In the hands of people who actually know what they're doing, this Kickstarter could've been a hell of a lot more successful.

The whole process reeks of being very amateur. It's E3 week so we should see Yu on every livestream and doing interviews with every media outlet. All we've seen of him is on Playstation's official livestream and an interview with some French guy. It seems to have done this well on being Shenmue alone and these so called Kickstarter experts haven't done much.

When Bloodstained and the Banjo type game got announced on Kickstarter they had interviews going live the minute the Kickstarter went up.

masterchan777 wrote:

THAT'S the Ryo character model we want to see!!! (Image on the right, obviously)

Jack wrote:

masterchan777 wrote:

they really should hire that guy shouldn't they...

Absolutely! That's exactly how Ryo should look.

I really hope Yu Suzuki sees that comparison, I really do!

masterchan777 wrote:

they really should hire that guy shouldn't they...

Plus it has 'what's kickstater' rather than 'what's kickstarter'.

Also it says intOroduction xD

Best english is japanese english xD

http://i.imgur.com/PpX0GvY.png
Shenmue 3 Kickstarter Website
Also Visit: http://www.phantomriverstone.com/


Shenmue 3 Update #65: Dev Room Progress Report Vol. 2
https://youtu.be/HUblCa_MHBM

Shenmue 3 Kickstarter Update #62: Yu-San & Music
https://youtu.be/2ePkAKD3gUI

Shenmue 3 - Yu Suzuki Interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3lnJsGTC_s

Yu Suzuki Interview Part 2 (May 9 Bessatsu Shonen Magazine)
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=50092

Yu Suzuki Interview (May 9 Bessatsu Shonen Magazine)
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=50042

Yu Suzuki Interview - Shenmue3 (Shenmue Dojo & Team Yu @ Magic Monaco 2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-_kR2fnYKc

Yu Suzuki interview (MAGIC 2016) by Shenmue Master
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpnc23uyH4w

Yu Suzuki No Life Interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjgvJp8LDhU

A weekend with Yu Suzuki
https://medium.com/@MoosaviAmir/a-weekend-with-yu-suzuki-6ff4d9d9edb6#.9shym44kn

Yu Suzuki interview by Journal du Japon (Translated by Yokosuka)
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=49125&start=510#p1131657

Magic Monaco 2016
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=49125&p=1118425#p1118425

Yu Suzuki Red Bull Games Interview + New Screens
http://www.redbull.com/en/games/stories/1331775510544/shenmue-3-yu-suzuki-interview

Magic Monaco 2016 - Exclusive New Shenmue III Screens
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=49589#p1128104

Cédric Biscay interview by Desert Bus de l'Espoir (15/11/21)
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=49417

Yu Suzuki Reveals Shenmue 3 Prototype in China (Complete Video) -Subtitled-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNkaLCzL6Z8

China interview with Yu Suzuki (Nov 19)
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=49353

Cédric Biscay : Monaco Hebdo and modogameur.fr interviews
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=49338

Executive Shenmue Ambassador interview with Yu Suzuki
http://shenmueambassador.tumblr.com/post/132143057983/from-the-desk-of-yu-suzuki-a-community-exclusive

Kickstarter - Month 3 Progress Report
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3/posts/1398446?ref=backer_project_update

Yu Suzuki interview with David Deville - Shenmue 3
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=49223

DualShockers Yu Suzuki Interview
http://www.dualshockers.com/2015/10/20/shenmue-iii-interview-yu-suzuki-talks-gameplay-tech-romance-ps4-pc-frame-rate-and-much-more/

EuroGamer Article/Interview
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-10-04-i-could-do-with-a-bit-more-money-yu-suzuki-on-the-return-of-shenmue

Famitsu Interview with Yu (Sept 8th)
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=49050&p=1116549#p1116549

Otakumode Yu Suzuki Interview
http://otakumode.com/news/55c62e97887d92a516b043ae/Interview-with-Yu-Suzuki-Producer-of-the-%E2%80%9CShenmue%E2%80%9D-Series

Progress Update Interview with Yu Suzuki
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3/posts/1336892

The Point - How Did Shenmue 3 Raise $6.3 Million? (Gamespot)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp_jAoaDFxs

GamesTM Yu Suzuki Interview
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&p=1114235#p1114235

Play UK Magazine
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48921&start=15#p1114240

Phil Spencer (Xbox) talks about Shenmue 3
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48911&p=1113520#p1113520

Shenmue 3 Kickstarter Final Countdown (Twitch)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK7lg_Ip6Og

Yu Suzuki interview from Hobby Consolas. (Spanish)
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48828#p1111832

Interview with Cedric Biscay (Radio Monaco) - July 22, 2015
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48753

Cedric Biscay Interview @ Gameblog.fr - July 15th 2015
https://www.reddit.com/r/translator/comments/3de0mh/french_english_video_game_article_about_shenmue/

Yu Suzuki interview from Nico Nico Douga.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IntCDAc6c8Y

Yu Suzuki Twitter Q&A Recap (June 10th)
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48420

Yu Suzuki Q&A on Twitter (#YouaskYu)
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=170828960&postcount=12245

Corey Marshall back for Shenmue 3 (Official)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3/posts/1280725

Ryuji Iuchi's blog update on Shenmue music
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&p=1100498#p1100498

Shenmue 3 Funding and Budget Statement
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3

Famitsu Article Translation
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=47760

Yu Suzuki 4gamer interview- touching the character perspective system
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=47935

Inside-Games.jp - Yu Suzuki interview - (updated translation)
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=47878

Yu Suzuki interview published by Inside-Games on June 17
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=47878#p1093031

Twitch Q&A (Fan Translation)
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48103&start=15#p1097784

GAME Watch interview snippets
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=47937

Yu Suzuki AMA - Reddit
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=47838

Yu Suzuki Game Informer Interview
http://goo.gl/HkSdgQ

Getting The Rights To Shenmue Was Easier Than You’d Think
http://goo.gl/U5Udul

Yu Suzuki/Cedric Biscay interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKb0vtQz8xo

Blit Software Interview about porting games
http://www.gamespek.com/2015/07/14/entrevistamos-a-blitworks-el-estudio-responsable-de-muchos-de-los-mejores-ports-que-habeis-podido-disfrutar-recientemente/

Shuhei Yoshida Contributed $29 to Shenmue 3 Kickstarter
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48057

Jim Ryan (Head of Sony Europe) discussing Shenmue
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48055

Sony clarifies its role in bringing Shenmue 3 to the PS4 - thanks to @yosp (Shuhei Yoshida)
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-06-22-yu-suzuki-needs-usd10-million-to-make-a-truly-open-world-shenmue-3

Understanding Sony's Role in Shenmue 3
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/141291-Sony-will-be-involved-in-marketing-and-production-for-Shenmue-3?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=all

So, what is Shenmue III - and why should I care?
http://crashlanded.co.uk/Shenmue-clearing-up-the-confusion.php

Cedric Biscay Tweet (Sony only funding PS4 port from PC)
https://twitter.com/CedricBiscay/status/612352032851259392

Sony is providing various supports, including marketing and investment, to YSNet. However, SONY is just one of many backers of #Shenmue3
https://twitter.com/CedricBiscay/status/612504077658923008

Sony's Yoshida Interview - Not completely funding Shenmue question - http://i.imgur.com/WhDkpyN.png
http://goo.gl/bpYp8h

Kickstarter Money going to Developers. Not Sony
https://twitter.com/DanShoeHsu/status/612461118326345728

What We Know About Shenmue III So Far.
http://bit.ly/1HX8mzL

How to make Shenmue on a budget
http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/17/8795017/shenmue-on-a-budget

Yu Suzuki Wants To Introduce A New QTE System For Shenmue 3
http://www.siliconera.com/2015/06/17/yu-suzuki-wants-to-introduce-a-new-qte-system-for-shenmue-3/#XZoGokRCsjqs902E.99

Yu Suzuki - Playstation E3 Experience 2015 Live Cast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPgiRIR07qU

How Sony Pulled Off Their E3 2015 Press Conference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRGlVDi3FHQ

Sony definitely supporting Shenmue 3 (Adam Boyes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRZzuTwTEUE

Adam Boyes explains Sony's role with Shenmue 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dL198n2d0o

Adam Boyes - Shenmue Discussion (Gamespot Live E3 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FhW-1TRJ54

Shuhei Yoshida E3 Highlights
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=47686&start=60#p1091419

Andrew House mentions Shenmue
http://goo.gl/ZttCBq

News of the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter reaches Time magazine!
http://time.com/3923809/shenmue-3-kickstarter-campaign/?xid=fbshare

Shenmue 3 sets Guinness World Record for quickest video game crowdfunding
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-06-17-shenmue-3-sets-guinness-world-record-for-quickest-video-game-crowdfunding

Shenmue 3- tells the underside of revival
https://goo.gl/QPA1ot

Shenmue 3 Epic Reaction Art
https://twitter.com/nambabowl/status/611172660416937984
Reaction video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsS0fWIo9FY

MCV article: multi platform and the magic $10 million
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/shenmue-3-could-hit-extra-platforms-suzuki-says-10m-would-deliver-open-world/0151531

Shenmue 3 Kickstarter Image Gallery
http://shenmuedojo.net/gallery/index.php?cat=11

Concept Art Topic
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48150

Thought I'd compile all the reddit Q&A in an initial post so it's easy to read for those who don't want to go through 10 pages. I'll edit my initial post as it goes on.

How accurately will Shenmue III be compared to your original vision of the game or will there be major compromises?

YS: There are a total of 11 chapters that make up the whole story. Over the past 14 years I originally planned for there to 4 or five games to the series. If at all possible, I would still like to realize the full story of 11 chapters.

Will Shenmue III enable PayPal or a means to donate to the project when the Kickstarter ends? Projects like Star Citizen gained tens of millions in donations by allowing this.

YS: I am still thinking about it, but have not decided yet.

Shenmue is a Peach Blossom tree correct? Could you tell us what type of tree exactly?
I would like to plant one.

YS: It is more like a cherry blossom tree, that blooms its flowers in the springtime. It is actually a tree I made up for the story.

Hello Suzuku-san! Will a day-to-night cycle and weather system return to Shenmue 3? They added so much to the atmosphere of previous games. Thank you Suzuki-san!

YS: Of course!

Will you reassure us that Ryo's face will be changed back to the Ryo we all know and love when Shenmue 3 releases, and not this impostor wearing Ryo's jacket that you have on Kickstarter? That is NOT our Ryo!

YS: I am not happy with Ryo's face. It will be the face I have in my mind in the end.

Will the gameplay in Shenmue III be more contemporary or will it be more in line with past Shenmue iterations?

YS: As for III, I would like to make a less stressful user interface, that will feature more usability. From now on, I will make that a focus.

Yu are my hero!
Shenmue is credited with introducing the QTE. Given the significant advances in gaming systems and technology over the last decade, are you confident that you can show the gaming world something we have not seen before?

YS: Thank you very much.

Will we see any capsule toys based on Ape Escape or any of the Sony franchise in Shenmue 3?

YS: I have not decided the capsule toys, so please keep your ideas coming.

Have you ever consider telling the rest of the tale for Shenmue in a book if the opportunity to make Shenmue III never came up?

YS: Yes, I have but if I did do that, it would give away the end of the story, and I thought that would be a big minus.

What was your inspiration for the story behind the first two Shenmue games?

YS: When I was making Virtua Fighter, I went location hunting in China. I was very inspired by Chinese martial arts. That very well may have been the beginning.

Will practicing moves make a return in Shenmue 3 along with the FREE battle system? A lot of fans feel not being able to practice moves was big piece missing in Shenmue 2, and I also personally loved being able to practice and make the moves stronger. It really makes you feel as if you are learning marital arts and then performing them in a skill-based actual battle feels very satisfying.

YS: I want to do it yes!

Will players have access to both the Japanese and English voice overs for the game?
And I wanted to say thank you so much for Shenmue and Shenmue II, it brought a tear to my eye seeing those games at E3 during the Shenmue III announcement, I cannot wait. Those two games are what made me curious about Japan as a child, and I am now trying to work as a Japanese translator!

YS: I am thinking about that, yes. However it is not for sure.
It is because of fans like you, I wanted to make a sequel. Thank you very much.

Will the band-aid ever come off?

YS: I am considering a special option where it could be removed.

Will we see Ryo's Journal return? Would be cool to be able to flip the pages using the PS4's touchpad.

YS: I would like to bring back the Journal. That is an interesting idea, I will look into it. Thank you.

What do you think of the current state of Japanese game development?

YS: I see the share of mobile games increasing, the budgets of games decreasing. It will be harder to express a game's vision.
I would hope the console and PC markets gain more popularity.

