And they said development on Shenmue III is still going strong and they said they cant confirm if there will be a update at the end of the month. Im sure there will be though. What are your guys thoughts?

https://www.famitsu.com/news/201703/09128374.html

The Famitsu interview with Cedric is now online. There's some Shenmue III stuff halfway down.

Google Translate's wonky take:

Shibuya Productions is also involved in the development of " Shen Mu 3 ", why did you become involved in " Shen Mu 3 "?
Bis Kai　was originally a " Shen Mu " fan, playing "1", "2", I was very sorry that there was no "3". So, whenever I see the European event with Mr. Hiroshi Suzuki, I was jokingly asking "Is Shenmue 3 still"?

- Originally, we had a chance to interact with Suzuki.
As Vizukai　Suzuki san, he was always proceeding with other projects as Shibuya Productions . Unfortunately the project was gone, but when I heard that " Shenmue 3 " development took on reality, I decided to be involved as Shibuya Productions. That is before Kickstarter's support recruitment began.

- Specifically , how is involved in " Shen Mu 3 "?
Biscay <a As a Co - producer as one of the investors, i = 23> I am checking whether development is proceeding smoothly or not.

- I think that many fans are interested, but how is the current development situation?
Biscay　is doing fine. As long as Mr. Suzuki's wrist breaks, I think that I will proceed as planned! Please look forward to.

Seems Cedric still thinks the December release can happen, if Yu & co work hard enough?
Almost done with translating the interview which should help straighten out some of the kinks introduced by Mr Google. Up tomorrow.

Update: now ready. I've made a thread for it here .

As long as Mr. Suzuki's wrist breaks, I think that I will proceed as planned! Please look forward to.

Lmao! Let's not work the poor man THAT hard.

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

Let's hope Yu has been drinking his milk.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3/posts/1775306

Greetings Everyone,
It has been a long time since our last update, and we are painfully aware you all have been eagerly awaiting the monthly report. All of us here have been so wrapped up in the development process that time seems to have flown by...

But no excuses! We apologize for the lapse and will do our best to bring you updates every month. It is beholden on us to keep you informed (without giving too much away of course!) and will do so as promised.

So here we go with vol. 2 of our dev room reports!

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

Sweet sweet update!!!

A couple of screenshots from the video:

Once again:



My man.

They should open a second kickstarter for Yu's liquor fund.

In Shenmue II, when Ryo arrives at the tiny riverside village of Langhuishan, you may remember an optional conversation that he has with one of the three village boys on the wharf. Ryo explains he is on a quest to defeat evil ogres who are dressed in "tiger skin pants".

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

http://i.imgur.com/Lb0hCiE.jpg

This conversation may be a bit puzzling to anyone (like the village boy) unfamiliar with Japanese folklore, so I've made a post that talks about some of this cultural background.

Thank you to Kiyuu for the topic idea, from an old post she made many years ago in these forums!

Read the article here:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/04/ryo-and-tiger-skin-pants-shenmue-ii.html

I've just come across a recent interview with Peter Moore where he discusses the death of the Dreamcast and the subsequent game ports to the Xbox.

The full article can be read here: http://www.glixel.com/interviews/peter-moore-talks-leaving-electronic-arts-for-liverpool-fc-w475540

In a nutshell, Moore claims the death of the Dreamcast wasn't his call - he was merely the bearer of bad news. He also explains the decision behind Shenmue II for the Xbox - it was a you scratch our back, we'll scratch yours deal. Microsoft 'came to the rescue' therefore they were rewarded with a number of SEGA exclusives in the US, including Shenmue II.

Full translation (Probably not as accurate as it would be the other way round).

Q: Right now, you are producing Shenmue 3, which is still in development. How did things go with Sega and Sony to finally achieve this?

