IGN:

"Shenmue fans have had a rough time over the past 15 years. A story that many of them love with great passion was left unfinished with no resolution in sight. Fast forward almost a decade and a half and surprise surprise, shenmue 3 was announced. Not only that, but SEGA pleased everyone with the announcement and subsequent release of a remastered version of the original game. The original game broke many records in it's day. Let's see how that effort has stood up to the test of time.

Gameplay:
Perhaps there is no better way to describe the gameplay other than "antiquated." Whilst combat controls remain responsive and intricate, hearkening back to the days of old school fighters, day to day movement feels stiff, heavy, and cumbersome. Ryo controls like a tank. The lack of support for the second analogue stick is a clear omission. Why Sega decided to not change this is beyond us. Doing something as simple as maneuvering inside a room can seem impossible at times. It's unacceptable in this day and age.

There are also QTE's (quick time events). It's basically the same contextual button pressing you've seen in other games. The difference here is that Shenmue is credited with inventing them. Nothing revolutionary at this point, but it's cool to see the earliest of interpretations.

Graphics:
Shenmue was a showcase when it was first released. It was the game that set the bar for years to come. We are glad to say that the graphics have managed to stand the test of time. SEGA did a decent job of improving texture resolution, though that's about all they did. The lighting is nothing to write home about (nor are the horrendous shadows), but overall the game retains that distinctive look that made it what it is. Still a very beautiful game.

Sound:
Voice acting...voice acting...voice acting. This one is hard to discuss. On the one hand, the original game was a pioneer in this regard. One of the first ever games to be fully voiced. The problem is that things have dramatically improved since then, and fully spoken dialogue is no longer enough of a novelty to excuse the horrible acting. Lines are spoken with little to no emotion. It seems to make some otherwise dramatic moments appear almost comical. The sound quality is also questionable. Not sure how SEGA could have fixed this other than recasting and re-recording everything...but unfortunately...that doesn't make it any less bad.

Overall:
Shenmue HD is a valiant effort that did not go far enough. Had SEGA worked hard to clean off some of the vestiges of 15 year old game design and polished the sound a little, things could look a little better. Unfortunately, some of the main problems with Shenmue is Shenmue itself. In today's world of sandbox games with unlimited freedom, it's hard to go back to such a slow and limited "open world." Yes, there are moments of action, but in today's world of instant gratification and fun you are going to have to dig deep and give lots of effort in order to let the story carry you through the game. Who knows, you may"

6/10


Of course, this is all a joke. I just wanted to see everyone's opinion if this is what we woke up to after the remaster release. Let's be honest. Shenmue was not hailed as a perfect game IN ITS DAY. What are the chances that reviews of it now will be much better?

I'm actually kind of afraid of the negativity that COULD come off of it.

Thoughts?

This doesn't look like shenmue. I wholeheartedly disagree with the people that say that it does. This is what the character of a Jade Empire sequel should look like, not shenmue. This proves my fears that the texture work, with all it's "dirty" and "gritty" details will no be present in the characters. That classic look with the baked in shadows and lighting will be gone.

It looks like it's made out of putty.

This is what they are going for: http://img14.deviantart.net/a055/i/2012/288/2/b/__jade_empire___player_characters_non_posable_by_lezisell-d5hut4u.jpg

Instead of http://shenmue.neoseeker.com/w/i/shenmue/9/91/Jianmin.jpg

For shenmue to look like shenmue, the facial textures have to be handcrafted. You cannot rely on polygonal geometry and lighting for the look. That's why you need to draw it in. They are not doing that. It will not look the same.

It's NOT the same. I will not cry over it. At this point I'm still just glad to be getting the game...though I am very sad that we are loosing the traditional look. Much like the title, it will be shenmue, with a different font.




*Sigh*... Oh well.

As far as the styling is concerned, I'm ok with it. I wanted some style, as it's in keeping with character design. Ryo has always had spiky stylized hair, for example.

To all the people complaining about critiques, go home. Don't come to a forum, a place of discussion, if you can't take anything but positive praise. No one here is decrying the entire endeavor, we are simply stating that it doesn't look like the game that we expected. There is nothing wrong with that. I don't care if you like the direction it's going. I don't care if you like this style. I don't care if YOU like what you see. Right now, I'm not fully sold.

I don't like how the character model looks. I'm still playing the game. I still donated money. I'm still going to give my opinion. It's an opinion many here share. GTFO if you don't like it and can't accept anything but glowing and positive statements.

To me, it doesn't look the way I envisioned. It makes me sad the same way that Wind waker made me sad back in the day. Still a great game, but did not look the way I wanted Zelda to look.

I hope that overtime the characters revert back to the previous palette and presentation. What gives me hope is that, as many people have stated already, that model doesn't fit in the environments we've seen so far. There's a clash. I'll just have to wait and see how it progresses.

I want something that looks like Shenmue. When I look at what we've seen so far, Shenmue III looks nothing like it. It looks like Street Fighter IV. Yakuza looks more like a Shenmue game than Shenmue III at this point.

The fact remains that Shenmue III is a budget game that is going to get slammed to death by both loyalists and the press. All of this can be avoided if Sega steps in and provides real support of the development of the game. Getting Yakuza's team to work on the game would be a step in the right direction as they have cranked out games nearly every year and has garnered the success that Shenmue never reached.
The character we've seen was designed by Shenmue's lead character artist, has a 3D model that closely replicates the artwork, and both were approved by series creator Yu Suzuki. Bring up other games all you like, but this is Shenmue's aesthetic and arguably always has been. I know everybody has their own idea of what they wanted Shenmue III to be in their head, but you're kidding yourself if you think you know better than the multitude of series veterans working on this game.

