Current Events > The Yakuza series is what the Shenmue series failed to be: a masterpiece

(+) Yeah! (+)

Change my mind.

I think the Yakuza series is heavily flawed, but it has a bunch of good ideas.

I haven't played any of the Shenmue titles, though, so I can't comment on them.

When are you gonna make a playthrough topic on Yak4 Neon?

BlazinBlue88 posted...

When are you gonna make a playthrough topic on Yak4 Neon?

Soon >_> I dont want to burn out lol. Probably in a couple of weeks

The Yakuza series is what the Shenmue series failed to be: completed stories.

Yakuza 0 I agree with, the others not so much.

I don't know why they can't just finish Shenmue. I waited 20 years for shenmue 3, and it still doesn't end the story. Amd they probably won't make shenmue 4. They possed away their only chance to end the story

The anime got cancelled? Oof. That story is never gonna be concluded >_>

Maybe Shenmue always sucked dick, and no one wanted to admit it?

g0ldie posted...

I think the Yakuza series is heavily flawed, but it has a bunch of good ideas.

I don't think there's an amazing game in the series, but it makes up for that in charm and continuity

Shenmue is kinda dookie

NeonTentacles posted...

The anime got cancelled? Oof. That story is never gonna be concluded >_>

I'd be happy with just a manga that shows the ending. I don't think that would be hard to do. But Sega doesn't seem to care about finishing it

I wonder if he'll just come out and say the ending, or if he'll hold onto that ending and hope he gets some kind of adaptation

I played Shenmue 1 for the first time a year or so ago. Did not like it. >_> Guess it's one of those "you had to be there" type situations. It's way too outdated now lol.

Jupiter posted...

I played Shenmue 1 for the first time a year or so ago. Did not like it. >_> Guess it's one of those "you had to be there" type situations. It's way too outdated now lol.

I'm sure back in 2000 or whatever, it was revolutionary. Hell it apparently was the most expensive game produced at that time.

NeonTentacles posted...

I'm sure back in 2000 or whatever, it was revolutionary. Hell it apparently was the most expensive game produced at that time.

It was. The level of detail to everything and how every NPC had their own schedule was mind blowing at the time. I can go in every room in my house and open every drawer or closet for no reason? Oh I can roam around the town at my own pace buying drinks all day in hopes of winning a copy of Space Harrier so I can play it on my virtual Sega Saturn at my home? That's crazy!

As you can see Yak's arcades are an evolution of that concept.

People need to realize that Yu Suzuki isn't a game developer. He was a hardware engineer and graphics engine guy. Shenmue 1/2 was lightning in a bottle that did something new, but then the lead dev basically retired from development until Shenmue 3, which is why that game plays like it's a Dreamcast game: because it's using design sensibilities from that era.

He also has said in interviews the full story is like 7 parts and he has no plans on ever abridging the story just to finish it, so just accept that you'll never, ever, see how it ends.

I heard the full story was supposed to be 16 parts, which sounds absolutely insane

DipDipDiver posted...

I don't think there's an amazing game in the series, but it makes up for that in charm and continuity

Shenmue is kinda dookie

I don't necessarily have an attachment to the continuity, since it's difficult to recommend skip one of the entries since so many important things happen, even if that particular game might be especially weak or suck.

I do agree that some of them have their charm, though.

Shenmue was incredible when I played it on Dreamcast, but it's probably my biggest "best to just leave it in the past" game.

NeonTentacles posted...

I'm sure back in 2000 or whatever, it was revolutionary. Hell it apparently was the most expensive game produced at that time.

I mean not only was it expensive, it kind of set the standard for narrative based games couched in realism. Like in 1999 no one else was really doing the F.R.E.E thing that Yu Suzuki invented. It was further enhanced with the Shenmue Passport (if you have your Dreamcast hooked up to dialup). All the one line NPCs who never tell you anything have backstories and ages. They wander through town at different times of the day, spend an amount of time around or in a store and then go to their apartment or on the bus and leave. Shenmue also had real weather from those days in Yokosuka.

They are 2 different kind of games, though. Shenmue was like a detective game with the setting being simulated realistically, and a bit of day/night simulation and karate practice simulation too. Yakuza is like a mini-sandbox RPG with crowd simulation, at best, that has a lot of minigames. It's really a J-drama beat 'em up game.