Right before I play Shenmue 3?

Hard to tell but that will probably be me when I get a Shenmue 3 physical copy in my hands for the first time.

Peter wrote: The output of support and love across the Shenmue community today is what makes it great. No arguing over character models, look, direction... just Shenmue

Thankfully Suzuki made the announcement himself. I can't imagine the backlash if it were made by Joey lol

Already forgot about what's shenmue?

What's Shenmue was a video explaining portions of the game wasn't it? Didn't that come with one of the first issues of the Official Dreamcast Magazine; a video CD showcasing Shenmue?

Nope, What's Shenmue was Japanese Playable Demo which was given to players who pre-ordered Shenmue (was later given away with Famitsu).
From the wiki:

"What's Shenmue introduces the main characters and details what the game is about, before allowing the player to control the protagonist of the series, Ryo, around a portion of Dobuita. The ultimate aim of What's Shenmue is to find the then senior managing director of Sega, Hidekazu Yukawa. Once found, Ryo needs to chase him down the street in a series of quick time events, then defend him from a gang of "thugs" (before Hidekazu Yukawa wakes up in a room filled with unsold Dreamcasts to find it was all a dream)."

Full Playthrough from Adam Koriaik:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEmi2PaLaO0

Oh, I don't expect the backer demo before summer 2018 and it WILL be very small. I don't recall there ever being a playable demo of a Shenmue game as it's simply not that type of game. I expect the demo to be incredibly small; maybe only a small portion of a town (a couple blocks) with a couple mini games and a fight scene.

While I'll download the demo and burn it to DVD for safe keeping, I doubt that I'll actually attempt to play it. For starters my PC is about as powerful as an Xbox 360 (if that) and I don't want to spoil anything for when I play the full version on PS4.
Somewhere, What's Shenmue is crying in a corner.

But really, I think they may get the demo out for December if only to get some consumer feedback while they've still got 6+ months on the clock. We'll see how it pans out, but it'd be great if we got our hands on Shenmue III in some small capacity this year.

Actually, I'm keeping my fingers crossed it'll be one of the details covered in the update later this month.

----------------------

I wouldn't pay much attention to Technophilz, everybody.

Listen to people who've actually seen the game and met Yu Suzuki + certain team members, like Peter.

Shenmue 3 had an amazing announcement back at E3 two years ago, but since then it was nothing but a disaster in almost every aspect, contrary to what we (the diehard fans) are trying to convince themselves with.

The Shenmue 3 project (probably due to budget constraints) has been left in the hands of noobs from the very beginning, it started with a horrible Kickstarter/marketing campaign done by AJ, then it has been turned into a guinea pig in the hands of noob mostly-unknown developers with almost no real experience whatsoever, and consequently, Shenmue 3 project is currently being used to "learn" how to use UE4 techniques and modern development tools.

Where are you getting this info or view? Shenmue 3 has been probably one of the better Kickstarter games I've seen and/or heard of given the communication of the team to the backers alone. Most people were anticipating a delay regardless that hopes tugged at the heart strings for the 2017 release. Also, Suzuki and his team are not noobs. They may have some newer developers added to the team of seasoned vets but saying that someone is a noob is to show disrespect and no one needs to be disrespected that is working on this title.

The biggest disaster in Shenmue history was that Sega decided not to release Shenmue 2 on Dreamcast in N. America. Shenmue 3 happening doesn't fit that bill.
Someone on the forum mistakenly thought a fan who'd just graduated from a school in Orlando, Florida, was one of the key members of the team and somehow that idea is still floating around the forum.

Cuz all I know is they're only hiring experienced developers/modelers according to their job resume requirements, and everyone they've publicly shown working on the game is experienced in some capacity, either with Shenmue itself or game design.

Trust will be important for Suzuki's next projects (including Shenmue 4)

Don't get your hopes up for a 4th Shenmue...

Shenmue 3 had an amazing announcement back at E3 two years ago, but since then it was nothing but a disaster in almost every aspect, contrary to what we (the diehard fans) are trying to convince themselves with.
...

So again, don't get your hopes up for a 4th Shenmue ....


