I love it. It perfectly punctuates the general tone of the series, and especially which throws it right in your face. Ryo goes through a decaying, decrepit old crime filled city in order to find information on his fathers killer. Kowloon represents Ryo's inner demons as the cracks expose themselves leading to his own perdition. Xiuying tells him as much in the church and many times in Honk Kong. The analogy for Ryo's spiritual journey from Kowloon to Guilin is both figurative and literal in the scope of the games themes. Ryo, having found Zhu Yuanda, travels from a place that eats his soul and forces him to go to extremes to find vengeance that will never sate him, to a place separated from civilization, surrounded by nature in all of its wonders. It is through the nature of spirituality and friendship, which Ryo starts to embrace as seen in the Tai Chi scene at the crag, that will save Ryo and deliver him from becoming the exact person he hates.

The naturalism vs urbanism dynamic in II is a natural part of the evolution of the story, and one that gives it far more emotional weight.

I don't take it as an west vs east debate. I think that pits the story at its most reduced form. After all, Hong Kong is more advanced than Yokosuka which is a small town and many people that live in these places, like Xiuying, are on the straight and narrow. It isn't about west vs east, so much as I feel it is about Ryo's spiritual transformation as he grows from boy to man. He has two options. He thinks he NEEDS revenge, but it consumes him. The secret to his sating heartache is within him all along, and that is his own natural spirit.

The spiritualism is needed.

Further, I think people's take on east vs west debate is exotifying the east and trying to find a way to say the east is better when this is never explicitly said in neither games at all.

It's officially called "Departure For Hope". Featured on the OST.
The in game version sound a bit different as the piano is in a higher key. I prefer it that way myself.

Impressive!! did it hurt?

That's great, and I think you found the right place to put this tattoo on.

I'm really hoping they keep the same menu music from the first two games

This is an interview with Yu Suzuki from the japanese site 4gamer.net published 2015-06-19.
Here translated by me.

Original article: http://www.4gamer.net/games/305/G030593/20150618126/

Among other things it brings up interesting new information about the 5 million dollar stretch goal; the character perspective system.

There is also a slight spoiler of a character that might appear, so those of you who want to play the game totally spoiler free should maybe avoid reading this.

here we go.

-- Thanks for being here.
YS: Thanks for having me. before jumping into questions I just want to make clear that Shenmue is a Kickstarter project and the scope and contents depend on the stretch goals.

-- Yeah, looking at the Kickstarter stretch goals there are the rapport system and skill tree and other added.
YS: We add more stretch goals so as more people pledge the scope of the game will get bigger. So as of now I can’t talk in detail about the mechanics of the game. What I’m able to accomplish will very much depend on the funds we can gather. I want to avoid telling too much and end up betraying those who have paid.

-- Under those circumstances, what do you want to do with Shenmue III?
YS: I want to show the relationship between Ryo and Shenhua in more detail. Even further than previous games.

-- It’s kind of hard to imagine how that would work.
YS: Maybe so. I want to to challenge myself, but new things are hard to get people to understand and therefore harder to gain support for. That’s one of the reasons we have prepared stretch goals like larger map and mini games.

-- So you made easy to understand stretch goals first.
YS: As more money comes in, the world of Shenmue III gets larger, and the game becomes more complete. But if it becomes a question of what game has the largest world, the game with the largest budget has a sure advantage. When it comes to Shenmue III, I want to ensure that there are other parts to enjoy besides just the open world aspects.

-- Can you give us any examples?
YS: At 3.2 million dollars there is the rapport system stretch goal. Actions and conversations will affect the relation between Ryo and Shenhua in subtle ways. The way Shenhua speaks and cooperate etc. will change.

-- It seems like the story could change depending on the relationship.
YS: Let’s just say that it depends on the budget. Making statements like that is just asking for trouble (laugh).

-- I get it (laugh). Could you explain the 5 million dollar stretch goal; the character perspective system?
YS: That is where the player will take control of characters like Shenhua and Ren instead of Ryo.

-- At a certain point in the game will we be able to change characters freely?
YS: I can’t talk about details yet, so I will just say that it’s not necessarily like we are letting you control the other characters exactly like Ryo.

-- So it’s not like you can just change characters at will.
YS: The personality of Ren and Shenhua is different from Ryo, so even if they see the same thing the reactions would be different. When you played as Ryo it was his decisions, but playing as Ren and Shenhua would make it very interesting.

-- Hearing that makes me even more interested (laugh).
YS: I’m unable to describe it any more until the 5 million dollar stretch goal is reached, so I’ll stop here for today.

-- By the way, will the story end with this part.
YS: To tell the truth, the original story is too long to end here. So I decided against trying to fit it all in to Shenmue III.

-- Which means that after the Shenmue III project has been finished we have to wait for the the next part.
YS: First we have to do our best to make Shenmue III a solid game.