Any possibility of a bicycle finally being added to Shenmue 3? Thank you so much again, Yu!

YS: There is a 60 horsepower bike in Shenmue 1. For Shenmue, 3 I was thinking about something with 1 horsepower.

Will character polls compromise your artistic vision?

YS: I really want to get everyone's opinion on the characters. I have something in mind that won't break the world immersion.

In Suzuki-san’s opinion, what is the essence of arcade games? Are those influences in Shenmue?

YS: With an arcade game, you are restricted to a 3 minute window to express what the game is. That is how I made games for the longest time. I wanted to create a game that could be played at a more leisurely pace, so I created what ended up being Shenmue.

Yu, are you really going to be signing your autograph on the illustration for the $300 kickstarter signed collectors edition? So far there is almost 2000 backers, that is a lot of illustrations to sign!

YS: Of course I will write them all myself!

Will Shenmue 3 have any sort of multiplayer component? Perhaps Co-op or a versus mode?

YS: I am thinking about something that would resemble that.

Do you have any more details to share about the stretch goals? It's not clear to me what a "Rapport System" or "Character Perspective System" entails.

YS: They are new systems, so naturally they need new names. The Rapport System will govern changes in Shenhua's actions depending on your conversations with or actions towards her. The "Character Perspective System" will highlight different characters personalities as they go through the story.

What will Ryo do to earn money in Shenmue 3?
As great and engrossing as the story and gameplay were in Shenmue 1 and 2, I (and many others) really really liked the forklift driving. It was like I could learn a new (video game) skill, get good at it, and putter around the docks like a badass.

YS: There will be part time jobs that will be indicative of those you would find in China. In the Stretch goals there will also be the old favorites.

Do you have any dogs or cats?

YS: 3 yorkshire terriers and a turtle.

Love your work! You are a pioneer in this industry! As for my question:
How much game elements/features will we be missing in the game if the campaign doesn't reach the $5 million mark?

YS: I will say this: if we reach the $5 mil mark, one of the things I really want to do with Shenmue 3 will become a reality.
At $10 million, it will truly have the features of an open world.

Who would win a fight between Ryo and Akira?

YS: Akira! Akira is up to 5 now, and Ryo is still on 3.

Can we expect more duck racing in Shenmue III? That was the best easter egg I've ever seen in a video game.

YS: I would love it.

How was it working with mega64?

YS: It was really fun. I would love to do it again.
I hope they pitch in for the replica Ryo jacktet!

Will there be forklift gameplay in Shenmue III?

YS: Look for it in the Stretch Goals!

Given Shenmue 2's ending and previous items found within the series; will swordplay enter gameplay at all? What about the story, can we expect Ryo to use a sword at some point?

YS: I can't answer that.

Do you have a favorite game that you've developed other than Shenmue?

YS: I had fun making all the games I worked on, and can't say one was better than another. Boring answer I know, but it really is true.

I only have one statement. I think I speak for everyone here when I say that Shenmue is one of the greatest game series of all time. And one quick question, what can we expect for surprises in the 3rd installment without spoiling the storyline at all?

YS: How could I do that? Sorry, gotta pass. Thank you very much though!

I've always wondered, why did you set the game in the 1980s rather than present day?

YS: I wanted put forward the differences in culture and values between the two periods.

(Suzuki-san, thank you for coming today! Shenmue is the reason I came to Japan. Those living towns and people you showed in your games were so natural and real, that I wanted to see it for myself. So, now I am in my fourth year of living in Japan.
What I'd like to ask is, if you had billions of yen, what would your dream Shenmue be?
Also, were there any features or gameplay you liked that didn't make it into Shenmue 1 or 2?)

YS: One where the player could live in that world. A second life.

I have two important questions for you:
Do you know where I can find some sailors?
Would you like to try a game of Lucky Hit?

YS: Yes, but not right now.
Uh, ok.

I love the music from Shenmue, if anything kept me thinking about Shenmue from time to time during these 10+ years it was the music. Was is your favorite piece from the soundtrack? Thank you for bringing Shenmue to our lives, I can't thank you enough.

YS: Of course I love both the Shenmue and Shenhua themes, and all of them really, but the one that really sticks with me is the Tomato Mart.

Will there be more funding tiers added to the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter, specifically between the $500 and $3000 tier?

YS: Yes.

Shenmue 3 is just the start. How successful does the game need to be for us to get Shenmue 4 and so on until the saga is complete?

YS: If the fans are not happy with 3 there will not be a 4. So I please hope we can together make this game the best it can be.

What Sega console is your favourite and why?

YS: The Dreamcast. It has really good balance. I was involved with the hardware as well, so it had a lot of meaning for me.

Suzuki-San...welcome to the fantasy zone! It's finally happening. Any plans on more arcade games within Shenmue III?

YS: I plan on making plans.

Why do you create?

YS: Why does one climb the mountain?
The shark cannot breath when it does not swim.

Any info on the stretch goals for Choubu and Bailu village?

YS: Choubu is a riverside village with lots of shops, souvenir stores, hotels and temples. The quests in this village should be very enjoyable, I think.
Bailu is the village where Shenhua was raised and also a place that Ryo's father, Iwao, had visited when he was younger. Here as well the quests will play an important role as Ryo and Shenhua start their journey.

Are all the towns listed in the Kickstarter stretch goals in the game already, or are the stretch goals only there as a means to help give them more features and spice?

YS: They are there, but with more powered up through the stretch goals.

Will Ryo ever go back to Japan?

YS: Not in 3.

Who is your favorite Shenmue character?

YS: It has always been Shenhua.

Are you still involved in any programming activities?

YS: I still write algorithms, logic verification, and make simple prototypes.

Do you play airsoft, paintball, or anything similar?

YS: I think it was Afterburner that I really got into airsoft. The office floor was covered with plastic BBs. Yeah, the Berretta 93R rocks. I put a real hunting scope on that one.

Are you at all a fan of Anime? If so, what are your favourites?

YS: Sure, but its all pretty old stuff.

Will the game take advantage of the virtual reality goggles on PS4 and PC?

YS: Right now, there are no plans for a vr system compatibility, but I love the idea of using it to peer into the world of Shenmue.

When creating Shenmue 3, will you use any assets at all from 1 & 2? Or do you have to start all over from scratch because SEGA still owns the first two games?

YS: The assets from 1 & 2 will get a lot of use.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/6siygr66m2te2qr/i-wf0702_004.jpg#
http://www.mediafire.com/view/bp8911gv5b7y5a3/i-wf0702_005.jpg#
http://www.mediafire.com/view/zhehbcn73zhkp9a/i-wf0702_006.jpg#
http://www.mediafire.com/view/bf1trmgz7tejf1m/i-wf0702_007.jpg#
http://www.mediafire.com/view/6md3ql10x1ppiw6/i-wf0702_008.jpg#
http://www.mediafire.com/view/6iot4869ui62rdr/i-wf0702_009.jpg#

thanks to kurushii for the scans.

Famitsu Translation by Axm and Switch

Feature Story
- Ryo Hazuki is coming back -


Shenmue III has set off
The fundraising campaign has started on Kickstarter


E3 2015 is being held in Los Angeles from June 17th till 19th (Japan time). Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) press conference was held in June 16th, a day before E3 starts, and a game creator Yu Suzuki announced the new “Shenmue 3.” He also revealed his campaign using the crowd-funding site “Kickstarter” to raise funds for this game.
It’s been 14 years since the release of Shenmue 2. What will this eagerly-awaited Shenmue 3 be like? Why did he chose Kickstarter?--- I have asked the executive produce Mr.Suzuki. (Interviewer: Famitsu chief editor Katsuhiko Hayashi)


Finally setting off the official sequel “Shenmue 3”


---The impact of the name of “Shenmue 3” is so great and it surprised me when I first heard it. Well, it’s been 14 years since Shenmue 2 was released. Why make Shenmue 3 now? Would you give us the accounts on how it started?
Suzuki: I have been always looking for the way to launch Shenmue 3, so it is not like we just started this project. Although it’s been more than a decade since Shenmue 2, there are many enthusiastic fans still existing and when I attend autograph sessions abroad, they always come ask me “When is Shenmue 3 coming?” For example in France, 80% of people who come to my autograph sessions are the Shenmue fans. The rest of 10% are Virtua Fighter fans and the other 10% are Hang-on fans or so. There are fans who still manage fan communities. Every year around March and April, the rumor “They say that they are making Shenmue 3” comes out and it reaches me.. haha.


---The eagerly waiting voices turn to rumors.
Suzuki: Yes that’s right. But slowly the fan’s voices have changed to something wistful. They say “It can be just a novel, so please give us the sequel story at least” or “Just manga is fine. We want to see a new “Shenmue”.” Those voices made me think that I should push the project forward somehow for the fans, no matter if I couldn’t make a full-spec game.


--- And for the means to make it happen, you chose Kickstarter. Why?
Suzuki: About three years ago, one of the fans who has experience using Kickstarter suggested me using it for the Shenmue project. That is when I first learned about Kickstarter, and started researching it. If it comes to really making the game, I have to make sure it satisfies my fans. So I couldn’t go like “OK I’m doing this with Kickstarter!” I seeked other ways,--- for instance finding a partner, but I couldn’t find one that meets my requirements. After careful consideration, we decided that Kickstarter is the best way to set off, and we were able to announce it finally in 2015.


---So you were just saying that you wanted to make the sequel, but really you have been working on it already for a long time.
Suzuki: Yes. Strong feedback after the Shenmue lecture at GDC 2014 also pushed me into coming this far. Sega agreeably licenced it to me and SCE also supported us by saying “We will support you if you are making Shenmue.” I knew that announcing the Kickstarter project at SCE’s conference is a very remarkable thing and am so happy that many people still support Shenmue this much.


---The title “Shenmue 3” is very direct and has no twist.
Suzuki: I couldn’t think of any other name. Shenmue 1, 2 and 3. It is not a spin-off. It comes to PS4 and PC.


---Its an eagerly awaited official sequel and fans will be definitely delighted. What is the goal of the Kickstarter funding?
Suzuki: 2 million yen at the very beginning.


---It must be easy to raise 2 million if it is for Shenmue.
Suzuki: However, 2 million is the very least amount of money you need for a game to come to exist. If it’s just 2 million, it will be more likely a very story-driven based game. If we can raise more, it will be more realistic for me to be able to do what I want to do. I want to try something new.

--- Just like you.. Your stance of “making something new” has never changed.
Suzuki: Yes. I will do my best to make a new Shenmue.

--- We will talk about this “New Shenmue” later. What are the pledge rewards for donating to Kickstarter?
Suzuki: I would like to adopt everyone’s opinion into the game to the extent that I can. For example if there are two designs of one character, then I will ask everyone to vote for each of them. I will provide the participation privilege for that kind of voting. Also while Shenmue 3 is under development, I will prepare a trial-demo so they can take a sneak peak of it.

--- So you are creating Shenmue 3 with your fans?
Suzuki: I think every one of the people who invested in this project has a leading role in it and I hope each one of them enjoy it. Please visit Kickstarter’s Shenmue page to learn more about the pledge rewards.


F: Next, I would like to ask about the key content of Shenmue 3. What kind of story developments can be expected in Shenmue 3?
YS: At the end of Shenmue 2 Ryo visits Guilin, said to be the most beautiful region in China. The area is famous for landscape paintings, and it has a river called the Li river. Shen Hua’s house is located on a tributary of the river. The story of Shenmue 2 ends at the point where Ryo reaches Shen Hua’s house, and the story of Shemue 3 continues right from there.
F: So, Ryo and Shen Hua will make an appearance, continuing from the previous part.
YS: For people who have played the Shenmue series, those familiar characters will appear as they were.
F: Will the setting be Guilin?
YS: Yes. For example, visiting a town(s) in the Guilin area, or going back to the mountains. Also infiltrating the Guilin chapter of an underground organization, the Chi You Men.
F: It could be said that Shenmue is the originator of open world gameplay, and has influenced many games since, but for Shenmue 3 what direction do you plan to take the open world model?
YS: When I created Shenmue 1, I was aiming to create exactly what is now called an “open world”. Being able to stop freely at any location you wish, advancing if you wish to move the story forward, or just standing still if you prefer. Back then, we called the system “FREE”, but in time it came to be referred to as open world. In Shenmue 2, with advances and technology and techniques, the open world was expanded even further.
F: In Shenmue 2, it was possible to walk through many towns over a wide area of Hong Kong, wasn’t it.
YS: Actually, at that time, I had decided that for Shenmue 3 I would delve in more deeply.
F: More deeply?
YS: Yes. People might expect that the open world would be made even broader, but in contrast to that, I will focus on depth. For example, for the case of 100 characters, splitting the development budget among them would limit the elements that could be incorporated into each character.
F: That’s true, it would make it harder to create each with detail.
YS: However, if we reduce the number to 10 characters, a lot of possibilities are opened up. The amount of conversation could be increased 10 times, or detailed A.I. provided for each character. As a result, conversations could be much richer. As an example, in Shenmue 3 the person that Ryo will speak with most is Shen Hua, so I want to portray her with depth. I envisage an approach where, by settings parameters for Shen Hua, on-going conversations with her will influence events such as changing her attitude, or changing the way that quests relating to her unfold.
F: I see. I think a lot of support for Shenmue comes not from just the realistic towns, but from the realism of the people inhabiting it. From what you have described, this realism will be further increased, and the world will feel even more “human”.
YS: Yes. In Shenmue this time I will be focusing particularly on digging down further on such internal aspects.
F: This is your vision for the new Shenmue, isn’t it.
YS: Of course, that’s not to say it will not be open world. Stretch goals will allow the town(s) to be expanded. However, what I would like to try first is to develop something that everyone has not anticipated; a deep Shenmue world.

