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.

say what you will about adventure 1, but adventure 2 is a pretty solid game that holds up well.

beautiful version of amazing grace

Made a super cool Ex-Soldier Dwarf Hunter for my first time ever playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Gotta love heated arguments over pointless nonsense—pretty much the internet in a nutshell.

Meh looks fine. I'm sure things'll look better as time goes on and he's not just some guy in a T-pose.

Remember though, even if no Shenmue III at E3, we still have an HD version of I and II to get our hopes up over. I'm hoping for HD announcement in June, with a release at the end of the year. With Shenmue III delayed till 2018. I would enjoy that time-frame, already want to replay I and II before III anyway.

Finally got around to framing my commission from Anime Expo (whenever it was I went).

fuck yeah

I've played through the first half of some games up to three times. I always start over because I don't know wtf I'm doing in the game. It's super annoying lol

Yeah, No Shenmue, No FromSoft, No Death Stranding, No anything that's not an Uncharted Ripoff or COD/Destiny bologna. So boring. Games are just bad movies these days.

Prime 4 logo was enough for hype, but Odyssey looks awesome, and most of their games are coming out by the end up the year—including Xenoblade 2. Good release schedule.

two metroid games, well fuck me. good news good news.

shredingskin wrote:

phpBB [video]

Reminds me of Saturn/Dreamcast era SEGA.

Go be a party pooper somewhere else.

Do you guys think after the Switch port of Sonic that Knuckles will be in Smash?

I mean, that would be cool, but I would prefer Shadow! Shadow the Hedgehog is by FAR the best game in the Sonic series. Just think about it! Shadow could have different types of guns as his moves, he could jump on a motorcycle when he dashes, and he could use Chaos Control as his final smash! Time would slow down and he could beat up all his opponents and they wouldn't even stand a chance! He could even say "Damn" occasionally, which would finally give Nintendo the edge it needs so it can stop being a baby console.

Welcome back Spokane :)

Ryuwho? You mean that character from Grandia?

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you... science.

your butt can't be downplayed! wutup

Bluecast wrote: I come back last month and now Spokane and Brotherman! So who's next to come back?!

My guess is QWERTY :P

Right, my AC is broken. It costs a couple hundred dollars to fix it and I have some debt I need to pay off, so the AC is non-essential at the moment. It gets pretty hot here in Arizona, but only for a few months, so I just tough it out. IMO, extreme heat is much more tolerable than extreme cold.

Bluecast wrote: Oh man I forgot you are just below me Lamewad :P .

Yup, actually I used to live in Salt Lake 'til I was ten. Near Cottonwood Heights.

south carmain wrote:

I think this one really just got lost in the shuffle.

f-zero gx tas because it's cool

I probably wouldn't buy one. Please just put the games on Steam SEGA, all anybody wants.

Is this who i'd go for or who I ship for Ryo?

All the girls are weird in Shenmue, so I don't have a waifu, but I want Ryo to be with Fangmei.

Edit: No scratch that, I want Honey-San to be my waifu.

I preordered the special edition of Metroid: Samus Returns. 2D Metroid is one of my favorite series (alongside Resident Evil and Metal Gear). I've never been a fan of the Metroid Prime games (for many reasons), but I'm stoked about Samus Returns.

I don't usually buy special editions, but I didn't want to regret it later (knowing how ridiculously expensive Nintendo limited editions can get), so I just went ahead and got it.

-Escape from New York is pretty uninteresting, and even though it's a rip off, Metal Gear Solid is much more entertaining.
-Nolan's Batman movies are really not that great, especially the third one.
-Jedi's are the most uninteresting bunch in all of cinema and people only like them because they have lightsabers. The Sith are just as boring. The Star Wars Universe is not that interesting overall.
-Star Trek, as a whole, is a bunch of interesting philosophical ideas with very poor production values and story presentation. The episodes are largely not very fun to watch... so I like the new movies best.
-I don't watch Doctor Who but it's also probably pretty stupid.
-Game of Thrones is not very good. The author kills off characters because he doesn't know how to end plot threads, so he just uses shock (of death) to distract his audience. Everyone will dislike the show when it ends in a very mediocre way (see Lost).

dbzruler88 wrote: With evidence, faith isn't necessary.

Faith is necessary for every belief.

As long as it's not the first one, I don't care.

Bought the following games from the steam sale:

Ori and the Blind Forest
Hollow Knight
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
Dreamfall Chapters
Skullgirls (+DLC)

won't be getting anything else, but I'm pretty happy to have gotten pretty much everything on my wishlist.

I was fiercely adhering to the idea of complete individuality -- assuming that there was no possible way that a test could pinpoint my particular personality (especially when the options were a meager sixteen), but then I took the myers briggs test thing. It said I was an ENFP, and I am. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. In my experience, the test is shockingly accurate.

