So I know Shenmue 1 is talked about as one of the greatest games of all time and I can see that perspective there's a level of interactivity and immersion that games just didn't have. From feeding the cat every day to seeing the same people go about there day plus the story was a little cheesy at times but I overall enjoyed it. Though i found the map to be weirdly tiny.

Shenmue 2 initially gave me whiplash at the sheer size of the map alone any criticism I made of the first was gone and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger I really felt like I just stepped off the boat and was lost in the city with barely enough money to get around and buy maps. and at the half way point the game doubled in size again.

But as I played i felt like the game traded size for immersion.

Chats with strangers were solely just to get directions, gamble or ask for work and there wasn't that many hidden surprises to discover

To me it felt like the game lost a bit of it's identity here.

Also i know there was QTE's in 1 but it felt like 2 was obsessed with them almost as if to many people criticised the 100 man battle so they made every large enemy encounter a qte

The story was also a step back here with the writing making no real sense. Why would Joy help you time and time again when you just got off the boat and Ryo was kind of a dick to her at least initially. I still have no idea if Ren was a friend or a manipulative bastard that you couldn't get rid of and why would Xiuying let you crash in her apartment when you first meet with no idea who you are

The epilogue was also a good hour loner than it needed to be but that might have been my fault for trying to get all the dialogue options.

Overall i can say i liked it but i can't help but be a bit let down it's like this game was a bit rushed in development like the final days of the dreamcast were coming so they needed to cut down the story and interactions and just get it done

I'm curious how do you look at Shenmue 2? Is it a case of i need to STFU and i just don't get it or was it a step down or something different entirely?

Edit: Also while i remember it interactivity in general is way down in the first game you have to enter a dark room but you had to find a light source first there was multiple solutions to this puzzle including going to buy a flashlight then eventually having to breakdown a wall but in 2 i can't remember a single moment in the game like this outside of going into one room and having to move a box off of a bin to find some tapes

Last year I finished and really enjoyed Shenmue 1&2. I was on the fence about Shenmue 3 then when I found out about an enhanced version I decided to wait to play that one.

I found myself craving some Shenmue and looking at the negatives most people say I feel like I would be fine with most of them.

The main negative for me that I don't like the sound of is the stamina. I want to be able to explore fully and then get into a fight if I want without having to constantly worry about my stamina and constantly eat.

That then got me thinking, do you think being able to turn stamina off in the enhanced version will make the game possibly lose something good? Which may be an odd question as so many seemed to not like it but part of me is thinking is actually having to keep food on you, find and buy food etc actually something that adds to the experience and by taking away stamina you also take away the whole food and realism element.

Was just curious for those who have played 3, what they think about playing with stamina turned off in the enchanced.

sounds kinda random but since most people in the game were willing to help me with my tasks and questions i thought to myself why not doing the same irl. so i started asking people in stores where certain products are or asked people on street what time it is. it made me more confident talking to people without having bad thoughts in mind that they would laugh at me or something. does someone can relate to it or have similar experiences? really interests me

I beat the first game just under two weeks ago and just had to jump right into this. Previous part of my journey below, for anyone interested:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Shenmue/comments/1t34vnm/i_have_finally_beaten_the_first_shenmue/

Maybe it's just the fact that this is my first foray into Sega's world, but I can't find the words to describe how special this series has become for me. I'd like to call myself a gaming connoisseur, but I have never experienced something like Shenmue before. I'll jot down some random thoughts on II in bullet points.

- The combat has definitely improved here. I no longer felt I was being held back by the D-Pad. I never even needed to use L for running. Could you even do that? I never tried.

- Just walking around each place feels so much more alive than even modern games. I don't what voodoo Suzuki and company did, but none of these other games made me want to slow down and take in the scenery. Maybe they were on to something with setting the analog stick to look around instead of for movement (even though that was an option in this game). It also helps that Hong Kong is a wonderful setting.

- As I was going through Disc 2, I thought to myself, 'Man. I hope we get to see Kowloon in III.' Well, butter my biscuits, I didn't even need to wait that long. That was a nice treat.

- Save-scumming and gambling. I can't name a more iconic duo...

