The kickstarter should be marketing the game and creating hype so more people back, it's a different approach to say "every step is a step to a better Shenmue" than to say "we actually need 10 million" (specially to non fans).
This week is no different to when Shenmue 3 was announced. The purpose of the Kickstater has always been to generate as much money as possible for Shenmue 3. It's just now we have 10 million as the ultimate stretch goal, something we can all strive for even as the minimum funding goal has already been achieved.

Just finished mine. I voted for Xiuying Hong because she's got it going on! She would make a cool cameo or even "character perspective gameplay" feature imo...

Awesome reward ideas, although according to the prices associated with them, I doubt I can afford them... :-( we'll see!

Exciting times indeed!

Just finished mine. I voted for Xiuying Hong because she's got it going on! She would make a cool cameo or even "character perspective gameplay" feature imo...

Awesome reward ideas, although according to the prices associated with them, I doubt I can afford them... :-( we'll see!

Exciting times indeed!

I voted for Xiuying too! She was such a great character in Shenmue II. She was rock 'ard!!

I loved that scene where she took out that whole group of guys behind Yuan's back!

Her martial arts skills; she'd be a match for Lan Di I reckon.

Hyo Razuki wrote: I don't think adding a Paypal option would make that much of a difference for the Kickstarter. It might get like an extra 100,000 but it won't make a difference worth millions.

$100,000 is $100,000, every bit helps!

We're only at that figure because it's been poorly handled. I feel that Suzuki's played his hand far too early, and it all comes across as a rush job. Also, I say about being willing to wait a few more years for the game to ensure it's of a high quality, yet that makes me impatient? Sound logic there pal!

We've spent the last 14 years waiting, waiting, waiting and being disappointed over and over. Until this month, some people would've probably accepted a Shenmue III book. I mean, 14 years for a chronological sequel? What are the chances???

And yet Shenmue III is now officially happening ; it's by Yu Suzuki, involves key members of the original team, it's raised $3.6M, broke Kickstarter records, has 3 weeks to go, and has Sony's and others' financial backing. It's a ****ing miracle whichever way you look at it (in your case: gift horse, straight in the mouth)

The bottom line is, EVEN if we don't hit $10M, we can easily reach that in 2 years with Paypal. They'll offer it, why? Because they want money and we want to give it, and people like taking money. That's why.

I know the weather's shit in Manchester but Jesus, lighten up and let other people be positive.

We've seriously been begging for Shenmue 3 for 14-years and now that we are finally getting the game for sure at this point, I cannot believe that people are seriously complaining!

I am not even talking about the management of the KS page or the campaign in general, but people being like "oh, yeah I want Shenmue 3, but won't support it unless they announce a physical PS4 version." Or, "this game will suck if we don't reach 10-million!"

I have way more faith in Suzuki San than to think he'd only ask for 2-million just so he could give us a crap game just to finally shut us up. Apparently some people in the community think this is what he is doing :roll:

I know this is a fraction of the overall community, but it just blows my mind that some people are really complaining at this point. We are getting the game! Be happy! God damn! ](*,)

Maybe have a forum section for selling any items of any sorts on the boards? Most forums have this.

I do agree on the capsule collection comment though. I am still trying to justify $200 for 3 more capsule toys. Here's hoping to the update of more rewards.

I have a save specifically for when I want to replay it because I consider it one of gamings biggest milestones and achievements.

Before, it always made me sad, but last night I did it for the first time with the knowledge we are getting Shenmue III, and it made me really, really happy. I was happy seeing all of these questions and stuff that I may actually get answers to. Shenhua talks about water buffalo, and life in Bailu, and the old lady who taught her how to sew, all this stuff that's hinted in 3 you think you'll never see ever. And we're fucking getting it. We're actually going to get it! \:D/ Every time I played this section of the game I had a sense of melancholy, but for the first time I could sit back and enjoy it in full without pressure that I will never get answers to my questions.

I highly suggest everyone else do the same. What an amazing experience! =D>

The big mirrors revealing themselves still gave me chills.

Added another $100 onto my existing pledge

Yeah, the 200 for 3 toys is just a big stretch. Hopefully the mirrors will be near that and not 2000 bucks or something.

I'm on 700 bucks for the 500 tier (mostly to show they need more tiers), I want to give some more but the tiers are so weird. Like it's far better to pledge 3 times 175 or 4 times 120, and get more "rewarded".
My guess is that they're hoping a full set of the capsule toys will become a collector's item, as not many people will have all four. Not that I've got the kind of scratch to go for it anyway, but they still need to add more rewards between the 500 and 3000 tiers. Something in the 700 to 1000 range, and something in the 1500 to 2000 range.