Cédric Biscay :To be fair, I would say it was possible in the first place thanks to the original author, Yu Suzuki. I know him very well and met him several times. At first, it was impossible to seriously consider a sequel to Shenmue 2, because the Licence owners (SEGA) didn't want to hear about it. Over time, we (Shibuya Productions) and Yu Suzuki wanted to work together on a game. So we launched a project who could not be completed in the end. At the same time, the situation about Shenmue 3 changed and Shibuya Productions decided to produce it. It's also at this time that we chose to work with crowdfunding, in order to check if the Community (fan base) was large enough and if it could help us funding the game.
Ultimately, the decision to make Shenmue 3 comes from Yu Suzuki and Shibuya Productions. Of course, SEGA allows us to use the licence, since they are the owners of the Shenmue franchise. Actually, Sony comes in a second phase, once they saw that everything was secured, that fundings were provided to support the project.
They (Sony) helped us a lot in terms of communication, in particular during E3 (2015) in Los Angeles, when we did the big announcement. And then of course, they will soon participate actively with the game marketing.

Q: So, Shenmue 3 will come out for PC and PS4, right?

Cédric Biscay : That's right, still planned for PC & PS4.

Q: And for Xbox One ? It seems to me they were disagreements on the matter?

Cédric Biscay : Not specifically disagreement, it's more that Microsoft showed late interest in having Shenmue 3 compared to Sony. Obviously, it's easier to want something when everything is easily accessible. We must remember that way before E3 in Los Angeles, everybody was thinking "Well, Shenmue 3 will never come out, it is a bit of a holy grail" or "the first two games didn't sell well enough so nobody will be interested in Shenmue 3". Truth is, from the moment we decided we would bypass/avoid those obstacles, a lot more people showed interest in being part of the adventure.

Q: Since we talk about Shenmue 3, do you have some exclusive news for us? Release date or story elements for example, etc...?

Cédric Biscay : It's not the right time for exclusive news. I'm always surprised that people ask me on a regular basis about the release date because actually, we gave one right from the start and it hasn't changed to this day. It's April 15 right? To this day, Shenmue 3 is still planned for a December 2017 release date. The situation can evolve but there are no contradicting elements at the moment. In any case, we are not running late with development. It doesn't mean we cannot encounter last-minute hitch or whatever. Anyhow, to this day, the development team didn't report any problem to me.

Q: There is also a rumour about HD remasters of the first two Shenmue and apparently, they should come out this year. Do you know if they will really come out this year? Real facts or fiction ?

Cédric Biscay : First of all, ever since the beginning of the project, this is what we would like to happen. Apparently, it’s something SEGA wants too. It’s only my personal opinion but there’s every chance that SEGA has an interest for those remasters, especially considering all the hype surrounding Shenmue 3. So, I cannot officially confirm the remasters, since I don’t work at SEGA, but it seems logical to me that those games come out eventually. What we would really like to see though, is those games released before Shenmue 3 comes out. This would help us a lot with the marketing but would also bring new players to the Series, because to be fair, start a Saga with the third episode isn’t very cool. If people have played the remasters first, it would be much more fun.

Q : About Shenmue 3 gameplay. Is it going to reach a wide audience, that is to say those who already know the franchise and the new comers ?

Cédric Biscay : That’s what we aim for. That’s what we included with Yu Suzuki in the game. Actually, what we really don’t want, is disappoint the fans. This is essential. And we don’t want to cut our self off from the gamers, this is as simple as that. Therefore, we try to balance things for everybody to be happy but not by making the game hard. It’s essential to keep everybody happy in the true sense of the word. We don’t want to diminish aspects to please others. We want everybody to be happy with the game, this is our goal.

I didn't translate the rest of the interview, since it's not Shenmue relevant.

Probably nothing to go crazy over, but was checking out Sega's E3 page on the E3 website, and they appear to be entered into 5 categories for the event.

- Product Categories (5)
Free-to-play > PC/Windows
Role-Playing > PC/Windows
Role-Playing > Sony Playstation 4
Role-Playing > Xbox One
Strategy > PC/Windows

Role-Playing is a fairly specific category, and Shenmue HD would obviously fit the bill for that, especially on all 3 platforms aswell, since it would be a port i'm sure they would look to push it on PC and PS4 obviously, but why not Xbox One also...?

