Translation of the 4Gamer interview with Yu Suzuki is now up!

4Gamer Interview with Yu Suzuki @Gamescom

It's this question that perplexes me most. Like you, I personally don't think Suzuki will seriously go into that. However, I think some acknowledgment is necessary. China in the 1980's, while not what it is today, wasn't also a country that exposed to the world economy yet. That came the decade after, one which I remember greatly. Thus, it'd make sense to use mainland China's reality to craft Shenmue III in the same, semi-realistic fashion the first two games were.
It would actually be great if the dev team can depict 80s China authentically, but I think it is likely beyond their capability. And Japanese market is too accustomed to their Orientalist stereotypes for Chinese people, like odangos and qipao etc.

The economic reform and opening-up of China started since 1978, and 80s was probably the most liberal period in its contemporary history. People got exposed to "Capitalist" products and ideas, and the government implemented significantly less censorship on medias compare to now. The indie film scene was prosperous, with a lot of topics that can't be touched nowadays. Chinese rock musics started during this time, and many earliest songs have political undertones. It was also the height of modern Chinese poems, with poets like Bei Dao and Gu Cheng etc, and poetry writing was really popular among college students. Ultimately all this cultural shift and liberty lead to June Fourth Incident.

Many Chinese people first came into contact with animes and Japanese video games during 80s, and China-Japan relationship was pretty good during this time, whether at the state level or civilian level. It was probably one of the reasons Suzuki choose this setting.

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At the Gamescom 2017 event, we were very lucky to have a quick interview with Shenmue 3 director Yu Suzuki. Unfortunately, over the 3 days available with Suzuki-san, it was very hard to secure an interview with the team due to the general media already having pre-booked all of the time slots available with Suzuki-san through their new publishing partner, Koch Media. But thanks to a few people behind the scenes (especially the community's own Shenmue Ambassador Ali Novin!), we were able to be squeezed in for some quick interviews at the end of the final day, and got to experience the Deep Silver media area! (and rub shoulders with other developers in the area. 5 points to who can guess the developer in the chequed shirt.) Possibly a happy accident, but quite hilarious that Shenmue 3 was allocated Wareho...errr room number .08!

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For this interview, we are unbelievably thankful, as both Suzuki-san and Harry-san were understandably extremely tired, and in light of that, our time with them was very short. Despite having upwards of 20+ questions prepared, i only had time to ask a very short number so apologies in advance that i did not get an opportunity to ask a lot of gameplay based questions. I didnt get to that stage, and before i was out of the "introductory" questions stage, it was time to wrap up the interview! Either way, its always an honour to be in the company of Suzuki-san, and we are so grateful for his time at Gamescom. Enjoy :)

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SD. So hello Suzuki-san. Welcome to Germany! Have you been to Germany before? Have you been to Gamescom before?

YS. It’s my first Gamescom, but however, for Germany, I don’t remember… 2 or 3… around 3 times. I have a feeling the number grows with each interview (laughs)! It’s around 5 times… I think. Although, just before when you asked the question, I said twice! But I think 5 times is the right number.

SD. So we know you are in Cologne for Shenmue, but I know you have a love for art and architecture. Do you have any plans to do any sight-seeing whilst you are here?

YS. On the day we arrived, or maybe the day after, I went to see the Dom (Cathedral). It’s splendid! I also walked around the Old Town. Yes, it was amazing. It was more impressive than the Tokyo Tower (laughs). I am joking! But it was amazing. I could say amazing over and over.


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SD. We are at Gamescom for Shenmue 3. But I have to ask, why Gamescom? We just had E3, and Gamescom is a little bit after, so did it just feel right?

YS. The reason for the timing was that I wanted to make the announcement in conjunction with the forming of the contract with Deep Silver. The agreement, to put it simply, was not ready in time for E3.

SD. Ok, so I just want to bring it back a bit, to the Kickstarter update where you announced that you had to delay the game. How hard was that decision, and were you worried about disappointing the backers?

YS. Hmmm, yes of course. I was most concerned about the backers. At the time, we had already made progress in our partnership talks with Deep Silver. So for us, being able to aim for something above what had been the plan with the original Kickstarter, it would have been extremely difficult to implement an open world with the initial plan we had at the time of the Kickstarter. So I continued to look for a partner after that. I really wanted to create an open world somehow. So I kept searching, and eventually we were able to form a partnership with Deep Silver which enabled us to upwardly revise the plan.
So at that time, I took into account what we would be able to achieve with Deep Silver. I felt positive we would be able to achieve a “scaled-up” Shenmue 3. If conditions improved after forming a partnership with Deep Silver, we would be able to expand our plans. That would bring along with it more tasks to complete, and I hoped to announce the good news to everyone along with the schedule change. But at that point the contract with Deep Silver hasn’t been finalized, so I wasn’t able to mention it. That was the situation.

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SD. In the same video, you mentioned “new technologies, possibilities and new expressions” for Shenmue 3. Could you tell us more about those, and have they changed what you originally thought Shenmue 3 would be like?

YS. We have a complete set of basic shaders, although these need to be tuned for Shenmue. But having a full set of basic shaders is one of its (Unreal 4 Engine) advantages. Also it’s an engine designed for games, so there are all sorts of libraries for 3D games. So when you’re at the prototype/building stage, it’s very quick and efficient. That’s another benefit.
With Shenmue 1 and 2, my program forms the base, so I understand all parts of the program. However this time, the innermost working are a “black box” so I can’t obtain a full understanding of every part, and that can sometimes be a problem. From an overall perspective, it’s a really marvellous engine, especially when it’s used by multiple people. For example, we take the case of 30 or 40 people, or more, are developing the game simultaneously. It can handle management and so on, and do things like analysing the workload, rendering load, CPU usage and various others. Product management has also been made easier too, so overall, I think it’s a superb engine.


SD. I’m glad you mentioned shaders because I remember a conversation we once had about how important the colours of Shenmue were important to you. How difficult has it been to achieve the “look” and “colour” of Shenmue with Unreal 4?

YS. The basic attractive colours in Unreal 4 are formed with High Dynamic Range, and there is a wide range of colours from light to dark which can produce images where you can really feel the light and shade. This was the key deciding factor for my selection of the Unreal Engine. For me, the light and the shade are the most important part. For Shenmue, there are 2 things which are necessary to add. The next stage is there has to be a feeling of humidity. Shenmue has to have a slightly “wet” feeling to it. A damp kind of feeling in the air. I don’t mean actual rain, but the air should have a kind of moist feeling to it.
It’s difficult to achieve this with the standard Unreal 4 shaders, so I think we will have to write our own. The Shenmue teaser we have shown has achieved that look of “wetness” I think. We have now reached the second step. We are not yet at the third stage, but that will be images that you can smell. For example, in China they may chop up a pig like this, and then, without storing it in a refrigerator, sell it under the hot sun. It has that kind of raw stink, and that’s something I think we managed to achieve in Shenmue 2. Shenmue 3 will also be going onto this stage next. A “smell shader”, or a “stinky shader”! (laughs).