Anyway, I get by on my base wages so I've been putting in some overtime and adding some of that to my contribution. Trying to get up to that $300 tier.

It is indeed cheap, but better cheap than not giving anything!

Polygon headline: SONY BOSS CONFIRMS DIRECT FUNDING OF SHENMUE III

$29 more than people crying about physical copies for the PS4.

Shenmue 3 could not have been announced at a worse time for me seeing how I just built a $1500 gaming PC back in May, I have 4 cavities that need to be filled, I need new glasses soon, and I have a $200 tech certification exam to pay for next week. However in order to fund the $550 dollar pledge I've already made and the additional $500 to $1000 I will drop on this KS before it ends, I have had to result to doing something I told myself I'd only do in case of an emergency; sell part of my video game collection off.

In order to cover my current pledge I don't have to sell off too much, mostly just a few CIB consoles I have and I complete Steel Battalion on XBOX. However to get an additional $500 I am going to have to start selling games off and sadly the first to go will be NES and SNES games because of how valuable a lot of them are. It pains me to do this, but it will pain me more if I let the KS go by without doing all that I can to help the project become Yu Suzuki's ultimate vision of what he wants Shenmue 3 to be.

So what sacrifices have you made or will you make in order to help fund Shenmue and get it to it's $10,000,000 goal?

UPDATE:

since the original content of this post was kind of confusing, due to inaccurate translation and questionable journalism, i'm editing it, as well as the title. originally this was about a french site claiming cedric biscay saying that getting the shenmue license from sega has been a huge problem for years, which according to an article from kotaku.com wasn't the case at all. cedric biscay wasn't saying that at all in the interview, it really only was what the author of the article was assuming/believing. here's the link to the kotaku article:

http://kotaku.com/getting-the-rights-to-shenmue-was-easier-than-you-d-thi-1712037863

"Getting The Rights To Shenmue Was Easier Than You'd Think"

The creator of the beloved open world games says all he had to do was ask. “They felt safe giving me the license to make the next one,” Yu Suzuki told me yesterday. Really, who else was Sega going to give it to?

Usually, when folks want to revive long-dormant video game franchises, they have to struggle through thorny legal and business dealings to figure out who allowed to do what. But to hear Yu Suzuki tell it, it was pretty easy to get the license to make Shenmue III from Sega. “They felt safe giving me the license to make the next one,” he told me yesterday.



original post below:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
like many of you, i'm returning to these boards after years and years of absence, so.. hey everyone! :)

we could pretty much assume that something like this had been the case for all of these years, but here we have it spelled out: in an interview with french site 20minutes.fr (which i discovered via german site gamefront.de) shenmue III co-producer cedric biscay states that sega actually was a big part of the problem for several years. the quotes below say that despite demands made by yu suzuki, sega refused to either sell the rights to shenmue or develop a sequel to the series for years, hindering the project from moving forward.

http://www.20minutes.fr/culture/1633203-20150617-e3-2015-coproducteur-francais-shenmue-3-raconte-dessous-revival
Reste à régler le problème Sega. Pendant des années, l'entreprise a refusé de produire une suite de Shenmue, qui s'était soldé par un fiasco financier sur Dreamcast. Mais l'entreprise japonaise ne voulait pas non plus céder les droits de licence, malgré les demandes de Suzuki. Biscay ne livre pas les détails mais indique que «Sega conserve les droits et a accepté le projet actuel ainsi que ses partenaires.»

http://www.gamefront.de
Sega hält weiterhin die Markenrechte an Shenmue und hat die Partner des Projektes akzeptiert, wie Shenmue III-Co-Producer Cedric Biscay gegenüber 20 Minutes bestätigt. Er sagt auch, dass sich Sega jahrlang quergestellt und geweigert hat, einen Nachfolger von Shenmue zu entwickeln. Ebenso wollte Sega die Marke nicht verkaufen.

of course, like all of you, i'm glad that they could finally come to an agreement, but damn. reading this makes me despise what sega has turned into even more. it's just sad. but oh well, WE'RE GETTING SHENMUE III, which still seems unreal to me. what a great time. :king:

I've no idea who Biscay is, i'd never heard of him before the Shenmue III kicksarter was announced. Publicly criticising Sega for not allowing a third party and I include Yu in that to walk away with the rights to Shenmue is completely unprofessional and does not bode well

Honestly, having read the original article en français , I can tell you the only one being critical is the journalist, not Biscay. The only direct quote they have from him about Sega goes as follows: Biscay wouldn't get into details but indicated that "Sega retain the rights and accepted the current project, as did their partners".

