@Buuhan1:
You had a more fair expectation than the majority of people who thinks it's a GTA clone. That's all I ever hear when it's brought up.
"Oh, that stupid GTA ripoff set in Japan? Yeah, I have no interest playing that."
So damn annoying.
I think that was the biggest mistake while advertising Shenmue, that you could do ANYTHING you wanted. And of course, it was far from truth.
They should've enfasized the story, the interactions, the epicness in general, the "everyday life" feeling (at least for the first game), etc. . .But not to label as a "do wathever you want!" when in reality it's a completely story driven adventure, not a sand box. Never a sand box.
On that regard, I was completely amazed by the feelings I got from each part: Shenmue 1 was the cotidianity, the every day; everyone knew you, you were in a fairly "safe" place (you supposedly lived all your life in that city), and with skill you could finish the game undefeated.
Then, Shenmue 2 starts, you're in a stranger land, you get robbed right at the beggining of the game, you have to trust a girl that let's you stay at an inn but you're already indebted so you have to start working right away, then by the time you start wandering through the Beberly Hills place you get ambushed and get your ass handed to you, also that badass kung fu teacher woman is constantly humiliating you, Dou Niu manhandles you. . .it's like going from safe to completely and unrelenting danger and challenge. By the end of the 3rd disc I was like, hell yeah, Ryo's becoming a freaking man!. . .
Yes, I need Shenmue 3 someday. I enjoyed too much the first 2 games not to finish the story. . .And even more after hearing some tidbits by Suzuki himself about little details of a possible future chapter.