Looks like the next part starts in 15 minutes.

Thanks for the support!

I'm glad to help the Shenmue community leap over that language barrier.

A quick update on the English subtitles: progressing well, and currently at 40%.

Although sometimes catching what Yu is saying to his staff is quite challenging.

I see they had even built a bike shed in Dobuita where Ryo could leave his bike.
http://i.imgur.com/u7cMLMQ.png

By the way, listening to Yu's words in the GDC video, he says "I wanted to put it (the bicycle) into Shenmue, but we ran into various problems and gave up on it". So he was just a touch more specific than the interpreter's version.

A tweet from Cedric Biscay:



Sounds promising! Great to see that the developers already have a playable stage in testing.

I'm pushing to make my article about Shenmue 3 published on a website (my chances are very poor but I try) and I'm currently correcting some parts : after reflections, I have difficulties to be precise about the most crucial part : the Sony's role.

We know since The Point with Gio Corsi that Sony's role is to help the devs by doing the promotion and giving some tech help and a bit of publishing but they're not the publishers. But Corsi was talking about his company Third Party Production and I think his active role as workers. That doesn't mean he has funded something or not before, right ? Corsi never tried to deny the funding . And we know that Andrew House said at the early beginning that Sony funds the game.

So, rather to say "Sony don't fund the game" or "Sony don't fund the development of the game", I decided to write "Sony don't fund the whole game". Would I be wrong ? I don't want to be dishonest.

I think that's fair to say. Also Yu Suzuki mentioned in the first Twitch stream that Sony are providing support with "funding, promotion and marketing".

Reported on the Japanese gamer site Game*Spark! It has links to the Facebook page & this thread, at the end of the article.

http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2015/07/26/58820.html

An epic read! Clearly a lot of time has been put into the writing and research. Thanks for sharing it.

(I noticed a tiny typo: "motnhs").

I noticed another wall-hanging scroll in Shenmue II, so thought I would add it here to the scrolls talked about on this thread earlier.

It can be seen in one of the shops on Dragon Street in Kowloon (thanks to James Reiner for his no-clip video of Dragon St here ).
http://i.imgur.com/se0vRlhl.png

The scrolls on the left and right walls, "道可道非常道", is one that also hangs in the Hazuki Dojo, and is the first line of the Classic Chinese text Tao Te Ching. It can be translated as "The Way that can be told of is not an unvarying way". The translation given in the game is "Principles cannot be expressed only by words".

This shop also has a different scroll on the back wall, "名可名也 非恒名也". This is the second line of the Tao Te Ching and means "The names that can be told of are not unvarying names".

To Amir:

What I would like to know, are who is so called friends at SOJ are, because I find it hard to believe people had nothing nice to say about working on it.

His statement might've made sense if the development team was super small, but it wasn't. Every person had a "specific" task to do, but the way he makes it sound like, each person had to do like 50 people worth of the work or that Yu was a slave driver(lol which I think we all know, Yu couldn't act like that, if his life depended on it).

Nevermind the fact that the games the produced, ended up being so special, that even 14-16 years later, people are still talking about them. I don't buy that people involved in such a huge project, that led to the creation of two very special games, would have nothing nice to say about working on such.

A lot of great projects take their toll on the people who work on them; any James Cameron film, the latest Mad Max, any sizable video game released in recent years that has had to meet a certain release date... In the case of Shenmue as well they were doing things that were never done before. I doubt Shenmue III's development will be quite so strained.

On the subject of Yu's management style, make sure to check out the Making of Shenmue NHK video (which will be up very soon complete with subtitles) which has some footage of actual developer meetings. It's interesting to see Yu being a lot more demanding during those that you might think from his laid-back image these days.

It's some kind of talisman based on Taoism?
Nice find! It looks very similar to those talismans.

About the script on them (from a book called "Encyclopedia of Taoism"):
Talismans often do include include recognizable symbols and words, but they are not meant to be read by humans. Legible only to the gods, they give power over troops of divine protectors, both within and without the body.

Translated subtitles are now complete for the Making Of Shenmue video, in multiple languages. Thanks to everyone who was involved in the project!

Shenmue 15th Anniversary (North America) & Making of Shenmue

Thanks for everyone's positive feedback to the team on the video captions.