- ...but I CAN name a more necessary duo: Save-scumming and the Ghost Hall Building. My first attempt, I got to the 8th floor and screwed up the very first input. I went, 'Aw, crap, I messed up. Hopefully it starts me back at- ............Oh HEEEEELLLLLLL NO.' Honestly, if the game didn't save my exact position each time I saved, I would have dropped the game right then and there.

- On a related note, I do not enjoy the Freeze QTEs. It feels like even though I'm asked to give multiple inputs, it only gives the same amount of time as a single input in a regular QTE. Also, during one of these, I somehow hallucinated a 'Right' input as 'X.' And I did that twice in a row. Must've been from the frustration of messing up other inputs prior.

- As a sucker for Kung Fu films, I loved receiving training from all these masters. Any time I see old people offer spiritual wisdom and a kickass move I go, 'Hell yeah.'

- As I got to the end of Disc 3, I thought 'This had better be the ending and Disc 4 is some special feature because this does NOT need to be 17 floors. While that was the final high-stakes event, it was still a bit much, in my opinion.

- Speaking of Disc 4, I wasn't sure what to feel about it at first. While it was a nice break from all the action, and it was great to finally meet Shenhua, I kept asking myself where we go from here. Then I saw the ending and went, 'OK. I'm 100% hooked. I need to see this through.'

Admittedly, I chose these two games as my first Dreamcast games because I misread the pre-order deadline for the Collector's Edition of 'Shenmue III Enhanced' (this Monday) as the release date for the game proper. Oh well. No regrets.

Now we wait. 'The Story Continues.' That must've been torture for long-time fans.

I feel like I'm losing my mind. The footsteps sound horrific in certain places, like Ryo's room. Almost like there is an echo. I recall this being an issue upon release too. My dreamcast version sounds fine by comparison to the steam port.

But on Google nothing shows up about echos and weird footsteps.

Is there a fix?

Hot off the press from ININ Games we finally have a small update on all things Shenmue 3 Enhanced.

See the below statment from ININ Games:

Shenmue III Enhanced New Screenshots revealed

Dear Shenmue fans,

Today, we’re excited to share six brand-new screenshots from Shenmue III Enhanced, offering another fresh look at the world of Bailu Village and Niaowu ahead of launch.

From atmospheric streets to enhanced environmental details, these new images showcase the updated visual presentation and renewed atmosphere players can look forward to experiencing soon.

And don’t forget…

Collector’s Edition Pre-Orders Ending Soon

A quick reminder for all collectors: the Collector’s Edition of Shenmue III Enhanced will only remain available for pre-order until Monday, May 18th.

After that date, only the Standard Edition and Special Edition will continue to be available as physical pre-orders.

If you want to secure the Collector’s Edition and its exclusive content, now is the time.

Thank you for your continued support, and stay tuned for more updates and reveals soon.

No release date yet is a little disappointing and the update, while welcome, doesn’t have whole bunch of new information as yet. We’re hoping for more frequent and substantial updates to follow soon – that will help get the community hyped! But, we know things in gaming are very fluid and can change very quickly

However….

We do have some new screenshots too! Check them out!

https://preview.redd.it/vy8hgk3f3w0h1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=984817bcf5b0f07e58b659fa749b025a584ecb7d

https://preview.redd.it/uy56dl3f3w0h1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=addfaede391bbdcbf9b44f7e71f968523b512aa3

https://preview.redd.it/dnyh3v3f3w0h1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=907217aa6a178ff349da926dbdf8c16d66b10bf7

https://preview.redd.it/b5lrum3f3w0h1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=774bb1e239bbeeec741ea963f31c8f3d9b62b7d3

https://preview.redd.it/hbz7mm3f3w0h1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=d9a1bebdf637c049be8a4feaf57f80d4bee5344b

https://preview.redd.it/mfu6ql3f3w0h1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=95f04a24c426c4b3838cc1141ad073bfc4d7a610

First time playing original Shenmue for Dreamcast. It seems that just wandering around interiors is a big problem? I’m in the starting home and every corner I turn, the character stops to look at objects. Light switches, paintings, wardrobe… he does this automatically and I have to press B to continue the game.. often I press B and he walks directly back into the object again. Is this really how it’s supposed to play?

EDIT: turns out that is NOT how it’s supposed to work. My controller had an issue with the right trigger getting stuck down, causing a constant right trigger input.