"Making Sense of Shenmue 3"

[killthesagabeforeitkillsu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnvy0yzgVWc
Super Bunnyhop take on the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter, pretty good video.

[mjq jazz bar]

phpBB [video]

It will be interesting to see what the community thinks of this video.

[killthesagabeforeitkillsu]

Also, made a topic about this xD
Anyway to delete it?

[mjq jazz bar]

Wow. Killer timing. Feel free to shut down my thread.

[mjq jazz bar]

Try to avoid the comments unless you feel like arguing with the uninformed.

[johnvivant]

ok, so from what i can understand the actual 'controversy' was that certain 'idealists' dislike any project being on kickstarter that has an outside funding link with a big publisher - this goes against their 'ideals' of what kickstarter SHOULD be.

these idealist have a resentment against 'evil big publishers'. They want kickstarter to prove that games can be completely developed without any help from the big publishers - they have a kind of 'stick it to the man' philosophy.

What a stupid reason to try and sabotage the success of a much loved and desired project.

kickstarter is meant to 'kickstart' a project (not necessarily to completely fund it) and shenmue 3 was a very unlikely project that was a made a reality ONLY because of kickstarter.

shenmue 3 SHOULD be the finest jewel in the kickstarter crown but these weird idealists let their resentments of big publishers get in the way of their reasonable thought processes.

this is the biggest NON-controversy of all time.

it finally took this video to explain it , because all the previous articles by people promulgating the whole 'controversy' and 'scam' meme could not even coherently explain what it was that they found objectionable. turns out it was a bad and stupid reason.

[shengoro86]

I worked on this video with Super BunnyHop by the way (as a proofreader, reviewer, etc), you will see me credited in the final title.

He did a TON of research on this video. I am very happy with the way it turned out.

[mjq jazz bar]

It's a great video. Thanks for helping make it.

[Gavan]

Pretty good video. They actually showed one of my posts. I guess I am famous now

[AnimeGamer183]

I guess all these other people dont realize what this kick starter was really about: 1. Fanatic Fans putting their money where their mouth is that have waited years in silence for this announcement, turns out there was quite a few of them. 2. A ray of hope for many fans of many other series that are considered dead or dis-continued, this proving that the "impossible" is indeed possible.

I think the people dis gruntled with the Shenmue 3 kickstarter, hadnt played the original games, hadnt felt the unique feeling that the Shenmue franchise gives, and didnt understand the already rocky history behind its development costs and sales and why so many fans of these games didnt care either way how this thing got done, or who funded it, and didnt mind helping fund it regardless of anything.

Lets get one thing straight, this isnt about pointing fingers about money. This is about art, video game art, and the way this series made so many people feel, like nothing before it and nothing after it. And to quote Huber from Game Trailers: "This is about a story, and Yu Suzuki's mission to tell it"

Also, I am really questioning peoples expectations of Kickstarter anymore, I mean isnt it blatantly obvious this site exists to get projects "started"... I mean it says that right in the name. I thought the whole time there would be other backers and investors that would probably help fund this game, and I looked at the kickstarter as a way to fork over some serious cash for some serious Shenmue goodies once this game comes out, thats what I felt I was really paying for. I was even telling folks come 2017 I will be receiving something of a Shenmue care package in the mail with my copies of Shenmue 3! haha. Suzuki had to muster the numbers from the fans throught kickstarter to front to the big guys to get them on board, I just dont think they understand there was no other way this game was going to happen.

[shengoro86]

I guess all these other people dont realize what this kick starter was really about: 1. Fanatic Fans putting their money where their mouth is that have waited years in silence for this announcement, turns out there was quite a few of them. 2. A ray of hope for many fans of many other series that are considered dead or dis-continued, this proving that the "impossible" is indeed possible.

I think the people dis gruntled with the Shenmue 3 kickstarter, hadnt played the original games, hadnt felt the unique feeling that the Shenmue franchise gives, and didnt understand the already rocky history behind its development costs and sales and why so many fans of these games didnt care either way how this thing got done, or who funded it, and didnt mind helping fund it regardless of anything.

Lets get one thing straight, this isnt about pointing fingers about money. This is about art, video game art, and the way this series made so many people feel, like nothing before it and nothing after it. And to quote Huber from Game Trailers: "This is about a story, and Yu Suzuki's mission to tell it"

Also, I am really questioning peoples expectations of Kickstarter anymore, I mean isnt it blatantly obvious this site exists to get projects "started"... I mean it says that right in the name. I thought the whole time there would be other backers and investors that would probably help fund this game, and I looked at the kickstarter as a way to fork over some serious cash for some serious Shenmue goodies once this game comes out, thats what I felt I was really paying for. I was even telling folks come 2017 I will be receiving something of a Shenmue care package in the mail with my copies of Shenmue 3! haha. Suzuki had to muster the numbers from the fans throught kickstarter to front to the big guys to get them on board, I just dont think they understand there was no other way this game was going to happen.

Believe me on this: Super Bunnyhop understands but he is still a journalist.