Phil! So much doom and gloom! :lol:

It's not really that bad. Things take time and Shenmue 3 running well in UE4 with all the Shenmue combat, dialogue, story, animation, mini-games.. it all takes time to do well. Basically he's doing a Shenmue 2 size game with a fraction of the man power. The fact is second half of 2018 means he has the funds to keep developing for a whole year more. It's a good thing.

For me, this announcement I could see from a mile off, and for them to be forthright about it, it gives more me confidence they will make the game more solid and have better polish.

Oh, I don't expect the backer demo before summer 2018 and it WILL be very small. I don't recall there ever being a playable demo of a Shenmue game as it's simply not that type of game.

As well as What's Shenmue which has already been mentioned, there was also a Shenmue II demo released via UK Xbox magazines. It contained the game / story all the way to Queen St. So yeah, both games had demos released.

I've put up a blog post about the announcement on Phantom River Stone:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/06/shenmue-3-rescheduled-for-2018.html

I made a slightly fuller translation of Yu's comment from the video. The official captions are fine so far as meaning but I felt they lost a little bit of the nuance.
http://i.imgur.com/DWFOG0g.png

WADDYA BUYIN?



Right.

I am a huge avocate of communication so I am gonna try here and not get pissed off at what I am sure you would agree, is your repetitive posting on a semi regular basis where you give your opinion, which is mostly negative.

Instead of me waffling on myself, which I would be the frist to admit I am completely guilty of, I will start small. Can I ask you if there is anything positive you have an opinion of, regarding the past 2 years?

I have responses to your post, but that can come later. For now, I just want to see some positivity here from yourself, based on the assumption that the reason you are here, like the rest of us, is because at the end of it all, we have a love and a respect for this series and it's creator.

You're totally right Peter, my opinion was (and still is) mostly negative, and that makes me feel really sad and frustrated ...
Shenmue I & II not only changed me as a gamer, but also changed my entire life and my carrier as well, those two games taught me how to be as close to perfection as possible in every aspect, I appreciated how Suzuki-san back then went way beyond everyone else in terms of realism, audio/visual design, software engineering, code optimisation, etc ...
That seemed to have raised my expectations so high for Shenmue 3, that I won't feel satisfied with anything less that perfect, and I sincerely hope this is still achievable with the resources available for Shenmue 3 right now...

When the Shenmue 3 project was announced, I jumped off my couch with excitement and almost broke my leg, I backed up the project seconds after the Kickstarter page went live, and I never regretted it ...

I want Shenmue 3 to be the best game ever made, not only because it's my most anticipated game of all time, but also Shenmue 3 will most certainly determine the fate of this fantastic series, I could never forget how the commercial outcome of Shenmue I & II had affected the future of Shenmue and I don't want to ever relive that nightmare again...

I'm here simply because this Dojo is THE place to be for us diehard Shenmue fans from all around the globe, not only because I personally have a love and respect to the series and to its creator, but also because Shenmue to me is much more than the best gaming experience I have ever had, and guess what? We're finally getting a third one sometime in the future and maybe HD remastered versions of the previous ones too, which I sincerely hope it'll end up making all my negativity sound like total nonsense, and that will make me feel so happy that I was wrong all along ...

Ok cool. This is a good post which i can read and get an understanding of your thought process and where you are coming from. Im a little busy prepping tonights stream, but i promise i will respond to this.

yes but there is a limit to money so how are they going to pay for an extra year unless they are cutting elsewhere? how hard is that to grasp? anyone with any idea of budgeting knows how that works. so either they have a very big budget without any limitations (let's hope) or stuff will be cut from the game some way.

https://media.giphy.com/media/aKuFbrgGqoPte/giphy.gif

At this point I'd be shocked if we don't get a Shenmue III announcement this year if not at E3.

Huh?

Are you talking about as in Shenmue 3 actually happening? Because it is.
Are you talking about an update trailer shown at E3? I'd enjoy that but....
Are you talking about a simple couple screen shots or mention at E3? ...I doubt it without Yu being there.
Brainfart. I meant Shenmue HD.

http://i.imgur.com/e2x3CfQ.jpg

https://pending.me.uk/cd/bla_1503388800.png

http://abload.de/img/sequenz01_1lob47.gif

THE NEWS

~*~NEW~*~ 27th July - YSnet announces they will be hosting a meet n' greet session with Yu Suzuki in the entertainment area, and also confirms that an update with the "Latest news about Shenmue III" revealed in the business area will be available via Kickstarter and the Shenmue III website.

