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It has been an interesting summer.

Shenmue 2 was translated differently than Shenmue 1, is all. In Shenmue 2, Xuiying is referred to as Lishao Tao whereas in Shenmue 1, Chen calls her Tao Li Shao. Other than those 2 characters, I'm not really sure if it comes up again, but it's not specific to Zhu. I think the game manuals' character bios also highlight the difference between games.

Here's a good one.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqn-_eGjMKQ[/youtube]

I always thought that a more interesting point to ponder would be the opening scene of Shenmue 3. 2 picked up (almost) exactly where the 1st left off, on the boat - time had passed, of course, and there was the infamous Chapter 2 events, of course, but I'd consider a direct continuation.

Now that the plot has expanded in many different directions, the 3rd game may not start in Ryo's point of view...and if it does, it probably wouldn't start in that cave unless something has to happen there that hasn't yet. I think we may see Ryo with Shenhua a few days or weeks after, getting to know the villagers of Bailu and perhaps getting a few answers.

Or it could start in another characters' point of view....Ren, Xuiying, Gui Zhang or maybe even Ine San/Fuku san are all possibilities.

Lmao, touche. But I find my avatar to be quite original and cool :mrgreen: But yeah, so if anyone figures out how to email the editor, go and attempt. I think it would be interesting what his response would be just for kicks. He might say something interesting, or he might not even remember putting it in there and brush you off, but still worth a look.

I was able to find an email address at that link. I just sent him a message, referencing the video and the Eurogamer rumor in March, and asked him if his magazine based the inclusion of Shenmue 1 and 2 HD on those rumors alone or something more. This is probably not going to yield any good news, but I've received responses in the past by simply being a little proactive. It could help clear things up.

I sometimes forget that Eurogamer is, or at least has the appearance of, a very reliable source. They trusted the anonymous source that said the games were more or less finished enough to make a front page article about it. IGN and CVG also chimed in, citing Eurogamer as THEIR source. Despite personal feelings toward gaming website honchos like IGN, they rarely waste time with Shenmue rumors.

I just hope we hear something in the next month or two.

Just a few days ago I played through this part of the game, and though I read about it years ago on these forums, I had forgotten what Oishi was referring to with the Madam Butterfly comment. Of course, I also forgot to look into it, so I'm really glad you posted this, Ryudo. Though, I'm not sure why we are being polled on our opera knowledge :lol:

If anything, Kiyuu should be an executive consultant for Shenmue III, and get to play through bits first, and make recommendations on behalf of the Shenmue fanbase. Her salary will be 70 million dollars. Should fit in the budget for Shenmue III.

Back on topic, though - Hope can't hurt. Shenmue is valuable IP, but that value has to be transferred to a product that will recover costs and - god willing - even make money. It is possible.

Ine San on a broom

Oh god, yes. Imagine, if Shenmue was a huge success, all the spin-offs that might have happened. Ryo Hazuki and Sega All Stars Racing (outrage when Sonic is excluded from the sequel).

Fuku-san on rollerskates. Megumi on a cat. Wong on his house-boat. Ren in that broken down truck.

It looks like you still kinda suck.

Good news in the sense this pretty much leaves all but Shenmue. Plus Skies is a great game. Nice to see an epic RPG getting a re-release in this fashion.

I used to joke that Sega would end up porting Toe Jam and Earl before Shenmue, but that's actually happening now. So really, what's left? :???:

Also, Ziming/Peter...if you have non-public info that you aren't sharing (sounds pessimistic anyway), the least you can do is not make vague, public references to it. Shame [-X [-(

Gah, I remember logging on that day in '05....was totally out of the blue and I was quite literally doing flips and somersaults around the house.

I still think Doree wasn't bullshitting us, and that - as he said - the situation changed after that article was published. He really was a big Shenmue advocate and I don't think he'd fabricate that story. I think his eagerness and excitement as a Shenmue fan clouded his judgment. It's a damn shame. That was 7 years ago! Crazy. I never would have thought it would have taken this long to play more Shenmue.