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SD. I have a lot of questions to ask, but I know time is very short, so I will ask my final question. With being president of your own company, you have hired new staff members to work on Shenmue 3. How does it feel to pass on all those years of knowledge and experience to young new developers? Have you had any difficulties managing a team like this?

YS. Well not all of our staff are young, there is someone who is 50 years old… all ages really. But management is the most difficult part. They have entered the company going through interviews, and it’s hard to get to know someone properly at the interview stage. So after that process it turns out there are some people who speak extremely little, for example, so yes it can be pretty difficult. Various strategies are needed in order for each person’s performance level to reach 100%, and that’s the part that’s most difficult. I would prefer to lose myself in the creative work, but quite a bit of time is used up on management.

SD. Suzuki-san, thank you.

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...and in the blink of an eye, it was all over! Apologies again that we could not have had more time to ask more questions, but there maybe more inverviews coming out from the Shenmue Online Community in the near future with lots more questions so stay tuned for that! ;-)

But before we left, as always, we had to surprise Suzuki-san with a gift! Thanks to a fantastic idea from 500k owner Aaron Barstow, we decided to try and somehow put Suzuki-san into one of his favourite bands, Van Halen. So working together, we came up with the idea of having an artist design an image of the band members but also insert Yu Suzuki in amongst them! After contacting one of our contributors to the Instagram page, @r_wuying, he understood the concept, and very quickly came though with an awesome piece of work!

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Of course, we couldnt give Suzuki-san an image on a PC, so we had it framed and brought it to Germany to present it to him from all of the Shenmue Community, for which he was extremely surprised and thankful (as always!)

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My Gamescom experience was one i will always remember, and i have to say thank you to so many people including David and Kenji from Shenmue Master, Aaron and James from 500K/Team Yu, Silvia from 500k, Chao from the community and of course Ali Novin for all his hard work behind the scenes to make the interview happen. On a personal note, it was fantastic to meet long time Dojo members YS, Snoopbob, B-Ren and Bluemue at the event too!! Its a shame we couldnt have all spent more time together! Also, of course how could I forget (which I did :oops: ) the amazing Switch for being on point with translating duties as always!

But with that, another event has ended, and the long journey continues! See you all again soon :D

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^Character is mute, but it is implied you say things from time to time.

I dunno how the game is at the higher levels, but the game is ok for a casual player since there doesn't really appear to be a rush to get the best items. You definitely can experience the world on your own, though. The game has tough boss battles but they are never anything you can't do on your own. Even mini bosses in the FATES (random world events) you can tackle on your own, but it'll take a while.

Aren't people singing its story's praises all the time because it's a good story for an MMO, when, in fact, we can get much better by sticking to single-player RPGs? Or is the story really that good, amongst the best in the entire FF series?

Its good for a MMO. By that I mean it presents you with stories that you can kinda care about. In most MMOs I just take quests and ignore what NPCs have to say, but in this game I often find myself reading the text because every area has its own thing going on. The main story gives you a reason for you to be in the locations you are in, while most MMOs just allow you to travel to other locations and then feed you a half-assed story when you get there. The story is nowhere near as good as a single player game, though.

Also, despite being an MMO, just how Final Fantasy is it? And does it have wonderful music, as expected from FF?

The music is classic final fantasy music. As soon as you star the game you are greeted with that classic final fantasy menu music, and you will continue to hear familiar sounds throughout the game. You will hear more ambient sounds than music outside of cities, though.

Do we have to pay real-life money to have cool stuff, like cool mounts and armors and outifts and such? Or can they be obtained by fair means, in-game? And, if so, does that require hundreds of hours of grinding?

There is a cash shop, but it is only for cosmetic stuff. Havent really looked much into it, though, since I am still on the trial. You do have to pay a monthly fee for the game, though.

How's the community, overall, towards a guy like me, starting the game only in late 2017 and with very little MMO experience? Are they all elitist cunts, or a generally friendly bunch?

I literally only talked to two people in game. First one being a dude who was following me around because he thought I was a bot, and another one who kept sending me tells but I couldn't respond since that is disabled on the trial. They do have a mentor/mentee system where an experienced player can guide you through a dungeon, and from what I read, the mentors generally try to be helpful.


The storytelling is way better than KOTOR
Way better than KOTOR? Or way better than SWTOR?

Jesus if the story is better than KOTOR/KOTOR 2 than FF 14 has a more compelling story than Tactics. :shock:

Oops, meant SWTOR. I say it is better because in SWTOR you were thrusted to super special ultra demi-god status pretty quickly. In FFXIV you still feel like a trainee for a while. Then when your teachers start saying you are good around level 30, you become a bitch again when you have to learn your new job.

Moving onto super special chosen one demi-god status quickly is cool and all in a single player game, but it just doesn't feel right in a MMO where everyone else is doing the same thing.

Hello, everyone. I know we already have the brilliant Shenmue 3 Kickstarter News/Information/Multimedia Archive thread, but I thought it would be a good idea to have a compendium of all the facts, information, and everything we currently know about the game in one easy-to-read contained thread. Perhaps the mods would like to consider this as a sticky?

Please feel free to add everything and anything you can that is relevant (as well as suggestions on how to improve the thread), and I'll update the original post whenever I can :)

(Some of the following information can be considered as spoilers, so read at your own risk.)

