I think the relative silence over the last 6 months might have more to do with the delay though as a result of them being behind schedule.

I don't really think it's correct to regard them as "behind schedule" when in fact the additional development time is due to significantly expanding the overall scope of the game. It's not like they planned to release the game at this scale in 2017 or 2018 and have fallen behind. They've increased the amount of content the game will have and the development time has increased accordingly.

Yu also probably expected to raise only around $2M and make a story-focused non-open world game, late 2017 seemed reasonable.

Yu also probably expected to raise only around $2M and make a story-focused non-open world game, late 2017 seemed reasonable.


Exactly, and for those itching to say, "oohh well he clearly knew this would have exceeded 2 million and broke records", well, hindsight is a wonderful thing. This could have bombed. Maybe it should. Maybe it would have if it wasnt for Sony allowing Yu-san to appear on their stage. If you thought the man expected to gain a dollar over 2 million, go watch his tears during the final Twitch stream for the Kickstarter.

The love and support from the entire Shenmue fanbase across the planet will infect every minute he spends working on this game. Yes, its not going to be a 47 million dollar blockbuster, but you can rest assured that the money gained from all of the various sources will be squeezed dry into that game.

Ive said it all the way through this process, but one day, you will be leaving Shenhua's home, walk down the pathway past the river, into Bailu Village, and you will realise... that this is Shenmue 3. Ryo looking and moving just as you would expect. The cinematics pulling you in, and the story gripping you. Just wait and see.

E3 is an opportunity for companies to network, so not all developers in attendance have a game to show off.

Small snippet of unseen Shenmue HD footage from the PC GAMER show at E3:

Looks great!

https://puu.sh/AEbBC/7faf07e951.png

https://puu.sh/AEbNH/5d463d0e80.png

Yep, it does seem to be cropped. Interesting that they'd show that instead of the native 4:3 like in the reveal trailer. To me it suggests that they do eventually plan to sort out 16:9 cutscenes, otherwise they wouldn't be presenting them as such. Whether they are cropped or native, I guess we'll need to wait and see, but fingers crossed for the latter.

Small Shenmue blurb in this months Retro Gamer magazine, in the mailbox section. Also...I feel like i've seen that title before somewhere #-o ...would make a great name for a blog :king:

https://i.imgur.com/RpKDpm7.jpg

Sounds promising though, maybe a Shenmue issue in the future :)

Shenmue 500k tweeted this recently.

https://twitter.com/shen500k/status/1006993366180155392

It seems (reading the comments) Adams knows "a date", but it could be provisional.

Spaghetti you may be right, I am just going off of like BOTW numbers which were around that size (50-100 with Monolith as contracted designers for a few months) plus Shenmue 3 has a Miyamoto type working with them so it gives them an advantage, many critics forget what a visionary Suzuki is and I still think he will find ways to innovate without a massive budget because, frankly he is a master and can look at the medium in a completely different way than most can. The mainstream press have gone after Suzuki because with ambitious projects comes a perceived sense of arrogance and the egomaniacs in mainstream gaming hate when something goes against the grain and does it so well they have to give it a good review like in the case of the original games. (In my opinion).
Ah. Nintendo aren't AAA, at least not in the traditional sense. They're kind of in a class of their own where they don't have enormous teams using cutting edge tech, but still put out fantastic games thanks to inventiveness, innovation, and their "finding the fun" mentality (not unlike Yu's Agile methods). It's a good reminder that quality video games do not come solely from budget and team size alone, or pushing the bleeding edge of technology.

Shenmue III is a big task no matter which way you cut it, but a tremendous amount of hard work has gone into the project so far, and a lot of prudent decisions have been made about the game that give it the best chance of success; like using UE4, using Agile, expanding inwards rather than outwards, mechanical changes the increase the depth in the gameplay, and ultimately wanting to focus on being unique rather than chasing the pack and the AAA crowd.

I can agree with you there, let's just hope Yu and his team pull off some Nintendo spit and shine.

https://i.imgur.com/sjNfZ8y.png

Hello Backers!

We know the backer surveys have been a long time in coming and apologize for the wait. The backer surveys are almost ready and will be going out to everyone soon.