-- Let’s leave the appearance of Shenmue III and talk about the backend. Can you tell us why you chose to use Unreal Engine 4?
YS: It’s because it’s easy to use and fits with how I imagine Shenmue to look. There are like rendering tendencies for the different engines, and the base colors of Unreal Engine 4 added with “dampness and scent” makes it Shenmue.

-- Are the colors you imagine the same as with the first two parts?
YS: Of course. Shenmue had that air humidity feeling well presented and it had a smell too. That’s what I aim for with Shenmue III.

-- So you’re saying that if you take a scenery out of the game and look at it you’d be able to say “That’s Shenmue!”?
YS: Yeah, That’s what I want to do. But the promotional video we made for Kickstarter felt dry. Kind of ended up like the Californian humidity level (laugh).

-- Your idea of the exact colors or the “scent” of the graphics, is it hard to convey that to the developers?
YS: It it very very hard to explain it. It’s like trying to explain what a melon is to someone who only has seen watermelons and mandarins. Well, you can say the size is about in the middle, but trying to explain the taste is very hard.

-- With that said, do you have members from the former parts working on Shenmue III?
YS: Yes. So we have the original members that kind of know what Shenmue is about.

-- After fifteen years, it’s quite the thing to bring everyone together again.
YS: I think so. Everyone has gone independent or changed their positions, but even at this stage when the scope of the production isn’t set in stone they have gladly offered to join. That’s really heartwarming.

-- It feels like the relationship is deeper than what you could expect from work colleges.
YS: That’s because Shenmue was a project that was more than just work. Ten years after the development of Shenmue II we had this get-together and more than 100 people came.

-- That’s amazing. I’m not sure if I would call that just a get-together.

-- The level of creativity in the games you have created is often very high. Is there any secret to this?
YS: No. I never play games outside work, so I don’t get that influenced by other games. Maybe that’s the reason.

-- I had this idea that you researched other games thorough and tried to make something different, but I guess that’s not true then.
YS: Yeah. it easier to just make something from zero (laugh).

-- So maybe If someone from the media like me hear an explanation for a game and say “Is it like the mechanics from that other game?” you might not be able to get it?
YS: I’m sorry, but I guess that’s true. Well, maybe I have to study the trends in the most popular games.

-- By the way, this is the first in a long time that you get to work on a game this big.
YS: Yeah. It feels like it was a long time ago I got this invested in a game.

-- It’s not like you totally left the game industry, but what do you think of the game industry in Japan looking from a bit afar.
YS: The game engine Unity came out and made it easy for just one person to make his own game, which is a good thing. It wouldn’t be healthy if only big budget games were able to survive. It’s good that the market has expanded with more alternatives. But it’s kind of sad that a majority of games that make money are small like games for smartphones.

-- Do you feel like more effort should be made in making titles for the consoles?
YS: Yeah. Before, Japan was said to be number one in game making. It’s sad that the knowledge that had amassed during that time wasn’t used better.

-- Many of the people during that time went over to make games for smartphones.
YS: It’s not like games for smartphones are necessarily bad, but what’s characteristic of smartphone game making is that the development cycles from start to finished tend to be fast. It might be good for business, but I’m not really satisfied with that. If you compare to cars there’s the really popular cars that sell well. They make a lot of money for the company, but if they don’t develop their flagship model their technical advancement will suffer.

-- In USA there is still a lot of money spent in games for game consoles and PC.
YS: Yeah. That kind of rich content helps activate the whole industry. I hope the industry in Japan gets back on track like before...

-- Oh, the interview got very negative suddenly. Could you maybe give a word of encouragement to the young developers of today or people thinking about making games?
YS: Today is different from before. It’s possible for anyone to make games now. Before it was impossible to make games if you didn’t know how to program, but now there are tools for that. It’s also possible to study game development, and it’s easy to learn from the internet. Living in this age you shouldn't think too hard and just try for fun, go in the direction that feels best for you. Begin with having fun creating.

Comments:
The character perspective system means taking control of characters other than Ryo. He literally says “レンやシェンファ” which means characters “like Shenhua and Ren” so it could be for other characters too. (Edit: Or it could be just an example of characters. Like Thief said: "It could mean that characters like Shenhua and Ren (as in main supporting cast characters) are playable. Ren could have merely been used as an example." Thanks Thief! )
But it’s pretty much as close of a confirmation that we can get that Ren will show up in Shenmue III in one way or another. There is a concept art image of him riding a horse so it’s maybe not that unexpected, but we can be fairly sure he will show up in part 3 and not 4 or even later. Horses were also pretty much confirmed in Yu Suzuki's Reddit AMA so the concept art could very well be of an event happening in Shenmue III.

ok , how would you feel if at the begging of the game an earthquake (or something similar) drops some rocks at the cave entrance and you cannot get out....so you have to find another way out.....Yu Suzuki you big troll man

Perhaps we ought to have some sort of reference in both main site and board index. I would suggest adding to the headers some reference of the deadline and stressing the 10mil urgency, with a hyperlink to the kickstarter page , beneath or even replacing the home hyperlink. Credit to ash55 for the Shenmue III png file.



