Shenmue III

Having played Shenmue 3 on Steam a few times after replaying Shenmue 1 and 2, I'm going to say that Shenmue 3 is passable. My opinion does not include the wait that every Shenmue player had to go through in-between Shenmue 2 and 3 along with the 'messes'. It meets the bare minimum. It also feels like a sequel that was developed and released in the late 2000s rather than 2019, so there's some charm in that. - Shenmue 3 controls like a modern Shenmue 2 - if not worse. - Shenmue 3 has a ridiculous amount of padding when compared to Shenmue 1 and 2. - Shenmue 3's story progression of the entire series is almost nothing (and is at the end of the game), and it focuses on reintroducing Shenmue players back into the Shenmue world instead. - Shenmue 3 has a few nice mini-games, but - otherwise - they do get dry; you'll need to play them a lot to earn money and to eventually gamble based on a fortune teller's word to progress the game efficiently. - Graphically, Shenmue 3 is like most janky Japanese 3D video games in the early 2010s and is very faithful to the Shenmue style. - Shenmue 3's voice acting is somewhat better than Shenmue 1 and 2, but its dialogue has more filler than both of those games combined. - Shenmue 3's music is, hands-down, the best part of it. - Shenmue 3's QTEs are as expected, like Shenmue 1 and 2 but a little more polished. - Shenmue 3's character background explorations can be very much appreciated, especially if you had played Shenmue 2. - Shenmue 3's combat is a lot worse than both Shenmue 1 and 2; it's janky, unresponsive at times, lacks polish, has somehow worse animations, and provides no real feedback for hits. - Shenmue 3's environments stand out a lot too; I love the town near the final act. Shenmue 3 is faithful to a fault; it's so Shenmue that it highlights the best and worst aspects of both Shenmue 1 and 2 to an extreme. I like parts of Shenmue 3, but I do not recommend it at all, especially when the series' story is nowhere near done.

Now I am 37. Ryo's adventures always held a special place in my gamer life : I consider Shenmue 1 + 2 to be hands down the best gaming experience I've ever had. And I insist on the term "experience". The combat system was uneven, the controls were awkward, even back then. Even the plot was not that special... But these games had a soul, something that charmed and mesmerized everyone, especially if you were a martial artist, like I was. Ryo's journey is an initiatic story about a young talented fighter who has to awaken his inner self in order to understand the true essence of martial arts, "a power that could either destroy him or realize his will". It was magic in video game form. Nothing of that magic was brought in Shenmue 3. I can't enter into too many details, because it would take 10 times the space allowed for reviews here. But let's say that no "sense of continuity" can be felt in Shenmue 3 : Ryo has forgotten most of his moves, even those that were iconic because they were linked to the plot or taught by important characters. He does not seem to recall any lesson received from previous martial arts masters. In fact, Ryo in this game is nothing more than an avatar you level up until you can beat that fight or section you could not before. No poetry, no sensitivity. Plotwise, I won't lie : there are a few pieces of information interesting lorewise. But there are no serious plot advancement. To be truthful, it just seems like Yu Suzuki does not even remember what he wanted to achieve 20 years ago (and he can't be blamed for that). Shenmue 3 feels more like a sidestory than a sequel. It is an average game with nothing remotely close to the magic that transpired in previous installements. Would I recommend a Shenmue fan like me to skip this game ? Not really. Just controlling Ryo after 20 years is worth celebrating. But the disappointment is inevitable. Now let's hope that Shenmue 4, if it ever comes out, finally gives us the sequel fans deserve.

As a big fan of the original Shenmue games this is not the game I was hoping it would be. First and foremost, they absolutely ruined the combat system. The old games were based off of Virtua Fighter and had a very high skill system where understanding, practice and a little talent provided for a battle environment that felt highly rewarding. Now it's been dumbed down to the point of idiocy where you no longer get better by actually getting better, but instead now must play a number of inane mini-games which raise arbitrary stats that give you the necessary "points" to overcome the fiercer enemies. Where before the previous games would encourage you to learn the system, develop your reaction time and fight more intelligently, some you just grind out mind numbing nonsense until you're able to roflstomp the enemy/boss gating your progress. Summed up in a single phrase, the Shenmue 3 combat is "popamole garbage" Beyond the atrocious combat the game is a mixed bag depending on who you're talking to. Some will hate that the story seemingly goes nowhere, while others will love it for what it is. My personal feelings lay somewhere between. Ignoring the combat, I enjoyed my time with Shenmue 3, but it definitely isn't the game I was hoping it would be. After so many years of waiting for its release it feels more like a filler episode than an actual continuation of the story epic. Worth playing, especially if you're a Shenmue fan, but I'd suggest you wait for a deep sale. It's honestly a real shame that this is what we got, because it makes it ever more unlikely because of it that we will ever seen a Shenmue 4.

Shenmue 3 plays like its predecessors. It feels like a game from another time, which it is. It proudly embraces most of the mechanics it was so cherished for and still I can't lie that time has moved on, and that without the charme of the past, without the Dreamcast nostalgia, and with so many great titles like Yakuza having come out since, one cannot but see Shenmue in a different light. Shenmue often feels tedious and slow. Go here, go there. Talk to him and her. Go back to the temple and train your skills. Often it is more work than play, and I only want to close the game. And then I remember that this is what Shenmue ist. I can't imagine how a newcomer to the series would enjoy Shenmue 3. For all fans, not much can go wrong in the end with the most recent installation of the series. Still, you will notice that the biggest change in the past 20 years has been you yourself.