not just graphics Game is not that fun Mostly depends on nostalgia There is no physics in combat whatsoever just ragdolls punching and kicking each other Even Japanese voice acting is not that good and English is just unbearable Story is also not that good story is very slow for no reason you have to do lot of errands to progress in story just a bit and ending is just not worth it Problem is this game is not just polished enough I've seen better polished games with bad graphics Only good thing I can say about this game is that it somehow got atmosphere of old games but game is just not fun.

[@garywintle8023]

Problem with the combat is the lack of the VF engine, so they had to build a fighting engine from the ground up, which is a very hard thing to do on a limited budget.

[@PetarVazharski]

You are extremely unfair with the comparisons you make. You may not be aware of the conditions under which Shenmue 3 was created. It's a total miracle that the game exist. Also, I think you forgot what the average game looks like graphically on the PS3.

[@majicweather4890]

So you bascially want us to overlook how bad a game is because of the conditions it was made in? All games are hard to make. Some are good, some are ok, and some stink. Maybe we could say that Shenmue 3 is generally considered to be an okay game

[@NerdilyDone]

17:00 as an old schooler, I really like this approach to gameplay. It's what they had for the old point and clicks, and it was a lot of fun to figure things out on your own without having your hand held.

[@lliatto]

wow... nostalgia sure is a thing to be careful about

[@firecrackerjack68]

Nostalgia sometimes is not nice.

[@maxcady360]

3:48 - 🤣 As a fellow Shenmue fan, I too wonder at the amazing delivery of these lines.

[@WithoutNumbers]

The real frustration is trying to circle around a pole or reel in a fishing rod using the keyboard.

[@yakmin]

Did you not even get to drive a forklift?

[@jackssr6568]

You do actually! 😂

[@WithoutNumbers]

Remember what part 1 was famous for? Each character had their own routine. In part 3, Shenhua cuts one cucumber on the spot for eternity. An old man sits on a chair and looks at a man jumping on poles in any weather, no one even opens umbrellas like before. Part 3 is looks lifeless. You can't even talk to the fisherman.

[@owningdishonestshills7435]

Why is the footage so jerky?

[@retromuel]

Resident Evil 2 was made for the PS1 - a console vastly weaker than the Dreamcast, and in fact a generation behind. It was essentially a few low polygon characters floating around on top of a 2d bitmap. You're also showing the remastered version of the game rendered in 1080p widescreen, not the original. That's in no way a fair comparison.

[@tears2040]

The day video gaming died for me……… Supported through Kickstarter and never have I been so disappointed with a video game in My Life. Ever since then luckily some good games have released , but I only play after very good reviews and never wait for anything ever again.

[@lstairvideos1330]

i think this game is one of the worst games of all time based on the fact that it was made with millions dollars in fun-raised money, the amount of studio time that was put behind it and finally... Literally zero story progression of any kind. Shenmue 4 could come out and you wouldn't even need to play Shenmue 3.

[@williamchung5407]

As an original player of shenmue 1 and 2, this game didnt improve the way it should have with all the technology now and advances in gameplay and voice acting. The game released as if it was 2004 and not to the standards of a next gen (2019) game.

[@LightningCayo]

Would love to play the Shenmue games, I’ve been stuck playijg Sonic, Virtua Fighter & other classic Genesis titles. The animation is neat, but that’s my biggest exposure to it aside from KZbin videos. Sad to hear Shenmue 3 dropped the ball.

[@syotvisbbo2777]

Bring back the japanese original voice actor and actress.

[@BigClaudeGaming]

I could see Shenmue more like LA Noire than Yakuza. If there is a fourth game they should look more to influence from LA Noire due to the investigation thing that Ryo does. It could still be like Shenmue type pacing with some more action added. But both the English dub and Japanese dub need major work. Whole new voice cast and a better animation team. Graphics like Final Fantasy 7 remake. But the combat needs to be more like Yakuza. If not Yakuza they could look to the EA MMA games. With Shenmue series not selling the way we would want, Shenmue 4 needs to rap up the story. You can’t keep failing commercially and think someone will green light failing games. But all we can do is pray.

[@MasDouc]

This game really isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I'm loving it so far.

[@rokmare]

One of the things that made Shenmue so great IMO is how accurately it portrayed that era of the time but things start getting out of place when I see capsule toys in a remote village like Guilin which wouldn’t have any under communist mainland China at the time and the combat wasn’t as great compared to the virtua fighter battle system.

