Video recorded and translated by Shendream (Shenmue Master)

Just had to school some folks on another forum about Shenmue 3's paypal. One of the forum members was unhappy he thought he missed his chance to get a PS4 copy of Shenmue 3 since the kickstarter had finished, so I told him about the paypal option they still have and then another member said the paypal didnt have any of the kickstarter tiers so I had to clear to the air about it. Hopefully dude can get the PS4 copy he wants.

For the last 14 years, we just wanted the story to continue. We now have that. Visuals should be the least of our worries, even if, yes, the franchise innovated in that catagory when it was first released. I'm pretty sure we'll have the same attention to detail as the previous entries, however. This is Yu after all. I'm just so overwhelmed we're finally going to get out of that flipping cave. \:D/

I would be thrilled to have Shenmue I and II HD either way, but I feel some things could be improved, updated or added to the remakes; but again I would still be very happy to have the original games in HD without them. :)

-Options for English or Japanese voice overs. Many people prefer the Japanese dub like myself, but then some people for nostalgia prefer the English ones. However, it should be from the original Japanese voice track (NOT PAL), so Yuan is his original character. Even dubbing the character with an English male voice would be good so the fans can see the true character firsthand especially if he returns in Shenmue III.
-Fix minor glitches. For example when the NPC are walking up or down the stairs in Shenmue I, Ryo cannot walk up the stairs until they go up or down completely
-Shenmue I - Save wherever you want without the Resume file like in Shenmue II.
-Have more than 3 or 10 save files.
-Passport Online features

And of course transfer the Shenmue II save onto Shenmue III!

Does anyone have any other ideas besides these?

This is a old interview from November 2015. All the Shenmue related questions were edited together. English translations provided by Shenman, David Deville, and David Villeroy.

Anyone notice what's on the wall way in the back?

Some more translation:


The complete Shenhua & Ryo sketches from this mornings conference:

Ok, so i am at the airport now, ready to fly back to Ireland and the reality of mundane life. Of course, i don't want this weekend to end! But it must, and since i have quite a bit of time to kill i will try to go through an entire play by play of the weekend. I have no ides where this post will go, how long it will be, or if its even interesting. I just hope it gives you all an insight what it was like to be here in Monaco, and also at such an even like MAGIC, where Shenmue 3 was presented.

So, Thursday morning - 3am. I left Belfast by coach to Dublin where i flew to Nice from. The usual no sleep related fatigue, mixed with adrenaline and excitement! I arrived in Nice airport around... 10 i believe, and David DeVille had messaged me beforehand and we had worked out him and Maki (his wife), would be arriving from Paris around the same time! So i waited outside the terminal and shortly after, David and Maki arrived! It was great to finally meet David aster talking for so long online over the years. We spoke for quite a while, about the conference, and other things. So much so, that they missed their bus to Nice! Oops lol. So we came back inside and sat for a while longer chatting, but we all knew how tired we all were so we said our goodbyes and let him get to Nice to prepare for his bay day on Saturday.

Getting the coach to Monaco was pretty standard, and the Hotel was decent enough. I knew i hadn't splashed out top dollar for a 5 star hotel, so it was fine by my standards. So after getting settled, it was time to do the whole trail run practice, to the Grimaldi Forum, but since i was pretty tired i didnt make it that far on Thursday. Monaco is small, but its very elevated per road and street, so the walking was very demanding, even for 0.5km. I will be the first person to admit that i am not a fitness guy, so my legs are killing me right now in the airport lol. I had researched the quickest way to the Forum, and essentially walked about 3/4 of the way there. Getting lost of course the first time. Monaco is all very hidden, from winding roads, to every shop being underground or inside an unmarked building. Trying to find a place that sold toothpaste or body deodorant was a nightmare!! Plus, Monaco is of course, home of the rich. Its extravagance can be seen visually everywhere, with the same amount of car show rooms on every street corner as much as there is a pub/bar on every street corner in Ireland. Bentley, Ferrari, McLaren. They are all here. As well as property shops, with their ad cards in the windows, escalating from 3 million to 250 million was the most expensive looking in the window i can remember. Think the cheapest place i did see, was an apartment with a monthly rental of 30,000 a month. Alrighty then! You also have the fashion labels at every corner. Prada, St Laurent, Rolex, Gautier, Hillfiger, Vuitton, Armani..... More of these shops, and easily more recognisable than a shop where you can buy a loaf of bread thats for sure.