Maybe something resembling this

http://i.imgur.com/2YuV5dJ.png




Is it worth it? What should be taken off or added in?

My hobbies literally haven't changed for all these years, I just come home from work and just want to play games and chill on my computer for as long as possible

Original Post
If a mod or news poster could feature this video on the homepage, it would really help!

The current Kickstarter video for Shenmue III is quite bad. It doesn't outline the achievements of Shenmue or have any real Shenmue feel to it. It only appeals to a a very small audience and does very little to attract new people to the franchise. That is why me and some other members of the Dojo have collaborated and put our ideas together to create what we believe the Kickstarter video should have been.

Here is the most popular version with no dub (and a slightly different logo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzJcBqS1fDY
Some really awesome people on YouTube have made subtitles in Dutch, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish too! You can find them if desired by enabling the closed captions.

There is also a dubbed version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWgDKkwR6SI
(Thanks to Raunchy for the voiceover!)
Please share this around. Tweet it out to people, embed it in forums, reupload it to your own Youtube if you like - you don't need to credit me. This video clears up misconceptions about the Kickstarter (eg where the funding comes from), advertises the stretch goals and markets Shenmue to new audiences. It could be VERY beneficial to the campaign.

Some people in the production thread even suggested trying to get it seen by Yu Suzuki in the hope he will replace the current Kickstarter video with this one. It's a very long shot, but it's worth a try. Shenmue III recently got an official Twitter if people would like to tweet it to them. https://twitter.com/Shenmue_3

We can make a difference if we advertise this campaign properly. This, combined with $30 on the 3rd could just be our ticket to 10mil. Please help in spreading the word by showing this to people who are misinformed, unconvinced, or might be interested in getting into Shenmue. Let's do this!

"The fate of Shenmue is in your hands now"

Thank you!
My alternative Kickstarter has now been featured on the Kickstarter project under the "What's Shenmue" heading! Yu Suzuki saw my video and wanted to use it and as a result I have been working with Awesome Japan to create a version that SEGA deem acceptable which has now been completed.
Take a look here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=178&v=eoAII3iHXOM

It was a nice idea. I like the video and will share it. Must admit though, the guy doing the voice over sounds kinda funny. Not bashing the video at all, just my opinion lol. Anyway nicely done :)

I agree, I don't want to sound rude but it feels like he's trying too hard to imitate the deep kind of voice you usually hear in movie trailers. Maybe it would have been better to stick to his real voice.

It was a nice idea. I like the video and will share it. Must admit though, the guy doing the voice over sounds kinda funny. Not bashing the video at all, just my opinion lol. Anyway nicely done :)

I agree, I don't want to sound rude but it feels like he's trying too hard to imitate the deep kind of voice you usually hear in movie trailers. Maybe it would have been better to stick to his real voice.
I'm sorry you didn't like the dub. I've updated the post with a version that doesn't contain one. Feel free to share that one around if you prefer.

Yeah, I got the feeling that Choubu will be the game's main area.
The structures seen in the artwork, by the way, are called "paifang (牌坊)" or "pailou (牌楼)", but those can be found all over China (and other places in Asia), so the tulou in Baisha's artwork really caught my eye.

EDIT: Here's the Wikipedia article about paifang, by the way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paifang

Another thing... Baisha (白沙) (White Sand) and Bailu (白鹿) (White Deer) are both the pronunciation in Chinese Mandarin of those characters. However, Choubu (鳥舞) (Bird Dance, literally) is the Japanese pronunciation. In Mandarin, it would be called Niaowu.
I don't understand the reason for this inconsistency.

I'm most excited about Choubu village. Did you read the Suzuki interview?

What interview is that? :)

Also, on topic, there is that train ride in both Project Berkley and the GDC post-mortem. I wonder if and when that's going on.

I don't remember exactly which one.. But he detailed a few of the games locations and what to expect. It was one of his recent interviews in the last 2 or 3 days. Maybe someone can help me out. It could of been the Game Informer interview but I'm not too sure.

