drunkensailor wrote: adam koralik is one of the most useless youtubers I can think of.

Don't know about Adam, but I'd say that drunkensailor is one of the most useless guys I can think of when it comes to predictions.

So a quick question about the game graphics. Are they remastered in HD or is this a port upscaled? I keep seeing conflicting reports.
I'm not sure how you define "remastering in HD" versus "upscaling a port"?

I've always figured "upscaling" is simply what, for example, the old "fat" PS3s did with PS1 and PS2 games; it output them into a higher resolution, and nothing else. Nothing was changed about how they function or appear; any aliasing or blurriness in textures and edges is still going to be apparent. The only difference is that they're being output into 720 or 1080p, which only serves to make them a bit clearer on modern screens (whereas something output in the original 480p would need to be stretched to fit a modern screen, and therefore would come out a bit blurrier).

A "remaster" takes the original game files and actually puts work into smoothing out edges, decompressing textures to make them less pixelated, opening the edges of the screen up to allow for true widescreen format, etc. Essentially, a remaster takes the original archival material and spruces it up a bit to take advantage of the fact that it's now running on stronger hardware. Occasionally they may also alter mechanics in some slight way to make them more "playable" for modern times (such as in the case of the Final Fantasy XII one, which allowed you to literally speed up combat at the press of a button).

There are also "gradations" between the two, I guess you could say. The "PS2 on PS4" line on the Playstation store, for example, takes old PS2 games and basically runs them on an emulator to make edges smoother and output them into higher resolutions, but it does nothing to change aspect ratios or decompress textures or anything like that. They work with the material that would be on the game disc, but they don't actually mess around with the original archival data from during the games' development, and they have no way of fundamentally altering things like gameplay or display aspects. So in that respect, they lie somewhere between being "upscaled" and "remastered."

I'd say these Shenmue ones do count as genuine remasters. Smoother graphics and widescreen capability, sure, but they're also updating button prompts to match whatever system they're played on, they're including alternate control methods, dual-language options, hopefully including the time-skip in Shenmue 1 (fingers crossed), etc. They're taking the original development materials and creating a new package out of it.
So yeah, genuine remaster.

Those screens look fantastic. It's nice to see a sharp and redone UI as well, that always goes a long way.

As for the confusion between remaster, remake, etc. I'm also seeing that a lot. It's pretty simple really:

Port - 1:1 with the main goal being as close to the original as possible.
Remaster - Original assets with improvements.
Remake - New game from the ground up, re-introducing the original concept.

This is indeed a Remaster .

Are there any direct links that can be posted to each of these sales charts?
Amazon US - As of right now #2 best selling PS4 title currently
(PS4 games)
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Video-Games-PlayStation/zgbs/videogames/6427831011/ref=zg_bs_nav_vg_2_6427814011

Amazon Canada - As of right now #2 best selling PS4 title currently
(PS4 games)
https://www.amazon.ca/Best-Sellers-Computer-Video-Games-PlayStation/zgbs/videogames/6458584011/ref=zg_bs_nav_vg_2_7089437011

(Pre-orders) - Just found this. As of right now #3 most pre-ordered
https://www.amazon.ca/New-Future-Releases/b/ref=sv_vg_11?ie=UTF8&node=3234211

Amazon UK - As of right now #16 best selling PS4 title currently
(PS4 games)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-PC-Video-Games-PlayStation/zgbs/videogames/13978397031/ref=zg_bs_nav_vg_h__2_13978348031

(Pre-orders) - As of right now, is not charting
https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Future-Releases/b/ref=sv_vg_h__1?ie=UTF8&node=3472451

Amazon France - As of right now #1 most pre-ordered
(Pre-orders)
https://www.amazon.fr/b/ref=sv_vg_1/ref=sv_vg_1?_encoding=UTF8&ie=UTF8&node=342808031

