New Ryo & Shenhua models from press release

[Verderame]

Upon closer inspection it looks that the models are based off the Passports ones....



Yet they somehow managed to make them look ugly, maybe are those dead eyes, maybe in motion they will look fine, time will tell.

Like i said, 95% of the problems of these models are basically coming from:

1)Unfortunate lighting (and this factor alone can hugely change the perception of someone's face shape)
2)Not so great hair rendering/hairstyles still not completely accurate to the original characters' ones
3)Fucked up and out of context color balance/contrast/luminosity/gamma/whatever
4)Slightly plasticky-er skin shaders


Also someone thought that using an image of a Ryo model with crossed eyes for a marketing piece was a good idea

A slight tweak to a couple of details alone would hugely change the overall vibe of these models.

[Spaghetti]

No one wants realistic characters, Shenmue is more about stylized charecters, I don't see Why they can't atempt to use similar aesthetics, no one is asking for Realistic characters, but for charecters that remotely resemble to the one they are atempting to cosplay...

Actually basic facial features of this new Ryo are mostly identical to the passport one, yet, they fail to match its aesthetics.



Yes Dreamcast Ryo never looked like the passport during normal gameplay, yet it didn't look like the continuous abominations we are getting, so.... If we have to choose one..

I won't get tired of repeating the same, passport model quality is nothing unreachable, and they still look fenomenal even today, not AAA level, but quite serviceable

Shen Huas Passport says hi.



This is far from being realistic, yet is appealing, something those new characters fail to achieve.

Come on man.

You know this new Ryo isn't Passport Ryo, nor is it trying to be. It's THIS Ryo:



The one we actually played as rather than the Passport model or CG art that was inconsistent from one image to the next. The new model is almost completely analogous to that render I posted.

If anything the new model makes it completely clear why they photoshopped the old render onto that screen from December. THIS is the intended look for Ryo, clinging onto the Passport model is just a fool's game at this point.

Now Shenhua, is a different story. She looks dead eyed and kinda weird, but it might just be the angle. Even weirder, the Shenhua model is taking inspiration from the CG art that gave her sharper, daintier features rather than the rounded youthful ones we saw in her in-game models on Dreamcast. I don't know what the fuck is going on there. If they're looking to the Dreamcast games for inspiration for Ryo's model, they should do it for Shenhua too.

But abominations? Give me a break. The amount of pearl-clutching, hyperbole-spewing madness over pretty serviceable and improved (over 2015) models is nuts. It's always the same schtick. Some of you will genuinely never be happy with Shenmue III if it isn't exactly how you imagined it.

[Enigma]

This is the ugliest thing I've seen in my life.

Well after you said that you would personally feel betrayed if Lan Di smiled once in a way that displeased you, I don't think anyone here seriously cares what you think.

I barely understand the purpose of this message apart showing your feelings deeply hurt when someone expresses opposite opinion than yours, but anyway...

Opposite opinions are all well and good. When someone lives on a forum trashing someone else's work at every opportunity they get because they think they're a connoisseur of game design that's a different matter entirely.

Saying all my posts are offensive is a biased and very unfair observation.

Then it's not my fault if 75% of the shown work so far is highly disappointing. I would like to be like Peter and see only the positive, but there are things that cannot be omitted. If you want to be reassured, I don't think the game is turning bad at all. The official com around is just... shocking and not very professional, and that's a real concern for me.

We are all linked together to Shenmue by our passion for Suzuki and his games. A community gathers every type of character, from the over-passionate person to the eternal moaner. Well, looks like the second role is given to me. Be sure I'm not pleased with that.

Yes, you're right. We are linked together by our passion for Shenmue and your constant complaining about virtually everything you see in virtually every update (which not only myself but others are calling you out on) is only just an extension of that passion. I'm sure Suzuki loves having us passionate fans trash his work as 'the ugliest thing I've ever seen' after he's only just returned to game design and is doing the best he can on his first project.

I feel bad for him knowing he's practically living at his job when he could be at home with his family because he's putting this game first in his life for his fans, and then people like you who haven't made a game before in your life routinely come on here and 'passionately' moan about it.

Because this is just 'the ugliest thing' isn't it?

[punkmanced]

This looks like a hastily put together promo piece; needless to say, I’ll reserve final judgment for the game’s official unveiling.

So far, I love the environments, but hate the character models, at least in that one specific pic. Shenhua especially, who looks like a lifeless marionette. Ryo looks…off; something with the eyes and the shading.

Fingers crossed, this is just a fucked up pic using placeholders (characters, logo). Then again, why they would even consider doing that in the first place is beyond me, given that Gamescom is one week away.

I don’t know. Like I said, I’ll wait till the unveiling.

Carry on, gentlemen.

[Yokosuka]

I don't criticize Ys Net's work. I criticize the decision either to make a Shenmue 3 with so few resources or to promise monthly content with nothing. The challenge is also to sell Shenmue 3 well for Shenmue 4 perspectives. YSnet is really playing with fire by publishing crazy stuff like that.