Obviously, other games they could be showing off like Valkyria Revolution and Yakuza Kiwami, you could also say fit that category aswell...but still just thought it was interesting enough to share.

Here's the link if you are interested :) -

http://mp037jm24.mapyourshow.com/7_0/exhibitor/exhibitor-details.cfm?ExhID=Vc59qhav

EDIT: Hmm, just discovered theres another section for Atlus / Sega, and here they are entered into 103 different categories...again some pretty interesting and specifc stuff! Making me extremely excited :D!! -

http://mp037jm24.mapyourshow.com/7_0/exhibitor/exhibitor-details.cfm?ExhID=8xgYppwY

The name I read the most on the internet is Demon's Souls, but do you think there is the slightest chance it would be Shenmue?

About Bluepoint

Bluepoint Games is located in Austin, TX, and we specialize in technologically innovative console video games and video game engine development. We are committed to the highest quality gaming experiences.

With roots in original development, our team has remastered award-winning PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360 classics in high(er) definition for leading consoles (God of War Collection, ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Flower, Gravity Rush Remastered, Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection). We also provided our expertise to co-development efforts on Sony’s PlayStation All-Stars (developed on the Bluepoint Engine) and Respawn’s Titanfall.

We are passionately at work remaking a classic for current-gen game systems , growing our capabilities as a team and raising the bar for what fans anticipate from us.

http://i.imgur.com/VRGUI7B.jpg

http://bluepointgames.com/employment-opportunities/senior-graphics-programmer/

Kinda unrelated but it's nice to see another Shenmue Tweet from Sega. This time it's not even from Sega Europe's account, just the straight up Sega account:

Apparently "the masses" has been changed in the gentleman in question's profile.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-dalton-5161252/

It now instead says:

Another amazing UNANNOUNCED project to please those speculating about product announcements.

Take your pick as to whether that's an indication of the relative popularity of the IP they're talking about, whatever it may be... ;)

If you're reading this, Mr Dalton, blink once for yes or twice for no.

Then write on your profile how many times you blinked, otherwise we won't know, obviously.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3/posts/1872994

Greetings Everyone,

The intrigue, adventure and drama of the Shenmue story is a hallmark of the series which has ignited our imaginations and burns with anticipation in our hearts. In this month’s update, Yu-san offers a short discourse on plot structurization, thematic touchstones and story pacing. So, take your seats, class is about to start!

https://youtu.be/7-fLEb2h3DQ


Thank you again everyone for your enduring support throughout! See you next month!

I don't think it was readily apparent from the English subtitles, but in the interview Yu was talking about the same plot structure that he talked about at the GDC talk in 2014:
http://i.imgur.com/5JO3Ptw.jpg

I've just put up a post on my blog about it here:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/05/comments-on-kickstarter-update-66-yu.html

Now... I wonder what was on that board?
Me too... I literally couldn't get anything off it. Can anyone produce an "enhanced" image? O:)

I don't think I can do better.

Some mini-game (earning money) mechanic?

Should we sacrifice some goats just in case ?

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sonys ... 0-6449775/

And there we go! Sony in the same spot at the same time, and in the same location as last year!

Could there be an orchestra again? Perhaps starting off with Sedge Tree??? Damn the hype!

Come onnnnnn Shenmue!

Last chapter was actually in the Saturn version with Ryo using the power of the mirrors to time travel into the future as he did to enter the Shenhua's city of Qing dynasty into the past. but Yu then rewrote completely this version. You can watch the sample here from the NHK archives:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5lBCGTd0-E&feature=youtu.be&t=1h1m39s

Load of rubbish.

Tweet from Cedric.

When asked:
Bonjour mr Biscay, pourrons nous avoir des nouvelles concrètes de Shen3 à l'E3(trailer) car hormis quelques clichés c'est bof!
Auto-translate:
Hello Mr. Biscay, can we have some concrete news of Shen3 at E3 (trailer) because apart from a few shots is blah!


