History YMMV / ShenmueIII

* WinBackTheCrowd: For some fans, whatever concerns and criticisms they might have had were quickly laid to rest with the Kickstarter Backer Trial Demo. With familiar mechanics and the improvements made to them, the new mini-games, and all of the small details put into the game, many fans found themselves playing the proper sequel they had been waiting for. However, many also had the opposite impression, as described in TaintedByThePreview above.

* HilariousInHindsight: One of the toys Ryo can collect is a miniature version of Sega's Astro City arcade cabinet, home to several of Sega's arcade titles in Japan. Months after the game's release, Sega of Japan would announce the Astro City Mini, a miniature version of their iconic arcade cabinet that includes 36 games that can be played on the unit itself, similar to the [[UsefulNotes/NeoGeo Neo Geo Mini]].

* EvilIsSexy: Niao Sun. She's definitely a looker and she knows it.

* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: An interesting case in that there were plenty of [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks controversial changes to the formula]], but at the end of the day ''Shenmue III'' plays like a direct successor to a pair of games from the turn of the millennium. And that includes wonky, stilted gameplay, a lack of a lot of quality-of-life standards the industry has developed since their release, and an obsession with invoking nostalgia for games that [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny do not play well by today's standards.]] In a case similar to the problems with ''VideoGame/YookaLaylee'', not enough attempts were done to evolve the formula in any meaningful way or bring in lessons from those that came after, getting the game ''hammered'' by critics.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: A patch released for the game's second DLC content made the timing for the [=QTEs=] more lenient and reduced how quickly Ryo lost his health, allowing players to explore the game for much longer without having to constantly worry about eating.

* ItsTheSameSoItSucks: An interesting case in that there were plenty of [[TheyChangedItSoItSucks controversial changes to the formula]], but at the end of the day ''Shenmue III'' plays like a direct successor to a pair of games from the turn of the millennium. And that includes wonky, stilted gameplay, a lack of a lot of quality-of-life standards the industry has developed since their release, and an obsession with invoking nostalgia for games that [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny do not play well by today's standards.]] In a case similar to the problems with ''VideoGame/YookaLaylee'', not enough attempts were done to evolve the formula in any meaningful way or bring in lessons from those that came after, getting the game ''hammered'' by critics.

* {{Padding}}: Some critics have described the ''[[UpToEleven entire game]]'' as padding. Nothing that happens in the game really matters until you get to the end, at which point you face a HopelessBossFight against Lan Di and the game ends, not having advanced the overall series plot in any meaningful way, if at all.

* EndingAversion: Several players began wondering if the 18 years wait was worth it for the ending, which does little but [[spoiler:show how much further Ryo has to go to face Lan Di on equal footing, with a blatant SequelHook for a hypothetical ''Shenmue IV'' capping off an {{Unwinnable}} boss fight]].

* PanderingToTheBase: The inclusion of the forklift and Lucky Hit mini-games were seen as this, as well as the quality of the English voice acting. At some point during the Kickstarter campaign, the team asked backers whether they wanted more realistic graphics on par with current games or those resembling the Dreamcast titles, and went with something closer to the latter.

* Even the game's logo was prone to this, using a different and less sophisticated font than the previous titles.

* TaintedByThePreview: Following the Kickstarter campaign, concerns arose as months passed with the game showing little progress, and whatever was shown was usually limited to short teasers. It wasn't until 2018, close to its 2019 deadline, that actual gameplay footage was finally shown. Much of the game's early footage was also criticized for its graphics not being up to par with its big-budget competitors, especially in regards to the character models. Although the models have improved over time, the graphics in general remain a point of contention for some.

** An element of the original Shenmue games that made them stand out when they were new, and even hold up to some extent to this day, was the attention to detail. The games would often go out of their way to animate complex but otherwise mundane actions that most games have happen just out of frame, adding an extra layer of realism and immersion. Shenmue 3 noticeably pulls back on these sort of details, making it arguably less advanced in some ways than its predecessors, which ironically contributes to the opposite feeling that Shenmue 3 feels [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks too accurately like a product of an older time]].

* WinBackTheCrowd: The Kickstarter Backer Trial Demo was meant to be this, to varying levels of success. For many fans, whatever concerns and criticisms they might have had were quickly laid to rest. With familiar mechanics and the improvements made to them, the new mini-games, and all of the small details put into the game, many fans found themselves playing the proper sequel they had been waiting for. On the other hand, there were many who, upon playing the demo, had the opposite impression; mainly, that instead of playing something up to par with the current year, they were playing a literal Dreamcast game made in the modern day with low-quality animations, semi-tank controls, poor voice acting (which admittedly was intentional), and a very unpolished combat system (It doesn't help that said combat system completely lacks throws, which were incredibly useful against aggressive opponents and are an established part of Ryo's fighting style, a mixture of Karate and Jiu-Jitsu).

** An element of the original Shenmue games that made them stand out when they were new, and even hold up to some extent to this day, was the attention to detail. The games would often go out of their way to animate complex but otherwise mundane actions that most games have happen just out of frame, adding an extra layer of realism and immersion. Shenmue 3 noticeably pulls back on these sort of details, making it arguably less advanced in some ways than its predecessors, which ironically contributes to the opposite feeling that Shenmue 3 feels [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks too much like a product of an older time]].

** An element of the original Shenmue games that made them stand out when they were new, and even hold up to some extent to this day, was the attention to detail. The games would often go out of their way to animate complex but otherwise mundane actions that most games have happen just out of frame, adding an extra layer of realism and immersion. Shenmue 3 noticeably pulls back on these sort of details, ironically making it feel less advanced in some ways than its predecessors, which certainly doesn't help the opposite feeling that Shenmue 3 feels [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks too much like a product of an older time]].

** Many fans who enjoyed the combat system from ''I'' and ''II'' weren't happy that it received a complete overhaul and find the new engine to be inferior on many levels. But it's not without its defenders, who argue that the combat of the earlier games were very clunky and haven't aged well, and claim that there's more depth to the new system than just button-mashing.