The Dreamcast and the original Xbox were more popular in the west than in Japan. If Shenmue had been released on the Saturn that list would be totally different!

He didn't just put the fantastical elements in there for the hell of it. Ever since the beginning Shenmue was always going to feature the supernatural and otherworldly, such as Shenhua appearing in Ryo's dreams.

Maybe he introduced those elements earlier than he originally intended, but the Shenmue saga was clearly always going to deal with "magic" and the supernatural at some point.

I love the stuff at the end of the second disc by the way. I love works of fiction that strive for realism for the most part, but suggest that there is something more to this world than we can conceive. The reimagined Battlestar Galactica is a (mostly) great example of this.

Sonoshee wrote: Nobody had any problems with it back in 1999/2001, so why is the font problematic now?

People have gotten dumber.

Kiske wrote: Gave it another shot.

More satisfied now... needs some PRO tweaking

That's absolutely 100% perfect.

I've been tempted too this last days to make a pledge and put the 6.6M$ mark behind us!
Since baby number two is expected very soon now, my wife would have killed me though :lol:
Do you want your kid to grow up in a world where Shenmue 3 didn't make 6.6 million on Friday the 29th? It would be irresponsible not to donate!

When the Shenmue saga is finally finished it would be so amazing to go on a tour of all the locations. Dobuita to Hong Kong to Guilin and beyond.

Sonic Adventure looks amazing! Sonic has a long and fruitful future in 3D!

For that matter, I kept reading crap about Japanese games being too Japanese, and not western enough

That's 99% of games journalism, sadly. Partially because western games are mostly very dumbed down compared to Japanese games and partially because journalists are friends with people who work at western studios.

There's some direct feed footage of the videos shown off at Magic Monaco at about 1:11 here- https://youtu.be/BSZwkuBRB4c?t=70

Better than shaky cellphone footage!

Looks like Ren and Shenhua crossing a narrow ledge. In the last update we saw Ren and Shenhua together as well.

http://i.imgur.com/8mpUyIJl.png

I'm guessing at some point Ryo gets captured and Ren and Shenhua have to work together to rescue him? We have seen concept art of a jail cell...

Maybe we should all put our money together and share it like that one episode of The Simpsons with that comic book.

How about they just don't write the flying sword out of the game? The mirrors and the Qing dynasty are obviously mystical if not outright magic.

We may not have seen more of the game, but this update really made me smile.

https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/jTE1yVgn_s8Zodf-fxf-oyiHGnE3mnw9LR4a2YvjjIFplges-adNcI8j33QPrSOnCgZzhGvpqr9qah9q0DmiS1-C1D1d9qL0RgYL-UjhiM6gGzvIiSwNnJ8VmACFhFRkpiP0NuMNd8rBMZgzZnZ0zleICNPafQtcq80Lj6XxIxq0EdllWj_MLdJMRHIeZmyw-WV0vEIS5SRZF1lphbI6ExIUwfMDvhmwobbgkYi656L0LjnD5cFFbzpwXCkX59kZ=s0-d-e1-ft#https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/013/913/235/001dfddcad7bcd0f12c5934b5550cb33_original.jpg?w=700&fit=max&v=1475133029&auto=format&q=92&s=5338728f014a1ae46f2fb6bab1623b9d

Is that Drake on the right?

IGN's God Hand review is still the single worst piece of video game journalism ever, which is saying a lot. I wonder how many sales God Hand (a masterpiece) lost because of that garbage.

Oh well. At least no-one reads games journalism any more.

I recall a year or so ago Suzuki compared Choubu in scale to Kowloon, and this is a while after he compared it to Dobuita, so I guess he may have changed the size of it. Perhaps after it made $6 million instead of $2 million? We also know that the forest around Bailu is going to be 4x4 km.

I recall a year or so ago Suzuki compared Choubu in scale to Kowloon, and this is a while after he compared it to Dobuita, so I guess he may have changed the size of it. Perhaps after it made $6 million instead of $2 million? We also know that the forest around Bailu is going to be 4x4 km.
I think the Kowloon comparison wasn't about the size, but more about the density and general aesthetics.
I can't find the link, but I'm 99% sure it was in reference to "scale".

