Excuse us while we state the obvious, but Shenmue III really is a new Shenmue game. We’re not sure what we expected, but this PlayStation 4 gameplay footage from the E3 2019 showfloor hits the exact same beats as the Dreamcast originals, showing protagonist Ryo Hazuki as he plays Lucky Hit and purchases toy capsules. The stilted exchanges and awful voice acting are taking us back to 2001 in the best way possible.
For non-fans, this will do little to convert you to Yu Suzuki’s cult franchise, but it seems developer Ys Net really has got the feel and flow of this long-awaited sequel spot on. As someone who invested three figures into the Kickstarter, this author is just relieved that the project has somehow come together. A relief.
Update 1: There's more, this time showcasing some combat training minigames and sparring gameplay:
The combat looks a little floaty for our tastes, but as with the minigames it's largely reminiscent of how the original two titles played. What are your thoughts on Shenmue III so far? Are you satisfied with the progress that's been made?
Update 2: And there's more still, this time showing Ryo Hazuki chopping some wood:
Yeah, this is every bit a Shenmue game, isn't it? And we're absolutely loving it.
[source youtube.com]
Comments (11)
Just letting that rigid, awkward voice acting wash over me like a river of rusty bolts. The gaps between lines are so long you could complete every quest in Skyrim while you wait. Yep, it's Shenmue all right. Not saying that in a negative way, this is what it should be... Though at the same time I feel like it's trapped having to not innovate at all because if they do it "won't be Shenmue," yet surely if the series had continued with some regularity as was intended originally, it'd have ended up being quite different from the original 2.
And Sammy, when you say three figures, do you mean something like £1.99?
My son is getting this for his birthday, the fact that he'll be 3 is largely irrelevant as I can look after it for him until he's old enough to play
@Matroska Multiply it by 300 and you'll be in the right ballpark.
@carlos82 I like your thinking.
@get2sammyb There's a man that loves forklift truck racing. Sounds like you single-handedly paid the wages of all the voice actors, anyway. I did originally pledge some money, only about £40 or something, but I've had quite a few KS things not work out - there's about 4 games on my list from well over 5 years ago that still haven't been released.
@carlos82 I'm buying the Final Fantasy VII Remake super deluxe edition for my as-yet un-conceived son. He'll thank me later.
@Matroska Haha the fact that mine's already here means I can't afford it
@get2sammyb I've got to justify some of these to my wife somehow, there's a lot to buy in those few months
Added another video.
@get2sammyb Good man Sammy, I also pledged more money than I maybe should (and could) afford, but it will be worth it when it comes to fruition!!
yeah, pledged a big chunk of money myself on a special collectors edition, I'll happily waste all day dropping balls down boards
I went for the $60 physical copy. Paid for it that long ago that by the time Shenmue 3 comes out it'll feel like I'm getting the game for free. So excited to play it.
OK. I gotta stop here. Too much gameplay and I'd rather experience it myself (I know it's going to be fundamentally very similar to I and II but want to come in with fresh eyes).
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