I cannot believe what I am reading right now.
He made a complete mockery of Yu Suzuki in front of a live twitch audience. I had to return the favor by creating this very topic.

I think attacking people is crass and pointless and does nothing for our cause.

Maybe not, but it's fun.

So this is how the Dojo operates now? By taking some sort of 'justified vengeance' and making a mockery of an individual because of the way he acted in an interview. Turning him into a laughing stock, criticizing him, posting links to his social media pages, claiming that he is ruining the Kickstarter campaign, and having fun doing so? How can somebody find hurting the feelings of another person fun? Joel Tess does not deserve this at all.

Absolutely disgusting.
The people acting like this should be ashamed.

I made attempts at contacting the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter team regarding the explanation of stretch goals, new rewards, VO choice and budget, redoing the video campaign, the reason for the choice of multiple playable characters and how to reel in the general gaming community when most never even heard of the first two games.

My plead yielded the following reply:


Hello,

Very sorry for not getting back sooner! Ok, here we go:
Stretch Goals - Thank you! We are working on it! Trying to be more specific with the SGs and will try to get the explanations moved over. Mr. Suzuki does not want to get too deep without giving all the story away!
Mirrors - Trying!
Video - Still very early development, so there is not much game footage yet. As for scene requests... I think we will have to leave that up to Mr. Suzuki. Again can't give away the story!
At the current stage of funding, it is still hard to know how much voicing there will be. There have been lots of comments for language switching and Mr. Suzuki is aware of the situation.
Why multiple characters? Mr. Suzuki has stated this is one of the things that he really wants to do with Shenmue 3. Will definitely let him know though!
Why care about Shenmue 3? Got it. You are very right. Top priority now getting the message across. We will have the page updated soon.
More rewards? Yes working on them now. Thank you for the ideas!

Thank you very much, please keep your ideas coming, because they will keep us going forward.

Joel &
the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter Team


PS. I did not question the integrity of the work done by his team, because I believe it's counter-productive and unnecessary at this point.

I've already pledged $300 but today I won $1,000 on a scratch ticket!! I'm gonna pledge a lot of it on the third. Maybe $700 to bring my total contribution to $1000!! Today is a good day

I don't really care about any negative spin or "pressurizing" that might be going on because of this $30 on the 3rd campaign. If you feel pressurized by people who don't know you on the internet asking you to donate more money if you feel like it, you're kind of being a baby. Your personal stakes are non-existent here. If you never give the extra $30, no one will ever know.

Whenever someone tries to create something positive, there will always be detractors. That doesn't mean you should stop, though, because as I said, there will ALWAYS be detractors. Detractors don't create shit; they cause a net negative effect in any situation they're in.

I look at this $30 on the 3rd campaign in a positive light. I think, "if I skip a couple meals out this month and make my coffee at home every morning, $30 shouldn't be any problem at all." It's positive reinforcement, helping me do something I should be doing anyway. I will definitely be donating on the 3rd.

All that said, no one who doesn't donate on the 3rd should feel bad. I think we as a community will have to reinforce that in the near future, when we don't meet whatever stretch goal we fall short of and some members start pointing fingers at those who didn't give more. Let me repeat, NO ONE should feel bad if they don't donate on the 3rd.

Personally, I'm in a very transitionary position. I just got the full-time job that I've been working 2 straight years specifically to get. If this KS campaign happened a month previous I would be tapped for cash. If it would have happened two months from now I would be able to give much more. Instead it's happening right now, right in the middle of the transition. I have to be very careful about how much I give, and have been thinking a lot about it.

Each person has a certain amount they're willing to give, and they shouldn't be made to feel bad about it. On the other hand, there are surely a lot of people who could give a little more, and will respond positively to our $30 on the 3rd campaign.

One of the points we should start to make clear is that 29$ for Shenmue 3 is a steal.

You can just listen to the soundtrack and pay more than 29 dls.

If "donating" is not good enough, it should be understood that Shenmue III will be (as the games before it) one of the best games of all time.

People rambling about sony, kickstart and bullshit.