I guess Suzuki wasn't asked to review the voiceover commentary for the video, or he probably would have asked them to change the part stating that Shenmue is an RPG, rather than FREE. :)

One new thing I learned was that the number of channels on the Dreamcast's sound chip was driven by the requirements from Suzuki for Shenmue. It just shows the influence that he had in SEGA at that time.

In the scene at 52:00, Suzuki talks about wanting to deliver a "properly-finished, beautiful work" and presses his staff for some ideas about what to do for the last part of the harbor area. I believe they discussing the ending of Shenmue I (one of the developer's also mentions boarding the boat). Fascinating to see an important part of the game being worked out.

http://i.imgur.com/wNqxpAqm.png

One funny thing about the original Japanese voiceover is that the actual names of any companies or products are never spoken - instead they are shown in text on the screen. Even "Shenmue" is never mentioned directly. So for example Yamaha becomes "a large firm that manufactures musical instruments" and so on, leading to some amusingly round-about descriptions.


I took a load of screenshots as there was some interesting beta stuff/differences, I might post some of the more interesting ones along with observations when I get the time :D
Looking forward to seeing them!

I've added in English captions onto the video.

For the Chinese parts I've used the translation provided by Hyo Razuki.

It Appears SCE is backing up the development of Shenmue 3. Shenmue is a Sega IP, are there any plans to support this effort?

Shenmue is of course an important IP, not only to Sega, but also to the many games it has influenced. It was the first of its kind in the go anywhere, do anything open world style games. On top of that Mr. Suzuki had a very strong desire to make Shenmue 3. モノ作りは本当に作りたい人が作るべきで、それが鈴木裕氏を中心としたクリエイターだということです。Of course Sega is interacting with Mr. Suzuki even now. We will continue supporting him concerning Shenmue 3 as well.

I can't figure out a way to phrase that one sentence into English that doesn't sound moronic. Someone help a brotha out.

Here's my attempt - hard to form a smooth translation though.

"Craftsmanship is something that should be done by those who really want to create, and this has Yu Suzuki as the main developer."

*１９時　*マップチェンジ (FR : Changement de la carte à 19h / EN : Map changing at 7PM)

*２３時３０分　F.O　ｰ　F.I 莎花の家 (FR : Maison de Shenhua à 23h30 / EN : Shenhua's house at 11:30PM)

I am still trying to figure out what that "F.O" part is, but I have no idea.

How about "Fade Out -> Fade In"? So at 11.30PM you are taken from your current location back to Shenhua's house.

I've guessed some parts in the spoiler:

Tried to translate this screen as well as I can (can barely read some parts due to quality) :

http://s29.postimg.org/41i6cs493/translate_1.jpg

Info :

漓 江の支流、 狼回 山をの*たところにある山村

民家 (FR : Résidence privée / EN : Private house) **　戸　 鐘楼 　寺

袁 の情報　NA (FR : Information concernant * / EN : Information about 袁（Shenhua's stepfather） *)

*の情報　NA (FR : Information concernant * / EN : Information about *)

PC **********
Q　 鐘楼 　********
PC　********　F.O

Here's how it looks after straightening and rotating the slide and integrating the English translations from David and Kiyuu onto it, plus some minor additions.

I'm quite surprised at how much detail Yu Suzuki has revealed, even though it's still at a high level.

(Spoilers)
The map change at 7:00PM is intruiging...

Some of the abbrevations seem self-explanatory, such as EV = Event, Q = Quest. Not sure about some of the others.
http://i.imgur.com/tOoqZmo.png
Updated: forest event changed to "bear" (thanks to Kiyuu).

Hello everyone, I am so happy to be here :D :D :D . Shenmue dojo is very famous in Chinese shenmue fans club.
Welcome! Thanks for sharing the video.

Does Switch need to translate the first 40 minutes or so? If he'd like to that's great but I get the feeling most of it is repeated from the GDC 2014 talk.

Yeah first part talking about Virtua Fighter is not the most important part. But that's up to him I guess.
Right, the first half looks like a recap of previously presented material so I'll be starting with the juicy stuff on Shenmue III and the rest can be added later on.

English captions are now added in for the Shenmue III part of the video. (You can use the label at the top of the video to skip straight there).

