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[IbizaPocholo]

Shenmue III - Prospective Survey

Happy birthday, Shenmue! The 25th anniversary of Shenmue's release in Japan is coming soon, while the 5th anniversary of Shenmue III's release was just celebrated last month. What fantastic milestones for this legendary saga! We know you’re eagerly awaiting a statement from us, and we deeply...

docs.google.com

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Game got grilled to high heaven.

But I guess even heaven has a few stones left to squeeze blood out of.

 

[Bridges]

I'll probably never play this but cool to see any prominent Japanese game expand to more platforms.

The difference in reaction during the E3 reveal compared to actual release was crazy though, I don't know that anything has done such a massive 180 since.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

Game was on sale for $2 and I still didnt want to get it knowing how crap it is.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

I love me some Shenmue. Gimme 4 and 5 and 6...

 

[adamsapple]

How about trying to complete this shitty story instead ?

 

[MALpractice311]

I'll probably never play this but cool to see any prominent Japanese game expand to more platforms.

The difference in reaction during the E3 reveal compared to actual release was crazy though, I don't know that anything has done such a massive 180 since.

Well, that's what happens when you change almost everything about an established series midway through said series; (1) you piss off the original fans, who then don't buy your game and (2) you don't bring in new audiences, because they're not going to buy the third game in a series that is an immediate and direct sequel to the first two entries without having played those first two entries.

Also, speaking as a mild Shenmue fan, the online Shenmue fanbase in their echo chambers also wildly overestimated how much interest there was in the series, outside of said echo chambers.

 

[Perrott]

Demake it with 2003 era-accurate, end of lifecycle, Dreamcast graphics and an actual storyline and game design worthy of what back then would've been the Grand Theft Auto V of Sega's last dance in the home console party.

That is what Shenmue 3 should've been all along due to its nature as a fan-funded project back in 2015. Hell, it should've actually come out bundled with the HD ports of Shenmue I and II, with the ability to swap at the press of a button between the original 4:3 SD resolution presentation and crispy PS3-era, Bluepoint-developed, "HD Collection" 16:9 rendering in full The Master Chief Collection-style.

Just... where is Shenmue III, Sega?

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Shenmue 1 and 2 are masterpieces. It's a shame 3 was poorly designed when they finally got their chance. I enjoyed some minor elements of the experience which are largely nostalgic, but can't deny its a really let down.

I don't see how they can do a 4 now because who would fund it? Tis a shame because we still never got a conclusion to the story and it would probably be a better game.

Really SEGA dropped the ball by not being more involved and giving Suzuki the support. They're happy to fund countless Yakuza spin-offs and new IPs like Judgement but for some reason couldn't be bothered to put some money and talent behind Shenmue 3 which could have been a pretty big release if the quality was there.

 

[xenosys]

God damn, I remember how much of a disappointment S3 was when it released after getting all that hype alongside FF7 Remake @ E3 in 2015.

 

[Sabejita]

People were OK to accept bad graphics and bad gameplay just to get the story moving and it didn't even deliver that, nothing happens in the game.

I don't see what public it's targeting.

 

[xrnzaaas]

Someone should think about remaking Shenmue 1 & 2. It's very difficult to find new fans if people don't know the previous games and their stories.

I tried Shenmue 1 a few years ago and the basic mechanics were absolutely dreadful, doing a simple thing like removing something from a drawer felt like a complicated process.

 

[nush]

Shenmue 3 is shit and I only brought it on a hard discount to give it a chance. It was the monkey paw that killed the franchise.

 

[Shrap]

It'll cost more to port than the sales they'll get. Shenmue 4 ain't happening unless it's crowdfunded or someone wants to take a heavy loss.

 

[N0S]

 

[SweetTooth]

Most trash and overrated series ever. It should have died with Dreamcast in 1998

 

[Davevil]

 

[Goalus]

Glad I waited.

 

[ShadowNate]

In many ways this was true to Shenmue's pacing and mechanics and visually (to me) it looked like an upgrade (stutters excluded) but still faithful to the classics aesthetics and art style.

But, it barely progressed the story, it had very few cool moments to keep the player's interest and Shenhua's role was nowhere close to whatever the series implied it would be before the third installment. They obviously ran out of money, but it seems like also Suzuki either ran out of ideas or wasn't willing to skip a mind-numbingly boring part of his story. The retcons and the radical story changes (ignoring stuff that "just happened" in the Shenmue 2 finale) unfortunately are not exactly inspiring trust.

I'm happy it's releasing on more platforms though. Maybe it'll find more of its audience there.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

Im just a little confused what exactly is the point, this game is a PS4 title that you can already play on your PS5. Samo for XsX, you can already buy the game digitally from X1. So basically only Switch id a new version?

 

[RagnarokIV]

What’s the point? Game was a disaster.

I slaved my way through it only to find out that NOTHING happens. The story hasn’t moved anywhere. An actual waste of time.

 

[Elios83]

What's the point?
The game can already be played through backwards compatibility.
The issues were that Suzuki needed another kind of budget, a team not made of people at their first job to cut costs and he should have tried to advance the story meaningfully.
It was a missed opportunity that probably killed the series for good.
Not sure what this new publisher is trying to accomplish here unless they want to fund a sequel but I doubt they want to waste the money.

 

[Darsxx82]

The more platforms Shenmue III is released on, the better. Thinking especially about the possibilities of new chapters and the end of the saga.

For Shenmue III, an adaptation and graphical improvement in several details beyond resolution and framerate for current consoles would be appreciated.

From here, hopefully the new publisher will mean more investment and means to the Studio so that a possible next chapter does greater honor to the series than the third game.

 

[Moridianae]

I'm hopeful for it to have some things addressed that were maligned in the original release, if they allow YsNet to do that. Kind of like a Director's Cut.