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Story

- Yu Suzuki describes the game as "a kung-fu adventure that takes place in China" [1]

- The game's "key points," according to Yu Suzuki, are "romance, characters' life and martial arts." Where romance is concerned, Yu Suzuki would like to portray the differences between how men and women think [4] [39]

- According to Yu Suzuki, Shenmue III will begin from Chapter Six of the story's eleven planned chapters , and will "mark the end of this story," but will not be the end of the story . In a 2018 interview with GamersFlag, Yu Suzuki stated, "the end will be open for a sequel," suggesting Shenmue III might end on a cliffhanger [33]

- Shenmue III 's story begins the day after the conclusion of Shenmue II [9]

- Ryo, while still angry and thirsty for revenge, will grow and mature a lot throughout the game. Those he meets along the way, particularly where martial arts is concerned, will be largely responsible for this [5]

- The meaning behind the "He shall appear from a far eastern land across the sea..." prologue poem, as well as Ryo and Shenhua's roles in the prophecy , will finally be revealed [1]

- Yu Suzuki has stated he would like to keep Shenhua as "a mysterious character" [38]

- Ryo will not return home to Japan in Shenmue III [17]

- The game will explore and highlight the differences between Japanese and Chinese culture , particularly the way in which Ryo behaves in a foreign land having come from a different background, and how he and Shenhua interact with each other [8]

- Confirmed fighting styles (thus far) include: Hazuki style jujitsu (Ryo) , Fist-Dagger Mantis style (Niao Sun) , Nanquan (a master located in Choubu), and Bajiquan (Ryo and various characters throughout the game) [9]

Characters

- Confirmed important characters (thus far): Ryo Hazuki , Shenhua , Lan Di , Ren , Niao Sun , Chai , Shenhua's adoptive father, and two unnamed "main bosses"

- Confirmed minor characters (thus far): Ming Ming and unnamed minor characters such as an extremely muscular rival to Ryo (described as "a middle-level boss" who "uses an unusual style of martial arts") , the owner of Choubu's Bird Dance Hostel , the temple/shrine maiden of the Hall of Name Tags (described as "a tomboy, boyish type") , a young girl Ryo will befriend , an assistant who will play a role similar to that of Fangmei , a master of Nanquan , and an "eccentric" and "really powerful" martial arts master with "a humorous personality" [6] [9] [36]

- Nozomi , Guizhang , Ine-san , Joy , Fuku-san , Goro , and "other characters" from the two previous games are also confirmed , albeit in the form of telephone calls through the 'World of Telecom' service [6] [9] [16]

- There will be "four main bosses," according to Yu Suzuki. Lan Di and Niao Sun are the only named bosses at present, the latter of whom has been described as "extremely beautiful and sexy, but cruel." The only information pertaining to the two remaining main bosses is that one of them is "[a] strategist using more cunning than head-on fighting" [39]

Locations

- Confirmed areas (thus far): Bailu Village , Choubu , and Baisha [6]

- Bailu Village ( 白鹿村 , which translates as 'White Deer' ) is the starting area of Shenmue III and, where the player was only able to experience just a tiny fraction of the village, was also where Shenmue II ended, though the entire village will now be fully open and explorable . According to Shenhua, who lives in a hut on the very outskirts of the village, Bailu Village is home to around fifty inhabitants . Due to the village's proximity to water, players will be able to fish there . The initial quests here will start Ryo and Shenhua off on their journey

- Choubu ( 鸟舞 , which translates as 'Bird Dance' ), a riverside village situated on the banks of the Li River , will be the game's equivalent to Dobuita or Wan Chai , featuring numerous shops, stalls, amusements, hotels, shrines, temples, dwellings, and other buildings. Choubu resembles Kowloon in terms of its density and verticality . Choubu will contain approximately two-hundred NPCs (which is over three times that which was originally planned), one of whom is a master of Nanquan . Choubu has been described as the most Shenmue -esque location in the game [9] [17]

- Baisha ( 白沙 , which translates as 'White Sand' ) is a village, notable for its numerous tulous, which is home to the Guilin branch of the Chi You Men. Baisha will see a number of new gameplay systems introduced to players, including "a siege game reminiscent of the Warring Kingdoms," which will presumably see the player defending allies from external attacks and engaging in battle with enemies attempting to gain control of the village's buildings, as well as an infiltration mission into the Chi You Men's branch (presumably on a mission to rescue Shenhua's imprisoned adoptive father). It is also during this infiltration mission the player will take advantage of the new 'Character Perspective System' , allowing the player to swap between Ryo, Shenhua, and Ren, utilising each character's unique traits and abilities to achieve their goal

- Some of the specific landmarks and establishments that have been revealed are the Lake of the Lantern Bugs , the Temple of the Blooming Flower , the Bird Dance Hostel , and the Hall of Name Tags [13] [30] [31] [32]

Gameplay

- Shenmue III contains around thirty hours of gameplay [3] [9]

- The 'Technique Scroll System' , one of the game's confirmed new mechanics, consists of move scrolls comprised of three unique types - Normal, Advanced, and Arcane - the latter two of which are managed by a skill tree-like system, which fills as you learn new moves , and require a certain amount to be accumulated before use [9] [16]

- The 'Character Perspective System' , the second of the game's confirmed new mechanics, gives the player the ability to change the character they're playing as - with each character having their own distinct personalities, choices, and approach to the situation at hand - in order to complete their objective. Ryo's approach is that of fighting ; Ren's is that of using a weapon ; and Shenhua's is non-violent and tactical . This mechanic will feature in a single event [17]

- The 'Rapport System' , the third of the game's confirmed new mechanics, will see Ryo and Shenhua's relationship vary depending on the player's actions towards, and interactions with , her, therefore affecting how cooperative and/or warm/cold she is in return , dictated by two underlying systems: the 'Affinity Rating' and 'Cooperative Quest' [17]

- 'A.I. Battling' , the fourth of the game's confirmed new mechanics, will allow players to "unleash the perfect technique in response to the opponent's positioning and distance," meaning the technique will, upon activation, hand control over to an A.I. which will decide the best course of action instead of requiring calculated inputs from the player. The system is "for players who are not used to fighting games or for those who want a full immersion battle experience" [19]

- NPCs will be more akin to those featured in Shenmue II , meaning their scripting won't be as detailed, nor will their personalities be as unique as those in the original game, though other aspects about them will see improvement (e.g., cosmetic detail and facial expressions) [38]

- Regarding controls, Yu Suzuki has stated he is currently in two minds about how they will function; on one hand, he would like to "keep a similar configuration to the original game," but realises times have long since changed and is therefore considering more contemporary schemes [10] [12]

- In order to make the combat system simpler and visually different from the series' previous entries, a "Variable Speed" system is being incorporated into FREE battles. Specific details have not been revealed, but Yu Suzuki describes it as "new and fun" [11]

- Ryo will now be able to attack multiple opponents at once (a primitive version of this could be found in the first two games, in which the Ryo was able to grapple an opponent and kick away surrounding enemies) and perform combos in FREE battles [26]

- QTEs will return in a more modernised, dynamic fashion . The possibility of using specific sounds and colours to associate with inputs , as opposed to displaying the button itself on-screen, is under consideration [9]

- Training areas might be making a return for the first time since the first game [38]

- Progression of time will be "about the same system as the first two Shenmue ." This means one in-game hour is equivalent to four real-world minutes; one in-game day is equivalent to one real-world hour [34]