Anyways on Friday, it was finally time to meet the Grimaldi Forum. Inside the foyer, having my picture taken beside the MAGIC banner out of the corner of my eye i seen someone who looked like Yu Suzuki on the escalator going up to my level. He went past a pillar, and i was like, "nah. I hope thats not him" As i froze on the spot, Yu Suzuki and Cedric Biscay walked towards me and i shat enough bricks to build a house in Monaco. I wasnt ready to meet them! I turned the opposite direction and pretended not to notice them as they walked out of the Forum, behind me lol! After pacing around not knowing what to do, and with the shock of seeing them for both the first time, i decided to visit the Japanese Gardens across the way from the Forum, and as i entered, i seen them again!! They were having their pictures taken for the local press! Fuck that, i just turned around and left lol!

Friday night was when shenmuemaster.fr guys, Remy, Emmanuel, Catherine, David, Arnaud, and Mickael were to arrive and we had arranged to meet. But i knew they would be tired so we arranged to meet up at the Forum in the morning.

Then finally the big day arrived. With little/zero sleep, 6am hit and i was awake and ready. Met up with everyone from Shenmuemaster and it was great! Just being with other Shenmue fans who you have talked to, known of, or seen over so many years of posting online within the Shenmue community was an experience merited of making the trip as awesome as it was already. As we were standing at the door, Rob introduced himself and it was great to finally meet someone who was not only going to one of the Kickstarter dinners, but also the on in Monaco! We also then seen David and Maki arrive so it was great to have a quick chat with them again before letting them get inside before us since he had a lot of work to prepare for.
So skipping over a few details, we get inside, and head downstairs to the Conference Hall. It was great, being greeted by a HUGE projection screen with the MAGIC logo on it. (You can use the instagram pics for reference lol). I completely forgot to get one of those translation earpiece devices, so i legged it quickly outside to grab one. We all sat relatively near the front and before long Sebastian Abdelhamed appeared for the introduction. All of the guests were brought out individually, from Kavinsky, to Peter Cross, as well as Yu Suzuki! Also Cedric have a brief speech. Following that, the stage was set up for the Shenmue presentation, and away we went! You guys probably can remember it all right now, more than i can, because i havent watched any footage i recorded on my phone, or Shenmans posts here yet, and its all a blur. But the emotions felt sitting there listening to Yu and then his translation work by Kenji is as you can imagine. No words. Instead of watching an E3 video, or GDC video.... you are really there. Its insane.

After that, we left and of course were all in shock at what we had just seen. Yu Suzuki, Cedric Biscay, Shenmue 3 HD screens, videos, the music as loud as you could want it bellowing around the auditorium. It was amazing. We walked over to another area where interviews and the signings would be happening later, and as we were hanging around there, Cedric walked past and i gave him a shout. We shook hands, and when i said Peter he knew who i was, probably from annoying him on Twitter all the time lol. We chatted, and i had brought him a gift for all the work he has done for getting Shenmue 3 going. He looked surprised by it, so i hope he liked it. We took a picture and i let him get back to the event, since it was his day and i knew he would be busy lol. But before he left, he said to "make sure" to attend the "Crazy Time" segment he was presenting. It seemed strange, but it was easy to begin to think he was saying that specifically since there may be more Shenmue material to come! After that, i met quite a few Shenmue fans in that area, of course wearing a Shenmue 3 t shirt helped. It was great! So many enthusiastic people just as happy as i was. I wish i was more composed and organised to have taken pictures and get their names written down, but it was so chaotic all day, with conversations jumping from between 3 -10 people in quick succession! I still cant even keep up now!

Skipping some more details again, we went up to ground level and we all chilled out. Grabbed some fresh air etc, and i met Julien from gamerblog.fr. A really nice guy, and we had an in-depth chat about all things Shenmue, the gaming industry, our backgrounds, the dinner, Shenmue 3, his visits to friends in Ireland and e-cigarette advice which we went outside for a while to partake in lol. He gave me his business card and also exchanged details so hope to see him the next time he travels to Ireland!

We then went back downstairs to where Yu was doing the signing, and it was great to stand before him and get a few items signed. Although it was only 2 items per person, i went twice as i had stuff for other people to get signed who couldnt make the trip lol. Suzuki-san still seemed very jolly and laughed as i approached for the second time, and also commented on the specific pen i gave form him to sign something. It was a great interaction.

