Do QTEs belong in Shenmue 3? Podcast Debate.

[shengoro86]

What do you think about QTEs? Young Geek (Shenmue Guy) and myself debate on this.

We use Shenmue as a basis.

My argument is that some games do not do QTEs correctly but Shenmue knows how to do it right.

Enjoy!

phpBB [video]

[Fang Mei 4EVA]

Shenmue is one of the only game series that SHOULD have QTE's. If shenmue III didn't have them then the game would be incomplete. They actually enhance cutscenes and a fun way to mix up the gameplay. In other games QTEs are just a cheap gameplay mechanic.

The real question should be: Should Fangmei find Ryo and bang him at some point during his journey in Shenmue III

the answer is YES! of course.

[SMDzero]

The QTE's in Shenmue actually make sense unlike a lot of other games. They are deliberate in which button you press (hand move/leg move/dodge etc).

Most games just have generic cutscenes with a random button or two shown onscreen to make it "interactive"

Even Naughty Dog games don't do QTEs right; you just hit triangle to constantly give your partner a boost.... lame.

I also like how Shenmue had the button prompts front and center with a loud beep... most games these days seem embarrassed about QTEs and hide the button prompt off in an inconspicuous corner of the screen.

I also hate how everyone uses the term QTE but NO ONE actually knows Shenmue coined the term.

Shenmue without QTE's ain't Shenmue.... that said they should GREATLY reduce the retry QTEs wherever they can in favor of branching path QTEs

[MaxTheRabbit]

yeah duh

[Spaghetti]

Goes without saying (as it's already in the OP), but Shenmue does QTEs right for a number of reasons.

- The QTEs correspond with button presses you use elsewhere in the game (directional movement, FREE battle, etc)
- There are variations and subversions on the established QTE structure, to keep it fresh (Command-QTE, Zhangyu's QTE, and the proposed "NEW" QTE system Yu wishes to implement in Shenmue III)
- The difficulty is adaptive
- Few QTEs are "one miss and game over"
- The game actively trains you in the QTE system (e.g; low-consequences for screwing up carrying books in Shenmue II, but lethal results for failure walking the planks later in the game)

And this is most important:

- A fail state doesn't always mean Game Over, it either gives you a different outcome to the event, or produces a new branch in the quest (e.g, failure while chasing Wong in Shenmue II's opening)

Sticking to these principles, with high focus on continuing the game even in a fail state (so much as narratively possible), QTEs are right at home in Shenmue III.