Amazon Germany - As of right now, #56 in terms of general PS4 purchases, #22 when narrowed down to just software
(General PS4 best sellers)
https://www.amazon.de/gp/bestsellers/videogames/2583844031/ref=zg_bs_unv_vg_2_2583846031_1#3

(Pre-orders) - As of right now, is not charting
https://www.amazon.de/pre-order-vorbestellen-bonus/b/ref=sn_gfs_co_DE_VG_visualsub_533357031_5?ie=UTF8&node=533357031&pf_rd_p=4ab66d0d-2c8e-48ad-93e0-e14a4512f3cb&pf_rd_r=VV359TYX35RBJTAJDNVR&pf_rd_s=vg-subnav-flyout-content-1&pf_rd_t=SubnavFlyout

Amazon Spain - As of right now #2 most pre-ordered
(Pre-orders)
https://www.amazon.es/Preventa-Videojuegos/b/ref=sv_v_1?ie=UTF8&node=2494457031

Hopefully I haven't fucked any of the links up.

Hi there, you don't need a Kickstarter account for the Slacker Backer; this was mainly for people who didn't have a chance to back the Kickstarter campaign

Nice to see he's being let out the dev room for sunlight occasionally, though.

The fact that YS is this quiet I'd assume is because him and his team has their nose to the grindstone on getting Shenmue III prepared for the "2018 release" that it's scheduled on. Each time I find myself frustrated that we haven't seen an iota of gameplay footage, I remind myself that we're grateful that development on Shenmue III is even happening in the first place.

It feels as if what we've been shown of "Shenmue III" right now is some Project Berkley level prototype footage. Until other key characters are shown (Lan Di, Niao Sun, Ren etc.), or live gameplay footage then any screenshots of Shenmue III is likely very old footage.

Either way I'm indifferent about Shenmue III not showing up at E3. We've got the piece of mind of the first two games to hold over until then so it's whatevs

Did any of you actually ever think you would see a post like this? Ever?

Great news for the series.

I actually care having it, not for playing it per se but as the ownership of a physical copy for keepsake or its sale to some collector.
The backer trial is almost certainly a digital download.

https://s9.postimg.cc/lzh8hit4v/Physical_Demo.png

I'd be very disappointed if they forgo any of the promised rewards for those who payed for it.

The line you underscored pertains to the fullgame, read the sentence right underneath it.

Another article for you guys. This time in Retro Gamer -



Full Page:

Looks like there has been quite a significant bump in the per day average since the announcement of Shenmue I & II!

Ex Gametrailers producer and Easy Allies co-founder Michael Huber has released his weekly show, Huber Syndrome. This week, he takes a look at Shenmue 1&2 HD, sharing his love for the series, and also how you should never give up on your dreams. Check it out below.

https://youtu.be/mJhkbtolm_U

The blurb at the top which the faker probably added to make it seem more real actually makes it more fake.

ESA members definitely don't get any advance knowledge of the content of the presentations. Hell, some of their own presenters don't even get to know what the others are presenting. I don't remember where I saw this, but Adam Boyes told the story about how prior to E3 2015 he decided to tell Shuhei Yoshida about the Shenmue 3 announcement since he was friends with Yu Suzuki, and that's when Shu told him the secret that they'd also be showing Last Guardian that night. Had they not talked privately, they both wouldn't have found out about the others announcements until they happened. I recall reading another story from someone (don't remember who) who was backstage during PSX 2015 and heard the trailer for Rez come on and recognized the music and was generally surprised because he didn't know it was being ported to PS4/PSVR.

They haven't really used presenters at E3 for the past 2 years now, with the exception of Shawn Layden, so the only people who will have knowledge of what's going on are the people actually preparing the presentation. Schedules will not leak, they do not exist. They don't even use the real names for unannounced games when discussing them internally until they've been announced.

This is a topic that's been discussed before. The fact is, Shenmue has always had stylized (or, if you will, "cartoony") art direction. Anyone who thinks Shenmue was photorealistic is mistaken. To me Shenmue III looks like a perfect continuation of the established style, updated with contemporary tech.