You can have a game that has had 14 years of pre production, one of the greatest game developers ever, 3d graphics in UE4, it's a freaking steal !!! This is not a prebuy, this is gaming history at an absurd price.

I think this was the best day this community has ever seen. What a display of discipline, effort, and enthusiasm.

1. 335,960 dollars in one day.
2. 1276 new backers in one day.
3. Twice as many Kickstarter comments as any previous day.
4. Love from Kavinsky.
5. Peter's dreams of meeting Suzuki came true.
6. Kotaku tried to go negative, but their own news editor called the writer out for it in the comments. Upbeat rebuttals dominated the comment section. The tide of public opinion has turned.
7. Apologies from Awesome Japan and much better handling of everything today. Cedric Biscay heard us, and continues to engage with the community.
8. Great new tiers. Limited ones are selling out. Physical PS4 copy was a game-changer.
9. Unprecedented noise made on Twitter.
10. On the verge (only about 10,000 left, will make by mid-morning on the west coast) of overtaking Torment as the 2nd most funded Kickstarter game ever made.
11. Great Q&A with Yu.
12. Have had bunch of people saying to me on GAF today that even though they haven't played Shenmue, the fan passion has inspired them to pledge for the game.

You are all incredible. This is an amazing moment.

She shops at Gamestop.

Nope.

They have? Other than updating the tiers to what people asked for and sending emails to people who have already pledged, what proactive engagement have they done with mainstream media and social media to push the KS?

Well that's a fair point, and I am not about to defend Awesome Japan on that front, because I agree with you, they've been shite there. But the kickstarter was announced at E3, and has been front page news on many gaming websites for the past couple weeks now, so I'd say the vast majority of the 1M+ people that bought Shenmue on the Dreamcast know that it exists. Only 51K~ of which have pledged. I would argue that Shenmue fans unwillingness to back the game they've been saying they want for 14 years are far more to blame for the kickstarter's stalling than Awesome Japan at this point.

I think there are plenty of Shenmue fans out there that are happy to see the game funded by the diehard fans, and don't give a fuck about actually putting in their share. Just waiting for release to pick it up.

I understand this is "For the fans, by the fans"... But at this rate it's just going to be one big advertisement

First I heard about Shenmue was probably DC-UK. I occasionally read ODM but I preferred DC-UK's art style.

I used to buy DC-UK and ODM. Good times! They were quite expensive here in Sweden but very nice magazines, both of them. I still bring them out from time to time for a trip down memory lane. Always great fun. :D

Same goes for Official PS2 Mag, PSM2 etc etc. I have hundreds of old gaming magazines piled up all over the apartment. I just can't stand the thought of getting rid of them, despite the fact I ran out of available space a long time ago. It's probably just my nostalgia running wild but I love having those old magazines around.

Does anyone remember that fight in Shenmue 2 on top of Yellow Head Building when Dou Niu is running toward Ryo with 400 lbs. of force behind him? This is the climax of the Shenmue story thus far. Ryo has one last chance and takes it. He delivers the final counter elbow assault to Dou Niu.

http://www.30onthe3rd.com/images/dounui.jpg

With that one blow the next phase of his journey can continue without interference.

We are on top of that roof right now with the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter. This campaign is our Dou Niu. In order to give Yu Suzuki the chance to make the best Shenmue 3 possible we have to deliver that blow.

As I’ve said many times before, if you’ve donated to this Kickstarter you are a Shenmue saint. If you can squeeze out a little more from your budget great! If not, no worries, you've done your part and I know Yu is grateful. But if you’re holding out for PayPal, don’t! We have one last chance to make this happen. Don’t be deceived into assuming PayPal will happen. It very well could become a reality after the Kickstarter. But we just don’t know. All we know for sure is this Kickstarter ends July 17th. It all comes down to that day: The Final Blow.

Here is our new campaign logo:
http://www.30onthe3rd.com/images/tfb_logo.jpg
So spread the word far and wide. This is a critical period at end of the campaign when decisive action is needed. Pledge or upgrade your pledge NOW! - or possibly lose your chance forever! The quality and scale of Shenmue 3 is dependent on the Kickstarter’s overall success. The fate of Shenmue is in OUR hands now. Make your dreams come true!
#SaveShenmue #TheFinalBlow

EDIT
The website http://www.30onthe3rd.com/finalblow is now live! Let me know if you have any translations or corrections. I'll try to get the various timezone times up ASAP.

