You either love 1999 and love being in 1999, or you don’t.
I’ll always appreciate the ability to commit. For better or worse, that’s precisely what Shenmue 3 does. The game has a legion of fans who very specifically have wanted to return to Shenmue‘s particular quirky dimension of kung fu and Yakuza-style minigames, and Shenmue 3 doesn’t fuck around with that one iota.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/11/shenmue-3-feels-like-a-90s-throwback-for-better-and-for-worse/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/sws61eyidcckagqptkjx.png” title=”Shenmue 3 Feels Like A 90s Throwback, For Better And For Worse” excerpt=”Clumsy, awkward, and stiff. Those are some words you can use to describe Shenmue 3. Rustic, charming, and cosy. Those are also words to describe Shenmue 3. The long-awaited third entry in Yu Suzuki’s adventure epic has all the quirks of the 1999 original, good and bad. You will either love it or be left asking: ‘What the hell is this?’”]
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/11/shenmue-3-pc-ps4-cut-scenes-are-infuriating/” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/shenmue-3-1-410×231.jpg” title=”Shenmue 3’s Cut Scenes Are Infuriating” excerpt=”A game like Shenmue should have a ton of cut scenes and dialogue. That’s what you expect going in. But there’s a difference between good exposition, and the kind that you literally can’t escape from.”]
And that’s admirable in a way. The long sequences, the constant interruptions, the very specific, weird way Shenmue wants you to interact with its world. It’s a game that knows not only precisely what it is, but the fact that its fans do not want it to change one iota, and they’re all for it.
So the developers kept everything exactly as it should be, warts and all. And given the project was launched on a Sony E3 stage as a Kickstarter campaign, fan service — not that kind of fan service, but you get the idea — was probably the best course of action.
There’s plenty of appetite for games that look like they’re from the ’90s now, too. Although in Shenmue‘s case, I can’t imagine that’ll make it any easier to port to the Switch.
For those who grabbed Shenmue 3, have you been happy with the purchase? Did you get the game before it broke street date, and did you back the original campaign?
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