Small, interesting tidbit to note on SEGA's website...

Remember their "brand" strategy from a few years ago, where they focused on key brands, rather than new IP as much?

Interesting to note that Shenmue is now listed as a brand on their website, alongside Yakuza, Sonic, Football Manager, Total War, and the like. Valkyria Chronicles, Shining Resonance Refrain...not listed. Shenmue is. Not at all confirming Shenmue IV - X, but interesting nonetheless. Maybe they now have subtle faith in the future of the franchise. Adam Koralik did hint that support of I & II could lead to bigger and better things...

http://www.sega.com/

https://s9.postimg.cc/jwtglywu7/Untitled.png

Edit:

SEGA - Sammy seems to really be banking on Shenmue as one of their IP revivals they want to focus on for their "Road To 2020" initiative. See here:

https://www.segasammy.co.jp/english/pdf/release/20180514_rt2020_e_final.pdf (Slide 22)

https://www.segasammy.co.jp/english/pdf/release/201803_appendix_e_final.pdf (Slide 11)

https://www.segasammy.co.jp/english/pdf/release/20170515_rt2020_e_final__.pdf (Slide 22)

Cautiously optimistic.

I've been with contact with Robert Pontow from Deep Silver, who is working on Shenmue 3.
I told him about Eric Kelso, Paul Lucas, and Lisle Wilkerson, and how they want to return to Shenmue 3. This is his reply:

Hi, thanks for contacting me. Would you have any email addresses of the voice actors, their agents or any other means of contacting them? Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to discuss anything over FB, so we would need to take an official way to get in contact with the voice actors. But I am sure that Yu Suzuki would be happy if we can secure the same crew for Shenmue 3. Best regards

This means there is hope yet. I will try to find a way to get in touch with those three, I'll tweet Shenmue AM2 podcast who had been in touch with them recently. If you guys know anything that might help, let me know too


This also confirms my suspicion that they didn't know that the VA's wanted to return

Game does look cool... but am I the only one that's actually put off by the way they're shoehorning Majima into everything now?
I was saying it not too long ago, but it bears repeating: too much Majima is a bad thing. He was so memorable in the first two games precisely because his presence was minimal. He was the cool, crazy, unpredictable badass, so when he shows up at various few-and-far-between points, those points absolutely stick with you . If he's constantly popping up, his appearances mean less and less. Plus, the atmosphere will take a goddamn nosedive. I haven't played through Kiwami yet, but I can only imagine that the "Majima everywhere" system is going to completely neuter the tension of the battling cages segment when I do. In the original PS2 version, it was tense and dark and compelling because you didn't know what this psycho would do, and even if I've seen the story before, that atmosphere will still remain. But if you have Majima jumping out of trashcans and showing up in goofy costumes for the whole game up to that point, it's just gonna seem like a joke.
So, honestly, I really don't want to play as Majima in Kiwami 2. I wish that kind of thing was just left out.

Most of that list are soft targets because of prior leaks, stuff we already know exists, first party games, games that have association with PlayStation that have upcoming releases, etc. It's plausible in so much that any bozo could write their Sony E3 expectations down and get a few hits.

But it's still a fake itinerary.

Don't smash the panic button just yet.

The games in the collection aren't ports, they're using an emulator wrapper. Going by D3T saying they were asked to just add new features and do the shovel work to get them onto console/update the PC version, it's fairly likely they're using the same emulator SEGA have been using since last gen too (which was criticised for imperfections even back then).

In the ERA thread linked you'll find speculation Unity not playing nice with the emulator may be the issue here, actually. SEGA Forever suffered a lot of the same issues, and that was pinned on Unity.

At the end of the day, this was just a cheap and cheerful compilation collection. D3T weren't asked to write a new emulator, or port these games from source. They still deserve trust with Shenmue considering neither of the factors likely at fault here (Unity, emulation) are going to be involved in the release of I & II.