A performance can't be objectively good or bad.

In celebration of Shenmue III coming out next year, I'll be starting my catch up playthrough of both Shenmue I and Shenmue II. However, this time I'll only be playing an in-game day each day, no more, no less. If time skips forward for Ryo, then I am not allowed to play Shenmue until the realtime day and ingame day sync up again. Anyone wanting to join me is welcome--although I understand why it may not be super appealing of a playthrough.

Since today is the day that Iwao Hazuki died, I'll be starting today. (although there's not much to play today haha)

I'll also be keeping a personal journal entry of everything that happens in game.

"live for one's convictions, die for one's convictions"

I'm currently playing the remake of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together on the PSP. The game is a remake of the predecessor to Final Fantasy Tactics and offers player choices to bring characters down either a law or chaos route (and later neutral, i believe). I've just made my first choice at the end of chapter one, and I think I've gone down the law route, although the choice itself is not "good" by any means. Definitely an interesting story and I can see some serious parallels with Final Fantasy Tactics--primarily with the characters of Vyce(LUCT) and Delita(FFT).

The gameplay, however, seems to be much less interesting than FFT. There are tons of classes, but you can only change classes if you find the classmark for the class. As far as I can tell, these are found as (random?) drops from battles. While a lot of these classes sound cool, most of them seem to be pretty useless in battle and I find myself defaulting to my archers and magic-users, or my flying unit because it has superior mobility. Melee classes are just too slow and are outclassed by archers to the point of irrelevance. Further, the skills are just much less interesting than the ones in FFT, so customizing your characters isn't quite as cool. The game really feels like a vanilla version of FFT, which, in a sense, it kind of is. It's still a fun game but it isn't quite as interesting as FFT, at least so far.

Sorry for directly comparing it to FFT, but I think in this case, it certainly is acceptable. I think I'll do a full review when I manage to finish the game, although I'm not sure when that will be.

south carmain wrote: You know a game is lacking in plot when they make up for it with "plot"

yeah he must work out

December 3rd 1986

It’s been four days since that day and I’m still troubled by dreams of my father’s death. No matter how much I try, I cannot get this feeling out of my mind. I tried to eat breakfast but I was only reminded of all the breakfasts I’ve shared with my father. I instead chose to go hungry this morning. I did not feel like eating much at all. After praying at the altar, I found my way into my father’s office. It was hard being in that room again, knowing that he would never again be there to greet me—never again scorn me for looking through his things. Even still, I entered, and found a note that he had left for me. It’s clear now that my father knew this day was coming. In his note, my father told me that I must make my own path in life. But how can I make such a choice when this overwhelming sense of duty looms over my mind. My father did not deserve to die in this way, and I will get my revenge.

After going back to my room to gather my things, I noticed a photograph of my friends. Naoyuki has been attempting to reach out to me since the day of the incident, yet I have still to this day been ignoring his condolences. We’ve been best friends since elementary school, and I know he’s only worried about me, but somehow I didn’t want to hear it from him—or any of my friends. Up until now, my father’s death has been isolated to the dojo. As soon as it extends its reach to the outside world, somehow it feels more real. But his death is real, and so are my friends. I owe it to them to be available, to at least share a bit of my grief. I decided to give Naoyuki a call this morning, but I only managed to get ahold of his sister Kyoko. She mentioned he was out and didn’t know where. I later ran into him working on his motorcycle, but our conversation was more awkward than I expected. It seemed as though he didn’t know what to say to me—it’s as if I expected my friends to be much better at this. As it turns out, this is hard for everybody.

Even at the disapproval of both Ine-san and Fuku-san, I decided to ask around Sakuragaoka for any leads concerning the death of my father. The only lead I have is that they were driving a black car. Both Sumiya-san and Yamagishi-san saw the black car and mentioned that it had headed towards Dobuita. And I know quite a few of the shop owners in Dobuita, so I figured I might as well do some asking around town. On my way into Dobuita, I noticed a stray orange and white cat walking back towards Saguragaoka. I had forgot to mention, but Mayumi’s little sister, Megumi, was taking care of an orphaned stray kitten in Yamanose. She says that the kitten’s mother had been hit by the black car I’ve been investigating. Which I guess means the kitten and I have more than a bit in common. We fed the kitten some dried fish and Megumi says she wants me to come up with a name for it. I couldn’t think of anything at the time, so I told her I’d let her know when I think of something. It’s still so tiny. I hope it finds a home soon.

