Unfortunate to hear about no time skip in the first game, but I likely never would have used it anyways. I know for some players it is not ideal to have to wait half an hour or so for the next day to come to get their chance at something basic so I hope people turned off by that at least try out Shenmue II instead of dropping the series altogether.
Realistically can we expect any significant gameplay changes beyond the controls? Some portions, like the stealth section or the stairs in the back of Dobuita in 1 and the thing that happens right at the end of the last fight in 2 are really really frustrating for me personally.
As for all of the comments about how modern gamers will be less forgiving about it's drawbacks, I actually think the opposite. Players going into this already know the games are old and have aged beyond just visuals. We also have many more comparable experiences to the game out there now, whereas back in the day many went in expecting a more traditional game and were disappointed. I could see it being a hit with fans of Life Is Strange, Deadly Premonition or David Cage's games, for example. PC gamers play loads of more slower paced games like point n click adventure games too, so I can see it resonating with many of them quite well. For what it is worth, I think this game's aged better than something like Metal Gear Solid 2 has, and newcomers enjoyed that just fine.