After some sitting down and relaxing, time came to attend the "crazy time" event Cedric had told us about. When we got in, the results of the Cosplay competition were being held, so it was great to watch that. There were some AMAZING outfits, so hats off to those guys!! The event was running late, and i looked at the manual to see what was going on. Crazy Time was next, so pretty soon, Cedric appeared on stage, and they started off with bringing out Peter Cross (played Spocks Father in the Star Trek remakes) to talk about his directed feature with Shibuya. He seemed like a nice man, and spoke in English which was always appreciated lol. It was confusing sitting there, since we didnt know what was coming! But then, after him, we heard Shenmue being mentioned and the excitement welled up inside! Suzuki-san was brought back on stage by Cedric, along with the interpreter, Kenji, and thats when we seen the Shenmue House trailer in full HD with the music cranked up to the max. I swear, thats when it hit me the most, like a tonne of bricks. This game is really, really going to justify Shenmue. It was unbelievable. I could not get over it, seeing the Shenmue tree, the cows and woks outside the house, then as the camera panned inside thats when my heart pounded and i could feel my eyes well up. Shenmue music is so emotional on its own (i have the soundtrack on right now, blasting in my headphones as i type this), but combined with how faithful, and BETTER Shenhuas home looked was simply astonishing! Yes, its not a full blown trailer, but we are only 7 months into full development, and my expectations were on such a level of what to expect and what not to expect. The new weather trailer, as well as the fishing pond trailer were excellent, and i expected something like that, which i was more than happy with. BUT that second trailer really went above anything i expected to see. Just, no words....

After that ended, the shenmuemaster guys had some things still to do, so we hung around for a little while longer and i seen Suzuki-san with them. David called me over for a picture, and after that i chanced my arm to get a picture of just me and Yu. Wow!!!! Where do i begin? I cant. I cant even speak about it, when i look at that photo each time...... maybe one day i will be able to tell you more lol.

I forgot i had to return the headset and get my passport back, so i went back downstairs and after returning it, Cedric was walking by again, so quickly said goodbyes, shook hands and said thanks for coming! Awesome ending! It wasnt too late, and despite being tired, i took everyone to McCarthy's Irish bar (hey, its what we do!!) and we all had a beer. Mostly everyone had a Guinness which was amazing lol! We then all said our goodbyes, and that was that. Back to the hotel to lie in bed and try to get my head around everything that had taken place that day. Rest assured, there is more information to come about the day, but not quite right now... i just wanted to give you guys an initial update on how the day went, and an insight into some of the thoughts and emotions of attending a live event with Suzuki-san present, and new Shenmue 3 material announced. I am now at the airport and all good things must come to an end. But fortunately we still have a very long road ahead, so enjoy it! Dont get bogged down in Shenmue HD, or wheres a full trailer! Or voice actors, or logos. Try and enjoy it, because one day this will all be over!


Final thoughts, i have to give heaps and heaps of thanks to all of the shenmuemaster gang. Trent was fantastic to chat to, and i hope again we can meet again in the future, and have more time to just sit down and relax instead of it being such a chaotic day! David is so jolly, and great to be around. My go outside for a smoke buddy lol. So passionate and motivating, it was great sitting beside him during the conference, and seeing the fist pumps of excitement and thumbs up when we got good info lol. Kenji and Catherine were a delight, and it was great to finally talk with Kenji after seeing his interview videos over the years! Mickael was great, and like Trent, a great balance to talk total Shenmue on a more intimate level. Last but certainly not least, Shenman (or Arnaud). You guys already know him from the guy having 4G inside the conference and posting the updates to twitter! He did such an amazing job, and it was great to meet him! He was so helpful during the day, taking my photos with Cedric and Yu, as well as being a huge Shenmue collector, and has also been to Tokyo! All of the guys were amazing, and hope to meet them again soon! Next year guys??? ;)

Of course, David DeVille was a pleasure to meet, and of course his wife. I wish them all the best in the upcoming months with their new addition to the family! He did a fantastic job, not just onstage, but the entire conference, working behind the scenes all day helping out Suzuki-san during his schedule. I hope he can get some kind of work in the Shenmue 3 team, and he is as passionate about Shenmue as anyone i have met!

Also have to say good luck, and enjoy, to Amir, Rob and Chao at today's dinner! It was great meeting you guys, and again i wish the day wasnt as chaotic as it was to get a more relaxed chat with you all. Today will possibly be one of the biggest days of your life so enjoy it!! Also to all of the Shenmue fans i met, it was amazing, and hope to do something like this again! E3?? Who knows! But this trip has definitely given me the thirst to attend more gaming events across the world if the money allows it.

Hope you enjoyed the write up. Any questions, i will do my best to answer, and stay tuned for more to come over the coming weeks!

The full Magic Monaco Shenmue 3 press conference is now available. Japanese translation by Switch and French translation by Yokosuka. Click here to watch.

I'm sure there'd still be disgruntled people asking why they have to replay two games they already have on their Dreamcasts before they can access the new content. So it would need to be optional, at least. I say at least, because even then, those same people would ask why they couldn't just have the new content for a third of the price they paid...

