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KickStarter Shenmue 3

Topher

Cipher
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
1,860
So, in the series you can carry over the save state between games (money, stats, skills, choices, I don't know stuff...) but only in the Japanese version since in the English speaking world the series released across two different systems; with Shenmue coming out on the Dreamcast and Shenmu 2 on the Xbox, so if this the entry came with save compatible editions of the first two games I could see the appeal, or hell even PC versions of the first two games, and to the best of my knowledge it doesn't. So in order to play the entire series in English you'd need to own three different systems which seems fucking stupid.
 

Lemming42

Arcane
Joined
Nov 4, 2012
Messages
6,039
Location
The Satellite Of Love
Transferring your save doesn't do much from what I remember, I played a translated DC ROM of Shenmue 2 so I could transfer it. You keep your shitty Sonic capsule toys (although some of mine still got erased for some reason), you keep your money but lose it almost instantly at the start of the game and never get it back and you keep your fight moves. That's about all it does, everything else you could have affected by playing Shenmue 1 is just the same for everyone in Shenmue 2. The most heartbreaking thing is that the photo of Ryo and Nozomi was changed from the one I picked into the default one :prosper:
 

abnaxus

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2010
Messages
10,849
Location
Fiernes
YS: I am not happy with Ryo's face. It will be the face I have in my mind in the end.

Will the gameplay in Shenmue III be more contemporary or will it be more in line with past Shenmue iterations?

YS: As for III, I would like to make a less stressful user interface, that will feature more usability. From now on, I will make that a focus.

Yu are my hero!
Shenmue is credited with introducing the QTE. Given the significant advances in gaming systems and technology over the last decade, are you confident that you can show the gaming world something we have not seen before?

YS: Thank you very much.

Will we see any capsule toys based on Ape Escape or any of the Sony franchise in Shenmue 3?

YS: I have not decided the capsule toys, so please keep your ideas coming.

Have you ever consider telling the rest of the tale for Shenmue in a book if the opportunity to make Shenmue III never came up?

YS: Yes, I have but if I did do that, it would give away the end of the story, and I thought that would be a big minus.

What was your inspiration for the story behind the first two Shenmue games?

YS: When I was making Virtua Fighter, I went location hunting in China. I was very inspired by Chinese martial arts. That very well may have been the beginning.

Will practicing moves make a return in Shenmue 3 along with the FREE battle system? A lot of fans feel not being able to practice moves was big piece missing in Shenmue 2, and I also personally loved being able to practice and make the moves stronger. It really makes you feel as if you are learning marital arts and then performing them in a skill-based actual battle feels very satisfying.

YS: I want to do it yes!

Will players have access to both the Japanese and English voice overs for the game?
And I wanted to say thank you so much for Shenmue and Shenmue II, it brought a tear to my eye seeing those games at E3 during the Shenmue III announcement, I cannot wait. Those two games are what made me curious about Japan as a child, and I am now trying to work as a Japanese translator!

YS: I am thinking about that, yes. However it is not for sure.
It is because of fans like you, I wanted to make a sequel. Thank you very much.

Will the band-aid ever come off?

YS: I am considering a special option where it could be removed.

Will we see Ryo's Journal return? Would be cool to be able to flip the pages using the PS4's touchpad.

YS: I would like to bring back the Journal. That is an interesting idea, I will look into it. Thank you.

What do you think of the current state of Japanese game development?

YS: I see the share of mobile games increasing, the budgets of games decreasing. It will be harder to express a game's vision.
I would hope the console and PC markets gain more popularity.

Any possibility of a bicycle finally being added to Shenmue 3? Thank you so much again, Yu!

YS: There is a 60 horsepower bike in Shenmue 1. For Shenmue, 3 I was thinking about something with 1 horsepower.

Will character polls compromise your artistic vision?

YS: I really want to get everyone's opinion on the characters. I have something in mind that won't break the world immersion.

In Suzuki-san’s opinion, what is the essence of arcade games? Are those influences in Shenmue?

YS: With an arcade game, you are restricted to a 3 minute window to express what the game is. That is how I made games for the longest time. I wanted to create a game that could be played at a more leisurely pace, so I created what ended up being Shenmue.

Yu, are you really going to be signing your autograph on the illustration for the $300 kickstarter signed collectors edition? So far there is almost 2000 backers, that is a lot of illustrations to sign!

YS: Of course I will write them all myself!

Will Shenmue 3 have any sort of multiplayer component? Perhaps Co-op or a versus mode?

YS: I am thinking about something that would resemble that.

Do you have any more details to share about the stretch goals? It's not clear to me what a "Rapport System" or "Character Perspective System" entails.

YS: They are new systems, so naturally they need new names. The Rapport System will govern changes in Shenhua's actions depending on your conversations with or actions towards her. The "Character Perspective System" will highlight different characters personalities as they go through the story.

What will Ryo do to earn money in Shenmue 3?
As great and engrossing as the story and gameplay were in Shenmue 1 and 2, I (and many others) really really liked the forklift driving. It was like I could learn a new (video game) skill, get good at it, and putter around the docks like a badass.