Cedric replied:
Bonjour, on espère tous avoir un beau trailer prochainement.
Auto-translate:
Hello, we hope all have a beautiful trailer soon.

Any native French speakers willing to do a more accurate translation or probe Cedric's meaning?

Source: https://twitter.com/CedricBiscay/status/863386908705075200

I'd say it's obviously real. A 4-hr work day using money stockpiled in Yu's garage just sounds accurate to me.

Brilliant translation ;)

It might be that Cedric has no direct operational involvement with S3 and only has a vague idea what's really going on operations-wise.

Maybe he doesn't want to spoil anything. Like really, Sony got kinda mad when YS tweeted the forklift.

It's less than a month away. We'll find out soon enough (not only that, thanks to the 10000 bucks people we got "insider" info that the game is flowing well).

Like really, saying yes or no it's not a good strategy (if he knew). It's good enough that he replies to fans directly.

Can someone link me (or pm me if necessary) the video in the "shenmue 3 not coming to e3" thread that was locked? It was pretty funny and I wanted to save it.

Thief wrote: Can someone link me (or pm me if necessary) the video in the "shenmue 3 not coming to e3" thread that was locked? It was pretty funny and I wanted to save it.

Here you go, dude:

Following their end of fiscal year, Sega reveals plans to revive major IPs in their latest strategic planning document titled "Road to 2020".

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2017/05/SEGA-SAmmy-dealie.jpg

Shenmue 1 & 2, Skies of Arcadia, Power Stone anyone?

Source: Sega Sammy

Just to add some fuel to the rumors/assumptions fire:

https://preview.ibb.co/dpXO6Q/IMG_6614.jpg

For context, "Les Illuminati" is one of the 63 Twitter accounts followed by... Cédric Biscay.

The original tweet from Romain Mahut is likely to be linked to this one from April 2nd:

http://i.imgur.com/30sE13A.jpg

New interesting post from Romain Mahut.

http://i.imgur.com/9ckXt0r.jpg

Quick translation:
Koopa Tweet - "There are rumors about a #Shenmue 1 & 2 HD annoucement during Sony E3 conference along with a new #Shenmue3 trailer." (Note: No idea where this rumor comes from. Maybe it's just a guess coming from the newly bumped GAF thread about Rice Digital rumor)

Romain Mahut Tweet - "Chances are that there will be "talk" about Shenmue during E3, but i didn't hear anything this specific." (Note: R.M. answer isn't that easy to translate for me. Risque ≠ risk & "parler de" isn't exactly "talk about" in those case.)

...

Guys don't get me wrong. I don't want to prove anything or convince you about anything.
I'm just trying to put pieces of the jigsaw together before E3, which in either case, will give us all the answers.

I don't think I'd describe the style of Shenmue as photorealistic. Most of the textures are hand-painted (digitally, I assume) so everything has more of a painted or illustrated look, although the sheer amount of detail provides an aspect of realism. I think this has helped Shenmue age more gracefully than most other games of the era that used photo textures. Something that's thoughtfully stylized usually looks timeless in the years to come, while things that seem photorealistic now almost inevitably look badly dated ten years later.

I was talking with Adam Sipione earlier and he can relate to this more so than I can, but with the Twitch channel and plans/preparations I am putting myself under for that really takes a lot of the hype away. It's work. It's great work, but it's still work nonetheless. I am starting to understand the misconception professional streamers are placed under, in that their lives are sweet playing videogames all day etc, but it's actually a job.
And I only stream once a week! With the E3 supershow though, I am putting in a lot more work, feeling a lot more stressed, and a lot more pressure, mixed with the stress and emotion of E3/Shenmue fan also.
I can't imagine the effort and pressure Adam has with the documentary. As much as I am sure he enjoys it, travelling to all these places to interview people, it must take it's toll, and some of the hype he would experience as a fan of the series. Having to deal with the constant gripes from fans asking where is the documentary and when is it coming etc.

