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Re: Things That Made You Laugh Today

Seriously guys, cut it out. Enough already. Move on.
by Brothaman
Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:49 pm
 
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Re: It's still early but what the hell. Christmas coming up!

Can't stand daytime talkshows. Always just one lowlife after another
by Bluecast
Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:02 pm
 
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Re: Love Him, Hate Him, But Molyneux Makes Good Points...

As stated, the DS screens are close enough together to switch at the twitch of an eye.

Now how does that compare to physically nodding my head up and down to switch screens with the Wii-U, exactly?
by Kenny
Mon Nov 12, 2012 3:43 am
 
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Re: Wii U

Rakim wrote: How long til we get DS games on the virtual console? As soon as I can play Phoenix Wright on the big screen I'm down with Wii U.


you already can, but its wiiware, would be interesting if we got the rest of the series.

http://www.ace-attorney.com/wiiware/
by Segata Sanshiro Jr.
Wed Nov 14, 2012 4:56 am
 
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Re: Playstation All Stars

Wow thats is a cool cover. Maybe a t-shirt design is what makes it so fresh looking.
by Spokane
Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:40 pm
 
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Re: Lincoln

I thought this was going to be a topic about Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.

I am slightly disappointed to find out that it isnt. THis movie does look interesting, though.
by Mr. Frozen
Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:05 am
 
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Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0

Gotta say I'm glad to read that. For all the right reasons, obviously. There's no point goin on your little adventure only to have to come back on here to moderate the place. Hope you'll still drop by every now n again to let us know how it's goin though.
by MiTT3NZ
Fri Nov 16, 2012 3:04 pm
 
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Re: **VOTE FOR RYO TO (possibly) APPEAR IN SASASRT**

Whatever happened to Ryo making a cameo in Dead or Alive? I"d much prefer to see him in a fighting game.
by Ziming
Fri Nov 16, 2012 6:40 pm
 
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Re: Things That Made You Laugh Today

Image

I keep saying "now I've seen everything" yet im always amazed seeing something more ridiculous than the next
by Yokosuka Martian
Sat Nov 17, 2012 12:48 am
 
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Never Forget About Shenmue

Hi Guys!

I've written an article about Shenmue at http://newbreview.com/?p=21991 that you guys and gals may be interested in.

I'm really interested in what you guys think as there'll obviously be some tough customers - I'd greatly appreciate any praise or criticism.

I realise that this post could be construed as 'plugging' but you have to admire my audacity at least, right?

Right? :-"
by IAmNotABot
Fri Nov 16, 2012 10:33 am
 
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Re: Never Forget About Shenmue

Wow, I'm absolutely beside myself by the responses! Thank you all for your kind words and I'm so pleased to see that I've inspired RyoHazuki84 to talk about his own experiences!

The article came about from a frustration, one that few people acknowledge that the two games were a gift, and have merits that are rarely articulated. When I do notice people discussing Shenmue I always hear or read things along the lines of: 'The game was alright, the forklift driving was the best bit' or, 'Where is the gameplay?' etc.

So I wanted to speak up about what Shenmue really offers and wanted to do everything I could to do it justice. I worked on this article for five days and struggled to keep the content under 2,000 words and had to cut entire paragraphs to tighten the pacing. It took me five days to condense my viewpoint as concisely as possible, so everything posted here means an awful lot to me!

I'm definitely interested in tackling Shenmue II, but first I need to play through the entire game again to completely refresh my memory. I still have my Dreamcast hooked-up and Shenmue II in its frayed-as-all-hell sleeve. I need to find a unique angle that tells a different story to justify writing this, but I'm certainly up to the task.

Special mention to Ziming for his/her incredible dedication and the promotion of my piece!

Cheers all!
by IAmNotABot
Sun Nov 18, 2012 6:51 pm
 
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Re: Gaming thoughts of the day

There aren't enough degrees in a circle to give this the eyeroll it deserves...
by MiTT3NZ
Sun Nov 18, 2012 9:39 pm
 
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Re: **VOTE FOR RYO TO (possibly) APPEAR IN SASASRT**

^ Rakim-"They see me trollin they hatin...."
by Bluecast
Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:21 am
 
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Re: What "makes" Shenmue for you?

Shenmue is special to me for all the reasons everyone has said. For me, it's the incredible music, moving story, interesting characters, and the magic realism (my favorite genre). Something I think not a lot of people mention or appreciate about Shenmue is that it was pretty much the first game (and I can't think of another since) that atmospherically created an ordinary, even mundane world, that felt realistic. And yet, there are little hints of magic that start to develop and a great ancient secret or mystery buried in that, that slowly emerges as the series progresses. So you've got this great and unique mid-80s setting, so it feels modern, like home for many of us, but there's no internet, nothing to make the world seem small and less mysterious. On top of that, there were pretty much no games with changing seasons when Shenmue was released. That was wicked special at the time. So, it perfectly captures that wonderful feeling better than any game I have ever played. Also, it's Sega, so it just makes Christmas better.

