Shenmue III

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1112 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 828 out of 1112
  2. Mixed: 52 out of 1112
  3. Negative: 232 out of 1112
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  1. djmonster007
    Nov 27, 2019
    5
    It's lacking compared to the what the originals had in the first two games the graphics are subpar compared to first two games as far detail goes but glad that the story was added on I'm glad that it was made I could have been better and wish they had more people walking around to make it seemed like it was more Life like the first one had a lot of people walking around so did the secondIt's lacking compared to the what the originals had in the first two games the graphics are subpar compared to first two games as far detail goes but glad that the story was added on I'm glad that it was made I could have been better and wish they had more people walking around to make it seemed like it was more Life like the first one had a lot of people walking around so did the second one even more people walked around and helped you get the whatever you needed to be by walking there this one not so much which sucks… Expand
  2. KarimovWaves
    Dec 25, 2019
    0
    Shenmue 1 and 2 were good. This game is crap. They deleted throws in fight and story only progresses 10 minutes. The grind is heavy. Basically a flopped game
  3. vgmkyle
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    What can I write? Shenmue III is finally here. After all these years. It doesn't matter what the critics say as the series has always been misunderstood. Even as time went on by the community remained loyal for almost two decades. I think that's the real testament here.
  4. Fefe2p
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    A classic that returns.
    Thanks all the fans who suport this...18 years waiting is over.
  5. denton13
    Dec 1, 2019
    0
    продолжение, которое все ждали... но не в таком виде! с такой реализацией игру можно было выпустить на старте ps3. и даже тогда она многих бы разочаровала
  6. MidShipRope
    Dec 1, 2019
    0
    Абсолютная бездарщина, которой в принципе не должно быть в индустрии.
    Она не дает какой-либо прогресс, она лишь займет ваше время, рассказав целый ноль сюжета.
    Она заставит вас смотреть на тарелку из рулетки дольше, чем на сцены с героями. Она заставит ваши глаза потеть от увиденной боевки прошлой эпохи.    Абсолютная бездарщина, которой в принципе не должно быть в индустрии.
    Она не дает какой-либо прогресс, она лишь займет ваше время, рассказав целый ноль сюжета.
    Она заставит вас смотреть на тарелку из рулетки дольше, чем на сцены с героями.
    Она заставит ваши глаза потеть от увиденной боевки прошлой эпохи.
  7. Kirvy1877
    Nov 20, 2019
    5
    About 10hrs in and loving the storyline, relatable characters and graphics. Even if you didn't play the last 2 you can hit the recap option to catch you up on the storyline. Worth the price tag!
  8. Alecj
    May 14, 2020
    10
    Bottom line -- If you like Shenmue, this is the best Shenmue game ever made. You will love it. Its got all the qualities you come to the franchise for, plus now its got a modern look and feel.

    If you dont like Shenmue, this wont change your mind...but you knew that. If you havent ever played Shenmue, try the remastered collection which contains Shenmue 1 & 2. If you enjoy it, getting    Bottom line -- If you like Shenmue, this is the best Shenmue game ever made. You will love it. Its got all the qualities you come to the franchise for, plus now its got a modern look and feel.

    If you dont like Shenmue, this wont change your mind...but you knew that.

    If you havent ever played Shenmue, try the remastered collection which contains Shenmue 1 & 2. If you enjoy it, getting to the third game will be that much more exciting.

    Its a unique experience, a wonderful one. Shenmue 3 was everything i could have hoped for when it was announced.
    As far as the franchise expectations go.....its a ten out of ten..    … Expand
  9. ballistic
    Dec 31, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm a long term fan of the series and backed the project to the tune of $300. I deliberately tried to avoid seeing anything about this game prior to launch in order to avoid ruining it. I'm very surprised at the final product and not for good reasons.

    This game removes all the great parts from the original Shenmue games and expands on the worst stuff.

    Lets start with the good stuff, to be nice. I think the graphics are really very good. It's missing the little detais the first two games had such as bikes down alleys and cats on rooftops but it's a sight to see still.

    The arcade games are fun, in fact they're probably better than in the first 2 games. QTE 3 is fun and the only real source of an enjoyable QTE experience in this game sadly.

    When the story isn't being slow or thin on the ground it's as fun as it was in Shenmue II. There just isn't anywhere near enough of it. Ren is back and he's welcome.

    The terrible voice acting remains but the excellent Virtua Fighter fighting system has been removed. The QTE requires impossibly fast reaction times, think Ghost Hall from Shenmue II. I completed the prequels just prior to starting this game and can assure you that my reaction times have not slowed with age. I failed around 80% of the QTE first time, it made something that was super fun in the original games infuriating. I mean how hard is it to play test this! Grrrr.