By the way, I nearly ignored this thread as your username sounds like a spambot. I expected the rest of the sentence to be "...you made $45'000 working from home?"

My most favourite quote from this interview:
Build up as many experiences as you can of successes and failures – either is fine. Immerse yourself and experience things other people don’t. These will eventually form your own standards. Don’t think about succeeding or failing. I want people to go all-out for what they want to do. That’s the first step, I believe.

Mine's too with the one above about the plurality of personal influences in one game. I hope the employees within the team are not intimated by proposing their ideas, including the craziest ones, to the leading staff. As we saw in the NHK documentary, Suzuki seems to fairly rely on the imagination of his developers and associates in his work method, with an apparent success.

http://i.imgur.com/VG8zFaK.png

Dojo member Switch has translated an interview with Yu Suzuki which took place on August 29th at the Retro Games Expo 2016.

The interview asks Suzuki about his life as a young boy, why he chose to work at Sega and how some of his famous arcade games came into being. Suzuki also talks about the aspects of arcade game creation that are most important, and gives some advice on the essential attributes of a game developer.

You can view the complete interview on Switch's blog, PhantomRiverStone.com, here .

After the long 15 year wait, the uninaginable happened, we were presented with the surprise announcement of Shenmue's return with its much anticipated third game of the franchise. Sony played and continues to play a major roll in this. Would Shenmue 3 ever happen without Sony? Unlikely. I am in no manner a Sony fan, however I am highly appreciative of their efforts on this risky project. They have played their part by investing in a project which was and still is a risky project to invest in.

Our job in the continued surival and completion of the franchise is making Sony's investement pay off. The obvious way to do this is to buy the game. However even just buying the game needs to be analyzed for the best results.

I, along with many others have used the Kickstarter campaign to order both the standard PC download version and the $120 PS3 physical version (The $120 version gives lots of extra perks such as your name being in the credits and the demo version). This is where the questions begin.

Do Sony benefit from the PC version purchase? Lets take that a step further, do Sony benefit from the PS4 version purchase? According to Yu Suzuki, the answer is no. He says that every cent donated to the Shenmue 3 project goes directly into the development of the game. That is great for us as fans as it will bring us a better experience in playing the game. However, this doesn't do much to ensure the future of the franchise.

I am sure it has worked out well for Sony in terms of them needing to invest less money in the game themselves (one would assume that they are investing themselves). However, no business is just about cutting costs, it is about making money. So if in Suzuki's own words, Sony is not gaining any money from the Kickstarter, you would assume the only way for this to happen is for people to buy the PS4 version once it is released.

This is what worries me. Shenmue fans are passonite and vocal about their love for the Shenmue experience. We were happy to pay our hard earned money to contribute to the Shenmue cause. How many of us are going to contribute to its future by paying again? My guess is, not many. How many people are going to buy Shenmue 3 that did not contribute to the Kickstarter campaign? My guess is, not enough.

We should continue to enjoy every moment that the Shenmue series lives, because if my thoughts are correct, that time has a fast approaching expiration date. We may never get to see the conclusion of Ryo's story unfold. We may never see Shenmue 4.

Just some things I heard whilst in Japan that add to the logic of it all. No, that is not me saying I was told Shenmue HD will be announced.

It's logical if Sony want to make money from the franchise, that they would throw a few million for a studio to remaster them. They want to make money at the end of the day. So do YSNET and so to do Sega. Even if they are not remasters, the original 2 games will be released in some capacity, I have no doubts.

https://s23.postimg.org/i2bh0x5sb/Toyota.png

If you want to retweet and like the post to show appreciation, here you go:

https://twitter.com/ToyotaEquipment/status/810915611857616896

https://s29.postimg.org/3puflig93/Forklift.png

Maybe even a sponsor in the making? Forklift business = Shenmue after all :D

Shenmue 3 is listed in the "Most Anticipated Game" Category.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/12/22/vote-now-playstation-blog-game-of-the-year-2016-awards/

The end of the year is upon us, and that can mean only one thing — well, actually it means lots of things. The thing that it means in the context of this post, though, is that PlayStation.Blog’s annual Game of the Year awards are upon us!

https://c7.staticflickr.com/1/376/31397748270_51862bb1c9_z.jpg

2016 kept us busy, opening with the long-awaited release of The Witness and ending with the similarly long-awaited launches of Final Fantasy XV and The Last Guardian. The rest of the year was punctuated by hit after hit: Uncharted 4, Ratchet & Clank, Inside, Overwatch, Dark Souls III, Titanfall 2, Doom, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Battlefield 1, Rise of the Tomb Raider… the list goes on!