Found the right google magic spell.

http://www.dualshockers.com/2015/06/20/yu-suzuki-talks-about-shenmue-iiis-daynight-cycle-weather-gameplay-multiplayer-and-more/

Hi, everybody!
I never thought that I'd be posting here again after all these years, as I had already accepted that Shenmue 3 would simply never happen and I tried to move on (though I never really managed to forget about Shenmue.)
And yet, here we are, Shenmue 3 is coming out and this is all pretty exciting. In fact, this is probably the most exciting time in videogames in my life and I'm on my way to being 30 already and I never really get that excited about videogames anymore. Or so I thought! :D

Anyway, I noticed the artwork for Baisha village.
http://operationrainfall.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/shenmue-iii-stretch-goals.png

Now, those round buildings are quite famous in China, they're called "tulou (土楼)", which literally means "earth building". They're communal residences, which, as far as I know, are only found in Fujian Province, in Southeast China. They're communal residences, which, nowadays, are more and more of a tourist attraction, really.

I doubt that Shenmue 3 will take Ryo to Fujian Province, but rather will be entirely (or mostly) set in Guangxi, which is where Guilin is situated. So I'm guessing that Yu Suzuki knew about tulou, maybe he visited them when he went to China, and he really wanted to incorporate them in Shenmue, even if that meant that accuracy would have to be thrown out of the window, in this case (which is fine by me. Fun should always come first in a videogame). Unless I'm wrong and tulou can also be found in Guangxi, but I've never heard about it and a quick Baidu search came up empty too.

Check out the Wikipedia article about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujian_Tulou

Pretty cool, huh? I'm looking forward to seeing them in Shenmue 3's Baisha.

First thing you need to acquire the files dc_boot.bin and dc_flash.bin download them onto your computer.

(dc_boot.bin may also be called dc_Bios.bin. They are the same. Rename it to dc_boot.bin if necessry.

Then connect your phone to your computer by USB and put these two files into your phones Internal storage. Make a new dedicated folder.

then open reicast. This is what you should see first of all:

http://i.imgur.com/Eq51iFy.jpg


Open the tab to extend the options. Select 'Paths' here:

http://i.imgur.com/wwJat0u.jpg

It says "system path" here as you can see. The other one is for the game, we'll worry about that later

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

This where you tell reicast to find those two files I mentioned earlier. thaey emulate the DC OS itself.

Navigate to the folder you made, and press 'select current folder'.

http://i.imgur.com/tipli8A.jpg

Note. You are nominating the folder were the files are located, not the files themselves)

select Browse to go back to that first menu, select 'boot Dreamcast Bios'.

Hopefully this should allow you to boot to the Dreamcast start screen.

http://i.imgur.com/maNX4dC.jpg

Let us know how that goes.

Edit; UPDATED TO BE MORE HELPFUL

Im going to contribute and keep promoting the kickstarter, but tbh guys I dont think we have anything to worry about. I think whatever the fans dont contribute, sony, or some other able investor will pick up the rest of the slack and let Yu create the game that everyone and the hard core fans have been waiting for. I just dont see this game coming out half assed or half budgeted. A shit ton of people donated during the first few days and im expecting the last few days to be similar, I think the procrastinators will come out more once it gets closer to the dead line, im really not too worried about it, everything is going to be fine, they'll find a way.

http://www.pcgamer.com/why-im-excited-about-shenmue-3/

What a great article. It's simple, but raises a lot of reasons why Shenmue was so special and could be again if we help it reach its potential. I still listen to "Battle 1" every day on the way to work.

And as far as downloading the Rom for Shenmue disc 1, do I just download it and put it in my phone? Will the Reicast app find it and recognize it or will I need to put it somewhere specifically?

Similar procedure to those other files. if you've seen the other screen above, you have to nominate where the image is contained in that line that says "storage path". Download your game image files and dump them in a new folder called 'iso' and link to that folder. However, once you've linked the folder, you should just be able to.dump files in there and they'll appear on the 'browse' list.

Not sure if I'm recalling this correctly, but last time I played it, I do remember going to the arcade, seeing her bike outside, yet when I spoke to her the conversation didn't go as I expected it to. I do remember tryna be a smartarse by making sure I saw her before I left (made sure I saw everyone before I left), but I'm on the fence as to whether or not these two events coincided.

Ah well, either way she'll be a bitch, despite the fact she never leaves Ryo her phone number or address. "Oh, sorry Joy, couldn't find which street corner you were workin that day."

It's so stupid it may work.

Even if we do it hard enough could get attention from mainstream media.

It's a win win.

@FloydMayweather @MayweatherPromo. Get to tweeting! haha

These were all tweeted between 9 and 4 hours ago 8)

リワードの追加ですが、ただいま準備中、 少々お待ちを！#saveshenmue
"Additional rewards are currently under preparation, a little wait! #saveshenmue"

"ストレッチゴール近日公開！"
"Stretch goal coming soon!"