I will never forget the 9/9/99 EGM magazine with the very first Shenmue preview. I still have it, and I'm still wildly impressed by the graphics, the style, the whole vision as described and shown in the screenshots. There is really nothing else like it. Almost every game then and today is overtly fantasy, or military games, or some combination.

Plus, the Dojo. Shenmue has a ridiculously close community, all of whom have similar taste in games, music, movies, etc., so that's definitely a huge part of what keeps it fresh because we've all been friends for so long, some since the beginning. Shenmue was always community oriented. Certainly, had Shenmue and the DC been a financial success, the series would have gone in the direction of community interaction as the successor to the original Passport, another interesting bonus that made the first game very special. Every part of it felt like you were discovering something profound by entering into a true virtual world.

I don't know, I think everything about Shenmue was just like destiny. It came at the right time in our lives and in Sega's history. A big part of it is that it was the crowning achievement of the Dreamcast, and that system was so much fun, and it was just such a great time for gaming all around. I mean, it wasn't too long after the first 3d cards, everyone was excited about the nextgen consoles and the amazing new graphics we were going to get, speculating on where it would lead, and so on. It was a very interesting time, and Shenmue represented this huge new vision that everyone wanted to be a part of, and if you were one of the few people with a DC, it was like you had been given a key to another world. That's what it was. It was like we discovered a world together.

If I could go back and live those years over again, I would.
by KiBa
Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:05 am
 
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Re: Salute

Stop trying to hide the fact that clearly Jeff has a grip on your cock, Ryudo. [-X
by Sonikku
Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:21 pm
 
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Today has finally arrived.

I have been talking about it, and planning it for a year, but today i leave Belfast and travel to Australia. To say i am nervous would be an understatement, but i will just keep powering through and try to enjoy the ride. I will be logging on as much as i can and keeping you updated, and i wont forget about here. :)
by Peter
Thu Nov 22, 2012 5:14 am
 
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Re: Today has finally arrived.

Honestly guys, thanks for the well wishes and gestures. I didnt shed a tear all day tho, but i came so close when my dad hugged me and he was welling up. But i have this complexity about me that i am 5 or 6 years older than my sister, or the gang thats going with us. At 29 (a month from now) i really am the father figure, and someone has to keep everyone grounded.

But after a Guinness filled night in Dublin, its time to get a quick sleep (which i doubt i will sleep even though i have been wide awake for over 48 hours), and then catch the first of 3 flights at 06.30. I am a bit nervous about flying for over 24 hours straight, but i know i will get there! But again guys, thank you so much. You have no idea how much your thoughts and wishes mean to me. Next time i will be on, i will be in Australia!!! Scary! See ya! lol

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/PeterC2005/SAM_0483.jpg
by Peter
Thu Nov 22, 2012 6:41 pm
 
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Re: Wii U

OL wrote: I'm waiting for a console with a GPGPGPUGPGPUGPGPGPU Radeon LFGM9984.32.
Until that day, I'm not buying a new console.

That's this thing. Okama Gamesphere
Image
by Bluecast
Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:14 pm
 
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Re: Unpopular Opinions

I always like when we do this topic on other boards so I thought I'd try doing one here.

I'll start with a few:


Soundgarden was the best band to come from the grunge scene.

Share your unpopular opinions and hopefully piss off a few other members in the process!

Nope, I completely agree with that, unless we are in the minority haha. hmmmm....

I really enjoy Star Wars Episode I
by Yokosuka Martian
Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:57 am
 
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Re: Unpopular Opinions

the senkaku islands should be british

9/11 was made by aliens to destabilise planet earth before they invade us on 21/12/2012

rakim is a fine gentlemen with good taste in fictional characters

Jeff is a pretty suave guy
by south carmain
Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:21 am
 
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Re: Sinister, grotesque, frightning enemies in games

Grotesque enemies in games?

Image
by MiTT3NZ
Sat Nov 24, 2012 1:07 pm
 
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Re: What Song Are You Listening To Now?

"Dilated go ask yer people how I leave you
With your 3 CDs nobody sees when they released"

I miss old Eminem.
by MiTT3NZ
Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:39 pm
 
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Re: XBox mag: Why Shenmue III is a bad idea

Heavy rain was pretty entertaining. NAHMAN JAYDEN FTW! Just loved his ARI. Reminds me of my Virtual IO iGlasses.