Sorry guys, I cant jump on the hype train as of yet. Maybe at one of the stations down the line.

Peter, we can only imagine the huge amount of work, preparation and energy the Twitch stream requires, especially now that the super E3 stream is coming.
What we can tell you is that we are grateful for what you did, are doing and will do with the stream, including what you do for Shenmue and this Community.

Whatever happens during E3, but also before or after, we are grateful to you.
Don't put yourself under too much pressure, don't jump on the hype train if you don't feel the time is right.

As far as I remember the faces ( at least the passport ones and I bet some others too) Are digital scans from some handmade busts.

http://i.gyazo.com/c62a23b466991608f65476ce66b93542.png
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSIOojzDPnjbl_Xm9XhFLdziPUOmaYl9d2d7z0M3ZNOxOYDSiPbuw


Those busts were used not only in the passport but in the Shenmue online trailer and official artwork.

Passport
http://i.imgur.com/l5OzfC9.jpg

Shenmue online
http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire1/081c121996067879e2804bfc7024dcd01233201400_full.jpg

Artwork
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100104004206/halofanon/images/b/b3/Shen2-ryo-hazuki2.jpg


Passport Face ( tweaked +Into a new model)
http://i.imgur.com/1Yt7ryo.jpg


And as some of you may know I have used those passport faces as base for new models, they are fully rigged

Left original artwork, right reconstruction using the ripped face from the game.
http://i.imgur.com/HTguH99.png


http://i.imgur.com/rFJaTAf.jpg http://i.imgur.com/aWkSTOH.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/R84fSTY.jpg http://i.imgur.com/nq5piLz.jpg




http://i.imgur.com/4JaLmwX.jpg

http://www.shenmue500k.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Esppiral-nozomi-flower-shop.png


http://i.imgur.com/gSvTeSf.png http://i.imgur.com/5O1DYlz.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/78IiaW5.jpg


Every single model uses the passport faces as a base.

Sorry for the overload of images, I know it seems I always try to post my pics when this topic surfaces....

Bu t my point is, the excuse of old models and new tech incompatible is... well... BS.

So the real reason why they aren't using faces close to the originals is beyond my comprenhension...

About "Just Add Water" CEO messages on NeoGAF.

It's not unlikely that he's not trolling Shenmue fans but simply being (very) unprofessional...

Anyway, he kind of confirmed that Shenmue HD is real on his Twitter account:

http://i.imgur.com/I7K3J7r.jpg

https://twitter.com/stewartgilray/status/864953283701551104

I didn't notice that. Romain Mahut did.
https://twitter.com/RomainMahut/status/865163221795319808

Gameblog posted an article about it:
http://www.gameblog.fr/news/68194-shenmue-hd-le-pdg-du-studio-just-add-water-confirme-son-exis

(Guys... remember I'm only a messenger, please :mrgreen: )

i assume we are getting awesome japan a crate full of fanta?

I'd go for something more practical like a nice bottle of alcohol as I know Japanese in general love their booze.

I know for sure Yu would appreciate it. RIght Mr. Suzuki?
https://68.media.tumblr.com/4f668971477ed90680d1d0537813afcc/tumblr_op9pjitn2V1t4enkyo1_1280.png

Anyway I'm more than glad to help out on the GoFundMe for anything you guys are deciding on.

Edit: Never mind. Just saw the other page. I'm in.

The Gamblog journalist Romain Mahut is on fire...

It looks like he struggles to remain silent about Shenmue HD (See the last tweet picture, from yesterday night).

For those who have no idea who he is, Romain Mahut is a journalist working for the second most popular gaming website in France (behind Gamekult) and he is also a huge Shenmue fan.