- There will be events in which a bear and a deer must be saved

- Regarding the size of the game world , Yu Suzuki states it will be "even richer" than the series' previous entries. Choubu, on its own, has been greatly expanded , by at least five times its originally planned size [4]

- A trademark of the series, attention to detail and interactivity (as well as examples of more subtle detail such as gestures and cultural dress style) will be in abundance [9]

- As was the case with the previous games, Ryo will return to his place of rest at 11:30pm . In Bailu Village this will be Shenhua's house , and in Choubu it will be the player's hostel of choice . Baisha's place of rest is currently unknown, though one can assume it will be in one of the tulous

- Regarding loading screens/times , Yu Suzuki has stated that, "[players will] start in a large area which will require some initial loading, but compared to before the loading situation will be much better. It's much faster now," possibly suggesting exterior-to-interior (and vice versa) loading will be seamless [10]

- For the very first time in the series, players will be able to change Ryo's outfit (and maybe even remove his bandage ) [17]

- The notebook will return, and has been updated with coloured divider tabs [17] [25]

- Forklifts will return in one form or another [9] [38]

- Capsule toys from the first two games will be returning, though it is currently unknown whether brand new capsule toys from SEGA franchises will be introduced. Those who pledged for the $700 tier of the Kickstarter campaign will have a 2D illustration of their face featured inside a small glass block , whereas those who pledged for the $1200 tier will have a Chibi-style representation of themselves featured as a fully-modelled capsule toy , as part of new in-game capsule toy collections [13] [17]

- Fortune-telling has been confirmed

- Purchasable move scrolls will be returning [23] [24]

- Arcade cabinets will be returning. So far, Excite QTE and Fighting Mania -like cabinets, as well as pinball machines, whack-a-mole, and a punch-ball boxing machine , have been seen [17] [25] [41]

- Lucky Hit will be returning [6]

- A turtle racing mini-game has been confirmed [1]

- A fishing mini-game has been confirmed [9]

- Many of the new mini-games will be more meaningful and connected to the game's world and progression [9] [26]

- Part-time jobs will be returning. Although wood chopping is the only confirmed job thus far , the presence of a warehouse in Choubu and Lucky Hit suggests job opportunities, too [9] [35]

- Ryo can earn money through various other means, including gambling and selling items (e.g. capsule toys and fish he has caught) [9] [17]

- Wild animals such as tortoises, ducks, and frogs can be found in certain areas. Chickens, dogs, cats, turtles, hens, pigeons, and "many more" can be found throughout the world, too, and there might even be the opportunity to care for a pet in a similar fashion to the kitten from the first game [2] [9]

General

- The game has a tentative release date of 2019 for PlayStation 4 and PC [27]

- In order to appeal to veterans of the series, Shenmue III will be comprised of 30% contemporary ideas/influences and 70% 'classic' Shenmue themes [12]

- The game will feature a short recap covering the events of the first two games for those who are new to the series. Flashbacks using scenes from the first two games will also occur throughout the story; Yu Suzuki is even considering making some of them playable , but is currently "undecided" [9] [11]

- Like its predecessors, Shenmue III will have a bad ending should players not manage to complete the game by a certain in-game date [40]

- Memories will play an important part in Shenmue III . One such example is that of an NPC who will recount a prior event , giving Ryo (and, by extension, the player) a more tangible, visual idea of what occurred before working to fit the pieces together [11]

- Save data from the first two games will not be able to be carried over into Shenmue III

- As of December 2017, almost all of the English voice actors for the main characters have been cast , with casting set to continue in early 2018 [8]

- Yu Suzuki would like to bring back as many of the series' past voice actors as possible. Shenhua (and Wong , if he features in the game) will have a new English voice actress due to Akasha Scholen's retirement [3] [9]

- Corey Marshall and Masaya Matsukaze will reprise their roles as the English and Japanese voices of Ryo Hazuki, respectively [28] [29]

- In a Dreamcast Ultimate interview published on 11/09/2017 , Corey Marshall stated he has been in contact with Yu Suzuki's team and his voice work will begin "soon." In March 2018, Marshall revealed he will begin to record his lines at the end of May [15] [37]

- Yu Suzuki would like to include both the English and Japanese dubs in each respective version, but is currently unsure whether it will be possible [17]

- Key members from the series' original development team are working on the game, including writer Masahiro Yoshimoto , character designer Kenji Miyawaki , composer Ryuji Iuchi , and programmer Takeshi Hirai [13]

- Shenmue III is being built in Unreal Engine 4 , which the team intend to push to its maximum potential , as opposed to the Virtua Fighter engine utilised by the first two games , due to the engine's ease with prototyping, efficiency, and its appropriate colour palette. As a result, the fighting engine is being built from scratch . Yu Suzuki is especially impressed with how far the capabilities of the engine have exceeded his expectations, particularly where graphical quality is concerned [3] [9] [10] [14] [16]

- Dynamic weather will be returning, and will be considerably improved over the previous games. "The lighting of sunsets and sunrises will be really beautiful," according to Yu Suzuki [39]

- Shenmue III utilises motion and magnetic capture technology for its animations, the former of which will be used in the most important action scenes [4]

- Yu Suzuki hopes players will really feel the visuals ; from the humidity in the air to the smell of the surroundings , complemented by the game's new art style [9] [14]

- According to Yu Suzuki, "The assets from [the first two games] will get a lot of use"

- As of early September 2017, map modelling and asset creation is at around 70% completion , whereas the lighting system is very close to completion [9] [16]

- Indian game development studio Lakshya Digital (whose past projects include titles such as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves , Bloodborne , Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain , WWE 2K16 , and Just Cause 3 ) will be taking care of much of the game's character art development . Yu Suzuki is very happy with what he has seen so far [13]

- The OST will consist of unused/returning tracks from the original games (of which just 20% were used in the aforementioned) and possibly some new material [3] [9]

- Shenmue III will feature numerous easter eggs [1]

- Yu Suzuki is considering the possibility of a Tomato Mart in the town of Choubu [7]

- DLC is planned , but no further details have been revealed [9]

- Shenmue III will have no online options, though no specifics were given as to the extent to what is considered 'online'

Business-related

- Following its reveal at E3 2015 on June 15th, Shenmue III was successfully funded on Kickstarter , reaching its initial goal of $2 million in a record eight hours and forty-three minutes, eventually ending in July with a total of $6.333 million (the most-funded video game project and sixth-most-funded overall on Kickstarter) pledged by 69,320 backers [18]

- As of July 23rd, 2018 , funding is at $7.063 million (pledged by 78,953 backers ) thanks to the Slacker Backer campaign [19] [42]

- Shenmue III will be published in PAL and NA regions by Deep Silver , who will be providing additional budget and promotional support, allowing greater budgetary stability and flexibility, as well as enabling Yu Suzuki to greatly expand upon, and truly realise, his vision and hire more freelancers for the project. (The game's publisher in Japan is currently unknown. ) Originally thought to be published by Sony , the latter's role has been clarified as providing support , while SEGA's role is limited to providing the IP and production materials from the series' previous entries [3] [9] [10] [12] [16]

- Contrary to popular belief and misinformation, poor research, and flat-out lies spread by the gaming press, Shibuya Productions is the main investor in Shenmue III , having invested an undisclosed amount in the project, and has a much greater role than Sony . (In fact, SEGA / YSnet / Shibuya Productions formed the agreement to use the Shenmue licence before Sony was ever involved ) [20] [21] [22]

System specs

(Placeholder and subject to change.)