    The grindiest, most boring elements have been expanded on. You can now fish to earn money, which is insanely dull. You can collect something like 25 sets of capsules toys, comprised of such mind numbingly fascinating items such as chairs, plastic gems or fire extinguishers. Why would anyone want to do this?

    The music in the original games was awesome. We're talking about one of the best game soundtracks ever made, even to this day. It's good to see it again but as with the first two games it's hugely underutilised. Buy one of the original soundtrack CDs and you'll see what's missing from the games, it's really worth it. The amount of music written but never used greatly outweighs that used.

    However, the way the music fades in and out from one track to another as you run from one area to another is completely unnecessary and jarring.

    Special mention has to go to Shenhua, who has had a lot of plastic surgery since Shenmue II and now looks like the most generic chinese girl of all time. Her lack of personality is breathtaking, she has the wit and charm of an eggy fart in a nightclub.

    I feel this game isn't finished. I think I read Yu Suzuki said it was only 70% complete. Well it feels it. It wouldn't take much to make this into a great game. It's just feels like they ran out of time and money. Maybe we could have a new cut in 10 years time where the story is expanded. I wonder how this game would feel if Yu removed the 'erbs, toys, pots and pans and food nonsense. A damn deal better I'd expect.    … Expand
  10. bossofscandalz
    Nov 19, 2019
    8
    Du bon shenmue, imparfait mais bon, qui satisfait le fan que je suis. Très satisfait du résultat compte tenu d'un budget qui n'a pas du dépassé les 15 millions de dollars
  11. Kolossus221
    Dec 3, 2019
    10
    great unique experience that you will only get with a shenmue game. if you have the patience.
  12. Jordikira
    Dec 7, 2019
    10
    La mejor saga para mi" tiene una más que digna continuacion es meterte en la piel del protagonista y en este caso resulta facil
  13. Darkvode
    Dec 7, 2019
    10
    Has a really great story and it feels alive highly recommend to new players to the series to give it a chance
  14. eziowith550ti1
    Dec 25, 2019
    10
    The Story Goes on.... :') Such an authentic Shenmue game finally ! Thank you so much Yu Suzuki !!!
  15. 24Nathan
    Dec 26, 2019
    10
    I have been waiting for this sequel since 2002 when I first beat Shenmue II on the original Xbox. It is everything I wanted and then some. Thank you to everyone involved and on to #SaveShenmueIV! Definitely recommend this game as well as Shenmue I (Dreamcast) and Shenmue II (Dreamcast, Xbox, Xbox 360 backwards compatible), or the rerelease collection on Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4!
  16. Chettytheyeti
    Dec 27, 2019
    10
    Incredible game with lots to do and that special Shenmue feeling. Thanks to the game developers for making this happen!
  17. FlameHaze_
    Jan 23, 2020
    10
    First of all, if you expect Shenmue to be a game full of action and adventure, know that this is not what you will find. This franchise offers a unique and difficult to explain experience. It takes a certain maturity to face it, and a taste for simple things. I'm a big longtime fan and I have to say that Shenmue is one of the best franchises I've ever played, and Shenmue II is still theFirst of all, if you expect Shenmue to be a game full of action and adventure, know that this is not what you will find. This franchise offers a unique and difficult to explain experience. It takes a certain maturity to face it, and a taste for simple things. I'm a big longtime fan and I have to say that Shenmue is one of the best franchises I've ever played, and Shenmue II is still the best game.

    Frankly, Shenmue III disappointed me a lot in the story part, because in Shenmue II Ryo knows people who try to teach him about how bad the desire to get even is, but he is so obstinate about it that he doesn't give up ... I hoped that in Shenmue III there would appear at least a moment when some great master tried to teach him about how bad it is to want to take revenge, which being one of the main themes of Shenmue II, I honestly felt that this part was left out in Shenmue III. Another thing I didn't like was the unnecessary moments of humor, especially in high tension fights. Another criticism I make is the amount of events that this new game brings, it is considerably much smaller than Shenmue II, and even Shenmue I had more events than this new game, at the end of the game I got the feeling that I have progressed in almost nothing in history.

    Precisely because it fails with history, presenting little content, there are few exciting moments, few pauses for Shenmue's incredible songs to be played and contemplated with the beautiful backgrounds in the background. It seems that Yu Suzuki forgot to be romantic and made his masterpiece a kind of comedy without much content. The game also has several sidequests, they are cool and meet the modern demand that says that every RPG needs sidequests, but I find many of them out of place, because for a character as obstinate as Ryo, I really don't think he would stop his investigations to help someone in a sidequest have nothing to do with their goals.

    Regarding gameplay, there are few moments of QTE (quick time events) because there are few events in history, there are few fights, few dangers, when compared to Shenmue II, and to make matters worse, the response time to press the button at these times is very short ... If I made almost no mistakes in Shenmue II (missing only very difficult and unexpected sequences), in Shenmue III I practically missed them all.

