This is the best reveal I've seen this year from a dev:

And it's coming out for everything this gen (Switch/PS4/Xbox One/PC). And includes Online for the latest iteration of each.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DQuFErrUEAE-Q5p.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DQuEodeV4AEB1_q.jpg

https://twitter.com/StreetFighter/status/939989924727595008

I'm getting this day one!

Looking good. Closer to how I imagined the character models to look. Like a real evolution of the Dreamcast aesthetics.

Definitely the best looking model yet. Kickstarter comments don't realise that outsourcing has been a thing in game development for decades and decades. They won't be the only development team Shenmue 3 will be outsourced to. ResetEra forums brought along some of the nuts people from GAF along with it who don't realise the budget isn't astronomical and actually looks good for a mid tier game made on an indie budget (environments are stunning so far).

This is one of the best updates yet for me. Haters gonna hate.

lol.

Next time don't post when you're high. Also, when you come back (7 day timeout) please do something about your awful signatures. Cheers.

Boss fight against Alan Rickman.

And an Alien/Aliens world too? Mariiines!

And an X-Men world?

What about a Simpsons world?

Not anime enough?

Like others are saying, they're really their own beast. I suppose the 2D equivalent for Yakuza is the Kunio Kun series (River City Ransom games being a subseries of its own within it), which seem like one of the main inspirations for Yakuza.

I'd also say Way of the Samurai series as well, which are at least similar to the samurai styled Yakuza games but are also their own things. But they have their own day/night system, side quests, multiple endings, fun combat systems, wacky characters, set in various parts of Ancient Japan between each game.

Japanese adventure games in general are a good bet if you enjoy methodical, slow paced gaming:

Glass Rose (PS2) - notebook system, Shenmue voice cast, point and click interface, developed by Capcom, Cavia (NieR devs) and Cing (Hotel Dusk devs).

Shadow of Memories/Shadow of Destiny - time system that plays a very important role in the plot, launch era PS2 game so has that old CG look to it, multiple endings, third person camera, dense areas to explore, unique NPCs to talk to to advance the plot. Developed by Konami during their peak as a developer.

Resurrection: Panzer Dragoon Saga 20th Anniversary Arrangement (Only available Digital now, CD & Vinyl sold out):

http://store.bravewave.net/album/resurrection-panzer-dragoon-saga-20th-anniversary-arrangement-2

Music is just as wonderful as it was back in the 90s, the remixes and rearrangements are great (from the same composers)!

I was at Monaco, pretty sure I caught Biscay saying to wait for further game events this year such as Gamescom, E3 and others to see the game again. Anybody else that was there please feel free to correct me on that.

Everything in that trailer is old hat, so the "issues" with character models (placeholder), QTEs (placeholders), QTE Fight animations being off (placeholder) and other such stuff is no concern for me. It was just great immersing myself in that Shenmue atmosphere with that music and the look/aesthetic of Shenmue 3. Those screenshots capture the Dreamcast aesthetic very well for me. That's what I wanted exactly. It's made me excited.

UPDATE: confirmed to be port of the PSP version of the first game to iOS/Android. Spring 2018

https://www.resetera.com/threads/valkyr ... 018.26801/

http://www.valkyrieprofile.com/LENNETH/index.html

THIS IS THE BEST NEWS OF THE YEAR! OH YES!

https://twitter.com/steelballrunner/status/974995137817321472

https://78.media.tumblr.com/ea7af785af74e6b9c209da0c723b1a01/tumblr_npjtnwgdHi1rr5qhqo1_540.gif

https://lparchive.org/Flower-Sun-and-Rain/Update%2020/8-27yyjw0.gif

https://mynintendonews.com/2018/03/17/apparently-killer7-and-flower-sun-and-rain-remasters-were-announced-at-hoppers/

\:D/

Junya Nakano. 1993. Konami.

Before he would compose for Threads of Fate & FFX, he composed crazy hardcore 90s electronic beats for Konami arcade games. Very reminiscent of the legendary Namco Sound Team.

