Fans of the series are of course likely to find these resolutely antiquated design choices brilliantly charming, but for the rest, it will only serve to confuse and compound. This is a game that, beyond a lick of HD paint, could have very easily been made in 2002. There has been no attempt to cater to modern tastes. Honestly, if ever there was a game made for exclusively for the fans, this is it. If that all sounds mental to you, well yeah, it kind of is – I can only assume that you’ve never played Shenmue before, and if that’s the case, please move along. I marvel at the cheesy dialogue and the games’ insistence that we press three buttons when one will do. Accordingly, I actually enjoy a lot of the archaic design choices that are used here. I guess it’s best that I provide a very clear disclaimer – this review is written from the perspective of a massive Shenmue fan (Shenmue and Shenmue II are amongst my favourite games of all time). So yeah, uhhhh, still not sure what all that means in the grand scheme of things. Needless to say, there is nothing quite like Shenmue III a game that is both old and new, beautiful and ugly. Shenmue III is a game that feels defiantly retro, but as it marks an evolutionary offshoot that was essentially closed off back in 2001, it also feels utterly unique when played in 2020. It’s a game that refuses to move with the times, instead committing to a sense of nostalgia that is utterly unique given that, despite the fact that the last game in the series was released nearly 20 years ago, nothing quite like it has been seen since. It’s a game that refuses to be anything more or less than what Shenmue was and what Shenmue III was always supposed to be. The commitment to the gameplay that defined it back at the turn of the century is something to be celebrated, but in some instances, will leave even the games’ most ardent fans screaming at the TV screen. It’s a game that fans will likely love, but one that will leave newcomers utterly perplexed. I love Shenmue III, but it’s also slightly disappointing. How the hell does one go about reviewing Shenmue III? Honestly, this might be the toughest game to review ever.
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