Hi! I am totally new to Shenmue but I loved everything I have read about it so far. I recently supported Shenmue III and I can't wait to play it!

I am wondering how I in the best/easiest way can get the backstory information I need to be able to enjoy Shenmue III fully? Should I watch all the cut scenes from the first game on YouTube (does it exists for Shenmue II as well?), or what should I do to get to know all the story of the game I need up to Shenmue III?

I have never really jumped into a game without being there from the start, so I am not really sure how to do it the best/easiest way and would like some help.

Sorry if this isn't the right sub-forum for my question.

$1500 I AM SHENMUE.. (will choose PC Phsyical)

+ $80 for PS4 (Phsyical)

I'll never reduce my pledges for that would be disingenuous and cause too much heart ache for those like me who watch the total day in day out

Video was nice but the "be in the game" rewards are getting out of hand. Game will be overloaded with this stuff.
Why couldn't they've listened and give us something physical again, like the mirror replicas...

Guys, I've updated the logo. It adds the days (Thursday & Friday) and makes the title pop a little more.

Rig, I know I often pick up on your funding posts (like the other day when you predicted $25K and we got $50K+) and I'm not trying to be an arse. But we're going to make it. IT WILL pass $5M, so good God man, stop worrying about $4.9!


lol I don't mind people challenging my posts, I'm sure subconsciously I post my pessimistic views in the hopes that someone will say something which makes me change my mind (and make me feel better!) because I want the opposite of what I say to happen. so by all means, challenge my pessimism at any opportunity.. prove me wrong so I can do a little Irish jig when it funds past 5 million and I have to eat my own words :) would make me very happy \:D/

shredingskin wrote: There's a BIG stretch now from 5.1 to 6 million :(

1 million in two days, this is going to be very stressful... and I love that.

Peter wrote:Pledges made within 24 hours of the deadline cannot be cancelled, and contact has to be made with the developer to do so.

Some little troll's gonna have some explaining to do after he's maxed out his mom's credit card

I'd like to thank everyone for donating on behalf of wude. He's helped me and many others in our community.

You are not authorised to read this forum.

They deserve a tap on the shoulder for putting their best effort into acting on the advice from the community, but that doesn't absolve them from being incompetent. I wish they had had that learning experience with another project, not the revival of a fan favorite classic 14 years after its untimely death.

Exactly, I love people trying to defend their performance by saying they learnt and improved as the campaign went on like this was some type of educational endeavour. And when they cite these so called improvements, you can find out this was only due to the community having to back channel the co-producer of the game and demand improvements be made.

The fact that Cedric became more of a mouth piece and engaged the community more than AJ themselves I think speaks volumes to their effort.

I find it somewhat humorous, suddenly the same people that discuss topics ad nauseam about a videogame they've completed hundreds of times over the years suddenly rule certain topics don't bear further analysis or discussion. I guess some people really do like pleading ignorance...

You are thinking this over too much. I'm not necessarily defending them, because they don't need defending: they weren't that good. However, it feels like a lot of people can't let it go and are continuing to harp on it. That's not bad in itself, but the tone of the thread is unnecessarily toxic given the record we just made. That doesn't mean I'm excusing AJ - i was one of their most ardent critics.

Some more translation:
http://i.imgur.com/NkPa9ua.png

The complete Shenhua & Ryo sketches from this mornings conference:

http://i.imgur.com/SXlXbo0.jpg
If you observe carefully this particular sketch that Shenhua is holding Ryo's hand it looks like he hurted his left foot.

That's not necessarily true, he looks off balance to me because Shenhua is so sure footed and determined to go somewhere.
If you look closely to Ryo's left foot it shows like a stain on his pants. I'm convinced that Ryo is injured.

That's a shadow.

