4 new posts:

https://i.imgur.com/hdhJToOs.png Recap: Shenmue III Japanese Media Interviews | Gamescom 2017
https://i.imgur.com/j3jVQLis.png Shenmue 500K Interview with Yu Suzuki | Gamescom
https://i.imgur.com/M33Q5uls.png Zhu Yuan Da or Yuanda Zhu? | Character Names in Shenmue I vs II
https://i.imgur.com/BeFsywns.png YS Net Studio Visit by Koch Media with Blurry Dev Screenshot | Photos

Enlargement:

Anyone interested in what the subtitles say in 0:11 ?? I am curious :D

Here you go!
https://i.imgur.com/5ks0U9dl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/i8wj36el.jpg

Full set & blog article here:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/09/kickstarter-update-75-face-animations.html

Two posts added.

Kickstarter Update #75: Face Animations & Subtitles Translation

Shenmue 2 Concept Sketch: "Wharf Near Langhuishan"

Here's as second early story flowchart for Shenmue II that I've translated into English. (The diagram can be found in the Shenmue art book).

One of the most interesting findings:

- In this flowchart, the book-airing task at Man Mo temple is included, but Ryo was going to be able to duck out from the task (when Xiuying is out) and go down to the harbor area to search for Ren. But if he's not back by 5 pm Xiuying gets mad!

Here are the first couple of sections of the diagram:
https://i.imgur.com/cWaz3RTh.png

https://i.imgur.com/koB8Vmmh.png

Remaining diagrams & article:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/10/earning-money-to-meet-ren-shenmue-ii.html

https://i.imgur.com/KpMkvabm.png
In late 2013, the break-through many had been waiting for materialized at last: the appearance of a fan-made Undub for Shenmue 1.

Part One of this series on the Evolution of the Shenmue Undub looks at the original release made by Sm1th - how it was put together and the pros & con. The future Part Two will cover the later kogami release.

Link to full article:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/10/evolution-of-shenmue-undub-part-1-sm1th.html

https://i.imgur.com/B2I966rl.png

https://i.imgur.com/Op4FOivm.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/VSeQxW9m.jpg

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

Part 2 is now up, and looks at how the Kogami version of the Undub was put together.

http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/10/evolution-of-shenmue-undub-part-2.html

Part 3 will be about translating the (relatively) small amount of Japanese text that remains in the Kogami version.

Four new posts!

https://i.imgur.com/AAehVDUs.jpg Evolution of the Shenmue Undub Part 2: The Kogami Release

https://i.imgur.com/38BKFq9s.png 2 New Additions to the Shenmue Community | Shenmue Blog & Shenmue Lounge

https://i.imgur.com/lOlXGgis.png Cédric Biscay in Tokyo | Photo

https://i.imgur.com/VY5IsLls.png Evolution of the Shenmue Undub Part 3: Translating the Last 3%

New posts up:

The Bus to Amihama | Shenmue Realism

The Road to Amihama | Shenmue Realism

Ryo spotted joy-riding through Dobuita

johnvivant wrote: Switch, do you know if anyone is working on a 80min disc optimized version of the new undub?
I really want to play it on my dreamcast. thanks

You may be in luck! There's a plan to look at making an 80 min version also but it will be a bit further down the track.

Also, from my crappy phone screen the temple looks like it says 堂札社千

Tangzha Community Temple? Thousand Tangzha Building? I dunno. Haha.
That actually should be read right to left: 千社札堂 (Qian she zha tang).
...
EDIT: OK, now that I've seen that higher-res pic (thanks!), I changed my mind and now think that is a 札, after all, like ShenmueTree said.
So, Scroll Hall of a Thousand Sacrifices.*

*I'm sure there's a more elegant way to translate it. English isn't my mother tongue.
Just to add to this, this word actually also exists in Japanese (as you mentioned it refers to the tags - for wont of a better word - with the names of worshippers that are put up in temples). So a more functional translation could simply be "Hall of Name Tags".
https://i.imgur.com/gswjhdZm.jpg
Of special interest is that getting your own name tag is part of the $800 reward tier. So if you have backed at that level you should be able to enter this building and find your own tag!
https://i.imgur.com/4lpZPIsm.png

Here's a link to my commentary post on this update at the Phantom River Stone blog:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/12/temple-maiden-model-lakshya-digital.html

As a matter of fact, there isn't such a word in Chinese, hence why I was trying to wrap my head around the meaning.
Ah, that's interesting. I assumed the writing (and the costume, customs) would exist in Chinese.

