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Shenmue III |OT| Our Destiny Since Ancient Times
- Thread starter IrishNinja
- Start date
I'm sitting here all messed up wondering what Yu Suzuki is doing with those photos and the truth is he probably is really just sightseeing, but why's he taking close-ups of such random stuff???
Why is someone taking photos of him sight seeing? Serious question, seems like a strange thing. Unless a Shenmue fan(s) is stalking him to get story info from him!
Yeah, or why he's taking close-up shots of a sign on a doorway and a kids' clothing store. Those seem like the exact details he'd be documenting. We must find hope wherever we can...
Yes, I'm thinking the same. And I remember they had these kinda photos for Shenmue 1 too.
Wow if you're a backer it's worth calling up the characters twice on the phone since you get two different conversations entirely for every character that you ring. Didn't know that.
I believe you actually get 3 conversations with everyone.
Hiws everyone liking it? I havent taken it out of the plastic
Gonna play this, and megaman 11 since theyre my last 2 games i wanted to beat this year. Cleaned my slate
Gonna play this, and megaman 11 since theyre my last 2 games i wanted to beat this year. Cleaned my slate
Someone on the Dojo posted this:
Here we go...
is that....a shop? Shenmue IV confirmed!
Just put a huge dent in the game. Got through a few hours of busy-work and made it to the new area. Hoping it feels bigger than the small town.
It felt bigger no doubt. Perhaps too big!
Yeah, you get three choices per conversation and they lead to some cool little nods to Shenmue 1 and 2. Ine San and Nozomi ended up being my favourite people to call, just great to chat with them again. Tom as well. Fuke Sa was such a wet blanket...
I really do believe Shenmue 4 is in the works.
Why? the DLC they're preparing for Shenmue 3 most likely is gonna help pay off the financial foundation for the development of Shenmue 4.
If every person that bought Shenmue 3 or at least the biggest fans purchase the DLC it only increases the chances of seeing Shenmue 4, with the DLC they're probably gonna: a) finance Shenmue 4 and b) gauge general interest for the future of the series. In simple words, if not enough people buy the DLC we probably won't see Shenmue 4 even announced, so let everyone know how important the purchase of the DLC is.
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Aside from that I wanted to ask, Are there hidden scrolls in Bailu? I'm still in Bailu but I believe im going to next area soon, aside from the ones you can exchange with the tokens, are there any hidden out there?
Why? the DLC they're preparing for Shenmue 3 most likely is gonna help pay off the financial foundation for the development of Shenmue 4.
If every person that bought Shenmue 3 or at least the biggest fans purchase the DLC it only increases the chances of seeing Shenmue 4, with the DLC they're probably gonna: a) finance Shenmue 4 and b) gauge general interest for the future of the series. In simple words, if not enough people buy the DLC we probably won't see Shenmue 4 even announced, so let everyone know how important the purchase of the DLC is.
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Aside from that I wanted to ask, Are there hidden scrolls in Bailu? I'm still in Bailu but I believe im going to next area soon, aside from the ones you can exchange with the tokens, are there any hidden out there?
Goro is another one for me that was enjoyable. Constantly trying to impress. I like the dialogue choices as well for all of them.
I liked Goro's as well, because he was referencing Dobuita, the warehouse district etc. Plus I was really surprised that he's still with Mai, I'd assumed their relationship would have fallen apart already!
Really? Every time I rang them I got the exact same conversation. Unless you mean the 3 dialogue options you get part way through the conversation
You need the backer phone card and to make at least two calls consecutively. I just got my backer phone card yesterday so I haven't tried this yet.
The game really needed a tutorial for some of its mechanics. I figured out the Skill Book Editor and how to switch between AT and MT combat while playing the Trial on PC, but I've seen a lot of people who never figured this out. Wanted to try out the backer jacket after finally getting it yesterday, and I had to look at the jacket in Items, then go to Settings, select the jacket that appears, then select the jacket from the subsequent menu. When you see the clothes in Settings, the default jacket and t-shirt first appear, which made me think it was just asking me to choose between wearing or not wearing a jacket.
For the original games, all of this stuff would have been explained in a manual. I would pore over these manuals at every opportunity as a kid, but now with the lack of both a manual and a tutorial, some elements can be hard to figure out.
yea the phone calls were cool. I only chose one for each and left the rest for other possible playthroughs.
Ah, okay. I never really thought about ringing them back straight after the conversation ended, I had assumed either story or time progression would eventually lead to something different
I agree completely about the tutorial though, I never really understood the skill book stuff, and only stumbled across how to change clothes by accident
Hey guys, I'm currently making my way through Shenmue 2, as soon as Im done, I'll play my backer copy of Shenmue 3!