Mentioning what? That people shouldn't get excited? How is that betraying trust? Whatever man.
It wasn't really dramatic until people pressed me for more, all I wanted was to not let people go wild with their hopes, especially with MAGIC coming... If you think that's attention whoring, I can't do anything to sway your opinion... I guess it would piss me off If I saw someone withholding information after 'teasing' it. But really, I only had the best intentions at heart. Guess I was too naive?

If I had to clarify, I would say the game is NOT in trouble or anything. It's just... It seems it's way earlier in development than any of us even thought, even the skeptics.
C'mon, you knew what you were doing posting this:

Anyway, I just heard something from someone that crashed my hype to the lowest degree, and I'm pretty thankful for that. It's always best to lower expectations and play it safe.

Dropping that hot nugget is not best intentions. You know people can't openly talk about that stuff, and coating it in a fearful message, just like you even do at the end of the post I'm quoting, is bullshit and manipulative of people.

Have you guys been reading too much IGN or something? Why is there such a trend of hating Yu Suzuki and Shenmue III on here lately? So what if they're not as far into development as planned. It just means the game gets delayed (which a lot of people want anyway).

If what Rikitatsu says is to be believed, it's no wonder that we're not seeing super impressive material yet. However so many people pressure the studio to show us new material, they buckle to the pressure and release disappointing screenshots (with photoshoped elements), people see them and become even further disappointed and the cycle of hate continues.

Guys, Yu Suzuki literally said in this update that he's staying in his office overnight because he cares so much about Shenmue III. It's shameful to call Shenmue III 'humiliating' after seeing screenshots that we probably pressured the team to release with our constant messages after PSX. If the team are behind, we need to be understanding and supportive instead of going 'Games Media' mode. Shenmue III will be a great game, even if we have to wait a while longer for the good stuff to come to light.

Remember guys:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Czs9TT9W8AARw_n.jpg

Fuck the haters and the negativity.

Merry Christmas Yu, make the best game you can.

Whoever thinks 10/10 is being a complete Pollyanna especially after the whole PSX Experience train wreck that left us all wretched shadows of our former selfs bereft of hopes and dreams.

Sure, there is a 10/10 chance that SOMEDAY (like in 500 years) there will be remaster but not in time for Shenmue 3.

I'd give it a 2 maybe a 3 if I want to throw a little Christmas charity out there.

http://guyanachronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/CHARITY.jpg

Marching along into 2017...

NEXT MAJOR UPDATE CONFIRMED FOR MARCH

Valascaziel wrote: I am curious--what will the reaction of us stalwarts be if, for some inexplicable reason, Shenmue III is no-show in June?

Civil War.

Forget it.

I'm being a cunt to both KLM and Anon. I was making the point of it not being a good idea to message YSNET over something small, but it's came out venomously for reasons not to do with Shenmue or the forums.

I'm gonna be gone for a while, and the Twitch streams may be stopping too. Take care folks.

It's okay Peter, we all have bad days and none of us are perfect. You are a valued and respected member of this community, and I am someone who forgives instantly once conflict abates FWIW. *Shakes your virtual hand.*

I'm sorry for challenging what you said, I just felt it was unnecessary was all.

It's still a bad example because that's just Pacman character art. In actual Pacman games he still looks like the one on the left. And as said, the one on the right has been represented in Pacman character art for 30 years.

Here's how Pacman looks in a modern Pacman game.

https://www.technobuffalo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/pacman-ce-2-03.jpg

I'm not seeing it. Pacman is Pacman. He says the character for Pacman has changed but within gameplay it hasn't at all.

Even then, the comparison doesn't apply since Shenmue wasn't made with pixel art and we have examples both in this thread and via Kid NoCon's HD work that Ryo translates to modern graphics.

Essentially, the point makes no sense within the context of Shenmue and the character model of Ryo. The conclusion that old game characters don't translate as technology grows seems to be reaching at best especially for Shenmue.

It's such a departure from the photorealistic style we all remember.

Listen. We can all accept bright blue text or not. It is Bluecast's vision. I, personally, do not want my Shenmue Dojo with bright blue text. So I'm opting out of reading it from now on. But I am only one person.

And Bluemue said it again lol.