Minimum:

OS: Windows 7x64, Windows 8x64, Windows 10x64 (64-bit OS Required)
Processor: Intel Core i5-4460 (3.40 GHz) or better; Quad-core or better
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti or better (DirectX 11 card & VRAM 2GB Required)
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband internet connection
Storage: 100 GB available space
Sound card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
Additional Info: Requires Steam Client to activate.

---

UPDATES LOG:

25/06/2018: Miscellaneous changes and updated the slacker backer pledge total

23/04/2018: Updated with information from previous interviews and talks, and separated information about characters into its own section

18/04/2018: Updated with information from a 2016 DualShockers interview

15/04/2018: Updated with new information from SEGASaturno's MAGIC interview

17/03/2018: Updated with new information from MAGIC 2018 and added more citations for older information

14/01/2018: Added citations to the majority of the facts. Incomplete, but this will be taken care of

23/12/2017: Updated with new information from Shenmue Master's Gamescom interview

16/12/2017: Updated with new information about the temple maiden and made some miscellaneous changes

28/11/2017: Updated the Slacker Backer amount

14/10/2017: Updated with new information from the Shenmue Master recap

28/09/2017: Updated with new information from the latest M! Games Magazine interview

27/09/2017: Updated with new information from the latest Official PlayStation Magazine interview

25/09/2017: Cleaned things up, updated the backer amount/count, and added more information

21/09/2017: Moved information about locations into their own category and added lots of miscellaneous information

17/09/2017: Included Corey Marshall's comments about voice work beginning soon as well as other little tid-bits

12/09/2017: Cleaned things up a bit and elaborated on some information

11/09/2017: Separated 'Story/gameplay' into separate sections and added some more information from the Fok!, Gamona, and Shenmue500k interviews

09/09/2017: Added some more information from the Eurogamer interview

03/09/2017: Cleaned things up a bit

28/08/2017: Added some more information from the Multiplayer.it interview

27/08/2017: Categorised the information so everything doesn't read as one long list

26/08/2017: Added and corrected some information in light of revelations from Gamescom 2017

20/12/2016: Added some more information, including Shenhua's adoptive father to the confirmed characters list, Nanquan as one of the confirmed fighting styles, and an update to the funding date
[***RESERVED***]

The latest post on Phantom River Stone looks into the difference in the naming of certain characters between the first and second Shenmue games when playing the English versions, and how these relate to the native ordering in Japan & China.

https://i.imgur.com/DrOwE3pl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wfgJtU0l.jpg

Read the analysis here:

http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/09/zhu-yuan-da-or-yuanda-zhu-characters.html

https://i.imgur.com/2LwRfgP.jpg

Prior to the upcoming publishing of their interview with Yu Suzuki, Trent and Shendream from Shenmuemaster.fr have written a recap of what we learnt from the Gamescom event, divided into the following parts:

Deep Silver: The Origins and Nature of the Partnership
The Different Interviews With Yu Suzuki At Gamescom
An "Open World" Game With Enhanced Content
The Gamescom Teaser
MOCAP or Motion Capture
The Story's Main Themes
The Environment
New Characters
QTE And Fights
Mini Games And Part Time Jobs
The Current State Of The Development
The Shenmue III Staff
The Connection With The Shenmue I and Shenmue II Stories
Game Lifespan
Music And Dubbing
Start Menu And Shenmue Logo
Demo Trial And DLC
HD Remasters
Miscellaneous
Conclusion

You can read my humble translation of it here:
http://shenmuemaster.fr/page.php?cat=shenmue3&page=gamescom-2017-the-recap

It's Bailu Village. Those pics surfaced around 15 years ago IIRC. The basic consensus is that Shenmue II on Dreamcast was originally developed to include it, but was probably cut to give Shenmue II a clearer ending.
No it isn't. It's Miao Village, which we also have loading screens for. The pics came from Shenmue.com in one of the "blog" posts there, and they were of the area cut out between Languishan and meeting Shenhua. It's the explanation as for why the scenery suddenly changes between two areas when you're on the path at the beginning of Disc 4.

Someone mentioned recently, in the last month I think, that this was even talked about in one of the video interviews posted during the Shenmue 3 kickstarter. That video explicitly confirmed that the screenshots were from the cut area.

He starts talking about it at 2 minutes 15 seconds into this video:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3/posts/1278225

I'm 100% sure Suzuki said in an interview maybe a year or two ago that they were going to outsource the character modeling. I can't remember where or when it was but I know he said it. So outsourcing isn't a sudden thing, it's been planned for quite a while.

EDIT- Higher res image here. Thanks to Switch and Spaghetti!

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUFJ6OxgjYY/WjEWmQvmHNI/AAAAAAAAD5w/mh3CXmjvgOIfRN5-oPgFQN492JeSqvCCwCLcBGAs/s1600/mik_20171129_01thryv.jpg

Also, from my crappy phone screen the temple looks like it says 堂札社千

Tangzha Community Temple? Thousand Tangzha Building? I dunno. Haha.
That actually should be read right to left: 千社札堂 (Qian she zha tang).
...
EDIT: OK, now that I've seen that higher-res pic (thanks!), I changed my mind and now think that is a 札, after all, like ShenmueTree said.
So, Scroll Hall of a Thousand Sacrifices.*

*I'm sure there's a more elegant way to translate it. English isn't my mother tongue.
Just to add to this, this word actually also exists in Japanese (as you mentioned it refers to the tags - for wont of a better word - with the names of worshippers that are put up in temples). So a more functional translation could simply be "Hall of Name Tags".
https://i.imgur.com/gswjhdZm.jpg
Of special interest is that getting your own name tag is part of the $800 reward tier. So if you have backed at that level you should be able to enter this building and find your own tag!
https://i.imgur.com/4lpZPIsm.png

Here's a link to my commentary post on this update at the Phantom River Stone blog:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/12/temple-maiden-model-lakshya-digital.html

As a matter of fact, there isn't such a word in Chinese, hence why I was trying to wrap my head around the meaning.
Ah, that's interesting. I assumed the writing (and the costume, customs) would exist in Chinese.