The surveys will begin with a soft open for a few randomly selected backers. Those of you selected will receive an email from Fangamer with a link to your survey. The survey will be sent to the email address you have registered with Kickstarter for Kickstarter backers, or either your PayPal or Shenmue.link registered email for Slacker Backers. Please answer the questions and hit that continue button!

https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/021/538/636/ec500908d4d429a03daca5378d48a3d9_original.jpg?w=639&fit=max&v=1528707373&auto=format&q=92&s=8c93c3105f9e40d69e3333b7937b6e06

The official survey start and end dates will be announced after backer feedback, system tweaks and a thorough FAQ has been compiled. The survey questions address both physical rewards and in-game content rewards.

The dev team will be eagerly awaiting your responses and would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Links: Kickstarter Update #83 | Forum Discussion

Hello Backers!

We know the backer surveys have been a long time in coming and apologize for the wait. The backer surveys are almost ready and will be going out to everyone soon.

The surveys will begin with a soft open for a few randomly selected backers. Those of you selected will receive an email from Fangamer with a link to your survey. The survey will be sent to the email address you have registered with Kickstarter for Kickstarter backers, or either your PayPal or Shenmue.link registered email for Slacker Backers. Please answer the questions and hit that continue button!

https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/021/538/636/ec500908d4d429a03daca5378d48a3d9_original.jpg?w=639&fit=max&v=1528707373&auto=format&q=92&s=8c93c3105f9e40d69e3333b7937b6e06


The official survey start and end dates will be announced after backer feedback, system tweaks and a thorough FAQ has been compiled. The survey questions address both physical rewards and in-game content rewards.

The dev team will be eagerly awaiting your responses and would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Good to see the surveys are now starting! Be sure to let us know if you have gotten a link from Fangamer!

Just got an email. Woo.

So it looks like it also includes upgrade options!

Upgrades are available it seems!

I genuinely believe that we might be seeing a set release date for this sooner than we expect.

And congrats Peter!

Oh shit you need everything here. The name you want in the games credits, your message for the guestbook, your photo etc! Fuck i havent thought about this!!

Wow! This really came out of nowhere lol! So awesome that you can do upgrades, been waiting for that for so long now!

I wonder if this means that the trial demo is close?? Would be so funny if we get a demo before we even see game play :P Surely, that would never happen! Gamescom game play (maybe even of the demo) and then a demo release to trial backers very shortly after?

Peter wrote: Oh shit you need everything here. The name you want in the games credits, your message for the guestbook, your photo etc! Fuck i havent thought about this!!

Haha now that's what I wanted to know. This is so cool

Serioulsy i am freaking out because i dont know what picture to use or what message to type into the book! Heres what you will need guys, so give it some thought!

- Name
- Shipping Address
- Version of the game you want (Physical Steam Disc - Kickstarter Exclusive Case, Plysical Playstation 4 Disc - Kickstarter Exclusive Case, Steam Digital Download, Playstation Digital Download)
- Name to appear on Shenmue 3 Homepage
- Name to appear in the game credits
- T-Shirt Size
- Your name for the Choubu Inn Guestbook
- Your 140 character message for the Choubu Inn Guestbook
- Your name for the Special Sponsor section (if applicable)
- Your picture for the Harbour Lounge Waiting Area. Height = 1280x768
- an upload of your autograph to accompany the photo

Of course some survey options may not be available to backers, depending on which tier they have selected.

If it's of any use for French & Italian speaking fans, here are the dedicated translations (in addition to the original English version by Peter):

https://i.imgur.com/9OmB4cl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cHg6gyT.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/zL59mSI.jpg

GamesMaster in the UK lists Shenmue HD as readers' most wanted game, with Shenmue 3 right behind in second.

Shenhua's voice actor has updated her blog - https://ameblo.jp/palblog37/entry-12383933163.html

It's not much, but there's another little image of Shenmue III on the screen

Jesus. Is like a snarky resetera poster wrote that. Lmao.

https://i.imgur.com/xz5MmOV.jpg

I've posted up a translation of an interview Yu Suzuki held with the media on 18th January 1999, soon after the successful Shenmue premiere events. Shenmue was still somewhat shrouded in mystery, so the "15 Secrets" this article refers to - while not representing special in-game secrets or the like - are an interesting reflection on both expectations from the media/public as well as Yu Suzuki's mindset almost a year before its actual release.