13th July - YSnet announces via the KS they will be showing the game in the business area of the event restricted from public entry ( please note, the update does specify that backers will be able to get the "latest on-site information" through games media outlets ), but are attempting to put together an event for fans attending the show via the public areas. It is also confirmed Yu Suzuki will personally be in attendance.

THE BASICS

YSnet announced in the June 2017 Kickstarter update that they will be taking Shenmue III this August to Gamescom in Germany, saying "While we are still working out the details with our partners, we plan to show our newest movie clips, share the latest updates and even make some new announcements."

Cedric Biscay has said via Twitter that Shibuya Productions, primary financier and one of Shenmue III's marketing partners, will not be the ones showcasing Shenmue III at the event, and that further details will be available "soon".

Sony, YSnet's other known marketing partner, have not confirmed a Gamescom presence but have recently hinted that a conference may be in the works for the show.

THE SPECULATION

Could YSnet be bringing a trailer to Gamescom? While it's impossible to know the style of the video YSnet will be using to show off the game, I think we can all safely assume Gamescom will end up being the most revealing look at the game we've had.

According to resident translator Switch, the plural "movie clips" in the English version of the update is intentional, as the author would have to check the meaning with whoever wrote the Japanese version; as apparently the language doesn't make a plural distinction. If we are to take it at face value that the English author followed this process, we can assume there will be more than one Shenmue III video coming out of Gamescom.

Shenmue HD has been rumoured for a very long time, but in the last year the anticipation has reached fever pitch with domain registrations, endless "insider" info, and SEGA themselves expressing a desire to make it. SEGA have kept Shenmue III at arm's length since it was announced two years ago, and we have no evidence the dynamic of this relationship has changed, let alone that Shenmue HD truly exists. So... keep expectations in check.

There are plenty of "cleaning house"-style announcements to make in regards to rewards fulfilment, pledge upgrades, and how long the Slacker Backer site will continue to be open for. Will they be part of the announcements made during Gamescom? Possibly. We can at least hope they are addressed in the KS updates following the event.

This thread is for discussion, speculation, and breaking news. HUGE news will warrant its own thread, but in most cases I will just change the title of this topic to reflect the current developments, and add a kind of newsfeed to the OP to keep people up to speed.

Big thanks to Kiske for the banner. Happy posting!

I will be there on behalf of the Dojo with live Twitter and Instagram posts throughout the event. Other sections of the community may be there also but it's still all being worked on at the moment, so more details will be revealed over the coming weeks.

Wow. Could you actually imagine if this happened to us? Just when you thought the Mighty Number 9 farce had died a horrible death, it's still continuing to fuck over fans. I mean check it out:

https://twitter.com/Isfet/status/889955595272560640

Gaf comedy thread - http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1411284

The backers are being sent a flatpack box that they have to put together themselves! No physical game, and the manual for the game doesn't fit inside the box. Honestly, you couldn't make this up.
To add to the confusion, some people thought they were getting a physical game on top of their digital game, but it's on this point where the story gets more dark. If you read the MN9 $60 rewards tier, it doesn't say the backer would get a physical release of the game itself, just a physical game box! On the one hand, completely legal, on the other, absolutely ropey as fuck to the fans.

For all the flack the Shenmue 3 Kickstart received, I am thankful after seeing this, that there has been absolute clarity between digital game release and physical game release from the very beginning. Also that there were discussions with Sony during the Kickstarter campaign due to fan demand for a physical release to be included.

To be honest, I shat a brick when I read about this and went straight to the S3 KS page to see if there was any possibility of this happening with Shenmue 3. As much as we have love for the franchise and the team, I'm sure that's no different to the love the Mega Man fans had for this project and look what happened to them. In the context of rewards specifically, the $60 tier does state that it is a box only, and there was no physical game in existence at that point. Deep Silver wasn't brought in to publish a physical edition until long after the KS ended.

