Good to see you too. As always, I'm glad to see that this place never changes much!

Somehow I think that when someone makes a 2003 topic or some sort of nostalgia topic it's like a subconcious beacon is sent out on the internet and everyone magically returns to comment!! Haha. :D
You aren't joking. I haven't even lurked in years -- my nostalgia thread radar still works, apparently.

These are excellent.

*How the hell did it become 2013, btw?

Another vet :)

Good to ya again mike! Doubt you remember me though. :P Good to see vets stopping by!

Hey! Definitely remember you, though I fear a number of other old timers may have done name changes. My senility makes it hard enough to remember who's who without accounting for those kinds of shenanigans.
I see you're still hanging on. (long long ago I went under the name Bluecast)
Bluecast! Of course.

Apparently. It's also interesting how avatars are entrenched in my subconscious. Even if I haven't seen them for years I immediately know who's posting.
Just seeing some of these names and avatars is like dusting off long-unused portions of my brain.

This is truly wonderful.

I am honestly in shock. A part of me never believed that this day would come. One thing's for sure, the first thing I did after donating was think: "I have to check the dojo NOW"

I had to come back for this. I may not be here as much anymore, but my Shenmue candle never stopped burning. Holy crap. Is this really happening?

It has been absolutely unreal. I haven't been a regular here for nearly a decade, but I used to spend a ton of time on the Dojo, commiserating with some of you (and others who are long gone) about the fate of the series. It is incredible that this is finally happening -- even though I haven't been posting, I have been reading threads on the Dojo probably every day since the announcement.

Back in the 01-05 era of the Dojo, as I was obsessively posting here, I went from goofy high school student to goofy college student, and since then I've grown into a goofy husband and 9-5er. All along Shenmue has been on my mind at some level, and I'd never go more than a few weeks without googling rumors about a sequel. Like many of you, it is difficult to express in words what this actually means to me. It feels like the old days, browsing the Dojo and reading speculations about what Yu has in store for us.

You must be about the age now that I was when Shenmue I came out, and your story brought back memories of playing the game while my then four year old nephew watched.

He's now a college student and was thrilled when the Kickstarter was announced. This series transcends everything: age, location, whatever. It is truly timeless. Beyond my own desire to see the series through to its conclusion, I love that the Kickstarter has given younger people (or anyone who missed out the first time around) the chance to get swept up in the world of Shenmue.

At this point, I only care about the game getting maximum exposure and being as commercially successful as it possibly can. If that means a global public release of the trailer, I'm all for it.

I didn't donate to the Kickstarter to get special treatment or perks (though I am excited about the backer rewards I will be getting), but because I waited 15 years for this game. I donated because I wanted to do everything I possibly could to ensure that the game was made, and made to the highest possible standard.

This is the same reason I was annoyed at folks who were opposed to certain Kickstarter rewards being offered during the slacker backer campaign -- shouldn't we want to cast as wide a net as possible to welcome people into the fold? This is particularly true if the saga isn't meant to end after three games. The more exposure and hype that surrounds it, the better chance we would see future installments, and not be left in limbo again.

I joined the old-old forum in late 2001, when I was still in high school. I either had just ordered the PAL import of Shenmue II or was looking for advice on how to import it when I stumbled upon this crew.

My favorite poster in those days was named Shenmue2 (can't remember the exact formatting). He would say the most inane/silly things and people would get really pissed off, which was endlessly entertaining. A personal favorite was the story of how he ordered Shenmue II, and when the box arrived it contained nothing but a dead cockroach. Anybody else remember him?

Anyway, I've been in and out of the forum in the decade and a half since then -- I recall the great schism back in the summer of '03, and various other forum dramas. I've grown up along with the community; now I even have a son. Yes, I am someone's father. To those who remember me that may be a frightening thought, but rest assured that he will join the cult of Shenmue one day. He's a bit young to brainwash just yet, though.

I would have never guessed that "The Apprentice" would become this huge in US to hit this scale. Now that the new setting for the show is the White House, anyone dare to guess who will be the next "contestant" to be yelled "you're fired."?

A few contestants come to mind -- all will be fired eventually but not sure who's on the chopping block first:

Our climate
Medicare and Social Security
Working people
Safe drinking water
Public schools

I'm an oldie but a goodie

This is great. My two year old son is obsessed with vinyl and loves playing my original copy of this all the time. I've been wanting another one to keep in mint condition as a collectible.