Thanks to sshen1127 for providing the translations for the Chinese in the Q&A and fan art section.

https://youtu.be/YNkaLCzL6Z8?t=2146

Captions for the first half of the video (which contains material seen previously) are in progress.

Dojo member sshen1127 has kindly translated this recent brief but exclusive interview from Yu Suzuki's China visit.

Nov 19 interview with Yu Suzuki (Chinese)
http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4168537061

English translation

Q: Master Yu, when did you first meet up with master Lui Lian Zhi - was it 1991 or 1994? On what did you two first collaborate, was it working on Virtua Fighter 1 or 2?
Yu: The first time we met was 1993. Our first time working together was for VF2.

Q. Will Shenmue 3 have Chinese subs?
Yu: We are looking into it at the moment.

Q. In the near future, do you have any plan to release a fighting game similar to VF? Or to work with Sega for the next installment of the game?
Yu: Right now Daichi Katagari is the one who is overseeing the VF games. I handed over the games to him 100%. I will not be working with Sega for another VF game. But I might develop a brand new fighting game of my own.

Q: How many more Shenmue games are there until the end of the story?
Yu: There is a total of 11 chapters. Shenmue 3 will be chapters 5 and 6.

Q: Will everyone who donated for the game have to wait until near the release date to have their address and version of the game confirmed?
Yu: When the time comes we will send out an email to everyone. Please keep an eye on your mailbox.

Q: Can you use Chinese characters for all the Chinese people who donated for the game, in the "Thank you" credits at the end of the game?
Yu: All the credits will be in Roman characters.

Q: Will Shenmue 3 follow the same formula as Shenmue 1 and 2? In your opinion, what is the biggest difference with Shenmue 3? And what is the key selling point to attract new players to the game?
Yu:
1. Shenmue 3 will follow in the footsteps of Shenmue 1 and 2. It will keep what makes Shenmue Shenmue. For example, real-time full voice acting.
2. Shenmue 3 will be a more of an "open world" game so player can explore more places.
3. Towards the later half of the game, there will be a brand new way to play the game to attract new players. But the details are a secret.

Q: Will there ever be a spin-off of Shenmue, such as Shenmue 0?
Yu: No, not at the moment... [laughs]

Q: Is there any plan to release an Outrun-like racing game in the future?
Yu: We do have plans to release such a game.

Q: Will Shenmue 3 have an online feature?
Yu: There is no plan for any online feature for Shenmue 3.

Reconnaissance for the flashback movie, perhaps?

His photos of Dobuita St really evoke Shenmue.

Update:

The English translation of the interview by sshen1127 (after minor editing) has been added above.

UPDATE: I've finished adding translations of Yu Suzuki's talk for the first half, completing subtitles for the whole video.

The first half mainly covers content that has been seen before at the 2014 GDC, but it was still interesting to see this second take on it. One thing that is new is the slide explaining how the characters' moves from Virtua Fighter were mapped across to some of the main characters in Shenmue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNkaLCzL6Z8

Here's an English translation from the Japanese (so hopefully it retains most of the original meaning!)

Hello Master Suzuki,

We are big fans of the Shenmue series. You have come to Shanghai this time to tell the young people of China about your experience with game development. On behalf of everyone, I would like to welcome you and express our thanks.

Most of us were part of the Dreamcast era, and so we have deep feelings for your creation, Shenmue. We experienced this wonderful game and Ryo’s adventures. It would not be going far to say this was a part of our life experience. In Shenmue we have seen many experiences of loneliness, growth, love and strength, and they won’t be forgotten as long as we live. It was such a shame that the story of Shenmue did not continue at that time. We felt as sad as if we had lost part of our family, or a girlfriend/boyfriend. We thought this regret would stay with us for the rest of our lives.

In the 14 years that followed, we avidly followed all news about Shenmue. Although occasionally we could not bear to see the reports, as our raised hopes would always be dashed. Little by little, we tucked Shenmue away deep in our hearts. As the Chinese poet Guo Moruo once wrote, “Disappointed year after year, Year after year, my hope's still fierce”.

At last, there was a turning point. At the 2015 E3 conference, you announced the Shenmue III Kickstarter project. At that moment, tears overflowed from everyone’s eyes, and we smiled with joy. We have a saying in China, “A man cannot cry easily. But when he can, it is true sadness”. Actually we have already turned 30, and have not cried for many years – some of us probably have not cried for 10 years. However this time we cried plainly. Tears of emotion, tears of happiness. We are really grateful to you for your efforts. Without these we would not believe we would ever cry so much again.