S3イメージ 涼&シェンファ@白鹿村
"S3 image cool & Sheng FA @ pengzhou village"

http://i.imgur.com/8WEpHaM.png

Tao-San has Wang by the balls. Wang is an illegal immigrant who is being sought by Japan's border control. Tao took advantage of this by forcing to him to effectively be his slave in exchange for keeping his secret/not giving him up to the feds, paying him in Chinese leftovers only (drinks not included). This is why he's so thirsty.

...I'd still rather keep the 100 yen, though.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3/posts/1273833

There have been many questions concerning Shenmue 3’s budget and what outside sources will be added to the money collected through Kickstarter. I apologize for not having been more forthright in this area and would like to take this opportunity to help clarify the situation.

Ys Net and I have been putting in many long years trying to find a way to bring back a sequel that so many fans have waited so long for. After learning of Kickstarter, I knew it would be possible to get Shenmue 3 started. Wanting to make the best game possible, I also knew that I would have to look to more traditional means to obtain all the funds that would be needed to create the game I had envisioned.

Sony and Shibuya Productions have been wonderful partners because they believe in Shenmue and want to see the best for the fans and the game. Their investment in (and support of) Shenmue have helped to realize a sequel that will stand proud with its predecessors. While it is not business practice to discuss the specific details of such arrangements, I can say that with their assistance on the production and marketing end, and in Sony’s case with some publishing support as well, Ys Net is able to use more of the money we collect through Kickstarter purely for Shenmue 3’s development. It is also important to note that your funds are going strictly to Ys Net for development of Shenmue 3 – Sony and Shibuya Productions are not seeing a cent of your Kickstarter dollars.

The outpouring of support from all of you, the backers, has been so inspirational. I cannot thank you enough. Having reached our funding goal, I am excited to say that the Shenmue story will go on, and our journey with Ryo and Shenhua will continue. Fans will be able to enjoy the sequel they have waited so long for, and newcomers to the series will be introduced to a unique gaming experience.

Of course, like with any Kickstarter, additional funding will only help us make a better game. On top of everything Shenmue 3 will already bring, the Stretch Goals that I have laid out will add extra quests, events, and new gameplay systems that will make the game even more immersive and take the series to the next level. At the $5 million mark, there will be an all new gameplay feature I would be excited to be able to add to the Shenmue legacy. If we should make the $10 million Stretch Goal, a much larger, completely open world will be yours to explore.

Even if these Stretch Goals are not reached, Shenmue 3 will already be a sequel true to its name, and one we can all be proud of. It is my hope though, that together we can make this Shenmue just as revolutionary as the first two were.

I understand this statement may by late in coming. Going forward, we wish to be as open as possible concerning the game’s development. I would like to again ask for your cooperation and support in helping make Shenmue 3 the best that it can be.

Sincerely, Yu Suzuki

https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/004/036/218/c7ba6548e283e00f70eb46302562a5b6_original.png?v=1435149812&w=639&fit=max&auto=format&lossless=true&s=5013791507492c7e4d4ae08881bd63cf

Sounds like the clarification many have been asking for since the Kickstarter opened and all of the other funding sources started talking. Maybe this will shut up some of the negative press. What do you think?

I made this thread a full 10 minutes before you and you still got more replies

Polygon headline: SONY BOSS CONFIRMS DIRECT FUNDING OF SHENMUE III

This also really bothers me and I sure hope that this part of the story isn't brushed aside, but I guess that depends on if Zhu remains a key character. Ryo spent the entirety of the game thus far trying to find Zhu - why did he ask so few questions when he finally met him? Ryo barely learned anything from Zhu, why didn't he ask things like: How do YOU know that Lan Di is headed to Bailu Village? What did Lan Di want with you in the first place?

And how much information - if any - were the Chi You Men able to extract from Zhu before the rooftop trade off? If none at all, then how important was it to Lan Di to find Zhu in the first place? He easily could have hopped back down and taken Zhu - did he really respect Ryo for defeating Dou Niu so much as to just take off without Zhu? Does he view Ryo as a threat or as mostly insignificant? Does he know that Ryo would be able to follow him to Guilin after speaking to Zhu?

There are just too many unanswered questions concerning Yuanda Zhu!

To, me this basically really sounds like: "You know, there will be a physical copy, but we want you guys to give us extra cash for it, two and a half years from now."

Watch the wording. It says, there are no plans for a physical copy REWARD. No one ever said there was not gonna be a physical copy at all.

Fair enough solution if you ask me. I'd be more than happy to go to the shop and buy my own copy of S3 on PS4 \:D/ .

Whilst criticisms of Sega may be warrented, at the end of the day they could have told Yu no to producing and distributing another Shenmue game. It would have been another Castlevania type situation....

But they didn't. Plus they are going to give Yu anything he needs for Shenmue III to be a success. So for that, they have my eternal thanks. And for equally being responsible for making Shenmue be a reality in the first place.

Locked.....
























Just kidding. We are awesome. Let's party!