The author of the article, on the other hand, uses clearly critical phrasing such as "Sega had been refusing to produce a sequel for years" or "The Japanese firm wouldn't transfer the license to Yu Suzuki either, despite his multiple requests". Sega is also referred to as "the one problem that remained to be solved".

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?

Absolutely everything I'm auctioning between now and the end of the kickstarter is going toward Shenmue.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/movingfellow/m.html

Of particular interest to Shenmue fans might be:

3 Shenmue music albums, including the Shenmue Juke Box:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141701855647

And the issue of TV Guide with the Shenmue cover:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141701837579

There's also a bunch of games, Star Trek, and anime stuff in there as well. More being put up there soon!
pretty crazy that tv guide had a shenmue cover lol... I need to collect some magazines that has shenmue, not sure why I never did that before. I have a ton and i mean a ton of MGS, mario, sonic mag covers

I have a shenmue dreamcast white label promo set (pal) £100 all finds going towards upgrading my pledge from the $300 to $500

Anyone interested in it ? It will be on eBay next week otherwise .

I also hope to do the 30 for 3rd july thing

http://www.shenmuedojo.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=100

I think most are there

T-shirt
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/normal_ts_ws.jpg
Cd case
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/cdcase.jpg
The other cd case
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/cdwallet.jpg
Watch
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/watch3.jpg
Illustrations (or mouse pads?)
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/mousepads.jpg
Penholder
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/penw1.jpg

I'm not sure I want the mirror replicas either. A lucky hit stand, on the other hand…

I would really like the mirrors replicas, just because they are cool as phuck. I actually bought a little collection of miniatures from a japanese museum because it had a little one.

I don't think I could fit somewhere a lucky hit stand. But also, it's easier to doubt about the quality of a mirror replica.

A shenmue themed usb would be nice, a metal case would be nice, a keychain (most of the kickstarters have this), the heavens lighter.

I'm not much of a collector either, but I wouldn't mind.

But… they're basically crap, right? A CD case? A mousepad? A silkscreened t-shirt that anyone could make for $25? I guess, there's a figurine if you're in the $2,000 tier but honestly the rest looks like stuff I'd be tempted to throw away.

Have you guys heard anything else?


I dropped my $2000 pledge...

In the meantime I will try to get the $3000 jacket reward instead.

/\ same could be said about the $3k reward jacket. you just know its going to be really crappy quality.. wont be worth any more than $100.

keep your 2k pledge & just buy your self a top quality USAAF ww2 style "Type A-2" jacket or a second hand one. ( aeroleatherclothing or eastmanleather do a really nice one)

Cédric is playing with my heart.

Even if small, it's effecting the campaign in some way. People love to think they're on the inside of information, the ignorant believe in conspiracy theorist ramblings that 2+2=5, throw them a bone and they'll go after it. The second the mainstream gets a hold of information like this, they think they know better and see it as another major corporation trying to screw them. Again, even if small, every bit counts and this is definitely a negative that we don't need. The point that it's still occurring is baffling.

NeoShredder wrote: I want the Shenmue Dojo logo on there.

shenmue 2 had those zippos with the 'Muecas' (japanese online fan community of the time) design on it. so the precedent already exists!

They should reconsider the price for this. The I am Shenmue 3 reward is already sold out, while no one has pledged for this yet. And I'm not surprised. The price difference for what you is too big. Get your face in the game and your name in the guest register for 1500$ or just your face in the game for $4000. It doesn't make sense to me.

Tex murphy did it pretty good, in an abandoned burned building. They even give some comment on each photo, even I that didn't got the tier looked and the photos because it was funny.

This been bugging me but what does '50 Lucky Hit Tickets/20 Capsule Toy Tickets' even refer to? I mean, didn't we used to use money?


As for the Lucky Hit reward, every backer should just use a good looking woman's face, I think we can all accept that!

You could play Lucky Hit to get technique scroll(s) in Shenmue II. May have just been that one hidden one in Kowloon. Fucking impossible, I never managed to get it. Heard the move actually sucked, anyway. Monkey Arm Punch or something?

Thank you, Axm. I've been flooding commentary boxes with corrections for weeks now. It's just trolling at this point, which in itself is a sad commentary on the state of gaming culture. The idea that a successful 15 year cult effort would be put down and muddled by uninvolved people standing on undeserved soapboxes is shameful.