Not only that, but Suzuki mentions themes that he still holds with importance today with development of Shenmue III, such as "reality vs realism".

Link to the interview:

Part 1/2:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/06/part-12-15-secrets-of-shenmue-1999.html

Part 2/2:
https://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/06/part-22-15-secrets-of-shenmue-1999.html

Hi guys, I recently went on my travels over to China and Japan, and visited quite a few places along the way. I took heaps of photos and video footage, with the intentions of creating some sort of video series when I got back.

Part 1 -
https://youtu.be/mXRc6z4SEpk
In this first part I visited the Beijing Zoo, The Great Wall of China, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.


Part 2 -
https://youtu.be/kqvyGUQWcWc
In this episode I visited the Terracotta Warriors Army, The Master of the Nets Zen Gardens, The Venice of the East Canal District, and Tiger Hill (Pagoda / leaning tower)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why is this considered a Shenmue Inspired Travel series? Well I believe that without Shenmue I would never have ever made it to these wonderful countries, it's because of Shenmue that I was inspired to make the journey to see some of the places from our beloved series. Whilst I didn't end up visiting Hong Kong or Guilin, what I did get to see in China, in my opinion was some of the things that Yu Suzuki would have originally seen on his travels, and it's these things in turn that I believe went on to inspire Shenmue aswell. I also did the one thing that's on every Shenmue fan's bucklet list - visit Dobuita Street in Yokosuka! :)


I will update this original post whenever a new Part of the series is available! Thanks for checking out the videos guys, and I hope you enjoy them 8) !

Trailer -
https://youtu.be/5Sq7UANsA1w

Criticism is not a bannable offence. You won't be punished for expressing concern or fairly critiquing the project.

However, accounts that are solely dedicated to criticising every element of the campaign or criticism that is riddled with misinformation and a lack of context may receive a warning.

This may be a Shenmue forum, but we don't expect posters to be blindly positive all the time. However in return we also ask that people aren't blindly negative. If there's something you think deserves criticism, by all means go for it. Just be sure to be fair and consider all sides and there won't be an issue.

March 30, 2018 (+51 days)

$6,868,709 (+$14,790) ($290/day)

75,696 Backers (+180) (+$82/backer)
May 17th 2018 (+48 days)

$$6,891,136 (+$22,427) ($467 per day)

75,957 backers (+261) (+$85 per backer)

Hopefully didn't screw the numbers, did them myself.
June 22nd 2018 (+36 days)

$6,901,625 (+$10,489) ($291/day)

76,045 backers (+88) (+$119/backer)

A settling pace after the boost received from the HD announcement, but a couple of mini-milestones passed there: 6.9 million dollars and 76 thousand backers.

Apologies folks but Rod is on a global vacation at the moment and this bug is rooted somewhere we can't find. It's definitely not the hosts issue, it's on our end.

To be up front, I can only apologise and say we will have to bear this for the next few weeks because... well there's no real point. I don't want to nail on an exact date, but by the end of July the Dojo will be changing. With the new site will come the upgrade to phpbb and essentially newly designed forums. The only saving grace is that Shenmue news is in a lull right now so, for now, I'm very sorry.

I never really thought of Shenmue as looking "realistic", even in the early 2000's. There have always been characters who were clearly manga-like or cartton-like if you will.

Chai, Doi Niu, Tom, for instance. But also to an extent Joy, Ren, Lan Di and Mario, the Pizza guy who is a straight-up hommage to Super Mario.

So Mr Muscles doesn't get me worried at all.

Quick update in here for now, and Mattis ( TheTimeRanger ) now joins Mr.Rod as part of the Designer/Coder group so he will have full permissions across the site, and is part of the team.

Its been 2 months now of sleepless nights, countless design ideas and full site restructuring.... but we are almost there! If we thought we were working hard before, then now is a big step up. Everyday of the week is now dedicated to working on the new site. Id say we are about 70% complete, with quite a few more things to do, but we are getting there. Its crunch time folks, so go visit the current site because its weeks away from going. Whilst its not completely 100% official yet, we are shooting for a release on July 20th . This could change slightly, but we want the new site up and functional by the end of the month, for stress tests and functionality before Gamescom rolls around. The site and forums will be offline for 3 day s, but our social media outlets will still be open, as well as being welcome to visit other community sites such as Shenmue Master, 500K, Team Yu, Shenmue Forever, Phantom Riverstone and others that are out there.