Question, have they released any patches for S3? Are they planning any Quality of life changes?
Question, have they released any patches for S3? Are they planning any Quality of life changes?
I think I read a patch is coming in January? But other than the day 1 patch I've not seen any other patches. Its a pretty solid game aside from some FPS performance drops here and there (nothing that bad honestly) and while it would be nice to have the option to skip some dialogue, its not game breaking.
Wish they would have been a skip dialogue option, every game should have it. For multiple playthroughs sake.
I think most that play like it. You need to bring some patience though.
Changing clothes in the setup menu simply makes no sense. I don't get it.
If the DLC looks quality I doubt they'll have issues. Sorta hard to sell it yet.
Ah.
With how that feature was initially promoted as part of the kickstarter I was kinda hoping there'd be more from that feature
I just completed the game. Let's be honest, it's nowhere near in the same league as the first two installments is it. :(
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it exists and I enjoyed my time with it more than not, but... it's got undeniable issues. There's barely any advancement in the narrative at all, and that's borderline unforgivable given how up in the air the future of Shenmue continues to be. The end portion of the game is severely rushed, and underwhelming.
If Shenmue 4 is in development, they need to cut out that stamina bollocks, get rid of the training mini-games unless they can come up with less braindead mechanics for them and give the combat an overhaul. Honestly, I think the fighting mechanics in 2 hold up pretty well to this day; can they not just copy that style again?
Sorry my impressions are largely negative, but the game ended on a sour note and I'm frustrated as hell. It's still maybe a 7 out of 10.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it exists and I enjoyed my time with it more than not, but... it's got undeniable issues. There's barely any advancement in the narrative at all, and that's borderline unforgivable given how up in the air the future of Shenmue continues to be. The end portion of the game is severely rushed, and underwhelming.
The Lan Di fight is a big pile of nothing, I have no idea what the villainesses' intentions were with burning down the building (maybe I missed it?) and there just seems to be no clear-cut motivation for Ryo and his buddies next. Suddenly they're on a boat and going somewhere.
If Shenmue 4 is in development, they need to cut out that stamina bollocks, get rid of the training mini-games unless they can come up with less braindead mechanics for them and give the combat an overhaul. Honestly, I think the fighting mechanics in 2 hold up pretty well to this day; can they not just copy that style again?
Sorry my impressions are largely negative, but the game ended on a sour note and I'm frustrated as hell. It's still maybe a 7 out of 10.
No your impressions line up with others are saying actually. I really do hope they gut the stamina system or greatly refine it. Would be extremely annoying starting from scratch again having to do one inch punch and the others again from Level 1. Fine as a one time thing but Ryo is supposed to be getting better as a martial artist, not going backwards.
For whatever reason the English translation doesn't like to mention character names at all (which is weird since you can clearly hear some of the characters say their names in the Japanese voice track) so you end up with a lot of characters featured with no names translated.
For whatever reason the English translation doesn't like to mention character names at all (which is weird since you can clearly hear some of the characters say their names in the Japanese voice track) so you end up with a lot of characters featured with no names translated.
Pretty spot on. They built a good skeleton, but didn't really come up with the substance we needed. I hope it was just a budget or time issue and not a sign of something worse. It's just disappointing to find out there's a reason they released so many samey trailers; they really had nothing substantive to showcase.
The combat issue is more complex, I think. They didn't have access to the old engine and they clearly didn't have the same talent animating the characters
I certainly hope they avoid the pitfall/story armor of making Ryo a weakling if they continue the series. It's illogical and this is a series that's full of weird logic, but it really pushes logic.
I really want the series to continue even if the next game suffers the same issues because I just really love Shenmue. I don't think they're going to suddenly hire better writers or better cinematic directors. I think the chances of high production values of prior games is just gone. They should definitely allocate more resources to improving the game's fundamentals and less money on pail toss and a poor English dub.
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But I will say it makes the idea of two or three more Shenmue games sound extremely ridiculous.
He simply doesn't need to make this many games to tell such a light story.
He simply doesn't need to make this many games to tell such a light story.
Agreed. While some plot was certainly cut going by the ending, assuming the original plot was something similar to what we got, the games could definitely be smaller if they wanted to focus on plot. Will be interesting to see what a hypothetical Shenmue IV ends up like.
