• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Shenmue III E3 2019 | 24-minutes gameplay

Mista

Banned





IGN Japan has posted 24 minutes of Shenmue III gameplay from E3 2019.

Here is an overview of the game, via publisher Deep Silver:
About

Shenmue changed the face of video games. The series, considered to be the father of free-roaming, open-world RPGs, returns to the fore this year with the release of Shenmue III.
Shenmue III resumes the epic storyline started by master storyteller Yu Suzuki more than 20 years ago. Suzuki, a pioneer of open-world games and immersive experiences, is set to add a bold new chapter to the sweeping tale of young martial artist Ryo Hazuki.
Soon, players will be able to resume Hazuki’s breathtaking journey.

What is Shenmue III?

Shenmue III brings to life an exciting, living-and-breathing world, one filled with thrilling locales to explore, puzzles to solve, and enemies to thwart. Players take the role of Ryo Hazuki in a story-driven and revenge-fueled adventure with a cast of incredible characters. Powered by innovative and skill-adaptable Free Battle and Special Skill systems, Shenmue III is the sequel fans have been waiting for.
Players will find Shenmue III a deeply personal experience, with rich landscapes and towns brimming with action. Shenmue III is not to be “played,” but rather “lived.” Days in Shenmue III are spent exploring, talking with unique characters, and taking part in exciting activities throughout the world. As Ryo, players grow and master their kung-fu power by training and gaining new skills, enabling them to face off against fearsome enemies.
Each game of Shenmue III, as with each person’s life, will be a unique adventure.
Who is Shenmue III for?
Shenmue III isn’t just for fans of the series. It’s for everyone.
Yu Suzuki’s newest adventure blends elements from beat-’em-ups, simulations, and RPGs, but is designed for people of all levels of skill and experience. The immersive world of Shenmue III will appeal to everyone who loves a good story, great characters, and beautiful environments.

What if I haven’t played Shenmue and Shenmue II?

Don’t worry! Shenmue III includes a special “recap digest” movie created by Yu Suzuki that retells Ryo Hazuki’s story from the beginning. Players can also speak to non-player characters they encounter to learn all about the events of the first two Shenmue games.

Key Features
  • Epic Story from the Mind of Yu Suzuki – Yu Suzuki has created some of the best video games ever made, including Space Harrier, Daytona USA, and Virtua Fighter. Now, he returns to write and direct the third installment in the beloved Shenmue series. In Shenmue III, players can expect a rich, deeply enthralling story and an unparalleled journey across China.
  • Realistic and Compelling Characters – The Shenmue series has been known for its inimitable characters, and Shenmue III continues this tradition. Players exploring Shenmue III’s vibrant world will find it populated with all manner of villagers, shopkeepers, villains, and heroes.
  • Battle SystemShenmue III offers a dramatic and challenging Battle System, one where players can upgrade Ryo Hazuki’s move set in order to defeat the toughest foes.
  • Beautiful LandscapesShenmue III lets players explore a gorgeous, charm-laden, and danger-filled China. From festive towns to dark and dank enemy lairs, Shenmue III provides players with a wealth of vistas to immerse themselves in.
 

Thabass

Member
Fighting looks a bit stiff, but this looks miles better than I ever thought it did. Can't friggin' wait.
 

kunonabi

Member
Game is looking mighty Shenmue-ish albeit with some imposter playing Ryo. I'm still not feeling the new combat and the animation could use some work but I'm feeling pretty good about my investment nonetheless.
 

lachesis

Member
I see many people dissing the game that it looks like very outdated 2012 game or whatnot... Not sure what they were expecting from crowd funded, small-medium scale budget game. It certainly looks like Shenmue and moves like Shenmue, complete with wonky dialog!
I'm glad that the game is progressing pretty nicely - it definitely looks and moves like Shenmue with alot of gloss (LOL).
I think I backed around $300 tier (one with Suzuki signature) - and I would have been happy if it had DC graphics to begin with.
 

Barakov

Member
Graphically this won't blow anybody away but it looks good enough. Probably be picking up the PS4 version.
 