Anyway, it’s time to make this official. Starting right now, the polls are open for the PlayStation.Blog Game of the Year 2016 awards. We’ll keep them open until the end of the year — that’s 11:59pm Pacific on December 31 — then tally up the votes and present the winners.

Don’t see your pick in our list of nominees? Never fear! There’s a write-in option for each category, so feel free to cast your vote for whichever game you think deserves the Platinum.

But that’s enough from me… let’s vote!


You can vote for one or more categories.

The_Intruder wrote: Voted for Shenmue 3 most anticipated game

Me too!

A short New Year's message from Yu Suzuki & the Shenmue III team has appeared on the official website:

New Year’s Greetings Everyone!

We hope you are having a holiday season. The development of Shenmue III has stepped into its second year, and our team is in high spirits.

Without your support, we would have not been able to make it this far. We thank you again for all you have done to make Shenmue III a reality.

We look forward to continuing our journey with you in 2017, and wish you a wonderful year ahead.

From Yu Suzuki and the Shenmue III Team

http://i.imgur.com/5sxVsPy.gif

I've also made a blog post looking at some of the Japanese cultural details displayed in the illustration:

http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/01/new-years-greetings-from-yu-suzuki-team.html

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2017/01/02/game-developers-pick-their-most-anticipated-playstation-games/

Game Developers Pick Their Most Anticipated PlayStation Games

Shenmue III gets two mentions down the lower half of the list.

Part Three of the interview is now up.



Read it here: http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/0 ... rview.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edit (Feb 1, 2017) :
Part Three of the interview translation is now ready.

Read the translated article here on the Phantom River Stone blog:
Part One: http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2016/12/yu-suzuki-interview-part-1.html
Part Two: http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/01/yu-suzuki-katsuhiro-harada-interview.html
Part Three: http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/02/yu-suzuki-katsuhiro-harada-interview.html
Part Four: Coming soon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


A glimpse of a new illustration for Shenmue III plus some original images / documents from the days of working on "Virtua Fighter RPG" / Shenmue I & II.

These are from a new Japanese-language interview with Yu Suzuki & Katsuhiro Harada (from the Tekken series) published online at denfaminicogamer.jp.

Regarding an English translation of the Shenmue-related parts of the article, I am working on this and will post up a separate thread about it once ready.

For now, here are the Shenmue-related images from the article:

Shenmue III: Yu showing Tulou illustration
http://i.imgur.com/xKgKn6s.jpg

"Ren's hideout"
http://i.imgur.com/6MpzCny.jpg

"Pier at Langhuishan"
http://i.imgur.com/yrrcIkk.jpg

"Shelves at Tomato Convenience Store"
http://i.imgur.com/xEFglpu.jpg

"Suspension bridge"
http://i.imgur.com/81gT6IT.jpg

"Interior of Hong Kong restaurant"
http://i.imgur.com/0VyMrry.jpg

"Aberdeen"
http://i.imgur.com/TBj1Bds.jpg

"Hong Kong: Bird Street"
http://i.imgur.com/olmFaUD.jpg

"Part Time Job: Breaking Tiles" [translated version]
http://i.imgur.com/USrnUIb.png

”Fishing” [translated version]
http://i.imgur.com/rq3k7Rz.jpg

"Washing spot" [translated version]
http://i.imgur.com/v3Q5B3G.jpg

"Interior of the Yuki Dojo"
http://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SCAN00801.jpeg

Article source: http://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/projectbook/virtua_fighter

Loved reading it Switch! Thank you so much for this!

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

Certainly in an ideal world the silence is to allow YSnet to continue beavering away.

Going out on a limb, the lack of an update and an unclear schedule about when the next one could be a result of it being incredibly hard to access Yu/the dev room/other staff due to scheduling pressures.

Well I know that I won't be playing it and I will also not watch any videos of people playing it either. I want it to be a surprise when I finally get my hands on the full version.

I'm...BACK!

Hello, everyone! Long time no see. After a long hiatus, I am finally back to playing Shenmue! Here's the crazy whirlwind of events that happened today!

I started the day by looking for information on that darn black car, and I finally made some progress and got a lead!

I talked to Nozomi about the car, which I had heard the previous day that she had had a run-in with, and she pointed me to Tom, whom had previously said that he knew nothing about it...until I unlocked new dialogue by talking to Nozomi... #-o

Gripes aside, Tom remembered having a run-in with Lan-Di and his men, and told me I should try talking to someone at the Travel Agency. Going there, I was recommended to ask the owner of a nearby Chinese restaurant, which I did.