Shenmue is valuable IP. Even if it doesn't make money, there is value there. I just hope Sega finds a way to set up a realistic budget. Problem is, even if it is announced, officially....there's a huge wait from that point, and lots of time for things to take a disastrous turn. I don't even play video games at all anymore, and I'm not even too sad about it anymore (wistful and nostalgic, yes), but I do think if the day ever comes that I hold a copy of a new Shenmue game in my hand that'd it be one of the more surrealistic and memorable moments in my life.

"I feel like I've known that tree, from a long time ago.....it's a strange feeling."

Heavy Rain sucked, imo. Don't know how crap like that sells when Shenmue can't...when basically it consists of dumbed down QTE cut scenes. The story was silly, from what I played (I have played Indigo Prophecy in its entirety), and the gameplay was just...boring. People think Ryo was hard to control...damn. And you were sort of subjected to whatever environment that plot placed you in...no exploration at all. Which could have worked, if the story didn't suck and the gameplay wasn't boring.

/endrant

The random battles' frequency is a huge deterrent for me to play this game again. Damn Loopers. And Fina plain fucking sucks.

If Iwao didn't die, we wouldn't be in this mess anyway. On the 29th, we should all unsign the petition. That would really send Sega a message.

Even if he doesn't make DLC, he won the contest and we've made our point.

The members at the Sega forums bitching about it are clearly misguided and probably too young to understand our plight. We are not "one person selfishly promoting only Ryo" (yes, I read that), we're a group of Sega loyalists (mutinous loyalists) who are grasping at every means necessary to stir up some Shenmue-related discussion again. We deserve closure in the form of another Shenmue game and it would have been unacceptable for us to pass a chance like this up to at least vote Ryo into a racing game he should have been included in from the get go.

Fuck this reading shit, I'm buying a bong

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19679

That was a bitch to find. Good thing I only have 2 exams left I should be studying for.... (I suck)

Wow, I can finally contribute to this topic, that I apparently made 8 years ago. I don't believe I've bought a video game all year, other than the Nights HD download.

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2012/08/box-art.jpg

Finally felt brave enough to pick up an RPG. I was interested in this game as well as Xenoblade, but this won out because it's a few bucks cheaper, harder to find, and much shorter game length. Hopefully I can manage to find the time and interest to ride this one out.

The gun control argument is not only very annoying, but its timing incredibly insensitive. It also goes nowhere because, as with anything political, there's 2 extreme views that get attention and our leaders in government (and most of the human population) haven't figured out how to compromise and look at situations independently - nor actually suggest ideas for legislation that have even the slimmest chance of passing and making an intended effect on this country.

Those statements about the media's portrayal of events such as these are right on the money, of course. When disturbed young white men who commit these acts find guns easily, though, there also lies a problem. It's also the sad truth that people who live in their own personal hells like that are rarely reached out to or comforted, but rather scorned, bullied, or ignored entirely - forcing them further into isolation.

This discussion always happens too soon and then it fades away. I appreciate Obama's emotion but we'll see about that "meaningful action".

I did find this graphic to point out some obvious discrepancies in the way things are and way things should be, if people only had a little sense.

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MiTT3NZ wrote: but English dub > Japanese w/subtitles.

If I was a site moderator, I'd ban you on the spot.

I might have to get in touch with this guy and request a signed copy of Shaemu

Wow she must have been crazy. I've never known a girl on a bus to react poorly to the sweaty guy next to her placing his hand on her leg before exchanging any words. Sounds like a bit of bad luck. When your ban is lifted, I suggest trying this again and letting us know how it goes.

I've only just become aware of this topic. I love to read and would be interested in participating. Alas, with school, and my small personal list of books I want to read, I may or may not find the time.

I read Fahrenheit 451 about 3 years ago for the first time, but as it was the first and only time I read it, my memory is a bit murky. I saw a theater adaptation of the book a few months back, which was entertaining and reminded me of the themes of the book. It's an important novel and a good read, and pretty indicative, albeit extreme, example of how society has responded to the importance of reading. Which reminds me, I tried reading "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Bradbury this past summer but couldn't get the literary ball moving quick enough before putting it aside for something else.

