Let's remember that the slow pacing is probably mostly gone from the series. At the end of II, the story had picked up a lot. There was a lot more action in this game: rooftop fight, Heavens Brawl, Yellow Head Building, street fighters, arm wrestling, chasing Yuan, etc. Whereas in Shenmue I, we pretty much only had the 70 man fight and a few fights against the Mad Angels. If Shenmue III was released, it would continue right out of the cave and we might even meet the Chiyoumen in Bailu Village, remember? Action right from the start.
And I don't think every developer inside SEGA is a money hungry greedy monster. You think the developers only care about money? They pride themselves on a job well done, and like the money on the side. Probably most if not all of the Shenmue staff loved the games even if they didn't make piles of money appear in SEGA's bank accounts. It's probably only the high up executives that aren't directly involved with development that hate the game, because all they do is greenlight projects and see the benefits for the company and stock improvement.