Thankfully, I really don't see any major issues (apart from possibly a timeframe on the rewards slipping). The physical copies is clarified, and I think it was the Twitch broadcast that said they were talking with Sony to manufacture them so we are in good hands. As much as the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter wasn't with a few minor bumps in the road (blown way out of proportion by certain media outlets), it's been very smooth sailing compared to the MN9 trainwreck.

There is a stark, night-and-day difference between the way Keiji Inafune and Yu Suzuki have conducted themselves through the years, both in their work and what they've expressed through the media. There might be some challenges but I have no worry that the Shenmue III rewards will be half-assed.

Personally I think the "reward" aspect of crowdfunding is way out of hand and should be dialed back because of all the logistical difficulties it introduces. If you believe in a project enough to contribute money to it, go for it. Don't view it as an opportunity to stock up on tchotchkes.

Compared to the Famicom Rockman box arts:



Much like MN9 itself; vaguely resembles what its supposed to be, but with absolutely none of the charm.

Oh man... I feel sorry for the fans that were expecting an actual physical release and got that instead. It really pays to read the full description of what you're paying for. Also, as with Peter... very glad that Shenmue 3 is obviously stating a physical copy of the game and not just some box.

Anyone able to link a picture of the MN9 box? Can't do Twitter while at work.
http://images.eurogamer.net/2017/articles/2017-07-27-00-48/mighty_no_9_box.png

It's quite frankly an embarrassment. Sure, the reward tier description literally states "a classic-style game box," without any mention of the game itself being included whatsoever, but that itself leaves a very sour taste.

Think of it as E3. YSNET will be on Sony's stage to show off all new stuff. You won't be in the audience for it since that's for press only, and most likely watch it on the internet. You then attend E3 in the days after, but you have the chance to meet Suzuki-san at a location at the event.

It's very generous of him. I bet Kojima wasn't walking about the public show floor after the Sony showcase in 2016, meeting and talking with fans.

While i think that Peter should calm down a bit, i understand how he feels.
That's modern age internet for you: an huge cesspool where every single dumbest person on the earth has a worldwide-reaching megaphone, a place where anyone can came anytime to dump their frustration without any thought or restraint, and everything it's about being the most XTREME!!! possible while pulling out the faster you can that super-witty-and-snarky hot take to show off how much you're cool and badass.
It sucks, but what can you possibly do about it? The internet is a very stressfull and often unbearable place, it kinda feels like having car exaust gases straight in your face sometimes honestly, and i think that the healthier thing to do every now and then is to take some breaks from it.

Game Watch published a very interesting interview with Suzuki-san, the interview took place during Gamescom 2017 and includes some really insightful and interesting information about Shenmue III, here's a short summary of it:


⋅  The released Shenmue III teaser footage is real-time in-game graphics.
⋅  All charterers models are temporary and subject to change.
⋅  Facial animations were initially implemented but have been removed about a month ago.
⋅  The teaser was especially made for Gamescom 2017, no further plans to show more of the game at this year's Gamescom or Tokyo Game Show. However, a full-scale promotion will take place next year.
⋅  Deep Silver will publish the game internationally, and they'll provide budget and promotional support. A publisher for Japan is to be decided.
⋅  Suzuki-san would like to continue the series in Shenmue IV if possible.
⋅  Suzuki-san is not interested in forcing the Shenmue story to complete in Shenmue III.
⋅  Shenmue III will take around 30 hours of gameplay to complete.
⋅  The fighting engine in Shenmue III is being built from scratch, and unlike Shenmue II it won't use the Virtua engine.
⋅  A system that allows phone calls with characters from Shenmue and Shenmue II is planned for Shenmue III.
⋅  Suzuki-san would like to bring as many voice actors from the previous games as possible, but some are retired now, he will audition a new voice actress for Shenhua.
⋅  OST from Shenmue and Shenmue II will probably be reused in Shenmue III.
⋅  The new partnership with Deep Silver is strong and it's aimed to improve the Shenmue III experience beyond what was initially planned on the Kickstarter.

Finally, Suzuki-san asks the fans to continue their support, and promises to do his best to make a good game out of Shenmue III.