Any suggestions on what to read next, Book Club? "Ender's Game", which I've never read, will probably be the next book I read after I finish up what I'm working on now. I think a lot of you guys fit the demographic of people that I've come to associate with enjoying and recommending me this book, and it's been a long overdue one with me. Anyone interested? Other suggestions include something by Murakami, Danielewski, Garcia Marquez, or Stephen King, even.

Also, not picking on Mittenz, but I got inspired to modify his original post about his opinion on reading:







I just hate books. They're boring. I used to read em, but I found that they tested my patience too often to enjoy. Why read a whole page on describing the conditions of a table and the state of the wallpaper in a room when I can just plainly see them in a comic? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that books are shit, but a lotta authors tend to go overboard when writing novels, and I get to the end of a scene thinking "six pages... coulda just been done in one" I mean, it ain't like they build suspense or set the atmosphere or owt, it's just utterly unnecessary.





I just hate video games. They're boring. I used to play em, but I found that they tested my patience too often to enjoy. Why spend hours on end on collecting money and gathering food and completing quests when it's much more important and practical to focus on doing these things in the real world? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that video games are shit, but a lotta designers tend to go overboard when making games, and I get to the end of a scene thinking "six boring ass QTEs... it was cool in Shenmue but it's getting to be too much" I mean, it ain't like they build suspense or set the atmosphere or owt, it's just utterly unnecessary.

We're too small? How so? Timesplitters was pretty mainstream, and spawned 2 sequels. The fact Shenmue 3 is even in the rankings is somewhat impressive. You know there are people who are looking at/voting in that poll and wondering what the hell this Shenmue thing is all about. Sparking curiosity can never hurt.

Not sure, but the all caps might suggest a fan added it. I was tempted to vote for "super fisting simulator" or "new super mario bros wii", but settled on Shenmue.

Sebastian just tweeted that the interview with Yu Suzuki is coming soon. I'm assuming he means a transcript or video of the interview he tweeted about earlier, as it's late in France - the event is over now, correct?

Anyway, when it gets posted, let's hope it clears somethings up and maybe contains another nug or two of juicy info :)

Yu Suzuki doesn't remember the story of Shenmue? It really has been awhile

To keep this thread on track (well, sort of), I remember seeing a video of a 360 gamer magazine, with Shenmue 1 & 2 HD listed in the upcoming games section. Did anyone ever contact that magazine to enquire about that?


Welcome.

I did contact an editor at an email address we found, but was not dignified with a response. I heard that in subsequent issues, Shenmue was removed from that list. Based on how the media reported on but failed to investigate this Kickstarter mumbo, I have absolutely no faith in the investigative integrity of gaming media.

I received an emailed response from Mark Cerny regarding GDC 2011. I tried again, as it couldn't hurt, but did state I wouldn't publicize his email address (I think it's out there to find), or his personal response to me. I suggested he might want to nip this one in the butt early, perhaps by providing a response on his own Twitter or Facebook account (if he has one).

I wonder if the 100+ hours I spent maxing out every move will finally pay off.

There's no doubt I forgot about which save file that was and over-wrote it ](*,)


Edit -- I still have the file! Huh. I gotta work on not sucking at free battle...I'm rusty. Also have to master throw moves and not the stupid counter throws. And find a way to record a video, I'm technologically impaired. Will current fast times be publicized so we know what we have to best, or is it a mystery?

A blender, a flask, a tye dye shower curtain, some dry erase markers, a cheese steak, a pair of casual dress shoes, two pairs of sexy short shorts, and a replacement adapter for my lap top.

Spending money is fun.

19 woman.

22 man (last year).

I've been a total slut since then!

I respectfully disagree. I would be nowhere near as invested in Shenmue if it ended after the Disc 3 rooftop fight.

Just because Guilin felt like the start of a new game does not make it seem out of place, in my opinion. I thought it was perfect denouement to what had so far been an exciting and faster paced second installment, but one of little plot development. Yes, Ryo made it to China met some important characters (and these characters were fleshed out so well over the course of the game, especially Ren) but I would have been disappointed if it ended after Kowloon because he really did not get much closer to his goal. It took the entire second game just to find the guy who wrote a letter to his father at the beginning of the first game.

