Guang Ji Wang. Yes, he can seem kind of annoying but you gotta admire his ability to handle a drink or two.

And because the English VA for his brother Guang Yan Wang in Shenmue II is awesome.

I like Barry Jones. "We met in Sapporo last year"

Well to a certain extent Shenmue does feel less like a game than Shenmue II. They were going a more unique way when they made the first entry in the series. The changes to the pace and the reduction of the mundane in Shenmue II made it more enjoyable overall but they also made it come closer to a traditional game while doing so.

Talking about the setting is a difficult matter. Shenmue is meant to have a familiar feeling city and a fixed location you can call home while Shenmue II is meant to throw you in a foreign enviroment with ever changing life conditions. Of course everyone can have their preferences but I don't think it's fair to say that one or the other setting is better. I could only rate how well the games manage to pull of their respective feel and to me the slight winner here is Shenmue II.

In specific points, this is where Shenmue has the upper hand
- Weather effects
- Importance of time (and how you go about to make it go by)
- NPC routines
- Free training
- Ease of counter attacks (the timing in II is so strict that for a long time I thought they were gone)
- Kitten
- Forklifts
- Telephones
- Online features of the Passport Disc (too bad it's so hard to access the stuff)
- Raffle and winning cans

There are only a handful of things missing from Shenmue II that go deeper into the details of the game, like the items that don't carry over or were made into capsule toys since they lost their purpose or how the camera can be moved during fights.

I generally look at this series as a one whole thing, but for fun, what did you enjoy more about shenmue II more than Shenmue I?
great question. shenmue 2 is bigger, more positive. dobuita expands to hong kong and guilin. ryo makes friends in another country, friendships are formed that will last. ryo gets closer to his goal. explores the world.

Sent from my SM-G390F using Tapatalk

What I'm about to post here might seem a bit biased compared to what I wrote in the topic regarding the first game since it's going to include a lot more stuff. I do like Shenmue II quite a bit better than Shenmue and I think it's well known how often I have been speaking up for it in the past. But there is just so much refinement in Shenmue II that needs to be mentioned so I'm trying to make this my definitive "what's better" post.

As mentioned in the other topic I do feel that the changes in Shenmue II made it more streamlined wich leads to it becoming more (even if only slightly) of what's typical for a video game. Some of the things I'll mention here are very much doing that but I think that they make the overall experience more enjoyable, especially when you replay the game multiple times.

I'm not going into the story or the characters and how they are written. Shenmue II obviously has a lot more to offer in that regard but I think it's unfair to compare the two games here. The first one was only ever intended to be the opening chapter, almost just a prologue of the whole saga so naturally it's not as full and rich yet.

- Much bigger game world
- More NPCs
- More dialogue options
- More things to collect and play with
- More secrets and sidequests to discover
- More gameplay elements that always introduce something new (rock smashing, leaf catching, etc)
- More instances of failure leading to a branching path instead of a retry
- More fights, more QTEs
- QTEs are more varied and inputs better represent fighting actions
- Better cinematography, better action scenes
- Overall more refined graphics and a more vibrant look
- NPCs blink and have more natural looking mouth movements
- Drastically improved sky box
- Larger and more diverse soundtrack (it's extremely hard to say if it's better overall)
- Better Jukebox music (that I can say for sure)
- Money plays a bigger role and comes with lots of ways to earn and spend it
- Costumizable move set (at the expense of having some moves at the same time)
- Improved camera respone for zooming and especially turning
- Faster capsule toy animation
- Enemies have life bars
- Submenus that make the overall menu less cluttered with items
- Shenmue collection easily allows access to fights and minigames
- Maps and leading NPCs (I just wish there was a way to turn off owned maps)
- Cutscene skip option (after clearing the game and also after fails)
- Time skip option
- Save anywhere
- Uninterrupted disc swap

"More" really is the keyword here as Shenmue II simply has more to offer in just about every aspect. Shenmue II simply is a game of a much bigger scope. In order to reach this goal it made some sacrifices in areas that made Shenmue groundbreaking and unique but I feel that this is a good thing for Shenmue aswell. It makes it worth to always go back to it, just for the different feeling between the two games. I really hope I have cleared this up for me now...

I liked Shenmue II better because it gave me a better sense of adventure as a "stranger in a strange land", compared to the first one, where everything was feeling more like an intimate experience, just not as intriguing.
So it was mainly a matter of locations and storyline for me, I guess.

Is this who i'd go for or who I ship for Ryo?

All the girls are weird in Shenmue, so I don't have a waifu, but I want Ryo to be with Fangmei.

Edit: No scratch that, I want Honey-San to be my waifu.

Greetings Everyone.

First things first,

We would like to express our gratitude for the many comments we received on our previous report. From constructive criticism to kind words of encouragement, we were touched by every single one of your comments. Yu Suzuki and the entire Shenmue III Team are more determined than ever to bring to the Shenmue III that will live up to your expectations.

gamescom 2017 plans!

We will be attending Germany's mid-August gaming event gamescom 2017! While we are still working out the details with our partners, we plan to show our newest movie clips, share the latest updates and even make some new announcements.