[@DontTrustAshesFakeVideos]

I always thought china was a mistake if im honest. If the story had remained in japan it could of been epic. Hong kong was ok but they could of done so much had they kept it in japan instead of going further into china.

[@billyjesus5442]

if there is one game that should never ever have been a kickstarter project its shenmue.

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

They did the shoe thing 20 years ago so it’s hard to really give much credit to this game for doing it.

[@87Tempests]

Your criticism on the games look is also unfair, resident evil is a much more popular series with a much higher budget and bigger team. I don't recall any of the re series entries being made through kickstarter...

[@samuraiboy497]

It can still be saved just have the guys who made yakuza or virtua fighter work on it

[@jayk1597]

Why!!!!!?!?!? I feel like I spent most of my time working just to make money to buy crap that I needed just to get the crap that I got and I love the other 2

[@nicbow]

you are a fan you say, but why in the world do you play the game with English voice? would that not ruin everything for a fan?

[@custardgannet4836]

Its a massive chore of a play through and i loved the Shenmue games back in the Dreamcast days. And what the hell were they thinking not concluding the story? Tbh if theres a Shenmue 4 i have no interest in playing it.

[@wanderlust_gaming]

I understand and agree with your critiques. However, I think the flaws is what made the original games charming. I think it was probably a creative decisions for the cheesy stiff voice lines and non photo realistic graphics.

[@lupinthenerd439]

I think a lot of what you are saying can be applied to the other games and if it modernize some of the aspects like yakuza did, then it wouldn't feel like shenmue. 3 fix some of the stuff of the previous games and I don't think it's bad as you are making it out to be, or bad in general

[@truenemesisprime550]

Agreed, it was disappointing to say the least. It used to be one of my favorites but it is stuck in the past. The next one needs to be the martial arts version of God of War. It needs a complete overhaul just like God of War did. It definitely needs a complex battle system, they got rid of the throws and counters, that is UNEXCEPTABLE. PISSED ME OFF! This should be the RPG version of Dead Or Alive. If they overhaul everything for the final battle with Lan Di I'll buy it. It needs to feel like an amazing feat to beat him by the end, we deserve it at this point. The 4th one should start with Ryu facing him again and getting DESTROYED cus just like Kratos says "He's NOT READY" lol He should be outclassed and left for dead as the insignificant nat he is and Lan Di should use the mirror and whatever that does happens and the story is one of redemption. Where you learn how to properly fight him at a high level where you TOO can bloody parry! and counter. This deserves to be THE BEST martial arts game ever created and if it isn't they shouldn't even bother. I would argue Shenmue 1 had a better battle system, the 80 man battle was GREAT I loved parry countering them fuckers, looked sick, that aspect is gone in this. They need to fix up or give up.

[@renners4367]

Shenmue 3 ain’t that bad I think the only issue is with the story is not enough back story when there should be. And the story is very short compared to shenmue 1&2 they could of added in another playable area after Niaowu even if that only offered another 10 hours of gameplay

[@ieuanhunt552]

So what I'm getting from all these reviews is that you should just play Yakuza

[@SagaciousFrank]

Not bought it, not played it. Probably won't bother. I like Shenmue I and II, despite their flaws - but I played them both on the Dreamcast. The music in the game was especially good, and the scope of the second was very impressive, especially for twenty years ago. I suppose one way to get around the bad voice acting - unless you actually like it - is to play the third game in Japanese with subtitles. When Shenmue II came out on the Dreamcast in the UK, I thought that the non-English voice acting was a blessing in disguise after the abomination of the first game.

[@fathammy]