I have a very strong feeling that 2018 will be the year of Shenmue ...

Update:
Switch has kindly translated the original interview

Here it is, a full translation of the GAME Watch interview. Enjoy!

http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/08/game-watch-interview-with-yu-suzuki.html

http://i.imgur.com/sCek1CHl.jpg

I'm gettin far too old for this shit. I haven't slept in 2 days and the amount of stuff that the human brain has to take in, I just can't manage at the moment. How people do this for a living I do not know.

I tried to keep up with the community as a whole these past 48 hours, but with being here and trying to update the Dojos social media it's been a hard task and I'd say live missed 90% of it all. I know about the negative backlash though. I think even Suzuki-san knows too. He keeps saying "environments good, character temporary". I said it on NeoGaf in a post I am far too tired to dig up. But seriously, criticize all you want. I am not blind to see the issues with the characters. But where is the patience. Where is the 4, Wude. You are not helping the already unwinnable position Suzuki-san is in. He is damned if he does and he is damned if he doesn't. The game is not ready yet and with any other normal game in development, so you shouldn't even see this stuff. But with every Kickstarter update, it's the same comments if they are not showing enough, we want more. We want a trailer. Really, you sure you want a trailer now at this stage of development? Ok here you go, and bam, it is still as bad a reaction as ever. It's an unwinnable battle the man has to face, and I feel sorry for him.

I literally don't know what to do anymore in trying to steer you guys towards the things I am seeing and the things I hear. It's a waste of time. I do honestly give up at this stage. Not singling out any one comment, its just gotten to the stage where I have no words anymore. The negativity has gone from critical to venomous and toxic. Hey, that's people's right, you are entitled to your opinion. My opinion of that though is just one of sadness rather than anger and confrontation now.

TwiceFriedRice wrote: http://kotaku.com/actually-the-shenmue- ... 1798323180

lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

lol That is actually fucking hilarious! Very big props to this writer for her having the guts to do a counter article against one of her colleagues on the same site haha Classic!

Shots from Gameblog









more photos here: http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1077028.html

Sooo, how was the meet and greet?
I just got back after about three hours of driving (midnight here now). The meet and greet went smoothly I think and there were more people for the meet and greet than I had expected. Another interesting part was that I got to meet a few Dojo members and other fans from outside this place.

It was nice meeting you guys today wish we had more time to hang out.

Oh man, I'm still a bit exhausted from the trip and the whole event.

It was amazing to meet you guys! I was just too thrilled to have the chance to get together with other fans and to see Yu Suzuki in person, shake hands with him. I must've looked totally freaked out all the time. And then out of all the people they had to chose me, posing with Yu Suzuki, as the first picture in the article on that Japanese website... 8-[

I'll post some of my photographic impressions of the Gamescom compiled into a little video later today. Still trying to process all of this and catch up with everything here. I'm just so happy that everything worked out so nicely! =D>

An spanish website will put a full interview with Suzuki, but at the moment, they have a few highlights:

"I'm afraid of not meeting expectations". "Not only do we have a budget and a limited team, but nostalgia is a dangerous factor. People can remember the game much prettier or better than it actually was."


- Suzuki wants to make Shenmue 4 after Shenmue 3.
- The scope of Shenmue 3 will be similar to Shenmue 2.
- The game will be oriented a bit more to adventure instead of more action.
- About 30h of gameplay.

http://www.vandal.net/noticia/1350695945/suzuki-sobre-shenmue-iii-la-nostalgia-es-peligrosa/

http://www.vandal.net/noticia/1350695878/yu-suzuki-los-personajes-del-teaser-de-shenmue-iii-son-provisionales/

Was good to meet some of you guys yesterday.

Being able to talk face to face with people who like Shenmue as much or even more so than you is a nice thing.

For those who figure out just who I am from yesterday. Yeah I talk a lot more in person than I do here.
As I said was nice meeting you guys.

Now maybe I'll go back to lurking like I've been doing here since 2007 :)

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but this tweet confirms the existence of an extended version of the Teaser published by Sony on Youtube.

https://twitter.com/TheLeeMather/status/900677758849777664

I've just had the huge pleasure of viewing the extended Shenmue 3 trailer with Yu Suzuki himself! What an experience. Even gave him merch

Man are just so many pieces of new little information that it's really tough not to lose the overview of everything and go crazy about all the things the game's gonna have. Also many insights to how the teaser came to be that are yet again absolute reassuring they're going to get everything right by the game's release.

