Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Prime Day Deals
  • Superman
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
A header image for the GamesRadar+ Best Games of 2025 list, showing Mario Kart World, Blue Prince, The Alters, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Games The best games to play in 2025, so far
Hollow Knight
Platforming Games "We really getting Silksong before GTA 6": Hollow Knight fans can hardly believe their eyes as Rockstar's biggest game ever slips past the indie Metroidvania to rule them all
Stranger Than Heaven protagonist up close
Action Games I was sad it wasn't Judgment 3 at first, but RGG has officially sold me on its gritty, time-hopping, jazzy action game now officially titled Stranger Than Heaven
A Jazz singer during the trailer for the new game Stranger Than Heaven.
Games Stranger Than Heaven: Everything we know about the new Project Century game
Two players in horror game REPO.
Horror Games REPO dev has been joining and questioning players "incognito, in secret, through the random matchmaking" in the big update beta
Hollow Knight
Action Games Check in on the Hollow Knight: Silksong fans in your life, because the triple-whammy of mentions, no-shows, and clarifications at Summer Game Fest was absolutely brutal
Death Stranding
Adventure Games 6 years too late, I bring lukewarm takes: Death Stranding rules, and we should all play more games outside of our comfort zone
  1. Games
  2. Action Rpg
  3. Shenmue 3

Have we been secretly playing Shenmue 3 for years?

Features
By Keith Andrew published 14 January 2016

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Hiding in plain sight

Hiding in plain sight

The prospect of Shenmue 3 had much in common with the return of Star Wars. It might have only been ten years since Revenge of the Sith rolled out at the cinema a blink of an eye compared to the 16 years Shenmue fans will have been waiting for a new game by the time the third instalment comes out but fans of both series have become accustomed to long waits for new releases. And for both series - for different reasons - the pressure on their current revivals has been vast.

But Star Wars had it slightly easier. The films between the original trilogy and now have been not good. Shenmue 2, however, is regarded as something of a masterpiece. Not only that, but in the years that have passed, games have moved on by quite a degree. All the lauded innovations Shenmue and its successor brought into play have long been either iterated on or plain ol' nabbed. It all begs the question, with its influence spread far and wide since 1999, have we actually been playing Shenmue 3 for years? Here are six core elements of the series that are far from uncommon these days. Maybe you didn't need to back that Kickstarter, after all.

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
The QTE

The QTE

It's easy to forget now, but in the run up to the original Shenmue's launch back in 1999, the Quick Time Event was billed as a key selling point. Even for Shenmue advocates, however, QTE sections were the digital equivalent of Marmite. Though some relished their simplicity and spectacle, for others they were a constant stumbling block. Nevertheless, over the years we've seen a spate of games employ QTEs to drive the action forward with a quick change of pace.

Resident Evil 4 breaks up the shooting and horror with some dramatic QTE-driven stunts. The Last of Us and the recent Tomb Raider reboot build QTEs directly into combat, while Metal Gear Solid 4 notably uses the technique during Snake's climactic slug through the microwave chamber, adding extra tension and pathos to what would otherwise be a cut-scene. And the God of War series most epic action is practically made of QTEs. Telltale's The Walking Dead series, however, evolves the system in a whole new direction. The conversational trees that make up the bulk of play are timed events, with the responses you give having an impact on much of what follows. Will Shenmue 3 really be able to put a new spin on a feature that's become even more commonplace than Yu Suzuki predicted?

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
The fighting system

The fighting system

It's something action games have struggled with since the beginning of time: how do you surround a player with folk to fight without overwhelming them? Do you make them attack neatly one by one, like in the kind of cheap action flick you might see on a random cable channel late at night, or do you send them all in at once but weaken them to such a degree that they fall like nine pins? Shenmue opted for a spin on the former, restricting attacks to just a few at a time, but locking off the battle to a circle, creating a smartly controlled hybrid of the one-on-one fighter and the scrolling brawler.

Since then, many games have been happy to follow much the same path, albeit a little more subtly in Ryos staunchly stage-managed encounters. The very fact that the Arkham series, Assassin's Creed, the Mad Max and Mordor games, and even the likes of Xbox One launch bomb Ryse: Son of Rome have adapted what was once a fairly unique combat system is something of a worry for Shenmue 3. If the third game is to have anywhere near the same level of impact as the previous two, Suzuki won't just have to match the series' existing combat system, he's going to have to better it.

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
Day-to-day life simulation

Day-to-day life simulation

It's rather strange when you think about it but, ever since games ventured into the world of 3D, we've been desperate for them to simulate the mundanities of out lives. Shenmue, of course, really kickstarted this. You'd be hard pressed to find a bona fide fan who didn't dedicate hour upon hour to simply walking the streets of Yokosuka, talking to randoms for no reason, or even contain yourselves deciding what to feed a stray cat. Are you one of the hardcore who followed the countless steps required to unlock the duck race in Shenmue 2? And did you trigger Fangmei's birthday party along the way?

Of course, handing out scores of tangential missions, wrapped up in a world that seems to tick along very nicely with or without you, is something that Grand Theft Auto has built into its very core ever since GTA 3 hit the PS2. 'Real' life simulation is now seen as the norm, whether you're talking Rockstar's big IP Bully giving GTA a run for its money Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs, Fallout, Skyrim, or even also-ran series like The Getaway. The long and short of it is, if you're looking for a living, breathing open-world, Shenmue 3 will definitely not be your only port of call in 2017.

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
Games within games

Games within games

So immersive is Shenmue's open-world that you can even pop down to the arcade and take on scores of other games while playing as Ryo. A handy nod to Yu Suzuki's illustrious back catalogue, the first outing sees Sega classics like Hang On and Space Harrier making an appearance, while Shenmue 2 pushes the boat out further, offering up Outrun and After Burner. More than a gimmick, putting games within the games really strengthened Shenmues sense of its own reality.