Kazza

Member
I never understood what's so fun in this game. And after watching these videos I still don't get it. A series of minigames? Is that what people like? Turtle racing... for Christ's sake.

I was never into the mini-games myself (which form a small part of the game), it's the rest that I like. It's basically a fighter/RPG/adventure/martial arts hybrid game. You'll be spending most of your time fighting, training and walking around talking to people (in order to progress the story). If you're in to slower paced games, fighting games, martial arts revenge stories, and far eastern culture, then it's probably worth a try. If not, then you should probably pass.
 
Last edited:

Mista

Banned
We got spoiled a lot this gen to the point we see Shenmue 3 visuals as “terrible”

I think it looks alright for a kickstarter game + just continue the story for the love of god

I waited tooooo long
 
I still can't believe it's really real, the world is an amazing place sometimes.

I never understood what's so fun in this game. And after watching these videos I still don't get it. A series of minigames? Is that what people like? Turtle racing... for Christ's sake.

Atmosphere, exploration and story is the appeal of Shenmue.

Exploring large environments with no copy paste, that desire to see what lies around the corner and a very heavy Asian atmosphere that makes you feel like a tourist in exotic lands.

And the story is interesting, Ryu is a likable guy and you want to see him get his revenge, there's a reason people still care about the story and want to see it finished all these years later.
 

Meowzers

Member
This takes me back to 2001 when I got a Dreamcast and Shemnue and me and my mate at school challenged each other to see who could complete it first.

I had some ''mysterious illness'' that kept me off school for 2 days and I bloody beat him to it. Oh what days.

I'm glad it still looks like Shenmue. If it had Cyberpunk visuals and the budget of Man City then it wouldn't be the same.
 

Kazza

Member
Here's the gameplay, but with some placeholder music added by Shenmue Dojo:



So much better this way. What a difference some music can make!
 

The Snake

Member
I never understood what's so fun in this game. And after watching these videos I still don't get it. A series of minigames? Is that what people like? Turtle racing... for Christ's sake.

That's totally fine, man. It's not for you and no one is making you buy or play it. No hard feelings! I also don't understand the appeal of Halo or Gears of War. Different strokes for different folks bud :messenger_sunglasses:

Personally I'm stoked. It's so surreal to think we're actually getting a real Shenmue III after all these years.
 
I dont get why people say the graphics are terrible, i mean its not state of the art or anything, but its still a huge update over the old games, while keeping a similar art style.

graphics are fine, esp for a non-AAA blockbuster. i think people just want to bitch about the designs/animation and are too naive to know the difference or understand why they are the way they are.
 
Last edited:

The Snake

Member
graphics are fine, esp for a non-AAA blockbuster. i think people just want to bitch about the designs and are too naive to know the difference or understand why they are the way they are.

Anyone who honestly gives a damn about graphics is a low-IQ second-class citizen, anyway. We're here to play video games, who gives a shit what they look like. Just make it fun.
 

Kazza

Member
Impressions from IGN. Some highlights:

I decide to ask the clerk if he knows where I can find “a dealer with a scar on his face”. Just like Ryo asked for black cars, sailors, people that can read Chinese and what not in the old games, approaching NPCs to achieve your goal is still a key factor to Shenmue’s gameplay. All of those conversations are in voiced dialogue, and more often than not NPCs have something interesting or funny add to the story, rather than just pointing you in the right direction.

It beats me how director Yu Suzuki managed to do all this with a much more limited budget compared to the previous entries, but Shenmue III’s open world seems to be as packed with details as before.

On the fighting system:

While Ryo’s move set is similar to that of the previous games, the commands for them have been completely revamped. Before, most moves demanded the player to input combinations between the d-pad and face buttons, but Shenmue III’s moves are utilized mostly through combinations of just the face buttons and sometimes a trigger button. You block by holding the left trigger, and Ryo can make quick steps in 360 degrees by quickly tilting the analog stick. According to Suzuki, dodging an opponent’s attack and delivering a counter is an important strategy in Shenmue III’s battles.