Another reason the Guilin chapter had to happen when it did - Shenhua is as much of a protagonist in this story as Ryo is, and she had to be introduced. It had taken long enough already. Disc 4 as it stands would have been too slow paced for the beginning of a new entry in the series, and speeding it up would not have given this new turn on Ryo's journey and perspective the time needed to sink in.

Again, I'd be nowhere near as emotionally invested in this story if it did not end how it did. While rough around some edges Shenmue is really the best showcase of how video gaming can be a great medium for storytelling.

Really? So ending a game following an epic fight in which you defeat a major crime syndicate, complete the objective set at the end of the first game, find out (one of) the true purpose(s) behind the mirror, miss catching Lan Di by mere minutes (possibly even seconds), and get a true "it's only just beginning" line from Ren, that wouldn't get you amped as fuck for the next instalment?

I find that slightly strange tbh.

I too would find that strange, if that had been what I said. The final scenes of Disc 3 were perfect and of course it would have got me amped even had it ended there.

But there would have been some dissatisfaction - and a different kind of dissatisfaction that I naturally feel after the unresolved Disc 4 cliffhanger. There would have been very little indication as to where the story was headed other than Ryo's next stop (Guilin) and it would be hard to even come up with predictions and theories as to what would happen next.

The Guilin segment blew the top off the scope of the story and while it proposed about a hundred new questions and answered very few (if any), it presented so many possibilites as to what it all might have meant; tangible ideas that fans still discuss and base theories off of even after all these years. If the game ended in Kowloon there would have been a lot less to mull over other than the epic-ness of the rooftop battle - those scenes are remarkable but the way Suzuki and AM2 managed to gut the entire series and turn its on its head in those final 2 hours of gameplay is what makes Shenmue so unforgettable. The fact that less than an hour into Guilin portion and I already feel so far removed from the climax at the Yellowhead building amazes me - though I realized this is part of your point that it feels like a different game and would fit better at the start of Shenmue III. I totally understand that opinion and respect that belief but I am just sharing some of the reasons why I think Guilin was perfect as is.

Good stuff. Thanks David. Points I found most interesting...

- Ziming is not a boss! We thought we had that one in the bag. That's really interesting. Makes you wonder whether that comic depicting Niao Sun and Ziming is even canon, and just how involved with the Chi You Men Ziming really is. Is he planning to double-cross them, or has he really joined them...?

- Starting point of Shenmue III; I always wondered what exact moment the game would start. I guess Suzuki's response indicates that there isn't anything else in that cave, at least not for the time being. I always wondered if there would be a time gap (a day; a week; a month) in which Ryo gets accustomed to life in Bailu Village or if we'd get to witness Ryo entering the village for the first time.

- Shenmue III wouldn't be sufficient enough to end the game. We always thought this, but figured they'd truncate the story and cram it in. I think Suzuki mentioned this earlier this year, but it's still a new-ish development. This can be seen as good and bad, Suzuki now needs to raise a budget for two games.

The most important bit: the main reason why Shenmue 3 isn’t being made has nothing to do with Sega having the license at all. Sega will apparently be more than happy to give the license to Suzuki if he wanted to do it. The main problem is that first Suzuki needs to raise a budget for the game.

I really don't think this is new information. I always felt this way - and thought that, however noble it was, the Give Yu the License thing was misguided. To me, it was always pretty clear that Sega wasn't holding Shenmue hostage, they just didn't want to fund the game. Glad we can hopefully finally lay this to rest.

Following up on my comment before, I think all bets are off regarding Ziming.

The outline that we saw in that now-ancient image surely seems to match the artist rendition of Ziming in the comic. And the guy in the comic was surely meant to be Ziming. But now it's confirmed by Yu himself that the outline is NOT Ziming.

Could mean anything. We can even reignite the theory that Baihu is Ziming, which was thrown out by most because a Chi You Men leader would not be reduced to cage fighting (and losing to Ryo).