What resolution and maximum file size do you need? Oh and what scene would you prefer?
Library or at the harbor or wich one?

Like this? It's about 7 MB so it takes some time to load.
If it's too traffic intense I can reduce the framerate.

I couldn't help but play through part of Disc 4 last night, despite only being on the first disc of Shenmue I of my first post-announcement play of the game.

I'm always astounded that within 5 minutes, it feels like a drastically different game than the previous Hong Kong and Kowloon portions. And then, thinking way back to Yokosuka, and you truly are in a totally different world.

Shenhua's long, long awaited introduction was also an epic moment - I loved the shots of her running down the river, although the whole saving her from drowning bit came off a tad cliche. But, it makes more sense to have that dramatic element than to just bump into her in the woods. And saving a deer from drowning, you soon realize, is such a Shenhua thing to do.

You immediately start to see where Suzuki is taking this game when you first start interacting with Shenhua. The choices are limited, for now, but what's really amazing is seeing Ryo actually communicate. I swear he opens up more to Shenhua in the first five minutes of meeting her than he does to anyone else in the entire game thus far.

The "Deep Green Way" segment is also magical. The faster-paced Shenmue theme remix and those soothing QTE sounds were such a nice touch. I can vaguely remember playing through this for the first time and realizing how special this area of the game was going to be.

The scene with the hawk outside the crag is one of my favorites of the entire game.

Admittedly, day two of your trek drags a bit here and there but it's still littered with some great scenes. Ryo almost having a meltdown when Shenhua leans in for a friendly kiss is classic, if you manage to trigger it.

The fact so many scenes and conversations are optional is also pretty remarkable. The game rewards the player for taking their time and keeps them coming back for more. The scene with the dandelions - along with the Shenmue tree and the final scenes in the cave - is a pivotal moment, and also completely missable! I'm grateful that my first time playing, I chose the left path and got to witness this (literal) magic - Ryo's reaction and the conversation that follows was such a genius, and subtle, way to introduce Shenhua's powers.

And then, of course - the Shenmue tree. I remember a rising feeling in my gut as I saw Ryo following Shenhua up the path with the giant tree in sight - I think I felt the power of the Shenmue tree, because I knew something special was about to happen. And then to hear Shenhua utter the word "Shenmue"... well, my jaw dropped even more than when Lan Di appeared on the helicopter. The thing that really gets me is that - up to this point, I never really wondered what "Shenmue" meant nor why the game was titled Shenmue. I just don't think it ever really hit me to ask why. And hear we are, at least a quarter or a third of the way through Ryo's tale, and we get that bomb dropped on us.

From there on out, every last second of the game is pure perfection. Exploring Shenhua's house and getting all those hints for future games is such a tease! The Cloud Bird Trail portion is also so well done - the music, and the scene in which Shenhua realizes the birds are gone and that something awful has happened - talk about intense. And then, the camera shifts to first person for a few moments as Ryo and Shenhua run the rest of the way - something about that is really memorable to me, too - up until this point, there weren't any scenes quite like that but it felt so fitting for this moment.

And then the mouth of the cave, the Stone Pit itself, the music, the sword, the mirror, the ropes and fire, the giant mirrors, and the way Ryo and Shenhua look at each other and realize this is so much bigger than either of them ever could have imagined...it's hard to find the words.

It was awesome experiencing this for the first time actually knowing for certain that I'll get to see what happens next..what a feeling!

It bothered me to death to not sign up way back in '06, but I was adamant to wait until III was announced (I thought it would happen A LOT sooner lol). While I did lurk the Shenmue section to death, the real bonding and good stuff on ANY message board, are in the OT/Social sections and that I never even thought to glance at, when I was lurking here.

Just doing a bit of posting and looking at old threads in this section, this community is bomb AF. Kicking myself every day lol

I've been wanting to do this for a while now. The results are better than I ever had expected, so I'd like to share with everyone.

A big discussion when talking about Shenmue and current technology is how to properly display the image. Some connect via VGA to a monitor which is the easiest solution and looks great. Most want to play on their TV's however, which as time goes on gets a little more tricky. I've done various methods including VGA on monitor, VGA to component on a CRT 4:3 HDTV, VGA pixel for pixel on an XBR-3, VGA to HDMI through a HD third party scaler (the one Adam used) and finally now this method which I can confirm absolutely demolishes every other way I've ever viewed this game.

So the first thing to know is you'll need to properly upscale the image, otherwise it'll look horrible. To properly upscale into HD (while retaining the correct aspect ratio) a third party scaler is required, which are niche and quite expensive. They get the job done, though obviously don't push the envelope any. The image quality is better than displaying pixel for pixel.