From the time of the Kickstarter project announcement, we have gathered together again and have continued to support Shenmue III. Everyone is putting in maximum effort, I am happy to say. The funds gathered in China may not be great compared to elsewhere, but it represents the hearts of the Shenmue fans across China. We will never leave the Number 1 Shenmue club. Thanks to Shenmue, we have all become friends, which has made us happy. We are grateful to you for this also.

We have one request for you, which is that we would like Shenmue III in Chinese. Naturally this will require budget but please consider it. It will please all the players who speak Chinese. We are also hoping for HD versions of Shenmue I and II.

Finally, we celebrate the smooth development of Shenmue III, and pray that it will be a big hit. We pray for great happiness and health to you, your staff and families from the bottom of our hearts.

Shenmue Fan Club of China

Just a small point I noticed during translation where the China talk differed from the one at GDC 2014:

In the part about the original plan for Shenmue, Suzuki mentions that he had at first been planning to release Shenmue as a set of two games, which would cover all 11 chapters.

I found that this is different from 2014 GDC's translation (from Mark Cerny), which said he had originally planned to release "the first 2 chapters as a single game".

I double-checked with a Japanese news report of the GDC presentation, and it turns out that this was actually a mis-translation; Suzuki did in fact say he had originally planned for two games covering the 11 chapters.

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/SeJr7FAGI-Y/

Is this it ???

Seems like an old documentary on Shenmue (I don't think I've ever seen it).

This is the Making of Shenmue video that was subtitled recently for the Dojo. If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend checking it out.
http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=49298

Found this image of some Dreamcast controller concept art and the motion controller prototype, was wondering if there was any cool info on there? Thanks :)

http://gamewalker.link/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/pZ7A4.jpg
Here's a quick summary of what it talks about. Interesting they had also been thinking about a "Wii Remote" kind of design.

⋅ The controller designers had originally been designing the controller with six action buttons, assuming they would be necessary. But the opinion of the more far-sighted game creators within SEGA and also outside the company was that players would find less buttons easier to get used to, and that games should be designed to use fewer buttons. Eventually a decision was made to go with just four buttons, meaning the designs they had been working on until that point had to be redone.
⋅ Prototypes were initially built in clay or polystyrene to keep costs low. Buttons were often just drawn on paper and stuck on.
⋅ The design for the final controller was refined numerous times, with hundreds of revisions made through a trial-and-error process.
⋅ The vertical-shaped controller shown at the bottom of the page was the result of the design team's desire to try designing something completely different from the typical controller shape, something which would have impact. It was to be held with one hand above the other, with trigger buttons on the underside. It was to have two extension slots, one at each end. The design went as far as having a colored mock-up model created, but it did not go to production.

Sonoshee wrote:Yu dropped a huge bombshell in the NicoNico interview and I had a big part of the Shenmue story spoiled.

I wonder if Yu has now changed his thinking about revealing too much during interviews/conferences, as he was careful to censor out plot-related information at his recent China presentation.

I assume the motion captor was an extension to buy separately and put in one of the two slots.
This sounds likely. Motion support wasn't mentioned in the article above, but the Japanese-language Wikipedia page for the Dreamcast states that they had been planning an extension pack called a "G Sensor Device" that would have provided motion features similar to the later-released Wii controller.

Giorgio wrote: Just struck me that the following video has not been translated. Any chance?

It would be a shame for it to remain untranslated. Will see what I can do. At least the narrator speaks clearly, unlike Yu Suzuki at his staff meetings

The January 1999 edition of the Dreamcast Magazine contained a multi-part feature on Shenmue. This first installment is a translation of Part 1: the Shenmue Premiere event, and the remaining parts will be coming in future posts. While reading the article, you can really feel the breathless excitement that surrounded the original game before its release.

http://i.imgur.com/tPiMPntt.png

Background to the article : as part of the build-up to the release of Shenmue, and following on the heels of the Shenmue Premiere event that had been held the previous month in Yokohama, the Japanese Dreamcast Magazine ("DoriMaga") published this 16-page special report covering various aspects about what could be expected with the as-yet unreleased Shenmue.

