Corruption is absolutely everywhere. People like to use “conspiracy theorist” as a derogatory but anyone who genuinely doesn’t believe conspiracy exists is an idiot.

That said, shenmue 3 will probably be in the 70-80 range. The public has never liked shenmue. I don’t expect that to change.
conspiracies are utter bullshit. if they existed on such a grand scale they would always be uncovered. I mean take your 10 best friends. do they agree with you and each other about all the important things in life? of course not. humanity itself has no clue what they are doing. so many mistakes are being made but conspiracy people are some sort of superhumans, with organisational skills beyond belief en some sort of loyalty to each other going over multiple generations, only idiots believe in conspiracies. they could never work because for it to work you need perfection, which humanity can never achieve, not even on a small scale.


Ummm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_conspiracies

I don't know what you're on about. I mean, doesn't the fact that conspiracies have been uncovered prove that they exist?

Normally I agree with you OL, but his main issues were difficulty and battles taking too long. It’s not uncommon for games to have a difficulty curve that ramps up as people get accustomed to the game and if he understood the mechanics the battles wouldn’t take long.

Not saying this is a good analogy, but if someone plays Mario 64, for instance, for 10 hours, but fails to get more than 5 stars, how seriously should one take a negative review given as a result?

EDIT: the only reason I mention this is because I think his video is largely misrepresentative of what the game is actually like. I think most people who enjoy JPGs will like the game and it’s worth looking into further, despite this video.

I haven't played it in over a week because I've been busy, but this guy in the video is just straight up not far enough yet for the difficulty to ramp up, and also does not understand how to play the game. Like Raithos said, you need to understand how to cancel into arts and use combos otherwise you will just straight up lose. Battles only take long for him because he isn't playing correctly. It's not entirely his fault, since tutorials cannot be revisited... but the game really isn't that complicated.

The game has its flaws, but IMO the game is pretty good. The voice acting is pretty great, although some characters aren't that great (like Pyra and Mythra). But I especially like the Welsh cat girl. It's also very cinematic and the cut-scenes are directed pretty well. The game's side-quests are still stupid and should be ignored unless you like doing pointless bullshit, but they are easily ignored. The map system is confusing as fuck but not as bad as it was in Xenoblade Chronicles X. And lastly, the blade randomness system is stupid and never should have existed. It's basically lootboxes without real money, which is just pointless all around--designed to waste your time... but it wasn't built that way to make the developers extra money.... so why is it there?!

Anyway, I don't really like JRPGs that much anymore... like not really at all... and this is enjoyable for me. It feels like a game that would have come out on the PS2 or something. So take that for what you will. If it interests you, I'd get it... or don't. But it's not a bad game.

gillian_seed wrote:why Peter is no longer posting on the dojo?

He petered out

December 15th 1986

As soon as I awoke, I went to the dojo in order to find Fuku-san. I figured if anyone knew of the mirror’s whereabouts, it must be him. But as I entered the dojo, Fuku-san was nowhere to be found. He normally practices early in the morning, so I was a bit surprised to find him absent from his training, but as I went back to the house to find him, Ine-san told me to speak to Fuku-san. Apparently Fuku-san had also been looking for me. I must have just missed him. I found him at the cherry tree.

Fuku-san had a confession to make. He told me that he admitted to Ine-san of all the things that I had been doing. The efforts that I have been making in order to find Lan Di and avenge the death of my father. Upon hearing this, I thought I would have been angry, but I can understand Fuku-san’s concern and his motivation to tell. We have never really been deceitful to one another, and not to Ine-san—and not to my father. Yet I have been very deceitful lately. I have been so concerned with my goal that I failed to act appropriately towards my friends. Yet, even though I have failed in this way, I still believe my actions were justified. If failing in this way could lead to another greater success, then I must continue to fail in order to reach that success. Although, I’m no longer convinced that these failures have lead me any closer to my goal. Either way, I do not blame Fuku-san for succeeding in truth. But regardless, Fuku-san had no idea where the mirror could be located.