'mue II is still, far and away, the greatest game and achievement in gaming, ever, IMO; for a game from 2001, there is a microscopic amount of things that could be improved upon...

...

... and nothing's coming to me off the top of my head, at the moment.

- Arguably the best graphics ever in a game, at the time of release
- Among the best (and most iconic, in many circles) soundtracks ever
- Improvements on everything that was lacking the in the first title (better fight system, wait times, etc.)

I can go on. The whole experience from, "Hong Kong, February, 1986," to the end, is the best in gaming history.

Exposition is fantastic, as more and more of the story is revealed, Xiuying is one of the best video game characters ever conceptualised and I still maintain to this day, that the Yellowhead Building is the best hour (and a bit!) in video game history: it's a wild ride and even my fiancée enjoyed it immensely.

Like in the first game, Five Stars Corp is my favourite part of Shenmue II: the story unfolds significantly and you realise that there is an exponential amount of information and story that you haven't even scratched the surface of: that to me, is excitement AMD enthrallment to the 'nth degree.

And then it all calms down and is amazing, in the form of Guilin: more story is revealed, more wonderful music, you learn a lot about Ryo that you didn't know before and the Phoenix Mirror <3<3<3.

I dare you to find a better work of art from the video game industry, dare you!

Yes, it is the best part of any game I've ever played, to me as well. Also, imho, "Disc 4" is what makes the difference for S2 from being just a fantastic game to the single best game of all time. Don't get me wrong, S2 would have been one incredible, outstanding, legendary game even without it but the Guilin part is really what makes it my personal best game of all time. It just puts it a cut above anything I've ever seen, and probably ever will see.

In fact, S2 made the rest of gaming kind of "sour" to me for many years, which is part of why I had also quit gaming for like 10 years. S3's announcement brought me back to gaming again. But for many years, I just didn't find any game even remotely as captivating, beautiful and entertaining as S2, except for S1. So I didn't like gaming very much anymore.

I guess the announcement of S3 gave me new "hope" for gaming and as I have grown older I have kind of grown to accept that no game will probably be as good (to me personally) as S1 and S2 but I figured I could still have fun with other games. Still, nothing can touch S2. In fact, nothing can touch S1 , except for S2 which surpassed it. :)

Will S3 surpass S2? I don't expect it to and I don't need it to. I hope it'll be a great game in its own right, but frankly I don't think it will be as great as S2.

Part of what made S2 great was the sheer scope it covered. The bustling streets of Wan Chai, the lively harbor are of Aberdeen with the sketchy Beverly Hills wharf, the maze-like Kowloon with its sinister skyscrapers and street fighting spots, combined with Guilin's breathtaking landscape.

Yu never intended S3 to have that scope. I think it can be more like S1, covering a relatively small area while offering great depth.

I don't think it's a contest. Without Guilin Shenmue would be dead. If the game ended at Kowloon, who literally gives a shit what happens next. It's just a game where dude conquered and doesn't look inside himself, at all, and then rides into the sunset in the search for treasure. Pretty much every mystery in the series is grounded in Guilin. Who is Shenhua? What are the big stone mirrors for? What about the sword? What's with the cave? What's with Shenhua's powers? Ryo doing tai chi? A hint of him looking inside of himself and reconsidering his revenge? Who made camp before them, Lan Di? What about the Shenmie tree? It must have a significant role. Why does Ryo feel like he knows it? Are they siblings? Are they lovers? Is Shenhua a mystical being that has been reincarnated? Or is she hundreds of years old?

These mysteries and more, from three to four hours of one gameplay section.

No Guilin, no Shenmue III. Without Guilin who gives a fuck. It's just a generic - although fantastic - game where the hero wins at the end. Yawn.

Shenmue Dojo would have been dead by at least 2010 if Guilin weren't in II. What's there to talk about? Ryo beating Dou Niu? Without Guilin, if you beat disc 3 and it was the end of the game you'd probably think,"ah, I know how it ends. Ryo will beat Lan Di in the end, who cares." But Guilin changes the map, the stakes, and resets the board.

Without Guilin I don't see the fanbase give nearly as much of a shit about Shenmue. It'd have its fans and everything but it wouldn't have a fanbase grasping for something new as much as does now. It would have been a dead series like Suikoden or something.