Title logo change

Yes, Shenmue III has updated its title logo. Taking your comments into consideration, Yu Suzuki and the team gave the title logo another hard look and decided to update the logo with this design.

http://i.imgur.com/fdu3a4f.png 　

Characters in development

We have been hard at work developing the inhabitants who will set the stage of adventure in Shenmue III. Here's a sneak peek of what to expect!
　
http://i.imgur.com/zTUR20E.png
A strong-willed girl, she seems...
　
http://i.imgur.com/SR3y6ID.png
Be on the lookout for shirt button projectiles!
　
http://i.imgur.com/MRuzLd9.png
My, what lovely facial hair you have...


Thank you as always for your continued support. We look forward to showing you more soon!

Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3/posts/1907628

Gamescom booked.

"I'm not giving up." - Ren

"Do you know a guy named Charlie?"

"I know Charlie Chaplin, but he's no longer with us."

Be they funny, serious, sentimental, or otherwise, what are your favourite lines of dialogue in the game(s)?

Here's a few off the top of my head:

Jimmy: "Please don't hurt me! I have a wife and kids!"
Ryo: "That's your problem. [I still don't have the ticket I paid for!]"

-

Terry: "Let me invite you to hell."

-

Any of the conversations with Nozomi outside Aida Florist before Ryo is set to have lunch with Tom.

-

Goro: "Musta had me a bad egg this morning; gotta hit the can, my man! Oh, I hope I can make it in time, ohhhhhh!"

-

Tony Abrams: "Gimme something tough so no-one'll mess with me!"

"Hey, my lunch!" - Mark

Serious:

"Stand up, I'll allow you to die like a warrior" - Lan Di

There's a flicker of respect there, which is unusual considering Lan Di's very personal reasons for killing Iwao. Pretty interesting insight into his character IMO.

Funny:

Not a specific line, but Ryo cutting off Hattori-san when he starts complaining about sports is funny in a pretty subtle way. He does the same thing to Jianmin in II when he starts a spiel on kung fu. Ryo really doesn't enjoy rambling old men, does he?

My favorite by far is
Chai via phone: "Nyyyyyeeeeeeehehehe! Terry's waiting!"
Ryo: "Who is this?"

My favorite by far is
Chai via phone: "Nyyyyyeeeeeeehehehe! Terry's waiting!"
Ryo: "Who is this?"
:rotflmao:
They definitely stole that from here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=payDsNKcRKQ


Anyway, if I really have to choose one...
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Hh7lXKUkS5k/hqdefault.jpg

Another favourite of mine is when, after receiving Fuku-san's life savings, a frustrated Ryo comes out with: "Argh, that's still not enough!".

Although this is purely a frustrated response, I'm just amused by how ungrateful he sounds.

No.

I like Yakuza, and have done for a long, long time (I remember getting hyped when Kenzan was announced ten years ago); but it has absolutely perplexed me how people say "so why do you want another Shenmue?"

They don't scratch the same itch, and most comparisons are really just on the surface level. Those who act like Yakuza is a replacement for Shenmue don't really get why people like Shenmue in the first place.

When viewing their main mechanic focus, Yakuza is more of a 3D beat'em up with exploration aspects while Shenmue favors the latter over action. Also the level and money grinding feel of Yakuza makes it more akin to action RPGs than the likes of adventure games. Even though both share Japan as setting and Sega, they are different games in essence so Yakuza can't be in any form some kind of successor to Shenmue. A more fair comparison game to Yakuza is actually River City Ransom, to which I can see the natural evolution of its 2D form into what is now Yakuza.

Yakuza not but, somehow, Shadow Of Destiny is.

It think you hit the nail on the head. Remember the Shenmue "Post Mortem" 3 years ago? Yu Suzuki told us about a Sega Saturn prototype he developed called 'The Old Man and the Peach Tree'. It was a period piece set in rural 1950s China, where life was still very traditional, before the Cultural Revolution. The story was simply a young martial artist looking for a Master Ryu to teach him. His investigation leads him to an old man in a distant village who agrees to tell him where to find Master Ryu if he brings him a peach. Eventually, the young man returns with a peach and witnesses the old man skimming stones across a lake. Each time the stone hits the surface, a fish floats to surface. When the young man sees this feat, he finally realizes the old man is Master Ryu.

Shenmue does not strive to be a pure action game. It strives to simulate a place in time, serve as an instructive morality tale, and its offers players a spiritual meditation on life and love and peace. It's cerebral and mysterious. And only then is it an action-adventure. This is quite different from the purpose of the Yakuza series, so it will never quite feel the same, even if some of the gameplay and visuals are similar. Shadow of Memories/Destiny was a special game because it really didn't focus on action at all, but on making the player feel the consequences of time travel and really think about the consequences of human experimentation and fate. In this sense, it too had a more philosophical method and purpose of story-telling compared to Yakuza. Most people play games to enjoy action and laugh at absurdity, so it is no surprise the Yakuza series is so successful compared to Shenmue. Shenmue's ideals are more in line with what might usually be marketed today as an indie game.

Hi there people, I´m Sebastian Riera, aka SebasRD82 in the social media, and I´m working on a Shenmue manga. Just opened a Patreon to help make this possible. Maybe some of you may be interested, or not. Just in case, I´m sharing the info ;)
This is the Patreon link: https://patreon.com/user?u=695795&utm

Here you have some of the manga pages:

http://i.imgur.com/wzCbjM5.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/t9GHLPp.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VG40VR9.jpg

Kiske wrote:I should probably just stop drinking in the middle of the afternoon.