Some of the minutia you criticize the game for are actually important for establishing how it differs from say even Yakuza. The act of taking of shoes in Asian countries is pretty significant (yet pretty ordinary) but I'm sure a point was made so western gamers could also have a different cultural experience when playing. Along with the much slower pace and "smell the roses" type atmosphere. This might have to be better emphasized or "taugh t" in later games. It was designed very differently (even as the first open world game) from "Theme park" style western MMO"s and open worlds that conditions you to always run to the next exclamation or quest marker. A lot of harsh critques from long time fans are quite valid though. Dialogue wise.. oof yeah, painful especially the pauses but thats also representative of the unique repressive way Japanese are forbidden from expressing themselves culturally. In the same way as relationships are often more about subtle considerations and attention vs physical PDA or "escalation" via western pick up culture. For example when I was in Vietnam a few years ago I learned that couples there dont even hold hands until they're married and in Thailand, kissing is still frowned upon. A lot of the Shenmue charm comes from that cultural authenticity that gives you a window into Asian life vs just the surface level hedonistic stuff like Yakuza and I think it's stronger during those moments vs minigame gala. PS I came across the video deliberately looking for critiques / retrospectives because i may have a way to fund the series to continuation if we lower the production costs by basing in places like SE Asia or Eastern Europe, realistically SE Asia would be a lot better for cultural inspiration i.e. one thing S3 does well is the street food in Niaowu (and how good the street/night market food can be all over Asia), even though I can just go outside for it living over here, it's so well done that it made me still pang for it in a nostalgic type way even though largely this is a part of my every day life now . There's no grappling or counters in the game because they were restricted motion capture wise and didnt have space to do it properly. That wouldn't be a problem if I was able to pull things off. I watched this right before your video and it also provides a great counterpoint kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4vJi2V5grCEedk . I ultimately was a bit disappointed by S3 as well (I also backed $150 into it) but far less than others because i could at least zoom out and understand what Yu was going for and the time period when he designed things to begin with. Assuming S4 and S5 go ahead (maybe only because of me) , it would be quite tricky to balance out what should be modernized and what should be kept in to retain the original cultural feel and intent.

[@jackssr6568]

Thanks for your comment. I always liked the window into Japanese and Asian culture that Shenmue provided, but I think S2 made significant improvements to the story and gameplay whereas S3 regressed, making many of the same mistakes as S1. Good luck with your endeavors, if S4 does get made I will play it. And probably make a video on it lol

[@Blaze87540]

- SPOILER - Hold up, they expecting to make a 4th after all this shit? Should of ended it right there, fucking A.

[@valefrit]

To me shenmue3 is a miracle. Such a beautiful game. Almost all i wanted it to be. The towns are just só beautiful, i really want to live in them. Those temples those streets man so appealing. I really hope we can see a 4thgame.

[@WithoutNumbers]

Combat system has gotten worse in my opinion. Now during QTE in sparring I press all combinations successfully, but where is demonstration of good technique? What is the point of QTE in training for unique kick or a throw? And why is there no dodging, parrying, running around opponent? Enemy’s reaction to being hit seems to sometimes not be registered. The whole battle has become ridiculous, not dynamic, ragdoll is simplified. And dialogues are just a separate type of mockery, all characters constantly repeat the same thing, as if they have memory lapses and have forgotten what they were talking about recently. Ryo talks about a bridge, she says - a bridge? Yes, the bridge, it seems important. And then they talk about the same thing again, but now he asks - bridge? For God's sake, what's wrong with you two? Yes, bridge, how many times you will repeat this. They are always surprised at every word, as if they hear or see a banana for the first time in their lives and this happens every time with a gasp. I think it was done on purpose to drag out the story and not pay normal writers.

[@valefrit]

My good sir. Shenmue 3 is a humble game. With a humble budget. The graphics are fine. If you have time, Go to the basketball area in Resident evil 2 remake. You'll be surprised when you start looking at the textures in those cars. The characters are what they have always been. For me the only bad thing about this game, and I mean BAAAAD, is the leveling up system for health. those rooster stances, horse stances and one inch punch trainings alnost break the game for me.Other than that i would give it an 8/10. I hope Suzuki is able to mais the fourth game. If it needs kickstarter i will give contribution.

[@jsb7586]

According to Yu Suzuki's latest interview with Esra Krabbe it had a budget of $20 million.

[@Shuyin781]

André Motallica if by "humble", you mean "not fun to play", then yes, shenmue 3 is a "humble" game.

[@firecrackerjack68]

Shenmue 3 is ass, stop lying to yourself that it's a "humble" game

[@pablolocles9382]

I find these characters to be very relatable with eastern society's actual reactions. I think people should talk with the other side of the world more often, not just watch anime.

[@ThePreciseClimber]

8:29 To be fair, Bioshock 1 only had, like, 3 unique character models (Cohen, Ryan & Final Atlas). And the rest were re-colours of generic enemies. Don't know how they thought that was acceptable on the X360.

[@travisrassel9978]

I like shenmue 1&2 much more than 3....