The feature consists of these parts:
Part 1. Shenmue Premiere Event (this post)
Part 2. The World of Shenmue ( here )
Part 3. The Hero and Other Characters (future post)
Part 4. It's Magic! Special Effects and Production (future post)
Part 5. Interview with Yu Suzuki (future post)

Related links :
1. Project Berkley article translation (Nov 1998)
2. Shenmue Premiere Event video (short version, English subtitles) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM2bkUm1eT8



PART 1: Shenmue Premiere Event, 20 Dec 1998

http://i.imgur.com/jMCinwCt.png http://i.imgur.com/MuqhZQXt.png http://i.imgur.com/CPZ9CnFt.png http://i.imgur.com/9pV5ODft.png

Special Report! Two Hours of Quivering Emotion
Yu Suzuki Finally Removes the Veil from his Latest Release.

Ever since the title of the game was announced, Yu Suzuki's latest game Shenmue has been wrapped in a shroud of secrecy. It is of a mind-boggling scale and employs graphics of the highest quality which are rendered completely in real time. Together these define a new genre: FREE. Our super magazine feature is a must-read!

Shenmue: Heating Things Up in Yokohama!!

On Sunday December 20th, a day blessed with fine cloudless weather with a maximum temperature of 13 degrees Celsius, a stream of fans arrived from early in the morning to attend the Premiere Event for Yu Suzuki's latest creation, Shenmue, hosted at Pacifico Yokohama. The event, held 3 times in total over a day that was filled with excitement and applause, was a huge success.

The densely-packed two hours flew by in an instant. It included an orchestral performance, eye-popping images and demo gameplay on actual consoles, and left the attendees quivering with emotion. The event drew together all the attractions of Shenmue. We followed proceedings from before the start of the presentation, so let us share with you a taste of that atmosphere.


http://i.imgur.com/7wQwvSbm.png http://i.imgur.com/irvgERzm.png
Left: The line of attendees who arrived early in the morning grew before our very eyes. The person at the front of the line had been there since 6AM. Right: A "handshake event" was held, featuring former Managing Director Yukawa & Hiroshi Fujioka .


http://i.imgur.com/9OG6u5Xt.png
The bustling first-floor lobby was decorated in Christmas colors, with photo sticker booths and merchandise for sale. Top officials from SEGA also gathered here!


Opening with a 30-minute, Four-movement Orchestral Performance!!

Premiere Event: Scene 1

The attendees were shown one after another into the scenically-situated Pacifico Yokohama event center. At the bell announcing the start of the performance, an image with the word "RPG?" was displayed on-screen for 1 minute 20 seconds, as previously seen at last autumn's Tokyo Game Show and elsewhere. After that, the main theme of Shenmue quietly began to play. Most amazing to the attendees must have been the length of the orchestral performance - fully thirty minutes. The orchestra was situated in front of the first row of seating, and played all four soothing movements of the Shenmue theme. Accompanied by a harmony of light and images, it drew the listeners into the world of Shenmue. Already the attendees were captivated by this opening, which set it far apart from a mere game event. Following this, the two event presenters made their entrance together with Yu Suzuki!


http://i.imgur.com/KGpLCyUm.png http://i.imgur.com/0CwdFqcm.png
Left: A large number of developers and guests, as well as SEGA employees, wait impatiently for the curtain to rise. Attendees filled the seating to the third floor. Right: The orchestral performance lasted for a whole thirty minutes! However the soothing Shenmue composition made you lose sense of time.


Reiko Chiba and Shigeaki Saegusa in MC roles!!

http://i.imgur.com/pw5KuhJt.png http://i.imgur.com/qSqPibot.png http://i.imgur.com/WTObOKHt.png
Left: Taking on the role of MC for this event was Reiko Chiba . Being an expert gamer, she also made insightful comments. Center: Composer Shigeaki Saegusa also took the stage. Not long ago, he resigned as an external director of SEGA due to his many other commitments. He was superb as master of ceremonies. Right: Fulfilling Yu Suzuki's promise to show "plenty of images", more than 70 minutes' worth of Shenmue material was shown, together with detailed commentary. The entire audience was overwhelmed.


Everything you need to know about Shenmue original merchandise!!