The owner of the Aijiichi Chinese Restaurant, after a little coaxing, gave me some interesting info about a relationship between Chinese immigrants who found careers as Barbers, Tailors, or Cooks, known as the Three Blades. He also gave me the names of a few business owners in the area who could possibly tell me more.

It was around this time, though, that I got involved in...an incident.

Rounding a corner, I bumped shoulders with a ruffian who decided that he and his friend were going to beat an apology out of me. I had better things to do, but the guy wouldn't have it, and threw a hook at my face, which I dodged, sending him tumbling forward to the ground. Suddenly, his friend came at me, and, being just a little too slow to react, plugged me in the face with a couple jabs. His next attack wasn't as lucky. I caught his kick and gave him a good punch to the stomach, ending his assault. I then quickly finished off the first guy. After making it clear who was boss, I went on my way.

The cook I was told about wasn't at work yet, so I talked with the tailor instead, and he told me that I should talk to the barber. So, I made my way towards his shop, when I decided on a whim to take a small detour. On my way, I passed a small antique shop, which I decided to stop at out of curiosity. It was a good decision, for I discovered that they had several old martial arts scrolls for sale! I happily bought one and read it excitedly. On the scroll was the instructions for a new technique for me to learn! Feeling quite satisfied, I made my way to the barber shop. The owner, Liu-san, told me that his father might be able to answer my questions. I will definitely have to make a visit to him tomorrow.

I headed home for the evening. I spoke briefly with Fuku-san, who remembered an interesting detail about Lan-Di and his men. They all had tattoos resembling a family crest.

One last thing. While goofing around at the dojo, I looked behind some scrolls on the wall and found something very strange. Behind one was a strange panel with an indentation, and behind the other, one with a slot. Both looked like something was supposed to be put in them.

This rabbit hole just keeps getting deeper and deeper.

Sounds pretty baseless and is written in a somewhat semi-professional way, but hey, you never know.


http://www.ricedigital.co.uk/shenmue-hd-remaster-coming-2017/

Shenmue HD Remaster coming in 2017
on February 25, 2017 by I love Japanese games

A trusted source close to Atlus USA, today revealed to me that Shenmue HD Remaster will be released this year. Both games, Episodes 1 & 2, may be released together rather than separately. They are presumably being geared up for launch to precede Shenmue 3, which could possibly slip into 2018.

This will come as no surprise. Last year Sega hinted strongly that a Shenmue HD remaster was on the cards and then towards the end of last year, Sega registered the domain ShenmueHD.com. Furthermore, many have known of the existence of a Shenmue HD Remaster for some time. Way back in 2010, a Shenmue II remaster appeared on Microsoft’s Partnernet – the online ecosystem for Xbox 360 dev kits.

So it was a always case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ a Shenmue HD Remaster would appear.

The appearance of an HD remaster will be vital for the success of the forthcoming Shenmue 3. While it raised a colossal amount of money via kickstarter through long-time series fans, the vast majority of gamers won’t know the events of the first two games.

Such a story rich experience would be impossible to appreciate without knowledge of the events so far – and so it’s an important step for the series to find a new, broader fanbase.

No further details have been revealed to us regarding the release. We were told it is ‘safe to assume a PC/Steam release’, there has been no indication that the Shenmue HD Remasters will appear on any other platform.
EDIT: Today (March 9) the article was updated with the following:
SHENMUE HD UPDATE! – 9/3/2017
Over the last few weeks I’ve had a huge amount of messages (thanks all!) regarding the Shenmue leak, so I thought I should clarify a few points in the body of this article rather than in the comments below. So many people have reported on this story it’s amazing how many have distorted some of the detail.

The only things I know for certain are;
1/ Shenmue HD is complete. It’s basically done.
2/ Shenmue HD will be released this year.

The elements which I have not received 100% confirmation of.
1/ I don’t know specifics about publisher or platforms.
2/ PS4 wasn’t mentioned – but that’s not to say it won’t happen. (It will be of course) but I don’t KNOW this for a fact. (But of course it will be)
3/ Episode 1&2 together ‘may be’ released together.
4/ Shenmue 3 delay is pretty likely.

ILJG guesswork – because why not.
1/ Probably confirmed before E3 – because GET ON WITH IT ALREADY.
2/ Fuku-san Bikini DLC packs – every week from launch.
3/ Someone somewhere at Sega must see the wisdom of releasing Phantasy Star Online on Switch, right?
4/ Phantasy Star Online.
5/ Please GOD Phantasy Star Online.

I've never heard of the website ricedigital.co.uk before this news story. This is what a friend told me:

They are a decent-sized and reliable Japanese site based in the UK. They have connections to the industry as their sister company is PQube, who publish Japanese games.