Himuro,
it's surprising, yet inspiring, to see your love for Guilin. Here are the main reasons you said you love it:

It's so beautiful in its contrast to the rest of the series with its sights AND sounds. The fateful meeting, the ambient music, the conversations, the easy-going tone of it, the mystery of the stone cave.

Urban vs rural; the physical vs mystical; patience vs impatience.

The music is probably the most staying part for me.
The hawk scene still gives me chills when I see it.

Pretty much every mystery in the series is grounded in Guilin.

Which of those reasons (or another) is the cherry-on-top of your love of Guilin?
Did you love Guilin that much 10 years ago?
Have you visited Guilin IRL?

I think the urban vs rural and material vs immaterial is my favorite. It really changed my perspective on how I viewed things, such as rural life which I considered inferior to my suburban living when I played it. It literally changed my world view and made me hope for something more in nature and in this world. I remember one part where they're talking about cows and how in Japan, they eat cows. I thought that was natural because I was American and hey, we eat burgers. But Shenhua talked about how they couldn't eat cows because otherwise they'd have nothing to fertilize or help till their land. It truly showed the disparity between lifestyles Ryo (me as a stand in) had in contrast to Shenhua. And while it seems obvious, it really opened the mind of a naive 20 year old city kid's mind to a different way of living. I learned that there's some things that the city doesn't and can't offer. It has inspired me to want to go camping out in nature and just look at the stars some time. I've been planning on doing that once a year, actually.

Yes I have felt the same exact way about Guilin since I first played it in 2006.

I have not visited Guilin but it is one of my goals to do so someday.

Why is it surprising I love Guilin so much? Almost all of my Shenmue related avatars are Shenhua doing something rural in Guilin and it's deliberate - I am in love with the area so much and I cannot wait to explore it in III.

I find the models very ugly from an aesthetic standpoint. Compared to the original series and compared to modern games. Im not sure why matching the passport models should be such a fantasy.

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

http://i.imgur.com/CAvBSZ3.jpg

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

Complaints, for example, about his eyes are kind of redundant when you consider that 3D graphics capability has gotten to the point where modellers can make Ryo's eyes look like they would if actually sitting inside an eye socket
(causing the "bags", or more accurately the skin fold of the lower eyelid)


You can still make Ryo's eyes look like they would if actually sitting inside an eye socket but without loosing the asian look (Yakuza!). Ryo is not a guy with the typical japanese features but you can definitly see that he is asian not indian or fillipino. So its is a question of (bad) design and not "3D graphics capability".
Also in Dreamcast era it would possible use skin fold of the lower eyelid for characters by using textures. For exmaple chai: (who do not look chinese to me)

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DeuW0jHS9Z8/hqdefault.jpg

..but they didn't use a fold of the lower eyelid on Ryo. Why? Because most of japanese/korean/chinese does not have these lower eyelid (or much smaller/less significant) fold in case the face is in a neutral position: (I am not refering to the eyebags!):

http://www.asianscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/bfi_thumb/Chinese-Eyes-Move-Faster-2wiij8l2fg1chlmvmb4t8g.jpg

The lower eye lid does not stand out that strong. Also the transition between the lower eyelid and the skin is more smoth compared to western or people from india.

The point is, just because something may make the character "more Asian", that's not necessarily in-keeping with the character design

Its the combination of missing some of the significant Ryos face features and don't fit the race. Original Ryo is not the typical asian guy (as you mentioned) but he still looks on the picture and your shenmue 1 promo pic more asian compared to shenmue 3 ryo.
Its not enough splitting ryos face in only two parts. You need to take a closer look on his face features to see why they don't fit from his original face:

Some of these ryos shenmue 1,2 and 3 features which should be stay the same like the nose, eyes, skin or forehead does not look the same:

