AdamKoralik wrote: Okay so time for my thoughts, because I was asked to give them.
1: The story was great. I highly respect stories that can correctly weave in to other stories and timelines.
2: Characters feel incredibly authentic.
3: Lots of typos, though I'm sure you guys are aware of this.
4: Would REALLY benefit from voice acting. Corey Marshall would make this thing work. Crowd sourcing for this might be something to be considered.
5: Remove any and all plugs to #SaveShenmue and channels (including my own). While nice, they take me out of the game. Imagine a Coca Cola ad popping up directly in Shenmue. Takes your out of it, that's why the vending machines work. Point is, maker your advertisements vastly more subtle.
6: The title MUST change. As it stands, my instinct tells me it's some kind of Shenmue themed Calendar. Simply call it Shenmue 1.5. It also wouldn't have such a time stamp on it (2013), especially one that has nothing to do with the actual game.
7: As far as game play goes, I have a similar complaint as the dude who made the let's play. The game doesn't seem...fair. In that, getting the bad ending is far too easy. I realize the idea is to give us a reason to replay the game, but the actual Shenmue games got away with this by having a solid story (which this game does), and we need to have that story conclude properly. We're Shenmue fans, I'm sure we all hate lack of resolution. So, point is, much like the original Shenmue games, getting the bad ending should be more work than not getting it.
Hope that all helps.
If you do cast for voice actors...let me know. I'd love to be in it.
Thanks for the feedback Adam. I'll answer some of the concerns here, and proceed accordingly somewhere down the road.
Question 1 and 2 = Thanks, I haven't played a Shenmue game in 8 years, so im happy I was able to keep all the characters true to their in game versions. The story was something I came up with very quickly. However, i am proud how I incorporated various scenes from the actual game into my story(Nozomi amulet, tom leaving etc)
Question 3 = Yeah i fully expected typos and grammar errors. I didn't get a chance to fully proofread everything. So i released this game RAW
Question 4 = Voice acting. I would love if Corey Marshall agreed to some voice work. I doubt he would however. We'd probably have to pay him. If you or any other dojo members want to voice any characters, im more then happy to pursue this. Send me a private message.
Question 5 = The advertisements. I see your point here. My reasoning behind this was to release something to support the campaign, and to make everyone aware of certain members that contribute to Shenmue greatly. (ziming, wude etc).
I thought it would be nice to place these shout-outs in Ryo's dreams. However, if everyone believes that it takes them out of the experience, and it is more of a nuisance, then im more than happy to remove all ads.
Question 6 = I totally agree. The title was never meant to be the "Christmas special". I just named the demo that as I released it during the Christmas period as a present for all Shenmue fans to enjoy. The full game will most certainly not be called that.
Question 7 = Strangely enough, i want to put at least 4 different endings into the game. I don't think the bad ending is super easy to get, but i can see why people are getting it. It was more of a cruel joke on my behalf. I thought to myself, what does every Shenmue fan want Ryo to do? I guess I knew everyone would choose that option on some level. Whenever i get a chance to release the second build, i'll definitely make it a lot more difficult to get the bad ending.
Thanks for playing, and thanks for the feedback.