YS: There will be part time jobs that will be indicative of those you would find in China. In the Stretch goals there will also be the old favorites.

Do you have any dogs or cats?

YS: 3 yorkshire terriers and a turtle.

Love your work! You are a pioneer in this industry! As for my question:
How much game elements/features will we be missing in the game if the campaign doesn't reach the $5 million mark?

YS: I will say this: if we reach the $5 mil mark, one of the things I really want to do with Shenmue 3 will become a reality.
At $10 million, it will truly have the features of an open world.

Who would win a fight between Ryo and Akira?

YS: Akira! Akira is up to 5 now, and Ryo is still on 3.

Can we expect more duck racing in Shenmue III? That was the best easter egg I've ever seen in a video game.

YS: I would love it.

How was it working with mega64?

YS: It was really fun. I would love to do it again.
I hope they pitch in for the replica Ryo jacktet!

Will there be forklift gameplay in Shenmue III?

YS: Look for it in the Stretch Goals!

Given Shenmue 2's ending and previous items found within the series; will swordplay enter gameplay at all? What about the story, can we expect Ryo to use a sword at some point?

YS: I can't answer that.

Do you have a favorite game that you've developed other than Shenmue?

YS: I had fun making all the games I worked on, and can't say one was better than another. Boring answer I know, but it really is true.

I only have one statement. I think I speak for everyone here when I say that Shenmue is one of the greatest game series of all time. And one quick question, what can we expect for surprises in the 3rd installment without spoiling the storyline at all?

YS: How could I do that? Sorry, gotta pass. Thank you very much though!

I've always wondered, why did you set the game in the 1980s rather than present day?

YS: I wanted put forward the differences in culture and values between the two periods.

(Suzuki-san, thank you for coming today! Shenmue is the reason I came to Japan. Those living towns and people you showed in your games were so natural and real, that I wanted to see it for myself. So, now I am in my fourth year of living in Japan.
What I'd like to ask is, if you had billions of yen, what would your dream Shenmue be?
Also, were there any features or gameplay you liked that didn't make it into Shenmue 1 or 2?)

YS: One where the player could live in that world. A second life.

I have two important questions for you:
Do you know where I can find some sailors?
Would you like to try a game of Lucky Hit?

YS: Yes, but not right now.
Uh, ok.

I love the music from Shenmue, if anything kept me thinking about Shenmue from time to time during these 10+ years it was the music. Was is your favorite piece from the soundtrack? Thank you for bringing Shenmue to our lives, I can't thank you enough.

YS: Of course I love both the Shenmue and Shenhua themes, and all of them really, but the one that really sticks with me is the Tomato Mart.

Will there be more funding tiers added to the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter, specifically between the $500 and $3000 tier?

YS: Yes.

Shenmue 3 is just the start. How successful does the game need to be for us to get Shenmue 4 and so on until the saga is complete?

YS: If the fans are not happy with 3 there will not be a 4. So I please hope we can together make this game the best it can be.

What Sega console is your favourite and why?

YS: The Dreamcast. It has really good balance. I was involved with the hardware as well, so it had a lot of meaning for me.

Suzuki-San...welcome to the fantasy zone! It's finally happening. Any plans on more arcade games within Shenmue III?

YS: I plan on making plans.

Why do you create?

YS: Why does one climb the mountain?
The shark cannot breath when it does not swim.

Any info on the stretch goals for Choubu and Bailu village?

YS: Choubu is a riverside village with lots of shops, souvenir stores, hotels and temples. The quests in this village should be very enjoyable, I think.
Bailu is the village where Shenhua was raised and also a place that Ryo's father, Iwao, had visited when he was younger. Here as well the quests will play an important role as Ryo and Shenhua start their journey.

Are all the towns listed in the Kickstarter stretch goals in the game already, or are the stretch goals only there as a means to help give them more features and spice?

YS: They are there, but with more powered up through the stretch goals.

Will Ryo ever go back to Japan?

YS: Not in 3.

Who is your favorite Shenmue character?

YS: It has always been Shenhua.

Are you still involved in any programming activities?

YS: I still write algorithms, logic verification, and make simple prototypes.

Do you play airsoft, paintball, or anything similar?

YS: I think it was Afterburner that I really got into airsoft. The office floor was covered with plastic BBs. Yeah, the Berretta 93R rocks. I put a real hunting scope on that one.

Are you at all a fan of Anime? If so, what are your favourites?

YS: Sure, but its all pretty old stuff.

Will the game take advantage of the virtual reality goggles on PS4 and PC?

YS: Right now, there are no plans for a vr system compatibility, but I love the idea of using it to peer into the world of Shenmue.

When creating Shenmue 3, will you use any assets at all from 1 & 2? Or do you have to start all over from scratch because SEGA still owns the first two games?