Ine-san approached me shortly thereafter. She had been eaves-dropping, to which she apologized greatly, despite Fuku-san being quite loud in his confession. I felt as though I had to apologize to Ine-san, for keeping so many things from her, but it was her who seemed distressed over her own actions. She told me that she believed she was letting my father down. She told me that she didn’t have the right to stop the son of Iwao Hazuki—that she couldn’t stop him… me. She blamed herself, which greatly saddened me. It wasn’t her fault, none of this was, but I didn’t correct her. I let her act as she felt she should. It wasn’t my place to let her know how she should feel, it wasn’t up to me to interpret the consequences of her actions. In the end, however, Ine-san felt the need to inform me of an item my father had left at an antique shop. This item was supposedly of great importance, although Ine-san was unaware of what it could be. It was a long shot, but part of me believed that it might be the mirror. And so I headed to the antique shop.

Near the kitten, on my way to the antique shop, I ran into Nozomi. Thankfully the kitten seems to be much better. She’s playing outside of the box and her leg seems to be healed, but Nozomi is still worried about me. I have nothing that I can tell her and… when I tell her nothing is wrong, she gets frustrated with me. She wants me to open up, but I can’t open up. It would only worry her more. For now I’ll just have to deal with Nozomi being frustrated with me. It’s better than making her upset. It was only after Nozomi left that I realized that I was still being untruthful with my friends. Would it be better to open up with Nozomi? I’m still unsure.

Oishi-san had indeed been holding something for my father. It was a sword-handguard, one that had been passed down from generation to generation. The handguard bore the Hazuki family crest: a snow ring, the two stars, and a sword. It is only given to the Hazuki heir once he turns eighteen. I wonder if my father would have given it to me that day, had Lan Di not shown up when he did. Oishi-san did not have the mirror for me, but I was excited nonetheless to have the handguard. Surprisingly, I believed to know its purpose. Ever since I was a young boy, I’d poked and prodded my way around the dojo. One thing puzzled me ever since I was a child. Behind two scrolls in the dojo there exists two small recesses: one shaped to fit the blade of a sword and the other shaped to fit, I believe, this handguard. When I was attempting to sneak into warehouse #8, I spent a lot of time at home during the day. During that time I noticed that the key I snagged from my father’s desk fit nicely into a long locked box in the dojo. Inside that box was a sword… and much how I immediately recognized the importance of the sword handguard, I immediately knew to fit the box’s sword into the blade-shaped crevice. It fit nicely, yet nothing happened. However, I’m certain that with the second piece of the puzzle in hand, I’ll finally solve this mystery! I’ve been wanting to know this secret for so long! I hurried home but on my way back I ran into Gui Zhang.

Gui Zhang and I fought in Yamanose. I suppose this sounds a bit strange, but he had been following me. And for a moment there, I thought he had been working with Lan Di. I guess I’m a little bit on edge. It turns out that Master Chen sent his son to look after me. Gui Zhang is supposed to act sort of like a bodyguard… as if I need one. But I’m not stupid enough to dismiss his help. I could tell from our fight that he is very well trained and he fights with purpose. He seems really worked up about Lan Di getting his hands on the Phoenix Mirror and he will do all he can to assist me in locating the mirror. He claims that nobody will be able to stop Lan Di if he manages to obtain the mirror. Just how important are these mirrors?

When I got home I went straight for the dojo and fit the handguard into the crevice. It was a success! The handguard and the sword were a key that led to a secret basement beneath the dojo! It was dark down there, so I grabbed the flashlight from underneath the phone and went straight down into the basement. The basement had various amounts of junk. Some old medicine, books and scrolls, and various Chinese things. The strangest of all was a white leaf that wasn’t even dry. How could such an old leaf not be dry? That’s not all though. I found a photograph of my father when he was young. He looked like he was much the same age as I am now. It really made me realize that I didn’t know much about my father when he was younger. In the photo he was standing next to a man, but I had no idea who he was, nor did I know where the photo had been taken. I knew him as a father, but I didn’t know him as Iwao Hazuki. Who was my father before he was my father? Could he really have killed a man? It doesn’t seem possible. Well, I guess it’s time that I mention that I found the mirror. It was hidden behind a wall that was hidden behind a shelf. It’s strange, but I suppose I expected a little more. The mirror itself would be rather plain, except it has a beautiful engraving of a phoenix on its face. But I fail to see its importance. It seems like a regular antique mirror. How can such a thing be so important? Why did my father go to such lengths to hide it and why does Lan Di want it? If the mirror can help me locate Lan Di, then I am grateful for it, but none of this makes any sense. I’ll have to speak with Master Chen tomorrow.