The banner presentation

My edit:


VS

The cursive. <3

It just looks... right.

https://youtu.be/zirOCinD17o

Hello Everyone,

Today we want to give you a wrap up report from gamescom 2017 held this month in Cologne, Germany. With over 350,000 visitors, the event hall was really jumping!



The Koelnmesse exhibition center

https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/018/119/995/5895b765d715d15ac6472bb8780ad112_original.JPG?w=639&fit=max&v=1504076501&auto=format&q=92&s=9cd691c195512cb01d193fc52a2f8b24



The visitor numbers were beyond surprising!

https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/018/119/878/c92d1045e26d6f2f7c08c7bdfb15ee2b_original.JPG?w=639&fit=max&v=1504075768&auto=format&q=92&s=0b9ddd6b550400efa1d9f92185e6cf0e



Meeting with the fans was an invaluable experience for Yu-san.

https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/018/119/884/e7be6725393c433ddd6d0524262d7adf_original.JPG?w=639&fit=max&v=1504075816&auto=format&q=92&s=b96df1f9678371656498f494a9c4e2d0

　　　

New development pics

We are happy to show some new images that we did not present at gamescom!



The look of gallantry!

https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/018/120/006/d0c8f5fd4619145e45d9f6c1109ee448_original.jpg?w=639&fit=max&v=1504076578&auto=format&q=92&s=1b05d5560e9cb32572863b30f6a65a0f



The Hazuki Style bow.

https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/018/119/908/e532bbc193a66d03fef45bd3295e6fef_original.jpg?w=639&fit=max&v=1504075965&auto=format&q=92&s=6f2f4ae73484c8e2f6e69686d8b361cd



What will go down in this city?

https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/018/119/918/ee39e46ce3db57fca0c03db5ea905aff_original.jpg?w=639&fit=max&v=1504076002&auto=format&q=92&s=1f64512a03110e482d78ec7bc2abf78a


Yu-san and the entire team give all their thanks for your support at the event and on social media sites! See you next time!

All released images are up on the Gallery at Shenmue.link, so come for a visit and have a look!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3/posts/1968826

These ones have a little bit better res

http://shenmue.link/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/S3_Ctsn_0831_01.jpg
http://shenmue.link/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/S3_Ctsn_0831_02.jpg
http://shenmue.link/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/S3_Ctsn_0831_03.jpg

EDITEd to the highres ones.

Hello everyone, I am new in the forum.

I tried to improve the Ryo Hazuki model of Shenmue III

FIRST TRY

Original

http://i.imgur.com/TcwEfra.jpg

Modified

http://i.imgur.com/6WyUTfy.jpg

Comparison

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7aDeWqjvDVNu5ppS/giphy.gif

http://i.imgur.com/PCklRV3.jpg

SECOND TRY

Original

http://i.imgur.com/nqF0IIn.jpg

Modified

http://i.imgur.com/f7IHy5F.jpg

Comparison

http://i.imgur.com/5amz4OZ.jpg

Hope you like it!

It seems that the partnership with Deep Silver has infact given Yu-san the funds he requires to make "the full on Shenmue experience" that we have all been craving.

We all assumed this but it now looks like it has been confirmed by Yu himself in an interview with Metro.

http://metro.co.uk/2017/08/28/shenmue-iii-yu-suzuki-interview-dont-worry-i-can-make-the-whole-game-you-imagined-6885083/

Even after we completed the Kickstarter project I have been looking for other partners to join us and as you know we have now partnered with Deep Silver. So I’m now comfortable in saying, ‘Don’t worry, I can make the whole game you imagined!’.

More money, expanded scope, slightly larger development team, and allowing Yu more time to devote to development.

The Deep Silver deal seems to have unanimously been a good decision.

How would Moore being hired have changed Sega's mind towards Microsoft? My history on employees on both sides is fuzzy in this regard.