Yes, Tak Hirai who was lead programmer on Shenmue, so is the original game's co-director Keiji Okayasu, the original writer (Script writer) Masahiro Yoshimoto, Hiroaki Takeuchi (Animation Producer), the environmental artist designer (whose name eludes me right now), the concept artist/character artist (whose name eludes me right now also), the original composer of both Shenmue 1 and 2 Ryuji Iuchi and I'm pretty sure Tak Hirai's team is made up of former AM2 developers too (some developers joined YSNet too but are kept secret, probably due to contracting reasons). There's plenty of AM2 talent working on this.

Sooo good.

Anime tie-ins and arcade games that never leave Japan.

This. Their games are stuck in Japan. Border Break looks like a cool mecha action game and Soul Reverse (a fantasy action game) is releasing across arcades in Japan which also looks pretty cool. Hopefully we get them released over here.

And who knows? Virtua Fighter placed in the top 5 for Japan's most wanted SEGA game revivals.

Between the ones who left to join the likes of YsNet and Neilo or join other divisions (Nagoshi and pretty sure AM2 and AM3 [nowadays known as the Yakuza Team/Ryu Ga Gotoku Team] staff members were pretty much rotating between both divisions), SEGA Japan are wanting to explore their back catalogue more, hence why the likes of Sakura Taisen is getting a revival (yay for SRPGs with 90s anime art styles), Daytona and House of the Dead are both getting new entries in arcades (yay!) and seeing some of those extremely exciting IPs place so high up the list from fans in Japan like Skies of Arcadia, Jet Set Radio and Panzer Dragoon, we may see more revivals yet. Hopefully. The new CEO said he's wanting to see more IP revivals. Exciting times for SEGA fans, for sure.

I'm hoping this optimism ekes over to AM2 and we get a new Virtua Fighter!

Vita was great for Japanese games, though. Which was the lifeblood of the PS1 and PS2. Some really underrated and really overlooked games on it!

But yeah, Vita is well and truly done for now, even Japanese devs are swapping over to Switch and Phone games to create these kinds of games (mid tier or lower budget games).

Surprised so many think it's so late into the year...nobody thinks that would be too late if Shenmue 3 is releasing in Winter as well? Or is everyone thinking 3 is getting delayed again into early next year?

The latest PSN sale is insane .

My purchases:

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir (PS4)

Collar X Malice (PS Vita)

Dead Storm Pirates (PS3)

MOON DIVER (PS3)

Dark Rose Valkyrie (PS4)

Forbidden Siren (PS4)

Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (PS4)

Valkyria Revolution (PS4)

METAL SLUG ANTHOLOGY™ (PS3)

Star Ocean® Till The End Of Time™ (PS4)

Your Basket
Subtotal:
£256.90 (would normally cost)
Discount:
-£183.70 (the deductions due to the sale)
New Total:
£73.20 (the total for 10 games)

Most of these games that have physical copies costs waaaaay more (Dark Rose Valkyrie for example, retails for 44.99 with no sign of dropping). Gonna start with Moon Diver on PS3, beat that in one night hopefully, have some fun playing Metal Slug Collection with my brother then move on to Collar X Malice on Vita and try out Valkyria Revolution, see if it's as bad as it looked initially and reportedly was...if it is, oh well, Dark Rose Valkyrie it is.

I'll keep Forbidden Siren replay for Halloween. Supposedly they touched the game up and smoothed it out whilst adding trophies. Gonna keep Dead Storm Pirates for when I'm in the mood for a lightgun game.

The rest are just for playing throughout the year at some point. That might be me for the year now with regards to buying games outside of getting Yakuza 6 in May and my pre-orders of Shenmue HD and Yakuza Kiwami 2.

Yakuza 0 is a masterpiece, in my opinion and the best game Yakuza/Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has ever put out. I remember you and certain others on here annoyed that Majima is getting so much limelight but I'm like Yakuza 0 actually put him up as a really deep character and showed another side to his character. Yakuza 2 used to be my favourite story in the series but Yakuza 0 just has the best cast of antagonists in the series for me. They're all intimidating presences and so distinct from each other. And they're all amazing boss battles and those boss battle music themes...think it's actually the series composer Hidenori Shoji's best work as a composer yet as well.