In the very first Forbes hit piece, the author didn't even know Shenmue 3 was pretty far into pre-production before the Shen2x failure. I mean, these are facts that could be gleaned from a cursory glance at Wikipedia. Shoddy journalism hardly more sophisticated than our own prolific Dojo cynicism over the years, the crucial difference being that we were joking among ourselves, not trying to derail a historic funding effort.

We expect that sort of behavior from blogs, but it just goes to show that the higher ups at magazines like Forbes know nothing about the history of video games, and delegate such articles to amateurs.

The Dojo should publish an exhaustive article specifically correcting all the misinformation.

Rant over.

I just made $190/£120 off my two spare DC PAL copies of Shenmue and Shenmue 2 on Ebay (they were backups I bought years ago in case anything ever happened to my originals.)
These funds will be going straight to the Kickstarter on top of my current $660 pledge :heart:

Edit: Done!

http://i.imgur.com/cTJp0mt.png

I feel like they should change it to a "design your own lucky hit board" and lower the price by a grand or two. 99% of Shenmue fans don't want to see people's faces on Lucky Hit boards in Shenmue III, even their own faces. But there's tons of talented artists that are Shenmue fans that would probably love to have their work in Shenmue III. If they were able to design the layout and prizes (within reason) of their board too, that'd be pretty awesome and well worth the money.

Maybe even have a mini replica of their own Lucky Hit board as a physical reward alongside that, too. Shit, I'd consider shelling out 4 grand for something like that.

someone already made the suggestion that the stands with the backers faces could be in a hidden location, and would work out to be an easter egg (like the dural room, or hang-on room). this way it will have less of negative 'intrusive' impact on the game.

i have to admit initially i was not to enthusiastic about the idea, but for the good of funding the campaign i decided not to express my reservations. if it was done in the way i suggested above i wouldn't have any problem with it. the idea of them being on every other board though and in the main areas of the game does worry me.

maybe others backers are having similar reservations, along with the value concerns and thats why they are not shifting.

i also suggested that the game artists could dress them up in chinese clothing or something.

It's depressing reading all these success stories, lol. I was 14 in '99 when I first played Shenmue. 16 or 17 when I played the sequel on the Xbox. I am now 29, and will be hitting dirty thirty in less than a month. There's been a whole book of events and changes. I never finished college, though, and have been toiling away at crappy, dead-end jobs pretty much ever since I graduated high school. I met the love of my life in '08, and got dumped by the love of my life in '10. Had a few meaningless flings since then, but I'm thoroughly damaged goods. A has-been that never was. I rent a decent apartment I can barely afford. I sleep way too much. Yeah... life was a lot better when I was 14 - 17. I've been watching a lot of porn and contemplating suicide lately. But hey, Shenmue 3's coming out, so I got that going for me!

Don't worry. Shenmue 3 will heal your broken soul.

The way Yu Suzuki created what felt like a real, living, breathing world is always what appealed to me. Since GTA3 happened, it seems like open world games have focused more and more on creating larger and larger worlds that act like playgrounds for the player to wonder from place to place to partake in missions and side quests, but nothing ever feels very realistic or detailed.
.

This, GTA to me feels empty and fake, Shenmue felt real.

That's gonna be one cramped wall of the Choubu waiting area

I understand both sides of the argument. But I lean towards the who gives a shit side if I am being honest. (Sorry Rig)

I don't think it devalues it too greatly. I mean you are going to me immortalised in a video game that's going to be played by millions over the ages. Someone will browse every photo in years to come, and laugh at all these people who made the game, and say that's awesome.

That's a privelidge I won't have, and I am paying 10,000! When me and Suzuki-San have shuffled off this planet, who's gonna remember the dinner and chat we had? But your face and name will be in this game forever. That's such a cool thing. Imagine your kids playing Shenmue 3 one day and seeing their dad in it?

That's such an awesome deal.

I don't need sympathy nor clickbait with "Shenmue" on the title.

KeiyaE315 wrote:Dude, he's only being reasonable. His concerns with this particular kickstarter and kickstarter projects in general are totally valid. He's a journalist, not some mindless fanboy who blends out everything negative or concerning. No need to be so rude.

I'm sorry that you actually believe that.

Thank you.

Waste of resources. Pop in VF.

I'm maxed out at $250. I've got a mortgage, student loans and a 21 month old. I can't imagine them announcing anything more that will make me increase my pledge. If I had expendable cash, sure. But that's just not the case.