All signs point to the combat system in Shenmue 3 being radically different than the previous two games.
Here's what I gathered (If I missed something/got something wrong, please remind/correct me, and I'll update the OP)
- It's mixture of Free Battle and QTE, called 'Battle QTE'
- Once you get a move scroll, you can use the move immediately in battle in the form of a QTE.
- The combat is supposed to be slower, 'more realistic'... Yu Suzuki says the previous combat system had unnatural and fast movements, he'd like to change that in Shenmue 3 by making things slower and more natural.
- There is supposed to be a strategic element involved in the fighting, like more emphasis on positioning and drawing enemies out
- They are aiming to allow fights to take place in confined and tight spaces like on staircases or alleyways.
- They're should be a lot of physics interactions in the environment, something falls over and triggers a chain reaction where it knocks others things off.
- There is a system that allows enemies to discover you, if for example 5 enemies see you, those 5 enemies will chase you down and you can lure them to an alleyway or a place where you can minimize their advantage.
- Shenmue 2 had focused on Northern Kung Fu like BajiQuan, which had 'larger movements'... According to Suzuki, Shenmue 3 will focus on the Southern Kung Fu like Wing Chun, which are suited for close range fighting... These type of martial arts can be used in confined spaces.
- The combat will be very different to the point that players who are used to the old combat system will have to re-learn a lot. They're will be 'Quite a lot of changes'.
My personal thoughts:
Part of me wants to believe and trust in Yu Suzuki, what he's describing sounds good on paper, a more strategic, slow and cinematic approach isn't necessarily bad... Although a lot of games seem to go through that path and the results have been mostly disappointing... I guess Sleeping Dogs was fun but I would never trade the VF combat in Shenmue 1&2 for that.
I really, truly believe the Shenmue 1&2 combat to be the best in it's genre... It's only held back by the dodgy camera, otherwise it's simply flawless... And that's why most of Suzuki said above worries me, he sill might come up with another flawless combat system, but what are the chances? Stuff like QTE mid-battle sounds fine if it was in the same vein as Shenmue 2... But if it's becomes too frequent I fear it may damage the pace of the fighting.... Slower movement? Ehhhh... Focus on Southern Kung Fu? I loved the BajiQuan moves in Shenmue 2, I'm gonna miss it..
I'm anxious to see it in action, hopefully it retains the essence of the old Free Battle.