Demon's Souls is the best of the series and everyone only ever talks about Dark Souls, which is unfortunate.

1.Demon's Souls had the best (most varied) bosses--not everything was a roll fest.
2.Demon's Souls was the least linear, insofar as you could choose whichever level you wanted to go to from the main hub.
3.Demon's Souls did not have that infuriating input-buffering.
4.I thought Demon's Souls had better and more unique music and NPC's and atmosphere overall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_bbALTxXpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPJUQg_U5HY

Plus, a lot of the ideas in Dark Souls are just Demon's Souls Ideas... again.

The only thing worse about Demon's Souls is the stupid name. It should have just been called Demon Souls and it wouldn't awkward as eff to say. Too bad the game is largely forgotten and rotting on the PS3.

Anyway, I get frustrated because Demon's Souls is probably one of the best games I've ever played and the rest of the series is unfortunately... not. Although still good.

That said, sorry for mini/annoying rant, stoked for more Dark Souls 1.

Hmm yeah, I suppose I see your point OL. It's a bit hard to pinpoint exactly what it means to be "sim". I suppose flight simulation (and others like) is one end of the scale, but I believe sim can sort of be a gradient--or maybe one aspect, but not the dominating force. Flight Simulators might dominate as purely simulation, but games like Shenmue might have sim aspects to them.

Games like Harvest Moon are at their core an RPG, but with a farming/relationship simulation aspect to differentiate it from other RPGs. ActRaiser is a platforming game, but with a god/citybuilding simulator aspect. This is why I think they were proper responses. I mean, all games do simulate certain things, if we're being literal. But not all games simulate simulation games (to a lesser degree than the pure simulations).

So I suppose I'd call these games less than pure simulations--simulations alongside additional genres. Things like Asura's Wrath, I don't really think it's fair to call a sim, although it worked well to illustrate your point in this problem of definitions, specifically "sim".

December 5th 1986

This Charlie guy sounds like a real loser. Yuriko was telling me all about how he comes by Smiley Flower Shop and treats her poorly—he even parks his motorcycle right in front of the store. She can’t do anything about it because she’s scared of him. And even the owner, Nemoto, had some strong words to say about this guy. Apparently Charlie’s the type of person to get his finger pricked from a rose and demand some compensation from the store. Talk about zero class. Anyway, he’s been all around Dobuita, always browsing but never making a purchase. I guess he just wants to spend all his money at the bars. Even Ono-san hates the guy, despite Charlie owning a motorcycle. Usually Ono is thrilled to talk to anybody about motorcycles. If Ono-san doesn’t like Charlie, then he must not be a good guy. I trust Ono-san’s judgment. Naoyuki spends a lot of time at Ono-san’s shop and Naoyuki seems to respect Ono-san quite a bit.

I eventually found out that Charlie usually comes to Dobuita at around 7 PM. It was raining today, so I didn’t want to spend too much time outside, and even though I promised not to be too frivolous with the money Ine-san puts out for me, I decided to play a few games at the arcade while I waited for Charlie to show up. I played a few rounds of Hang-On, which proves to still be nearly impossible. The problem is that I always want to go fast, but that makes the turns more difficult to maneuver. I suppose I could slow down but where’s the fun in that? Space Harrier is more my game, but I was even doing poorly in that game today. I only made it to the 3rd stage. I’ve got too many things on my mind, I suppose.