Moore was head of Sega US relations,he was the one who cancelled shenmue II on the DC in america and got it on the Xbox,Moore got many deals done for Microsoft and guess what later Microsoft made him head of xbox as a result of these 'favors'.

I don't know for sure but looking back at it i can't imagine Sega really looked at the xbox being the logical move for any of it's titles without being pushed by certain individuals,Sega was in a very vulnerable position and those who maybe had personal interests closer to heart ended up doing Sega more damage than good.

Here is my translation of that Yu interview in the German magazine.
I didn't translate everything because some of the questions are just about Yu's hobbies etc.
I'm not a native english speaker, i tried my best.

Question 1 to Yu:
You said that Shenmue 3 will be bigger than you thought at first?

Yu's answer:
Yes, the game will probably be three times as big as i had in mind at the beginning. One of the villages has over 200 residents now instead of just 50. This village alone is five times bigger than i had in mind.

Question 2 to Yu:
But still - Shenmue 3 has not the same budget as 1 or 2. What do you have to change in the game because of that?

Yu's answer:
The story is still intact but i had to adjust some of the extra elements and details. We talked about the 200 people in that village - maybe we will even have 400 in the end, i didn't decide yet. You have to remember that all the city / village residents in 1 & 2 had a "real" simulated life, thats a really complicated and tough quest and the budget for Shenmue 3 is probably not big enough to do that again.

Question 3 to Yu:
Will there be voices and sound for everything in the game?

Yu's answer:
We don't know yet. To tell the truth - the amount of text is getting bigger and bigger and not all of it is planned, so we don't know if all of it will be available with sound.

Question 4 to Yu:
Will you use the voice actors from 1 & 2?

Yu's answer:
Ryo's english and japanese voice will be the same in Shenmue 3. I can't tell you anything about the other people yet.

Question 5 to Yu:
Shenmue 3 will be only available on PS4 and PC, why is that?

Yu's answer:
That's simple - it's just because of our partnership with Sony and their support at the E3 2015.

Question 6 to Yu:
Did you ever thought about how you could tell the story without a real Shenmue 3?

Yu's answer:
Yes, i thought about a mobile game before.

Question 7 to Yu:
There were a lot of critical responses for the Shenmue 3 teaser. What would you tell the people who feel dissappointed?

Yu's answer:
We don't have any facial expressions in the game right now and none of the character models are final yet. So it will look different and better in the final game. The teaser is not representing the quality of the final game, we are still in the middle of developing. And of course you have to remember the budget. The budget is good enough for our game, but its pretty small if you compare it to other games right now. We can't keep up with big modern games. We would need a way bigger budget (ten times bigger than now) to make perfect modern graphics. So we need to find a good middle way between good graphics and good content. Please don't expect highend graphics, Shenmue 3 is not about that.

I get it too. Blind fanboy-faith won't get anyone anywhere.

I may end lynched for what I'm going to say, but I don't agree on that. Not fully at least.

I personally think that, as the Shenmue fanbase, we should be a little bit fanboys.

There is more than enough people jumping on every single occasion to bash Shenmue or Yu Suzuki for many various reasons. There is more than enough people wanting Shenmue to fail for many various reasons.

I don't say we need to be blinded by our passion for the Shenmue Series but we need to be united and put things in perspective when a mere 53 seconds video update for Kickstarter backers is enough to see wagons of people use it to bash Shenmue 3 or insult Yu Suzuki's talent.

it's a crowdfunded project, we get to see steps of the development we usually never see. I can agree that the communication around the project is not good, but that doesn't mean that the game won't be good in the end.

What good can come out from joining the chorus of critics? What good can come out from telling to YsNet and Yu Suzuki that they are bad at making a game? That the artistic direction is wrong, the Ryo model is off, etc...?
They know what they are doing and are doing the best they can anyway.
Just think of the Deep Silver partnership: Suzuki San always knew he would need more budget to achieve what he has in mind for Shenmue 3 so he managed to increase the budget. For a man who never gave up on his dream to continue the Shenmue story, the least we can do is to keep our faith in him.

Until Shenmue 3 is released, the best attitude the Shenmue fan base can adopt is to be supportive of the development team efforts.

Now, let the lynching begin.