It's hard to know whether Suzuki will look to pack arcade cabinets into Shenmue 3. Hell, might he be cheeky enough to hide a Dreamcast somewhere in the game's outreaches, allowing players to play the original Shenmue within the latest version? Or would that be a little bit too Inception? Either way, Shenmue is no longer the only game to allow you to take on other titles within its confines. The original Geometry Wars was designed by Bizarre Creations to slot into the second edition of its celebrated Project Gotham series, but became a sensation all of its own. And then of course TimeSplitters 2, No More Heroes, Doom 3, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Fallout 4, and a raft of others have included playable, separate video games within the fabric of their worlds.

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
The art of conversation

The art of conversation

For a game where the lead character's typical reply to any question is I see, Shenmue doesnt half hang its hat on conversation driving the plot forward. Until Ryos first adventure - on console at least - perhaps only the original Metal Gear Solid and particularly text-laden Japanese RPGs could rival Shenmue when it came to chatting to NPCs, and that focus was only ramped up in its sequel. But conversation-heavy games are anything but a rarity these days, and that dialogue is only getting more important and interactive, with scores of games Mass Effect, Dragon Age, The Walking Dead, the Fallout series, and the likes of recent indie hit Her Story - putting the art of talking front and centre.

Perhaps the best example of a chat-happy game with serious evolutionary intent is L.A. Noire. The game takes questioning NPCs to a new level, with much of your success derived from your ability to read the merest change in facial expression as a sign of guilt or a symbol of innocence. Shenmue might have established dialogue as a major console game mechanic, but ironically its level of influence means that its threequel can no longer rely on it as a selling point.

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
Every element of Shenmue ever

Every element of Shenmue ever

The Yakuza series. Seriously, just the Yakuza series. It does it all. Regardless of its hesitance to greenlight Shenmue 3 over the years, Sega has been banging out bonkers, crime-focused remixes of the series core conceits the entire time. Play some of it while waiting for Shenmue 3 to hit the shop shelves, and youll see what I mean.

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PS4 Xbox One Platforms PlayStation Xbox
Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
Hello. I’m Keith Andrew. I drink a lot of coffee and tap out a lot of words on my laptop. Based in the UK, for the last eight years I’ve been covering the gaming and tech scene for a variety of different publications online and in print, with a focus on the mobile scene.
See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
A header image for the GamesRadar+ Best Games of 2025 list, showing Mario Kart World, Blue Prince, The Alters, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
The best games to play in 2025, so far
Hollow Knight
"We really getting Silksong before GTA 6": Hollow Knight fans can hardly believe their eyes as Rockstar's biggest game ever slips past the indie Metroidvania to rule them all
Stranger Than Heaven protagonist up close
I was sad it wasn't Judgment 3 at first, but RGG has officially sold me on its gritty, time-hopping, jazzy action game now officially titled Stranger Than Heaven
A Jazz singer during the trailer for the new game Stranger Than Heaven.
Stranger Than Heaven: Everything we know about the new Project Century game
Two players in horror game REPO.
REPO dev has been joining and questioning players "incognito, in secret, through the random matchmaking" in the big update beta
Hollow Knight
Check in on the Hollow Knight: Silksong fans in your life, because the triple-whammy of mentions, no-shows, and clarifications at Summer Game Fest was absolutely brutal
Latest in Action Rpg
Diablo 4
Blizzard puts the nerf bat down, reaches for a dash of buffs instead, then says screw it and buffs literally every Diablo 4 class in the next update
Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 narrative director reveals his biggest uncertainty, and looking at the script, yeah, I get it: "The crowd falls apart like that guy in the cube that gets cubed in the movie Cube"
Lords of the Fallen twin knights with swords and spears
I don't know folks, I think game dev might be kind of broken: slick Soulslike RPG Lords of the Fallen has passed 5.5 million players but still isn't profitable
Monster Hunter Wilds trailer screenshot showing a young woman with long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail smiling slightly, pumping her left fist in the air
As Monster Hunter Wilds struggles with "Overwhelmingly Negative" Steam reviews, fans praise Capcom "for listening" as it confirms plans to add permanent Arch-tempered monster variants
Borderlands 4 trailer Vex covered in blood
Gearbox releases an intensely gory Borderlands 4 character trailer, cementing that I will be playing as the Siren for the fourth time
A zoomed-in screenshot of Tombwater shows a character with a large hat stood on some stairs in front of a large building.
The dev who turned Bloodborne into a Zelda game has now made his very own Soulslike Western with a map that's several times larger than A Link to the Past
Latest in Features
David Corenswet as Superman with Krypto the dog and a robot in the Fortress of Solitude.
James Gunn's Superman has finally found the cure to superhero movie fatigue: just make them more like comics
Abraham's Boys: A Dracula Story
New indie horror Abraham's Boys: A Dracula Story is Frailty meets There Will Be Blood with a haunting focus on family – and I have no complaints
Superman shows off his strength on the cover of Superman Unlimited #2.
Here's how to start reading Superman comics once you've seen the new movie
David Corenswet as Superman in James Gunn's Superman
Superman ending explained: your biggest questions answered on Lex Luthor, the Justice Gang, and what it sets up for the DCU
The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature
After 16 years of The Sims 3, The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature might just be the whimsical expansion pack that pulls me away from EA's iconic 2009 life sim for good
Superman
Every comic book character in Superman, listed in order of appearance in James Gunn's new movie
  1. Zion Wright grinds along a wooden balustrade in in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4's San Francisco level
    1
    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: "A nostalgic, must-play hit for fans"
  2. 2
    College Football 26 review: “Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is the greatest show on turf”
  3. 3
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  4. 4
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  5. 5
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...