I didn’t manage to find Charlie, but I was jumped by a bunch of punks. They clearly didn’t have any formal training and went down very easily. Although they didn’t know where to find Charlie, one of them told me that there’s a tattoo parlor in Yokosuka. I just need to find the location. I’m sure if I find the parlor, I’ll find Charlie. So I guess today wasn’t all bad. While I didn’t find Charlie, I did find another lead, and also, I should mention that I ran into Yamagishi-san at Suzume Park. He taught me a martial arts move that he had once taught to my father. Apparently the two of them were good friends and would often share sake together. Yamagishi is a master in Kobujutsu. I’m not familiar with weapon-based combat, but I am always grateful to learn, especially from a friend of my father.

December 8th 1986

I thought I was close. At least I thought I was getting close. But that jerk Charlie just turned out to be another liar! There was never any plan to introduce me to anyone. All Charlie wanted was a chance to ambush me. Except he’s too weak to fight me alone so he had to call some friends of his. It didn’t matter though, they all went down easily. Except now I’m no longer close. Now I’m back to grasping at straws and following small threads.

I woke up this morning and prepared myself in the dojo. Fuku-san ran into me there and we sparred for a bit. It wouldn’t be wise to go out with my limbs cold. I didn’t know what I might expect today. Fuku-san is a good opponent. He’s a bit hard on himself, probably because my father was a hard teacher, but he’s improved greatly. It’s likely because my father was such a hard teacher that Fuku-san is as proficient as he is now. After we sparred, Fuku-san pleaded with me that I don’t get involved with the circumstances surrounding my father’s death. He’s been insistent that I don’t go, that I continue on as if nothing happened, but he knows that I will do no such thing—I’ve told him as much. Ine-san, however, when she confronted me it broke my heart to have to lie to her. She made me promise that I wouldn’t get involved, and I agreed. I have no intention of letting this go but I also have no intention of hurting Ine-san. As long as I am able to avenge my father, Ine-san is bound to forgive me. It’s all I can hope.

Ine-san gave me a letter that she had been withholding from me until now. A letter, addressed to my father, and written entirely in Chinese. Had I not been duped by Charlie, I likely would have put the letter in the back of my mind, but Charlie had turned out to be a fake and now I needed any bit of information I could find.

When Charlie ambushed me, he had lured me into a trap by stealing a young boy’s soccer ball. When I took care of Charlie, the young boy thanked me in Chinese. His name is Gao Wen Xia. He ended up eventually telling me that his grandmother can read Chinese and that I should go pay a visit if I want to learn the contents of my father’s letter. I had originally planned to speak to either Yamagishi-san, since he once told me that he was forced to study Chinese when he was in the military, or Tao-san, since he works at the Chinese restaurant. But I figured that I ought to take Gao Wen’s suggestion and pay his grandmother a visit.

Her name is Xiu Yu and she’s a very kind woman. As it turns out, the letter was written in a special style. The Kanji characters were reversed, but they were not simply reversed left to right. There seemed to be something else to how they were written. Anyway, she translated the letter and it reads as follows: “Beware of those who pursue the mirror. If you ever need help, seek the aid of Master Chen. Zhu Yuan Da”. There was also a note on the back which said: “Father’s Earth, Nine Dragons, Mother’s Earth, Comrades”. Lastly, the letter contained a phone number. I took note of the phone number and thanked Xiu Yu on my way out.

I’m already familiar with the saying that was written on the back of the letter. I had seen it written before back at the dojo. I have no idea what it means. But even still, I just had to call the number and see if I could get through. I hurried to the tobacco shop and made a quick phone call. It rang a few times before I was prompted with the phrase “Father’s Earth” by a man on the line. I almost panicked and didn’t say anything, but quickly spurted out the words “Nine Dragons”. The man on the other side of the phone call said “Mother’s Earth”, and I immediately responded with “Comrades”. After completing the apparent password, I was told to meet at Warehouse #8. I asked if this was the Chen residence, but I was hung up on. I have no idea where Warehouse #8 could be, but I was sure that somebody in Dobuita must know. I almost stopped at Smiley Flower Shop to ask Yuriko. But I’ve been going to Smiley Flower Shop a lot lately and Nozomi doesn’t seem to like it too much that I chat with Yuriko so often. It must be because she works for her competition, but I don’t usually buy any flowers so she shouldn’t mind. Regardless, I decided to go to Nozomi’s store instead and ask her if she knew anything about a Warehouse #8.