And this is why S3 would be a great idea:


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB1Vo59478s[/youtube]
by Master Kyodai
Sat Nov 24, 2012 7:06 pm
 
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Re: Sinister, grotesque, frightning enemies in games

May not have the characteristics of your typical monster but sure as hell creepy in it's own way.
Image
by Samanosuke Akechi
Sun Nov 25, 2012 6:17 am
 
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Re: Unpopular Opinions

Christ glad that whole slavery thing went away. However I am still gonna stick to my guns on it, and yeah, EVERYONE knows that Europe and especially the UK were dicks in the past, why is that even being discussed like it's some big revelation? :roll:

That post of Ryudo's made me realise another one though. EVERY decade sucks/is as good as the next, more or less. The main defining characteristic that makes one better than any other is the memories and experiences associated with them.
by St. Elmo's Fire
Sun Nov 25, 2012 7:01 am
 
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Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0

I woke up to one of the most bizarre things that came to mind: The Fab Four....as Hitmen.


During an interrogation, guy strapped to a chair. John does a little dance with a straight razor, Reservoir Dogs style. Coming right at him--

John: I am the eggman.

He SLICES the guy's face.

John: They are the eggman.

He does ANOTHER SLICE.

John: I am the walrus...

He stands, arms to side. Then waves rhymically for the last part at the guy's face.

John: Goo Goo G'Joob!

=======================

After botching a job, covered in blood, Ringo looks to the side all melancholy like when Paul comes up to him.

Paul: Don't you need somebody to talk?

Ringo: Right, but not just anybody.

=======================

John Lennon's infamous assassin comes waltzing up in a suit in front of the Fab Four.

Mark David Chapman: Mr. Lennon, i'm afraid it's not your day today.

John gets a big machine gun weapon out and BLASTS the hell out of him. The fat bastard falls to the ground.

John: Not today bitch.

John cocks his gun at the fallen bastard.

John: All you need is gun.

=======================

Paul: Why did you leave us for Yoko, the greatest female mobster ever to live? She's hellbent on destroying us!

John: I'll be straight with you, i'm tired of working with you daft bastards! It's always (mocking) oh I want to be the leader!

=======================

During an interrogation with another guy sitting in a chair, light on him.

Guy: They call 'em old flattop. He usually come grooving up slowly. He got joo-joo eyeball, he one...holy roller. He got hair down...to to his knees. Got to be a joker, he just do what he please.

John SLAPS him across the face.

John: Quit fuckin' around with us and give us a name.


=======================

George lights a cigarette and throws it on a gas trail.

George: I'm the taxman.

The flame lights up and hits a car, it EXPLODES!

George: And i've come to collect my dues.
by Kenny
Sun Nov 25, 2012 2:47 pm
 
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Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0

Wow, just under $20 an hour? That's fucking good pay!
by MiTT3NZ
Mon Nov 26, 2012 4:08 pm
 
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SII CHAR DATABASE-ALL 700 (AND 1) CHARACTERS! UPDATE 27/3/15

http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/xx318/askvera/s2cd_sigbanner.png


DOWNLOAD - https://www.dropbox.com/s/8qkby011a3tkgg2/Shenmue%20II%20Character%20Database.rar

Yep. After nearly a decade, it's done, people :D

HISTORY OF THE SHENMUE II CHARACTER DATABASE PROJECT
Ever since casting my eyes upon screenshots of Shenmue published in the (now defunct) UK magazine Computer and Video Games, I have been absolutely enthralled by the series. This game was definitely something different. As the famous tagline proclaimed in the trailers before its release – RPG had changed. Sure, hailing the game as being its own exciting new “genre” with a somewhat silly acronym as its name (FREE- Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment) was being a tad overzealous perhaps, but you had to admire Yu Suzuki’s ambition for this game. When I finally got to play it on the Christmas morning of 2000, it did not disappoint. The atmosphere created was just amazing to me – a realistic, living, breathing town with over 300 individual characters – all with their own specific daily routines and, in supplementary materials, all named and given detailed biographies! Throw in the fantastic music and the engaging (if not completely original) story and you really had something special. And this was only part one of the saga...

Bundled with the game was the ‘Shenmue Passport’ disc. Through the Dreamcast’s internet connection, this enabled access to all sorts of information about the game, as well as ranking leaderboards for the various mini-games and the chance to get exclusive capsule toys. One of the best features was the character profile section however; as you met and conversed with the characters during a playthrough, their profiles would gradually be added to the Passport. Now to some, giving all 300+ characters names, stats, and biographies may seem extraneous, (especially given characters that Ryo can’t even speak to have detailed information about them!) but it really shows the love and care put into the game by the developers and the amount of depth to Shenmue that few games have matched.