1. Forehead (Hairline): Looks on original Ryo more smother and wider.

http://fs5.directupload.net/images/170820/eukr88t6.png

2. Nose: cleary difference form of the nose trils:
http://fs5.directupload.net/images/170820/rlpyjy56.png

3. Lips: Small detail but the upperlip is thiner:
http://fs5.directupload.net/images/170820/mxp4gmle.png

4. Jaw: Different jawline but this could be also due to lower poly from the dreamcast version.

http://fs5.directupload.net/images/170820/7xlyu7sm.jpg

Lets move to the main reason why ryo does not look asian ot at least mixed:

1. Skin color fits more of an indian/fillipino guy.
2. The eyes:

http://fs5.directupload.net/images/170821/g6plrxh4.png

I hope you can clearly see the difference? ;) As mentioned above the asian/japanese eyes have rarely a lower eye lid fold and more smother transition to the lower lid. Also the lower lid does not stand out this strong on asian eyes. When you compare my Ryo (or the promo Ryo from your pic) you will see that his upper eye lid fold is much lower compared to shenmue 3.
When we take a closer look at the people from india or pakistan you will see many of these features:

http://fs5.directupload.net/images/170820/rg24sk63.png

- lower eye lid stands more out
- fold of the lower eyelid
- and most important dark circles around and under the eyes which are more common in india compared to the western world or asia.

The form of the shenmue 3 ryos eyes does indeed look more asian but overall they don't look asian (or like ryos eyes) to me because of the combination above.

So the June update on the logo was moot?

I mean how hard is it to give fans the proper logo?

You are a great poster Spaghetti but you've knee jerk defense of every aspect of Shenmue 3 and its related development continues to stifle real or constructive criticism. And trust me there's been a lot to criticize.

You and others may think a logo isn't a large thing in the overarching development of the title but I think it speaks to the messy and frankly disjointed nature of the way many things have been rolled out during the KS campaign. The majority of the fans clearly spoke out and stated their clear preference a long time ago. It appeared the team and Yu-San finally came to their senses and provided us the June KS update.

The fact they've gone back on this and provided frankly a logo that many derided before knowing Yu-San was behind it, I think speaks volumes. Cursive is going to win out? It doesn't explain the insentient back and forth when this should have been finalized as it appeared to be in June and Yu's attention is concentrated on frankly more important matters.

Also piece of advice, don't tell backers who have spent their hard earned dollars and have been life-long fans of the series how to react or behave.

I appreciate the reply man, thank you.

After reading all that it really sounds like Arkham and Sleeping Dogs like combat, yeah the combat in Sleeping Dogs is pretty but Shenmue had you feeling tense. It made you want to learn moves and practise so you can get better and utilize those moves in combat to make it easier. Catering to the Kyle Hilliard's (See Game Informer Shenmue/II Let's Play) of gamers sounds like a mistake, the people that just want to beat the bad guy instantaneously without any skill or training. Yes games should be fun but part of the thrill, part of that fun is that feeling you get when you put in the work, trained learned some combo's and use it to beat that difficult boss finally, that's all part of the fun. It gives you an amazing feeling of accomplishment and let's you feel more immersed in the world especially when it's not a retry and you have to find those bad guys again as a result of your failure and Shenmue is all about that kind of immersion.

The best way to cater to the Kyle Hilliards is scaling difficulty. If you suck, the game drops down in difficulty and button mashing can work. If you're awesome the game will level up and more complex combinations and dodging will be required. The "cinematic and smooth" fighting is your reward for the time you put into the game. That was a perfect system so anyone can play. I don't want Uncharted cinematic predetermined animations, this is what's killing gaming. Older games may not have looked very cinematic but they made you feel like you were doing things yourself, using your own skill rather than "Press A to win".

https://www.gamekult.com/actualite/yu-suzuki-le-plus-difficile-est-de-creer-de-bons-personnages-3050797909.html

Interview context: Gamekult is shown an extended version of the trailer with additional scenes and QTEs with "work in progress" mark. Then the interview begins with Suzuki and his English translator.

https://i.imgur.com/jseQm8Q.jpg

Gamekult: First of all, I would like to know why you decided to publicly publish a short version of what you just showed us privately? Is it for marketing purpose or a future backer exclusivity?

(Suzuki begins to talk to his translator who is also in charge of the business side of YSnet. The latter takes the floor.)