I will try and keep you updated as much as possible as we push towards the end. Now, wheres the coffee....

The second half of the interview is now up:

https://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/06/part-22-15-secrets-of-shenmue-1999.html

https://i.imgur.com/y5zyDMp.jpg

The Shenmue Dojo streams are back! For fans and viewers of the Shenmue Lounge, it's Peter that will be firing up his Dreamcast for one last ride with the original Shenmue before Shenmue I & II hit modern systems!

Tune in weekly - Thursday 26th July @ 9pm BST / 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 5am Japan :)

You can catch the stream on your platform of choice -

Twitch: https://bit.ly/2hLEfFt
YouTube: https://bit.ly/2KkVPuP

See you on Thursday! :king:

Pre-order figures haven't been made public and likely won't be. All we have to go on is the strong performance we've seen in the Amazon charts.

Hopefully game hints will now be delivered in Iwao's voice through the speaker in the PS4 controller. :)


The noise after you obtain a move scroll should go to the controller. You know the DO DOOM DOOOOOM noise \:D/ \:D/
That's gonna scare the shit out of people who don't know it's coming.

...Do it :devillaugh:

Pre-order figures haven't been made public and likely won't be. All we have to go on is the strong performance we've seen in the Amazon charts.

Hopefully game hints will now be delivered in Iwao's voice through the speaker in the PS4 controller. :)


The noise after you obtain a move scroll should go to the controller. You know the DO DOOM DOOOOOM noise \:D/ \:D/

It's really cool that they're recognizing the 3rd with whatever they're announcing.

The real key differences are that every NPC won't have a backstory, and that the game world isn't designed to realistically house almost every single NPC like the original. Then you've got that knock-on effect that NPCs still be roaming the streets late at night in II when in the original they're almost entirely cleared out, which leads to some vendors remaining open until right up until Ryo's curfew to keep the game world interesting late at night, etc. IMO it's not a concession on technology or complexity of technology, but instead a concession to game design and environmental constraints.

This becomes especially apparent when you lose the curfew - I've been watching a street fight go on for six months and everyone's still cheering them on. :mrgreen:

Hello Backers!

The long wait for the surveys is now over and we are happy to announce that surveys begin today.

You will receive an email from Fangamer at the email address you have registered with Kickstarter for Kickstarter backers, or either your PayPal or Shenmue.link registered email for Slacker Backers. The email contains a link to your survey with the questions needed for your rewards. Here you will confirm your preferred game platform and other rewards, write your guestbook message, credit name etc., and get to us all of your info that will be in the game and to get ready for release and delivery!

https://ksr-video.imgix.net/assets/021/726/535/e4620f2e7d7ef5c99b70dfb8b613430e_h264_high.mp4
　　

Who Gets a Survey?

Surveys will go out to all backers who pledged on Kickstarter and those who pledge on the Slacker Backer up through August 13, 2018 at 11:59PM JST (7:59AM PDT).

*Backers will receive an email with instructions for the survey once preparations are complete. Surveys from Fangamer will be sent within 10 business days from the date of your pledge.

　　

When will Surveys close?

Surveys will close Septempber 30, 2018 at 11:59PM JST (7:59AM PDT). We please ask that everyone respond by this time. We need your responses for game production and reward manufacturing, so make sure to respond within the survey period.

　　

Can I Upgrade My Reward?

Reward upgrades (and add-ons!) will be available through the Fangamer survey site. We have received many requests asking about possible reward tier upgrades and add-ons, and now is the chance! *Please note that upgrades are available up to the $250 tier level.

For more information on the available upgrades and add-ons, please visit Shenmue 3 on Fangamer .

　

Which Reward Tiers can be Upgraded?

Reward tiers differ between the Kickstarter and Slacker Backer campaigns, so please see below which reward tiers can be upgraded.

*Backers who selected "No Reward" during the Kickstarter are also eligible for this service.