I absolutely loved the side quests in Yakuza 0 as well, so many highlights and the funniest ones in the series yet as well. The writing really shines in this game. Yakuza 0 is actually my favourite game this generation thus far. It didn't just rejuvenate my love for the series, it surpassed other greats from this gen for me like Gravity Rush and Bloodborne.

And yes Orange, it actually enhances Yakuza 1's storyline as well thanks to the events of Yakuza 0.

And yeah 0's ending with Majima was actually the only one in the series to actually make me choke up too. I wanted to give Majima a hug, haha. Poor guy. Such a melancholic, and yet beautiful ending.

Go for a job in IT, Animegamer. Or something of that nature. There's plenty of decent office jobs nowadays that don't involve just stapling and filing nowadays. You can get in via Helpdesk jobs and work your way from there.

Double post, sorry and all that, don't ban me!

But I got a Nintendo Switch and Mario Odyssey for my birthday. The console is fantastic, so small and easy to get started. The game itself is a masterpiece. Best Mario game I've played since Super Mario 64, for me (yeah, I played Galaxy, not my thing, although I'm willing to give it another shot now I am loving Odyssey so much). The levels are incredibly fun to play and I did a session on Friday that was 4 hours straight, just lost track of time. It's one of those kind of games.

Also got Shadow of Rome (PS2) off my brother. This game is just amazing as well. Such a fun cinematic experience from Capcom (the Onimusha devs made this and you can tell). I'm a good few hours into the game now and honestly feel like this has got to be one of the most underrated Capcom games of all time. Without a shadow (heh) of a doubt! Such a shame it's so forgotten nowadays and won't be getting a remaster since it bombed so hard for Capcom.

Some of them don't even get credited! (See: Tose)
Depends on their contract. Also, I recall some of the members of the team being in the office having their faces blurred out on the group photo, so it may be a second job to some of them (work at SEGA during the day, help out for a couple of hours at the end of the day with Shenmue 3). I've heard stories like that before. Those people normally just get "Special Thanks" credits.

The biggest problem with being critical is not actually seeing the game in motion for real. We really just have very short videos of prototype stage development, which usually are just normally kept in house shared between personnel within the building, kept under lock and key, not for the public eye to see, a lot of the characters we've seen are constantly being changed, tweaked here and there. But really it all comes down seeing the game in motion when it's nearer completion. I can't for the life of me understand the original 2017 release date, no way was the game going to be visually (or from a gameplay perspective, things would have gotten cut for sure) up to par with what either the fans or the devs themselves wanted.

I'm personally glad it has gotten delayed again, let them iron out the kinks and release it at the best they can with the resources they have. They are going for a hybrid art style that combines the look of the old with the new, I personally like the direction they've gone, the little girl literally looks like she is from the same art style/DNA of the classic games to me. Same goes for the roided bodyguard enemy, like one of the street fighters from Shenmue 2, just built in the Unreal Engine. I think they're trying to stay true to the art style that fans expect. I personally would have been more disappointed if they went the other way and made the art direction more realistic. We have plenty of those sort of games nowadays. As they near completion, I'm sure more might warm to it as the character art become more cohesive and they make Ryo look like what we all want (which seems a bit divisive going by the topics on here, ah well).

Nakamura is also the composer of the original Virtua Fighter and a load of other AM2 games (as well as non-AM2 games like Ehrgeiz & Lumines).
It'd be great if he composed some music for Shenmue 3, his most recent composition work was on Yuji Naka's game Rodea the Sky Soldier, which had that really good classic SEGA sound, lots of upbeat electronic music that evokes that blue skies feel. He's a really good synth composer. At least we know the sound should be on point now (of course, we knew about Iuchi who is also really good).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c-Rda9I7mg&index=8&list=PLx5ZE9FYUWsiyTFt8wpeSLheB4fsrt53G

Old school Shoji Meguro!