[@mattbeyer8783]

hotline miami soundtrack

[@kaldilftones]

this is a really good breakdown of the game! :)

[@fathammy]

Oh yes the martial arts training. Good that you have to do horse stances (again... very important financially) and actually train/condition etc, same for using wooden man.. or the bagua circle walk.. but jesus christ, they shouldn't have been the ONLY things you were training so repetitively.. even more so in the game than in real training. These also should have progressed. The wooden man was used incorrectly anyway. I get the feeling, there were bigget plans here but again cut .. or Yu was a passive observer in these things and recognized the significance in the training routine but didn't understand how they were used.

[@johnnada6855]

Yakuza and Shenmue were NEVER the same., the only thing Yakuza has similar to Shenmue are 2 things one the random encounters with NPCs., and two the SEGA arcades. but the structure of Yakuza, at least the 2 original Ps2 games., were fixed camera., Yakuza is more an RPG., you have stats and you need items., also the combat is just average beat em up., Shenmue is an adventure game NOT an RPG., the focus is in the adventure and interactions first and the combat is based in Virtua fighters., is not just buttom mashing, is about learning the art of fighting., also Shenmue in concept was made to focus on the experience and exploration and investigation., Yakuza is more about the typical rpg structure mixed with beat em up

[@matthewlumibao7057]

average? clearly you havent delved deep into its combat elements.

[@ichibankasuga5607]

Average? lol Go watch some no damage videos. But I agree that Ryu Ga Gotoku and Shenmue are completely different. Just imagine a Shenmue directed by RGG Studio. It would be a considerably better produced, written and actually fun game.

[@leonelramirez9942]

I need kotor 3 ffs

[@conyo985]

The first 2 games were ground breaking. The 3rd failed to innovate and got stuck in it's own nostalgia. What a huge fail. If the Shenmue 3 kept with the spirit of being groundbreaking we could have something.

[@Rihcterwilker]

For an "old fan", you focused too much on graphics and face animations, which i think isn't too fair to the game, as it has a massive quantity of characters to work on for the budget they have. About the story and dialogue, i agree 100%. Even with the dialogue being mediocre, the voice actors could have put a little more effort, because it seems like they're just rambling about unimportant stuff all the time, in a monotone voice.

[@jackssr6568]

I take your point about the multitude of characters, but I don't think the confused mixture of realism and cartoony is due to the budget limitations. I don't expect the side characters to have perfect facial animations but they could have done more with Ryo & Shenhua. I liked Ren though, I thought he added some much needed charisma. I was going to mention him but didn't manage to fit him in.

[@Jose-se9pu]

The first two games were technological marvels, this was a complete disaster, not to mention...it came out two decades later. The original game had facial expresions in 1999, this game doesnt have facial expresions...in 2019.

[@firecrackerjack68]

Never use the budget as to why Shenmue 3 sucked donkey dick. Bloodstained and Shovel Knight were kickstarter funded games and both games were well received.

[@Rihcterwilker]

@@firecrackerjack68 yes, the budget is a valid point, because they're different beasts. While both games you mentioned are great and have their own merits, you don't have hundreds of npcs doing their daily schedule in an open world rpg, being able to interact with each of them, which then gives you hundreds of voiced dialogue and animations to implement and playtest. Shenmue is a bigger game in comparison, and while i can agree that it has a very anticlimatic story (somewhat lazy, even), the scale of the game is much bigger than both side-scrolling metroidvanias you used as an example.

[@DeadlyDan]

Yu needs to retire. The series needs to be passed on to more capable hands. As a long time Shenmue fan III is woeful. It is mechanical and dull, the story is a disgrace.

[@painkeller20]

Shenmue was created by yu Sazuki, to tell him you are not good enough leave your work to someone else is disrespectful to him and to the series... What shenmue need is the same budget that got from shenmue 1&2 plus a good team to work with... Shenmue 3 may not be a break ground like before but it's far far away from being a bad game... I play it and had my fun time with...