PASSPORT EXPIRED
The Passport service was eventually taken offline in April 2002, but thankfully the character profiles had also been published in Prima’s strategy guide book for the game, so the information was still readily available to fans.
Which brings us to the sequel game, Shenmue II – which I got the following Christmas in 2001. This sadly could end up being the last game in the series, despite it ending on a cliffhanger and at a game-changing point in the saga’s story. Nonetheless, the sequel’s world was even bigger than the first’s– Ryo travels to Hong Kong to continue his quest, with most of its areas completely dwarfing Shenmue I’s in terms of size, as well as the amount of characters – around 700. There was also a lot more mini-games and sidequests to discover, and fans generally agree it is more action-packed and that the plot moves a lot quicker than the first game (though some will argue Shenmue I’s atmosphere has more charm) And what of these 700-odd characters? Were they all named and profiled as per the original game? As it turns out, yes – but these were not readily available to the fans outside of Japan.

Firstly, unlike the first Shenmue, there was no Passport. There was no Prima guide either, as the Dreamcast version had been cancelled in America. America eventually saw an updated version of Shenmue II on the Microsoft Xbox, and a Prima guide was finally published. However, unlike the Shenmue I book, there were only profiles on the main characters; Ryo, Shenhua, Xiuying, Fangmei, Ren, Joy, Wong, Lan Di, Dou Niu and Yuan. The Xbox version, with the new snapshot feature, did include profiles on some of the other characters; unlocked when you took pictures of them, but it didn't come close to having profiles for all the characters. Would we ever know the names and backgrounds of the reams of anonymous characters?

A FAN EFFORT
Shortly after I had completed Shenmue II, I looked around on the internet for fansites/information about the series, ultimately finding the excellent Shenmue Dojo website. I joined the forums, and this was in fact one of the first message boards I signed up to on the internet. My handle on the forum was (and still is) ‘Miles Prower’, as I am also a long-time fan of the Sonic the Hedgehog series of games (and Sega games in general). I made a lot of good friends through the Dojo community and have many fond memories associated with the forums. I think between us we have probably discussed every single aspect of the games to death, but as many fans will attest, you find or notice something new with every playthrough of these wonderful games. Not to mention the very active hacking/modding scene that developed, mostly headed by longtime member LanDC, in which reams of unused content was discovered and many interesting and or humourous modifications made to the game. I still get a warm nostalgic feeling every time I watch LanDC’s Road to Amihama videos in particular.

And indeed, the question of whether detailed character profiles existed for Shenmue II’s cast was raised in discussion. In a thread from 2003, a member named Eek the Cat shared some scans of a guidebook he owned published in Japan called the Shenmue II Perfect Guidebook. The scans showed that there were indeed names and profiles for each and every character.
Eek was even kind enough to put all of the scans together on a CD for me and mail it to me, and even threw in a couple of audio CD’s he had compiled containing music from Shenmue II (sadly the second game never had any official soundtracks released).

The problem? Being that this book was from Japan, the character names were in Chinese and the information in Japanese. Through discussion in the topic, another forum member called khien agreed to help with translating the character names as she could read Chinese. And so began the effort to translate the many character profiles. I began by gradually posting them within the topic, and then eventually creating a website (which, thanks to Web Archive, you can still view here , albeit with most of the images missing).

Continuing into 2004 and beyond, progress was quite slow, mainly due to me starting university. Khien’s life ended up becoming quite busy as well, but thanks to the efforts of another forum member, Oda Ryo, the translation work still continued. The forum member Kiyuu (possibly Japan’s biggest Shenmue fan, and often referred to as the ‘Shenmue Queen’), also informed me that another book existed, the Shenmue II Complete Guide, which contained profiles for characters not included in the Perfect Guidebook; namely those for the many pedestrians who wander the streets of Hong Kong. I made the effort to acquire this book myself and make scans for the remaining profiles.

RESSURECTING THE PROJECT
As the years went on, however, my free time became less and less. I studied for three years at university and after graduating in 2008, I was working full time; in short I was growing up. It was also looking increasingly unlikely that a Shenmue III would ever emerge. Life went on. However, my enthusiasm to complete the project was somewhat fired up again when Peter from the forums (who most likely owns the biggest Shenmue collection in Ireland) got in touch with me on Facebook asking if I was still working on it, as the Dojo staff had managed to get an interview with one of the voice actors for the English dub of Shenmue II (a very interesting read by the way, which can be found here , and they had requested that video clips be assembled of the characters he voiced, which he supplied a list of – but only by name and brief descriptions. Using the information from my project I helped with finding some of them. I then found myself wanting to get the project finished once and for all, and got back in touch with Oda Ryo who happily assisted me with getting the remaining names translated.

