Eurogamer - What Makes Shenmue's Open World So Special?

[Drakul]

I think GTAV has plenty of soul but the aims are different than what Shenmue was going for. I play GTAV and it's like being transported to south California and I get home sick (I'm not from California, but spent many a summer and time there as a kid, so it feels like a second home). The details are in the extraneous setting, such as the countryside, and details to buildings to build a sense of place, rather than being personally detailed like in Shenmue. It has a soul, but I think you have to have been to or appreciate southern California to really get it.

I guess but I lived in NY for 8 years and when playing GTAIV I thought the reproduction of the city was great but aside from that it didn't feel ..... I don't know. Maybe it's because I love Japanese culture so Shenmue and Yakuza speak more to me.

[Reprise]

I appreciate and enjoy what the GTA series has accomplished. My point, personally, was that I'm surprised that with the advancements in technology, we've never seen the ideas Yu Suzuki had for open world games explored and developed further. I'm also a little annoyed by it and that's a small part of the reason why I have craved Shenmue 3 so much.

[Himuro]

I'm not annoyed by it at all because it will make Shenmue III stand out even more.

Also, Bully WAS heavily influenced by Shenmue.

[Drakul]

I appreciate and enjoy what the GTA series has accomplished. My point, personally, was that I'm surprised that with the advancements in technology, we've never seen the ideas Yu Suzuki had for open world games explored and developed further. I'm also a little annoyed by it and that's a small part of the reason why I have craved Shenmue 3 so much.

For me in the past probably 15-20 years I've always had a dream of a game where you are in a city (at night of course because I'm a vampire freak, Bloodlines came close) and you are chased and can enter any building to hide, an open world were every building you see you can enter... of course that's a tall order especially if you want to populate it and make it feel alive like Shenmue. But hey maybe in another 15-20 years

[Yokosuka]

Another reflection on Shenmue's open world and some other things from the podcasters who investigated Awesome Japan's issues some weeks ago.
http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/201 ... rs-podcast