F: I can’t wait to see this new Shenmue. Speaking of Shenmue, apart from its open world, its QTEs and minigames made it special, didn’t they.
YS: QTEs were originally included so that even people who were poor at battles could enjoy them. I’m happy that various games have included QTEs since then.
F: QTEs also had their origin in Shenmue, didn’t they.
YS: This time, I would like to show new QTEs; ones which can played by anyone, and which have carefully-crafted event sequences. In addition, I’d like to change the nature of free battles. (I will think of a different name, as I don’t want to call them free battles). I’d like to make a battle that is won by making the correct decision, rather than by correct timing of pushing buttons.
F: I believe Shenmue was made with the concept of being a game that can be enjoyed by any player, and this new system feels to be in keeping with that.
YS: Also this time I am planning a “technique scrolls” system. Ah.... maybe I have said too much (laughs).
F: Not at all, we’d like to hear more! (laughs)
YS: For example, with the free battle it is tough to practice and input the various commands required, so simply by obtaining a technique scroll you can apply the technique to help you win a battle. In the case of a QTE, the new technique could be unleashed during the QTE. I would like to make it so that a technique can be used to your advantage in battle just by obtaining a technique scroll. Furthermore, I’d like to make that technique scroll connect with various elements within the game.
F: Could you explain a bit more with respect to “connecting with elements”?
YS: Shenmue has had a number of ways you could play around, such as mini-games and gambling spots, but I have always been thinking about how to connect these together in some way. Of course, they are connected in the sense that you can take a part-time job to earn money, then increase that amount by gambling, then buy weapons... but not that kind of connection, something much closer. If the stretch goals can be reached and more detailed elements incorporated into the open world, this will allow technique scrolls to serve as the pivot for connecting together the various side games. That’s the kind of direction I would like to take it.
F: I see. So various elements of the open world will be connected together in a more natural way. Apart from that, are there any other elements that you are keen to include in Shenmue 3?
YS: One particular part of Shenmue that fans seem to have fallen in love with is the forklift part-time job, which is extremely popular. So I really want to include it in Shenmue 3 too, but how can you operate a forklift deep in the mountains of Guilin (laughs). I haven’t stopped thinking about how to find some way to include a forklift (laughs).

F: Please tell us about the development set-up for Shenmue 3.
YS: This time, the main development company is Neilo. The representative for Neilo, Takeshi Hirai, worked as the chief programmer for Shenmue and has a good understanding of Shenmue.
F: Since Shenmue is an open world game, I had thought that working with an overseas development company that is experienced in open world games would have been an option.
YS: Yes, that may have been an option. However, the main distinguishing characteristic of Shenmue is its culture. I believe that users overseas also have taken interest in the culture and customs of Asia. People have said they appreciate it when Ryo says “Thank you” for the smallest thing, for example. Someone who has worked all along on creating Shenmue understands that kind of culture and values.
F: So this time, development will be using Unreal Engine 4, won’t it.
YS: I have been looking at various engines for Shenmue 3 for the past 3 years, but the colors of Unreal Engine 4 are closest to those I envisage for the world of Shenmue. Although that’s a pretty broad statement, given that it’s a technical topic. The feeling of slight dampness in the air, the skin colors, the feel of materials etc were closest to my ideal.
F: Apart from the Neilo staff, are there others participating who have worked with Shenmue before?
YS: Yes, of course. I wanted to build up the team with past members as I believe that gives the fans some reassurance. Among others are scenario writer Masahiro Yoshimoto, and Kenji Miyawaki who is in charge of the character designs.
F: Given that this project is coming to life 14 years after the previous release of Shenmue, everyone must be very surprised.
YS: Mr Yoshimoto has been active in the world of television, and reacted with surprise saying “With television, producing something new with a theme that is 14 years old is unheard of”. But Mr Yoshimoto told me that he made many discoveries through his experience with Shenmue. Later on, I plan to release a video with comments from Mr Yoshimoto and the rest of the staff, so please watch out for it.
F: We are looking forward to seeing it. The fans are sure to be happy.
YS: I have gathered together quite a few of the original key members who gave Shenmue that special feel. I’m sure this will bring a feeling of both reassurance and nostalgia.
F: By the way, it may be a bit impatient to ask, but do you already have in mind how things will progress after Shenmue 3?
YS: Of course, I have that in mind. But first and foremost, I’d like to put primary focus on Shenmue 3.
F: When is the planned release date for Shenmue 3?
YS: I’d like to release it by the end of 2017.
F: That’s quite some way off, but we can’t wait. From speaking with you today, I can really appreciate the challenges that you are taking on of producing a new Shenmue. Finally, do you have a message for all the fans who have waited all this time for Shenmue 3?
YS: The fans have told me over the course of 14 years how they wanted part 3 to be made, and I have always told myself that I had to find some way to make it. And now, through the crowd-funding of Kickstarter, at last I have been able to make a start on the Shenmue 3 project. In order to bring about a Shenmue 3 that incorporates a perfect blend of both a Shenmue that everyone desires, as well as a Shenmue with the new challenges I want to take on, everyone’s effort is needed. Thank you so much for your support.

Picture captions:
1) This image shows the figures of Ryo and Shen Hua walking on a mountain path. Note that Ryo has changed clothes from the leather jacket he wears in the first and second parts of the series.
2) Using a telescope, Ryo observes buildings below a cliff. According to Yu Suzuki, before Ryo lies the enemy’s camp, which Ryo is searching for a way to infiltrate.
3) Shen Hua and Ryo, drawn by Kenji Miyawaki who is in charge of character design for the series. Shen Hua, the main heroine, did not appear much in the first and second parts of the series. In Shenmue 3, she will surely take a principle role.
4) Niao Sun, one of the leaders of the underground organisation opposing Ryo, the Chi You Men. Although her existence has previously been revealed, she has not made an in-game appearance until now.

I feel guilty now, Peter...

I feel like I need to explain who I am now.. I'm not a casual Shenmue fan. My brother and I are 35. We are identical twins and we help lead a school just outside Guilin in Yangshou where we teach poor kids English in helping them get scholarships to achieve better education.

This was inspired by Shenmue. My Avatar is of me laying on a raft on the Lijiang river just outside Guilin.

I've been there from the beginning like most of you. This will be a great experience in my life that I will treasure until I die.

EDIT:

You can find us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/VolunteerEnglishTeacher?fref=ts

A lot of the pictures are of my brother and I.

Here is me with the kids.
http://i.imgur.com/b8Bc9z0.jpg

This is an interview with Yu Suzuki from the japanese site 4gamer.net published 2015-06-19.
Here translated by me.

Original article: http://www.4gamer.net/games/305/G030593/20150618126/

Among other things it brings up interesting new information about the 5 million dollar stretch goal; the character perspective system.

There is also a slight spoiler of a character that might appear, so those of you who want to play the game totally spoiler free should maybe avoid reading this.

here we go.

-- Thanks for being here.
YS: Thanks for having me. before jumping into questions I just want to make clear that Shenmue is a Kickstarter project and the scope and contents depend on the stretch goals.

-- Yeah, looking at the Kickstarter stretch goals there are the rapport system and skill tree and other added.
YS: We add more stretch goals so as more people pledge the scope of the game will get bigger. So as of now I can’t talk in detail about the mechanics of the game. What I’m able to accomplish will very much depend on the funds we can gather. I want to avoid telling too much and end up betraying those who have paid.

-- Under those circumstances, what do you want to do with Shenmue III?
YS: I want to show the relationship between Ryo and Shenhua in more detail. Even further than previous games.

-- It’s kind of hard to imagine how that would work.
YS: Maybe so. I want to to challenge myself, but new things are hard to get people to understand and therefore harder to gain support for. That’s one of the reasons we have prepared stretch goals like larger map and mini games.

-- So you made easy to understand stretch goals first.
YS: As more money comes in, the world of Shenmue III gets larger, and the game becomes more complete. But if it becomes a question of what game has the largest world, the game with the largest budget has a sure advantage. When it comes to Shenmue III, I want to ensure that there are other parts to enjoy besides just the open world aspects.

-- Can you give us any examples?
YS: At 3.2 million dollars there is the rapport system stretch goal. Actions and conversations will affect the relation between Ryo and Shenhua in subtle ways. The way Shenhua speaks and cooperate etc. will change.

-- It seems like the story could change depending on the relationship.
YS: Let’s just say that it depends on the budget. Making statements like that is just asking for trouble (laugh).

-- I get it (laugh). Could you explain the 5 million dollar stretch goal; the character perspective system?
YS: That is where the player will take control of characters like Shenhua and Ren instead of Ryo.

-- At a certain point in the game will we be able to change characters freely?
YS: I can’t talk about details yet, so I will just say that it’s not necessarily like we are letting you control the other characters exactly like Ryo.

-- So it’s not like you can just change characters at will.
YS: The personality of Ren and Shenhua is different from Ryo, so even if they see the same thing the reactions would be different. When you played as Ryo it was his decisions, but playing as Ren and Shenhua would make it very interesting.

-- Hearing that makes me even more interested (laugh).
YS: I’m unable to describe it any more until the 5 million dollar stretch goal is reached, so I’ll stop here for today.

-- By the way, will the story end with this part.
YS: To tell the truth, the original story is too long to end here. So I decided against trying to fit it all in to Shenmue III.

-- Which means that after the Shenmue III project has been finished we have to wait for the the next part.
YS: First we have to do our best to make Shenmue III a solid game.

-- Let’s leave the appearance of Shenmue III and talk about the backend. Can you tell us why you chose to use Unreal Engine 4?
YS: It’s because it’s easy to use and fits with how I imagine Shenmue to look. There are like rendering tendencies for the different engines, and the base colors of Unreal Engine 4 added with “dampness and scent” makes it Shenmue.

-- Are the colors you imagine the same as with the first two parts?
YS: Of course. Shenmue had that air humidity feeling well presented and it had a smell too. That’s what I aim for with Shenmue III.

-- So you’re saying that if you take a scenery out of the game and look at it you’d be able to say “That’s Shenmue!”?
YS: Yeah, That’s what I want to do. But the promotional video we made for Kickstarter felt dry. Kind of ended up like the Californian humidity level (laugh).

-- Your idea of the exact colors or the “scent” of the graphics, is it hard to convey that to the developers?
YS: It it very very hard to explain it. It’s like trying to explain what a melon is to someone who only has seen watermelons and mandarins. Well, you can say the size is about in the middle, but trying to explain the taste is very hard.

-- With that said, do you have members from the former parts working on Shenmue III?
YS: Yes. So we have the original members that kind of know what Shenmue is about.

-- After fifteen years, it’s quite the thing to bring everyone together again.
YS: I think so. Everyone has gone independent or changed their positions, but even at this stage when the scope of the production isn’t set in stone they have gladly offered to join. That’s really heartwarming.

-- It feels like the relationship is deeper than what you could expect from work colleges.
YS: That’s because Shenmue was a project that was more than just work. Ten years after the development of Shenmue II we had this get-together and more than 100 people came.

-- That’s amazing. I’m not sure if I would call that just a get-together.

-- The level of creativity in the games you have created is often very high. Is there any secret to this?
YS: No. I never play games outside work, so I don’t get that influenced by other games. Maybe that’s the reason.

-- I had this idea that you researched other games thorough and tried to make something different, but I guess that’s not true then.
YS: Yeah. it easier to just make something from zero (laugh).

-- So maybe If someone from the media like me hear an explanation for a game and say “Is it like the mechanics from that other game?” you might not be able to get it?
YS: I’m sorry, but I guess that’s true. Well, maybe I have to study the trends in the most popular games.

