This is fine for those who want more time with the ever-awkward Ryo, but considering that Shenmue III relied on a Kickstarter campaign, it feels crappy to end a multi-decade cliffhanger with another cliffhanger that may never be resolved. In many ways, it feels like a detour on the road to an inevitable Shenmue IV. Shenmue III is not the ending of a trilogy. Shenmue II ended on a cliffhanger, and for a long time, it seemed destined to never be resolved. This also brings up the game's other big issue. This is good if you're hoping for a continuation of the multi-decade cliffhanger, but it's disappointing if you were hoping to see something bolder. It's a dated game that trades on nostalgia more than it does creativity, and it doesn't try to be anything but the third title in the series. Shenmue III is almost the antithesis of this. It was probably too ambitious (and too expensive) for its own good, but it tried. The original Shenmue was ambitious in that it tried to advance gaming to do something that hadn't really been done before. This is probably the biggest point of disappointment of the game. If you didn't, you'll probably be boggled by the hype. If you enjoyed them, then Shenmue III is a game for you. Not only will it give you an idea of what you're in for, but the story is also borderline incomprehensible without knowing the first two. If you're unsure, I strongly recommend trying out the HD remasters of Shenmue 1 and 2 first. You need to expect and want Shenmue III and nothing more ambitious or modern than that, and you must be willing to work with what it's giving you. This is going to be the biggest barrier to anyone enjoying the game. It is exactly what it promised to be: a Dreamcast game released in 2019. Even the mundane daily life elements felt more engaging to me in cult classic Deadly Premonition than in Shenmue III. It feels like a Shenmue game, which is both a positive and a negative, since much of what made the franchise special has become commonplace in the intervening 18 years. Now I love ambitious, awkward and janky games, and parts of Shenmue III were satisfying, but it never reached a special level for me, aside from its pedigree and lineage. This may be what fans were expecting, but it makes the game inaccessible if you aren't nostalgic for a very specific period of Dreamcast game design or you have a high tolerance for awkward and janky games. Alongside his new partner, Shenhua, Ryo once again sets out for revenge and capsule toys.īefore I go any further, I need to clarify that Shenmue III feels, looks and sounds more like an HD remaster of a Dreamcast title than one made in 2019. Ryo has spent the last two games trying to track down Lan Di and discover the secret of the Dragon and Phoenix mirrors. The third game basically picks up from there. He returns home to find Lan Di murdering his dad, so Ryo sets out to get revenge and amass the biggest collection of capsule toys in existence. Ryo Hazuki is a teenaged martial artist who lives in Japan. Of course, Shenmue III picks up where Shenmue II left off. Rapidly becoming the biggest Kickstarter success in gaming, the Shenmue III campaign showed that fans enjoyed it, even if the franchise hadn't been successful. Despite being among the most memorable games on the Dreamcast, the games were seemingly forgotten - until Shenmue III appeared on Kickstarter. Unfortunately, it wasn't a financial success, and neither was its sequel, Shenmue II. Having an absolutely absurd budget for the time, it attempted to create a living, breathing world on the Dreamcast and tell a deep, multi-game story. Shenmue was one of the most ambitious games ever made.
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