So, it's my first post on this forum, but I'm reading it for some months now.


And, the more I see people talking about the logo, the more I think :
The present one seems closer to the japanese logo.
So, in a way , it was the cursive one that was not the "true" shenmue logo.

In the end it is always a debate between the first logo we were used to
and the logo that transcribe the idea of the japanese characters in roman alphabet.
(Switching styles when switching alphabet or not is a really subjective choice, in the end.)


As for the update per see, I'm interested in the idea of a more thoughtful combat system.
My guess is that we may have a more abstract battle system, not a less complex one.
Maybe, it could use a more context sensitive range of actions ?
(like "punch" or "kick" initiating different moves depending on the ennemies positions ?
Or, inputs relating to more abstract battle concepts ?)
But, whatever it is, I trust them to come up with something interesting.

Really hyped for now.

So, random thought of the day :
Newcomers starting with Shenmue 3 are entering the story the same way Shenhua does.

This thought made my day as it means that, there's little risk newcomers can be lost with the game.


Let me explain myself :
In universe, Shenhua only knows the basics about Ryo and his journey up to that point.
(Ryo is following after someone. He his a bit impulsive/naive but a good guy overall...)

As I believe the story of Shenmue 3 will make sense, Shenhua will have to understand what's going on.
(I'm going with the hypothesis that Ryo is not going to hide too much to her.)

So, as it turns out, maybe it's the most corect way to see it :
Starting with SH3 is starting the story "in Shenhua's shoes",
while, old veterans are "putting back on Ryo's jacket" !


Basically, you could see this as reading "The Lord of the Ring" before reading "The Hobbit".
(Even if we're not here to compare J.R.R. Tolkien and Yu Suzuki...)

So, yes, I have faith that SH3 can connect with new players.
Not in the same way it is going to connect with old fans, but it should work anyway.

I think Ys net is mostly trying to have the models "feel" like they are the characters,
more than making them "look" like they appeared in SH1&2 or promotional materials/renders.

As long as Ryo's model bring to mind the same feeling as Ryo is meant to bring, it's good.
(Same goes for Shenhua or any returning charachter.)

I have to admit that, for now, only the promo image for Magic had me feel like Shenhua was true to herself.
For Ryo, all of the models since gamecom felt like him, albeit in different fashion.

At this point, I'm not focusing on the models, that, we have to admit, is a really visible aspect of the game,
but is also one of the lesser part of the complete picture, compared to interface narrative and interactive content.

maybe I'm the odd one out, but I feel like they could do promotional events for SH3,
without always having Yu Suzuki be present.
I feel like he deserve some rest and promoting the game without him present would avoid
the implication "Shenmue = Yu Suzuki".

I would be glad if they do something like :
"For this event, Yu is not here, but here are some programmers from the team."
With the implication that, yes, SH3 is brought to us by many dedicated peoples.

That said, they could have a small teaser at E3, without Yu being around.
(A special video message from him should be enough for fans to be happy.)
...
Better : Have Yu comment select footage from the game as the teaser.

But, what if the flashback are told from another perspective than in SH1&2 ?

I read that Yu said in some interviews he would like to explore differences in perceptions.
So, alternate perspective flashbacks would not only recall event,
but also paint them in a new light for players that went through SH1&2.