by SMDzero » Wed Jun 29, 2016 4:49 am
I found the review:
Shenmue 3 is unique in that it's the first game in the Shenmue franchise developed exclusively for a non-Sega system. In addition, the game marks the first sequel in 17 years in Yu Suzuki's FREE series. Due to a greatly diminished kickstarter budget, Shenmue 3 uses a primitive 3D engine that would put Superman 64 to shame and has thrown in some useless token RPG elements for good measure.
Shenmue 3 focuses on the continuing adventures of Ryo Hazuki, the autistic hero in Suzuki's franchise. The storyline is a simple one: Ryo, a martial arts master, is contracted by a mysterious girl Shenhua, to rescue her father and retrieve a mysterious mirror. On his quest Ryo encounters Lan Di, his fathers killer who is guarding the mirror. A fight breaks out and, once defeated, Ryo learns of ulterior motives, lies and the rest of his journey. And so you have it. It's not much of a story, but those of us who have played the horrible previous Shenmue games knew that, didn't we?
Utilizing an ugly 3D engine, dithered and blurry backgrounds, and indifferent rotation/scaling effects, the game is visually unimpressive. Low resolution 2D sprite-based NPCs have been implemented to get rid of the pop-in effect that plagued the previous games. A fixed camera generally captures the action from a zoomed-out view, but occasionally zooms in as Ryo goes from place to place. On a brighter side, the lighting effects in the game are up to par, illuminating characters as they come closer to lit objects and so on. The PC version of Shenmue 3, however, is identical to the Playstation 4 version graphically and it has FMV cut-scenes instead of screen-shots and text torture-scenes on Sony's platform. Way to take advantage of that power. In all honesty, if we were told that YsNet had slipped a Sega Genesis emulator into the PS4 to run this game we wouldn't be the least bit surprised.
What Shenmue 3 lacks in graphic prowess it lacks even more in the gameplay department. Ryo runs, jumps, and snaps multiple P-P-K combos as he progresses through the game. Jumping is performed via the analog stick or the control pad. YsNet opted not to go with jump button as it might have made the game playable. Even worse, turning around is performed via the triangle button. Wouldn't it have been more practical to of used one of the buttons for jumping and instead made turning around available through the control pad or analog stick? Players are expected to ignore instinct (which constantly suggests pressing down on the analog stick to turn around) and instead must press a button to perform the task. When engaged in a battle, especially when multiple enemies are on-screen, this becomes more than just a nuisance. It's unintuitive control at its very best.
Level design is equally bad. The entire game is based around "die and re-try" stages. In other words, players often come to a certain point in a level where they are immediately killed and then must re-continue, now aware of the hidden obstacle. The first stage being a prime example, while Ryo is being chased out of a stone pit by a falling boulder, he is suddenly crushed by a stone pillar hiding in the ceiling. Other times players must take leaps of faith, praying that something solid will be close by to catch their fall. It's just bad game design.
In trying to add more diversity to the game Yu Suzuki's team has also included some RPG elements. Players can access Shenmue 3's skill tree via the l2 trigger where new moves and combos can be purchased,that help Ryo along his journey. Keys must be used in certain areas to unlock doors and can only be accessed via the menu screen. Ryo, as he performs more combos, learns special moves as well. A pit-blow and swallow kick, which can both be obtained quickly and easy, help to beat the 4 main bosses at the end in an epic battle in a donut shaped Chinese fort.
The music and sound effects in Shenmue 3 are decent. Wind whines in the background when Ryo is on ledges and ambient music plays throughout most of the stages and cut-scenes, highlighting the action. Unfortunately, the sound level is calibrated at an annoyingly low level and must be turned up all the way just to be heard clearly.
Luckily, Shenmue 3 retains all the cheesy voice acting that made the franchise great anyway. Ryo walks all around Bailu Village asking about sailors; eventually the confused populace give Ryo the job of local fisherman. It's not very realistic, but it doesn't matter -- it's classic Shenmue.
The Verdict
Shenmue 3 is a perfect example of what can happen when unrealistic expectations are placed on a game. Everything seems to be thrown together in a big pile of mindless re-hash, blurry graphics and horrible level design, all topped off with a crappy fighting mechanic and the Shenmue name. The sad part is that the game will probably sell like crap anyway making Shenmue 4 even less likely . Unless you're Shenmue crazy, don't appreciate good videogames or are looking to punish your bastard kids this holiday season, we recommend avoiding this atrocity.