The editor of the ricedigital article made a comment clarifying a few points:

http://s21.postimg.cc/c8lo99y53/rice_dojo.png

British website Rice Digital is reporting that, according to "a trusted source close to Atlus USA," HD remasters of Shenmue 1 and 2 will be released this year, with it being "safe to assume a PC/Steam release."

You can read more analysis of the report here and forum discussion here .

This Friday, March 3rd, the monthly #SaveShenmueHD Tweetathon continues the campaign for Sega to make a formal commitment to releasing such remasters ahead of Shenmue III.

I still stand by my opinion that, this year, no monthly updates are a good thing.

YSNet are extremely busy and freeing up any resources right now to throw out a small monthly update would only hurt development.
But you're seemingly ignoring the fact that YSNet doesn't post the updates, Awesome Japan does.



Yet you are ignoring the fact that AwesomeJapan get their updates/material from YSNet. That would require a resource from YSNet being "freed up" from development to get it to them. If AJ doesn't have anything, they can't post anything.
I don't understand the big deal here with regards to monthly updates. They held their promise solidly for over a year and now that development has hit full speed, updates were always going to be far and few between. They shouldn't need to tell you that, it should be common sense really. Personally, as I said, I'd rather they just focused on development right now. Don't we all want the best game here?

I will promise that I will be updating you about the progress of the development at least once a month. This is what we have for now.

From the Yu Q&A in August 2015. But it doesn't matter.

Updating monthly is absolutely a much more intensive schedule than many other high profile Kickstarters keep, and they've done a good job sticking to this promise solidly for a year and a half. It was never realistically going to last, although some notice would have been nice.

On the other hand, we're all rational, logical people (mostly...), and if an update doesn't drop two months in a row it's pretty obvious that the update schedule has changed. Notice of a change at this point would be closing the door after the horse has bolted, so don't be surprised if it's never addressed.

As for Awesome Japan filling the content gaps; without knowing the exact detail of their contract with YSnet we shouldn't assume this. They may not be hired to do that, and are simply there to act as administrators on the KS and PayPal.

Let's hope Yu has been drinking his milk.

I've completed an English translation of the recent Famitsu interview with co-producer of Shenmue III, Cédric Biscay.

The interview covers Cédric's background and reasons for starting his company Shibuya Productions, and he talks about some of the guests and goals of the MAGIC event.

And of particular interest for Shenmue fans, at the end of the interview Cédric is asked about Shenmue III and the current development progress. Here's the relevant section:

http://i.imgur.com/NlwmD3M.jpg

If you have a few minutes the whole interview is worth a read too. Link:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/03/interview-with-cedric-biscay-at-magic.html

We have been getting a lot of great feedback from our latest teaser, and a lot of positive comments in regards to our Kickstarter idea. In case you haven't seen it here is the episode that aired a few weeks ago ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0c6GguHCyo ). Its the support from the community that keeps us going so for that would like to thank each and every one of you for following us on this crazy journey.

You might notice that there is 1 less bearded man on this episode as Randall was not able to join us (the local hotdog vendor saw him getting into a suspicious black car)

Adam joins Ireland's biggest Shenmue fan Peter Campbell via Skype as the recant their stories from Japan, specifically the Shenmue Pilgrimage. If you are a Shenmue fan and you find yourself in Japan you owe it to yourself give it a try.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB1EAsLa51A

Greetings backers!
The time is upon us again to bring you a new update and this time we thought we’d announce the new format that Shenmue III will take and show you a few sneak peeks.

We want Shenmue III to reach as many people as possible and after minutes of market research, we realised that people no longer enjoy full-on console experiences. It is obvious that gamers today prefer casual experiences and it is for this reason we have decided to reimagine Shenmue III for phones and tablets.

So ladies and gentlemen, we present to you, the new Shenmue III:
https://i.gyazo.com/9e7bdd912305ca2a7d975acd2f7b724a.png

Here is the main screen. It shows the character you currently have selected and their current action. At the end of the timer, the character will be able to perform another action. Over the course of an action, the character will send you push notifications about their journey, continuing the story of Shenmue. If you are the impatient type, you can buy a booster using the ingame currency ‘Shenmoola’ in order to complete the journey faster.

Speaking of Shenmoola, we’re happy to confirm the return of Tomato Mart as the ingame store! Here you can spend your Shenmoola on boosters, arcade credits, extra playable characters and other perks:
https://i.gyazo.com/96a5aed87baa65cabb354eaa337aaf90.png

Let’s take a closer look!
https://i.gyazo.com/a30e5cc35b4e01c78b0dfe2bf8266532.png
As you can see, you can spend 100 Shenmoola on a can of Jet Cola in order to complete a journey twice as fast.