There is already a rich line-up of Shenmue related items. We'll reveal the splendid take-home goodies that are on everyone's lips, as well as the merchandise in the sales area!

This is the Shenmue merchandise that was available in the sales area. Fittingly for the season, calendars were popular sellers, but there were also some gorgeous limited-edition items. And the quality of the official brochure must be seen to be believed.


http://i.imgur.com/4M7LkB8m.png
From the top left: calendar (2500 yen), original print signed by Yu Suzuki (limited batch, 50,000 yen), poster (4 types, 1500 yen each), notepad (300 yen each), mouse pad (600 yen each), figurine (expected price 2000 yen each, on sale from March 1st), plastic folder (350 yen), telephone card (1000 yen), premiere event limited-edition ball-point pen (limit of 1000 pens, 2000 yen each), ball-point pen (200 yen), CD single (price to be determined), mug (800 yen). From January 18th (Monday) this merchandise will be on sale at places like SEGA Freaks Akihabara branch, SEGA Freaks Fuse branch, Joypolis (Tokyo / Shinjuku / Yokohama / Fukuoka branches).


These splendid items were handed out for free to attendees of the premiere event. You too can receive them (excluding the Christmas card) by attending any of the events to be held in 5 cities across the country. Also we have a special give-away of 10 sets to DoriMaga readers!

http://i.imgur.com/sUFHfWhm.png http://i.imgur.com/KiOEuiim.png http://i.imgur.com/CQ3c4KFm.png
http://i.imgur.com/DuYRLFtm.png http://i.imgur.com/oFCmGDtm.png http://i.imgur.com/ozPQhcct.png http://i.imgur.com/7DZIznEm.png
1. 3-fold pamphlet: the background color sets it apart from the official brochure that was on sale, being a different color. Perfect for showing it off! 2. Music CD. The CD contains 2 songs: the main theme and Shenhua's theme. 3. Tattoo stickers: these include the Shenmue logo, the game title and emblems. 4. Christmas card. This was included only at the Yokohama event, and was a Christmas card of Shenhua. 5. Notepad: a handy notepad. The game title (in Roman characters) is written on each page. 6. Shenhua figurine: the prize item must be this Shenhua figurine. Height 15cm. 7. T-shirt: A black T-shirt with the Shenmue title at the front, and Phoenix emblem at the back.


Premiere Event: Scene 2

Live demonstration on a Dreamcast!!

After showing in succession a Making Of Shenmue video, an eye-opening clip introducing the characters, and images and commentary about Magic Weather, the venue heated up further. Toward the middle of the event, actual gameplay was demonstrated on Dreamcast consoles, including Quick Timer Events and a gambling scene. Each scene had been prepared separately on one of 4 Dreamcasts and various aspects were demonstrated. Following that, a video was shown with a message from Bajiquan master Lian Zhi Wu.

http://i.imgur.com/NWDqnv4m.png
During the demo play, a QTE chase scene, a battle, and a gambling scene were exhibited as well as Magic Weather. Game designer Mr Okayasu also made an appearance.

Live streaming to the internet!

Live internet streaming was set up for each of the three events held on the day, and they were broadcast to the world. Dreamcast users were able to view an abridged "newsflash" edition.

http://i.imgur.com/jZJHNnlt.png
Mr Oshii, who attended the second event. "I wasn't interested in the computer graphics, but I'm glad I was able to meet a girl like Shenhua", he commented.

Premiere Event: Scene 3

Actors for the main characters also took the stage!

As the presentation neared the end, the actors for each of the Shenmue characters took the stage and addressed the audience.
http://i.imgur.com/IPfzc7sm.png
Hiroshi Fujioka was the last to enter the stage. "I'm greatly moved", he proclaimed.

Character: Ryo Hazuki ( Masaya Matsukaze )
http://i.imgur.com/iQwLzbnm.png
"I had a heap of lines, so it was tough", says Matuskaze, who plays Ryo. Shenmue is fully voiced!

Character: Shenhua Ling (Hazuki Ishigaki)
http://i.imgur.com/tbYevpZm.png
Ishigaki, who plays Shenhua, already has quite a fan following. Her slightly ditzy (?) personality went down well with the attendees!