If anyone asks if you're okay... Just say:

Here's the thing people, 0 is a 2015 game, developed in 2014.

To compare the two to that title, isn't quite apt, as it was still on the Yakuza 5 engine as well (whichever engine that was).

Compare it to RGG 6, THEN we'll see what's better, as that is the most recent game in the series; Hell, Kiwami is a 2016 game, developed in 2015, so even that is closer to where we're at.

That being said, I could care less; as many others have said, I'll take a walking pile of turd as the model and still be happy :D

That first pic is indeed gorgeous, I had a huge smile on my face when I saw it :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:


I agree that if we are to draw a comparison between the Shenmue and Yakuza series, it is only fair to maintain an equal playing field by presenting the latest iterations of each game.

One point to take note of however is that comparing specific development years is somewhat erroneous because although Shenmue 3 is a newer game than Yakuza 6, the Unreal 4 engine is technically an older engine Yakuza's Dragon engine which debuted in 2015.


Shenmue 3
Unreal 4 Engine

http://i.imgur.com/DVWpdfw.jpg


Yakuza 6
Dragon Engine

http://i.imgur.com/pFnIQhn.jpg


Shenmue 3
Unreal 4 Engine

http://i.imgur.com/nfdX5Nv.jpg


Yakuza 6
Dragon Engine

http://i.imgur.com/pX994EN.jpg

Yeah 0 definitely has my favourite music in the series. Top to bottom it's great all around, think it's Hidenori Shoji's best work next to 3 (joint favourite OST for the series). I enjoy a couple of the tunes from Kenshin as well.

Biggest weakness I've noticed with Kiwami vs. 0 is the side quests - think 0 has the best collection of subquests in the series, whereas Kiwami so far might have the weakest in comparison (since it's including a lot of the ones from OG 1 so it's outdated in comparison). Still enjoying the game greatly. Really need to go back to 5 and finish it before 6 comes out!

The soundtracks from 0 and 2 are my favorites, although it was really only the licensed tracks from Crazy Ken Band for 2 that I really dug. I'm so glad that those tracks remained intact with the US release.

I'm playing through Kiwami right now. I beat the Japanese version when it came out last year, and I was really just kinda "eh..." on it, despite the gameplay and engine being the identical to 0. I guess I never really liked the original Yakuza. I remember being so pumped for it when it was first being released on PS2 back in like, 2005. But when I played it, I thought the combat was terrible. The voice-acting was bad, despite having Hollywood "celebrities doing the dubbing, and the combat mechanics didn't get serviceable until Yakuza 2.

With Kiwami, all of that is fixed. I'm still not a fan of the story, but the new parts about Nishiki's story are great. My biggest gripe though, would have to be the cutscenes. The graphics are just as good as they were in 0, but the developers didn't bother to redo any of the cutscenes (aside from the ones that weren't in the original Yakuza). What you get are these fantastic character models with 2005 PS2 animation. I never thought that the animation in any of the Yakuza series' cutscenes were bad, but maaan...seeing the original animation now with these newer models just hurts and makes Kiwami seem like it was developed and released before 0 (which it kinda was, technically).

The Majima Everywhere System is fun, but it makes no Goddamn sense in relation to the narrative. I get it, Majima is an awesome character, and after being such a major part of Yakuza 0's story, it's understandable that the developers would want to include him more in Kiwami. But Christ, his impact as a character is incredibly diminished by having him pop up so randomly. Not to mention that his behavior in the cutscenes and his behavior in practically everything else (which wasn't part of the original Yakuza) almost contradicts each other. I always remembered Majima being more of an enemy than a friend to Kiryu in the original, although he wasn't a straight-up villain either. This was something that gradually evolved into the odd friendship seen between the two characters from Yakuza 2 and on. That's why they're relationship in the original was important, as this was the starting point for their growth. In Kiwami though, he's like Kiryu's best friend from the beginning. What a shame :-({|=

All that being said though, I'm really enjoying my playthrough of Kiwami much more this time than my first time. It's probably because I can understand everything now, but still, it feels like a wasted opportunity. Even for a "budget series" such as this.

^^It sounds to me likes it's not so much about the Kiwami being mediocre, but rather that old fans (the ones no doubt most excited about any entry in the series) have already basically played the game, being that it's a remake. The stuff I'm hearing doesn't seem so much like the game itself is poor, just that it's nothing new or particularly exciting.
But yeah, should be easy to adjust expectations based on that. I've played through the original game... twice, I think? And no, it's not the greatest game in the series, but I still like the story, and finally playing it in Japanese will be nice (much as I like Mark Hamill, hearing him as Majima was never anything but distracting; I did always think Michael Rosenbaum was a surprisingly good Nishiki, though).
If anything, I'll probably find the major changes to be the worst part; the excess of Majima, for example, seems like too much (like Leroy was saying). Majima has always struck me as a bit of a Jack Sparrow type of character; the one who steals the show when he's around, but probably shouldn't be milked too much. And he's definitely being milked by this point. In the original game, his presence was minimal but memorable. And that's really how it should have stayed.

