Honestly, why is it so hard for anyone to do anything interesting with Sonic anymore?

In my humble opinion, it is because 23 years ago Sega decided to abandon ABC's Sonic the Hedgehog TV series continuity. I know there are comics. I mean, it should've become the official story of the games. I adored Sonic Adventure 1 in 1999, but that's where my patience ended. I've never been interested in anything but the story of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, the fate of the planet Mobius, and the resolution of that epic Season 2 cliffhanger. When I think 'Sonic', I think Uncle Chuck, Princess Sally, and Dr. Robotnik (not "Eggman"). When I was a kid playing Sonics 1-3 throughout the '90s on my Genesis, I was pretending to be in that cartoon. I still do.

Because Sega let its fanboys like me down hard, we never got a Sonic the Freedom Fighter RPG, never got subtle moralistic commentaries about the cost of ambition, the over-mechanization of society, and the value of nature and freedom. Do new Sonic games even try to show Sonic liberating flowers and animals from robots anymore? Sonic used to have a strong visual point that taught kids a little about life and made the player feel optimistic. It was 1991's optimistic green cyberpunk, a hitherto unique genre, and I can't think of any similar example since.

And bring back Jaleel White!

Shenmue characters have often appeared in my dreams since I first played the game, like how people I know turn up in dreams in various roles. Shenmue characters just felt so real with the FREE emotional experience, I don't think my brain knows I'm not Ryo Hazuki. Maybe that's one major reason why Shenmue retained such a deep cult status. Not many other games form an emotional bond with people.

I wish this were Demon's Souls Remastered, but I appreciate the legal obstacles that preclude it.

I do not overrate Demon's Souls; I prefer it because it is more spiritual. Not figuratively. When I die, I want to be a force ghost -- whereas Dark Souls deaths are, in the immortal words of Brendan Fraser and John Hannah, juicy .

Thanks Kiba and Dreamcastpast. I hope you enjoy it.

Kiba, i might be able to build a mac version of the game. I'll look into it later tonight and upload it to the first post if successful.

Edit:

I managed to build the game for mac. I have no way of testing it as im on a Windows PC, but there were no errors or issues when compiling it, so it should run fine.

Mac Version
http://bit.ly/2Heg9wv

That is so kind of you to take the time, my Shen-brother. Cross-compatibility is awesome. But actually, I was going to test it on my Linux box via Wine tonight. Unfortunately, I don't have a Mac handy to try this new build.

Because...

Sony : Die monster. You don’t belong in this world!

Sega : It was not by my hand I was once again given flesh. I was brought here by Sammy who wished to pay me tribute!

Sony : Tribute!? You won't re-release Jet Set Radio Future on digital platforms, and you pulled Jet Set Radio from the App Store and Google Play!

Sega : Perhaps the same could be said of all religions…

Sony : Your words are as empty as your soul! Mankind ill needs a savior such as you! They need Yu Suzuki!

Sega : What is Suzuki-san? A miserable little pile of secrets. But enough talk… Have at you!

Your questions presuppose that the concepts of 'truth' and 'reality' are given, or foundational, and that humans gaze upon the same reality together first, and then make decisions. But mind does not precede matter, so to speak. 'Truth' and 'reality' are functions of the brain, not the brain a function of reality. Therefore, nature could be generating a different world out of every brain, and that is why there is and always has been never-ending conflict. The people whose brains have been determined to know these facts are even now developing the technology to unify human consciousnesses. When they succeed and activate the process, our species' civil war will at last end, and there will be universal harmony among us till the end of the universe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2EQ0FlVks4

Hi. SPG. Thank you for taking the time to make this video and share it with us, your humble Shenmates. I quite like your style of driving around in GTA5 while commenting on these issues that worry you. Your 'To Live and Work...' videos are mesmerizing. I like being mesmerized. It was almost an ASMR experience. You should do more.

We share many points of agreement. Dreamcast was the best console release ever; not just the hardware, but the whole magic of its promise and its unique lineup, like Shenmue.

However, I disagree with your ethical assessment of the Shenmue 3 crowdfunding process and, particularly, Yu Suzuki's handling of it. Without going into too much detail -- because I don't have time right now, sadly -- you referenced Yu Suzuki's refusal to reward Paypal contributors and mentioned that 100% of people polled thought Paypal contributors ought to receive something extra from the project. Suffice it to say, I agree with Yu Suzuki on this point. The Kickstarter had a clear reward system for contributors. That exclusivity should stay with Kickstarter supporters. To offer rewards to people who did not initially fund the game takes away all the steam from any possible future Shenmue 4 drive, and would be unfair to those who immediately acted to save the series 2 years ago. The fact is, after Shenmue 3 was announced, I threw money at the Kickstarter, then retreated into a deep meditative state, where I shall generally remain undisturbed until the game is completed and released. Therefore, I was unaware of any Paypal drive and subsequent community poll till now. This shows it was only 100% of people polled, probably all Paypal contributors who missed the Kickstarter. This is not an accurate reading of the general will of the community. Furthermore, my vote alone counts as 50% of the community because I co-hosted the 2017 Shenmue Dojo Awards. Two words: inclusion rider.