That reads like a fanboys wet dream list. Vanquish 2? DMC5? RE2 Remake? Splinter Cell? MGS3 Remake? Beyond Good and Evil 2 Gameplay? Yakuza Kiwami 2 given time on Sony's E3 stage? PS2 and PS3 Backwards Compatibility? Shenmue 3 Gameplay? FFVII Remake LAUNCH Trailer?

Most of those are just...lol.

RIIIIIICHAAAAARD!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DfLNxGeV4AMEhJe.jpg

https://twitter.com/devolverdigital/status/1005091916906713091/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwitter.min.html%231005091916906713091

Around a year ago From Software made a Tweet noticing the cult status of Metal Wolf Chaos (since it had basically become a kind of meme) which made Indie publisher Devolver Digital take notice. Looks like they're going to release From Software's lost game Worldwide now, if that tease is to believed! I'll be watching Devolver Digital's E3 conference for the announcement now.

For those not in the know, Metal Wolf Chaos is a hilarious action game where you play as the President of the United States on a mission of vengeance...piloting a mech. The voice acting is really something else. The game was only released in Japan on the original Xbox despite being fully voiced into English.

Ewwww. Looks like Scalebound even down to that "attitude" and corny feel to the dialogue.

Chris Avellone writing = Day 1.

More excited for this than I am for Shadows Die Twice! Hehe.

It's directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki. Coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC.

About

Your death won’t come easily. Introducing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a fantastical, dark and twisted new gameplay experience from developer From Software, creators of Bloodborne and the Dark Souls series.

Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, and published by Activision, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a third-person, action-adventure game with RPG elements. The single-player game puts players in the protagonist role of a hard-hearted warrior whose mission is to rescue his master, a young lord who is the descendant of an ancient bloodline, and exact revenge on his arch nemesis. Set in the re-imagined world of late 1500s Sengoku Japan; a brutal, bloody period of constant life-and-death conflict, in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice you are the “one-armed wolf,” a disgraced and disfigured warrior rescued from the brink of death.

In the game, players come face-to-face with larger than life foes; unleash an arsenal of deadly prosthetic tools and powerful ninja abilities to blend stealth, vertical traversal, and visceral head-to-head combat in a bloody confrontation.

Take revenge. Restore your honor. Kill Ingeniously.

Key Features

Kill Ingeniously – From Software delivers their best in class combat in this fast-paced, action-adventure game featuring all new mechanics.

Exploration is key – Players will experience the thrill of exploration and discovery in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice like never before. Through exploration, players can uncover new items, meet new characters, and encounter hidden enemies.

Armed – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice gameplay is centered around sword combat, enhanced by a variety of prosthetic arm attachments that supplement or change the way a player fights. Achieving strategic mastery of “Sekiro” or the “one-armed wolf’s” techniques and abilities, from prosthetic tools, swordplay to stealth and the grappling hook is no easy feat. To overcome difficulties and bring each situation under control, gamers must discover, integrate and use a variety of new tools when heading into combat.

One-armed wolf – Play as a highly talented shinobi in the service of a young lord raised in isolation. After suffering defeat at the hands of a shadowy Ashina samurai seeking the unique heritage of your master, the two of you are separated. Deep in the mountains, in a dilapidated temple, you reawaken to your fate. You must take back your master and exact revenge on your enemy at all costs.

Hard to the core – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a hard-core game worthy of the name From Software. Miyazaki designed Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice this way! Fans of From Software will find the gameplay challenging, yet fun and rewarding. The quality of combat, level of challenge, and creative enemies and bosses are something that can only be found in a From Software title.

Reimagined world – This reimagining of Japanese aesthetic blends a withered, yet vivid, world of the late 1500s Sengoku Japan as the age of warring states nears its end. Witness a world brought to its knees by constant bloodshed; a ravaged world on the brink of destruction. Explore these environments, rich with FromSoftware’s intricate design and steeped with secrets to discover.

https://gematsu.com/2018/06/activision-and-from-software-announce-sekiro-shadows-die-twice-for-ps4-xbox-one-and-pc

Seems like they're going for a more story heavy approach this time, which is a welcome change of pace. It is kind of weird to me since visually, it doesn't look as good as Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne. May just be because of the daylight and since it isn't coming until next year.