I had also spoken to the member ‘thegreatchai’, who had also been attempting to catalogue the character information on her wiki site, and over time we assisted each other greatly. I began transferring the information to an Excel spreadsheet with the intention of creating a complete database of all the Shenmue II characters – which after assembling a numbered list I discovered there are exactly 700 – surely a deliberate intention of the creators? At any rate, after a few months work the project was finally finished. I am glad that this information is now easily accessible to Shenmue fans, and while some may consider me obsessive or downright insane for pursuing with the project, it was worth it for a game series that I love so much and one day hope will be continued in some form. We can but hope. The saga may still go on....

DOWNLOAD - https://www.dropbox.com/s/8qkby011a3tkgg2/Shenmue%20II%20Character%20Database.rar

Please feedback and let me know if you spot any mistakes or errors, or any factoids about the characters that I may have missed. Most of all, enjoy :D
by Miles Prower
Tue Nov 27, 2012 2:41 pm
 
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Re: Last Game/System/Peripheral You Bought

I want that doll,even if it does look like something from Dragonball in a suit :lol:
by Bluecast
Tue Nov 27, 2012 4:32 pm
 
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Re: SHENMUE II CHARACTER DATABASE - ALL 700 CHARACTERS!!

Agh - if I'd remembered today, Nov 29th, was Ryo's birthday (as well as the date Shenmue I begins), I would have held off from releasing the database until today to make it special haha :lol:

I do have one present though ;-) For those who might be interested, I've uploaded the scans of the profiles from the Perfect Guidebook that were sent to me by Eek the Cat all those years ago...just in case anyone was curious to see them. The text in these scans is Chinese/Japanese - obviously you now have the database itself for the translations :P

Here's the link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/x963i8zekunixte/Shenmue%20II%20Perfect%20Guidebook%20Scans.rar?m

And a pic of one the pages as a preview:
http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/xx318/askvera/shen2profiles_page02.png

And thanks for the kind words everyone - felt good to finally get it finished :D

this is fantastic work BUT its a shame it still isn't as detailed as Shenmue 1's Biography's.. I would have given my soul if the people who created this wrote their own in line with what the chracaters did in the game
Yeah, I hear you, it is a pity...writing 700 detailed bios probably would have been a bit of a tall order though, it's still pretty cool they bothered to name/give stats to everybody :)

EDIT: Link corrected, apologies!!
by Miles Prower
Thu Nov 29, 2012 11:39 am
 
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Re: 90's punk bands

what the fuck mrslig that's about as far removed from punk as you can get hahaha
by beedle
Fri Nov 30, 2012 8:57 am
 
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Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0

are you going to do it dressed as a snorlax? then you can show her your pokeflute
by Segata Sanshiro Jr.
Fri Nov 30, 2012 4:18 pm
 
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Re: Your Favourite Theories

The one i remember is that Ryo fights all the way through the Chiyoumen HQ and finally gets to LanDi, but its where he learns that Lan Di was a puppet for the "Tentai" of the organisation. Lan Di realises that he was on the wrong side all along, and that he, like Ryo is fatherless. Together they take on the entire Chiyoumen Double Dragon style :lol:

I like the sound of that! I found my theory ! Basically, the theory was (fuck it, IS ) that Ryo is so emotionless because he was sexually-abused as a child by Iwao. It ends with Shenmue III starting as Ryo wakes from a dream to find his dad on top of him. The idea was to craft a theory that explained everything , if I remember.

It is my belief that the truth of Shenmue underlies the beautiful fecade of asian culture, and 1980s espionage. I believe that my theory explains anomalies/inconsistancies within the game, and it's storyline. You've definitely never heard a Shenmue theory quite like this one, so please open your minds, and consider these things (a closed mind is like a closed fist).

To begin with, let's consider the facts (every good theory starts with the facts). What do we have? A young man (Ryo Hazuki), avenging his fathers' (Iwao Hazuki) death, in 1980s Asia (Japan and China, thus far). Said young man embarks upon an adventure across a whole continent. From his little suburban paradice in a little Yokosuka culdesac, the the lush sweeping landscape of Guilin (thus far). It's an adventure, alright. However, I believe that there is more here than meets the eye.

Now, where do I start? I believe that Iwao was an extremely abusive father, who ruled the Hazuki household with an iron fist, ever since Ryo has known him (" Eat your FUCKING carrots! "), up to the day he was killed. Where do I get this idea from? Well, one look at Ryo should be enough. Any psychiatrist could take one look at Ryo, and tell you that he has some very deep-seated problems, stemming from an extremely troubled childhood (anything from mental, to extreme sexual abuse).