I ran into Tom almost as soon as I got to Dobuita. Tom’s my friend, and I know he means well, but he keeps offering me his “special hot dogs” and his “homemade pickles”. He knows that I’m not into that kind of thing, but he keeps offering anyway. I decided to let it go, but sometimes I feel a bit sorry for Honey-san. Anyway, Tom said he didn’t know anything about the black car, but after talking to Nozomi, she mentioned that Tom had been seen yelling at the people in the black car. I’m not sure why Tom would lie to me like this, but it sort of made me angry and I confronted him. He eventually told me that he believed those in the car to be Chinese. I finally had another lead. I need to find anyone who can tell me about the Chinese. This proved easy enough, since according to Tao-san at the Ajiichi restaurant, there are Chinese all over Yokosuka. Tao-san’s wife mentioned that I should seek out members of the “Three Blades”. This refers to members of the following trades: barbers, tailors, and cooks. Each trade is easy to start up and most of the Chinese who came to japan became involved in one of these three trades. I decided to head home for now, since it was getting late, and begin my investigation of the “three blades” tomorrow.

On my way home I ran into Nozomi and we exchanged a few words. She seems a bit worried about me, so I decided to give her a call when I got home. She lives with her grandmother currently because both of her parents live in Vancouver. Vancouver is a place in Canada. It’s always been a bit challenging for her here in Japan. Many of our classmates would discriminate against her because they believed that she “wasn’t really Japanese”, merely because she was born out of the country. But I’ve never really felt sorry for her, because although she’s very shy, she never once shows any discouragement regarding her situation. Although, at times, I wonder if she might be happier in Canada. Anyway, she and I exchanged a few short words and I decided to get ready for bed.

Before bed I took one more look into my father’s room and went through his things. The first thing I found was a small key, which I pocketed, but the second thing I found was an old Go board that he and I used to play. I was always terrible at the game, yet he insisted that I play with him. He used to say “Ryo, you lose because you focus too much on each individual conflict, but fail to consider the long game”. He often criticized me for not looking at the big picture, and I suppose he was right. But what I lack in foresight, I make up for in focus. And right now I am focused on one thing. My father will get his justice.

December 4th 1986

I woke up early today and ran into Fuku-san in the dojo. He was practicing the “pit blow” and his current injuries seemed to prevent him from performing at his best level. He asked me to help show him the technique, but I think he was just being nice. Up until recently he had my father as a teacher, and I’m not as good as father was. But father used to say that “one must know the fundamentals to reveal the essence”, and since I have been neglecting my training for the past couple of days, I took advantage of the opportunity and practiced along-side Fuku-san.

As I entered Yamanose, I noticed that the same stray orange and white cat from yesterday was waiting by the Hazuki Dojo gate and I was reminded of the stray kitten that Megumi had been looking after. Megumi was nowhere near the kitten, however, and it was meowing. It was meowing a lot. I figured it must be hungry so I decided I’d buy it some food at the Tomato Convenience Store after I investigated the “three blades”.

I chose to go and speak with Itoi-san at Mary’s Patches & Embroidery. I had always assumed that Itoi-san was Japanese, but he informed me that he was actually Chinese. His original name was Su Jian Ren and he had gone through the naturalization process in order to abandon his nationality. I wonder if he misses being Chinese. Anyway, he told me that I ought to visit Liu-san at Liu Barber, which I did, and I was redirected to visit with Liu-san’s father—also named Liu. Liu-san, the father, is 80 years old and takes a walk around Dobuita once a day. He stops at the Soba shop and rests at Suzume Park, which is where I managed to have a few words with him. After telling him about Lan Di, he mentioned that Lan Di is probably a member of a Chinese cartel. He said that they have developed a base in the harbor in Yokosuka and that I should try asking some sailor’s for some information. I know exactly who to ask!

My instincts were right. I asked Tom about the sailors and he knew exactly where they like to hang out. He acted as though he hated sailors, but I think he was just bitter because he doesn’t have much money to drink and no longer has any opportunity to go to bars. Anyway, I thanked him and since the bars don’t open until the evening, I decided to take this opportunity to feed the kitten and get in some training. I bought the kitten a bit of milk and some fish. When I got to the shrine, I gave the kitten the milk and we named her Mimi. Megumi thinks that it’s named Mimi because its ears are so cute, but I actually thought of it because the kitten was found by the Mishima sisters. Either way, both Mimi and Megumi seem to be happy.

After a few hours of leg training, I visited the bars and found no information at either Bar Yokosuka or MJQ Jazz Bar. It wasn’t until I went to Heartbeats Bar that I was able to find the sailors I was looking for. Unfortunately, I got more than I had hoped, and there was a fight. This is the third fight I managed to walk into today. First I fought with that punk Enoki, then with some drunks outside the bar, and finally with some drunks inside the bar. I don’t wish to fight but they left me no choice. Thankfully, with the condition that I never come back again, I was given the information I sought. I gladly accepted the condition and was on my way. I’m looking for a man named Charlie who has a tattoo and loves motorcycles. All the shops are closed, and it’s getting late, so I’ll see what I can find out tomorrow.