[Ziming]

phpBB [video]

[johnvivant]

I have done a few very very minor change to the new model.
(the face is more thin and long now, jaw shape is slightly softer and eyes smaller but you need to compare them to really see a difference)



Maybe I'm getting used to this new Ryo, but I find it very good and definitely close to how I imagined him for Shenmue 3.

if the new model looks like this IN-GAME i will be very happy. huge improvement over the kickstarter monstrosity.
its seems that they've made a stylistic decision for how the in-game characters will look, and its neither photo realism or 90's CG.
I personally would have prefered 90's CG look but i think the new style is more than acceptable. i'll reserve any further judgment until i see the game in motion..
the environments are exquisite!

new font is better than papyrus but still not as good as the original cursive, which i hope they will keep.

[mjq jazz bar]

This is the ugliest thing I've seen in my life.

Well after you said that you would personally feel betrayed if Lan Di smiled once in a way that displeased you, I don't think anyone here seriously cares what you think.

I barely understand the purpose of this message apart showing your feelings deeply hurt when someone expresses opposite opinion than yours, but anyway...

Opposite opinions are all well and good. When someone lives on a forum trashing someone else's work at every opportunity they get because they think they're a connoisseur of game design that's a different matter entirely.

Saying all my posts are offensive is a biased and very unfair observation.

Then it's not my fault if 75% of the shown work so far is highly disappointing. I would like to be like Peter and see only the positive, but there are things that cannot be omitted. If you want to be reassured, I don't think the game is turning bad at all. The official com around is just... shocking and not very professional, and that's a real concern for me.

We are all linked together to Shenmue by our passion for Suzuki and his games. A community gathers every type of character, from the over-passionate person to the eternal moaner. Well, looks like the second role is given to me. Be sure I'm not pleased with that.

Yes, you're right. We are linked together by our passion for Shenmue and your constant complaining about virtually everything you see in virtually every update (which not only myself but others are calling you out on) is only just an extension of that passion. I'm sure Suzuki loves having us passionate fans trash his work as 'the ugliest thing I've ever seen' after he's only just returned to game design and is doing the best he can on his first project.

I feel bad for him knowing he's practically living at his job when he could be at home with his family because he's putting this game first in his life for his fans, and then people like you who haven't made a game before in your life routinely come on here and 'passionately' moan about it.

Because this is just 'the ugliest thing' isn't it?

Ryo's face isn't as bad as I initially thought, especially compared to the first model we saw, but that logo is a monstrosity. It somehow almost looks as bad as the Papyrus logo. It almost looks like they took the Papyrus and put it through a few Photoshop filters and used a smudge/blur tool to put in the finishing touches. Why fix what isn't broken? I really don't get how this is all gonna work in the end.

[The_Fuzileiro]

Well, meanwhile everybody is worried with Ryo and Shenhua's prototype models, I'm just intrigued of how this partnership will handle the worldwide publishing of Shenmue. Once $ONY was going to be the publisher, and now it seems like it is not, what is it's role now?

Hope you guys attending GamesCon and meeting Suzuki-San ask the RIGHT questions for him and take out some more precise answers regarding this.

[Peter]

A lot of rewrites are happening right now, that's for sure.

[mjq jazz bar]

Well, meanwhile everybody is worried with Ryo and Shenhua's prototype models, I'm just intrigued of how this partnership will handle the worldwide publishing of Shenmue. Once $ONY was going to be the publisher, and now it seems like it is not, what is it's role now?

Hope you guys attending GamesCon and meeting Suzuki-San ask the RIGHT questions for him and take out some more precise answers regarding this.

I'm no expert, but I don't think Sony ever said they were publishing the game. They offered marketing and development support for the PS4 version. Why would they publish a PC game?

[Enigma]

This is the ugliest thing I've seen in my life.

I don't criticize Ys Net's work.

And now you're lying/contradicting yourself and I cannot take talking with you seriously anymore. End of discussion.

[Verderame]

Shenmue 3 Ryo's face with Passport Ryo's hairstyle and adjusted coloration comparison #2:



So uhm...? This seems pretty good to me?

[Yokosuka]

This is the ugliest thing I've seen in my life.

I don't criticize Ys Net's work.

And now you're lying/contradicting yourself and I cannot take talking with you seriously anymore. End of discussion.

????? I'm able to respect a work that I'm strongly disapproving. I don't get your point.

[Spaghetti]

Well, meanwhile everybody is worried with Ryo and Shenhua's prototype models, I'm just intrigued of how this partnership will handle the worldwide publishing of Shenmue. Once $ONY was going to be the publisher, and now it seems like it is not, what is it's role now?

Hope you guys attending GamesCon and meeting Suzuki-San ask the RIGHT questions for him and take out some more precise answers regarding this.

Yes. It'd be interesting to see how this goes.

From the press release they appear still to be involved. They may have relinquished publishing rights, but keeping exclusivity in return for... idk.

Shenmue 3 Ryo's face with Passport Ryo's hairstyle and adjusted coloration comparison #2:



So uhm...? This seems pretty good to me?

Yeah that looks like a nice compromise.