You can see it with the way he interects with the world around him. He clearly sees everything through a child's eyes. His sheer sense of wonder at picking random objects up, and scrutinizing them, is textbook child behavior. His fascination with toys is a more obvious example of this. Collecting capsule toys of SEGA games is something children do, and 18-year-old men do neither of the above.

You can also see it in the way he interects with others. Ryo never seems at ease with strangers, especially members of the opposite sex (even ones that he knows). He is often quite rude (unintentionally), and clearly doesn't know how to communicate, on a first-time basis. You don't just go up to complete strangers, asking " Excuse me, where can I find some sailors around here? ". Of course, we all know this, and would go about asking the same question very differently.

However, because of Ryo's troubled upbringing, he lacks communication skills for a person of his age. Where you or I would take time out to introduce ourselves, explain our plight (at least a little), and slowly introduce our question, so that it will not seem so worryingly obscure and random, Ryo happily blurts out all these weird and wonderful inquesitions just as they appear to him in his head. 18 year-olds do not act in this manner.

The juxtaposition of Ryo's 'quest' is also a part of my theory. If Ryo is determined enough not to let the sexual advances of gorgeous women get in the way of his mission (he could have at least kissed Nozomi, with tongues, on several occasions, and Joy asked him to stay at her apartment , obviously for sex), then how can things like arcades, capsule toy machines, arm-wrestling, darts (etc..) so easily distract him? Surely sex would be the top of any 18-year-old males' list? Not Ryo. Everything he does and says bleeds innosense.

What I am leading up to, is that Ryo clearly has the mental age of a child, brought about by severe physical, mental, and possibly even sexual abuse, at the hands of his father, Iwao. Sexual abuse? Notice how, not once, not ever does Ryo change his clothing. It's not because he's lazy, or that he doesn't believe in washing, or even simply that he is a slob. No. Ryo is afraid of nudity, specifically; being naked himself .

This irrational fear obvisouly inhibits his ability to wear fresh clothing everyday, and is (in my view) brought on by the sexual abuse he experianced as a child. He thinks, in that little immature mind of his, that if he never takes his clothes off, then daddy can't come into his room at night and sodomise him, whilst stroking his face and whispering " You're daddy's little boy, aren't you? ". He thinks that daddy will never be able to hurt him, ever again, if he doesn't get undressed. Doing so brings it all back.

Next on my 'hit-list' is Ryo's mother. Her 'death' fits in perfectly with my theory. I believe she was possibly murdered by Iwao, or left him for another man. Iwao, being the extremely abusive, and probably sexualy distant man that he was, drove his wife to the brink of dispair. For, how can you maintain a loving relationship with a man who not only physically abuses you, but is also non-existant in the bedroom? She couldn't, and left for China (where she almost certainly came from, judging by her belongings in the basement). Either of the above would fit. I'm in two minds of which is the correct version of events, so I mentioned both possibilities.

Now we must consider Ine-san and Fuku-san. They are like polar opposites, both to each other, and to Ryo. Ine-san is the very image of a broken woman. For many years she has lived under constant fear of the master of the house, and has probably been the victim/witness of many beatings, assaults, and general Hazuki household nastiness. She was no doubt the individual charged with the task of explaining away Ryo's odd behavior and physical injuries to his mother. Ryo pities her, and sees her as a maturnal figure, but a pitiful one. She may have even been a sexual slave of Iwao's, though I doubt this.

From the evidence at hand, I believe Iwao was a closet homosexual, who felt it his duty (long standing tradition) to wed with a beautiful woman, and concieve an heir to his legacy. As such, Iwao felt that the birth of Ryo satisfied this 'need'. However, this invariably led to Iwao taking his sexual frustrations out on Ryo, and much of his anger (resultant from his sexual frustrations) out on his wife, and Ine-san/Ryo, to a lesser extent. At this time in Japan, it was definitely not exceptable for a man of Iwao's status to be gay. Iwao was indeed a monster that society created.

While I'm on the subject, I do not believe that Ryo's mother cared much for Ryo, for she would have either killed Iwao (instead of being killed by him as I stated in possibility 1), or taken him with her (instead of just leaving as I stated in possibility 2). Not that she had always been so flippant about her son. Far from it. She most likely spent much of her time in that household, under constant fear for her very life. Suffering from such conditions, for such a prolonged period of time (we're talking years ) wears a person down, eventually to a point where they don't care about anything.

This inevitably leeds to Ryo's mother becoming a heavy drinker. Iwao was a man of exacting ruthlessness. He would never allow something like alcohol to cloud his terrifying judgement whilst at home, to make him appear weak. Ryo's mother, on the other hand, needed an escape, and almost certainly found one in alcohol. Anything to numb the pain. The only thing readily available to a Japanese housewife of this period to fit the bill was of course; Alcohol. This leads to a conclusion, almost without doubt, that (at least in her later years, before she died/left) Ryo's mother was hitting the bottle everyday, and hitting it hard. She probably didn't even know she had a son, by the end.