The latest post on Phantom River Stone looks into the difference in the naming of certain characters between the first and second Shenmue games when playing the English versions, and how these relate to the native ordering in Japan & China.

https://i.imgur.com/DrOwE3pl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wfgJtU0l.jpg

Read the analysis here:

http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/09/zhu-yuan-da-or-yuanda-zhu-characters.html

Hello, everyone. I know we already have the brilliant Shenmue 3 Kickstarter News/Information/Multimedia Archive thread, but I thought it would be a good idea to have a compendium of all the facts, information, and everything we currently know about the game in one easy-to-read contained thread. Perhaps the mods would like to consider this as a sticky?

Please feel free to add everything and anything you can that is relevant (as well as suggestions on how to improve the thread), and I'll update the original post whenever I can :)

(Some of the following information can be considered as spoilers, so read at your own risk.)

---

Story

- Yu Suzuki describes the game as "a kung-fu adventure that takes place in China" [1]

- The game's "key points," according to Yu Suzuki, are "romance, characters' life and martial arts." Where romance is concerned, Yu Suzuki would like to portray the differences between how men and women think [4] [39]

- According to Yu Suzuki, Shenmue III will begin from Chapter Six of the story's eleven planned chapters , and will "mark the end of this story," but will not be the end of the story . In a 2018 interview with GamersFlag, Yu Suzuki stated, "the end will be open for a sequel," suggesting Shenmue III might end on a cliffhanger [33]

- Shenmue III 's story begins the day after the conclusion of Shenmue II [9]

- Ryo, while still angry and thirsty for revenge, will grow and mature a lot throughout the game. Those he meets along the way, particularly where martial arts is concerned, will be largely responsible for this [5]

- The meaning behind the "He shall appear from a far eastern land across the sea..." prologue poem, as well as Ryo and Shenhua's roles in the prophecy , will finally be revealed [1]

- Yu Suzuki has stated he would like to keep Shenhua as "a mysterious character" [38]

- Ryo will not return home to Japan in Shenmue III [17]

- The game will explore and highlight the differences between Japanese and Chinese culture , particularly the way in which Ryo behaves in a foreign land having come from a different background, and how he and Shenhua interact with each other [8]

- Confirmed fighting styles (thus far) include: Hazuki style jujitsu (Ryo) , Fist-Dagger Mantis style (Niao Sun) , Nanquan (a master located in Choubu), and Bajiquan (Ryo and various characters throughout the game) [9]

Characters

- Confirmed important characters (thus far): Ryo Hazuki , Shenhua , Lan Di , Ren , Niao Sun , Chai , Shenhua's adoptive father, and two unnamed "main bosses"

- Confirmed minor characters (thus far): Ming Ming and unnamed minor characters such as an extremely muscular rival to Ryo (described as "a middle-level boss" who "uses an unusual style of martial arts") , the owner of Choubu's Bird Dance Hostel , the temple/shrine maiden of the Hall of Name Tags (described as "a tomboy, boyish type") , a young girl Ryo will befriend , an assistant who will play a role similar to that of Fangmei , a master of Nanquan , and an "eccentric" and "really powerful" martial arts master with "a humorous personality" [6] [9] [36]

- Nozomi , Guizhang , Ine-san , Joy , Fuku-san , Goro , and "other characters" from the two previous games are also confirmed , albeit in the form of telephone calls through the 'World of Telecom' service [6] [9] [16]

- There will be "four main bosses," according to Yu Suzuki. Lan Di and Niao Sun are the only named bosses at present, the latter of whom has been described as "extremely beautiful and sexy, but cruel." The only information pertaining to the two remaining main bosses is that one of them is "[a] strategist using more cunning than head-on fighting" [39]

Locations

- Confirmed areas (thus far): Bailu Village , Choubu , and Baisha [6]

- Bailu Village ( 白鹿村 , which translates as 'White Deer' ) is the starting area of Shenmue III and, where the player was only able to experience just a tiny fraction of the village, was also where Shenmue II ended, though the entire village will now be fully open and explorable . According to Shenhua, who lives in a hut on the very outskirts of the village, Bailu Village is home to around fifty inhabitants . Due to the village's proximity to water, players will be able to fish there . The initial quests here will start Ryo and Shenhua off on their journey

- Choubu ( 鸟舞 , which translates as 'Bird Dance' ), a riverside village situated on the banks of the Li River , will be the game's equivalent to Dobuita or Wan Chai , featuring numerous shops, stalls, amusements, hotels, shrines, temples, dwellings, and other buildings. Choubu resembles Kowloon in terms of its density and verticality . Choubu will contain approximately two-hundred NPCs (which is over three times that which was originally planned), one of whom is a master of Nanquan . Choubu has been described as the most Shenmue -esque location in the game [9] [17]

- Baisha ( 白沙 , which translates as 'White Sand' ) is a village, notable for its numerous tulous, which is home to the Guilin branch of the Chi You Men. Baisha will see a number of new gameplay systems introduced to players, including "a siege game reminiscent of the Warring Kingdoms," which will presumably see the player defending allies from external attacks and engaging in battle with enemies attempting to gain control of the village's buildings, as well as an infiltration mission into the Chi You Men's branch (presumably on a mission to rescue Shenhua's imprisoned adoptive father). It is also during this infiltration mission the player will take advantage of the new 'Character Perspective System' , allowing the player to swap between Ryo, Shenhua, and Ren, utilising each character's unique traits and abilities to achieve their goal

