Last time I logged in here, I was excited about a Dell PC with 50 GB of HD. As I type on my iPad here, a 32 year old adult bawling in my living room, my 8 months pregnant wife looking at me like I'm insane, I am the happiest man alive. She wasn't happy I spent $500 tonight, but it was all worth it.

I didn't hesitate to donate $10,000 for the dinner with Yu Suzuki. This is FUCKING unreal!

I honestly never thought the universe would throw you guys a bone. I haven't even played the games and even then I'm still laughing in the street in happiness for you guys.

Have fun serving an internet's worth of crow for me. You guys deserve it! =)

It's *all* in the bag, folks. In many, a lot of ways, we all need to be particularly thankful for Sony's ongoing support. Check it out:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CHmLY5RVAAAVnkN.jpg:large

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CHl8Lb0VEAEtBN5.jpg:large

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CHljk1wUYAMgHjz.jpg:large

I've never seen Yu this happy in a long while. What's even greater is how sincere it seems the smiles are on Shu, Corsi, and Boyes' faces' too. Phenomenal times we live in.

HOLY FUCKING SHITBALLS!!!!!!!!1
IS IT HAPPENING!!!? IS THIS EVEN REAL!!!!?
IS IT ACTUALLY GOING TO HAPPEN!!!/
2.5 MILLION!!!!
I LITERALLY CRIED TEARS STREAMING DOWN MY FACE!!!!

THANK YOU EVERYONE AND......
IM LOST FOR WORDS HOLY SHIT!!!!
IT WAS JUST OUT OF NOWHERE!
THANK YOU SUZUKI!
THANK YOU SAGA!
THANK YOU COMMUNITY
WOW!
\:D/ =D> :D :) :-o :oops: :D :D :sad: ;-) :D :D :?:

it's not dumb at all. good on you in fact. the last disc to me is by far the best thing I've ever played. be prepared for some major plot things

You don't save things for later. You eat your fucking Shenmue now dammit.

Whatever it is, as long as it's not a stupid box moving game!

Driving forklifts and moving product was like real-life, legitimate work, even the book carrying wasn't tooooooo video gamey. But the box moving was goofy as all get out. Who the heck expects you to carry crates while they shout, in rapid succession, "LEFTLEFTRIGHTLEFTRIGHT!" How about we just carry them like normal people, eh Delin?

I think the idea of manual labor sounds right. Fishing? Sheep herding? Maybe another book-carrying like thing, taking care of village artifacts and stuff?


To this day me and my brother can not move furniture without saying "Left Left Left" followed by "We're putting it down now!" No one ever knows what we are talking about, but it's something we will always do when we have to move something or help a friend move. For me it's one of the greatest Memories I have of Shenmue 2

But I honestly wouldn't mind if they left it out, or changed it significantly for Shenmue 3 since it really was super redundant and monotonous. And even after all that work I never really liked the move "Rising Uppercut" that Hong De Lin your crate lifting partner would teach you before going off to face Ren.

One of the best things about the series so far is how it evolved naturally, like a proper adventure would, without being afraid to take the player and Ryo out of their comfort zone. As others have said, Shenmue 2 feels strikingly different to Shenmue 1, but it still felt like the natural progression of Ryo's journey. It didn't add anything new and spicy just for sake of adding something new and spicy, like so many other game sequels do, yet also wasn't afraid to leave behind it's old trappings and move into new territory (literally). Shenmue 1 and Shenmue 2 both respectively gave me such unique feelings and experiences, and each feeds into the other and enhances the other.

The last disc on Shenmue 2 took us into new territory again, but only really gave us a taster of it. I think it's obvious by now that this more rural direction is where Shenmue 3 is headed. I personally welcome this, and look forward to seeing how the 1980's Chinese countryside will make me feel. Not many other games would take us to such a place.

As for the mystical "mumbo jumbo" some people are talking about. That's as much what makes Shenmue for me as anything else in the game. It wouldn't be Shenmue if it didn't have that slight contrast and tension between the realistic and mystical/supernatural. In fact, it wasn't even really a "tension" at all, that's the wrong way of putting it. The games blended the two so skillfully that the mystical starts to seem realistic, and realistic starts to seem mystical. It's takes it all in it's stride throughout, handling both elements with a unbelievably deft hand.