Let's Get Sweaty wrote: New material from Shenmue Online

Hey, that's me!

Also, I got an email from SEGA today regarding Shenmue I & II...

I've just never understood the concept of Sonic characters driving cars.
It's like having Aquaman driving a boat, or sticking Superman in the cockpit of a plane.

It's pretty clear to me... it's a sport. A fun competition to take part in. And let's have it right, if any of us could fly or run at the speed of sound we wouldn't do it all the time. It'd be fucking exhausting.

I don't honestly think that another Kickstarter would work.

Shenmue III needs to be successful (enough).

A Shenmue IV Kickstarter would not have the same pull as the Shenmue III Kickstarter, particularly if III isn't strong enough on its own to sell--especially if it is anything less than great. Shenmue III was the perfect storm of 15 years of waiting & the great E3 announcement. Of course we'd all back it, but the randoms who backed 3 because of hype & interest would not be there. I also think Kickstarter has lost some appeal after a few less-than-perfect games were released through the platform.

More bizzare nonsensical Sega decisions... -_-
People are so quick to say stuff like this, yet will also moan and complain if they show it in an unfinished/WIP state (evidenced by the reveal trailer) .

Maybe it's not ready to be showcased? Perhaps they're working on addressing the concerns raised from its initial showing before letting the public see it again. At least they cared enough to get Adam and Corey in for signing sessions as an alternative.

It just feels like SEGA can't win sometimes.
You know what? You are right. I fell into the usual negativity that alot of people fall into. My bad. Still a little disappointed to not see anything this E3 but i guess i can understand why it won't be present.

I think the relative silence over the last 6 months might have more to do with the delay though as a result of them being behind schedule.

I don't really think it's correct to regard them as "behind schedule" when in fact the additional development time is due to significantly expanding the overall scope of the game. It's not like they planned to release the game at this scale in 2017 or 2018 and have fallen behind. They've increased the amount of content the game will have and the development time has increased accordingly.

Yu also probably expected to raise only around $2M and make a story-focused non-open world game, late 2017 seemed reasonable.


Exactly, and for those itching to say, "oohh well he clearly knew this would have exceeded 2 million and broke records", well, hindsight is a wonderful thing. This could have bombed. Maybe it should. Maybe it would have if it wasnt for Sony allowing Yu-san to appear on their stage. If you thought the man expected to gain a dollar over 2 million, go watch his tears during the final Twitch stream for the Kickstarter.

The love and support from the entire Shenmue fanbase across the planet will infect every minute he spends working on this game. Yes, its not going to be a 47 million dollar blockbuster, but you can rest assured that the money gained from all of the various sources will be squeezed dry into that game.

Ive said it all the way through this process, but one day, you will be leaving Shenhua's home, walk down the pathway past the river, into Bailu Village, and you will realise... that this is Shenmue 3. Ryo looking and moving just as you would expect. The cinematics pulling you in, and the story gripping you. Just wait and see.

For any players of Shenmue who are inquisitive or have been inspired to find out more about the Japanese language, we are starting up a new series on Phantom River Stone called "Learn Japanese through Shenmue" aimed at beginners of Japanese. It will be structured around scenes and dialogue from Shenmue to add interest to the process of learning about the language. I hope you'll follow along and have fun.

The first lesson is available right now for blog patrons, and by the end of the month on the main blog for the public release.

Here's a little teaser...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09RWJtiog1g

http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/05/trailer-learning-japanese-through.html

Small snippet of unseen Shenmue HD footage from the PC GAMER show at E3:

Looks great!

Let's Get Sweaty wrote: Is the show over and was anything said about the game beyond those inserted clips?

The show's still going at https://www.twitch.tv/pcgamer
And nah, it was just part of a SEGA sizzle reel, nothing was said about it.