- Some of the specific landmarks and establishments that have been revealed are the Lake of the Lantern Bugs , the Temple of the Blooming Flower , the Bird Dance Hostel , and the Hall of Name Tags [13] [30] [31] [32]

Gameplay

- Shenmue III contains around thirty hours of gameplay [3] [9]

- The 'Technique Scroll System' , one of the game's confirmed new mechanics, consists of move scrolls comprised of three unique types - Normal, Advanced, and Arcane - the latter two of which are managed by a skill tree-like system, which fills as you learn new moves , and require a certain amount to be accumulated before use [9] [16]

- The 'Character Perspective System' , the second of the game's confirmed new mechanics, gives the player the ability to change the character they're playing as - with each character having their own distinct personalities, choices, and approach to the situation at hand - in order to complete their objective. Ryo's approach is that of fighting ; Ren's is that of using a weapon ; and Shenhua's is non-violent and tactical . This mechanic will feature in a single event [17]

- The 'Rapport System' , the third of the game's confirmed new mechanics, will see Ryo and Shenhua's relationship vary depending on the player's actions towards, and interactions with , her, therefore affecting how cooperative and/or warm/cold she is in return , dictated by two underlying systems: the 'Affinity Rating' and 'Cooperative Quest' [17]

- 'A.I. Battling' , the fourth of the game's confirmed new mechanics, will allow players to "unleash the perfect technique in response to the opponent's positioning and distance," meaning the technique will, upon activation, hand control over to an A.I. which will decide the best course of action instead of requiring calculated inputs from the player. The system is "for players who are not used to fighting games or for those who want a full immersion battle experience" [19]

- NPCs will be more akin to those featured in Shenmue II , meaning their scripting won't be as detailed, nor will their personalities be as unique as those in the original game, though other aspects about them will see improvement (e.g., cosmetic detail and facial expressions) [38]

- Regarding controls, Yu Suzuki has stated he is currently in two minds about how they will function; on one hand, he would like to "keep a similar configuration to the original game," but realises times have long since changed and is therefore considering more contemporary schemes [10] [12]

- In order to make the combat system simpler and visually different from the series' previous entries, a "Variable Speed" system is being incorporated into FREE battles. Specific details have not been revealed, but Yu Suzuki describes it as "new and fun" [11]

- Ryo will now be able to attack multiple opponents at once (a primitive version of this could be found in the first two games, in which the Ryo was able to grapple an opponent and kick away surrounding enemies) and perform combos in FREE battles [26]

- QTEs will return in a more modernised, dynamic fashion . The possibility of using specific sounds and colours to associate with inputs , as opposed to displaying the button itself on-screen, is under consideration [9]

- Training areas might be making a return for the first time since the first game [38]

- Progression of time will be "about the same system as the first two Shenmue ." This means one in-game hour is equivalent to four real-world minutes; one in-game day is equivalent to one real-world hour [34]

- There will be events in which a bear and a deer must be saved

- Regarding the size of the game world , Yu Suzuki states it will be "even richer" than the series' previous entries. Choubu, on its own, has been greatly expanded , by at least five times its originally planned size [4]

- A trademark of the series, attention to detail and interactivity (as well as examples of more subtle detail such as gestures and cultural dress style) will be in abundance [9]

- As was the case with the previous games, Ryo will return to his place of rest at 11:30pm . In Bailu Village this will be Shenhua's house , and in Choubu it will be the player's hostel of choice . Baisha's place of rest is currently unknown, though one can assume it will be in one of the tulous

- Regarding loading screens/times , Yu Suzuki has stated that, "[players will] start in a large area which will require some initial loading, but compared to before the loading situation will be much better. It's much faster now," possibly suggesting exterior-to-interior (and vice versa) loading will be seamless [10]

- For the very first time in the series, players will be able to change Ryo's outfit (and maybe even remove his bandage ) [17]

- The notebook will return, and has been updated with coloured divider tabs [17] [25]

- Forklifts will return in one form or another [9] [38]

- Capsule toys from the first two games will be returning, though it is currently unknown whether brand new capsule toys from SEGA franchises will be introduced. Those who pledged for the $700 tier of the Kickstarter campaign will have a 2D illustration of their face featured inside a small glass block , whereas those who pledged for the $1200 tier will have a Chibi-style representation of themselves featured as a fully-modelled capsule toy , as part of new in-game capsule toy collections [13] [17]

- Fortune-telling has been confirmed

- Purchasable move scrolls will be returning [23] [24]

- Arcade cabinets will be returning. So far, Excite QTE and Fighting Mania -like cabinets, as well as pinball machines, whack-a-mole, and a punch-ball boxing machine , have been seen [17] [25] [41]

- Lucky Hit will be returning [6]

- A turtle racing mini-game has been confirmed [1]

- A fishing mini-game has been confirmed [9]

- Many of the new mini-games will be more meaningful and connected to the game's world and progression [9] [26]

- Part-time jobs will be returning. Although wood chopping is the only confirmed job thus far , the presence of a warehouse in Choubu and Lucky Hit suggests job opportunities, too [9] [35]

- Ryo can earn money through various other means, including gambling and selling items (e.g. capsule toys and fish he has caught) [9] [17]