[AnimeGamer183]

That wasnt directed at super bunny hop at all, I just know there are some people that didnt understand what Shenmue was all about, didnt understand all the fuss behind the kick starter and why so many people backed it regardless of the "issues", which I think the only people who really had issues with this were the people that didnt really care that much about it, and didnt want to see this game come out that badly.

[Anonymous81]

A great factual analysis and example of real, honest journalism that is to be applauded but will, unfortunately, do nothing to deter those who insist on seeing some sort of paranoiac conspiracy theory intrinsic to the game and its Kickstarter.

Something that's been eating at me and that I've wanted to say to said conspiracy theorists for a while now, and which I think needs saying:

Hey, I don't like big publishers' sales models and business practices generally either. I won't preorder a game for bonuses. I won't buy a season pass. I won't buy a game that requires internet for single player. Etc.

But those choices are my prerogative as a consumer. No one is forcing me to do, or refrain from doing, anything. The same is true of Kickstarter. Crowdfunding is voluntary charity for creative endeavors.

"If you back it, you're gullible." Uh, no. Not really. I know exactly what's happening here, and I'm all for it! Thanks!

"You're allowing your nostalgia to be exploited!" Uh, no. I'm willingly, and with full cognizance, choosing to let my nostalgia guide my choice in this instance. I LIKE nostalgia. Problem? Is that not okay? Am I not allowed to make decisions based purely upon nostalgia? Should I not be buying masterpiece Transformers because they're 30 year old characters that only appeal to nostalgia? Should I not bob my head to the Darkwing Duck theme when it comes up on my mp3 player? Should I not be excited about Rare Replay coming out with tons of classic Rare developed games?

"Sony is funding the whole game's development. The Kickstarter is just a way for them to scam money out of people like you!" Really? I mean, I suppose it's CONCEIVABLE... but do you really, REALLY think it's somehow better for them, financially or creatively, to bilk a few million out of a relatively miniscule reservoir of hardcore fans, and get conditional funding from Sony, than it would be to have simply announced, "Hey! Shenmue 3 is happening! Coming in 2017 to PS4 and PC!" and publish through traditional channels if they had that ability available to them? If you say so.

But here's the kicker: even were that true... I... don't... care. SURPRISE! I just want my Shenmue 3. Don't care how it gets made. Don't care who's funding it. Don't care if they have additional funding or even full funding from Sony. At all.

How about those who have ethical qualms with this (I have ethical qualms with plenty of things in the video game industry too, for the record) acknowledge that everyone has the right to do whatever they want with their own fandom, their own money, their own time, their own passion, and their own energy, rather than suggesting that if you participate in a given endeavor, you're somehow a gullible pawn in an evil, evil master plan?

Perhaps I'm being unreasonable. I'll show myself out.

[PILMAN]

What drives me up a wall is the militant journalism and those who are attempting to shame and discourage others who had wanted to back the project or put money into the game.

Why is it a big deal what I do with my money ? I work hard and have the right to spend my money how I see fit, however it seems that the gaming media obsessively kept bringing up their idea that somehow we were paying for a expensive preorder and spreading controversy and click bait articles. I could have cared less if another big publisher was funding the game or not. Most of us here that have waited for shenmue 3 knew that we were supporting something we had been waiting for a long time.

It seems so much was lost in translation, it doesn't help that awesome Japan did such a poor job, but also the misinformation and the media doing what they could to harm the game and some questionable journalists who just simply wanted to berate on shenmue how they thought it was such a horrible game.

I was involved in financing kingdom come deliverance with their funding page after the kickstarter, however, warhorse studio made it clear that they didn't have a publisher and they needed to raise funds for interest but those funds were also going in to help support the project at all. It's really no different with shenmue that financing was going specifically into development while Suzuki was clear from the beginning that they couldn't discuss outside financing but that Sony was going to fund marketing which sounds like it was for exclusivity, and any other outside funding would likely go into other aspects outside of development.

I don't see what the big deal is, I get tired of corrupt gaming journalism and their libel and slander.

[fittersau]

What drives me up a wall is the militant journalism and those who are attempting to shame and discourage others who had wanted to back the project or put money into the game. [..]

It's really no different with shenmue that financing was going specifically into development while Suzuki was clear from the beginning that they couldn't discuss outside financing but that Sony was going to fund marketing which sounds like it was for exclusivity, and any other outside funding would likely go into other aspects outside of development.

I don't see what the big deal is, I get tired of corrupt gaming journalism and their libel and slander.

Just the normal agendas mate, nothing to get worked up about. Two aspects of modern gaming journalism:

1. Plenty of money put in by the big publishers like Activision, EA & Ubisoft to ensure their annual franchises are highly visible so anything that takes away from that is frowned upon.

2. Secondly, the broDude attitudes that is pervasive in today's gaming circles. It's cool to hate on stuff, which doesn't have heaps of gore and over the top violence. Indeed, the relative benign detective work gameplay of Shenmue makes it an easy target despite the fighting combat was one of the most kick arse in it's time and even now. I mean, Ryo Hazuki was doing arm lock chokes way before UFC made it popular.