-- By the way, this is the first in a long time that you get to work on a game this big.
YS: Yeah. It feels like it was a long time ago I got this invested in a game.

-- It’s not like you totally left the game industry, but what do you think of the game industry in Japan looking from a bit afar.
YS: The game engine Unity came out and made it easy for just one person to make his own game, which is a good thing. It wouldn’t be healthy if only big budget games were able to survive. It’s good that the market has expanded with more alternatives. But it’s kind of sad that a majority of games that make money are small like games for smartphones.

-- Do you feel like more effort should be made in making titles for the consoles?
YS: Yeah. Before, Japan was said to be number one in game making. It’s sad that the knowledge that had amassed during that time wasn’t used better.

-- Many of the people during that time went over to make games for smartphones.
YS: It’s not like games for smartphones are necessarily bad, but what’s characteristic of smartphone game making is that the development cycles from start to finished tend to be fast. It might be good for business, but I’m not really satisfied with that. If you compare to cars there’s the really popular cars that sell well. They make a lot of money for the company, but if they don’t develop their flagship model their technical advancement will suffer.

-- In USA there is still a lot of money spent in games for game consoles and PC.
YS: Yeah. That kind of rich content helps activate the whole industry. I hope the industry in Japan gets back on track like before...

-- Oh, the interview got very negative suddenly. Could you maybe give a word of encouragement to the young developers of today or people thinking about making games?
YS: Today is different from before. It’s possible for anyone to make games now. Before it was impossible to make games if you didn’t know how to program, but now there are tools for that. It’s also possible to study game development, and it’s easy to learn from the internet. Living in this age you shouldn't think too hard and just try for fun, go in the direction that feels best for you. Begin with having fun creating.

Comments:
The character perspective system means taking control of characters other than Ryo. He literally says “レンやシェンファ” which means characters “like Shenhua and Ren” so it could be for other characters too. (Edit: Or it could be just an example of characters. Like Thief said: "It could mean that characters like Shenhua and Ren (as in main supporting cast characters) are playable. Ren could have merely been used as an example." Thanks Thief! )
But it’s pretty much as close of a confirmation that we can get that Ren will show up in Shenmue III in one way or another. There is a concept art image of him riding a horse so it’s maybe not that unexpected, but we can be fairly sure he will show up in part 3 and not 4 or even later. Horses were also pretty much confirmed in Yu Suzuki's Reddit AMA so the concept art could very well be of an event happening in Shenmue III.

This will turn off the shadows.
Options->PowerVR->Modifier Volumes-> 'OFF'

Shadows will still work in most cases, but the ones that are causing weird bugs need to be turned off. Unless you can deal with it on xD

Yuan's Revenge project is currently being re-studied because of all the Shenmue III mess.

I don't know if it's still safe to get some actors to re-play Yuan in English.

New update thanks to StuntmanSnake!

Download v1.0.3 of the What's Shenmue translation project

Changelog:
- Changed some pedestrian texts in the three languages. Thanks to StuntmanSnake for the tip.
- Switched the quotation marks to angled quotation marks in the Spanish translation.

Good to know, thanks for sharing.

The mag is called gamesTM.

Ladies and Gentlemen, here's a new version of the What's Shenmue E/G/S translation, v1.0.2:

Download patch version 1.0.2

There's only two updates for this one:
- Added GDI support to the output format. Now the patcher can deliver a GDI image for its use with Disc Drive Emulators (Like GDEMU)
- Subtitle edits on the German translation.

Shenmue Gaiden has been placed on hold for the time being due to Esspiral no longer working on the project. While, I currently have a some assets for the game, more are needed in order to achieve the desired result.

I'll have to wait for more assets to become available from the modding community

The project will be released at a later date. Stay tuned for further updates.

Apologies, if this disappoints some of you, but it is what it is.

In the mean time, look forward to other community projects coming out on a regular basis on the shenmuedojo forums.

Thanks again.


http://i.imgur.com/YDMwskX.png
November 2015 update
Greetings everyone. Today, I thought id update you all on the Shenmue Gaiden project. Everything is going according to plan and we're making great progress. It's certainly a very ambitious project, but i'm confident we can all make it a reality.
http://i.imgur.com/vJbGkUY.png

http://i.imgur.com/NsmXXW3.png

Shenmue Gaiden currently has two types of models, original and new. The upcoming demo will contain the original models, whilst the full game will contain the new detailed versions. These new renders take time unfortunately. Here's a sample of both types.

http://i.imgur.com/EtlN19o.png

The image on the right is the newer model. It has improved lighting, textures, details and special effects. Esspiral continues to improve and his work is simply amazing. I wish I could show you more :)

http://i.imgur.com/BA0DjKD.png

Fully animated weather has now been implemented into Shenmue Gaiden. Currently, only rain is functional. Expect more in the full game.

http://i.imgur.com/d6JmoEJ.png

Although this is a still image, the rain particles are fully animated when playing. This effect gives the game a more professional a authentic feel.

http://i.imgur.com/9uUtQUX.png

We now have the original Shenmue Modder, LanDC working with us. LanDC will be composing music for the title. I've heard a few sample tracks from him already and they sound GREAT!!!. Check out his latest public Shenmue remix below.

http://i.imgur.com/N0DBZvI.png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH7gkAC0dQU

In addition to, we've also been given some other great amazing music for the project. Samples to come in following updates.

http://i.imgur.com/g9XBb1X.png

I'm happy to say that after some testing, Characters will now be able to blink and have their mouths move when speaking in a conversation. Here is a prototype shot of one of the characters.

http://i.imgur.com/BZ4uKDm.png

http://i.imgur.com/PUKK8w2.png

During certain periods of the game, you'll be able to freely explore various areas. To do so, we've implemented a world map containing the playable areas of Guilin. Simply choose an area which you wish Ryo to visit and you'll be taken there instantly. Pick carefully, as each area will have different sub stories.

http://i.imgur.com/7V0h5PV.png

http://i.imgur.com/D15nNTQ.png

Throughout the game, you'll be given the option to spend more time with certain characters. You'll be given a ton of choices to choose from when engaging in conversation. Choose wisely. Each choice will alter the character's response and perception of you.

http://i.imgur.com/GcAENhi.png


http://i.imgur.com/K1N3dpo.png

We now have a sample script for those who wish to do voice acting. Please record as many characters as you'd like and upload your demo reel to youtube or email them directly to [email protected]

DOWNLOAD THE SAMPLE SCRIPT HERE
http://www.filedropper.com/shenmuegaidensamplelines



http://i.imgur.com/432rOpt.png

Finally, we'll be posting a new help thread in the community section. This thread will be use to request specific help from everyone. We can't make this project fully without your input. Please help as much as you can. Link to follow.


That's Novembers update for you. Please give us your feedback, suggestions and questions. If you'd like to help out on the project, please send us an email. [email protected]

Thanks everyone.
http://i.imgur.com/woLj5CP.png
Weekly update
- New Shenmue Gaiden Facebook Page
- https://www.facebook.com/ShenmueGaiden
- New staff
- Amazing new voice actress
- More Faqs
- Exclusive release items
- General updates to the page
- Click the following link for the full breakdown
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=48739&start=26

Send all your questions and requests to [email protected]
Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ShenmueGaiden

Hey Shenmue fans. So over the last few months, me and the amazing Esppiral have been working together on a special project. We originally planned to reveal it back in June but chose to delay it as Shenmue 3 was announced. Never saw that coming lol.

Without further delay, the Shenmue Community would like to present to you all.....

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/2f1b/1n2d8flu354074fzg.jpg

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/119f/h6m5os6gaxz7jstzg.jpg

INFO
Title : Shenmue Gaiden
Platform : PC/????
OS: Windows XP/7/8 / ????
Release date : 2016 / (Demo 2015)
Game Type: Visual Novel
Story: Non-Cannon. (This is a fan made game. Do not take the story seriously. It's something we threw together and does not represent the actual Shenmue story at all.)

All images are a work in progress. Expect massive improvements as the year goes on.

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3010/44j2m79m4vqbnsozg.jpg

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/ed88/e5uj3pwqrzi5952zg.jpg

Shenmue Gaiden will be a spin off non-canon story and take place just before Ryo reaches Shenhua's house in Guilin. A second story based in Hong Kong will also be included. Shenmue Gaiden will focus on the Shenmue Online characters. The lady in red and Lan di will be involved, however, they will take more of a background role. This will be done as we dont wont to interfere with the original story too much. We would like it to feel as authentic as humanly possible.

PLOT 1
After walking through the beautiful forest of Guilin for hours, Ryo and Shenhua finally reach their destination. This brief moment of peace is quickly interrupted as the pair are approached by a young girl begging for help. The Xiangjin village has been attacked by a woman dressed in red and group of men wearing black suits. Ryo and Shenhua make their way to the village to investigate. What sort of danger awaits them?

PLOT 2
After being defeated by Ryo and his friends, Dou Niu and Yuan are determined to get revenge. They team up with an old foe and seek out the Heavens and Xiuying within Hong Kong.

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/58b4/au3guk13n9lg55gzg.jpg

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5614/en2ppm9qtrv6pgpzg.jpg

Ryo - Hero of the series. He promises Lui Hui that he'll find the people responsible for the attack on Xiangjin village.
Shenhua - Heroine of the series. She is good friends with the children of Xiangjing village and accompanies Ryo throughout his travels in Guilin.

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5a44/qb1g1a3ux6kwbgdzg.jpg

Lan Di - The main villain of Shenmue. His reasons for being in Guilin continue to be a mystery.
????? - Mysterious woman dressed in red.

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bd28/5hr6akhagja4245zg.jpg

Xiuying - One of the masters of Hong Kong. A very strong and independent woman. She is determined to stop Dou Niu and Yuan once and for all.
Ren - Leader of the Heavens. Nemesis to Dou Niu.

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0af0/uihdvgsfv72g0mbzg.jpg

Luihui - An orphan child from Xiangjin village. She looks up to and respects Shenhua.
Shui - Another child from Xiangjin village. He is good friends with Lui Hiu
Maggie - A fearsome and mysterious woman

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/8f91/ffouvzeq56b8z2mzg.jpg

Chi You Men - The Henchmen of a mysterious organisation.

More to be added.......

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/7933/8izbrdnoseo3vczzg.jpg

All characters sprites will be in full HD and receive noticeable upgrades to their models. Different expressions will also be added to their faces depending on the situation. This will allow us to deliver an extra layer of realism.

Lighting
Sprites will also receive various lighting effects depending on the background and time of day.

Animation
Finally, each sprite will have their eyes and mouths move when speaking or on screen.
Hopefully, all of these improvements will add an extra layer of realism and provide a better overall experience.

Character Model Improvements list
- HD Models
- Dynamic lighting
- Animated faces

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0bc6/3a1a00x3mn24jxwzg.jpg

All backgrounds in Shenmue Gaiden will be in FULL HD and optimized to support widescreen. Those who played the previous visual novel may have noticed the game running at a 800x600 resolution. This new entry will run at a minimum 1080x720 and support other resolutions.

The backgrounds will also received noticeable upgrades such as lighting and special effects.

Guilin Langhuishan Area

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/c140/cwuijho436l9mlrzg.jpg

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/119e/dz8zianlzz05jzzzg.jpg

Textboxes has been customized to reflect the feel of Shenmue. The text itself is a work in progress. Here are some sample images from the game.

Ren And Joy

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/fcb7/hngvfg7ttol5x52zg.jpg

Yuan and ???

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/157f/mk7ivn7e075ma7vzg.jpg

Chi You And Village Boy

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5239/zvqtou6cug4us3lzg.jpg

Ryo and M
http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/959b/e1pq19oc6sgpjv9zg.jpg

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/af06/3ugl8uwj069n1i2zg.jpg

Cutscene images will also make a return. However, this time they will be custom made and not directly ripped from Shenmue 1 or 2.

Ryo Training

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a1b7/n3nqmhutnq0949azg.jpg

Ryo and Shenhua by a campfire

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d786/8994y1vrkjtp8rxzg.jpg

Shenhua

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/7215/kxmmo3ubjbg11ygzg.jpg

Ryo and Shenhua walking through the forest

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/8f69/9oxy0lcayfubbrzzg.jpg

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/c006/20j9ndolvmdp7n9zg.jpg

Mechanics / Others

Shenhua's House
Each night, you'll return to Shenhua's house. Before you go to sleep, you'll be able to discuss the current events of the story, along with having a general discussion about every day life.

Shenhua will also teach you the game's system mechanics and give you advice about future events.