- Wild animals such as tortoises, ducks, and frogs can be found in certain areas. Chickens, dogs, cats, turtles, hens, pigeons, and "many more" can be found throughout the world, too, and there might even be the opportunity to care for a pet in a similar fashion to the kitten from the first game [2] [9]

General

- The game has a tentative release date of 2019 for PlayStation 4 and PC [27]

- In order to appeal to veterans of the series, Shenmue III will be comprised of 30% contemporary ideas/influences and 70% 'classic' Shenmue themes [12]

- The game will feature a short recap covering the events of the first two games for those who are new to the series. Flashbacks using scenes from the first two games will also occur throughout the story; Yu Suzuki is even considering making some of them playable , but is currently "undecided" [9] [11]

- Like its predecessors, Shenmue III will have a bad ending should players not manage to complete the game by a certain in-game date [40]

- Memories will play an important part in Shenmue III . One such example is that of an NPC who will recount a prior event , giving Ryo (and, by extension, the player) a more tangible, visual idea of what occurred before working to fit the pieces together [11]

- Save data from the first two games will not be able to be carried over into Shenmue III

- As of December 2017, almost all of the English voice actors for the main characters have been cast , with casting set to continue in early 2018 [8]

- Yu Suzuki would like to bring back as many of the series' past voice actors as possible. Shenhua (and Wong , if he features in the game) will have a new English voice actress due to Akasha Scholen's retirement [3] [9]

- Corey Marshall and Masaya Matsukaze will reprise their roles as the English and Japanese voices of Ryo Hazuki, respectively [28] [29]

- In a Dreamcast Ultimate interview published on 11/09/2017 , Corey Marshall stated he has been in contact with Yu Suzuki's team and his voice work will begin "soon." In March 2018, Marshall revealed he will begin to record his lines at the end of May [15] [37]

- Yu Suzuki would like to include both the English and Japanese dubs in each respective version, but is currently unsure whether it will be possible [17]

- Key members from the series' original development team are working on the game, including writer Masahiro Yoshimoto , character designer Kenji Miyawaki , composer Ryuji Iuchi , and programmer Takeshi Hirai [13]

- Shenmue III is being built in Unreal Engine 4 , which the team intend to push to its maximum potential , as opposed to the Virtua Fighter engine utilised by the first two games , due to the engine's ease with prototyping, efficiency, and its appropriate colour palette. As a result, the fighting engine is being built from scratch . Yu Suzuki is especially impressed with how far the capabilities of the engine have exceeded his expectations, particularly where graphical quality is concerned [3] [9] [10] [14] [16]

- Dynamic weather will be returning, and will be considerably improved over the previous games. "The lighting of sunsets and sunrises will be really beautiful," according to Yu Suzuki [39]

- Shenmue III utilises motion and magnetic capture technology for its animations, the former of which will be used in the most important action scenes [4]

- Yu Suzuki hopes players will really feel the visuals ; from the humidity in the air to the smell of the surroundings , complemented by the game's new art style [9] [14]

- According to Yu Suzuki, "The assets from [the first two games] will get a lot of use"

- As of early September 2017, map modelling and asset creation is at around 70% completion , whereas the lighting system is very close to completion [9] [16]

- Indian game development studio Lakshya Digital (whose past projects include titles such as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves , Bloodborne , Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain , WWE 2K16 , and Just Cause 3 ) will be taking care of much of the game's character art development . Yu Suzuki is very happy with what he has seen so far [13]

- The OST will consist of unused/returning tracks from the original games (of which just 20% were used in the aforementioned) and possibly some new material [3] [9]

- Shenmue III will feature numerous easter eggs [1]

- Yu Suzuki is considering the possibility of a Tomato Mart in the town of Choubu [7]

- DLC is planned , but no further details have been revealed [9]

- Shenmue III will have no online options, though no specifics were given as to the extent to what is considered 'online'

Business-related

- Following its reveal at E3 2015 on June 15th, Shenmue III was successfully funded on Kickstarter , reaching its initial goal of $2 million in a record eight hours and forty-three minutes, eventually ending in July with a total of $6.333 million (the most-funded video game project and sixth-most-funded overall on Kickstarter) pledged by 69,320 backers [18]

- As of July 23rd, 2018 , funding is at $7.063 million (pledged by 78,953 backers ) thanks to the Slacker Backer campaign [19] [42]

- Shenmue III will be published in PAL and NA regions by Deep Silver , who will be providing additional budget and promotional support, allowing greater budgetary stability and flexibility, as well as enabling Yu Suzuki to greatly expand upon, and truly realise, his vision and hire more freelancers for the project. (The game's publisher in Japan is currently unknown. ) Originally thought to be published by Sony , the latter's role has been clarified as providing support , while SEGA's role is limited to providing the IP and production materials from the series' previous entries [3] [9] [10] [12] [16]

- Contrary to popular belief and misinformation, poor research, and flat-out lies spread by the gaming press, Shibuya Productions is the main investor in Shenmue III , having invested an undisclosed amount in the project, and has a much greater role than Sony . (In fact, SEGA / YSnet / Shibuya Productions formed the agreement to use the Shenmue licence before Sony was ever involved ) [20] [21] [22]

System specs

(Placeholder and subject to change.)