I mentioned here in the forums before how Shenmue 2's street and shop signs would use some Japanese kanji variants not used in China, and that I hoped that Yu Suzuki would be more meticulous in that regard, in Shenmue 3. Now, we're already seeing a temple with Japanese words, Chinese architecture and a Shinto assistant... This isn't encouraging, but best to wait until we see more. Maybe I'm just missing something, or maybe there will be a good explanation for this.
Hm, yes while it's hard to draw a conclusion with the in-progress material, I also hope that Chinese customs, signage and so on is represented as authentically as possible.

First of all, I think the screenshot looks great. Their choice of outsourcing to Lakshya is fine with me.
This does make me think, though... Not only does that temple, which does have Chinese architecture, have Japanese writing (albeit in kanji), and seems to be dedicated to a Japanese custom, but that girl does indeed seem to be dressed as a Shinto shrine assistant...
I mentioned here in the forums before how Shenmue 2's street and shop signs would use some Japanese kanji variants not used in China, and that I hoped that Yu Suzuki would be more meticulous in that regard, in Shenmue 3. Now, we're already seeing a temple with Japanese words, Chinese architecture and a Shinto assistant... This isn't encouraging, but best to wait until we see more. Maybe I'm just missing something, or maybe there will be a good explanation for this.
Is it possible the Japanese is for localization purposes, similar to why some signs also had English on them in Shenmue 1 & 2? At least, that seems reasonable to me. Perhaps it would be something they could change with an actual Chinese localization if they do more than just translate subtitles?

I wouldn't be surprised if the temple person was Japanese too. I mean, Izumi was also Japanese so why not add more random Japanese people in there?
I was just thinking, she could indeed be Japanese. Not only that, but what if that's actually a Shinto shrine? It doesn't look like one, but many mosques in China, for instance, have Chinese traditional architecture and don't really stand out from any other traditional-style constructions, until you go inside and see all the Islamic art, Arabic writing and prayer halls.
The thing is, there has been a sizeable Islamic community in China for hundreds of years (most notably, the Hui and, more recently, the Uyghurs), but I've never heard of Japanese people in China (that do exist, obviously) feeling the need for Shinto shrines. Shintoism is uniquely Japanese and doesn't really exist anywhere else, as far as I know, so the only people who would feel the need for a Shinto shrine would be the Japanese.
Now, I've travelled a lot around China, from the biggest cities to the most remote places and never have I've seen a Shinto shrine there. I just did a quick (definitely not thorough) Baidu search and, apparently, the only Shinto shrines built in China were built during the Japanese occupation, during the Second World War. Pretty much all of them (or even all of them) have been demolished or converted into something else. It goes without saying that such shrines didn't exactly bring happy memories to the Chinese.The area around Guilin was indeed occupied by the Japanese, but I don't really see a fully-functioning, happy-feeling Shinto shrine existing there in 1987.
So, when all's said and done, I doubt that's a Shinto shrine, but who knows? It's a videogame, liberties are always taken.

As for that sign being done for localization purposes, that's always a possibility, but I think it's unlikely. I mean, Shenmue 1 and 2 did have some English signage, because there is English signage in Japan, what with English being today's "international language", plus, it gives out an exotic, hip feel to things (for the Japanese). Still, most things in the game are written in Japanese, just like real Japanese streets. As for Hong Kong in Shenmue 2, the presence of English writing is only natural, what with it being a British colony.
Again, I just feel that they are being careless, unfortunately. I mean, there really was no reason for them to use Japanese kanji variants in Hong Kong street signs, yet they were there.
I've said this before, in a game famous for its attention to detail, this kind of stuff becomes immersion-breaking, not to mention that it's very odd that they got careless in such a visible aspect of the game, when, for instance, they actually went to the trouble of getting real-world weather data for Yokosuka, among other things.
Anyway, let's wait and see. It's too early to jump into conclusions regarding Shenmue 3.

Changing the subject, that temple's setting kinda reminds me of Black Dragon Pool (黑龙潭) in Yunnan Province's Lijiang, in southwest China:
http://image.sciencenet.cn/album/201212/06/205217xbacu6a116xgn6vn.jpg

nice view

Yu Suzuki will attend MAGIC Monaco 2018, "in order to share with you the latest cool stuff regarding Shenmue III"

https://twitter.com/MagicMonaco/status/ ... 0133443585

24th Feb! That's not too long away at all!

Update: the English version of the map can now be downloaded as a PDF from the Yokosuka City website: http://www.cocoyoko.net/news/shenmue.html


The official Shenmue-themed tourist guide pamphlet that was announced at the start of the month is currently only available in Japanese, with an official English version on its way.

For those who can't wait, an English fan translation of one of the maps & accompanying notes has been carried out on the Phantom River Stone blog.

https://i.imgur.com/pbQmA06l.jpg

The post also contains real-life photos of the gantry crane and the warehouses that served as inspiration for the Shenmue harbor area.

View the translations and full-size images at the Phantom River Stone blog.

Dear Backers,

On June 16th, 2015 this project began on Kickstarter. It has been two and a half years, but at the top of 2016 we were able to bring our team together to begin development in earnest, so it has been about two years now since things have really started moving.

For the development team that time has flown by, although with the many comments and questions we have received from you, the time may have felt more drawn out for some backers.

Next year is a very important year for Shenmue, so with that, we would like to bring you a conversation with Yu Suzuki and Hiroaki Takeuchi on how far we have come and where we are going from here.

About Hiroaki Takeuchi As an animation producer, he has contributed to an abundance of works that have helped bridge Japan with the rest of the world. His exemplary works include “The Animatrix”, “Tekkon Kinkreet” and “Berserk”. He acts as the CG animation producer for the Shenmue series. For more information on Hiroaki Takeuchi and his work, we invite you to his website .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ84uxIQBr8

Thank you for all of your support here on the updates and at the events throughout the year!

https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/019/688/703/d1eedf87b2f4e60eafc00ef3ad14175a_original.gif?w=700&fit=max&v=1514176993&auto=format&gif-q=50&q=92&s=c1f202321064315c2557f5e4ccf8ffdd

Have a wonderful holiday season and New Year!
https://shenmue.link/post_en/833/?en

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3/posts/2070230

(Merry Christmas, motherfuckers!)