　

Kickstarter Reward Tiers that can be Upgraded

US$5 Shenmue Lives

US$29 Digital Copy

US$39 Save Shenmue Digital Upgrade

US$60 Physical Copy - PC

US$60 Physical Copy - PS4

US$80 S3 World Telecom

US$100 Shenmue 3 Trial Version

US$120 Toy Capsules "I Should Buy One"

US$160 Bonus Pack

US$175 Printed Art Book

US$250 Kickstarter Collector's Edition

　　

Slacker Backer Reward Tiers that can be Upgraded

US$13 Digital Soundtrack

US$29 Digital Copy for PC or PS4

US$30 Shenmue 3 T-shirt

US$60 Physical Copy for PC or PS4

US$100 Shenmue 3 Trial Version

US$120 Toy Capsules "I should buy one."

US$160 Bonus Pack

US$175 Printed Art Book

US$250 Shenmue Collector's Edition

　　

$7M Stretch Goal in Reach!

The Kickstarter and Slacker Backer campaigns combined currently stand at $6.9M. We are almost at the $7M stretch goal for the AI Battling battle system expansion! This is the last chance for stretch goals and we ask for your continued support!

*The Slacker Backer campaign and upgrades & add-ons through Fangamer will end on August 13th.

　

Battle System Expanded: AI Battling

This control system lets you automatically unleash the perfect technique in response to the opponent's positioning and distance. R&D for this system is based on Yu Suzuki's concept for players who are not used to fighting games or for those who want a full immersion battle experience. This battle system is highly compatible with the current battle system, and will be implemented upon reaching the stretch goal.

We would like to thank everyone for your patience and the inquiries you sent in anticipation of the survey roll out!

Once we have your responses in, we will continue to move forward with in-game implementation and manufacture ordering. This is a wonderful moment with the dev team and backers taking the project forward together! We'll be looking forward to your responses!!

　　

　　

---------- General Information ----------

Shenmue 3 Backer Survey

Backer surveys are now underway. For information on your survey, please see the email sent to you by Fangamer. Shenmue 3 can only be completed with your responses! Thank you for your cooperation!!

Please complete or make any necessary changes to your survey by these dates.

・August 13 (MON) 2018: Last day of Slacker Backer campaign, reward upgrades and add-ons

・September 30 (SUN) 2018: Surveys close

For further information, please visit:

Survey Support and Survey Resender

　

Choosing the PS4 or PC platform

We have a few notes to consider when choosing your platform. Also, if there would be any major changes in the requirements for either the PC or PS4 versions, the platform selection question of the survey is scheduled to remain open.

　

Choosing your PS4 region

Your PS4 region will be decided with your "Country" selection. Please note, if the disc region differs from PS4 system region, the unit itself, PlayStation™Network online services or DLC may not function properly.

　

System Requirements for PC Version

Minimum:

OS: Windows 7x64, Windows 8x64, Windows 10x64 (64-bit OS Required)

Processor: Intel Core i5-4460 (3.40 GHz) or better; Quad-core or better

Memory: 4 GB RAM

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti or better (DirectX 11 card & VRAM 2GB

Required)

DirectX: Version 11

Network: Broadband internet connection

Storage: 100 GB available space

Sound card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card

Additional Info: Requires Steam Client to activate.

*Game is currently in development so system requirements may change without notice. We thank you for your understanding.

　

Fangamer and Third Party Use of Personal Information

YS NET has a written contract with Fangamer to carry out the backer surveys. Fangamer is a formal representative of YS NET to help process and fulfill all backer's orders through the surveys. Personal information is handed over and treated in accordance with the privacy policies of both companies for the purposes of conducting the surveys and reward delivery only. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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Official Links

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Some screen captures from "Megumi's cousin" clip:

https://i.imgur.com/j1xrOX0.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/MXdUWfo.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/N1b7rDw.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/QvwGE8o.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CJysqhz.jpg

https://twitter.com/ShadabOmar/status/1 ... 6824628224

Edit: https://twitter.com/yu_suzuki_jp/status ... 4109270016

I'm pretty sure that the storage value they presented is just a placeholder. It would be really difficult for them to give an accurate estimate for that at this stage of development.

*They also noted that the requirements are subject to change.

Still really hoping SEGA fix this. I want to suggest this releae to my friends but when seeing how it isn't even presented in widescreen its jsut embarrassing

I believe the E3 trailers showed cutscenes in widescreen. But you would be embarrassed to show your friends the game for something as minor as this? Really? lol