    On positive aspects, we have very beautiful scenarios, which meet the expectations of the fans precisely because they are not ultra realistic cinematic scenarios of the great AAA games, but at the same time it is not as if we were playing a Playstation 2 game. On the positive side, we have the expectation if we see Shenmue IV, maybe Yu Suzuki will be able to make a great game again, just like Shenmue II. The grade I gave is high because it is from the heart, I love this franchise and this game was ok enough for me to continue loving, despite everything I recognize the effort of Yu Suzuki's team, you can see that they gave their best in the project , and I have expectations that in Shenmue IV they will deliver a much better story, as they will not need to spend so much time on graphics and new mechanics, since they have already created them for this game.    … Expand
  18. BarryBlanc
    Jan 29, 2020
    10
    Shenmue III is everything I was hoping it would be, and even more. It's like time stand still since Shenmue II and I mean it in a good way. Now let's hope for Shenmue IV!
  19. PoussinElitiste
    Feb 14, 2020
    8
    Early fan of the franchise (I own Shenmue 1&2 on DC + backer of the 3), with overall average press reviews I was worry. I agree with critics on the lack of polish on animation, cut scenes, dialogs and lack of PNJ, and it's the main reason why I didn't give a 10/10. But After complete the game a couple of week (close to 45h) I feel that Yu Suzuki san and his team put their soul into theEarly fan of the franchise (I own Shenmue 1&2 on DC + backer of the 3), with overall average press reviews I was worry. I agree with critics on the lack of polish on animation, cut scenes, dialogs and lack of PNJ, and it's the main reason why I didn't give a 10/10. But After complete the game a couple of week (close to 45h) I feel that Yu Suzuki san and his team put their soul into the game and provide authentic ambiance, poetry and unique experience compared to other AAA popcorn game. And with the lack of money to provide a real AAA kick ass game (thanks SEGA ...) I was greatly surprise Ys net was able to provide a real follow-up to the canonical franchise with such content. They can count on me to support the next episode.… Expand
  20. dogeymon83
    Mar 27, 2020
    9
    Shenmue 3 is a gift from the past. People who review it low would just as well have done the same with the first two. If you don't get these games, then you probably never will. There is a unique charm and bewilderment to Shenmue. Yu Suzuki is almost as unapologetic in how he has pushed forward with bringing us an experience that feels inextricably connected with the first two way soShenmue 3 is a gift from the past. People who review it low would just as well have done the same with the first two. If you don't get these games, then you probably never will. There is a unique charm and bewilderment to Shenmue. Yu Suzuki is almost as unapologetic in how he has pushed forward with bringing us an experience that feels inextricably connected with the first two way so perfectly that it's more of a miracle that he's kept it the same than the fact the game came out in the first place.

    Shenmue 3 falls short in very few areas, but it definitely has it's flaws. It's a game that deserved a bigger budget to give us an even more polished Shenmue game. I would have wished Shenhua looked exactly the same as the first two games. And petty little things like no animation for drinking soda or the title screen not being the same plague my greedy little mind sometimes. But as a Shenmue fan, I got an experience that is above and beyond what I could have hoped for. With a series that is as niche as this, Shenmue 3 is a miracle of a game.    … Expand
  21. VJS1980
    May 1, 2020
    10
    Absolutely loved this game. As someone who waited 18 years, I was completely in love with it. Shenmue 3 stays true to the spirit of the original games and adds a lot more. If you want an original, fun and deeply engrossing game, play the Shenmue series. There’s nothing else like it.
  22. Thor4803
    Jun 23, 2020
    10
    Shenmue remains Shenmue, the world would be worse off if it was not there. Thank you You !
  23. Cannon9
    Nov 19, 2019
    5
    It's an ok game, good story and some characters but there are some rough edges. Graphics are from last gen, there are notable frame drops in base Ps4 at least which is unaceptable since this game should not be that heavy resource demandant, movement is clunky as usual.

    I'd not recommend at full price, wait for a deep sale.
  24. Vgmike
    Nov 19, 2019
    4
    What an absolute disappointment.... probably on par with Duke Nukem Forever. i should add that it runs horrible on my PS4 pro
  25. thepc
    Dec 4, 2019
    1
    Very disappointing. The game is buggy and slow, it looks like an early PS3 game, and is just plain unfun to play. The combat is so simple that I thought they were joking at first until I realized that there really wasn't any more to it. The voice acting is amateurish to say the least. And worst of all, the plot doesn't progress at all. As a fan of the first 2 Shenmue games, I was reallyVery disappointing. The game is buggy and slow, it looks like an early PS3 game, and is just plain unfun to play. The combat is so simple that I thought they were joking at first until I realized that there really wasn't any more to it. The voice acting is amateurish to say the least. And worst of all, the plot doesn't progress at all. As a fan of the first 2 Shenmue games, I was really looking forward to this but they might as well have not made it at all for all the plot movement this one has. Save your money and play the Yakuza series instead - they've taken some of the ideas from this series and improved them dramatically.… Expand
  26. CharAznable
    Nov 22, 2019
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I literally just completed it, ill say I did enjoy it in the sense that it was more of what ive wanted for 18 freaking years but how does one make a 30 hour game with almost zero story progression? Because Yu actually managed to do that, Its all stick and no carrot outside of just enjoying the experience of playing a Shenmue style game again.