I mentioned here in the forums before how Shenmue 2's street and shop signs would use some Japanese kanji variants not used in China, and that I hoped that Yu Suzuki would be more meticulous in that regard, in Shenmue 3. Now, we're already seeing a temple with Japanese words, Chinese architecture and a Shinto assistant... This isn't encouraging, but best to wait until we see more. Maybe I'm just missing something, or maybe there will be a good explanation for this.
Hm, yes while it's hard to draw a conclusion with the in-progress material, I also hope that Chinese customs, signage and so on is represented as authentically as possible.

johnvivant wrote: does anyone know the correct Japanese pronunciation for the dragon and phoenix mirrors?

i have found the individual kanjis but i'm not sure what pronunciation is correct;
ryuu kagami or ryuu kyou/kei
houou kagami or houou kyou/kei
ect
thanks

Ryuu kyou & houou kyou (per this Shenmue Wiki)

For anyone having trouble locating Ryo...


Kickstarter #77 Commentary

Update: the English version of the map can now be downloaded as a PDF from the Yokosuka City website: http://www.cocoyoko.net/news/shenmue.html


The official Shenmue-themed tourist guide pamphlet that was announced at the start of the month is currently only available in Japanese, with an official English version on its way.

For those who can't wait, an English fan translation of one of the maps & accompanying notes has been carried out on the Phantom River Stone blog.

https://i.imgur.com/pbQmA06l.jpg

The post also contains real-life photos of the gantry crane and the warehouses that served as inspiration for the Shenmue harbor area.

View the translations and full-size images at the Phantom River Stone blog.

Hey there. Never played Shenmue before and I guess it's about time.
Welcome to the forum, and happy to hear you are keen to play!

While I can't help regarding the disc burning, I wanted to reply to this part:
Anyway, I'm surprised nobody else volunteered to translate the remaining Japanese text, so if Kogami's interested, I'd be willing to give it a shot. We're so close to having a full undub to preserve for the ages (in case Sega are dumb enough to still not re-release the first two games when the third one comes), it'd be a shame not to try and finish it up.
Thanks for offering - happily (although it hasn't been publicly announced) I can confirm that translation of the remaining Japanese lines has been quietly completed on over the past few months and it's now at the testing stage. I'm not sure exactly when it will be released, but it is on its way.

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

The recent publication of an official Shenmue-themed tourist guide map for Yokosuka has caused a buzz of excitement within the Shenmue community.

Shenmue fans may be wondering about how such a map came to be created - for example, was it a proposal from SEGA? To find out more, we contacted one the guide map's co-creators, Eriko Furusaki of the Tourism Planning Division within the Yokosuka City Economic Department, who kindly agreed to share some insight about why and how the guide map was made.

The interview can be read at the Phantom River Stone blog:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/12/interview-with-yokosuka-city-story.html

Yu Suzuki gives some brief comments to Japanese website 4Gamer.net as part of their annual survey of prominent figures in the game industry.


English translation here:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/1 ... mance.html

Japanese website Famitsu.com has carried out their annual survey, interviewing 107 game creators to ask their resolution for the year ahead and personal direction for 2018.

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

I've posted up an English translation of Yu Suzuki's responses on the Phantom River Stone blog. His keyword for the coming year is "immersion" as he will be devoting all his energy to the Shenmue III project.
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/12/yu-suzukis-keyword-for-2018-immersion.html

Thanks mjq jazz bar.

(I can confirm I'm working on a translation of the second part & will update here once it's done.)

An English translation of the interview is now up at the Phantom River Stone blog.

http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/0 ... iscay.html

Woah, member of the year! Thank you so much.

It's an honor!

https://i.imgur.com/wdnW4jXs.png Interview with Yokosuka City | The Story Behind the Shenmue Guide Map

https://i.imgur.com/eIXGJ8as.png Shenmue Master's Interview with Yu Suzuki | Gamescom 2017

https://i.imgur.com/JnCfGThs.png Merry Christmas 2017 from PhantomRiverStone.com

https://i.imgur.com/u0nOoFrs.png Commentary on Kickstarter Update #78: "Then, Now and Tomorrow"

https://i.imgur.com/PkAqYQqs.png Yu Suzuki's End-Of-Year Comments to 4Gamer | Romance in Shenmue 3

https://i.imgur.com/fQXsmxvs.png Yu Suzuki's Keyword for 2018: "Immersion" [Famitsu.com]

https://i.imgur.com/eNFjhFKs.png Ancient Game of “Go” Spotted in Shenmue

https://i.imgur.com/UBAG0W7s.jpg IGN Japan Interview with Cédric Biscay

Blog post with some analysis of the new images at Phantom River Stone:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/0 ... shots.html

There is a glimmer of hope with respect to this: as part of the project work is being done on attempting to fit the revised Undub onto standard CD-Rs, while maintaining the original audio quality.

