Random Shenmue Thoughts

[Ziming]

phpBB [video]

[Peter]

You know you have that Shenmue bug when you're stuck in work, and all you can think about is getting home to playing Shenmue.

[Giorgio]

phpBB [video]

[Supa]

I don't think I've ever seen that video before. Get that on the Dojo's YouTube!

[BlueMue]

I guess since this isn't a "public" trailer they did something different to present the game here.
It is indeed strange as far as Shenmue trailers go. Only Guilin and Shenhua, wich feels somewhat like a spoiler.

[Giorgio]

Watched Shenmue Premiere's video, saw these images and tried to link them with already known data, as well as speculate ("???" marks; speculation which can be pretty crazy).

[BlueMue]

I wish someone would dig up the Shenmue Premiere in better quality. It must exist somewhere, at least all the footage they had made to show at the event. I really want to see all this stuff in better quality.
The 1998 internet stream video we got has just the worst quality ever.

[Peter]

I don't though. We have seen so much over the years waiting for Shenmue 3, any more info released would just reveal the majority if it all and then what would be the point of releasing another game. I like that it's blurry and distorted, like we are getting a glimpse into what's to come, but not being able to see it property. It's like a little carrot being dangled which we can try our best to get, but we still have continue the chase to get it. I want too happy with the Shenmue Online project which revealed a lot more of Shenmue. Heck, I wasn't over the moon with Suzuki revealing the storyboard for all of the chapters at the Shenmue Postmortem. I don't want to know anything, until I play it in the game.

[Giorgio]

While you can choose to walk around Kowloon, until the meeting with the scout in the basement, if you talk to people, you get interesting and funny responses.

A guy with glasses in Stand Qr will tell you that if you eat ten plates in three minutes, then he won't take your money for the food.

An old man told me a parable; something like 'If you study, then you will never get old' and similar others. Ryo didn't know that. The old man was shocked by that, how a Japanese doesn't know it. - He said it comes from 'Genshi Shiroku', Japanese Confucian philosophy, from an author named Issai Sato.

Another old man told me a saying that you rarely hear here in the West; that is 'Life is long' and take your own pace. East's mentality is way different and more mind calming (at least in their theory).

After all that, how can you not love Shenmue? - Contextual world, characters, story, interaction...

Shenmue doesn't offer a lot of game activities, that is challenges, puzzles, competitions etc, ones to feel the accomplishment of being and getting faster, stronger, measured in points. - And if some of those look like ones, but they mostly used to convey the story to experience it livingly/interactively. - However, and this is the most important, it's a great lifelike experience with heart.

[Peter]

Out of curiosity Giorgio, do any of these lead to notebook entries?

[Giorgio]

Out of curiosity Giorgio, do any of these lead to notebook entries?

No. They are just for our mind's memory.

[Jesse]

I don't though. We have seen so much over the years waiting for Shenmue 3, any more info released would just reveal the majority if it all and then what would be the point of releasing another game. I like that it's blurry and distorted, like we are getting a glimpse into what's to come, but not being able to see it property. It's like a little carrot being dangled which we can try our best to get, but we still have continue the chase to get it. I want too happy with the Shenmue Online project which revealed a lot more of Shenmue. Heck, I wasn't over the moon with Suzuki revealing the storyboard for all of the chapters at the Shenmue Postmortem. I don't want to know anything, until I play it in the game.

I agree with this statement 100%. After all the information that's been released over the years I feel as anymore would completely spoil the journey. The GDC storyboard was a very cool treat for long time fans. The game majority takes place in China which is cool but right now I'm more intrigued in what happens with the rest of the cast. In the sense that do we see Nozomi anymore? After the dust settles do we head back to Japan at all? How long does the game last in terms of months?

Side note: what probably gets to me most of all is Yu Suzuki hasn't really done anything of note since Shenmue II. I would be completely fine with the wait if he was still cranking out games instead of being shunned in the corner.

[BlueMue]

Me too, I don't want to get spoiled by that concept art either. But the Shenmue Premiere had a lot more then just that, like Shenmue II Beta material, behind the scenes motion capturing and such. I wanna see that in better quality.

But now I'm starting to think. The people that visited this event saw all those clips on the big screen, didn't they?
They must've seen what those unrevealed character artworks look like. Unless they were already blurred in the video.

[Supa]

I just want teasers...I don't want full out spoilers. Because as crazy as some people may think I am for saying it, I still think more Shenmue is coming.

The storyboard from GDC may not even be completely canon anymore...keep in mind this was still from the VFRPG, correct? Akira is still seen in several of those tiles. So while it may be close, it may not be as well. Who knows?

[Giorgio]

Playing Shenmue II, for the second time in my life: Whoa, I didn't know that. You can choose to not wait for the scout and proceed to the dungeons, reaching finally that locked door. Ryo tries to open it, Ren comes and Ryo is like "Oh, it's you..."; then the usual happens, with Wong unlocking it etc.

I finally entered that red door, for the first time ever; as I said back then, I have never done it before (because I was scared...), but now the spoiler is confirmed. Also, for the first time, I opened the door #222. Not sure why I didn't do it 12 years ago... Probably becasue I was running and didn't notice the environmental sound close to that door,

with the sounds of Hang-On playing;

I like that touch, because it is a hint to the player that something might be behind that door.

The Yellow Head Bldg is a blast of action! However, is also probably the less immersive and most mind-numbing (I got dizzy with all that action...) part of Shenmue II, and also the one that makes it look more like a game.

I did a lot of exploration and inspection in that building, checking every corner and even go back to recheck, especially after some scenes that position you forward; even felt to open some random doors.

Finally, I stopped playing for today after I beat Baihu. That fight is intense. Not in itself, though. The moment you are ready to give the final blow through Free Battle, it decides you have to press a QTE, in both "rounds". Thankfully, the last/third QTE sequence can be repeated without going from the start (that is from "exiting the elevator" scene).