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/1655/8qrncb8n5ew7swvzg.jpg

Choices, Choices, Choices

Image maps
Certain sections of the game will give you options to explore various areas at your leisure. Each path leading to a different area of the game.

Conversation choices
Those who played the first game knows that it was full of conversation choices which led to different responses. This game will have the same features but expand on them further.

Voiced characters
One feature we would really love to include is voiced characters. We would love the community to contribute to this. Adam Koralik, his girlfriend and others have already expressed their interest in doing voice over work.

Jobs
More unique jobs than the first visual novel.

??????

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d98c/ezx02fkxubbbqigzg.jpg

Music will consist of tracks from Shenmue online, Shenmue Orchestra, Fan made music and Shenmue 2 Guilin music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWm8Gml8w4w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm9rIfVbMqg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH7gkAC0dQU

More info to be revealed soon!!!

http://i.imgur.com/uBEeiOP.png

Q - What type of game is this?
A - This is a visual novel title. A visual novel is an interactive narrative driven game using static images, text and sometimes video clips. Think Pheonix Wright.

Q - Why did you make this?
A - This is a passion project and was made for the Shenmue Community. We haven't had a Shenmue game in 15 years, so we thought it would be nice to create one.

Q - How many people do you think will play this title
A - Not many. Maybe around 50 - 100.

Q - The character portraits look strange?
A - Esspiral is practically remaking the character models. Its hard work. Expect them to improve in the final game.

Q - Copyright /Sega/Ys net/Cedric Biscay
A - This is a non profit simple fan game. There are hundreds of Sega fangames all over the internet. That said, if Sega, Yu Suzuki, Cedric Biscay or anyone else involved with Shenmue want us to stop the project, then we will cancel it immediately. No questions asked.

Q - How did you make Niao S......i mean the lady in red
A - Me and Esspiral broke into SEGA HQ and stole the plans for Shenmue 5. In all seriousness, Esspiral has put a ton of work into creating this model. The result is magnificent as you can see.

Q - Can I help on the project?
A - Absolutely. Scroll down to the bottom of the thread and see the list of available jobs. Whichever one suits you, send us an email and we will go from there.

Q - You shouldn't interfere with the Shenmue story
A - This game is non canon and will focus on the characters that have been written off from the series (Shenmue online characters). Lady in red and Lan di will take a more background role.

Q - Can you make chapter 2? (Ryo traveling to Hong Kong via boat)
A - Its possible. One day, we may try it.

More FAQs coming soon....

http://i.imgur.com/mLqvVcR.png

The following individuals have shown interest in taking part in the Shenmue Gaiden project. More staff will be added in the coming weeks. Some individuals may want to withdraw from their current positions in the future. Staffing not final. Wishlist staff are the ones we would like to recruit. Current staff, please email us regarding any additional info. [email protected]

http://i.imgur.com/eKs3MjB.png http://i.imgur.com/YfW6JmU.png http://i.imgur.com/ZcW9B5Z.png
- ShenSun (Producer/Director)
- Esspiral (Producer/Director)
- David Diville (Shenmue Master/French coordinator)

Wishlist
http://i.imgur.com/kItuLD1.png http://i.imgur.com/oGzY3AL.png http://i.imgur.com/HUlPP3h.png
- Shengoro James (Shenmue 500k coordinator)
- Ziming
- Yama

http://i.imgur.com/DijpcKE.png

A sample of various phrases/lines/part of the script will be sent out to the voice over team in the coming weeks. Casting of characters will then take place.

http://i.imgur.com/S1VWA39.png http://i.imgur.com/RfZJjlR.png http://i.imgur.com/kItuLD1.png http://i.imgur.com/n9JOBuL.png http://i.imgur.com/ebFmJYB.png http://i.imgur.com/VlABMCN.png http://i.imgur.com/ZcW9B5Z.png http://i.imgur.com/xfp5QCp.png http://i.imgur.com/K9D21dN.png http://i.imgur.com/vUWrTH7.png http://i.imgur.com/ZXT5gdL.png http://i.imgur.com/xbtqFGV.png
- Adam Koralik & Mrs Claus
- Adoxographist
- Shengoro James
- Laura Eliza
- Axm
- David Diville
- Ceej & Brother
- T'Pei
- Heather Chu Bishop
- Giorgio
- Ryo911
- Bryan Figueroa
- More to be added.....

Shown interest. Awaiting Confirmation.
http://i.imgur.com/HSoSKzO.png http://i.imgur.com/LRClNnN.png
- Eternal Dragon
- Happy Console Gamer

Wishlist

http://i.imgur.com/X5oqc4S.png

http://i.imgur.com/YfW6JmU.png http://i.imgur.com/p4EeY2R.png
- Esspiral
- Riken productions

http://i.imgur.com/t42a5I4.png

http://i.imgur.com/Ad0Ppqx.png http://i.imgur.com/gJunkH0.png
- Matthew Velazquez
- François Bilodeau
- More to be added

Needs to confirm
http://i.imgur.com/5U88sTt.png
- David Formston

Wishlist
http://i.imgur.com/N0DBZvI.png
- LanDC

http://i.imgur.com/uowhKt3.png

http://i.imgur.com/YmujWHr.png http://i.imgur.com/gJunkH0.png http://i.imgur.com/gJunkH0.png
- Miles Prower
- Adrian Farrugia (Editor)
- Redandwhite

http://i.imgur.com/YyU9uJT.png

http://i.imgur.com/jmUcEnu.png
- ShenmueP1

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9eb9/2wb07e1djc7hothzg.jpg

If you would like to help on the project, let us know. This is a community project, so all help is welcome.

Current jobs
-- Voice Overs (To voice certain characters in the game)
- Fan Artist (To draw Shenmue fanart)
-- Voice Ripper (To rip voice files of specific characters from Shenmue 1/2)
-- Editor (Read the script for spelling and grammar mistakes)
-- Video Editor (Create trailers for game and to demonstrate updates on youtube)
-- Photoshop Designer (Create wallpapers and promotional images for the game)
-- Music Creator (To remaster or create original Shenmue inspired soundtracks)
--Any other unique skill that you may have, let us know. Contact us at [email protected] or message us through Shenmuedojo

http://i.imgur.com/uPvOqpJ.png

The following is the development plan for the rest of the year. If we stick to this vague schedule, we should be able to release a demo on Christmas day. Some crucial info may be missing. Updates to the page as we notice them.

October 21st - 31st 2015
• Base game / engine built. (COMPLETE)
• import all current backgrounds / characters (COMPLETE)
• complete basic structure for Guilin demo chapter (COMPLETE)

November 1st - 30th
• Incorporate events, ?, story branches, social events, image maps, music etc.
• Shenmue Gaiden update on the 3rd

December 1st - 10th
• proofread script
• Shenmue Gaiden update on the 3rd
• hand script over to David Deville for French translation
• Receive final demo script
• Have script voiced by voice actors

December 19th - 24th
• Have script voiced by voice actors
• TEST TEST TEST
• MORE TESTING
• Send copy to david and esspiral for approval.

December 25th
• Eat Christmas dinner and open presents
• Release Shenmue Gaiden Demo
• Presents for all.

December 31st - 1st January
• New announcements
• Feedback
• Party

Updates will continue, with major updates being released on the 3rd of each month.

Many Thanks.

http://i.imgur.com/S7KOcAc.png

If you would like to speak to me or Esspiral about the project, jobs, or anything else then please send us a private message through the Shenmuedojo forums. Alternatively Email us at [email protected]

Like our Facebook Page to get updated on new developments

Shenmue Gaiden Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/ShenmueGaiden

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9847/554w3szx840pyq0zg.jpg

Thanks a million guys. We hope you all enjoy the game.

#SaveShenmue

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/1e01/v7fdugltvd95yyazg.jpg

New update thanks to StuntmanSnake!

Download v1.0.3 of the What's Shenmue translation project

Changelog:
- Changed some pedestrian texts in the three languages. Thanks to StuntmanSnake for the tip.
- Switched the quotation marks to angled quotation marks in the Spanish translation.

Happy to have helped.

That's a small fuckup I did when importing the texts back into the game. Updating the translation (No version changes on the CAUTION screen):

Download What's Shenmue v1.0.3b Translation

Late night playing Shenmue Gaiden. A joy to play, but very time consuming to produce. It's Shenmue though, so can't complain too much

We're still on track for a demo release this year.

25th December. Christmas day :D

A lot more updates to come in October

http://i.imgur.com/LVhci7O.png

This looks amazing. Any chance other platforms could get this?

Oh yes. I wont say which ones though, not until im 100% certain i can make it happen. For now, the only current working version is on PC.

Any updates? :D

More in October, I promise.

Giuseppe Nelva just tweeted his interview he did with Yu Suzuki in Tokyo. (https://twitter.com/Abriael/status/656535210645958660)

Here is the interview:
http://www.dualshockers.com/2015/10/20/shenmue-iii-interview-yu-suzuki-talks-gameplay-tech-romance-ps4-pc-frame-rate-and-much-more/

Short video explaining AI Battle System -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDwmhk7PcTA

Behold! Cheat tables for Shenmue I and II. Based on cheat list by Andreas and Patch Code Guide by SSJ2 Dark.
You'll need free version of ArtMoney , two tables for Shenmue I and Shenmue II https://db.tt/sKz5Kedp. And NullDC with PAL versions of Shenmue. Just select process with your emulator and change values in table. Now you can travel in time, easily meet mr.Yukawa, exchange passport animals without passport and etc.

About cassette tapes: There's 28 different cassettes and 28 slots for them. In Name value field enter value according to the list bellow, and in Amount value field enter amount of them.
Cassette tapes list:
00: Go Go
01: Feel Tired Song
02: Hip De Hop
03: Like a Feeling
04: Heart Beats
05: Flower Girl
06: Antiquity Tree
07: Dandy Old Man
08: Liquor
09: Linda
10: M.S. Shower
11: Hang On
12: Space Harrier
13: Final Takeoff
14: Destiny
15: Boz Nov
16: Be-Witch
17: MJQ
18: Harbor Bar
19: NaNa
20: Spider
21: Glyfada
22: Y.A.D.A.
23: Yokosuka Blues
24: Strong
25: Harbor Beats
26: Shenmue
27: Sha Hua
About move scrolls: I'm not sure about Shenmue 2 move proficiencies, looks like max value is 200 or at least at this value color changes :D , In Shenmue I max move proficiencie is 100, but unfortunatly you will need to unlock every move scroll by yourself, otherwise changing value won't take any effect.

About passport animals: You can almost legally transfer passport animals in Shenmue I just by "trading" them according to the list bellow, as in real Shenmue passport
Cherries:

+----------------------------------------------+
| NAME OF FIGURE | DESCRIPTION OF FIGURE |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Big Philip |A big dolphin. |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Big Robin |A big whale. |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Chip |A pigeon, has grey head.|
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Little Philip |A small dolphin. |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Little Robin |A small whale. |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Pip |A pigeon, has black head|
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Pop |A white pigeon. |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Rap |A black pigeon. |
+----------------------------------------------+


Mini Billiards:

+----------------------------------------------+
| NAME OF FIGURE | DESCRIPTION OF FIGURE |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Pochi |A brown cat. |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Philips |Big Philip and Lil' Phil|
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Pyonta |A white rabbit. |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Kelly |A brown dog? Or cat? |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|John |A white cat. |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Robins |Big Robin and Lil' Robin|
+----------------------------------------------+


Mini Slot Machine:

+----------------------------------------------+
| NAME OF FIGURE | DESCRIPTION OF FIGURE |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Black Kitten (Kuro) |A black kitten. |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Tiger Kitten (Tora) |A white-grey kitten. |
+----------------------------------------------+


Mini Juke Box:

+----------------------------------------------+
| NAME OF FIGURE | DESCRIPTION OF FIGURE |
|---------------------|------------------------|
|Mary |A white goat. |
+----------------------------------------------+
P.S: Let me know if you'll find some other addresses or errors in table.

I wish someone would have done this about 10 years ago, but oh well. Here it is now, a codebreaker code to remove the region check on Save File Import. I really hated having to convert the files, because then when you go back to Shenmue 1 you can't play it anymore without converting back because it you get some obscure error trying to start the game.

Import any S1 Save:
0205AAA4 910B6241
0105AAAA 0000A003

Tested on hardware.