Back to Fuku-san. Herepresents an anomoly in the Hazuki household. In the game, when speaking of Iwao, Fuku-san is the only one who seems truly sad at his passing. Ine-san seems like an emotionally-scarred, physically fragile woman (potentially from years of beatings), who seems asif she should be upset, not that she actually is (of course she isn't). Ryo seems so distant, and emotionally handicapped, both from a life of physical and mental torture, and from conflicting feeling at his father's demise, of what he should feel, and what he actually does. Fuku-san is the odd one out of the household. Why is this..?

Well, I believe that Fuku-san was never exposed to Iwao's evil side. The latest to join the household, I think that Fuku-san represents Iwao's opportunity to change, to start again. For Iwao wasn't truly evil. He wanted to be a good man. It was too late for Ryo, who he had already sodomised and beaten. He could never have a real father/son relationship with Ryo. He could scare Ryo into pretending (and he often did), but they both knew it was a sham. He could never give Ryo back his innocense. However, Fuku-san joining the house presented an opportunity for Iwao to play 'father' with someone who didn't know any better. With a boy who was very ugly, and posed no attractiveness on any sexual level. Iwao revelled in this newfound relationship.

This can be seen in-game, when Fuku-san is generally appalled at Iwao's death. Iwao was like a father to him. A role which Iwao no-doubt cherished and lived to it's fullest, just to feel normal (if only for a little while). He lovingly refers to him as 'Hazuki-sensei', a statement not to be ignored or under-minded. If this is the case, then shouldn't Ryo hate Fuku-san? No. Ryo sees Fuku-san as the only innocent person in the Hazuki household. He reminds him of how he should have been raised. In these solumb thoughts, Ryo finds comfort, if only a little bit. Fuku-san represents the only remaining ounce of purity in that house, which has not been defiled by it's master, or failed to speak out and end Ryo's suffering (something which Ryo holds contemp for his Ine-san, and in particular, his mother).

Nozomi is also another ingredient in this mix, which perpetuates Ryo's self-torment. For, while Ryo is mentally immature, he does recognise that he should be doing certain things. Things like dating, etc. Nozomi represents a small attemped on his part, to reach out for the life that he should be leading, which is downplayed and eventually ruined by Ryo's own haphazardness in these situations, brought on by mental instability, self-loathing, and general feelings of worthlessness. Ryo is in many ways, the complete negative of his father. Where Iwao definitely had a superiority-complex (brought on by his secret homosexualty, and his attemps to compensate and appear normal), Ryo, by contrast, suffers from an inferiority -complex. This is evident throughout his entire adventure, though becomes less prominent, the further into his quest he gets.

So if all this is true, why does Ryo chase Lan Di? Shouldn't he be relieved at his father's murder, and just live the rest of his life a happy man, finally free from the tirrany of Iwao Hazuki? Well, her's where Ryo's sense of self-loathing, brought on by his confused and under-developed emotions comes in. Firstly, Ryo thinks that, if he avenges his father's death, he will show loyalty to his father's legacy (important in Japanese society). Secondly (more importantly), if Ryo succeeds, he will finally have 'beat' his father. Iwao instilled feelings of self-hate, and worthlessness within Ryo. Completing such a long, dangerous quest will prove to Iwao, and to himself that he is not 'worthless', and can accomplish great things. Doing so would mean that Ryo no longer lives in his father's terrifying shadow. Maybe then, the nightmares, the self-loathinfg, and constant feeling of utter dread will go away. Lan Di is just the key. The treasure at the end of the rainbow, if you will.

As Ryo's journey takes him to Hong Kong and beyond, we see him begin to come out of his shell, the invisible barrier he uses to keep the world at bay, to protect himself. He starts to show feelings of indepenace, and self-worth. In Shenmue II, partakes in things such as gambling, street fighter (for money, not self-defence), etc. Things which his father would never permit. Ryo begins, if only slightly, to rebel against Iwao, against his memory, and what he stood for. The cave sequence near the end of the second game is further evidence of this. Ryo is alone , at night , with a pretty girl . Sure, nothing happens, and Ryo is still obviously battling his demons at this point (otherwise he'd have shagged her), but he is slowly recovering from years of abuse.

