SeekerShenmue 3
Shenmue 3 feels like it’s from a different era – a step forward from its ambitious action-adventure predecessors but still about five steps behind modern games. In everything from its laborious progression to its abysmal voice acting and clumsy combat, it’s ignored the innovations of the past 20 years and kept doing its own thing. This direct continuation of Shenmue 2’s story and gameplay did feel like coming home for someone who had all but given up hope of ever returning to Ryo Hazuki’s world, and for that reason, I am glad Shenmue 3, in all its oddity, exists. I just wish it had given me the satisfying story I returned for.
-- As reviewed by IGN
Product details
- One of the most anticipated video games in history, from legendary game developer, Yu Suzuki
- Epic Adventure: Immerse yourself in the stunning and magical world of Shenmue
- Breathing, Living World : Explore inside and outside buildings, take on part-time jobs, play arcade games, and interact with local inhabitants of beautiful Chinese locales
- Martial Arts Action : Put your training and upgraded skills to the test via intense free battles and intense Quick Time Events
- Solve the Mystery : Converse with a colorful and diverse cast of characters and follow leads from those who hold the answers to the mysterious Phoenix Mirror
PROS
+ It’s Shenmue
+ Nostalgia
+ Forklift driving
CONS
- It's Shenmue
- Horrendous pacing
- The Cutscene Dimension
- Story hardly advances
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Expert reviews and ratings
By IGN on November 22, 2019
Shenmue 3 feels like it’s from a different era – a step forward from its ambitious action-adventure predecessors but still about five steps behind modern games. In everything from its laborious progression to its abysmal voice acting and clumsy combat, it’s ignored the innovations of the past 20 years and kept doing its own thing. This direct continuation of Shenmue 2’s story and gameplay did feel like coming home for someone who had all but given up hope of ever returning to Ryo Hazuki’s world, and for that reason, I am glad Shenmue 3, in all its oddity, exists. I just wish it had given me the satisfying story I returned for.
59
By TechAdvisor on November 27, 2019
For 99 percent of people, we’d recommend giving this a miss. There are better games out there and what Shenmue 3 does do well, largely the world and the process of digging into it, is ruined by the many many things it doesn’t quite pull off.
If you’re a big fan of immersing yourself in a world or you loved the earlier Shenmue games, go wild, but your money would be spent better elsewhere.
40
By TrustedReviews on November 25, 2019
Shenmue 3 would have been well received in 2003, but we’re 18 years on from the last entry and Shenmue hasn’t budged an inch. If you weld your nostalgia goggles to your face, you’ll be able to slog through the story, but it really is a chore. Poor game design and a complete lack of innovation are the killers, but even the continuation of the story is a meagre offering thanks to ludicrous levels of padding.
40