Shenmue 500k tweeted this recently.

https://twitter.com/shen500k/status/1006993366180155392

I think its all smoke and mirrors with him though. Just trying to promote his channel.
I believe the SEGA Europe rep themselves has said Adam knows a date. Think it was in the 500K Facebook group.

Whatever you think of Adam, he's still the guy SEGA picked from the community to promote the game in some way. I don't think he'd bullshit about stuff like that knowing a.) SEGA Europe are watching what he says and b.) he's got access to a lot of information we don't currently have so what would be the point in making something up on top of that?

I took one for the team and bought the Xbox magazine. Wish I hadn't.

https://s22.postimg.cc/b6ymxw66p/IMG_20180615_132449208_HDR_2.jpg

Riddled with errors and childish jabs at Shenmue 3 and the "other" console.
Wow. Couldn't even get the developer right.

Somebody got PAID to write this. PAID. Games journalism really is money for old fucking rope.

https://i.imgur.com/xz5MmOV.jpg

I've posted up a translation of an interview Yu Suzuki held with the media on 18th January 1999, soon after the successful Shenmue premiere events. Shenmue was still somewhat shrouded in mystery, so the "15 Secrets" this article refers to - while not representing special in-game secrets or the like - are an interesting reflection on both expectations from the media/public as well as Yu Suzuki's mindset almost a year before its actual release.

Not only that, but Suzuki mentions themes that he still holds with importance today with development of Shenmue III, such as "reality vs realism".

Link to the interview:

Part 1/2:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/06/part-12-15-secrets-of-shenmue-1999.html

Part 2/2:
https://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/06/part-22-15-secrets-of-shenmue-1999.html

I can understand you are trying to keep excessive trolling out of the site, but may I ask what is exactly the level of shitposting acceptable in here from now on? The Haruto guy might have been a previous offender but the way I see it now his posts are pretty harmless specially when stacked with his contribution to the gaming section with new trailers and news. So once members are banned, will they be lockout for life? Do we get any warnings? Shouldnt the forum have some kind of guideline for tone and humour acceptable while posting? I don't get why even old time regulars Himuro and Bluecast were banned (or remain so). I'm asking because I'm kinda wary of attempting any lame jokes or even engage on any controversial discussions at the chance of being misunderstood as trolling or creating drama, when there were no such restrictions a year or so ago.

No... no....

The account that i personally banned...

First off, i really shouldn't be banning anyone whatsoever. I have selected the best staff that's ever been in place on these forums. We have an awesome mix of Shenmue die hards, casual gamers, and old skool veterans which keep a watchful eye over every aspect of shenmuedojo.net.

I shouldn't have stepped on their toes, but thanks to a member i wont name (they know who they are and have my humble thanks), i had info about them that made it more or less clear. Once i asked other members of staff for their opinion, it also became as clear as glass that this was what was going on.

The member "Haruto" was an old admin from here, who has a lot of history with the site. Now, in the interests of transparency, I would LOVE to go through all of that history. Its been backdated and recorded by various members of the Shenmue community. But, the reason i don't is because of the same reason i also don't rise to his bait, or any other bait that exists out there within the Shenmue community. From Youtube Channels, and their associations with fake Shenmue websites, to numerous banned members from here over the years. They crave attention. Its their fuel, and how they really achieve the attention they so desperately desire.

In your specific case Sandfish, no, of course have a laugh and a bit of craic! Enjoy yourself here! You have proven you are an upstanding member. What does that mean? Someone who has been here first and foremost for Shenmue! The reason the banner hangs high and proud above the door. Every member here shares that, and even if they dont, then ok! We have a general gaming forum for that. But, if anyone thinks they are gonna come in here, new member or old, and just start spamming 15-20 posts a day about anything that goes through their head, then that wont be tolerated. Let me reiterate that once again. 15-20 posts.... A DAY. That, is the definition of shitposting. They may be a post about Shenmue, general games, or current topics, but they are opinion-less, non engaging, words on a screen and nothing more posts. Thats it! aka... shitposting. That will not be happening here, and in all honesty, in 15 years, there has only ever been one person whos posts even define that, and thats the said member whom i banned.