    The game did a great job of re-creating the basics of a charming and fun world like the previous games had complete with games, side activities, and things to do. It however on the opposite hand completely failed at bringing together all of that and wrapping it into a story of any significance or even building up meaningful roster of characters for future titles in the series.

    The game has a really bad habit of retreading information and topics from the previous titles without adding to them, and it the presentation of that information both visually and language wise is worse. So not only is it redundant but it also basically just fails at presenting its narrative and dialogue well with all the weird cuts and poor translation in the game. A lot of this could have been forgiven if not for the fact the story progression is simply not there. I kept waiting for something meaningful to happen up until the last hour even, and it just never comes.

    The combat is mediocre, parries and dodging don't work well and the RPG leveling mechanics present serve to only be a grind and a obstacle in order to slow progression in the game and extend its game-play time. The previous system of a standard fighting games combat was far superior and less of a bogged down grind because it was based off your use of mechanics not building up a number in the system, they need to really tighten that up if they get a chance to do so with a 4th game.

    The games cut-scenes have jarring cuts, seem more times than not like filler when they are not repetitive. The polish as a whole is simply no there and feels like it need a lot more time to really come together.
    the world, graphics, variety of mini games compared to previous titles, and the overall musical presentation was stellar easily a 8/10. However the story itself hurts the game severely in my eyes for the stated reasons. The finale seemed so promising as its stunning, and really gave you feeling of the game building up to something big and promising and then its over.    … Expand
  27. Dungeon00X
    Nov 23, 2019
    5
    I was hoping for a brand new entry in the Shenmue series that would implement all the new things game developers had learned over the past 10 years. I was sorely disappointed to find out that the game is basically one that was shelved for almost 20 years like opening a time capsule with someone's lunch inside. The game industry has moved on and this game (and Yu Suzuki) clearly have not.
  28. moskitto2411
    Nov 20, 2019
    0
    This is what I waited 17 years for? It's so bad, kickstarter was a fraud. Hope its the last one.
  29. TiananmenSquare
    Nov 19, 2019
    1
    Got this from my local store 2 days before it's release and i've been playing it since. it looks like a PS2 game, story is a complete downgrade from the masterpieces that were Shenmue 1 & 2, and to top it off it keeps crashing.
  30. TNTNitro
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    I am very sad to see what this classic franchise has become. on my PS4 the graphics are blurred, 720p and 30fps. In the game the commands do not respond well, the mini games are very poorly done and boring, turtle racing.... Where are we? in 2019? very disappointed.
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Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 78 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 78
  2. Mixed: 41 out of 78
  3. Negative: 7 out of 78
  1. PSX Extreme
    May 18, 2020
    30
    What a horrible experience this was. Whatever minuscule redeeming qualities this game might have are drowned out by just how infuriating it is. And I can’t think of anybody who is a fan of this franchise that can honestly call this game good with a straight face. Get this game if you’re a fan of the series, but don’t be surprised if it just ends up making you hate yourself for waiting nearly two decades for what is essentially the video game equivalent of Freddy Got Fingered.
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  2. PSX Extreme
    May 18, 2020
    30
    What a horrible experience this was. Whatever minuscule redeeming qualities this game might have are drowned out by just how infuriating it is. And I can’t think of anybody who is a fan of this franchise that can honestly call this game good with a straight face. Get this game if you’re a fan of the series, but don’t be surprised if it just ends up making you hate yourself for waiting nearly two decades for what is essentially the video game equivalent of Freddy Got Fingered.
    Read full review
  3. Cubed3
    Apr 13, 2020
    50
    Shenmue 3 is a tough recommendation for general audiences. It won't please the die-hard fans of the originals due the step backwards in terms of game design. Neophytes who are curious about it will be confused and bored by the sleep-inducing pace, plus the how the voice acting has not changed since the early '00s. The visuals may have improved, and the loading times are a thing of the past, but this is still has the soul of a Dreamcast title. It won't live up to the expectations that fans have, nor will it excite interest in the franchise. Nothing of substance gets solved by the conclusion, and there's a lack of a pay-off to playing such an intentionally slow experience. The highs in Shenmue 3 involve doing what amounts to nothing; that is just taking in the atmosphere and exploring.
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