Ever since the game was shockingly announced at E3 2015, fans have been waiting to see something substantial onShenmue 3. Developer Ys Net has been mostly secretive since the game’s announcement,skipping major events like E3 2017. Luckily for fans, Ys Net and publisher Deep Silver have finally released a new teaser trailer to coincide with gamescom 2017, though some are concerned with how it looks.
The first teaser trailer forShenmue 3is taken from an in-development build of the game, and it shows off various locations and characters set to an orchestral score. The trailer shows thatShenmue 3will be very similar to the previous games, but the facial animations and graphics in general seem dated. This wouldn’t necessarily be a big deal, but there is a reason why weak visuals could really turn off fans of the franchise.
As some may recall, the first twoShenmuegames were known for being on the cutting edge of graphics technology at the time. In fact, the games were notorious for their massive budgets and being incredibly expensive to develop, which was part of the reason why it took over a decade to seeShenmue 3finally announced.
The poor facial animations seen in the teaser trailer may be the most concerning aspect of it, as gamers have already been stung by bad facial animations earlier this year withMass Effect: Andromeda. It’s clear that the disappointment withMass Effect: Andromeda’s facial animations is still a fresh wound for many gamers, with many in theShenmue 3teaser trailer’s comments section unfavorably comparing the two games.
Of course, Ys Net still has plenty of time to improve the game’s graphics before it launches late next year. And sinceShenmue 3was delayed to 2018partly because the game became “bigger and more beautiful” than the team initially planned, it’s safe to say many fans will be expecting a graphical upgrade.
Whether or notShenmue 3gets a visual overhaul between now and its release remains to be seen, but even if it doesn’t, graphics aren’t everything. If the gameplay is sound enough,Shenmue 3fans may be able to overlook disappointing graphics.
Shenmue 3will launch in the second half of 2018 for PC and PS4.