Congratulations, Peter! And to all the other worthy new staffers. I wish you all the very best during all the years of light to come. I finished 2 cups of coffee and ate all my beans while reading that epic, so now I'm off to confirm Tarō Gomi's Law.

Goddammit, Zim, cooperate. It's not better to rule in hell.

Did I (or someone else) mention Mizzurna Falls before? It was quite an ambitious Twin Peaks homage directed by Taichi Ishizuka (whose career story and all the issues surrounding the development of Mizzurna Falls are worth a book imho). I would describe it as Shenmue-lite in that it was a cult game that tries to simulate an open world town, day and night and weather cycles, some vehicles, but only a rudimentary fighting system, and PS1 limits. Probably the closest thing to what Shenmue on Saturn would've been like. Still, if you like old games, you might enjoy it. It's an atmospheric experience. However, it was only released in Japan, and there was no English version till fans made one recently. You might have to do some digging to find a patch, but the text files are available on the site linked below. Resident Evie also has a YouTube channel where she translates the dialogue as she plays through the entire game.

The following interview about the making of the game is very interesting:

http://projectmizzurna.tumblr.com/post/136983221972/interview-with-mizzurna-falls-creator-taichi

This is a surprise to say the least. Yama, you have dedicated so much to our Shenworld, mere thanks don't seem to measure up. I hope you realize our respect for you and everything you've done for us all these years extends far beyond where bittersweet syllables must end. I'm very glad you'll still be administrating. The Dojo's constancy has been like another home to me during very difficult times.

And yet, I cannot think of a better fit than Peter taking up the reins. Stratospheric hopes! Congratulations!

Dojo : "SEGA, while your executives are still sleeping in bed, moderators are working hard on these forums, carefully curating even the thinnest Shenmue HD rumors one by one. So, how can you waste them like that?"

SEGA : "Okaaayyy... I'll publish them." *ewww yuck*

Dojo : Ho ho ho. Goood. That's my multinational video game corporation. *smiles proudly*

All three Shenmue games on PC, natively, is actually far beyond any reasonable hopes I entertained during all our unreasonable moments over the years. Processing....

I might be flying too close to the sun here, but anyone up for petitioning Sega for some Linux ports? Because now I can't think of anything else to ask for, and it would be super cool. And Sonic Mania, please, like as an extra. In a Sega pack with Jet Set Radio Future and Panzer Dragoon Saga. So, yo, Feral Interactive, get to work, you beautiful sailors!

I quite enjoy reading your journal.

The Leia thing doesn't make sense because no human being can live in space without breathing, etc.

That tells me that:

- The Force makes you invincible in space
- The Force takes over when you cannot breathe
- The Force stops the beyond freezing temperature of space, from instantly turning you into an icicle (or whatever)

I think that's the problem most fans have with that scene; if anyone can cheat death, then why did Yoda die, Obi-Wan allow himself to get killed, etc.?

From my POV, it contradicts a whole bunch of the rest of the series...
But that's just me.

Carry on.

Thanks for your explanation. Humans can survive for a little while in freezing vacuum, but Leia was unconscious, so fair point.

Re: the Leia scene-

I have no problem with Rian Johnson's explanation...I just thought the execution itself was a bit cheesy. The overly dramatic music; the grandiose nature of Leia's pose as she's flying through space; etc. It could and should have been less cringy, IMO.

To be honest, I actually thought the moments that immediately preceded the scene were brilliant (e.g. Kylo's hesitation; the abruptness of the explosion), and basically could have worked as a tragic farewell to the character.

I see. So, for you it was the cheese factor.

I loved TLJ. I even liked the casino sequence that everyone seems to hate. I felt it fit nicely into the whole "heroes aren't perfect" theme that the entire movie seemed to be based on.

Only thing I didn't like was Leia's "space Mary Poppins" bit. Not the concept of it, just didn't like it visually.

The CGI was not convincing.

^ Great idea! I hope you post your progress.

Get well soon, AnimeGamer.

Haruto wrote: I can see why quite a few people choose colorful text. The grey on grey isn't the best. What if I typed in purple?

Purple belongs to Brothaman. You should try coquelicot, or poppy blossom, which is #FF3800.

Just got back to work after lunch, time to turn on Gradio and connect to a Japanese vaporware station in order to focus > 'Nightwave Plaza' https://plaza.one/ , nice.... All of a sudden a cover of Shenhua's theme start playing from Space Magic -- Winter Solitude. Totally random Shenmue encounter in rl. Uplifted, day made.

https://i.imgur.com/RstCyvm.png

Found it on yt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3vMW72_h6s