I love the sense of immersion and place, but ultimately it's just superficial if there's no purpose. I think they came dangerously close to that with this game, particularly with the second area. The first two games always felt purposeful. It's hard to believe that SHENMUE 3 would've felt so devoid of substance had it come out in 2002, so I wonder what on earth happened to the script.
On the other hand, Yu Suzuki built a completely new team, learned a new game engine, had a very limited budget compared to what he's used to, hadn't developed a game in two decades, and managed to release a game most Shenmue fans seem to enjoy. I just hope he reads some Shenmue 3 reviews when he sits down to start 4.
On the other hand, Yu Suzuki built a completely new team, learned a new game engine, had a very limited budget compared to what he's used to, hadn't developed a game in two decades, and managed to release a game most Shenmue fans seem to enjoy. I just hope he reads some Shenmue 3 reviews when he sits down to start 4.
I haven't finished the game (not even close) but that's been my argument from the beginning- Yu doesn't need 16 chapters to tell this story, he needs to find a way to reel it in. I feel strongly that he's dead wrong that he couldn't finish the game effectively with Shenmue 4, he just doesn't want to cut anything and he thinks it's all vital.
I'll also echo the complaints about Ryo getting debuffed from Shenmue 2 to 3. I get that they want to show Ryo continually growing into a better martial artist, but I found it extremely jarring how incapable he is at the start of the game. You can't even beat the man with the scar without training extensively. In some ways this decision undid some of the character growth that he experienced in Shenmue II where he showed that he was a talented martial artist who was capable of being trained and growing. Shenmue III basically pretends none of that happened and that Ryo hasn't done a pushup since his father was killed.
I don't spend a lot of time at the Dojo anymore, are our complaints echoed over there as well? Because if they are then MAYBE there's a chance that Yu will be aware of them.
I'll also echo the complaints about Ryo getting debuffed from Shenmue 2 to 3. I get that they want to show Ryo continually growing into a better martial artist, but I found it extremely jarring how incapable he is at the start of the game. You can't even beat the man with the scar without training extensively. In some ways this decision undid some of the character growth that he experienced in Shenmue II where he showed that he was a talented martial artist who was capable of being trained and growing. Shenmue III basically pretends none of that happened and that Ryo hasn't done a pushup since his father was killed.
I don't spend a lot of time at the Dojo anymore, are our complaints echoed over there as well? Because if they are then MAYBE there's a chance that Yu will be aware of them.
I can kind of excuse that because I can excuse the dude in RDR2 killing people by the thousands and having a conscience about hurting one person or the protagonists in Yakuza getting into fights with dudes with guns every five seconds but somehow crumpling like paper in a cutscene that's got a gun.
It's bad plot armor, but they're games. If they're gonna focus on training instead of advancing the next story, then yeah, Yu Suzuki needs to re-evaluate why he thinks he needs five games to tell this story. Training is an element of Ryo's story, but they basically restarted him as an infant in 3. I think they probably had grander plans for what the training would consist of, so what's left is a bit disappointing.
It's bad plot armor, but they're games. If they're gonna focus on training instead of advancing the next story, then yeah, Yu Suzuki needs to re-evaluate why he thinks he needs five games to tell this story. Training is an element of Ryo's story, but they basically restarted him as an infant in 3. I think they probably had grander plans for what the training would consist of, so what's left is a bit disappointing.
It's split 50/50. A lot of members are upset they basically advanced the story 1%; the other members are worried criticism will spell doom for the series. I'm in the middle, though I tend to be more sympathetic to the side that wants another game... Some members are definitely saying they're over the series after their experience with 3.
Shenmue is probably a great example of someone who has spent too much time on a project and is too close to see its flaws. The guy has obsessed over the game for the last 25 years and thinks he has it distilled down to its essentials, but I would love to see what an outside consultant would say.
Considering how shallow Shenmue III seems to be, can you imagine how bad Chapter 2 on the boat would have been? In hindsight, for Yu to cut it then it must have been pretty bad.
Yeah, people enjoyed the game for its game content, but generally expected way more plot wise. So hopefully this gets back to Yu for any sequel. Because while it was nice having a nice new looking Shenmue game with Shenmue things, after this long I'd have wanted more plot progression, especially with how the game ends.
Plus I'd rather not have another strong focus on training too much, the third game did that well I felt, definitely felt like the chapter Ryo evolves his fighting style. Now quite how they take things from here I don't know... montage I guess? As they simply can't spend another full game doing training if the story is to ever end.
I think he needs to sit down and read every review listed on Metacritic. Most of them are fair, even the 'negative' ones.