As soon as I approached her I immediately regretted attempting to ask her about the warehouse. I’ve been making her worry and I didn’t want to make her worry any further. I could have easily asked anyone else. I started to retract the conversation, but Nozomi insisted that I speak with her and she mentioned that I might be able to find some information about the warehouse’s location by looking up information about the phone number. It never even occurred to me that this was something I might be able to do. I guess Nozomi really can be helpful sometimes. I thanked her, ran back to the payphone at the Tobacco Store, and called Number Assistance. The lady on the other line mentioned that I can’t look up an address from just a phone number, but she did manage to tell me that the area code was located in Amihama. That’s where the New Yokosuka Harbor is located! There was bound to be a Warehouse #8 there! Since I was right next to the bus stop, I figured I’d check it out before it got too late.

As soon as I arrived in the harbor there was trouble. That kid Goro was trying to beat some money out of somebody. He’s worse than even Enoki, but he goes down just as easily. After he was down, he told me where to find Warehouse #8, but the information was a dud. The warehouse was not the right warehouse. Apparently there are two warehouse districts at the Yokosuka Harbor. The one I was I was directed towards was in the new warehouse district.

I had intended to go check out the old warehouse district, if I could find it, but I instead ran into a homeless man. He’s been living at the harbor for three years and asked if I could buy him a coffee. I’ve been avoiding Guang Ji, who works at Ajiichi, because he’s always trying to hint that I buy him something to drink. He’s got a job and I am not interested in giving him my money, but I suppose I can afford to buy a coffee for this homeless man. It is very cold at the harbor. By the time I had gotten him the coffee I realized that it’s gotten much too late. I don’t want to make Ine-san worry any more than she has to, so I decided I’d head home for the day. I called her on the payphone near the bus stop and told her not to worry, and then I headed home. By the time I got home the phone was ringing for me. Nozomi had called and she wanted to meet me at Sakuragaoka Park to talk.

Her parents want her to move back to Canada. All this time I had wondered if Nozomi might be happier living in Canada, but I’ve forgotten that she’s made a life for herself here. I’ve lived in Japan my whole life, and I can’t understand what it must be like sharing relationships across the globe. She’s grown to like the people in Japan. She has friends. She’s my friend. But her family is in Canada. I know she wants me to ask her to stay, but I don’t know if she should. I don’t know if she even really wants to stay. I’m not in a position to make that decision for her. Whatever choice she makes, it must be her own choice. I will miss her, if she leaves. And if she happens to go… I hope she’ll remember to say goodbye.

I have to apologize for not updating recently. I just started a new job and just haven't had the time to sit down and play any Shenmue, unfortunately. I made it through the warehouse on the 14th, and did manage to play once on the 15th, but I haven't played at all since then. Gunna play some today and then write my journal entries tomorrow morning. Since both Monday and Tuesday are my days off. They might be a little less "daily" but I'll at least play catch-up on my days off for what I missed during the week. Anyway, good news is I'm back to playing :)

December 16th 1986

I immediately headed over to see Master Chen after calling to make an appointment. I wanted to get to see him as soon as possible. While I was waiting for the bus to arrive, I stopped to chat with Yuriko about the mirror—although I was a bit discreet about the specific piece. Not that I don’t trust Yuriko, but it’s probably best that I don’t go advertising to everyone that I’m in possession of the mirror… even though it’s unlikely anyone even knows what it is, or even cares. Anyway, she mentioned that Yamagishi-san is interested in antiques and I ought to ask him. I didn’t have time to meet with Yamagishi-san at the moment, so I figured I’d see if I could catch him later.

