Does the average Joe know what Shenmue is?

[Felix88]

I really doubt that he does.
Who is actually going to buy Shenmue, exept the die hard fans (us)?

I dont think that people will enjoy Shenmue from chapter 7!
This is a saga that has to be played from chapter 1.

I beleave that the only way Shenmue 3 will be considered is if they put the first two
on PSN and Xbox Live so people can check out the old ones first! fuck shenmue city!

Im not known to copyrights and stuff, but to put it up for free on the Network, is that a bad Idea?
Its not like they make any money of this game anyway?

If people get to try Shenmue, which the mainstream havent even heard of (and for sure wont pay money for), then a free version would be great?

Remember that the people who needs to know this game are the people who was the same age as us when shenmue came out! And this young kids, they will not pay money for "rotten old Shenmue", when they can play CoD, GTA and whatever the fuck there playing!..

What do you guys think?


(im from Europe, so my english ist nicht sehr gut)

[Bluecast]

It's a cult hit and most likely always will be. However like some cult hits in film or games it's built a bigger fanbase over the years. No it would never sell like mario or halo.
Shenmue is obscure but not as obscure as many here like to think.

[Felix88]

But i find it hard to belive that Shenmue can build a fanbase, based on Ryos location and how far he is in his journey!

The story about revenge and the mirrors will be hard for new people to understand!

I would not like Shenmue 3 if i had to start from chapter 7

[Bluecast]

Well it has built a cult fanbase the last 20 years. They will re-release the first two wether it be DLC or a trilogy pack. Maybe a catch movie like they did with II on Xbox.(though game would be better)
Also Shenmue II ends at chapter 6 so III would start at 7. However III will have to be a condensed version.
Unless sega throws a curveball and does total cg cut scenes to explain chap 7 and skip to 8-9 or whatever.

[Master Kyodai]

The number of kids from the younger generation mainly don't know what it is. Even some of the original dreamcast owners aren't aware of it. One of my workmates used to have a dreamcast and when i asked him about Shenmue he admitted he heard about it but never owned it or even played it. The current teenagers are mostly unaware of it. I still hope that they will make a remake for psn/xbl - if that one at least has higher res textures and models I am sure that the fanbase could grow again. Although Shenmue is cult it is a fairly small cult. I guess the fanbase could have been a bit larger if they didn't ruin the series with their odd "Dont release S2 in North america" policy and the botched Xbox release (lol 1st part? Ah who cares, just throw a DVD of the movie in the box).

[szymon247]

I started my Shenmue story with Shenmue 2 - the Xbox version. I was aware of it getting great reviews and I always had that thought that it was underrated, despite being massively praised. That's only because I've read some gaming magazines when I was a kid. I didn't own a Dreamcast at that point. Now I do. And that is because I tried Shenmue 2 and felt in love with it the first moment I tried it, yet I tried it by accident. I didn't hear about it getting massive marketing so I thought that it might not be great but my interest in the Japanese culture and martial arts made me try it. Gosh, I almost missed Shenmue - I think that really a great amount of people missed it that way.

Now I'm almost sure that I would love Shenmue as much if I started from the first chapter, as I have starting with S2. That's because at that point I didn't know what happened in Shenmue 1. I only knew that there were some dojos, more Japanese martial arts and a Japanese town.
It's the vibe of the game that did it all for me. The mythical, spiritual awesomeness. It's hard to really describe what contributes to that but the story itself is a secondary thing for me. It's like they tried to achieve some big things with it - it was the first major attempt to create a fully realistic life, great graphics, new sub-rpg genre, story. Yet it all becomes irrelevant because they achieved much more with it. It just turned into a masterpiece because the game had soul.
You can feel the amount of heart that they put into it to the point that technical pros and cons are irrelevant.
Now it all comes down to whether you feel that or not - to me people who didn't feel it and couldn't sense beyond the technical results were those who aren't really into that game. Others were absolutely in love, because of what they felt while playing, not because of what the game itself was - if you know what I mean.

It's also not one of those games that is like a movie when you're like "meh, I don't know what happened earlier so I won't play it". It's more like entering your alternative life at any given point. You are curious about what happened before and want to find out but you're too deep in the "this" world just as it is, no matter at which point you are.
Now I might not be "the average Joe" but I don't really think that there are any "average Joes" out there. But yes, there are gamers who aren't aware of the game yet most of them are aware of it yet missed it. Hell, I almost missed it.
It does awesome things but doesn't back it up with marketing at all so after an "average Joe" reads a review or online opinion that this game is awesome, he googles it and finds pretty little info about it it doesn't look interesting.. until he tries (if he tries).
If Shenmue 3 could carry the spirit of it's "ancestors" the game will be awesome even without S1 and S2 to back it up. Creating a game that could do what S1 and S2 did is the biggest problem now. A new game would need to have the same vibe while being more modern and base on the same story. That's hard.

[ZendenPT]

Shenmue I and II on PSN and Xbox Live for free is impossible, to make the port is necessary time and people working on it, unfortunately in this world there aren't people who work for free.

[Crimson Ryan]

My friends know about the Dojo, so that's a start.

[Axm]

Its been discussed many times Fenix. Alot of us are in the same mind. Shenmue at this point is 10 years old. Most average gamers dont know it that well or at all. Some know it abit. And an even smaller percentage know it completely.
But that small percentage is actually still alot of gamers who are willing to throw down money for Shenmue.
But thats not enough for Sega.

So yes a PSN/XBL re-release would help alot to gain a larger fan base.
At this point even a complete remake would be nice and would'nt be far from possibility considering the circumstances.

Theirs alot of ground to gain if Shenmue 1 were to be completely remade and sold to the current generation. Given the fact most games these days cater to an open world concept, I think most gamers would instantly gravitate to Shenmue. 1 based on its lore, niche fan base and "old school" appeal and 2 based on its realistic, open, graphically intense nature.

[Bluecast]

If assfuck bullshit garbage like heavy rain can do well then Shenmue has a chance.

[Kenny]

Yeah right. They need to inject a lethal dose of emotion in order to kick it into gear.

[Bluecast]

Ah come on. Heavy Bullshit has JAAAAASON! Shenmue has SAILORS!

[Felix88]

A re-make or a re release is the only way this can be done!

Some video with CS from Shenmue 1 and 2 is not enough!
People now adays does not have the patience to watch 3 hours of bad texture (2011 standard).

How hard can it be to make som adjustment to the first two games? The gameplay is more then good enough i belive!
I dont see what modern games have, which Shenmue dosent! (exept 5 fingers on each hand of people)

To be honest, I dont belive that Shenmue 3 will see the face of the earth!
Simply because it will not sell!

[Hazuki Legend]

I think the answer is yes except kids and young teens purely because Shenmue wouldn't be a game they'd play at a very young age and it's time had passed them when they were at an age to perhaps play it. But that's irrelevant because if this game ever does get announced because with all the hype that's been built over the years it's the sort of game that's going to get alot of exposure through the gaming media which in turn is going to generate interest and curiosity from a large number of new people and as a result Shenmue's fanbase grows and Sega's gambele to release it is justified.

[Bluecast]

I have thought for years after years of hopes crushed and lies and more heartbreak Shenmue III was as likely as getting a brand new in the box turboduo for 1$ at a thrift store.
But last little while at the dojo with sega slowly trying work it's way back into form. I have a small sliver of hope for shenmue III. If we get Shenmue III in full form. Damn maybe I can get a mint turboduo with Ys I & II.