Character: Wuying Ren (Takumi Hagiwara)
http://i.imgur.com/VY6iSRcm.png
Yu Suzuki spoke favorably of Hagiwara, commenting "He performs the role of Ren elsewhere, just by being himself". He's cool, but underneath a fine young man?

Character: Iwao Hazuki (Hiroshi Fujioka)
http://i.imgur.com/kXDvumPm.png
Fujioka had considerable stage presence. His smart, suited figure made a striking impression.

Premiere Event: Scene 4:

Director Yukawa will be participating in further premiere events nationally in 5 of the largest cities throughout the New Year!!
http://i.imgur.com/MSoDVyrt.png
"Shenmue is amazing. It will sell well and I will return as managing director", laughed the former Managing Director Yukawa, who was last to be introduced. Going forward, he will also be making appearances throughout the country.


The two-hour presentation reached its finale in the blink of an eye. At the end, videos shown included an extraordinary scene of ducking and weaving through a forest - unbelievably, the graphics were rendered in real time! With attendees feeling extremely satisfied, the event began to wind up. The guests who were introduced together with Director Yukawa differ at each of the three event showings: at the second one was Mamoru Oshii , a grandmaster of the anime world, and CG creator Daizaburo Harada; at the third was actress Kaoru Sugita made an appearance. I wonder if the attendees felt a bit lucky?

For those people who weren't able to attend, the same presentation will be held in various cities in the New Year, so if you are a Dreamcast owner then you should definitely go. We'll be covering them in a future edition!

Shenmue: presentations coming soon to 5 large cities!!

Two showings will be held at each venue. First: 1PM - 3PM. Second: 4PM - 6PM.
Jan 9, 1999 (Sat): Osaka Welfare Hall, Osaka [2500 people per event]
Jan 10 (Sun): Fukuoka Sun Palace, Fukuoka [2500 people per event]
Jan 15 (Fri): Hokkaido Welfare Hall, Sapporo [2500 people per event]
Jan 16 (Sat): Sendai International Center, Sendai [1000 people per event]
Jan 17 (Sun): Aichi Labor Hall, Nagoya [1500 people per event]


It's Time to Reveal the Truth of Shenmue!
Future Parts

Part 2: The World and Areas of Shenmue
Following our report in Part 1 on the Premiere Event, we will look at all the things about Shenmue that have until now been covered with a veil of mystery - taking each in order, one at a time. "What I wanted to make is a single, real world" -- we look at this surprising concept and examine a number of the latest Dreamcast images backing it up. It's now time to reveal the world that Yu Suzuki has spent three years creating.
http://i.imgur.com/hp1VHz6.png
The world of Shenmue, of which a large number of images were shown at the Premiere Event. The fact that even these represent only a small part of the huge world is nothing more than remarkable.

Part 3: The Hero and Other Characters

His name is Ryo Hazuki -- the main character, who travels Shenmue's astonishing world and space as the player's alter ego, is a completely new character who has been made especially for the game. We look at the characters, so full of charm, and the actors behind them... Watch out for the full-scale action modelling that brings the characters to life without any use of video clips.
http://i.imgur.com/POmp9E7.png
The hero of Shenmue, Ryo Hazuki, who was revealed for the first time at the Premiere Event venue, along with this poster. The movie scene which brought this illustration to life left a vivid impression!

Part 4: It's Magic! Special Effects and Production

Two types of "magic" have been cast on the huge but finely-detailed world: "Time Control" and "Magic Weather". The introduction of these two new technologies gives the world of Shenmue an unprecedented realism. This means that even for the same room or place, every player will see something different!
http://i.imgur.com/LECcxhH.png
"Magic" has been cast on Shenmue to make you feel as if you are there. We delve into the secrets.

Part 5: Interview with Yu Suzuki

On a certain day in December, an urgent press event was held just for members of the magazine industry, in order to uncover all the mysteries surrounding Shenmue, from its concept to its origins. We look at a number of new facts that were revealed which have not been spoken about at the Premiere Event, as well as a message from Chinese Bajiquan grand master Lian Zhi Wu.
http://i.imgur.com/ORIHxL6.png
We'll cover the themes of Shenmue, including its main catch-phrase "Keep friends, those you love, close to you", and reveal new facts for the first time. In this last part, Yu Suzuki speaks!