I definitely don't wanna put any pressure on you guys, but is there an estimated time of delivery for this, however nebulous it may be? Because so far all the CD-R 99s I've managed to find have turned out to be utter shite, and I may be about to give up and play the original instead :???:.

Here's a quick update on the project status: the project team has recently succeeded in creating full-audio game images that fit onto 80-minute CD-Rs. After some final minor development work these will soon be put through a period of beta testing on real hardware to make sure they work as expected.

About a delivery estimate: it's not possible to be specific yet. At its broadest - definitely within 2018 and before Shenmue III! It will largely come down to whether any major issues arise during beta testing. If it goes smoothly then within the first half of the year should be realistic.

Two questions for you; you mention that the game should be able to fit on 80min CDRs with full audio, does this full audio mean there will be no degradation in audio quality or must there be come loss in compression, and also will there need to be any compressing of textures in getting this to 80min CDRs?

So will to 80min CDR version have the same audio and graphic fidelity as the retail release?
Yes, the goal is to fit the Undub onto standard discs with identical audio & textures to the original game.

You can download it from the Yokosuka tourism website:
http://www.cocoyoko.net/news/shenmue.html

The fight choreography was really well done, and the voice acting fitted perfectly.

Great stuff as always. Thank you for all the work!
Thanks sand4fish - here's the latest batch!

https://i.imgur.com/fxiveVDs.png Sightings Near Dobuita That Made a Shenmue Fan Look Twice

https://i.imgur.com/uM47HAOs.png Sakuragaoka Park in Real Life

https://i.imgur.com/y2EUvmSs.jpg Examining the 3 New Shenmue III Screenshots | MAGIC Press Conference

https://i.imgur.com/H7e5LFcs.png Kickstarter Update #79: Shenmue III Conference at MAGIC 2018

https://i.imgur.com/qqQQj8Fs.png Showcasing the Shenmue Guide Map | Video

https://i.imgur.com/7a7KCu5s.png 1999 Shenmue Promo Leaflet

https://i.imgur.com/1504Aa4s.png A Visit to Yokosuka After Snow | Photo Gallery

Last week it snowed in Yokosuka! I jumped on a train to capture photos of as many "after the snow" Shenmue locations as I could. Everything looked remarkably like how it's depicted in the game.

https://i.imgur.com/U5zDzpp.jpg

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

https://i.imgur.com/3GP9kmT.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1kukw71.jpg

Full gallery (20 images) at Phantom River Stone:
-> http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/01/a-visit-to-yokosuka-after-snow-image.html

Niowiad wrote:Shops were closed. Were the shots taken during holidays or something?

It was a weekday, but they were taken before 10 am so most of the shops hadn't opened yet (just like in Shenmue ).

Hi spud1897,

I am giving away a set of the Guide Maps through the Phantom River Stone twitter account that everyone is welcome to enter (closes 19 Feb 2018).



Enter here: https://twitter.com/phantom_river/statu ... 1619241984

I've been looking forward to this! Thank you ShenSun!

Nice topic title! :)

There are toilets at the guest house in Choubu at least, according to the floor plan Yu Suzuki tweeted out in 2015. Whether Ryo will be able to use them is another matter...

http://i.imgur.com/bVc0XuJ.png
Edit: the bathrooms that are labelled are only for bathing, but there are what may be 3 toilet cubicles opposite.

SEGA recently published an interview with one of the designers who worked on Shenmue II, Norikazu Hirai.

I've translated the part where he talks about his Shenmue work. It turns out that he is the person who was responsible for designing the Sword of Seven Stars. He also reveals that Yu Suzuki's original concept for it was actually a "Dagger" of Seven Stars!

https://i.imgur.com/G2o1nKrl.png

Link to interview translation:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/02/interview-with-shenmue-ii-designer.html

Just put up a post about Yu's attendance at MAGIC (a summary rather than an analysis).
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/0 ... recap.html

Subtitles have now been completed for the video footage of Yu Suzuki's conference taken by Peter Campbell at MAGIC 2018.