All the stuff with Chai was awful as well. Just very poorly handled overall. You could have removed him from the game entirely and it wouldn't have made any difference. His inclusion just felt like fan service for the sake of fan service.
Very much agreed. Especially with the last sentence.
Very much agreed. Especially with the last sentence.
That's distressing, but I can understand it. After a 20 year wait, the sense of relief was achieved. Most of us were teenagers when we played Shenmue II and are now well into our 30s, I know for myself I don't have the time or attention for video games that I once did. To me Shenmue III felt like a moment in a movie where the character stands up, brushes himself off and says "One...more...time." After Shenmue II, my gaming career tapered off quickly- that's how badly stung I was by knowing the series would never end. Outside of games like Morrowind, Skyrim, and a handful of others, I rarely play video games. So coming back to Shenmue III really felt like a big deal- and accordingly to the metaphore I can tell that I'm slower and rusty. I'm not as good at the QTEs like I once was (I've never really adjusted going from Sega/Xbox to the PS4, my brain is still wired to press the square button when I see the prompt for "X"), my skills in the fights are poor, and I'm generally very sloppy where I use to be very precise. Shenmue III was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it was pure hubris to not wrap the series up with it. Now that we've all had our moment of glory with Shenmue III's release, I think it's totally fair that people are saying "enough is enough, 18 years is long enough to spend wishing for a game. The series isn't finish, but I can't put any more energy into it."
Absolutely. I bought my PS4 in anticipation of Shenmue 3. Like you, Shenmue II kind of signaled the end of my days as a 'gamer.' It was definitely the last big game of my youth. Don't get me wrong, though. I'm enjoying Shenmue 3. I just think they have some hard lessons to learn if they think they can get by on the good will of their very small fan base.
Pretty much. I am a huge fan of S1 and 2 and the HD versions was my GOTY. I have a hard time getting through S3. Its just not fun to me. The story doesn't push forward at all, the combat is laughable and the stamina system pisses me off. The dialogue that can't be skipped is just another layer of frustration on top. The QTE are endgame Shenmue 2 tier of bullshit, but then right off the bat.
The game puts you on the same grind in both areas. The pacing is way different than 2 and even 1. Its a far worse game period. Once the honeymoon is over a lot of fans will realize the reviews weren't that far off. Even Huber couldn't give it more than a 7.0.
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The stamina stuff and training don't bother me for some reason. I think the stamina is clumsily implemented, but I found training for a small amount reduces the nuisance of the system enough that I don't think about it so much.
The stamina thing was a silly mistake to make. At best people are neutral on it, at worst they hate it, no one says it made the game better. I really can't stress this enough, Suzuki made a game for the fans, and that's cool, but he failed to take into account that 20 years have passed. When Shenmue I was released, it was a pleasure to walk around and take in the sights because there was nothing else like it. Even when games like GTA III were released, Shenmue was a class above in terms of the attention to detail. I made sure to suck up all the atmosphere I could, but even then I ran everywhere. To punish players 20 years later by charging them health to run in an attempt to force them to play the game slower, players who are now 20 years older and far more time strapped, was stupid. Yes, in my heart I do want to walk everywhere, and I appreciate that Shenhua's house is a legit trip from the village square, but that doesn't jive well with my limited time to play. 16 year old me had the time to play Shenmue by Yu's rules, but 34 year old me doesn't, sometimes I only have 60 minutes to play. Charging me HP to run is like stepping back in time to an NES game in the worst way possible.
Yeah if its anything like the first 2 I know i'll enjoy it. Wifes going to her moms house for the next 4 days for some family business
So me and the puppy will be getting our game on with this, Ni NO Kuni Wrath of the White Witch(Replaying it) and megaman 11(finishing it)
That's a definite issue with his "I don't care about other games mentality." He needs to work with someone who does. When he was the guy defining the paradigm every time he released a revolutionary game, it worked. Now he's just totally outside the industry.
But I think the system was also meant to force you to work jobs, train, collect herbs, and shop. I think they could've made some of those systems a little more engaging. I'd rather walk into a restaurant and order food than fill Ryo's pockets with black garlic.
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I mean...some of the reviews didnt seem fair to me. I dont think it's ok to compare this game to other AAA open world games. This game is really good as far as low budget indie titles go to me. This game is like 10% the budget of the original Shenmue games.
It obviously has flaws, but for a game of its size and with the limited budget I think they did a great job. Shenmue III's story telling has always been about Ryo's journey and the small bits of story and lore he finds on the way. I wish I got more answers in Shenmue III as well, but it's not unlike Shenmue to do that.
