10 Awesome Video Games That Fail In The 3rd Act
6. Shenmue II
Shenmue II is in many respects a mesmerising RPG that majorly improves upon the already-brilliant original, but damn if those final two-or-so hours aren't just a total slog.
The final act of the game sees protagonist Ryo heading to Bailu Village in Guilin in pursuit of his father's killer Lan Di, at which point the game transitions into a painfully protracted QTE-fest with limited actual gameplay.
The Shenmue series' pacing is sedate at the best of times, but this truly tested the patience of even committed fans.
Though some defend the Guilin section as serenely atmospheric, it is with its overabundance of QTEs and relentless chit-chat - not to mention a total lack of combat - a stamina-draining chore to get through.
This more sedate, on-rails chapter just couldn't compare to the more bustling gameplay throughout the game prior, and the fact that it built up to an agonising cliffhanger - one which wasn't really dealt with in the long-awaited third game, no less - just made it even more deflating.