(Translations by PhantomRiverStone.com & Shenmue Forever.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGZktkL5q-I

There is also a full written transcript up on the Phantom River Stone blog:

http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/03/yu-suzukis-magic-conference-in-english.html

Yu Suzuki's conference at MAGIC 2018 was held in French/Japanese only, but English subtitles are now available for viewing.

Video footage: Peter Campbell; translations: PhantomRiverStone.com & Shenmue Forever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGZktkL5q-I

Link to written transcript
Link to the forum discussion thread

However I think I remember when kogami and smith were working on each of their version that it was impossible to fit everything on cd-80 and he had to cut a sequence or some such, I don't exactly recall.
Yes, my understanding is that kogami released an 80-minute version but had to withdraw it due to a critical issue being found quite far into the gameplay. The new 80-minute version (which is being worked on by the Shenmue Master team) is being put together through a manual process of identifying and removing unused data files, so testing will be an important final stage.

Earlier this year, a talented Shenmue fan and model hobbyist in Japan completed an amazingly-accurate scale model diorama recreation of the interior of Shenmue's You Arcade, which I'm sure many will have seen.

https://i.imgur.com/9hGElDB.jpg

I got in touch by email with the fan who created the diorama to ask what prompted him to embark on such a project and find out exactly how it was made.
Q: To start with, please tell us a bit about yourself.

HS: My real name is Hiroaki Suzuki. I teach the drums in Japan and as a hobby I mold figures and build model kits.

Q: What does Shenmue mean for you? What memories do you have about playing Shenmue?

HS: I came across Shenmue when I was about 12 or 13 years old. The first time I played, I found it hard and I remember spending all my time playing at the You Arcade.

Shenmue has taught me many things: to be thoughtful to those around you; the wonderfulness of helping each other; and the importance of making an effort.

In my work now as an instructor, I hope I’m able to pass on some of the things I grew to feel through Shenmue.
Interview continues here:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/03/interview-with-creator-of-diorama-of.html

Looks incredible! I hope there's a Passport appendix included too.

Most excited about that modding API. May take a bit of trial and error to get it right, but it should make it much easier to hack Ryo's savings amount to a huge number.

I've translated another early design diagram extracted from the 1998 Shenmue art book, and this one relates to the very start of game play in Shenmue I.

There is no Ine-san mentioned and instead (somewhat optimistically) it is Fuku-san who has been taking care of Ryo for the whole week that he has been in bed. There are also several other interesting differences compared to the final version of the game.

https://i.imgur.com/QV11viZ.png

Start of the flowchart:
https://i.imgur.com/slsO2hM.png

Link to the blog post highlighting differences & points of interest:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/04/shenmue-1-start-of-game-flowchart-early.html

I wonder why he couldn't answer the question about having arcade games in Shenmue 3? :-k
It's the same answer he's given when asked about Hang-On or Space Harrier specifically, so he may be referring to them rather than stuff like Excite QTE/QTE Title (both of which we know exist in the game already).
Yes, Yu's next words (not subtitled in this video) confirm this is the case, which are: "You're talking about Sega arcade games, right?"

Thanks for posting it up SkillJim!

Some further detail on the live-streams:

* The Twitch link streams the Stage Events only.
* The Broadcast Booth sessions will be streamed on YouTube, with separate links for each timeslot. The individual links can be found in the chart at the top of this page

It's been a few weeks since the last update, and now we have the HUGE news of the Shenmue I & II announcement so what better time than to update with the latest articles!

https://i.imgur.com/588g6HMs.png Erhu Concert by Ryuji Iuchi & Hiroko Suzuki

https://i.imgur.com/q3bD58ts.png A Survey of Red TVs in Shenmue | Guest Post

https://i.imgur.com/pdnBWxps.png Diorama of the You Arcade: Interview with its Creator

https://i.imgur.com/vmDZhRJs.png New Series: Learning Japanese through Shenmue

https://i.imgur.com/1ssI0r0s.png Shenmue 1 Start of Game Flowchart | Early Design Document Translation

https://i.imgur.com/yRTsL4Js.png SEGA Fes 2018 English Schedule & Information | 14-15 April 2018

https://i.imgur.com/ADUfMyJs.png "HUGE announcement" to be made at SEGA FES

https://i.imgur.com/LcAlMCys.png It's Really Happening! Shenmue I & II Coming to Modern Platforms in 2018

https://i.imgur.com/5eoHZRXs.png Masaya Matsukaze Prepares to Reprise Role as Ryo Hazuki