[@kalodawg8297]

@@painkeller20 doesn't matter how good yu suzuki was in the past. He's beyond his prime and refused to adapt. His ego is clearly up his own ass, making impossible for him to improve. His creativity is burnt out Shenmue 3 was the same as spitting on the shenmue series. Might as well pass it unto better hands if you're just going to disrespect it As for the budget, 7 million is what he got from kickstarter. But what people dont say is the amount he got from the companies, making it 20+, possibly up to 50 millions. No matter how much money yu suzuki had, it was going to be the same as burning money, since that man refuses to modernize

[@painkeller20]

@@kalodawg8297 what are you 12? You act like if yu Sazuki committed crime... I start play shenmue series in 2019... So i don't have nostalgia feelings since the game was new experience... Yu Sazuki did mention that made shenmue 3 as if it was released after shenmue 2 by 2 years... As for shenmue 4 will be more modernised... He doesn't have ego luke you said... He didn't say i refuse make modern game or my game is the best of the best... He was humble in all of his meetings... In fact only you haters who need to watch thier ego... You treat shenmue 3 as sort of crime to be exsit... And be disrespect to old man make the game that he want to make Yet the game follow the story and the spirt of shenmue naturally...yah some elements can be better... But it's not disappointing like you all claim... I am new on the series and i am ready to support yu Suzuki again and again... Because i can feel his games had souls unlike many other AAA..

[@W4iteFlame]

Seems like almost all old developers now fails at creating new games...

[@supergangstar1234]

Why would they? They gained massive trust from their fans and they will buy it day 1. Why put in tons of effort while you can just half ass things and still make 100% profit? It’s a business at the end of the day.

[@majicweather4890]

The poor direction and sub par developement of Shenmue 3, from weird character faces and animation to terrible eng voice acting , strangely enough, "stays true" to the old games, albeit unintentionally. Shenmue fans that enjoyed this game , and that constantly make excuses for its disastrous launch, get to inadvertently "gatekeep" the franchise all to themselves, yet again. Its truly interesting and yet pathetic, how shenmue 3 actually caught the attention of the entire gaming community and industry yet again, only to drop the ball and flop miserably , by modern gaming standards ( even by indie game standards) . This game holds the record for the highest backed kickstarter project in history, and yet Yu Suzuki still couldnt get it together. Even screwing over many kickstarter backers ( want to know more about that, google it, it was really fucked up what yu suzuki and company did last minute) Yu Suzuki should honestly go nowhere near the Shenmue franchise, considering his long continued track record, time and time and time again, of driving the games into the dirt. He just should not be in a directing or leadership role. If anything, he should be limited to a consulting role. A franchise this big, in terms of moving parts, is just not his strong suit. Now if you look at his recent work, with Air Twister, now THAT is the kind of game Yu Suzuki is great at. With Air Twister, Suzuki clearly is working within his strengths, making a fast paced high action arcade game thats addictive and awesome to look at. Air Twister is true Yu Suzuki skill on display. While Shenmue is a great idea, its been far better executed by the team behind the amazing LOST JUDGEMENT game, which actually had devs that worked on it that were part of the orginal shenmue games and guys that worked on Yakuza. That team is the premier dev group at Sega, and should be taking over any and all things Shenmue going forward.

[@buffalomind6838]

As you said letting go in order for someone else to make Shenmue 4 AKA 3! A true open world where all sorts of vehicles are at your disposal Not! Having to complete the game 1 single way, and being able to simply roam around enjoying an enormous open world.

[@johnnada6855]

This game got better looking NPCs than FF XV and costed way less., i think the story is better structured than FF XV too., people are giving too much hard time to this game but for real it is ok., a total gift to the fans., and the ones that had played Shenmue understands why it needs to be more than 3 games., Ryo is only a kid, a Martial arts aprendice, as time goes by he goes growing up and also growing his fighting skills., he grows as a warrior in spirit and skills., he is not ready to face Lan Di., the story unfolds slow., and with max details in the experience of Ryo., so it needs several games., since Suzuki has the basic ideas., and the style and gameplay is already established in the previous games SEGA can easily give the task of completing the rest of Shenmue to the Yakuza Team now that they have basically finished the main Yakuza story, they can totally do it if they want to

[@elin111]

That wishful thinking might've been fine, if it hadn't taken 18 years to release the next game which itself had zero story progression whatsoever and if the series wasn't consistently a money sinking flop with every release. Sega threw Shenmue in the trash because they saw that it was an unprofitable dead end, they had nothing to do with Shenmue 3 hence why it had to be crowdfunded and indeed Shenmue 3 turned out to be another dead end flop just like the rest of the series.

[@lastmanstanding7155]

@@elin111 Damn rough

[@kalodawg8297]

This game has better looking npcs than ff xv? Lmao delusional bastard

[@donkeyshow3891]

Very good and down to earth review. It's exactly what we thought during playing Shenmue III, sadly.