4K UHD is the same principal, though thanks to new technology becomes a bit easier (just more expensive, but is an investment). The two best scalers on the market as of today are the X-Reality PRO by Sony and the Revelation by SHARP. I won't go into major detail, but both are comparable and take different steps to achieving the same end goal.

Because the X-Reality PRO is an internal scaler, we're actually going to want to convert the VGA signal to HDMI raw without upscaling. From there the X-Reality PRO will do the rest and by the rest, I mean this . Do take a glance as it'll show the amount of tech the engine uses to upscale an image, something a third party scaler simply isn't capable of.

The end result is this and I don't think much more could be expected of a game developed from the late 90's onward, especially with a rendering resolution of 640x480. The X900B in general hides jaggies particularly well, but what stands out to me the most is the color range and depth. Granted this is a testament as to how far technology has come, but it also says a lot about the production value of Shenmue. It truly was ahead of it's time.

Here is the game (both Passport and Disc 1) running:

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

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

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

http://i.imgur.com/jZ5Flfc.jpg

The equipment (though the most important tech such as the scaler is internal):

http://i.imgur.com/7NvZMHC.jpg

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

I'm most excited by the new locations we'll get to explore, so I've collected images and descriptions of what we already know...

Baisha
http://i.imgur.com/10ILtKL.jpg

Concept art and photos: http://imgur.com/a/Urtpj

Yu Suzuki said: Baisha will show off what Shenmue is all about. Live out a siege game reminiscent of the Warring kingdoms. See what strategist will come out on top.

May possibly feature an 'infiltration mission' into the Chi You Men's Guilin branch. The buildings shown in the concept art are called Tulous. They are between three and five stories high, can house up to 80 families and are easily defensible.


Choubu
http://i.imgur.com/LyT4LHu.jpg

Concept art and photos: http://imgur.com/a/eU3uV

Yu Suzuki said: Choubu is a riverside village with lots of shops, souvenir stores, hotels and temples. The quests in this village should be very enjoyable, I think.

And: Amidst the mystical scenery of the Li River, Choubu lies in a water colour painting come to life. The port of call will be filled with souvenir shops and hotels, shrines and village dwellings. Expect to meet a sage master of Nanquan there .

This area may feature the 'Magic Maze' technique of generating building interiors. It could also feature a part time job of some sort.

Bailu
http://i.imgur.com/BZXPVTi.jpg

Concept art and photos: http://imgur.com/a/YBRqA

Yu Suzuki said: Bailu is the village where Shenhua was raised and also a place that Ryo's father, Iwao, had visited when he was younger. Here as well the quests will play an important role as Ryo and Shenhua start their journey.

And: Shenmue 2 ends at Shenhua's house in the outskirts of Bailu village. Bailu village is waiting to be explored for real.

Have I missed any information?

Here you go.

The Dojo's channel has you covered.

While you're at it, check out this video by YumYumYoghurt.

Pretty much my reaction right now.

$12M stretch goal - fire Awesome Japan. We'd hit it in a day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZm-HzCVzL4

For those who missed the Twitch stream, I made a very rough transcript while listening to the interview.
Here we go:

"We have lots of very important things to get to so let's start right away!"

*They all pause to drink some Fanta*

Q: "One more time, explain Sony's role in Shenmue 3."

A: "Sony's providing us comprehensive support in terms of publishing and marketing, as well as funding of the project partially."

*Stream goes down due to technical issues*

Q: Once again they ask about Sony's role

A:"Sony is providing us comprehensive support in marketing, promotion, and funding. They are one of the most important partners of this project. But as we said before in our statement ... they are not receiving one cent from the Kickstarter... the funds collected in the KIckstarter project will be all used for development except for the fees used for the Kickstarter and for providing the Kickstarter rewards. Not a single cent will go to Sony from the Kickstarter funds."

Q: PS4 physical reward ?

A: "It's one of the most requested rewards and I personally want to prepare for it as a reward. We are now considering how we can provide the reward in such a way that satisfies the backers. Please be patient."

Q: Before you were talking about how the funds will be spent. Can you explain more?

A: "We have a pie chart for how the funds from Kickstarter will be spent. KS
Fees: 8 - 10 % Game development: 65 to 72% Backer rewards: 20 - 25% Most of the kickstarter funds are going to the game development. Everything excluding necessary fees and the reward fulfilment.. everything's gonna be used for development."

Q: "Will the real Ryo please stand up?"

A: "We're still improving the qualities of Ryo's face. Not satisfied with the face Ryo has right now. Today we have the latest version, a new pic or Ryo's face. (They show a pic) This new pic we're not satisfied with. Ryo still looks kind of 'frowny.' So I want to continue the improvement. I want to enhance Ryo's attactiveness and personality through not only the models but through the facial expressions and actions he does to make Ryo even better. So we are going to see an improved Ryo in the future. He'll be much better through the process of development."