If you are asking why Bluecast was banned, ive just explained to you why. But really..... if you need to ask why Himuro was banned then i really have to ask you why you are questioning that. I will go on my gut feeling you dont know the whole story.... but Himuro maintained a posting attitude that went well beyond the limits of what i would describe as a level headed mentality within a fan based community forum. From questioning every single aspect of a game in development, threatening other members with abusive content, to even rallying the questionable gaming journalists that may or may not read these boards (which i know for a fact a lot do) to provoke action against YSNET... for a game that was in early development!!!! Think about that for a second. Questioning Yu Suzuki.......YU SUZUKI and rallying the media against him during the first full year of development. Really???

Himuro was one of those old member who's been warned (under previous accounts) over and over again across several years to can it. He's one of those who tends to follow a pattern. The staff knew who he was and could have banned him on the spot, but in the interest of fairness he was left to continue in his new account. He seemed a bit more reserved, so why not?
But his basic patterns started to emerge once again, and the staff has seen where it eventually goes if left alone.
You really have nothing to worry about. This one is more a matter of him having an actual history of shitposting and obnoxiousness that has previously resulted in the forum being... shall we say, offputting . To phrase it mildly. The ban was based on that, and where we could see his current manner eventually leading to. It's just an old dance that nobody feels like going through again.

So it was Himuro? I thought it may have been some one else, actually deleted another post because I realized it wasnt them. Does the staff actually have to recognize post style and pattern of banned members trying to weasel their way back in? Man this place has a long history of that too, trolling has been more or less a life time long problem of this place so I can see why doing what has to be done :/


No i think OL got slightly mixed up there.

The member banned is "Haruto", aka Bluecast, Ryudo, and about 10 other high prolific accounts he has had here over the years.

So what you guys are saying is that since this site's inception the same few trolls/crazies keep crawling back under different names for a span of what, 15 years? What kind of nuthouse is this place I got myself into?

Ohhhh you have no idea. But that's why it was important for me to keep OL and Henry Spencer on the current staff roster. For shit just exactly like this. Who keep me right in times like this. Me banning Haruto isn't some snap decision. It was discussed at length in a private staff forum we have. Every forum decision is discussed in there. No moderator takes it upon himself to go rogue and pull some shit, unless its necessary! Almost all decisions are brought to a table and discussed.

Mate, this place used to be much different. To the point where I wouldn't be surprised if even Peter or Spencer have been banned once or twice (though I don't think they ever have)

100%

A lot of us old timers shouldn't even be here!

So whats the difference? Simple.... we grew up! We realised we were a bunch of young boys who, despite becoming men, shared a love or a respect for this site. Yea, we can all talk shite, that's a skill that doesn't go away, even with old age. But we grew in our posting attitude. We learned things like respect and maturity. We knew what words we say carry weight for other human beings within ears reach... or visions reach. We calmed down. Even if posting here was a habit, we went off, got lives, got jobs, got hobbies, got humility. Learned that everything in life is in moderation. Spending all the live long day on here posting message after message, after message was not a good way to live a life, and whilst we welcome everyone here, the purpose of the site overtakes the personal needs of a user. I'm sorry but thats just the way it is. This site is a Shenmue fan forum. Not psychology 101 for the impaired.