[@lliatto]

Man... is interesting how you keep saying "at times it's charming", like... no it isn't. For everyone except hardcore shenmue fans it's not charming at all. It's just nostalgia. It looks bad, it sounds bad, it feels bad, it plays bad, it's badly design, it is a bad game in every single way posible. It is a bad game. It's facinating how, for fans of shenmue, even the smallest of resemblence of the old shenmues can be a positive thing... and the rest of the world is like "bitch, shenmue has always sucked"

[@Shuyin781]

That's because the shenmue fans who claim that "shenmue is the best game ever made" are looking at it the pink-tinted glasses of childhood nostalgia. It made have been impressive in 1999, it aged badly, it was never a good game, and after 2 decades of games improving the open world genre as a whole, shenmue is simply not fun to play.

[@painkeller20]

Oh you people ... Calling shenmue is bad game? What is your good game then? Endless action with endless explosion? Shooters? At least shenmue is something different and it show the taste of being on journey

[@elin111]

@@painkeller20 You keep relying on the most weak of strawman arguments.

[@painkeller20]

@@elin111 if i say shenmue is a good game, does this cause damage in your life? It's just a game... People can love it or hate... I don't know why we need to find a good justification to show you why we love and enjoy the game? Even GTA one of the best open word game cannot please anyone...

[@azizleader5537]

yung lean

[@DaftBoy06]

"Hey I'm a long time fan of the serie, and here's why I dislike Shenmue 3 , it has everything that the serie used to have and I hate it ! But hey I'm a fan I swear !!! " Joke aside, while I respect each oppinion, I find it weird people complaing about thing that made the original Shenmue... looks like people wanted the game to grow up with them

[@elin111]

That's because the original Shenmue is more than 20 years old and the things it did might've been impressive 20 years ago, but 20 years is a long time a lot has changed, improved, and refined since and just doing the same thing Shenmue I did 20 years later ain't gonna impress anyone because talking to an NPC or opening a drawer is nothing new or impressive in 2019.

[@DaftBoy06]

@@elin111 That's a joke you know But to still reply to you: There is a difference between beeing "not impressed" and beeing "annoyed" Here the person isn't saying the game isn't impressive (in which case you would have a point in your logic) but he is saying that those element annoy him, which is the core of the original game, which is weird. it's like if a Burnout 6 would come out today, and a person would claim to love the serie, but then complain that in this game you race too fast and have civilian cars in the middle of your race. But again that was a joke.

[@cellfreeze9360]

@@DaftBoy06 You know what the real joke is? The second Shenmue already got rid of all the flaws that the first one had. It already evolved compared to the first one. But they purposley put all the flaws from the first game back into the third game....yeah that really is a joke... a bad, pathetic and cruel one and not even remotley funny....but yeah..it really is a bad joke...

[@DaftBoy06]

@@cellfreeze9360 What the fuck do you mean, shenmue 2 has most (if not all) the flaw of the first one ? What do you refference ? Because you have to ask a 100 people random question to get direction all the same You check environement in first person to find things all the same You have the goofed english dialogue all the same You even have a lot ( A LOT ) more scuffed QTE all the same (okey maybe this one is due to the "pc port" or "scuffed emulator", maybe on the original console, especially xbox, it's not that bad, I can't say) And also a lot (again A LOT) more combat with scuffed 3D and move all the same. So unless I'm missing something (my original coment, therefore the time I saw the video, was 5 month ago so I don't remember 100% of what he said) I don't see where the 2nd one got ride of the "flaw" of the first one.

[@cellfreeze9360]

@@DaftBoy06 In Shenmue 2 you wasn't bound to your clock like in the first one. You didn't have to wait things out to trigger one event some time later. In the sequel you choose what to do next.You can either move straigth forward with the main quest or stroll around. Its up to you. Plus you don't have these unskipable events like the annoying forklift-race or forklifting in general. And the ability to mark cetrain locations on your map was also a nice addition. Now while the fighting was still not the best it was way more re-defined than in the first one, because that was a hot mess even back then. And the voice acting: yeah it was still trashy but slightly better than in the first one tho. At least this time around they tried. And that is the main problem with the third shenmue: they didn't even try. They copy pasted everything that was wrong with the first one and advertised it as "nostalgia". Now you said something in your original comment about the fans wanted the game to grow up with them. Well, that is actually quite true. But not only because they grew up, but because the original concept of Shenmue 3 was already about to be something different, back then when the dreamcast was still running. They leaked some information here and there in magazines and said that the third game would part ways with certain aspects of its predecessors. It was also revealed that the main story would now focussing on the whole Cartel of Lan Di (I forgot the name) and Ryu would face each of them in their own turf. Not a big ol redhead tiddy women who doesn't hold weight in any form. So this 2019 Shenmue is not the Shenmue 3 that it was about to be back then anyway: innnovative and continiung the story coherently.