Oh, but I'm sure some of you want to patch this into the game. In 1ST_READ.BIN, make the following changes:
At 04aaa4, Change 426206D1 to 41620B91 at
At 04aaaa, Change 048F to 03A0

To understand how this works, let's look at the relevant game code. This should be interesting if you've ever converted a save by hand:

H'8c05aaa0: H'2fe6 ./ mov.l R14, @-R15
H'8c05aaa2: H'6ef3 .n mov R15, R14
H'8c05aaa4: H'6242 Bb mov.l @R4, R2 //Change to mov.w -> 62 41
H'8c05aaa6: H'd106 .. mov.l @(H'8c05aac0), R1 (H'45454853) //Change to mov.w -> 91 0B
H'8c05aaa8: H'3210 .2 cmp/eq R1, R2
H'8c05aaaa: H'8f04 .. bf/s H'8c05aab6 //Change to bra 8c05aab4 -> A0 03
H'8c05aaac: H'e000 .. mov H'00, R0
H'8c05aaae: H'5241 AR mov.l @(1, R4), R2
H'8c05aab0: H'9104 .. mov.w @(H'8c05aabc), R1 (H'010e)
H'8c05aab2: H'3210 .2 cmp/eq R1, R2
H'8c05aab4: H'0029 ). movt R0
H'8c05aab6: H'6fe3 .o mov R14, R15
H'8c05aab8: H'000b .. rts
H'8c05aaba: H'6ef6 .n mov.l @R15+, R14
H'8c05aabc: H'010e .. mov.l @(R0, R0), R1
H'8c05aabe: H'0009 .. nop
H'8c05aac0: H'4853 SH ???
H'8c05aac2: H'4545 EE ???


At 8c05aaa4, it's loading 4 bytes at the area of your VMU save file with the "SHEE" text in it into register R2.
At 8c05aaa6, it's loading 4 bytes, the hard coded string "SHEE" into R1.
Then it checks if they're the same. If not, it jumps to the end of the method at 8c05aab6, cleans up, and returns. The result goes into R0, and because the value is never set, R0 contains 0, meaning "false". The save file is not compatible.
If they are the same, it continues performing comparisons. It checks for 0E01, the other value you have to change when you convert your save file. If they're equal, R0 is set to 1, (true) and the method returns.

The code simplifies the save file check. Per my comments above, instead of checking 4 bytes, we only check the first two, for SH, since all Shenmue 1 save files have that. (Japan is SHEN, US is SHEU, Europe is SHEE) Then we just skip over the other check completely, so as long as it finds SH, the save file is accepted.


Now I should probably disappear for a few weeks, since I still haven't finished playing MGSV.
Enjoy!

I really like the progress here. I am stepping down as I just don't have the time to help out sadly. Been in the hospital :X
Sorry to hear about that. When I have time and feel like doing it, I can just find a good place to inject some extra code and give you the bytes to patch in 1ST_READ for it. It's going to end up being very simple like the save hack I posted in the other thread, I just need to find somewhere safe to patch it in.

I spent a lot of time on Saturday trying to resolve the geometry issues with ultimately no real progress and kind of got bored for trying for the moment. I did figure out how to cause even less geometry (pop-in with standard 4x3) but it's not entirely clear what was affected because I intentionally broke one of the calculations responsible for setting the view up. That's why on Sunday I made the save file import hack instead. :-)

In my original post on Assembler, I updated it to provide 3 versions of the code. I prefer the original because my TV has small black borders on both sides like the video at the beginning of this thread, but the true 16x9 and "DVD res" versions are there for those who prefer them.

masterchan777 any updates on newer versions?

Ok, I will give a little brief of how I did achieved widescreen on Shenmue II with virtually no clipping at all.
First off I must say that it come with its own tradeoffs, I will explain them later.

Ok, so I took a different approach to make Shenmue II widescreen, instead of changing the 3d matrix, to expand the horizontal view I did the opposite, I changed it to expand the vertical view, in orther to achieve widescreen without cropping the image top/bottom, I used the camera zoom value to put the camera further away, since the game renders everything "inside" the zoom camera area the end result is the game running in widescreen with zero clipping.

Top original widescreen hack, bottom new one, notice how now everything is rendered on the right and left of the image.

http://i.imgur.com/qaISlMX.jpg
[imghttp://i.imgur.com/jNQeJFw.jpg][/img]
http://i.imgur.com/FBJUUE8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1pqzMz3.jpg

Ok now the tradeoffs.

Cutscenes are not affected by the ingame zoom value, so the end result, while widescreen, is cropping the top and bottom of the image, I've been looking for a similar value for cutscenes with no luck so far. Anyway we can remove the black bars in orther to have the whole screen filled with the cutscene so givin us the same widescreen as the standard game but without those awefull bb, again, bad news, it seems that removing the BB requieres specific values for cutscenes, since the game does not use an universal addres for the BB.

http://i.imgur.com/WLXrtkR.png

So the game will display cutscenes like the top righ image.

Another tradeoff is that the game will lag more on Dreamcast since it is actually rendering quite a bit more geometry than with the previous hack.
So this will come in handy for those tha want to replay the game in widescreen with no clipping.


Shenmue II pal (alternative widescreen/no clipping)
02311880---C3A00000
0227E198---35AA359E

I made a little tutorial on how to use the fixer and also play in 1080p.
The video shows Shenmue II running with the patch for a bit too.

Since characters no longer clip aoutside the 4x3 area I would recomend using the autofixer for Shenmue I, for Shenmue 2 there is no such a problem, the game won't clip (the hack behaves differently/better on real hardware though)
On the plus side, if you capture everything in true 16x9 you can always create the other two options from that without re-capturing everything. The original content is still the center 4x3 area of the wider video, so you can crop the output later if you decide to produce in 4x3.

Hello there gentlemen! The What's Shenmue patch has been updated to version 1.0.4.

The most important feature of this version is a new language: Brazilian Portuguese! Thanks to LucasPreacherOfHell for making this happen.

Every language had some minor updates with the textures (I found out that DOSPVR is less damaging than the Photoshop PVR plugin). I've also added a disc graphic with the language name in it. (Mostly for Windows Explorer and GDMENU).

V1.0.4 Download link - MEGA Mirror

Covers and manuals - MEGA Mirror

It's here!

https://youtu.be/nOs3FX-29Fg


Media coverage
http://metro.co.uk/2016/06/03/fan-remasters-shenmue-the-movie-into-5-hour-long-epic-5921456/
http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2016/06/03/shenmue-the-movie-gets-fan-made-remaster/209928/
http://agetimes.net/tech/gaming/fan-remasters-shenmue-the-movie-into-5-hour-long-epic/
http://www.gametoppc.com/2016/06/gaming-fan-remasters-shenmue-movie-into.html
http://hu.ign.com/shenmue/13059/news/eld-at-ujra-a-shenmue-filmet
http://www.polygon.com/2016/6/4/11858558/shenmue-the-movie-high-definition-full-version
http://www.gameplane.de/shenmue-remaster-von-shenmue-the-movie-veroeffentlicht/
http://n4g.com/news/1914461/shenmue-remaster-of-shenmue-the-movie-published
http://www.gamecrate.com/shenmue-movie-gets-proper-fan-remake/13744?hootPostID=738c94624bee5a411c809e8cb0751b4b
http://www.rebelgamer.de/2016/06/seht-euch-hier-shenmue-the-movie-in-high-definition-an/53376
http://n4g.com/news/1914461/shenmue-remaster-of-shenmue-the-movie-published?info=true

Old OP contents
I am pleased to present to you the trailer for my recently begun project-

Shenmue: The Movie Remastered


https://youtu.be/jGmwkT-bFLQ


I've always been disappointed by the original, and although I understand that they had run time and disc space limitations to work with, I felt that Shenmue: The Movie wasn't an adequate experience. I decided just a few days ago that with the power of modern emulation, I could remake Shenmue: The Movie the way I felt it should have been done, and in 1080p this time.


I'm happy with how the trailer turned out, but keep in mind that not all of the footage you see here is final. Certain parts of the game have given me some trouble, for example the "microstutter" you probably noticed in the Yokosuka harbor scene. I'm hoping to get every second of the 3-5 hour long finished product as perfect as possible.
Edit: Fixed the stutter in the harbor cutscene and uploaded a new version of the trailer (embedded above).

"Can I help?"

Absolutely! However, I will be doing all of the recording and editing myself to keeps things easier and more consistent. What I will need that I'm not sure I can do myself (not very well, at least), is assets like title and ending cards, a custom thumbnail, and probably a new font too. The one by David Brown that I used is nice, but it doesn't support numbers, so I couldn't use it for the intro text or credits. Besides these sorts of things, I'm completely open to any advice, compliments, or criticisms anyone has. This is about creating the best remake possible, not my ego.


As said in the trailer, I'd like to give a big thanks to BlueMue for his advice while I was recording this; David Brown for the Shenmue font he created which I used at the end of the video; Esppiral , Masterchan777 , and Sappharad for creating the awesome Shenmue I&II Auto Fixer; and the entire Demul team for making such a fantastic emulator.


Thanks for watching and reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

They have used my render for the splash screen!

I'll watch it later.

good exposure for the series, and yeah, they would have got a lot better info if they had done a bit more research and checked these forums, like fixing the bording clipping and using demul. this comes right before e3 as well, which will keep the game in people minds if there is some kind of appearance. nice.

Really good video. Waiting eagerly for the second video about Shenmue II. Glad it'll reach more people on its way of popularization.

Here's my best-guess translation of the text on the whiteboard that is briefly shown in the video.

*** WARNING: SPOILERS! ***

The text on the whiteboard does reveal clues about the game's story and content. Don't click below unless you wish to reveal potential story spoilers!

http://i.imgur.com/ax99HkR.png

As usual Yu's handwriting is quite hard to make out. Additions/corrections are welcome (Kiyuu, David...?).

Spoilers ahead, mixed with theorising.

The sketch on the right with the ?? on it seems to be a face on segment of the Chiyoumen HQ, and the doors would be prison cells, which presumably you have to search for ShenHuas father. The main diagrams are top down sketches, but the sketch on the right seems to be the corridors/floors you would runaround in a circle in.

Here's my best-guess translation of the text on the whiteboard that is briefly shown in the video.

http://i.imgur.com/ax99HkR.png

As usual Yu's handwriting is quite hard to make out. Additions/corrections are welcome (Kiyuu, David...?).
Excellent work as always! Here's a little help with the "??" parts:

[Top left]
りゅ（=龍）: dragon
ほう（=鳳凰）: phoenix
白（=白虎）: white tiger
玄（=玄武）: black tortoise

Must overcome (?) these. --> Must be in this order.

[Around the big circle in the center]
白こ（=白虎）: white tiger
玄ぶ（=玄武）: black tortoise
すざく（=朱雀）: red phoenix

[Bottom right]
りゅう（龍）: dragon
すざく（朱雀）: phoenix

Excellent work as always! Here's a little help with the "??" parts:

[Top left]
りゅ（=龍）: dragon
ほう（=鳳凰）: phoenix
白（=白虎）: white tiger
玄（=玄武）: black tortoise

Must overcome (?) these. --> Must be in this order.

[Around the big circle in the center]
白こ（=白虎）: white tiger
玄ぶ（=玄武）: black tortoise
すざく（=朱雀）: red phoenix

[Bottom right]
りゅう（龍）: dragon
すざく（朱雀）: phoenix
Fantastic, thanks Kiyuu!

Here's the updated image:
http://i.imgur.com/N3LhjUN.png

I found this set of place name titles that were left on the What's Shenmue disk, referring to major locations in the full game.

While some of them are seen on loading screens of Shenmue I & II, some like the Ship were not used.

Guess we'll be seeing the last one in a year or two!

http://i.imgur.com/XRIOUbum.png Yokosuka
http://i.imgur.com/O97IO4zm.png Yokosuka - Winter
http://i.imgur.com/4ZPKjbKm.png Passenger-Cargo Ship
http://i.imgur.com/avmfsRAm.png Hong Kong
http://i.imgur.com/SxcAeivm.png Kowloon
http://i.imgur.com/BZZjQ1bm.png Li River
http://i.imgur.com/yJJMWkem.png Baisha

You can also play it in widescreen with this hack I did a while back.

TOMB RAIDER THE LAST REVELATION PAL UK.

Code: Select all

2CB75D08
3EC00000

(extra geometry clipping.)

Don't believe it! Will get on this tonight! Thanks Master Chen!

Cool, thanks Masta! I need the most up to date version which can run Shenmue at the best quality it can. Some projects on the go which I need footage for.

This version has voices files from the Xbox version of Shenmue II injected into the Dreamcast game since English-dubbing wasn't officially implemented. This process resulted a few audio-sync glitches here and there throughout the game including the opening scene. This has nothing to do with the emulator since it perfectly runs the official PAL and Japanese versions of Shenmue II without this very audio-sync glitch ...