Shenmoola can be earned as a reward for completing quests, or it can be bought with real money. The choice is up to you!

That’s about all we have for now, but we hope you’re as excited as we are for this new stage in Shenmue history. Shenmue III will be launching on the App Store and Google Play Store this December.

Thank you for reading
- The Awesome Japan Team


Once again, happy April, Dojo!

Yu Suzuki said Shenmue III will cover chapter 5 and 6. Which one will be 6 from the 11 scenarios illustrations from Shenmue postmortem GDC 2014?

http://cdn.escapistmagazine.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/698/698943.jpg

I believe 6 would be the 4th illustration. I really hope the Free Battle system is really good and not some QTE hybrid, since it seems to be a very martial arts heavy chapter.

Only 8 months until release and we still have not seen ryos final face or any new version of his face after e3 ( not counting the photshoped face on a few screenshots). I am 100 % sure the game we be delayed! I think by the end of 2018.

We should hope they will release the game in first place instead of hoping it will be released in 8 months. Thats my only concern.
I don't get the focus on Ryo's face as a barometer for when the game might launch.

Shenmue III hasn't been at a big press event since the Kickstarter, so there's been no real need to rush the assets to near final for the sake of looking pretty. YSnet have clearly been working on it, and are likely going through a process of tweaking and reviewing that you don't see with other games thanks to the smoke and mirrors approach to announcements and reveals.

They'll show it when they're ready.

June 2017 update: RESULTS

The poll results are out now with Shenmue II ranking 6th and Shenmue ranking 2nd! Read the write-up here with bonus messages of thanks from the voice talent for Nozomi & Ryo from the Japanese dub, as well as Yu Suzuki.

http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/06/results-of-famitsu-poll-action.html


Original post:

Help give the Shenmue series some extra publicity in this new poll being run by Famitsu in Japan for best Action-Adventure game.

http://i.imgur.com/xCSxZv5l.jpg

It's very straight-forward and will only take a minute - just a matter of giving up to 3 game titles.

[Poll link now expired]

The only one I feel some level of confidence about is Shenmue III appearing - and that's specifically because of what happened with PSX.

If PSX was something they were certain about when they spoke with the 10K Japan dinner backers - and subsequently got cold feet over - then maybe with an extra 6+ months in the oven the game will meet Yu Suzuki's standards for exhibition.

I was talking about it with Adam earlier today, and that's what we were told. Black and white. Plans had changed obviously, but either way, it shouldn't hinder being excited about any opportunity where Shenmue 3 could potentially be shown in some capacity.

If people want to use PSX as an example of why we shouldn't get excited about anything then what would you propose? Sit under a rain cloud and moan about all aspects of Shenmue? I don't think so, go find another platform to encourage that type of mentality. 15 years waiting on Shenmue 3 and I will embellish every E3 and every event until the game is released because from the announcement in 2015 until the day the game is released, we are in a very privelidged and special time of our life's to revel in every question surrounding what this game could be. One day we will all blast through it and.... then what?

I am going to enjoy everyday of May as I normally do, reading tidbits that become more frequent as the event draws closer. As a gamer, it's the best time of the year, and with Shenmue in the mix, it only makes it better. We are going to put thought and planning into Twitch broadcast special episodes, and fully embrace E3 2017. If anyone doesn't want to be part of that and wants to cast doom and gloom over the part of the year which celebrates videogames as a whole, then politely go find other outlets that suit your outlook. Any Shenmue fan with his/her salt knows the trials and disappointment experienced every year since 2003 and regardless of an appearance or no show at a huge event like PSX or E3, unless Shenmue 3 is suddenly cancelled, these are always the best moments of the year.

Also, the fact that they're working on Saturdays tells me that they're still trying really hard to make December.
This is why I think, for now, December is still possible. I guess the logic at YSnet is that if they continue to haul ass and don't hit any major development problems, then they'll make it on time.

I think this may have been why the game was in prototype for over a year. They did a lot of heavy lifting in terms of demoing mechanics and locking down design goals while they had time on their side. Obviously that doesn't mean they finalised anything, but half the battle of game design seems to be knowing what you want, and knowing how to achieve it. That could be why Yu thinks it's possible to finish the game this year.

I guess an analogy of what I'm saying could be that it takes less time to get from A to B if you plan your journey ahead of time.

Voted!

1- Shenmue (Dreamcast)
2- Shenmue II (Dreamcast)
3- Alice: Madness Returns (Xbox 360)

Thank you Switch!