Minimum:

OS: Windows 7x64, Windows 8x64, Windows 10x64 (64-bit OS Required)
Processor: Intel Core i5-4460 (3.40 GHz) or better; Quad-core or better
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti or better (DirectX 11 card & VRAM 2GB Required)
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband internet connection
Storage: 100 GB available space
Sound card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
Additional Info: Requires Steam Client to activate.

---

UPDATES LOG:

25/06/2018: Miscellaneous changes and updated the slacker backer pledge total

23/04/2018: Updated with information from previous interviews and talks, and separated information about characters into its own section

18/04/2018: Updated with information from a 2016 DualShockers interview

15/04/2018: Updated with new information from SEGASaturno's MAGIC interview

17/03/2018: Updated with new information from MAGIC 2018 and added more citations for older information

14/01/2018: Added citations to the majority of the facts. Incomplete, but this will be taken care of

23/12/2017: Updated with new information from Shenmue Master's Gamescom interview

16/12/2017: Updated with new information about the temple maiden and made some miscellaneous changes

28/11/2017: Updated the Slacker Backer amount

14/10/2017: Updated with new information from the Shenmue Master recap

28/09/2017: Updated with new information from the latest M! Games Magazine interview

27/09/2017: Updated with new information from the latest Official PlayStation Magazine interview

25/09/2017: Cleaned things up, updated the backer amount/count, and added more information

21/09/2017: Moved information about locations into their own category and added lots of miscellaneous information

17/09/2017: Included Corey Marshall's comments about voice work beginning soon as well as other little tid-bits

12/09/2017: Cleaned things up a bit and elaborated on some information

11/09/2017: Separated 'Story/gameplay' into separate sections and added some more information from the Fok!, Gamona, and Shenmue500k interviews

09/09/2017: Added some more information from the Eurogamer interview

03/09/2017: Cleaned things up a bit

28/08/2017: Added some more information from the Multiplayer.it interview

27/08/2017: Categorised the information so everything doesn't read as one long list

26/08/2017: Added and corrected some information in light of revelations from Gamescom 2017

20/12/2016: Added some more information, including Shenhua's adoptive father to the confirmed characters list, Nanquan as one of the confirmed fighting styles, and an update to the funding date
[***RESERVED***]

^ I didn't know people had a problem with 6's combat. From what I've seen it looks awesome and I can't wait to front kick street trash off of rooftops.

I wouldn't call it a "problem." I personally prefer the first game's method, if only because it's more authentic, and I'll take authenticity over western accessibility every time with stuff like this. If they said it one way in the Japanese audio, that's how I want to see it in the subs, or hear the English VA saying it. Always bothers the crap out of me playing the Yakuza games, where the Japanese voice actor obviously says "Kiryu Kazuma" but the subs say "Kazuma Kiryu."

Anyway, as for why there's this discord between the two Shenmue games, I'd guess that the localization for the first game was just done really quickly; Ryo's name was "corrected" the way it was because he's the single most present character in the entire game, so westernizing his name was a priority, while ones like Zhu Yuan Da or Tao Li Shao are just mentions in dialogue, and therefore get passed over more quickly in the translation.

I haven't thought about this system for quite some time. It's good you brought this up so people remember it.

It's going to be interesting to see how much it will affect the game. It definately gives a good chance to make each playthrough more unique. The whole conversation thing with Fangmei could be seen as a basis, just make it deeper and more meaningful. In a simple thought I just picture the Action Selector popping up a lot more.
I don't absolutely need this feature and I hope it doesn't have too much influence on the main story but I still think it's a welcome feature.

And how could anyone not be nice to Shenhua?

I remember me on a Shenmue-Reference in a Video Game. In "Fur Fighters" is a movie poster with the name "Shen-Moo". "Fur Fighters" is very underrated. I like that Game. It's really funny.

I tend to stay out of the Shenmue areas of the forums for the most part, so excuse me if this gets talked about much.
But random thought: I really hope SIII maintains the replayability of the previous two games. I was thinking about it, and the first two have a very unique style of progression, where being at this place at this time will trigger a unique event, and there's absolutely no hints or indicators signalling exactly where and when they're placed. It all just happens organically, and as you play the game subsequent times you discover new little tidbits here and there, with no reward other than the experience of finding them. And yet, missing these scenes and then hearing about them later from others never makes it feel like you screwed up; it just gives you a little urge to try and see them next time. You're practically guaranteed not to see everything the first time through, and yet no playthrough of either game ever feels "incomplete."
Most games nowadays have absolutely nothing like that. Not that I can think of at least. Games nowadays tend to point you directly toward any additional scenes or events that might happen. And if they don't , then people label the un-marked events as easter eggs. By that logic, Shenmue and Shenmue II were just littered to the brim with "easter eggs," but never acted like they were anything super secret; they were just extensions of how lively the game world was.
I really hope Shenmue III follows through in the exact same way. I don't want any glowing indicators on a world map telling me where everything is; I want to stumble across it all myself, or hear about things on the forum here. I think "modernizing" the game too much with things like that would absolutely kill some of the appeal of subsequent replays.

well,old shenmue combat system isn't aged well,strange collision,fucked camera,fight in first person(during shenmue2)and problem with multiple enemy at time.That combat can appeal only diehard fan,for today standard is shit,but shenmue 3 must use the batman system?no thanks

Sounds like you just sucked at it. Anyway, what do you mean by "today's standards"? If we're talking about quality, then today's games aren't anything amazing. There aren't any action-adventure type games that have better combat than the Shenmue series and even if there are, Shenmue is certainly one of the best in this aspect. So yeah, I don't get the "isn't aged well" thing you said. It couldn't be further from the truth!

