It really hasnt been that long!

[Jeff]

This is my argument. The wait for Shenmue hasnt been long at all. There are alot of other game series that dont get the next instalment for over 5 years. There has been long gaps even with Zelda games. So we may be rushing Sega to make it. I say give it some time. Plus you wont end up driving yourselves crazy for the wait.

[Bluecast]

8 years metroid.
.
Took about 5 or so for a true Sonic game.

Shenmue III will come.....I await with patience.

Only 3 years so far.

[Ro bee bee]

Fair enough I'll wait for it.. but I think most of us are pissed because there has been absolutely no news on it.

You'd think they could say something..

[b_ren]

Thats quiet a good point there Congo.

[code l name]

Well the key difference in many of the stated examples were the majority was an ongoing extension of the series, not a continuation. Zelda and Metroid games never relied on completing a planned story as with the case with Shenmue.

Also unlike Shenmue III, they were confirmed in development thus the wait was for production to complete, not for confirmation it was being made; a big, big difference (Except Metroid which did take quite a while for a new games in the series, mainly for the fact the creator Gunpei Yokoi died more than anything). The wait for Shenmue 3 confirmation has been more than arduous, but unlike some people on this board as much as I love the series, it's plays a pretty insignificant part in my life, so I can really bare waiting as the case may be.

[LanDC]

Well the key difference in many of the stated examples were the majority was an ongoing extension of the series, not a continuation. Zelda and Metroid games never relied on completing a planned story as with the case with Shenmue.

Also unlike Shenmue III, they were confirmed in development thus the wait was for production to complete, not for confirmation it was being made; a big, big difference (Except Metroid which did take quite a while for a new games in the series, mainly for the fact the creator Gunpei Yokoi died more than anything).

Stole my words.

For a game like Shenmue 3 with completed story, and semi complete of half of a completed game on the Dreamcast, there is no excuse to keep us waiting this long.

[b_ren]

Except for the money problems and re-organization of some studios.

[Miles Prower]

Fair point. I know it's a bad comparision, but Virtua Fighter 3 came out in 1996, VF4 didn't come out till 2002.

[Silas]

Congo talking sense? Has the world gone mad??

Seriously, though, we all know the reasons that we've had to wait for Shenmue III - apart from the comparatively poor sales of the first two games, SEGA has gone through and is still going through a year of absolutel turmoil.

Yu Suzuki and the SEGA of the Dreamcast days which announced the Shenmue saga and produced the first game were, it has to be admitted, suffering more than a little from hubris. They seemed to assume that the game would become a massive phenomenon, and certainly no game deserved to be a worldwide iconic phenomenon than Shenmue, but .... it didn't happen. Now, a game doesn't have to be a phenomenon or even wildly popular to do well enough to maintain a franchise with periodic new episodes - a good example would be the Legacy of Kain series. But as we all know, Shenmue is different. So far all that detailed wonderfulness comes with a hefty price tag: $70m and at least five years of development before the first two games were released. Now we know that the next installment won't take five years and won't cost a fraction of $70m (I personally estimate $10-12m), but the fact is that Shenmue's history is not in its favour. Remember, the guys in charge are just nervous executives worried about keeping their jobs - and already many of them have bitten the dust. Personally I believe Yu's position is cast iron, but he's not making the final decision about the game.

So I think it's better to play the long game, and not to say, year after year, "if we don't hear anything at this year's E3, that's it, it's not coming."

Personally, I can wait until (as new poster DisturbedLedZep has pointed out) they make a good game, rather than rush out a bad one, and in the mean time I will continue to hang out here and discuss my favourite game with my Shenmue-loving friends!

[Ted Williams]

8 years metroid.
.
Took about 5 or so for a true Sonic game.

Shenmue III will come.....I await with patience.

Only 3 years so far.

Actually only a year and a half after the U.S. official Xbox release.
I can be patient.

[asnozz]

it depends on ur point of view, because japan have had it alot longer than we have (on DC)

[rome]

good opions ,but for such a great game like the shenmue series.... we dont wanna want anymore....but we can lol

[santino]

i will wait forever

[Contristo]

Yes, but the point is, with games such as Zelda there has been news and replies from Nintendo.

Shenmue III is a ?

[Garbaman]

Ambition has bit Sega is the ass thoroughly with the Shenmue series. Unless some dramatic changes happen at Sega, leading to a more efficient and profitable structure, I don't see how Shenmue III will be released. I wonder how Yu-san truly feels about this. Affirming that the series will span 16 chapters. Dedicating so much time and effort to its conception only to cease its production after the first 2 games have been released. And the fans, does he care? I couldn't live with myself, knowing that I failed to realize my greatest goal. If Shenmue III doesn't come out and Yu-san refrains from continuing it, I will lose all my respect for him and Sega. Making mistakes is one thing. But constantly failing or underachieving is damn pathetic.