I suspected as much. Thanks for the info!

https://youtu.be/y1cZhDErMRA

https://youtu.be/zOFvWCCAWSg

It's finally time to break my silence on this matter. I've been working on Shenmue II: The Movie for almost two months now, and recently finished recording disc 2 of the game. I've set Christmas of this year as the deadline, but hopefully I'll be finished much sooner, and will have time to do some kind of promotion. If you have any ideas and or would like to help, feel free to PM me.

Shenmue I and II are much more different on a technical level than I expected, and with changes come new challenges. In some ways, Shenmue II: The Movie will be superior to its prequel, but in other ways I've had to make compromises. I can't go too into depth about this right now, but I will say that despite what's seen in the trailer, fights have to be done in 4:3 since the camera does not work properly in 16:9. That being said, I am once again using the 16:9 Auto Fixer created by Dojo members Esppiral , Masterchan777 , and Sappharad , and for the most part it works wonderfully (naturally, there's glitches that can't be helped).
As a result of that poll I ran in the old thread, and for consistency's sake, the movie will be in English thanks to the fantastic mod created by Sm1th . I've played through Shenmue II a few times in the past using the mod, and initially I was worried that I'd run into a plethora of sync issues during conversations. There have been some, but thankfully it's been very limited so far, and nothing I can't work around.

I don't have an estimate for run time yet, but I think it'll be shorter than the 5 hour marathon that was Shenmue: The Movie Remastered . This time, I'm trying to limit myself on the number of secrets and extras being shown. My ultimate goal is for newcomers to actually play the games themselves, since there's so much they'll never experience simply by watching. However, that doesn't mean the movie will strictly contain story elements. Similarly to the first project, I've made it a point to include a variety of gameplay features and cutscenes.

That's about it for now. If you liked the trailer, please share it, and as always, if you'd like to help out with the project in any way, send me a PM. Thanks!

Hey Guys, I have spent the last couple of weekends writing a short novel that fills in the blanks from the lost chapter in between Shenmue 1 & 2, chapter 2 the boat. I used the comic and the interview as a reference point but have fleshed out the story. I hope this goes down well with the Shenmue community. Please share this with as many people as you can & I would love to hear any feedback you guys have. Happy reading !

Setting his right foot on to the first of corrugated metal steps leading up to this grand vessel - the Genpu-Maru. Ryo took a deep breath, knowing once he takes his back foot off of the concrete floor of new Yokosuka harbour this will be the furthest he has been from Japanese soil. Slowly lifting his other foot onto the bottom step he begins to ascend as his feet clang and rattle the rickety staircase. Thoughts flooding his mind of those he would be leaving behind ; Ine-San, Fuku-San, Tom, Nozomi.. how would they cope without me around? he thought. "No!!" he said out loud to himself, this is not the time for emotion, I must focus. Having made his way to the top of the stairs Ryo turns to look back at his homeland one last time, taking in the sights and the sounds of the bustling harbour. Catching the eye of Master Chen and Gui Zhang whom are quietly watching him embark, bowing to them Ryo turns and walks aboard.

The booming horn of the Genpu-Maru sounded as she pulled out of new Yokosuka harbour, startling a young child on the top deck - who ran to her mothers arms. After a few seconds the child stepped back from her Mom and smiled, realising what the noise and now feeling a little silly. Xiaomei had always had a nervous disposition and used to get teased and jump scared all the time by her peers back in school in Dobuita. Jaingyu - Xiaomei mother, said "She has a loud horn doesn't she?" Grinning at Xiaomei. "Oh look dear, the sun is setting lets watch it together". So Mother and child sat holding hands, wind blowing through their hair, staring out at the expanse of blue sea and following the sun as it begin to dip below the horizon.

Xiaomei turns to her mother and asks "Mommy how long will this trip take?" "About 10 days I believe, we are traveling through the Pacific Ocean and into the East China Sea. Its quite a long journey" replied Jaingyu. Xiaomei sighed, thinking that she would now not see her father - whom she loved most in the world for quite some time. "But how comes Daddy couldn't come with us?" whimpered Xiaomei. Touching her on the shoulder reassuringly Jaingyu replies "Well your Father has to stay in Yokosuka for another few weeks to finish up his work, then he'll be returning home to help us set up our shop". "Well enough about that, how about we get some food and find a place on-board where we can exchange our money?" asked Jaingyu. "Yeah ok! And if there's a capsule toy machine can I get one?? "Xiaomei exclaimed excitedly. "Ok sure" laughed Jaingyu as they both headed inside.

Watching as the coastline of Japan slowly became a distant blurr Ryo stood at the stern of the ship engrossed in deep thought about his decisions over the last month that had led him down this path. Mindlessly rubbing his sore ribs in the process, "Ouch!!" he proclaimed running his hand over a particularly painful part of his side. I should probably get some ointment for this injury he thought. "That damn Chai" he said under his breath. Trying to put his mind on other things Ryo began fumbling around inside his jacket pocket, after a few seconds he pulled out three photographs looking over them one at a time. Smiling at the one of him and Nozomi at the Harbor and chuckling at the one taken at his house with all of his friends. His fathers final words began to echo in his mind giving Ryo goosebumps and made him move on to the final photo, one of himself, Fuku, Ine and his father Iwao. Staring intensely at the photograph Ryo thought to himself I will find Lan Di and punish him....but not before finding out what father had to do with all of this. "Father, who were you when you were my age?" he muttered. Thinking the evening air was becoming chilly he thought it best to head inside and try and find his cabin.

"Bye!!..Enjoy your trip and watch out for pickpockets with all that money on you" shouted and waved the jolly man behind the desk of the Japan Post Bank counter. "Er..Bye" mumbled Ryo as he walked away, thinking to himself what an overly friendly man. Ryo proceeded to walk down yet another long corridor recounting this unfamiliar currency he had just acquired. Having spent the last 15 minuets searching for his cabin but to no avail Ryo was beginning to feel a little frustrated, he stood still, closed his eyes and tried to compose himself. His ears then pricked up, hearing the distant sound of chatter and the clanking of food utensils coming from a room up ahead. "a cafeteria?.. Maybe someone in there can help me find my room" said Ryo. Walking with a brisk pace, now smelling a delightful aroma he thought to himself while I'm there I guess I should get a bite to eat, recently it feels as though I've only drunk Coca-Colas and haven't really eaten properly. He preceded through the double swinging doors into the bustling cafeteria.

Standing behind her Mom in a long, boring queue Xiaomei's mind began to wonder. She thought about her home back in Wan Chai and how much she was looking forward to seeing her beloved pet rabbit Sumi once again. I hope grandma has been taking good care of Sumi she thought as she shuffled herself forward behind her Mom once again. Becoming bored of waiting in line Xiaomei begins to look around, at first not seeing anything a 9 year old would consider interesting but then she spots it... a capsule toy dispenser. Eeking in delight Xiaomei turns and runs toward the machine weaving in between people in the busy cafeteria. Maybe I can win an Amy Rose out of that one, I really, really want one! thought Xiaomei as she squeezed herself past a rather large woman. She rushes up to the machine and pushes her face against the glass to try and catch a glimpse of the toys inside, fumbling around in her pockets she was sure she had been given a $5 coin by her mum after they changed up their Yen. "Ha found it" she exclaims as she places a single coin in the slot of the Sonic themed capsule toy dispenser. Crank, Crank, Pop. The capsule drops, a pair of small hands immediately reach in to retrieve it.

"Hi there, can I have two ramens please? With a Diet Coke and Xiaomei what would you like to drink?" said Jaingyu turning around to speak with her daughter. "Xiaomei?" Jaingyu's heart began to race and a cold rush swept over her. "Where is she? Xiaomei" She runs out of the queue pushing past anyone in her way shouting her daughters name. Then Whack!! Jaingyu's legs came out from under her and flew backwards sliding along the polished tiled floor. A tall man in a brown jacket rushed over to her and asked "Ah, are you okay? I, I didn't see you" Jaingyu shouted "watch where your going!". Ryo could see there was something troubling the woman, as her eyes began to well up with tears. Jaingyu grabs onto Ryo's outstretched arm and he helps her back to her feet. "I'm so sorry about that, are you okay?.. you look distressed" asked Ryo calmly. "No..Ive lost my daughter" wailed Jaingyu. "Ok let me help you find her ok?" Both ran around the heathing cafeteria looking frantically around, until Ryo notices a little figure standing at a capsule toy machine at the back of the room.

"Hey is that her over there" shouts Ryo to the woman as he points across the room. Both run up to the the little girl. "Xiaomei!" shouts Jaingyu who immediately wraps both arms around her . "Why did you run off like that huh?, you know your not supposed to leave my side...you had me so worried" said the woman. Ryo could see the woman was relieved as color began to return to her face. "Ok then, see ya" said Ryo N..No wait, thank you for helping me. What is your name?" asked Jaingyu "I am Ryo, Ryo Hazuki. replied Ryo. "Nice to meet you Ryo, its nice to see there are still good people left in this world. I'm Jaingyu and this is my daughter Xiaomei" said Jaingyu. "Hi" said Xiaomei who was still quite confused why she had suddenly been hugged and then shouted at. In her mind she just went to get a capsule toy and would be right back, she didn't understand what all the fuss was about. "Oh cool capsule toys I collect them too, what one have you got there?" asked Ryo. "Eerrrr.." said Xiaomei as she twisted apart the outer casing. "Oh!.. I didn't get the one I wanted, I wanted an Amy Rose, and look I got this ugly fat man instead" said Xiaomei sounding a bit deflated. "No you have it all wrong, thats the Eggman toy! That's a really rare one you could probably trade with someone for an Amy figure" said Ryo. "Ok then, well Xiaomei lets go and sit down. See you around Ryo" she said as they both walked away.

After being served his food Ryo sat at an empty table, pulled out his notebook and began to eat. Half and hour passes and Ryo had eaten three courses. He hadn't eaten that much in a long time. That should see me through for a while he thought. Scribbling down his last few words Ryo closes his notebook, his eyes felt heavy. "I should go and find my cabin and rest" said Ryo aloud as he made his way out of the cafeteria. Walking along a dimly lit corridor to the bottom deck of the ship Ryo passes a series of restricted access doors, he hears some loud banging and what he thought to be a yelp coming from a room up ahead labelled Pump Room. Ryo runs towards it and tries the handle, its locked. Clenching his fists and pounding them against door he yells "Is everything ok in there?". The noise abruptly stops, Ryo puts his ear to the door and listens for a minute. Only silence, "That's odd.. well maybe I imagined that. I am tired" says Ryo aloud noticing the echo of his voice in this particular part of the ship. Looking up ahead he finally spots a sign for the cabins, walking the way the sign directs Ryo pulls out at a scrap of paper with a room number on it; D-16. "Ok, it must be down here" Ryo says to himself. Turning left at the next corner Ryo spots his room and heads inside, removing his jacket and bag and lays down on the soft mattress. Flicking the light switch off he feels his eyes droop and he drifts off to sleep.

Shozo Michii works aboard the Genpu-Maru, if you asked any crew member about Shozo they would all say what a great person he is. Particularly those on the engineering team, whom he managed. "So Shozo, have you heard about that new camera that just came out? Asked Yoshika. "No, so tell me about it" replied Shozo "and hand me that wrench too". Rummaging through the toolbox Yoshika begins to talk about these new disposable cameras and how now everyone can have a camera for an affordable price. "When we dock in Aberdeen I'm going to try and buy one" said Yoshika. "Just don't go snapping any pervy photos of the women on board when you do get one. I know what your like" said Shozo half laughing as he spoke. Shozo began to climb down the ladder which Yoshika had been steadying and said "Ok all fixed. Now Yoshi you go on your break and I'll head down to the Pump room". "Ok boss but please don't call me Yoshi" said Yoshika as he walked away. Shozo collected his tools and headed downstairs to the pump room.

Shozo walked up to the door marked pump room, pulled out a bunch of keys and unlocked the large steel door. Thinking to himself what could be wrong with the bilge pump, if I don't get it fixed soon the whole ship will all be in trouble. He sets his toolbox down and began to fault inspect the pump, after a few minutes of tinkering he suddenly hears a strange noise coming from the dark corner of the room. He grabs for his torch and shines light over to where he thought the sound came from, he sees nothing. Shrugging his shoulders he focuses his attention back to the pump. Looking more thoroughly he thinks he sees something stuck inside of it, but from the distance he was at he struggles to see what it is. He leans in a little farther torch in hand and to his dismay he sees a long iron rod jammed into the pump preventing it from moving. "What sort of moron could have done this?" said Shozo aloud to himself reaching inside and pulling the iron rod free. The pump judders and clanks and begins to start back up.