It's not just games. People complain and nitpick about movies, comic books, TV shows etc non-stop too. People just complain. When there's nothing to complain about they just make shit up. It's beyond me.

Dude I can't wait.

Spaghetti wrote: January 18th

$6,701,078

73,658 Backers

Fuck yeah!

What the hell is taking so long? I have half a mind to complain on the Internet!

I'm starting a hunger strike! I will not eat until we get an update!

Wow, nice! You should totally sell some of these SEGA stands on etsy or ebay, I'd buy one!

KidMarine wrote: I'm starting a hunger strike! I will not eat until we get an update!

Holy shit I'm starving.

The media is one of the most awful, immoral and sickening things in the world. They're out for themselves and they don't care how many lives they ruin with their lies. There is no more journalism any more.

I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your father. I only hope it helps to know that the number of people who believe everything, or indeed anything they read in the media is dwindling.

With the game being scheduled to be released by the end of the year, backers rightfully expect by March either footage of the game in final stages or a delay with an apology.
You'll struggle to find any video game genuinely in its "final stages" 9 months away from a proposed release window.

Don't let promotional materials inform you of how advanced a game is, because I guarantee you 90% of the time it is smoke and mirrors. Case in point: Final Fantasy 15's 2013 E3 reveal. Looked pretty advanced, but it was all bullshit ginned up for a press conference and would take another three and a half years to release.

Don't put an arbitrary date on when you expect to see footage by either, because you'll likely just set yourself up for disappointment and anger.

What we want to see is coming, but it really is just a case of being patient.
Smartest post in this thread. When you see a complete looking game at E3, either it's a few months away from launch or what you're seeing has been specifically worked on just to be shown off and the rest of the game is nowhere near that state. Which is frankly a waste of resources even for a major studio, never mind one with limited funds.

DOS wrote:

We were told it is ‘safe to assume a PC/Steam release’, there has been no indication that the Shenmue HD Remasters will appear on any other platform.

No PS4? Fake!

SEGA making a stupid decision actually adds more credence to the story.

Anonymous81 wrote:Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (will NEVER ever happen people hate that game lol. I'm weird. :p)

What? Who hates that game? Tell me and I'll fight them.

The one that plays when Ryo wakes up on Wong's boat. I wish I could remember what it was called. Gives me chills every time.

http://i.imgur.com/CCT7B9n.jpg


Either Dr Who has showed up, or that must be the phone box in the little village where you can make your phone calls back home (on the right)
Nice eye.

I guess this may be Bailu? Does any of it look familiar?
Does that stuff in the middle look similar to Miao Village to anyone else?

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/shenmue/images/8/8a/Bailuvillage2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140118173305
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/shenmue/images/4/4c/Bailuvillage.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140118173105

Jesus Christ Shenmue III is really happening. It's still sinking in for me.

Great game. Remarkable that a small British studio with a small budget managed to put every Mario Kart to shame.

If they put out an amazing trailer at E3 with the words "March 2018" at the end, no-one will honestly give a shit about the delay as long as it looks good.

I don't wanna start throwing personal insults at him for differing opinions, but I'm totally not surprised Gerstmann reacted like he did given the old history with Shenmue when he worked at Gamespot.

I do think Giant Bomb can be suffocatingly negative though, and it always seems to reach its nadir during press conference season. Their E3 2015 stream was awful for me (not because of Shenmue reactions, I expected that), because this was the first E3 with GB for two of their usually high-energy new hires and Jeff just sucked the fucking life out of the room throughout.

They're the perfect example of people who have their hobby turned into a job, and react accordingly. E3 is basically gamer Christmas, and I'd rather not spend it with people who treat it just like a particularly grueling work day.

Actually, for the first time in over five years I'm not going to tune in to any of their E3 coverage because of this. I've even been weaning myself off their podcast(s) after they spent 30 minutes bitching about stuff they didn't like in a game they all agreed they loved at the top and tail of the conversation.

This is coming from someone who was a paid subscriber to their site for like two years too. The Dojo's E3 stream is the only one I'm going to watch that isn't just a direct feed of the event with no commentary. Game punditry can get fucked.
http://i.imgur.com/GXsPEJp.jpg

1 - It's a shame about E3, and we're almost certain to see a delay, but I'll live.

