I have expressed my opinions in another topic, but I think this matter deserves its own place of discussion, maybe Yu Suzuki and the development team might take a look at our suggestions.
I've been thinking about the fighting system, and how could it be implemented in Shenmue's sequel.
In the first two games the fights 1 vs 1 were really solid, the Virtua Fighter imprinting was really fitting, but when it comes to fronting multiple enemies at once, the gameplay suffered a bit (even though S II slightly improved things , if u don't consider the first person view which I found quite bad).
I believe Shenmue needs to retain its Virtua Fighter core: the series is all about martial arts , and I'd like the mechanics to have a considerable depth in them. That being said, for this game to be able to appeal to a wider audience it also needs a fluid gameplay concerning brawls and fights with multiple enemies.
my idea was to split the fighting in 2 branches, so to speak, 2 fighting mechanics that are of course related to each other:
- 1 Fighting mechanic would be for 1 vs 1. This would be the most important one, and it should be used when Ryo has to face MARTIAL ARTS MASTERS or SKILLED FIGHTERS like him. This particular fight mechanic could be a natural upgrade from the Shenmue 2 one. I'd also like to see it used for Ryo's hard training during the whole game: we have to remember that our boy is really far from being able to stand a chance against Lan Di, and he surely needs to be trained. I can see things like upgrading stats, learning new moves and so on...
- the other fighting mechanic should be implemented when it comes to facing multiple opponents, like thugs and lesser fighters. I'd keep the same interface and button setting ( Punches, Kicks, Throws and Dodge Inputs), but it should be translated into a little less skilled system and a little more action oriented one, taking some inspirations from games like Yakuza and Batman Arkham, with A LOT LESS focus on exaggeration and a lot more realism. QTE should be present to make things more interesting and exciting, Shenmue 2 balanced them very well for instance.
These of course are ideas from someone who is not into developing at all, I'm just a passionate fan hoping to share points of view with you all.