There's a setting in your preferences to turn off all signatures. Unfortunately it hides the tasteful, well-designed signatures as well as the annoying ones. Fortunately no one on here has a tasteful, well-designed signature, so I'm missing nothing. (ducks)

Although everything in this new "update" tells us backers to lower our expectation even more, the dreamy people (as usual) are excited and happy with that ....

In short, what we've just been told is : graphics won't be comparable to AAA titles, it took almost two years to make "acceptable" models of the two main characters, facial expressions and animations are not done yet, we now have fewer characters than what's been initially announced, the new fighting system will be puzzle-based and more aimed towards causal players so we can kiss anything close to the decent fighting system of Shenmue and Shenmue II goodbye, and finally another delay is highly expected.

btw, can someone remind whoever subtitled the video that we're still in 2017 ?

https://i.imgur.com/82MLCiU.png


http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/12/commentary-on-kickstarter-update-78.html

Switch's Phantom River Stone blog has an analysis up for the video, including some clarifications about Yu's comments in Japanese that didn't come across as directly as they could in the English subtitles.
Which matches with Yu's comments at Gamescom that Choubu alone could have an NPC count of 200.

Similarly, "puzzle game" is a bit of a translation goof, and is actually "thinking-style game", which is the same phrase Yu has used at Gamescom and (I think) in interviews even earlier than that about the combat. It's obviously not referring literally to puzzle games, but was likely used to evoke a sense of strategy Yu has talked about before in regards to the new combat (splitting enemies into smaller groups, knocking objects and other enemies into each other for an advantage, etc).

Also, the "2018 has been the year..." comment at the end of the video is not just a 2017/2018 typo mix up, but a tense mix up and meant to be "2018 will be the year...".
Thanks a lot to Switch for his contributions in clearing some of the ambiguity up! Spaghetti
Member

On the topic of character models, with character design studio Lakshya Digital now having joined the project , Yu states that this month (December 2017) the number of character models has substantially increased. The English subtitles in the video say that the count

In today's video interview, Yu again uses the same phrase in Japanese ("thinking-style game") to describe the type of battle system he wants to create. This is a description that applies to games such as board games (chess etc), 3D-block puzzles or puzzle video games

In his wrap-up message, Yu talks about the coming year. 2018 will be a crucial year addressing the most important part of Shenmue: the way in which the Shenmue characters go about their daily lives.

Japanese website Famitsu.com has carried out their annual survey, interviewing 107 game creators to ask their resolution for the year ahead and personal direction for 2018.

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

I've posted up an English translation of Yu Suzuki's responses on the Phantom River Stone blog. His keyword for the coming year is "immersion" as he will be devoting all his energy to the Shenmue III project.
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/12/yu-suzukis-keyword-for-2018-immersion.html

An English translation of the interview is now up at the Phantom River Stone blog.

http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/0 ... iscay.html

Before anyone gets their hopes up, no, Shenmue III will not be at the Magic Pre-Conference today. How do I know? Well, I don't "know", but I know. Wait until late Feburary. We will finally see what Shenhua's hat looks like.

Yes, you know.

http://i.cubeupload.com/GKq9Gq.jpg

http://i.cubeupload.com/sX4nKr.jpg

http://i.cubeupload.com/zz4PGm.jpg

MAGIC 2018 Press conference, filmed by Shenmue Master:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f5M6u51wpo

Mod Edit:

They are official and are from the Magic Monaco pre-conference, details below:
https://www.resetera.com/threads/magic-monaco-2018-24-feb-new-screenshots-gameplay-for-shenmue-3-live-demo-of-vampyr.16808/

- New screenshots and gameplay details on Shenmue III are expected at Magic Monaco 2018

Blog post with some analysis of the new images at Phantom River Stone:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/0 ... shots.html

I just watched the Shenmue Master video. What's Cedric said:

"We'll unveil the new steps, images, mechanics, etc"
"I did play the game recently. It's a beautiful game. At Magic, we'll see the game in motion, as beautiful as the screens you're seeing"

Last week it snowed in Yokosuka! I jumped on a train to capture photos of as many "after the snow" Shenmue locations as I could. Everything looked remarkably like how it's depicted in the game.

https://i.imgur.com/U5zDzpp.jpg

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

https://i.imgur.com/3GP9kmT.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1kukw71.jpg

Full gallery (20 images) at Phantom River Stone:
-> http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/01/a-visit-to-yokosuka-after-snow-image.html

Hi Folks,

i am new at the board, but have been a enthusiastic reader over the years.

Just wanted to say, thank you for keeping it up for Shenmue over the years. Today is another day i relive the hype of the announcement of Shenmue III. I remember it vividly what happened that day and i keep it close to my heart. :D

So every now and than i ask myself .: "What happened that day?" -"That day?" "Shenmue III was announced after over a decade of faithful waiting. #thatday

Lgreetz,
Sailor-san

I think it's funny, so no.

Subtitles have now been completed for the video footage of Yu Suzuki's conference taken by Peter Campbell at MAGIC 2018.

(Translations by PhantomRiverStone.com & Shenmue Forever.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGZktkL5q-I

There is also a full written transcript up on the Phantom River Stone blog:

http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/03/yu-suzukis-magic-conference-in-english.html

Everything's a grind in Yakuza, that's why they put in substories so that you don't really notice it. Them being worth it is subjective I suppose, they're pretty fun and allow you to get filthy rich so that you can max out your characters.

Trailer

https://youtu.be/tdiqIPdCP2c

Adam Koralik report

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z04hUT23RiQ

Michael Huber Reaction

https://youtu.be/tFQx8Pw2pZc



Features

Will run in 1080p
Fully scaleable screen resolution
PS4 & XBOX ONE - Physical release
Dual control scheme - updated & classic
Both audio dubs - English & Japanese
New user interface
Release - by end of 2018