YSnet businessman: That's a good question! Honestly, there's no specific reason but some people think showing the extended version is too early. The idea behind the trailer was to announce our partnership with Deep Silver. We aimed to reveal that we got a better financial support. We have been silent for too long so it was important to show something at Gamescom while it's not a real marketing strategy.

Yu Suzuki: We may create an improved and longer version of the video for the end of the year. A true promotional trailer.

GK: After watching the video, I now wonder how you proceed with animation in Shenmue 3. Do you use motion capture, handmade animation or both? Are you working with an outsourcing studio or do you have your own motion capture studio?

YS: We use motion capture as working base then we make adjustments. Everything is captured internally although we do not have a true motion capture studio. We're using a magnetic capture tool because it needs less space to work so we can easily proceed in an open space. However, we are certainly going to use a real motion capture studio for the most important action scenes.

GK: Are you working with outsourcing studios? For instance, TOSE or Virtuous.

YS: We have our own team where people from various companies are working. In general, everything is made internally. The goal is to avoid outsourcing.

GK: How many people are working in the team?

YS: Sorry but I can't tell you any figure.

GK: How will your partnership with Deep Silver benefit Shenmue III? Is the original project going to evolve?

YS: To be honest, we just signed the contract. We have yet to know what Deep Silver can bring us exactly but we hope it's significant (laughs). From a business point of view, we should take advantage of their international network and their communication expertise since they have a great record with Japanese studios.

GK: How will you proceed to make the game interesting for the fans as much for the newcomers? Can we start Shenmue III without having played the previous episodes?

YS: We plan to insert images and videos from previous episodes in ingame situations, something like memories. One of the ideas consists of inserting visuals when you're phoning characters from Shenmue I & II.

GK: Yakuza 3 proceeded differently with cinematic buildups to summarize the story of Yakuza 1&2. I wonder if Shenmue 3 can proceed the same way but the visual contrast between cinematics and the gameplay would be obviously significant.

YS: I still don't know how it may look on screen but it's a possibility. Anyway, we'll decide our own way to proceed.

GK: What will the Shenmue III main themes be? Storywise, is there any particular event or topic you're willing to set up?

YS: It's faster to show you. (Suzuki starts his PC and launches a slideshow) Here we go, the three key points of the game are romance, characters' life and martial arts. Then my main goal is to use the latest advancements in technologies to express feelings through gaming situation. Today there are even more ways of expression but also more challenge with the modern tools. With Unreal Engine 4, the most challenging part is to create good characters.

GK: You mean, using your own engine when you're working on Shenmue I&II was easier than using a foreign third-party engine?

YS: Yes, absolutely!

GK: So far, have you programmed with your own hands?

YS: I created some algorithms and little prototypes but I'm not working at the heart of coding. I worked on an artist's AI who appears in the game, NPC behaviors and some combat scenes. But my main job is research. The final code is written by people who are more skilled than me.

GK: About visuals, how far do you think you are from the final state?

YS: First of all, I confirm that everything related to the characters is temporary. Then I would like to say that, in order to reach the best possible result from a technical point of view, we need a lot of resources, way more than we currently have today. That's why I'm trying to find a balance between visual quality and the other key points of the game, especially what makes the gameplay singular and different from the other productions.

GK: About environment size and interaction volume, how would you rate Shenmue 3 compared to the Dreamcast episodes?

YS: I would say that the game is as wide and dense as Shenmue 1&2... On further consideration, it will even be richer. The time of play is more difficult to estimate since each player has his own pace and may progress differently with all the side quests available. I think more than 20 hours will be needed.

GK: In order to make Shenmue 1&2, you traveled several times in China. Did you travel again for Shenmue III or are you using mainly archives and memories?

YS: I went back to China two years ago, when the project did start. (Suzuki is searching his PC folders to find photos of mountain landscapes, old buildings and busy streets) As you can see, we reproduced some roofs of tiles in the last video. I really would like to display as much characters as those you can see in these photos! (laughs)

GK: If you were going to leave Japan to live in another country, would you choose China?

YS: Not China, no. (laughs)

END OF INTERVIEW