At different points in the history of this place, yes, and a few rare cases of it going on over extended years. This place was attacked and brought down a good few times in the more early years and I am trying to remember long it was down for at its worst. We even had a community divide and differences going on, and how many owners now? Part of it directly had to do with Shenmue going dark for over 10 years and obviously morale and activity dwindled during that time, but there was a lot of differences in the earlier days of the series going dark that resulted in many different opinions about a number of different things even down to how the forums and site were run and the individuals in charge. The Shenmue community took a huge hit because Shenmue III essentially was silently cancelled believe it or not, but some how this place has stayed here through the thick and thin, and that should be testament alone to how great Shenmue actually is. Ask some of the old veteran members to share a story or 2, as a whole everyone was extremely upset about Shenmue III in those days. Also ask about the epic stories that went on around here too ;-)



I got that part a few years ago when I read a topic with you guys discussing about it. But I seriously had no idea that some of these oldest members were still playing bipolar up to this day. And here I was thinking that maybe from time to time some genuine newbies'd be interested in Shenmue and this forum in general.

Anyway, I apologize to the moderators and Peter if whatever I said sounded insulting. I just always wondered about what criteria was used to ban members in this place as I never really paid attention to it when I first joined in all these years. Thank you all for the clarification.



There's absolutely no apology necessary Sandfish. Like i said before, you are an upstanding member. Whats the definition of an upstanding member? Very simply, someone who posts here for Shenmue, and is a genuine person in terms of posting style and attitude. We have members who have been here 15 years, and 15 minutes. Whats genuine about them is that they were all brought here for the one reason we all share and love Shenmue. But whilst they are here, they all contribute in a civil way. I don't even think i need to explain what that means, and the members banned are being banned for a very clear defined reason.

Like i said, its my fault regarding the ambiguity of why that member was banned. I didnt put a message within the post, as i have so strictly told staff members to do so whilst taking action to keep transparency. I acted and didny say why. For that im sorry. But, i would do it again tomorrow if i felt it was the right thing for this site. We are on the cusp of both Shenmue HD and Shenmue 3. Let that sink in for a second. Shenmue HD, available across all of modern day consoles, as well as Shenmue 3!!! That really was in impossible dream for a long ling time.

I will admit i have been quiet since taking over. I know i have. But that's because i am wasting no time at all to make changes. I took the week off work and have spent them more or less without sleep. A new site is on its way, completely backdated with news info since Shenmue 3. Up to date. Coherent. Organised. Simplified. A new logo. Clear. Defined. Signature. A new forum design. Updated, User friendly. Relationships with the community. Communicative. Easy to access. Beneficial. Clear. This is the future i always envisioned for this site, but it was never my place to do so. But now it is, and if people think i am bullshitting then come back to be in about 2 months time. I have never been more tired or stressed in my life, from working with designers, coders, community members, and other elements of the Shenmue team in general i don't feel i should name. Enjoy this old site, for it will soon be the last you see of it outside way back machine. I also know most people in general hate change, most of all Shenmue fans, but i have to follow my heart and believe that it's worth it for the self preservation, and continuation of this 15 year site. Am i ready for the backlash? Hells yea. Do i think its necessary and justified? OH HELLS YEA! Either weay i will live by my own sword and die by it. If people have an issue with the changes i bring, or the way i do things, then thats cool. Movements can be made to encourage to pass the site on. I will never have an issue doing that as long as it goes to the right person, much like it was decided beforehand that Yama should contact me to pass the torch.

There's supposedly hundreds of leftover tracks from Shenmue I and II that have never been heard. If I recall, Yu intends to use a mix of these and new compositions by the original composer in Shenmue III.

Quick update in here for now, and Mattis ( TheTimeRanger ) now joins Mr.Rod as part of the Designer/Coder group so he will have full permissions across the site, and is part of the team.

Its been 2 months now of sleepless nights, countless design ideas and full site restructuring.... but we are almost there! If we thought we were working hard before, then now is a big step up. Everyday of the week is now dedicated to working on the new site. Id say we are about 70% complete, with quite a few more things to do, but we are getting there. Its crunch time folks, so go visit the current site because its weeks away from going. Whilst its not completely 100% official yet, we are shooting for a release on July 20th . This could change slightly, but we want the new site up and functional by the end of the month, for stress tests and functionality before Gamescom rolls around. The site and forums will be offline for 3 day s, but our social media outlets will still be open, as well as being welcome to visit other community sites such as Shenmue Master, 500K, Team Yu, Shenmue Forever, Phantom Riverstone and others that are out there.