[@ZanarkandFFX]

do yourself a favor and watch the playtrough of Aris (aka AvoidingThePuddle) that shit is the most hilarious playtrough on Shenmue III: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4nGea2mfb58hMU He also has playtroughs of the other Shenmue games but the one on 3 is pure comedy!

[@Oggre]

Excellent review !

[@87Tempests]

The dialogue is stilted on purpose. That's how the original games were, the lines were not done by professional voice actors. It adds to the charm of what the series is

[@AngryFart]

Bullshit

[@87Tempests]

@@AngryFart ignorance is bliss

[@padmashanty6897]

mind on my murda

[@whlteshadow9570]

So you're using the "So Bad It's Good" argument then to justify the absolutely terrible voice acting, wooden dialogue with unnatural delivery, and overall terrible writing? Adding to the games charm? like this is a game like Deadly Premonition where the game was weird, quirky but also legitimately interesting enough to keep you playing. That would actually classify as "So Bad It's Good". The dialogue here isn't even bad in a "So Bad It's Good" kind of way. It's just awful. There is no charm to be had with such flat, uninspired characterization and wooden dialogue, and if your defense is "It was done that way on purpose" then that is shitty voice direction. I know this because I know what good voice acting sounds like, and here you are defending such BS

[@AngryFart]

@@whlteshadow9570 "Shenmue" fans probably think this game looks better than "The Last of Us: Part II."

[@ichibankasuga5607]

I dont know which is worse: the game or your take about it. My english is bad, but i just want to say that i dont believe you actually played the first 2 games.

[@asamiyashin444]

What made me hate this game was the fact that Shen Hua doesn't appear. I mean, an Asian model with the face changed by surgeries does wear her clothes but... Nah, that's not her. It can't be. And Ryo... Well, maybe he went to the USA and participated in a genetic experiment where he got his body and face mixed with some Hollywood actors. Or maybe he is not Ryo but some North American white guy cosplaying him? Who knows...

[@Santouryu3]

Mighty #9: It's better than nothing!

[@solofire2708]

Shenmue 3,is a good game, the only problem was it was way too short

[@ichabodcrane6198]

Shenmue III was awesome.

[@claytonyoung1351]

I like the dialogue. I find it to be endearing with how bad it is. Watch any 80s movie. I think its the true inspiration. It would feel worse if it was flawless.

[@jackssr6568]

Yeah but there's a limit, surely? Each to their own!

[@claytonyoung1351]

@@jackssr6568 not imo. But like you said. To each their own.

[@jaytakajeremiahtisdale2042]

Shenmue was never that good to begin with XD

[@ga5234]

It was good for its time. Groundbreaking. Just hasn't aged too well.

[@Shuyin781]

@@ga5234 the only groundbreaking thing for the time was its graphics. This is what made the nostalgia for its fans. Even by 1999 standards, the gameplay was clunky and the story dull and boring

[@ga5234]

@@Shuyin781 you're in the minority. It was different in every sense.

[@Shuyin781]

@@ga5234 "it was different in every sense" You are aware that it doesn't invalidate anything i said, right? Different in every sense doesn't that this game isn't boring for its story, and miserable to play for its gameplay. Only the niche minority of the hardcore Shenmue fans think otherwise. Why do you think it aged horribly?

[@ga5234]

@@Shuyin781 you are in the minority man. There's a reason people pushed for a sequel for twenty years. And got it.

[@danwarb1]

Stoytelling and progression in 3 is nothing like the first 2 games, that's the problem. 3 only exists because people were so invested in the story and characters. The Yakuza series is garbage in that regard.

[@Shuyin781]

Are you kidding? Each Yakuza game has a proper story, character development and ending for each game. The Shenmue games have none of that: Its story is dull and boring, and its characters are emotionless and uninteresting.