Q: "Another big issue. Voice actors coming back to reprise their roles. Specifically Ryo. Will we be seeing them again?"

A: "So, I think that the original voice actors will be the best match for Ryo's voice. So I want them to come back as his real voice in shenmue 3 as well. I'm now in negotiation with them. Please wait. We'll have more details about that."

Q: "Will PayPal be an option to help fund Shenmue 3?"

A: "No definite answer, but we're looking into it."

Q: "Is Shenmue 3 going to be DRM free on PC?"

A: "We are now looking into it, but it's not something I alone can decide on. I'm talking to other parties to decide if that's possible... we're looking into it."

Q: "Shenmue 1/Shenmue II HD remaster: are we gonna see it?"

A: "I personally want to see them so that the fans can enjoy Shenmue 3 more. However the property rights belong to SEGA, so I'm not in a position to comment on it. But I want it, so I will talk to SEGA if that's possible."

Q: "More rewards?"

A: "Today we will have additional rewards. First of all we have the grab bags. A lot of surprises in different prize tears, starting from 1,000 dollars to 500 dollars. It contains Shenmue merchandise, and it is random, so you have fun in opening the bag. And also we'll have one more reward, that is the replica of Ryo's watch. There is only one. This will be in the 5,000 reward tier. *They show the watch*

Q: "What are the other rewards going to be like?"

A: "The grab bags will include for example special figures of Ryo. There are also Shenmue watches. (Not the one just shown.) They also include autographed art work. Check out the page later. The rewards will be up. Check it out! For today we have grab bags and watches but in the future we'll have more additional rewards so please stay tuned to the kickstarter page!"

Q: "Stretch goals... stretch goals... stretch goals. Can we get a little bit of explanation please, about the stretch goals."

A: "The budget we have right now, it's Shenmue with story elements. It will be Shenmue 3 up until the duel against the four big bosses. But with additional stretch goals, more areas are going to be added and expanded.

The Rapport system is the system that governs the changes in characters' attitudes toward you, depending upon actions you take in conversations. It will provide a new twist to Shenmue.

In Shenmue 3 there'll be a lot of occasions when you can obtain technique scrolls through special events, jobs, missions, etc. They can be used in battle right away as a QTE. However the advanced skill scrolls and arcane skill scrolls are managed in a tree diagram. Completing that tree will be another side of fun, and it links to the actual martial art learning.

Q: "More on stretch goals"

A: "With the area Baisha, we want to include new fun not included in Shenmue 2. Traditional tactics such as seige and infiltration that we see in warring kingdoms in traditional China are also added. But I want to make it Shenmue-like, easy to grasp, easy to play, and provide more fun.

There's an opportunity for the players to play as different characters. In that event you'll see different choices that different personalities offer, different from Ryo and other characters. That will provide more fun and more personality to the characters.

So there's a lot more stretch goals we published, but there will be a large amount of explanations and a large amount of fun still to come, so we'll leave it to other occasions to explain the other stretch goals.

Your cooperation is what makes this Kickstarter progress, so please support us!

Q: "How will Shenmue 3 at its current funding level be different from Shenmue 3 at the 10 million dollar level?"

A: "The current funding level - about 3.6 million - will have story oriented Shenmue. More focus on story. Exceeding 5 million will allow the development to include more things that are new, such as we explained about Baisha. Exceeding 10 million will allow for the players to enjoy a more open world like Shenmue."

Q: "When is Shenmue 3 going to be released?"

A: "It's expected to be released by the end of 2017. We're confident."

Q: "Is this the end of the story?"

A: "The initial storyline contained 11 chapters. With 1 & 2 it advanced to only a little bit of the 11 chapters. I considered doing the final game to include all the remaining chapters, but in the final consideration it would be skipping all the big arcs, and the completeness of the game would be less enjoyable. So this Shenmue 3 will have more storylines, but this structure will not finish the storyline with Shenmue 3."

Q: "When can we play the trial version?"

A: "It requires many of the basic systems to be developed. The release date of the demo version will be the latter half of the development stage. It might be after the new year of 2017. Until then it requires more development for the basics."

(Inaudible)

Please keep sending us your questions. We want to make Shenmue 3 the best we can. Please share the project. Get the word out. Let everybody know that Shenmue 3 is happening, and we need everybody to support and make sure that we make this Shenmue 3 spectacular."

Q: "Final thoughts?"

A: "I always want to do new things. I hope to achieve all the things I want to do in the new Shenmue, matching with what the Shenmue the fans want, to meet the ten million dollar goal. We ask your continued support, and that you spread the word around to make Shenmue a real thing! Thank-you very much!"

"Let's make this happen! Everybody has been so great the past fourteen years. Making it happen. It's happening now. #SaveShenmue! Let's do this! Thank-you!"