This below is the first time he did a tweet about the Shenmue series, at the beginning of April.
http://i.imgur.com/28IzyyR.jpg

The next screen-cap is taken from the comments section about the "SEGA plans to revive major IPs" news.
http://i.imgur.com/ISamt51.jpg

Romain posted a Tweet shortly after JAW CEO comments about Shenmue HD on NeoGAF.
http://i.imgur.com/akpNcIu.jpg
(No N.D.A. but he has been asked to keep some things for himself.

JAW CEO "kind of confirms" on Twitter what he wrote on the NeoGAF forum.
http://i.imgur.com/AIBUgwQ.jpg

New Tweet from Romain, yesterday night. This is not an answer, that's a spontaneous tweet.
Although Shenmue HD isn't mentioned, it's seems very very likely that this is about our beloved franchise.
http://i.imgur.com/hVHvc4U.jpg
"It's coming out. The real mystery is the announcement date."

It's interesting to note the change of "tone" since the JAW CEO comments.
I assume he no longer feels obliged to keep some things to himself.
To me, this is the closest thing to an actual confirmation of Shenmue HD existence.

Why does Romain write so much about Shenmue?
He's a Shenmue fan, but also a journalist and as journalist he probably doesn't want to miss the "scoop" if the opportunity arises. (By the way, he and Julo, another journalist AND Shenmue fan from Gameblog will attend E3. It's definitely worth checking their Twitter accounts during E3...)

That said, Shenmue HD could exists as a "project", it can be at the beginning of the development or simply far away from completion. It's SEGA, no doubt they can be late. Officially, we don't even know if the project has been greenlighted.
Although the chances for an announcement during E3 are real, they mathematically are still not above 50%...
It may come later, during the PSX or the TGS. It all depends on how far they are with the development and how early before release, SEGA wants to make an announcement.

As Shenmue fans, as a Community, I think that all we can do is keep the pressure on SEGA to release Shenmue HD before Shenmue 3 comes out. About that, TeamYu explained way better than me, where we stand right now.
https://www.facebook.com/TeamYu/posts/1608837042461662/

Let's make the June 3rd #SaveShenmueHD Tweetathon the most vocal of all time! :mrgreen:

Ever since I orignally got Shenmue I had thought how great a teaching tool it would be if you could mod the game (Or remake it from another game, say Half Life 2 or what have you.) and have it where you basically step off the plane onto Japanese soil.  The reason I chose Shenmue as the game is due to it's original setting is Japan, so all the building blocks would be there from the start.  Also the way the virtual city just breathes life, I still think it does a better job then, than most games today. =D>

So you are tested while on the plane or greeted by your guide, with your knowledge of both the speaking and writing of Japanese.  Perhaps by a narrative asking if you are proficient in N3 or in case you are not sure, a quick test of your general knowledge.

If using your guide they will speak to you in English (or what ever language) with little spritz of Japanese to gauge your comprehension.  If you do not answer quickly or correctly, the guide and other NPCs (those coded to speak English or "better" English) will act accordingly to you, but still push you into speaking Japanese.

When you are finally left on your own or you immediately go that route, (second play through or you are just that good.) the city is free to be explored at your leasure.

You can interact with people and they will in turn interact with you.  Depending on what you said your level of understanding of the language (can be changed at any time) or actually tested for proficiency wise, determines how many people can speak to you or how intelligent they interact with you, as in bigger harder words if you are good or talking to you like you are a small child. :mrgreen:

The Japanese landscape however does not change what so ever.  So something written in Japanese will always be in Japanese, be it a billboard, a shop's sign or even a news clipping.  However you can easily press a button and see a translation into English or a break down of the Japanese structure like if zooming onto a residential house name plate on Shenmue, except you have to press the help button, it is not freely given to you.

You play a foreigner or perhaps you could play it as a visting friend or even a resident.  But what that means is how "polite" you are expected to treat others and in turn should expect to be treated.  So if complete strangers I suppose the polite way and with good friends the normal or less polite way.

Also you are tested through out the game naturally with how you interact with others by your body language/actions.  The game would teach you to bow, how to slurp noodles, how to wait/ride the train.  I mean the lists goes on. Plus if the city (cities) could realistically be shaped like Japanese cities all the more better.  (But with out perfect detail like real shops being used, since that would obvioisly need permission from each to do so, although Google Maps is allowed to show them...)

