a game made for the fans was exactly what shenmue 3 needed to be and it was that. every negative aspect of this game was absolutely intentional, its very deliberately old school. had this game not been made with the same formula it would have lost what made it great in the first place, even in the face of modern gaming where every aspect of the original shenmue has been immeasurably improved shenmue should never have gone down that road, stay close to the original even if it means the reality is it cant stand up to modern games.
shenmue 3 manages to carry over the soul and the heart and wrap it up in a very clean, smooth experience for the fans. in a day and age where technology does move so quickly im glad they made it how we would have expected it to arrive on the dreamcast i really am, was never ever going to get 8/10's but its for that reason why the fans love it.
my only issue really is the fact they didnt finish the story, we always knew that was the plan but this opportunity was a golden one that is very unlikely to happen again, sony isnt going to help fund another potential 6/10 game, epic wont pay for exclusivity on another game that dont resonate with a modern audience and the fans just wont go through the heartbreak of a lengthy wait and unsure conclusions, its a shame but its almost certain never to be finished just like it was 18 years ago and that begs the question why come back knowing you wont just go for it and finish it.