YS: The assets from 1 & 2 will get a lot of use.

https://www.reddit.com/user/Yu_Suzuki
 

gromit

Arcane
Joined
Jan 31, 2005
Messages
2,771
Location
Gentrification Station
I never got Shenmue. Fucking Sega fans man. They'll eat any shit up.
I am a Sanshiro Justice Warrior, and y'all need to check your privilege.

There are plenty of Sega games I "never got." That's good. It was a symptom of variety. 1st- and 2nd-party DC games include, but are not limited to, three stripes of racer, casual multiplayer, a niche fighter or two, an RTS, SRPGs, an ORPG, JRPGs, a JRPG Maker, a JRPG about its maker, VALIS ports of Space Harrier and Breakout, and, like, three entirely different genres of game starring fish. I don't like 'em all either.

But since then? If they were counting on the fans eating shit, it isn't working out that well for them. And when they have been making (good) money, it hasn't been off "Sega fans."

Outside of Suzuki's departments competently doing a bunch of "safe" projects, the post-DC timeline for internal studios goes something like "JSRF, Shinobi, Gunvalkyrie, Nightshade, Orta, LA-LA-LA I can't hear you, Valkyria Chronicles, LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA" with the Yakuza series somewhere in there (never played it.)

Think RPG fans had a rough decade? Reckon the console establishment keeping the PC race down? That's nothing. You weren't there, maaaaan. It was like watching two BIs and a Bullfrog go down, while BG&E2 gets triple-forever-cancelled... only faster... and it was impossible to blame the French.

Arcade legends left their studios, while the RPG studio was doing PS2 ports of arcade classics. The guy who use to animate cel-shaded fascist beat-downs? His job now is to make Mario's ass wiggle just right when he's sweeping for the Americans in Sochi.

Most (non-Sonic) Sega communities are a lot like this place, only more sad and ashamed than righteous and indignant.
 

SCO

Arcane
In My Safe Space
Joined
Feb 3, 2009
Messages
16,320
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Sega buys ATLUS. ATLUS starts making absolute weeboo shit (instead of the slight weeaboo shit from before).

Coincidence?
 

Lemming42

Arcane
Joined
Nov 4, 2012
Messages
6,039
Location
The Satellite Of Love
After seeing the Japanese voice actor video there I was struck with a sudden burst of panic that the dude who voiced Ryo in the English dub might not be back for Shenmue III. Looked it up and found this, not sure if already posted:

Haven't seen the whole thing yet but he sounds like he's up for reprising the role if they invite him to.
 

abnaxus

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2010
Messages
10,849
Location
Fiernes
Corey Marshall didn't too badly, but Shenmue 2 dub was on the whole fucking horrible.
 

Kz3r0

Arcane
Joined
May 28, 2008
Messages
27,012
Da Fucking Fuck?
Well I really hope they got all that money but still.
a415bdd840a389f74fdbb82719047831_original.png
 

gromit

Arcane
Joined
Jan 31, 2005
Messages
2,771
Location
Gentrification Station
I just don't see them making those goals, unless they show some amazing material and pull off another quantum leap in presentation. I wish the stupid shit wasn't between the cool shit. How much of a straight-shot is this game going to be, if those sidequests aren't in? And just what are they implying about the combat? Fuck mini-games. Fuck the Portuguese. They have actual backing; don't make us pay you to do business in different regions.

I never got Shenmue. Fucking Sega fans man. They'll eat any shit up.
I am a Sanshiro Justice Warrior, and ya'll need to commit yourselves to EXTREME GAMING or you will be questioned deep inside your hearts.
Fixed.
I'm not entirely sure of your meaning, but I'm inclined to agree.

People can have all the good taste they want, whatever "good" is to them, and I won't judge (or give a fuck) one way or another as long as they have can say something interesting about it, or even just articulate why they like it. Even if the reasons are crude.

But anyone who doesn't fight the good fight against blandness in some way, shape, or form will unfortunately get what they ask for. A whole fucking lot of it. And I will, too, so fuck those people.

It's been a long time coming and a painful re-growth since gaming made its post-millenial comeback, but now we're starting to see some industry reaction to the realities of a broader audience, and what that means for the numbers game when targeting a small percentile of gamers.
 

gromit

Arcane
Joined
Jan 31, 2005
Messages
2,771
Location
Gentrification Station
I am a Sanshiro Justice Warrior, and ya'll need to commit yourselves to EXTREME GAMING or you will be questioned deep inside your hearts.
Fixed.
I'm not entirely sure of your meaning
:baka:

Ah, yeah, not really in my playlist. Segata Sanshiro however hears my words and knows what is in my heart, and so forgives me. He shows not mercy, but understanding.

That said I don't agree with all points of the doctrine. Especially not during peak tennis and club-flirting season.
 

abnaxus

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2010
Messages
10,849
Location
Fiernes
The Kickstarter got a big spike today, with the announcement of PS4 physical reward.
 

Perkel

Arcane
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
15,805
It will end up something around 7-8 milion with final push.

Imo they made mistake and made it 30 days instead of 60

60 days is two salary months...
 

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