The story is definitely giving me Blood Will Tell/Dororo vibes!

Adventure game Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki. New IP.
Now this is something From haven't done in a long time. Nice to see them return to the Adventure genre.

So many cyberpunk visuals to digest - Matrix style jacking in, Neuromancer style implants, VR headsets, android models, that bit on the plane, the board room meeting that went wrong. It looks like a really violent world they're setting up here.

I can definitely see some Rockstar influence there. It isn't going for a overtly serious, morose or "dark" tone often seen in cyberpunk. We already have Deus Ex series for that and countless others too (like the recently , so it's good they're doing their own thing with the setting. That trailer was great at showing you what the world will be like. I can see myself diving into this game and spending a lot of time in it.

Speaking of cyberpunk games, am I the only one who played Mankind Divided and Detroit on here? Looking at Orange's avatar, I still need to play Ruiner.

I think AC6 is definitely in the works, just Miyazaki probably wants to direct it. Hence, it's been put on hold until his Adventure game and Shadows Die Twice get done.

As for this game, definitely going to get it now I have a Switch whenever it comes out, looks really fun. Love the fact that it has destructible environments. Talented team working on it.

My issue with 4 is the missions were so short like 5 minutes 10 at the most. 20-30 minutes would be ideal. I completed it but something felt off. Then again what do I know. I enjoy Front Mission Evolved. So maybe my opinion is moot.

AC4 and AC5 may as well be from different series the playstyle is so different in both. Miyazaki said he opted for a different style with AC4 and For Answer from the rest of the series (the movement is so much faster and lighter and more spent flying than any of the other AC games I've played up until now). AC1 is still charming in its own way, despite how "aged" it is (since it's on PSN, it's an easy buy). AC1 feels more "arcadey" I guess.

AC5 is definitely the one in the series where the mechs feel really heavy and bulky (and more powerful). Missions are also much longer too than AC4, which were made to be fast paced and snappy. Less boss battles too (AC4 was full of them).

Miyazaki confirms that neither Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or Deracine are not one of the "3 major games" From Software is working on that they talked about a year ago (one being a dark fantasy Action RPG, one a new IP that Miyazaki is going to Direct that he described as being "weird" and the third one being a "mech action game").

So that means they have 5 games in the pipeline (6 if you include the re-release of Metal Wolf Chaos). Director of AC5 and Verdict Day confirmed he is working an unannounced project but not saying what it is (AC6!)

https://gematsu.com/2018/06/from-software-president-hidetaka-miyazaki-hints-at-new-armored-core-in-development

My only concern is that with the old music vs the new music is that unless Iuchi has kept the same synth and MIDI sounds on his computer from the Shenmue 1 and 2 days, the new tracks will sound very different and create a clash. I hope for a consistent musical score that has a great variety as well regardless.

Norio Hanzawa is another underrated composer that I follow; Gunstar Heroes, Guardian Heroes, Dynamite Headdy and Mischief Makers are probably his most known works and most Genesis/Mega Drive fans would recognise his work right away.

He is also the composer of various Konami games (such as The Simpsons Arcade, Castlevania and Contra) before that development team left to form Treasure. Listened to his work various times over the years just felt he's worth highlighting since his musical style is unique and heard in so many games and yet not a name that well known despite being in such highly acclaimed games.

His music evokes such a uniquely 90s style and sometimes get so weird. His synth work veers off into sounding quite strange (Stretch Panic/Freak Out OST, for example; Mischief Makers, Astro Boy GBA, Advance Guardian Heroes and Dynamite Headdy other prime examples). I really like his Sin & Punishment 2 OST as well. Shame his work is so often ignored despite it enhancing the games overall so much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFM0_HMcsqg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TobbHB20AcM

Really need to get around to playing Doom, heard nothing but great things. When I next have that FPS itch, that will be the next game that I play.