I don't have any doubts that Yu will continue to weave the quotidian and the extraordinary as successfully as he did in the first two games. Yes, the end of Shenmue 2 was a blockbuster, jaw to floor moment, but wasn't it amazing. And I'm sure Yu knows as well as we do, what made that moment so special, was that the games didn't throw this stuff at us willy nilly. It was a special scene for a special moment, and executed brilliantly. Probably more than anything else, the Shenmue games made me feel like there is more to world than we realise, more than what meets the eye. Sure you can say it's all just cliched orientalist mumbu jumbu mysticism if you want, but no other film or game has made the supernatural, or the seemingly unbelievable, feel so believable to me.

So it's only fitting that the unbelievable, Shenmue 3, has just been made believable.

Tom actually runs off to Miami, cuts his hair, and changes his name to Lance Vance....
Close. It was actually Ryo's boss Mark that did that. Kind of like a witness protection thing after he testified in court against several Mad Angels members


it all makes sense... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5utc5TOPNbo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

YS: Of course!

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

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

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

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

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

YS: Thank you very much.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

YS: I want to do it yes!

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

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

Will the band-aid ever come off?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Will character polls compromise your artistic vision?

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

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

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

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

YS: Of course I will write them all myself!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you have any dogs or cats?

YS: 3 yorkshire terriers and a turtle.

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

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

Who would win a fight between Ryo and Akira?

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

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

YS: I would love it.

How was it working with mega64?

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

Will there be forklift gameplay in Shenmue III?

YS: Look for it in the Stretch Goals!

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

YS: I can't answer that.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

YS: Yes.

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

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

What Sega console is your favourite and why?

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

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

YS: I plan on making plans.

Why do you create?

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

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

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

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

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

Will Ryo ever go back to Japan?

YS: Not in 3.

Who is your favorite Shenmue character?

YS: It has always been Shenhua.

Are you still involved in any programming activities?

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

Do you play airsoft, paintball, or anything similar?

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

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

YS: Sure, but its all pretty old stuff.

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

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

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

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

As I've said in a previous thread, the fact of the matter is, NONE OF US know exactly how much external funding this game is getting. It's all speculation at the moment, that's as much as we do know!

Until that time comes, all we have is the KickStarter, that's the only thing at the moment that is giving us real monetary values!

That's why we cannot assume that others are heavily funding this game until we know for sure. From the sounds of things we will never know for sure.

Therefore we MUST keep promoting the KickStarter and getting the word out there. That's the only option we have. We can't take the risk of making assumptions that others are behind this heavily!

Definitely adding the boat chapter (or just some additional content) and just modernise the controls!

I agree if it does get done it should be pulled together as a bundle also.


Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Lucas/the Star Wars prequels is a bad example, because that was a case of him having no one say "no" to him and the end result being poor. The original Star Wars script was a boring mess, and the final film was saved by editors including his then-wife Marcia Lucas. It was collaboration with people like Lawrence Kasdan that made Empire Strikes Back and to a lesser extent Return of the Jedi worthy (or in the case of ESB, superior) sequels. I rank Suzuki-san much more highly as a artist than Lucas. While I don't seem as a talentless hack who got lucky like many do, I really don't think Lucas is anywhere near as great as Suzuki-san.

Yokosuka wrote:nostalfags are going to express their disappointment

Lovely.

Both are my favorite games of all time, Shenmue I being slightly above II.

I just like the hometown environment in Shenmue I. The snow, all of the familiar characters. That's pretty much it. I don't think the music is better or worse, and things like putting the capsule toys in a collection tab actually made things a bit better for me.

Yes and no. I'm worried that he'll listen to the wrong things and ignore the right ones.

The simple fact that he said including this move or that inventory item as a "good idea" that he'll "look into" was enough to warrant it. I think too much time has passed and he's forgotten so much about the previous games. Almost as if he's too forward-thinking.

The one thing I reckon he should definitely do is go back and play the games. Twice each. I want to be able to play Shenmue III after Shenmue II and it flow seamlessly.

The amount of layers impacts performance quite a lot. Be aware though that some transparencies like smoke or dust will look glitchy if you set it too low. I think the smoke from the pots outside Man Mo Temple only look 100% right with 32 layers.

Maybe we could convince him to do a Shenmue acapella? We of all people know that Shenmue 1 and 2 have a fantastic soundtrack, but he and or many of his 1.2 million subscribers may not. He takes requests, but there's no telling what kind of backlog he has or what it would take to get something onto his list.

Here's his YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/user/SmoothMcGroove/featured

and his Twitter

https://twitter.com/SmoothMcGroove

#SmoothSingsShenmue ?

Demul is running better in Win 10 64-bit than it did in 8.1 64-bit for me.