I don't think there's anything really wrong with 6's combat either, although I feel it may be a bit simplified compared to previous entries. But I haven't played enough of it to be sure. It really does look awesome though, and I think fending off multiple enemies works better with this system.

One nitpick I do have is the seamlessness of the exploration into the fighting. It sounds weird, I know. I guess I'm just so used to the very minor loading sequences that would take place before and after random battles. In 6, you're ready to fight enemies at anytime. It feels more like GTA, Sleeping Dogs, or the Arkham games. In other words, it feels really open world as opposed to like a JRPG. Because of that, the random fights in 6 don't have that "event" quality that I dug from the rest of the series, or even Shenmue. I don't expect anyone to feel the same way as I do about it, because it really doesn't make too much sense to have a minor gripe with this.

Just arrived this afternoon.

Lost my old PAL Saturn several years ago, which I have very fond memories of, so decided to order a new one. Opted for a Japanese model this time, for the wider game library.

Oh yeah, I absolutely love the fact that going in and out of stores is seamless now. It's fantastic. It's just going in and out of "battle mode" that just slightly disappointed me. Other than that, it's all good.

And I'm really unsure whether to continue playing the Japanese version of 6, or just hold off and wait for the US release. Got that mega thunder awesome edition on preorder!

Love these games.. If I had to rank them I'd say...

Yakuza 3
Yakuza 5
Yakuza 4
Yakuza 1
Yakuza 2

This post is overly long and not really a big deal, but I believe it's possible that there was a section of FREE exploration cut (or at least significantly reduced) towards the end of the game. So when Ryo gets fired from his job, it's around 10.45am and from the Alpha Trading Office you can either choose to wander around for a very short time, or go directly to meet Tom, before auto-jumping to meeting the Mad Angels at 10pm that night. Meeting Tom will trigger the point of no return, in the sense that you're on a linear path of move instructions, battles and cutscenes to the end credits. If you choose not to walk towards Tom, Ryo's watch will sound at around 12.30pm or 1pm, and you'll go there automatically. So that gives you barely 10 real-time minutes of final FREE gameplay.

I do find it strange that there's no kind of menu prompt informing you of this, the way there was in Shenmue II (At the end of Disc 2, you're informed that saying goodbye to Xiuying will trigger Ryo's departure for Kowloon, as well as the option to have one final day of free time before infiltrating the Yellow Head Building.) But what's also strange is that during that short window between getting fired and meeting Tom, you can have a significant amount of unique conversations with NPCs relevant only to that point in the game, with it even being possible to travel back to Dobuita and do the same. Even the fortune teller has a unique reading for Ryo, foreseeing his eventual meeting with Shenhua. You can have a specific conversation with Ine-san at that point too, but have to make a bit of a speedy dash to the Hazuki Residence in time to get it. In a moment uncharacteristic of Shenmue, you have so little time that you have to pick and choose where you're going to go/who you're going to speak with.

I think it's possible that after learning the Tornado Kick/saying goodbye to Tom, FREE gameplay was intended at one point to resume until 10pm that night, giving you a more natural and relaxed pace to explore/train/speak with people one last time, as opposed to jumping straight to the Mad Angels meeting. Perhaps the team felt that the slower pace would've killed the building momentum of the story at that stage, or they wanted to include the scene of Ryo watching the airplane from the harbour in a more essential way. I dunno. But it's interesting that after being fired, Ryo's notes inform us that he "should check with everybody", yet the game barely gives us ten minutes to do so.

The game sucks so bad it's even putting its developers to sleep!

With a little over a year until release, I've recently started saving up money for S3. I'm gonna buy about ten or twelve copies of the game. All three regional versions on both PC and PS 4 makes six copies. I'll need to consider buying backup copies of each version which I won't ever open and play but buy just for collecting purposes.

As for the future of the series after the third game. Personally, I'll do anything I can to make it successful enough to warrant a fourth game funded by Sega directly or an outside publisher like Sony or Deep Silver. However, should Shenmue 3 not sell enough copies - God forbid - I won't sit there and give up.

I want Shenmue to be finished in the form of a video game/PC game. Not a fucking manga, not a novel, not a film or whatever. If it takes another Kickstarter, it's gonna take another Kickstarter. I doubt we'll be able to get 6.3 million $ again, but we may still be able to warrant a fourth game. Even if Yu will only be able to make the most basic version of a fourth game, I won't complain.

The bottom line is: I'll do what it takes to get Shenmue finished. The thing is I don't know a lot about marketing, social media and stuff. But if there will be something we will be doing as a community, count me in.

If, for whatever reason, our efforts won't be sufficient to make S3 successful enough to have a big publisher fund the fourth game, I won't cave in and give up. I'll do more.

This is not about nostalgia or longing for the old Dreamcast days or some bullshit. This means a lot more than a game to me and I won't let this go.