I will try and keep you updated as much as possible as we push towards the end. Now, wheres the coffee....

Updates since my last post:

25/06/2018: Miscellaneous changes and updated the slacker backer pledge total

23/04/2018: Updated with information from previous interviews and talks, and separated information about characters into its own section

18/04/2018: Updated with information from a 2016 DualShockers interview

15/04/2018: Updated with new information from SEGASaturno's MAGIC interview

Pre-order figures haven't been made public and likely won't be. All we have to go on is the strong performance we've seen in the Amazon charts.

Hopefully game hints will now be delivered in Iwao's voice through the speaker in the PS4 controller. :)


The noise after you obtain a move scroll should go to the controller. You know the DO DOOM DOOOOOM noise \:D/ \:D/
That's gonna scare the shit out of people who don't know it's coming.

...Do it :devillaugh:

https://twitter.com/Shenmue_Dojo/status/1011567437739937792

SEGA Europe teasing something for next week's tweetathon.

That ten days from within your pledge bit is for slacker backers pledging from now until the August 13th deadline when the service closes.

I'd find it off-putting and awkward for a main character like Shenhua to be breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the viewer. I think they made the right call.

It's funny, sometimes I feel like I may be just about the only one who's actively avoiding most scraps of info that we get on the game. For all the money I spent on the kickstarter (good god, did I really spend that much?! Most expensive game I've ever bought, that's for damn sure) I'd rather the whole thing be as fresh as possible for me.

That being said, that survey video is actually impressive as hell to me. I've seen a few comments about the facial animations being bad, or about some of the effects feeling a generation or two behind.
Most important thing to me?

It actually has the same vibe as the original games.

Shucks to any of that complaining; I hope the whole game looks just like this. I didn't think they'd be able to do it, but despite the graphics obviously being far more advanced than they were in the originals, the overall visual style and the quality of the animation is weirdly comparable to the first two games, in terms of personality.
My biggest fear when the game was announced was that there would be some kind of ugly discord in visual style between games, so that going directly from a playthrough of S2 to S3 would feel jarring and unnatural. Jumps between generations can often be that way. I was one of those that used to always say, even as generations moved on, that I really wouldn't even mind if they just made S3 with the same graphics engine as the originals, in the interest of keeping the whole series as "harmonious" as can be. Always figured "next-gen" graphics would hurt it.
But no, it seems like they've made it so that the jump will be as seamless as is reasonably possible.
Serious kudos on that. It's just a throwaway survey video, but still. Fills me with a bit of extra faith that things are going well.

Sigh, and already the misinformation in games media and comment sections begins in response to the surveys. I guess the preliminary minimum specs didn't get enough exposure with the initial batch of surveys but now that they've gone out for everyone, the media have caught wind of this whole "100GB" and "broadband internet" requirement. It clearly states this is preliminary and subject to change, it should be abundantly obvious that they don't yet know what the requirements exactly will be and so are giving a very broad very general idea just to cover all their bases, and the broadband requirement is probably just for downloading the game. (Since it says Steam disk, I assume it has to be downloaded from Steam.) Obviously if it requires downloading, the internet is necessary lol.

But the media and commentors' spin on this? "Shenmue 3 to require 100GB storage space and internet connectivity to play" which isn't even close to being confirmed yet, but the hate bandwagon has already started, yet again. Uuugh. >_< Now everyone assumes it's going to be rife with DRM or what have you. And then I also saw someone talking about how "Sega are publishing this so that confirms it'll have Denuvo," both of which are untrue lol. It's like being a Shenmue fan consists of a neverending cycle of being subject to the most misinformed commentary in video gaming history, once every few months, for almost two decades lmao.

I can already see the negative Steam review average in the game's future because of this no matter how many of us try to counter it. Sigh.