by Wanderin' » Tue Jun 14, 2016 12:52 am
Been hiding out ever since Shenmue 3 was officially announced 366 days ago to the day. Since the game is actually reality now, I've had little else to say other than to wait patiently and respectfully for Mr. Suzuki and his team to do what they need to do to make Shenmue 3 as great as it can be given their resources.
But therein lies the point - "given their resources".
First off, I do not wish for this message of mine to give off any kind of negative connotation. After all, as Shenmue fans we ALL know what it's been like to fight for Shenmue 3. And now, ever since its real, official announcement and in-progress development, all of us community of fans also share what it feels like to know that impossible literally is nothing and that anything you can wish for is possible (especially given the decade of hoping and wishing leading up to E3 2015...).
Nevertheless, given last night's Sony E3 conference I just want to get a little peeve off my chest. Now - even though I absolutely adore both Yu Suzuki and Hideo Kojima and loved how Kojima triumphantly harked his return (ie. "I'm back!") on Sony's stage and then proceeded to demo an unbelievably lavishly developed 3D cutscene/trailer (non gameplay, non in game footage, etc.) for his next Sony co-developed PS4 game (that hasn't even chosen a base game engine for development yet) - all this gives me a sour taste, especially given my concurrent affections for Suzuki and Shenmue.
After all, think about this. Kojima and his newly formed Kojima Productions, given their current superstar status in the game industry, has most likely been given near carte blanche/blank check budget resources by Sony to develop his new "Death Stranding" title.
On the other hand, despite Sony's lip service (I know, I know. Without Sony's help, Shenmue 3 would never even be here...) to how legendary Suzuki is and how grand Shenmue is - Suzuki and his impoverished Ysnet are contracted to ask for the mere pittance of $2 million dollars for a mandatory Kickstarter campaign to gauge public response for the necessity of Shenmue 3. That Shenmue's community of fans ultimately pooled together to even afford Suzuki $6 million dollars in the end is his honour and our hard effort and privilege.
My apologies. Long story short: yes, I suppose we should be complacent that Shenmue 3 is even happening at all. And yet, when Kojima is likely being given unlimited resources at his disposal by his partnership with Sony to ensure that his next game will be as grand as it can be, I cannot help but feel that Suzuki and Shenmue 3 are being physically held back in quality and cannot be grander that it can be without being given the same kind of resources that a Kojima game is being given.
After all, what's Suzuki really asking for in total to make the complete Shenmue 3 that he has always envisioned? 10-12 million? Even now we're thirstily grasping for what more additional stretch goals we can afford and Suzuki has spoken of scaling down the scope of Shenmue 3 to what can be developed with $6 million dollars. Surely Kojima is getting more than that to make his Death Stranding.
If Sony wants Shenmue 3 to be the greatest it can be, then it should actively take actions to set it up for success - in short, if they want to commit to Shenmue 3 then they must also believe in it and afford Suzuki the resources he thinks he needs (without this kind of corporate "we'll make the kind of game that $6 million dollars can afford to make" mentality). While on the other hand, it seems so easy for them to commit to and believe that anything Kojima makes will be worth the investment - a self fulfilling prophesy given the fact that they will fund and support its development to make sure it is as grand as it can be.
All things equal, both Kojima's Death Stranding and Suzuki's Shenmue 3 both have the same potential to flop or succeed. And yet one developer is obviously being given all the help it needs to be the best it can be while Suzuki soldiers on, determined to make the best game he can - within the limited scope of the resources allotted to him.
My apologies again. Waiting for so long to have Shenmue continue on definitely makes me a bit standoffish when it comes to discussing the potential continued future and success of the series. But hopefully, surely others can understand what I'm trying to get at when envisioning just how grand Shenmue 3 truly could be if a giant like Sony actually supported Suzuki with all the necessary muscle power to ensure the series continues successfully.