To be honest, the battle system of the original two games - which made use of the Virtua Fighter engine - is much deeper and engaging than Shenmue III’s new battle system. However, being defeated by a strong enemy, having to train to stand a chance and then heading back for revenge is an interesting RPG gameplay loop that was not present before. While it’s not as interesting gameplay wise, it has the potential to do a better job in depicting Ryo’s growth as a martial artist.
 

Kazza

Member
Oh damn, hype. I was worried basic NPCs wouldn't have voiced dialogue. I should expect no less from Yu Suzuki, though.

Me too. I was sure we would be getting main characters voiced, with text only NPCs (like the pre-Yakuza 6 Yakuzas).

I regret that they didn't stump up for a Chinese dub too though. Not many games are set in China, so that seems like a missed opportunity (although at least it is getting Chinese subtitles). Then again, the story of a Japanese boy going to China and beating up Chinese people might not prove very popular...
 

Aggelos

Member
I hope those animations aren't final.
This game was announced back in E3 2015. Now after 4 years, you think that those animations can't be final and more polishing can be done?
Ya, if you have something like 20-30 million dollars to donate YS Net, they will do wonders with the animations and the facial expressions in the game.


A game like Shenmue III (indie-developed and funded via kickstarter primarily) isn't going to be a true tech-demonstrator that will set the benchmark for being a tech-masterpiece of year 2019.
It's geared more towards all those devoted Shenmue fans who have been waiting for ages for a 3rd sequel.
True Shenmue fans will enjoy the game even if it were to have PS3-Xbox360 visuals.
 
Last edited:

The Snake

Member
This game was announced back in E3 2015. Now after 4 years, you think that those animations can't be final and more polishing can be done?
Ya, if you have something like 20-30 million dollars to donate YS Net, they will do wonders with the animations and the facial expressions in the game.


A game like Shenmue III (indie-developed and funded via kickstarter primarily) isn't going to be a true tech-demonstrator that will set the benchmark for being a tech-masterpiece of year 2019.
It's geared more towards all those devoted Shenmue fans who have been waiting for ages for a 3rd sequel.
True Shenmue fans will enjoy the game even if it has PS3-Xbox360 visuals.

Yeah, personally I think this looks damn near perfect. It looks honest. You can tell love went into making it.

I'd still be excited if this was a 2D sidescroller. I just want to see more from Yu Suzuki, and I want to continue this story I left off on 18 (!) years ago.
 

Kazza

Member
20 minutes of Huber's impressions after having played the demo (starts at 01:05:05). Brad is there with him to keep his enthusiasm under control. He loved the game. The only negative thing he mentioned was the combat being a little rough, although he acknowledges that this may be due to the fact that he didn't train at all before going into the fight.
 

Kazza

Member
Impressions from Shenmue mega-fan Adam Koralik:

I just had a private demo of Shenmue 3. Played for 15 minutes with Yu Suzuki personally guiding me. I'm beyond happy right now. I loved it guys. It may have been 15 minutes, but it just...felt like Shenmue. I think people will be very happy. I keep trying to post a photo but YouTube is glitching. Check my Instagram or Twitter to see.

From this and Huber's impressions, I think it's safe to say that Shenmue fans are likely to be very pleased with this game (which is the most important thing for a kickstarter). It remains to be seen how many new fans it can attract.
 

kegkilla

Banned
Thanks for sharing, I was having trouble falling asleep and now I can barely keep my eyes open. Good night.
 

Thabass

Member
I can't friggin' wait for this. For those who don't understand the hype, you really need to play the originals to understand, It has a gripping story and while the game was never a technical masterpiece, it was wonderous game that, at the time, was humongous and did things very little to now one has done in a game.

If you still can't get into it, it's okay. No one is telling you to buy or it anything. This is more for the fans. I personally cannot wait to see where Ryu goes from Shenmue II.
 
It looks like...Shenmue. The feeling of the first two games seems to be nailed. Can understand why some people aren't "feeling it", but those who do are in for a treat I think...
 
Top Bottom