Shenmue threads on here tend to get proverbially shit on, in my experience, but I've always enjoyed the series. It is a divisive series, but it's hard not to appreciate the dedication of the fan base it does have.

 

[UltimaKilo]

Someone should think about remaking Shenmue 1 & 2. It's very difficult to find new fans if people don't know the previous games and their stories.

I tried Shenmue 1 a few years ago and the basic mechanics were absolutely dreadful, doing a simple thing like removing something from a drawer felt like a complicated process.

Remaking 1 & 2 would be awesome, and I am someone who is generally against remakes.

 

[Markio128]

I absolutely loved the original 2 Shenmue games, especially the first, but times have moved on, and Shenmue 3 didn’t move with the times. It was pitiful really, and very disappointing for fans of the original games, myself included.

 

[A.Romero]

I thought I loved Shenmue until I tried to play III. Couldn't get over the clunkiness.

 

[Hookshot]

Never even bothered to try 3. I'm fine being in the mirror cave forever. Not everything needs to be finished, I've long since moved on.

 

[ikbalCO]

Ah, to be able to catch 10 chickens in 40k/60fps…

 

[CosmicComet]

As much I looked forward to it, once I got the game I was terribly disappointed.

If only for the reason that traversal was stupid. I had to slow walk everywhere because if it ran it meant my health/hunger/stamina meter (it seemed like it was an all in one meter) would go down way faster and I would constantly have to eat food to keep it up.

If they removed that aspect alone I would have kept playing.

 

[diffusionx]

Shenmue 1 and 2 are masterpieces. It's a shame 3 was poorly designed when they finally got their chance. I enjoyed some minor elements of the experience which are largely nostalgic, but can't deny its a really let down.

I don't see how they can do a 4 now because who would fund it? Tis a shame because we still never got a conclusion to the story and it would probably be a better game.

Really SEGA dropped the ball by not being more involved and giving Suzuki the support. They're happy to fund countless Yakuza spin-offs and new IPs like Judgement but for some reason couldn't be bothered to put some money and talent behind Shenmue 3 which could have been a pretty big release if the quality was there.

Because Yakuza makes money. And I’m sure from Segas pov the shitty reception of 3 proved that they were right about it. The devs didn’t need Sega to make a good game.

 

[Fbh]

Yeah...I don't think the issue with the game was that it needed better resolution or framerates.

 

[Gonzito]

The game was a huge disappointment. I dont want to relive that

 

[AmuroChan]

This the perfect example of why sometimes you should just leave an IP alone. Shenmue had a mystique and aura around it that gave the IP its cult-like status. Gamers lost their shit when the KS of Shenmue III was announced, which in hindsight now was the beginning of its demise. The IP is now permanently tarnished and no one really gives a shit about Shenmue anymore.

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

I’m that much of a sega/ dreamcast fanboy that I spent a stupid amount on the limited edition of shenmue 3 purely for the dreamcast case that came with it. I lived shenmue 1&2 but can barely bring myself to play 3 after all the discourse

 

[ManaByte]

Yu Suzuki needs more recognition for his genius. Sega should revive Am2 and make modern arcade games on consoles, using FTP monetization.

 

[lh032]

nobody gives a shit about this game.
move on

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

Yu Suzuki needs more recognition for his genius. Sega should revive Am2 and make modern arcade games on consoles, using FTP monetization.

What he needs to learn is how to produce a good game, that's all.
No one in the world rewards mediocrity.

 

[Alan Wake]

So I guess I'll buy it a few more times again then.

 

[Rising_Hei]

Shenmue III is a game that needs a complete overhaul and more features.

 

[MMaRsu]

Dont bother

 

[Wildebeest]

GaaS is a better industry trend than the Shenmue franchise.

 

[Mr Moose]

I think my copy is still sealed.

 

[Punished Miku]

nobody gives a shit about this game.
move on

I'd buy it cheap on Xbox. I have 1 and 2.

 

[Alex Anderson]

Sounds like a surefire way to lose a lot of money.

 

[Sephimoth]

3 was a disappointment, they should go and do some major work on it if they plan to bring it back (like weave in more plot progress via new areas/scenes/characters)
They can just use ChatGPT for ideas how

Didn't finish it, didn't even get to the 2nd area because I didn't like the changes to the combat, stamina etc. But I heard it doesn't move the plot forward AT ALL

I remember a part where you can't defeat two generic thugs for story reasons, even though in Shenmue 1 you defeat 100 guys at the docks along to some epic music. They could have at least added a reason for Ryos sudden weakness, like give him an injury or something

 

[6502]

Paid £100 on the kickstarter, played very little of the game as first impressions were poor and reports the story did not move forward enraged me. They blew their chance hoping to rinse more money out of us. They can sod off.

The only way Shenmue will ever have any chance is as a AA remake starting the story from scratch and concluding in a single title.

 

[Ceadeus]

Shenmue trilogy on Switch, ok ok!

 

[rkofan87]

Well, that's what happens when you change almost everything about an established series midway through said series; (1) you piss off the original fans, who then don't buy your game and (2) you don't bring in new audiences, because they're not going to buy the third game in a series that is an immediate and direct sequel to the first two entries without having played those first two entries.

Also, speaking as a mild Shenmue fan, the online Shenmue fanbase in their echo chambers also wildly overestimated how much interest there was in the series, outside of said echo chambers.

big shenmue fan and yes 3 1000% sucked ass yu pissed off the core fans like me and i do not want a 4th one.

 

[rkofan87]

People were OK to accept bad graphics and bad gameplay just to get the story moving and it didn't even deliver that, nothing happens in the game.

I don't see what public it's targeting.

it was the gameplay for me yu making us eat.