Shenmue III: Was The 18-Year Hiatus Worth It?

After purchasing 'Shenmue I and II' on a nostalgic impulse buy, as well as learning that Shenmue III was in development as a result of a Kickstarter crowdfunding initiative, I could not wait to get my hands on the next chapter of this simplistic, but legendary story. I thought that I was only one of a handful of admirers of the Shenmue series, but the money raised for the Kickstarter completely blew me away. Despite the branding of Shenmue I and II as being 'commercial flops', there was no question that there was something special about the series when it came to the story and characters.

Video Game Review: Shenmue II + Expectations for Shenmue III

microsoft.com

With my purchase of the remastered Shenmue 1 and 2 for the PS4, it was only fair that I once again dive into the world of Shenmue II and relive some old nostalgia. It may be worth reading my review of the first Shenmue game before reading this review, as I make many parallels between both games. Shenmue II is an obvious improvement over the first game in almost every way, but these improvements only felt marginal. It was not just a continuation of the story in Shenmue II, but also a continuation of the graphics and the gameplay as well.

Shenmue: A Reflection

shenmuedojo.net

I recently purchased the remastered Shenmue 1 and 2 for the PS4. I bought the game mostly because I wanted to relive the experience I had playing Shenmue 2 on my old Xbox back when I was an elementary school student. However, I had never played the first Shenmue game, and I was intrigued to play this game based on everything I had heard about it up to this point. Therefore, I gave the game a shot, and here is my reflection.