Anyway been replaying Resident Evil 2 and actually got my first A rank as Leon (finished Claire A scenario with a B rank) and in turn unlocked 4th Survivor (where you play as HUNK) which is real fun and a cool extra where Zombie Brad appears outside the Police Station. Just finishing it all reminded me of why it's one of my favourite games of all time and makes me even more excited for the reimagining (which I was initially disappointed about being TPS and not having cinematic cameras like REmake).

Also led me to play RE5 again which I hadn't played since release almost a decade ago. Loved it upon release date and lived up to my hype after RE4 blew me away. So it's nice to return to these games again and find they're still so great. The combat for me is the most refined in the series, yes, including RE6, which tried to take the series into new territory (more towards even more action focus with melee counters, quickdives, dual wielding and beat 'em up elements). Not that RE6 combat was bad or anything, but RE5 just hit that sweet spot between staying true to being the action adventure game whilst refining what made RE4 so great in the first place. I feel that RE5 is greatly underrated by the fanbase despite it being a clear attempt by refining what people loved about RE4's aesthetics and gameplay mixed with trying to stay more true to the "RE mythos", as it were, since RE diehard fans complained about how RE4 "betrayed" the story canon by changing everything up. Also the co-op aspect is fine by me too, Sheva's AI is better than what people were moaning about back then too, her AI was programmed smartly to get you out of hot spots (heal, revive, take out the enemies gathering around you etc) and the boss encounters are great as well. Such a great game, screw the haters.

It also makes me know that the RE2 Remake is in great hands, since the Director is actually Yasuhiro Anpo, who was the director of RE5 and lead programmer of RE2 (and a member of the Onimusha team, working as a Planner and Lead Programmer on those games also). So his credentials check out, out of the remaining members of the Resident Evil team, I think the RE2 Remake is in good hands with him at the helm.

Doing a replay of SH2 for the first time since the PS2 era and being reminded of Akira Yamaoka's OST.
Masterpiece. Probably still his best work yet.

The previous console generations all had a slew of "hidden gems", games that usually have modest sales that are either loved by the critics and hated by the public or vice-versa, that are usually not perfect but bring forward something new and original to the table, later evolving into another trope of the industry: the "cult classic". Shenmue of course is an obvious example.

Ive missed a lot of this generation. Coming in recently though I'm surprised to see a lot of love for these "cult classics". We're seeing re-releases of games like Okami and Rez (& Shenmue), the revival of series like MonsterBoy, Torment and Beyond Good & Evil (& Shenmue) and even Yakuza and Earth Defense Force are in the Playstation Hits line in the West. I think this is great, and probably a case of a critical mass of hardcore gamers that has been building up since the 90s, which now represents big business and can justify the investment.

However... where are the hidden gems of this generation? I see a lot of indie games but these have a tendency to look and feel quite similar between themselves as they adhere strongly to the "retro-inspired" trope. I haven't been able to otherwise identify too many, especially made in Japan games, and my "shopping list" right now has only two: Polybius and Dangerous Golf (none of which are japanese of course). I would definitely add Hollow Knight to that list as well, which I already have. Which others can you recommend? What am I missing?

For me those kind of games are on the Vita and 3DS.

Games like Lost Dimension for fans of hybrid RPGs (mixture of SRPG and Action, with a retro-futuristic art style), Mercenaries Saga Trilogy (also on Switch) if you're into SRPGs like Tactics Ogre/FFT, Soul Hackers if you like cyberpunk JRPGs, Azure Gunvolt if you like side scrolling action, Grand Kingdom (which is also on PS4) if you like board games, SRPGs and tactical action combat.

There's also what Bethesda have been putting out like The Evil Within 1 & 2 (which are different attempts of creating modern survival horror), Prey and Dishonored 2 which all have cult audiences and are fantastic games in their own right.

Then there's the recently released Vampyr which is building up a cult fanbase. Looks really good to me.

Knowing you since you're into Japanese adventure games like me, I can see you maybe liking the upcoming Jake Hunter game for the 3DS, Ghost of the Dusk, which has a gritty Japanese art style and is out at the end of August.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmCiisn0WbA

Plus there was also that game from former members of Cing released not too long ago which I need to play, Chase: Cold Case Investigations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI_h4W7Y_pY