Well, I’ve only had the mirror for a day and I’ve already almost let the mirror fall into the hands of Lan Di. A squirrely looking bald man with messed up teeth jumped into the warehouse and snagged the mirror from my hands. I had little time to act, but with the help of Gui Zhang, we managed to take it back. Master Chen believes that the man who grabbed the mirror is linked with the Chi You Men. “When the Dragon and the Phoenix meet, the gates of heaven and earth will open and Chi You will resurrect itself on Earth”. This is what Zhu Yuan Da once told Master Chen. Chi You is a legendary Chinese monster that is said to one day devour the world. And Lan Di, he hopes to make use of the mirror in order to summon this monster… apparently. Master Chen didn’t speak with flippancy, but I still find it unlikely that this is Lan Di’s true goal. Such a thing can’t be true, but I will keep the mirror from Lan Di nonetheless. If he desires it so greatly, then it must be important enough to keep from his possession.

Anyway, Master Chen believes that the Chi You Men are linked with a group called the Mad Angels. I thought for a moment that if I made my way through the Mad Angels, I’d find Lan Di, but Master Chen and his son believe that Lan Di has already made it back to Hong Kong. Master Chen and Gui Zhang refuse to help me get to Hong Kong. Just like nearly everyone else, they refuse to understand my need to confront Lan Di. It is not a question of whether or not I can defeat Lan Di. I choose to confront him because I must confront him—much how I will win. I will defeat Lan Di, because I must defeat Lan Di. If they will not help me, then I’ll have to find my own passage to Hong Kong. Tomorrow, my goal is China.

December 17th 1986

Last night I dreamt of the mirror. It was the focal point of my mind, and all I could see was the mirror itself. Every detail was magnified as I traced over its features. The symbol of the phoenix rose quickly to the center of my mind. But soon the mirror was not all I saw. Against the backdrop of the mirror itself, I saw a single bird, a hawk, flying endlessly towards the mirror. As if to be swallowed up, but never quite reaching the mirror—never quite meeting.

The morning began with the realization that I was never going to make it to Hong Kong with the money I had managed to save over the years. Fuku-san was gracious enough, however, to lend me his savings after the two of us had failed in persuading Ine-san to help. I will need to find my own way to Hong Kong since Fuku-san’s money will not be enough. Or so I thought.

Anyway before I get to that, I should mention that the cat had made its way away from the shrine in Yamanose. I went to go find it, but it appears that Nozomi also had the same agenda, and I found her, and the cat, somewhat closer to the Hazuki dojo. Megumi was so happy to have Mimi back again. Sometimes I worry that Megumi is getting too attached to the cat. Now that its leg is healed, it’s bound to move on and leave. I just hope she understands that eventually all things must end and the cat won’t be around forever. I was lucky today, but I won’t always be around when the cat goes missing.

I also showed Yamagishi-san the phoenix mirror. He explained to me the secret of Yin and Yang. In china there are objects that carry both good and bad fortune, and that perhaps this phoenix mirror is one of these objects. I don’t know how he could feel such a thing from merely looking at the object, he mentioned that the mirror felt "ominous", but I was grateful for his wisdom.

I tried the travel agency near Tom’s hot dogs, but after hearing Yuriko lament over how expensive a trip to Australia had been, I wasn’t particularly optimistic in my standing. It turns out I just do not have enough money to make it to Hong Kong by airplane. Nozomi, however, suggested I try to take a boat instead of a plane. It seems as though her grandmother must take a boat every time they take a visit to Canada. I eventually was directed to another travel agency. And after paying my fee there, I was told to wait for the specifics to be ironed out and to come back later… well, when I came back they tried to pull a fast one on me and pretend I never came and payed. A few moments alone with me and the clerk was quick to apologize. They will be calling me tomorrow, and if all goes well, I’ll be on my way to Hong Kong soon.

Not sure how I missed this, but it looks great. Love how you're implementing seemingly meaningless small interaction. When I saw that gif of him just leaning over the wall, I knew this was the game for me.

I remember playing Shenmue with a friend, and we were helping the old lady in the beginning, and he asked me "what do I get for helping her?". What you get... is to help her. Sometimes actions don't have to have some in-game meaning that's associated with some tangible reward--sometimes you just do something to do it.

Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent, in short I admire your goals and what you've shown so far. I'm interested and will likely support the project when it's released.