Normally, Ryo would never ever allow himself to get into this situation, with an attractive member of the opposite sex. Remember the several occasions where he practically shuns Nozomi, or the time he turns down the opportunity of staying at a gorgeous biker babes' home, in favour of a cold lonely bed, in a unfriendly hotel, run by a shady man obsessed with gambling. This is the first time that Ryo begins to allow nature to take it's course, the first time that he is not outwardly afraid of his feelings towards the opposite sex, or their advances towards him. He is at this point, beginning to understand his feelings of sexual attraction towards women, instead of running away from them.

This (I believe) is brought on by his slowly increasing feelings of independance and self-worth. Also, Shen Hua is not a member of everday society, that which shunned him and cursed him to an eighteen year nightmare. Shen Hua presents no threat to him, only feelings of awe and wonder. She is also innocent, naive, and quite child-like. She reminds him of himself, and he feels very comfortable with her. The cave sequence is the first time his 'shell' truly starts to crack. The first time he really starts to open up to someone.

Which brings me to my theory, in it's ultimate form. My theory ends in one of two possibilities, of which the reader (you) must decide for youselves which you believe in. Given everthything that has been said, Ryo's journey is not to avenge his father at all, but to prove his own worth , and to 'beat' his father. If he succeeds, daddy can never hurt him. Never again. Then the nightmares, the self-loathing, everything. It'll all stop, and Ryo will be able to get on with his life, and grow as a person, and not fear that which cannot hurt him anymore. That is the first, and most immediate possibility.

The second, and more 'out there' possibility, is the one I happen to adhere to, for it provides all the same answers that Actual Theory Possibility 1 does, while answering/addressing some anomolies which 'Possibility 1 does not. I believe, that, all said and true to this point, the entire journey is fake. I believe it is nothing but a dream. I believe Ryo is dreaming his adventure. It would explain how Ryo magically arrives in Hong Kong in less than 10 minutes from finishing Shenmue I, to starting Shenmue II. More importantly, it would explain how he can spontaneously and flawlessly communicate with the chinese-speaking Hong Kong/Kowloon/Guilin populus.

It would in fact, provide a good answer for the whole journey, and it's general surreal quality, and lack of realism. Dreams often become wilder and more strange the further you get into them. I believe the introduction of supernatural occurances is no coinsidence, and it merely the consequence of a dream, taking his natural course. Ryo getting beaten to a pulp by a bunch of punks, then waking up safe and sound on Wong's boat seems very unlikely to me. That, and the event's inconsistancy with the events that transpired at the end of the first game, namely, the 70 man battle. If Ryo can take on and beat 70 men (admittedly with the help of Guizang), then surely a few punks should pose little problem.

Who placed all those planks? Why was that jumbo jet suicidely skimming the tops of the fucking buildings? These strange occurances, and many more (magical mirrors, mystical trees), are (in my opinion) simply the result of a dream taking it's natural course, becoming more obscure as it goes on. Shenmue is merely a dream which Ryo is having. Ryo lives in utter dread of his father, and his dreams are the only place where he can truly be free. Iwao can't take his dreams away from him. The end of Shenmue II (at the point where it is at it's most obscure) seems to be the end of the dream. Everything goes all strange looking, everything stops, the sound fades away. I think these symbolise Ryo slowly drifting out of sleep and into conciousness.

As such, I predict that Shenmue III, if ever released, will start with Ryo opening his eyes, and seeing his father's shadowy figure over him, carressing his face and softly whispering " You're daddy's little boy.. ". This would also explain why Shenmue III has never been released, and will never be released, as the game/concept becomes to outlandish for SEGA execs to condone, and give the green light to. My theory explains everything. All the inconsistancies, Ryo's lack of character, all the symbolism, everything. Everything . I believe there's not a Shenmue-related question you could pose which my theory couldn't provide a good possible answer to. I don't think you could say that about any other Shenmue theory. Hence the title.

Discuss.

Damn, I was awesome back then!

:lol:
by Martin
Wed Sep 12, 2012 4:12 am
 
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Re: Your Favourite Theories

I had that movie but I lost it.
Ba dum tsss :P
by mrslig100
Sat Dec 01, 2012 11:13 am
 
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Re: Shenmue 1080p

Journey to Bailu Village.

http://i.imgur.com/7F5sv.jpg

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

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

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

http://i.imgur.com/ZHC7x.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/xwJ5z.jpg

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

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

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

http://i.imgur.com/jC6kY.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/u1Y6h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6mVUk.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/xh9kJ.jpg
by wdrpgwd
Sat Dec 01, 2012 2:42 pm
 
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Re: Vote for Ryo in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transforme

They should throw us a curve ball and have Lan Di as DLC. A Black Car for driving, helicopter for flying, and.. a boat (to Hong Kong) for the water segments?
by Thief
Sun Dec 02, 2012 2:48 pm
 
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