I don't even know why you're here if you want Shenmue to be Yakuza that bad.

If you want a game that looks like Yakuza, is made by the Yakuza team, and will probably play like Yakuza... you know what my answer is going to be. Just go play Yakuza. Let Shenmue be itself - in the hands of the people who know it best.


Please. We don't need you and your subjective statements parading as objectivity. Keep yourself from telling me that this is the aesthetic that presents the game I grew up with and have been following at worst as long as you have. And get your head out of your ass telling people that they either agree with you or belong elsewhere.

No one here is sending emails to Yu complaining, or saying anything other than an opinion.

Still, being attacked for having a different opinion about the game and being told to leave is an act out of emotion and unwarranted. That's great that he's being promoted to moderator, but I still vehemently disagree with his attacks on me, and my love for Shenmue. I won't go any further than that and will not derail the subject at hand. Carry on.


If i crack your kneecaps in public with a baseball bat, thats an attack. If i type messages threatening your family repeatedly on a message board? Attack. Arguing over Yakuza vs Shenmue, and what looks better or should look like on a message forum, well...thats just a sign that you need to take a breath, open a new tab and go pull one off over some porn. Not an attack. Skip the drama fellas.


It's not? The topic is the update. We are discussing the update. Everyone in here is. I was a bit aggressive in my statement and I apologize if it offended anyone, but my sentiment that negative opinions are valid remains and he is incredibly dismissive in his rhetoric. You saying that you are making him a mod because of the "bullshit in this topic" is a bit hypocritical in that light.

Imagine the uproar when the community realizes that they have already been shown Ryo's new face. :shock:

http://cdn1-www.playstationlifestyle.net/assets/uploads/2017/05/shenmue-3-character-model.png
Lan Di gonna get fucked .

He did. By Ryo. That's their child you are looking at. Lan Ry Hazuki. :lol:

I do hope that the style found in Ryo's hair does make it back. The march update looked a bit sleek and realistic. Like it was wet and freshly combed. We will just have to wait and see how it progresses. Like Peter, I've also made my peace at this point with the fact that this game will look different.

Spaghetti wrote: I like how you seriously responded to the written equivalent of a Rick Roll.

It wasn't a "Rick Roll" post so stop pretending. Also, for a mod, you tend to stray a bit.

Remember when everyone was universally wowed by Nocon Kid’s awesome remaster?
Had the Shenmue 3 team used a similar Ryo, this debate would be nonexistent.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CLfOOUqUsAAG0z5.jpg:large

It’s especially frustrating knowing that he’s on the team, and yet they’re choosing to go in a completely different direction…which is nowhere near ‘there’ yet.
But he never looked like that in the games. This is a game, not a tech demo like passport or a piece of promotional art. I don't want Ryo to look like that in-game.

I do. A lot of other people do. The new model does look indian. I think very few people saw it and went "wow, that's Ryo." The new model is inferior. But hey, not like us bitching here will change anything. The model will be what it will be. And I will play the game regardless.

Loved the trailer. It actually calmed many worries. This is a trailer that should have been a Kickstarter update and not at a game show, however. The game show atmosphere gives it higher expectations and legitimacy, when all it really was is a sneak peek for supporters.

I think the main difference may be the audio quality this time around. I remember the audio from the original Shenmue being terribly compressed and muffled, to the point where I switched TVs multiple times thinking it was that.

You're right, but that was only in the English version; the Japanese audio was perfectly crisp, sound-wise.

(Side note- I really hope they pull off dual language tracks this time around.) On a side note, is the Japanese voice acting considered good compared to the dub?

I find it far superior

This post is being made because, as we all know by now, Shenmue will not end with 3. What this means is that unless the game is considered successful "enough", a fourth title may not materialize. This is a disheartening thought.

I've donated more for Shenmue 3 via the kickstarter than I have ever spent on a game. It's not like I have money to throw away, it was just a "put up or shut up" moment for me, as it was for many of you guys here. That being said, do we have a community plan for once the game has launched? In terms of getting another installment, that will depend completely on what happens AFTER we all get what we want and are sitting, fat and happy playing the game. MOST games sell the lion's share of their numbers in the first couple of weeks.

I know I am not alone in my plan to buy 5 or so copies of the game. I am doing this purely to help a fourth installment along. Asking every member to buy multiple copies of the game, however, is not a viable plan. What we need is a down and dirty viral marketing campaign. This community will have to make a lot of noise. Not just in here, but in general gaming sites, reddit, etc. We have to sell this game even if it turns out to not get good review scores etc. There has to be a movement, similar to the one that got shenmue 3 made, similar to the one asking for shenmue HD, but significantly stronger.

This is getting fucking old.

My brother has always known of my love for the series and has asked me multiple times "How's shenmue doing?" since 2015.

This is the 4th time I have told him "Wait until (blank date/gaming event) and you'll see" only to have to say "never mind, they didn't show shit again"

You know what, don't show shit, delay it to 2019, I'm fine with that. But then stop fucking teasing me. I'm getting tired of waiting patiently for a specific day on my calendar only to be disappointed.