2 - Very surprised to see some people complaining about the model. The skin texturing obviously isn't done, resulting in a plastic/cartoon look, but besides that it looks great. It's actually soothed some of the worries I have about the way the game will look.

With the correct textures applied, you really couldn't see the new guy as a street fighter in Kowloon or something? He's unfinished but he fits more or less fine.

Peter wrote:Sega..... It's over to you.

That's never a comforting thought.

Sega..... It's over to you.
That's never a comforting thought.

That's true, but even though I am not fully up to date with what they are doing regularly, the soundbytes coming from them have been positive, and backed up by the releases of Bayonetta and Vanquish. They have been slowly making the right calls lately.
We've all been burned by Sega before, but I'm willing to believe.

south carmain wrote:I guess we can expect a trailer at next years E3 then.

Time to restart the clock!

I want it to be really good. My hopes are mild. I think it's more likely to be a meh game. I only hope it sells well so we get a fully funded Shenmue 4 and fills in a good bit of the story we've been waiting to hear. Before the game was announce I think most of us reached a point where we wanted a manga, book or something just to know the rest of the story.
I'm normally a miserable negative douche, but I think you're selling it short. I think we're all going to be pleasantly surprised.

Some thoughts after a few hours of play:

This isn't just a "return to form", this is the best one. This is better than the 16 bit games. This is pure joy in video game form. Every second is fun and exciting, every single second. I was grinning the entire time. Just travelling around, spinning and jumping is an exhilarating experience.

It isn't just a throwback, either. It takes the originals as a foundation and builds on them. Every second something exciting is happening. This is unbelievably good, beyond my wildest expectations.

And it's huge! The levels are gigantic! When I finish a level I get the feeling I've seen maybe 25% of what it has to offer, I'm going to be replaying this game for a long time.

Believe the hype.

One early boss battle in particular will just blow your mind
I know exactly which one you mean. I had to pause it I was laughing so hard. It's emblematic of the whole game, just joyous.

I'm starting to like Ryo's model more and more. It's not quite there yet, but it's not far off.

I think we should stop making comparison with the original Dreamcast games and just have faith in Yu.

Just look how far we have come since E3 2015 announcement.

http://i.imgur.com/cQLtKo0.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KICuysK.jpg

The future has never been so bright for the Shenmue Series.
Suzuki San is doing the best he can to give the fans "The full Shenmue experience"...
Let's just support him as much as we can.
I'm honestly not even sure why I didn't like Ryo's new model at first, it's a very nice update of his Dreamcast model.

I think whenever we see something new from Shenmue 3, the initial reaction is going to be "This isn't how I imagined it!!!" which is understandable, followed by judging what we've seen on its own merits.

Good, but not perfect. Ryo (and Shenhua too in the first image) should look like this http://i.imgur.com/kjW1BnE.jpg or this http://i.imgur.com/JIThlIf.jpg and Shenhua should look like this http://i.imgur.com/wmpbeDH.jpg Is this too much to ask for? There should be NO exceptions. If they don't look like this, then I will be very disappointed.

The exact same yesterday's Ryo model with just some fixed hairstyle is going to look exactly like your first example 8)
I don't know about Shenhua tho, we all love that amazing cg artwork but it's also very cartoonish and probably not suited for an actual ingame use.
There are so much radically different looking version of her out there that i wonder what they're basing ther new model on.

Ok, but the Shenmue Online Ryo should be the one that they must aim for. That is THE Ryo, it's perfect. It doesn't seem like the current Ryo looks anything like that, yet. Also, I don't think Shenhua looking "cartoonish" is a bad thing at all (even though I don't think she does, but whatever!) because the main point is that this version of Shenhua looks amazing. Just like with Ryo, they should definitely try to replicate this because it is THE Shenhua!
The Ryo from an unreleased MMO is the real Ryo? Not the one we went through two games with?

Peter wrote: An answer to the entire logo issue will be something I am absolutely making sure I leave Germany with so sit tight. If I can't get an answer publically, I will make sure and get it privately.

You're the best dude, seriously.