Hate discussing it, because the only thing more unlikely than us finding out the rest of the story in Shenmue III is us finding out the rest of the story in Shenmue III, IV, V.

Personally, I doubt that the plot changed much, if it all, from the time of Shenmue II's release through today. I just think we simply had it wrong about Ziming. All the clues were there sure - but keep in mind, the concept of 4 Chi You Men leaders had never even in the slightest been hinted at within the games themselves, so the Ziming bit that we mistook as foreshadowing probably wasn't meant to be a red herring to trick us into thinking he was one of these leaders.

David, can you comment on whether or not the 2 previously unannounced leaders look like they could fit that image with the shadowy figures, based off what you have seen?

I thought I'd share this in a separate post for those who didn't see it tucked away on the Kickstarter page and are having trouble keeping up with the massive e3 topic here.

http://shenmue.link/us-en/

Digging into the new website now. They've adopted the #saveshenmue hashtag. And they've linked to the Dojo and other major fansites!

:rotflmao:

It's been 12 years since I first completed Shenmue (and Shenmue 2) in the summer of 2003. Been a few years longer for many of you here. I don't play video games anymore, nor did I have much hope for the game - least of all getting announced at e3 today - but this rush of euphoric nostalgia was exactly what I needed today. Very excited for all of us to get some closure on this story.

Wow. I wasn't watching, but have been checking the thread. Was nowhere near as optimistic as most here.

I'm watching the kickstarter video now. Does anyone have footage from the conference yet?

Wow. Just wow.

Graduated grade school, high school, and college. Moved to a bigger city and have my own apartment here that I share with my two kitties. Also realized I'm gay, but I think this happened before the long drought of Shenmue when I realized I was more digitally attracted to Ryo and Ren than Joy and Nozomi. Still working on some longer term goals and dreams, but I've basically lived half my life since I first played Shenmue (I was 13 then and am now 25 - 12 year wait for me). Also discovered a passion for live music and travel and have been on some wild adventures with some truly special friends I've made all over the world.

Shenmue, though, has always been something deeply personal and unique to myself. While I managed to turn a few friends onto the game over the years, there's really no one close to me currently that I was able to share this glorious news with. Except you guys of course! I was never terribly involved and have been mostly inactive for the past 8 years but the fact you're all still here and the Dojo itself is completely in tact makes me smile big.

Its going to be a lot of fun anticipating this release with you all and I'm looking forward to playing some Shenmue this weekend. Now who wants to raid every room in every building of Kowloon and look for Easter eggs?

If you want a real nostalgia boost, go to your user panel and view your posts from when you first joined. I'm tearing up a bit reading posts from 2003 about Shenmue III, partly from nostalgia, and partly because my writing was so awful...but hey, I was 13.

ooouhh, here's a fun one from a Dec 2003 "New Year's Resolution" topic:

1-Beat shenmue and shenmue II 15 times each before '05.
2-Get sexier.
I’m afraid that those two are mutually exclusive…

:rotflmao:

I was more ambitious back then.

Oh, and here's Birty's resolution:

To find out ANY form of Shenmue III News....

Good job, buddy! You did it! Slow and steady wins the race.

Ryo's model there is definitely better than the one in the trailer. His face is thinner and the hair is closer to his classic Shenmue model. Just goes to show that his model will be improved, so people shouldn't be worried anymore.

I will ask Kiyuu if she is around, to translate as much if the article as she can, would be much appreciated.
Glad it's not just me that thought the model looked different haha, yeah that looks so much better :D
These are some truly lovely shots, still crazy to think we're looking at real Shenmue III screenshots after all this time...And actually yeah, has Kiyuu posted since all this happened??

She made a celebratory post in the main announcement topics, so she's around.

Yes, I'd like to know if be could tell us, definitively, which chapter Shenmue 2 ended and how many remain and how many of those will Shenmue 3 tell.

I'm also curious about when he first learned that Sega was shelving Shenmue 3 and what that was like. Was Shenmue 3 ever close to an announcement since then? (was Digital Rex working on Shenmue at all?

His thoughts on Shenmue Online would also be insightful. He had to have known how frustrating that was for fans.