Basically there is no fighting to be had, you are not Ryo or even on a mission to find the mirror.  Just some random visitor, although there could be fetching, traveling, collecting and others quests. 

Originally I thought as far as consoles go, that the Nintendo Wii would be the best idea.  It was powerful enough to run Shenmue and had the added bonus of the microphone for speech and the remote/nunchuck for the QTEs and general ease of navigating, pointing, writing kanji, zooming, etc.

Plus at the time the Wii was kicking both the XBOX 360's and PS3's butt, so more people had the opportunity to play and it was a more friendly, family oriented, casual person type of game console.  Plus Nintendo had a slew of other language and brain games at the time as well, just this would of been a lot more fun and a lot more interactive and Nintendo and SEGA seemed to be getting chummy with one another.

Anyway, that was always a fantasy of mine.  One I am likely never to see fulfilled.  I my self for sure can not code.  But maybe if Shenmue 1 and 2 comes out to Steam, or even 3 and like most good PC games are allowed to be modded, a game like this could materialize... [-o<

And you could potentially with more work make/visit virtually any part of the world whether it be China, (China would be easier than the others mentioned due to Shenmue 2.) the Middle East, Africa, Europe or even America as a destination and language teacher.

Funny you should mention that, since I was just looking at his work on Front Mission 2 the other day since so many great artists worked on that series, his work probably stood out as my favourite even against the likes of Amano (FM1 and Gun Hazard) and Yusuke Naora (FM4 and FM5), both of whom I am a fan of too. Speaking of Jun Suemi, who I've liked for a while now, I tended to get his work mixed up with Shinobu Tanno who worked on games like Culdcept, Vandal Hearts 2 and Bladestorm: Hundred Years War. He's definitely one of the most...underutilised artists in Japan, I feel. His day job now seems to be as an artist for the covers for the Guin Saga novels.

When said artist can roll out artwork like this:

http://i.imgur.com/jdnLlV1.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/k3PBWXa.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/mdnCh4y.jpg

More here:
http://i.imgur.com/drOkPjQ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/F3w7ki2.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/I5S9jap.jpg

...Why isn't Shinobu getting more work?

Art gallery here (I was constantly wide eyed by this guy's work):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/janus-amator/sets/72157643377604825/

Guess guys like these (like yourself and Thief both posted) don't draw "kawaiiiii desu uguu uguu" [under age girls] enough for most Japanese game companies nowadays. :roll:
Good art sure is a hard sell now in that country, dunno what the fuck happened over there.

EDIT: Thief - Yoneda also seemed to be the illustrator/artist for Silent Bomber (PSX) and Elemental Gearbot (PSX) too.
Also just found his artbooks on Amazon.co.jp
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%9C%AC-%E7%B1%B3%E7%94%B0%E4%BB%81%E5%A3%AB-KADOKAWA-%E5%AF%8C%E5%A3%AB%E8%A6%8B%E6%9B%B8%E6%88%BF/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A10805931%2Cp_lbr_three_browse-bin%3A%E7%B1%B3%E7%94%B0%E4%BB%81%E5%A3%AB

It's absolutely beautiful art.

Just stumbled upon this one.
Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna, or Project Setsuna. I don't know a whole lot about the game, but gad dang if that ain't some of the most gorgeous boxart I've ever seen. I love the understated type. Better if you click on it and see the details.

http://oi68.tinypic.com/2wr3hw4.jpg

^^Same. My only experience with steelbooks, the discs are unnecessarily difficult to get out and put back in, and the cases don't seem to close as well as a regular plastic snapcase.

So from what I've heard this game itself isn't quite as hot as some were expecting (what, unsatisfied gamers?! Unheard of!), but this is still some pretty badass artwork for the US cover.

http://oi68.tinypic.com/27zkttz.jpg