Steam link - http://store.steampowered.com/app/758330/Shenmue_I__II/

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DateX0BX0AARnIF.png


Some screenshots Via IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/04/14/shenmue-1-and-2-being-re-released-on-ps4-xbox-one-and-pc


http://c-8oqtgrjgwu46x24cuugvu3x2ekipkoiux2eeqo.g00.ign.com/g00/3_c-8yyy.kip.eqo_/c-8OQTGRJGWU46x24jvvrx3ax2fx2fcuugvu3.kipkoiu.eqox2f4230x2f26x2f36x2fujgpowg-kk-nqecvkqpu-8-3745838855-3745892780453_3402y.lrix3fk32e.octmx3dkocig_$/$/$/$/$

http://c-8oqtgrjgwu46x24cuugvu3x2ekipkoiux2eeqo.g00.ign.com/g00/3_c-8yyy.kip.eqo_/c-8OQTGRJGWU46x24jvvrx3ax2fx2fcuugvu3.kipkoiu.eqox2f4230x2f26x2f36x2fujgpowg-kk-oggvkpi-ujgpjwc-hktuv-vkog-57-3745838855-3745892780450_3402y.lrix3fk32e.octmx3dkocig_$/$/$/$/$

http://c-8oqtgrjgwu46x24cuugvu3x2ekipkoiux2eeqo.g00.ign.com/g00/3_c-8yyy.kip.eqo_/c-8OQTGRJGWU46x24jvvrx3ax2fx2fcuugvu3.kipkoiu.eqox2f4230x2f26x2f36x2f42302545432757-4-3745838853-3745892780449_3402y.lrix3fk32e.octmx3dkocig_$/$/$/$/$

http://c-8oqtgrjgwu46x24cuugvu3x2ekipkoiux2eeqo.g00.ign.com/g00/3_c-8yyy.kip.eqo_/c-8OQTGRJGWU46x24jvvrx3ax2fx2fcuugvu3.kipkoiu.eqox2f4230x2f26x2f36x2f42302545303170-4-3745838853-3745892780447_3402y.lrix3fk32e.octmx3dkocig_$/$/$/$/$

http://c-8oqtgrjgwu46x24cuugvu3x2ekipkoiux2eeqo.g00.ign.com/g00/3_c-8yyy.kip.eqo_/c-8OQTGRJGWU46x24jvvrx3ax2fx2fcuugvu3.kipkoiu.eqox2f4230x2f26x2f36x2f42302545434227-4-3745838854-3745892780441_3402y.lrix3fk32e.octmx3dkocig_$/$/$/$/$

http://c-8oqtgrjgwu46x24cuugvu3x2ekipkoiux2eeqo.g00.ign.com/g00/3_c-8yyy.kip.eqo_/c-8OQTGRJGWU46x24jvvrx3ax2fx2fcuugvu3.kipkoiu.eqox2f4230x2f26x2f36x2f42302545364162-4-3745838852-3745892780436_3402y.lrix3fk32e.octmx3dkocig_$/$/$/$/$


John Clarke - Sega Europe Executive Vice President of Publishing

"I'm really excited to be part of this announcement in front of so many Japanese Sega fans. Shenmue represents Segas spirit of challenge, as our number one most requested re-release in the West. We have carefully ported the classic look and feel of the original, in response to the long time fan expectations.
I decided when Shenmue was brought back, i would wear this in celebration. I also decided when Shenmue is brought back, i would have to be with Shenhua.
In Europe, Shenmue was released in 2000, and was an unprecedented title at the time. It was a time when Grand Theft Auto 3 or the Elder Scrolls did not exist. Yokosuka was an unknown world to us in Europe, but that only lent to its exotic charm.
Im in charge of marketing, publishing and sales strategies in Europe. In recent years I've also been in charge of the world wide release of European developed titles, such as Total War. Not only am i excited for the re-release of Shenmue, but i can say there are tonnes of fans worldwide who have been waiting for the re-release of Shenmue, as one of Segas most legendary titles. I think right now, i can hear the applause from around the world."

Hi All,

For those not able to get their hands on a physical copy of the Shenmue Chapter One: Yokosuka ‘Sacred Spot’ Guide Map.

The English and Japanese versions in PDF format, are available online via http://www.cocoyoko.net/news/shenmue.html.

JA: http://www.cocoyoko.net/pdf/shenmue_yokosuka_map_JP.pdf
EN: http://www.cocoyoko.net/pdf/shenmue_yokosuka_map_EN.pdf

It is cool that the little girl's mouth movements are animated finely enough to lip read what she is saying.
https://i.imgur.com/35ZH8xe.jpg

It's in Japanese, but what she appears to be saying translates to: "Oh, it's you, Ryo!". :)

Details in this post (plus other commentary on the Shenmue-relevant parts of the presentation):
https://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/05/new-shenmue-3-images-in-thq-nordic.html

Ryo's Japanese voice actor has tweeted an image of the script. It's huge! From what I can get from Google Translate the pages are double sided too. https://twitter.com/matsukazest/status/1003185573463392256

I've added a translation:
https://i.imgur.com/SCJ0pNy.jpg
https://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/06/image-of-days-worth-of-shenmue-3-script.html

What do the Kanji say? Curious!
Well, I'm going by my knowledge of Chinese here, but 打開 means "to open". On the right side, we have 敵, which simply means "enemy". Obviously, it just means that's that particular enemy's health bar. I do wonder about that "open" thing, though...
I wonder if "open" refers to Ryo's stance in the bubble to the left. Maybe you can shift to different stances to pull off different moves.
Well, again, I'm going by my knowledge of Chinese, so it could be different in Japanese, but 打開 is not an adjective (as in "open stance") but rather a verb, "to open".
So, the most likely thing that comes to my mind is that that's some kind of prompt, so common in videogames, like, when you approach a box/door/whatever, you get an on-screen prompt saying "open".
The thing is, in that screenshot Ryo doesn't seem to be anywhere near an object that could be opened. But maybe, amidst all that action and movement, Ryo did approach something that could be opened and, by the time this screen was captured, the prompt still hadn't gone away.
This is exciting, because, to me, this hints to some degree of interactivity with the background during battles. Maybe we'll see something a bit closer to a classic Jackie Chan fight scene, with doors, tables, chairs and whatnot being integrated into the fight? I mean, Yu Suzuki keeps saying how much of a fan he is of Chinese/Hong Kong martial arts flicks and he once, when talking about this AI Battling thing, gave the example of Ryo jumping against a wall and then use the momentum from his jump back towards the enemy to kick him (you know, that classic martial arts movie move).

Speaking of the HUD, while it's likely that the HUD will suffer some changes before the final version (they always seem to do), I'm quite happy to see that they're going for something in the same vein as the original games, just with a new-gen, HD, cleaner look. It's small things like these that really help giving us that feeling that, yep, this is a bona-fide sequel of the game we loved. That sense of familiarity, even 20 years later.

the individual kanjis mean - strike, open.
but according to jisho.org when combined it means
だかい - dakai - 'break in the deadlock​'

so maybe this is an indication of a successful counter attack. ie. the opponent grappled Ryo and he successfully executed a strike reversal. just guessing, best to wait for the switch translation.