December 6th 1986

It’s proven to be much more difficult to find a tattoo parlor in Yokosuka than I had anticipated. Almost everyone I ask is concerned about my decision to get a tattoo, even though I’m only looking for someone and have no desire to ever get a tattoo. The one person I found who knew the location of the parlor insisted that I join his gang for the information. I quickly denied the opportunity. I need the information but I can find it by other means. I am not that desperate yet.

After asking many people in Dobuita, I decided to take a small break and practice my martial arts. Before doing so, however, I took a trip to Bunkado Antiques so I could see what type of move scrolls they had for sale. I went ahead and purchased the “Twin Swallow Leap” and ran into Nemeto-san. He told me he didn’t know where the tattoo parlor was, but he mentioned that it was probably in a back street somewhere. Well, it wasn’t the best lead, but at least it was something. I looked around some back streets for a little bit and couldn’t find anything. I was beginning to get discouraged and realized that I needed to clear my head. I had originally intended to take a break but was distracted by the information Nemeto-san had given me. Anyway, as I headed towards the vacant lot to practice, I figured I might as well ask anyone I saw along the way. And as luck would have it, Tamura-san, at Tamura Butcher Shop, gave me some useful information. He told me that Saijo-san, at Bar Yokosuka, was recently talking with a customer who had gotten a tattoo in Yokosuka. Saijo-san was certain to have the information.

[a few words are scribbled out] Shoot. As I’m writing this I’m realizing that I forgot to call Nozomi this evening and it’s much too late to call her now. She had gotten the attention of a few jerks at the park in Sakuragaoka this morning. Apparently some kid hit these guys with his toy and the punks were going to rough the kid up. Nozomi stepped in, but there was no way she could stand up against these guys in a fight. Luckily I was there to help her out, but she seemed a bit shaken up. I wanted to call her and make sure she was alright, but I was too preoccupied with my search. I’ll have to speak with her tomorrow.

Anyway, I waited for the bar to open by practicing my martial arts, and then I headed towards the bar and spoke with Saijo-san. He told me the tattoo parlor was in Okinawa Heights. It was late, and there was little point in finding it today, so I’ll just have to find the tattoo parlor sometime tomorrow. It should be easy now that I know where it is.

Shenmue_Legend wrote:

sand4fish wrote: ^ Oh stop it. You know you are gonna get it, so enough with the self promotion.

No I'm not. I hope not anyway because that would be rude and disrespectful.

the fast track to buzz-killington, nice strategy

December 9th 1986

I didn’t want to waste any time, so I made sure to head straight to the harbor and look for the old warehouse district. I found it almost immediately, thanks to some directions given to me by the homeless man from yesterday, but the entrance to the old warehouse district is heavily guarded. I’m not sure how I’ll get in but I figured I’d go buy some lunch while I think about a plan of entrance. Hisaka works at Hokuhoku Lunches, here at the harbor, so I made my way over to her stand.

When I got to her stand, I witnessed an argument between her and her sister—Mai was demanding money from Hisaka and Hisaka was not interested in letting her sister frivolously spend her hard-earned money. Apparently Mai has been acting out lately and has been hanging out with the wrong crowd. It’s really been worrying Hisaka and she asked me if I could have a talk with Mai. I’m not really good at these sorts of things, but I agreed, and found my way over to Mai. Hisaka is a real workaholic and I think Mai just misses her sister. But that is no excuse to treat her sister in such a way. I didn’t lecture her though. Her friends tried to attack me. They failed. And I made it very clear to Mai that one does not treat one’s family poorly. I think she got the message. Hisaka shouldn’t have to worry much anymore. Anyway, I asked Hisaka about the old warehouse district and she mentioned that she delivers lunch to the district every day and I offered to take the lunches for her. I might as well see if I can get in while making the delivery—I couldn’t.

The place is much too heavily guarded during the day, but I overheard a conversation saying that the guards are short-staffed during the night. All I had to do was wait until 8 PM. I spent my time mostly in the Harbor Lounge, listening to music and foolishly wasting money on capsule toys. I guess Hisaka shouldn't lend any money to me either. Well, the time eventually came and I attempted to sneak inside. Making my way in was easy enough, even though I almost blew it when I almost knocked a flashlight on the ground, but I was immediately caught searching for the correct warehouse number. It looks like they have at least two or three guards patrolling the place during the night. I’ll have to come back and try again tomorrow.

---

[Thief note: Well, I figured this would happen. I was caught... a couple times. It looks like I have a few days before I can play again. Oh well, at least I'll get to see Christmas in Dobuita!]

I really just think Death Stranding is Silent Hills, probably in everything but name. So unless you're really attached to the Silent Hill brand for some reason, It's probably what you wanted in the first place. So enough lamenting over the "loss", and enjoy what's been gained--a free Hideo Kojima.