"Heeegh Hehehe" echoed around the room as a thin, bald man wearing a mauve cloak drops from the ceiling. "It was I you foolish man. I have been trapped in this room for hours and I needed an escape plan and unfortunately for you, your it". Chai launches himself at Shozo grabbing him by his shirt, thrusting him against the wall then throws him across the room. Shozo's body hits the floor with an almighty thud. Chai darts over to the dazed Shozo and starts rummaging through his pockets, taking anything that he deems valuable. Shozo opens his eyes and is startled by the grotesque mans hands all over him and starts calling out "Help, Help me". Chai silences him with a couple of punches to the face, he then pulls Shozo to his feet and throws him over his shoulder. Shozos limp body soared through the air then.... Crack!! Shozos head had collided with a steel beam hanging from the ceiling, flipping and twisting his body around as he fell to the floor, his face covered in blood. Boom, Boom Boooom...Chai sharply turned around as he heard a loud banging at the door.. but did not move towards it. He stayed crouching, keeping perfectly still watching the door and waiting. After a minuet the noise stopped and Chai slowly approached towards the door, sensing the corridor outside was now empty he reached for the keys he had taken from Shozo and unlocked the door. Exiting the Pump Room he quickly closed the door behind him, jamming the key into the lock, locking the door and braking the key off inside of it. "Now to find that insolent boy and retrieve the mirror, so I can give it to Lan Di San in China" said Chai out loud to himself. He then jumps into the rafters and scuttles off into the darkness through a hatch in a wall shrieking as he goes.

Ryo finds himself surrounded by darkness, not knowing where he is.. all he does know is that he is outside, he can smell the damp, earthy aroma of a forest. Seeing a faint light in the distance he walks towards it, the light growing brighter by the second. After a while Ryo approaches a lake where the source of light seems to be radiating out from, there is a woman there..she feels familiar. As Ryo walks up to the waters edge - now standing besides this women, she begins to speak but Ryo cannot understand what she is saying. The woman then raises her arms and thousands of bright lights begin to emerge from the lake and gather above the water infornt of them. Ryo was enthralled by the scene gazing into the lights, but as his eyes began to focus he sees that the lights are actually thousands of firefly's who are beginning to fly towards him. Soaring through the night air at high speed, he can now hear their wings buzzing next to his ears, they must be right on top of me. Ryo falls to the floor, scrunches himself into a ball on the floor and closes his eyes.

"Ah!!" exclaimed Ryo as he opened his eyes, heart racing, breathing heavily and now looking at the ceiling of his cabin. A bead of sweat trickles down his forehead. "Wow that seemed so real, who is this womanl I keep dreaming of" Ryo whispered. Not able to get back to sleep as the sun was beginning to rise and the light was creeping in his cabin window, Ryo decided to get up. He thought I'll go out on the deck and I can practice my moves a little, don't want to get rusty. On his route up to the top deck Ryo did not see a soul, thinking to himself this ship is quite creepy being so silent. He hurried along, stepping outside and letting the fresh sea air fill his lungs "Ahhhhh..!!" he breathed.

"Lets get sweaty" Ryo announced for no apparent reason and started shadow sparing with himself. After a about five minuets he heard someone calling out, quickly turning to the direction of the voice Ryo saw a young man in a white uniform walking up to him. Ryo stood and watched as the man as he approached, noticing his distinct long flowing black hair and wispy moustache. "Hey there you, was that Jujitsu I saw you practicing?" spoke the man. "Er..Yes some of it is, its my family's style. The Hazuki style, which draws elements from multiple fighting styles" answered Ryo. "Hmmm... interesting" said the man. "My name is Jou Shiga and I am in charge of the catering on the Genpu-Maru, you may have tried my ramen last night. So I come up here early every morning to practice my martial arts, i study Karate. I saw you just as I was finishing up. Would you care for a quick sparing session?" asked Jou. Yeah why not, agreed Ryo. Both readied their stances and it began.

Flashes of colored light and what seemed like letters briefly flicker before Ryos eyes as he manages to dodge Jou Shiga's flurry of kicks and punches and skilfully jumps twice over his double leg sweep. Then catching him off guard Ryo lands a couple of well placed kicks followed up with a fierce palm blow knocking Jou to the ground. "Ouch, w..wow your good. What was that move?" asked Jou in awe. Ryo replied "Its called Stab Armour, its quite powerful when used at the right time". Jou picking himself up from the wooden decking, grinned at Ryo. "Well I gotta run now, have to start work shortly. But I have to know your name" said Jou. "Its Ryo, Ryo Hazuki" replied Ryo. "Ok see ya around Ryo" said Jou as he dashed away pushing his long black hair out of his face. Okay then....are all the people who work on this ship a little kooky thought Ryo letting out a chuckle. Ryo heads back inside for a well earned shower.

Seven days had passed aboard the Genpu-Maru and Ryo being a creature of habit stuck to his routine. Sparring in the mornings with Jou, eating in the cafeteria three times a day, buying countless capsule toys and playing many, many games of darts. Ryo was starting to get used to life at sea, but all the same couldn't wait until they reached Hong Kong so he could continue his journey. Meanwhile Chai had been searching the ship for Ryo but did not want to be seen by anyone whilst aboard, restricting the bulk of his movements to night time. It had taken him numerous days to locate Ryo who he found one evening playing outside on the deck with a young girl however he could not act at that time as there were too many passengers present. Tomorrow evening that's when I will make my move he thought.

"Yes we have made good time this trip, we're only about a day away now" said one crew member to another as he mopped the deck. "Yeah thats great, I cant wait to see my wife" replied the other. Ryo over heard two crew members speaking as he walked by and felt rush of excitement at the news they were close, Ryo had so many questions and they could only be answered in China. Ryo thought to himself he had trained and eaten well today so he deserved a little fun and headed to the recreation room to have a few games of darts. As he stood at the oche ready to throw his first dart Jaingyu burst into the Recreation room looking particularly distressed. "Ryo, Ryo have you seen Xiaomei? I cant find her anywhere, I've looked all over the ship". "No Jaingyu I have not seen her today, Erm..when was the last time you saw her?" asked Ryo. Jaingyu began crying as she spoke "About two hours ago just after we had lunch, I turned my back for seconds and she was gone". Ryo looks Jaingyu in the eyes and says "it will be okay we'll find her I promise, you go and speak with the captain I'll start looking around ok?". Jaingyu nods and heads back off out of the recreation room. Ryo sets the darts down and thinks to himself if I were a 9 year old girl where would I go, he heads out of the Rec room to search for Xiaomei.

Ryo runs and checks in the cafeteria, the shopping department, the bathrooms and the toilets and still no sign of Xiaomei. Ryo hurries down a corridor as he heads towards the cabins thinking Xiaomei may have returned to her room. When Ryo hears a familiar, daunting voice. "Heeegh Heegh What are you in such a rush for..Ey Boy?!" Ryo stops in his tracks, taking a moment to process what he has heard. Ryo turns towards the voice and sees Chai standing at the end of the corridor that he had just come from. "What the hell are you doing here..I defeated you back on the harbor" shouted Ryo. "No Boy!! It is I that will defeat you and deliver you to Lan di San. The great Chai is not so easily beaten" cackled Chai. Ryo launches himself at Chai, but he dodges Ryos attacks and says "Do you know why I will defeat you boy? Because you are too emotional - I have your little friend and if you want to save her you will have to catch me" shouts Chai as he scurries around a corner and up a flight of stairs. Ryo heads after him in hot pursuit however once he reaches the top of the staircase and emerges on the top deck Chai is no where to be seen. Ryo spins around, his eyes darting around for some clue to where Chai fled off to. "Whaaa! - Mommy.. Help " Ryo hears from the rear of the ship. "Is that Xiaomei?" Ryo says as he runs towards the voice.

Ryo sees Xiaomei tied up to the railings of the rear of the ship, suspended only by a thin rope dangling over the threshold above the cold sea water below. "What a monster! Xiaomei I'm coming for you" shouted Ryo as he ran towards her. Ryo had not even gotten half way towards her when he felt sharp blow to the chest draining all of the air in his lungs. Chai had jumped from a platform above spearing Ryo from behind. Ryo shook his head and lifted himself up off of the floor dodging one of Chai's advances in the process. Ryo and Chai circle one another for a moment waiting for each other to attack first, Ryo thrusts his legs around in quick flurry of kicks all which are blocked by chai - who counters Ryo by grabbing him and drop kicking him away. Ryo manages to land on one knee and immediately lunges back in Chai's direction this time not attacking just waiting to see Chai's reaction. Perfect thought Ryo. Chai raised his arms to block what he thought would be an upper body attack as Ryo drops to the ground sliding at high speed towards Chai's feet. Ryo takes Chai's feet out from under him and kicks him into the ships railings. Chai pulls out something, a pair of gloves and places them over his hands. Not ordinary gloves though gloves with sharp claws attached - swipe after swipe Chai was attacking more and more franticly now and Ryo was having trouble dodging and manoeuvring around his attacks. Swoosh..Chai dove and span backwards towards Ryo slicing his left arm with his talons. Ryo saw red, he had now had enough. He looked over at Xiaomei and could see her struggling to get free from her restraints, however if she succeeded she would plummet into the icy water. Ryo thought ok I need to finish this quickly and save Xiaomei. Ryo took a deep breath and did not exhale for what seemed like an eternity, blocking Chai's kicks, dodging his swipes and waiting for his moment.. Now!!! his mind shouted at him. Ryo span and performed a spinning Cyclone kick knocking back Chai on to the rickety railings once again. Ryo pelted up to him, already knowing what he must do. Ryo readied his form and unleashed a devastating Elbow assault launching Chai over the rails and out into the cold water below. Chai shrieking echoed as he plummeted down into the dark blue water.

Ryo exhaled, watching the bubbles and foam fizz for a moment to see if a head would emerge from the choppy water, nothing. Oh Xiaomei thought Ryo, he ran over, untied the ropes and lifted her back over the railings onto the wooden decking and held her to his chest. Her cheeks were red, skin icy to the touch and tears were streaming down her face. Ryo tried to comfort her telling her "Its all okay now, your safe and your Mom will be here any second". And literally on queue Jaingyu comes running up the stairs screaming Xiaomeis name. She throws herself at both Ryo and Xiaomei holding herself against them sobbing. After a moment Ryo gets up and Xiaomei and Jaingyu continue to hold one another. Jaingyu looks up at Ryo and croaks "Thank you Ryo, Thank you so very much.. I don't know how I can repay you". "There's no need.. really, what matters is Xiaomei is safe and that creep wont be bothering anyone ever again" said Ryo whilst clutching his hand over his cut arm. Jaingyu replies "well please go now and get that treated by the ships nurse, ok?" Yes I'll go there now, you two should come inside too its cold out here" says Ryo as he walks back down the staircase into the lower levels of the ship.

"Oh thats a nasty cut you have there my boy" said the plump nurse as she began cleaning the wound. "How did you manage that then?" "I don't think you would believe me if I told you" replied Ryo. "You young boys with your secrets, well next time be more carefully. I have stitched it and bandaged it up, you should be fine as long as you don't do anything silly like arm wrestling with your friends" said the nurse. "Thank you" replied Ryo as he bowed and exited the room. Jaingyu and Xiaomei were sitting in chairs outside in the corridor both holding a warm cup of green tea. Here Ryo said Jaingyu as she handed a cup to Ryo, "You are so kind" said Ryo smiling at them both. "Ryo we dock in the morning but if you get an opportunity whilst your in China please stop by and visit us in the Lucky Charm Quarter, we are going to open up a tailor shop. If you would like I could measure you up for a nice new suit?..It would be on the house of course" said Jaingyu. "Er maybe, to the suit I mean. I will definitely try and stop by one day" replied Ryo grinning. "Ok then lets head off to bed then shall we?" said Jaingyu as the two walked off down the hallway. Ryo thought it best to retire to the bedroom also and headed to his room for some well earned sleep.

The squawks of seagulls woke Ryo the next morning, "Wow 11:30" said Ryo. Hurrying out of bed and beginning to get dressed and packed, Ryo thought to himself I'm actually glad they woke me I must have forgotten to set my alarm. All ready he headed up and out of the ship and emerged on the top deck. It was a particularly hot day he could feel the hot midday sun on his skin. Ryo strolled over to the front of the boat squinting to look through the glare of the sunshine, he saw faint outlines of small green roofed sailing boats out on the water in front of him. I'm finally here thought Ryo as the tall buildings along the coast became visible. The Genpu-Maru's horn boomed as they drew in closer to the dock. Ryo waited in line by the edge of the boat where the metal steps would soon be attached for the passengers to disembark. Ryo's were eyes were darting around at the interesting foreign scenery that surrounded the vessel as the workers began to bolt the steps to the side of the boat. Ryo took a deep breath and began to walk down the steps, knowing his journey had only just began...