Japanese site 4Gamer interviewed 147 Japanese game developers for their thoughts on the year that has passed, and a message going into 2016, one of them being Yu Suzuki. Here is a translation of his interview ( original article ). Thanks to Giorgio for sharing the article link.


http://i.imgur.com/qTb2EYMt.jpg
Yu Suzuki
YS Net President
Representative works: Hang-On, Space Harrier, Out Run, After Burner II, Power Drift, Virtua Fighter series, Shenmue series



Q1: Of the games released in 2015, which title impressed you or amazed you most?

YS: The Last Guardian & Final Fantasy VII Remake
Although they’re not titles released this year, these two titles were announced when I was waiting for the Shenmue III presentation at E3. I could feel the huge cheers like earth tremors from back-stage, and I was overwhelmed especially at the popularity of Final Fantasy VII.

Q2: Of the entertainment content released or announced in 2015, which work was most memorable?

YS: This year there were a lot of movies I wanted to see, but things were so hectic with preparations for Shenmue III that actually I haven’t been able to see even one of them. I want to make time to see Terminator Genisys, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, 007 Spectre and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

And although they are not new releases, in order to enhance the portrayal of Shenmue III I spent time re-watching the Zatoichi movie series and works by Kurosawa, as well as Hong Kong & Chinese Kung Fu movies and others.

Q3: Which person in 2015 did you follow (or are still following)?

YS: Personally, I like watching [tennis player] Kei Nishikori and watching table tennis matches, so I watch them as much as I can when they are being broadcast. In addition, it’s good that Japanese athletes are not just remaining in Japan but are increasingly stepping out globally, and I feel that they are pushing the ceiling higher. I hope many more people will gain an awareness of Japanese culture and history through the activities of Japanese around the world.

Q4: What are your aspirations for 2016, and please also give a message for 4Gamer readers.

YS: 2015 was a very significant year for the Shenmue series, and for me. And it was also a year in which I felt the great love for Shenmue.

I will continue on with development to deliver a creation that will shine radiantly in the hearts of everyone who has waited for 14 years.

http://i.imgur.com/4aqduE6.jpg

Giorgio wrote: A new and short (Japanese) interview of Yu Suzuki has emerged!
http://www.4gamer.net/games/000/G000000 ... #ys_suzuki

Thanks for this! Translation posted up here.

Not a necessity at all, but any chance to translate the official recipe (by AM2) of how the young Ryo Hazuki ate his carrots (carefully picked by the farmers one by one)? I think for Shenmue fans it would be enticing to try them cooked that way in real life!

http://web.archive.org/web/20010926093731/http://www.sega-rd2.com/week/2000_06/vol026.html
Added to the pipeline!

They had a good sense of humor - the article advises cutting the carrots so as to obtain a proper "polygon-like" appearance ;-)

If this kind of thing continues, it could be damaging.
This is also what concerns me most - by over-ruling the fair result they are risking damaging the trust & support of the backers (and potential backers).

Edit: It also makes the final wish that "everyone will continue to let their voices be heard" pretty ironic.

Happy New Year!

http://i.imgur.com/u231Wu8l.gif

Happy New Year!

Thanks to Shenmue fans everywhere, 2015 saw the start of Shenmue III. 2016 will be a year with noses to the grindstone to make the next installment of Shenmue worthy of the expectations you have entrusted with us. We would like to again ask you for your support and cooperation for all that lay ahead this year.

There are two announcements for the first update of 2016: poll results for the exclusive rewards on PayPal, and the homepage gets a face-lift.

Poll Results

The results are in for the poll posted in the final update of last year asking whether or not Kickstarter Exclusive Rewards should be made available for the Slacker Backer PayPal campaign.

The polling period lasted from December 24, 2015 to January 1, 2016. All Kickstarter Backers who pledged for a reward of $5 or more were eligible to vote. Of the 68,533 eligible Kickstarter Backers, there were 15,110 respondents.

The poll results are posted below. 4,670 of the respondents answered, “Yes, please make the Kickstarter Exclusive Rewards available on PayPal.” 4,009 respondents answered, “No, Kickstarter Exclusive Rewards are for Kickstarter only.” And 6,432 answered, “Either is fine with me.”

Considering the strong response from those of you who felt that the Exclusive Rewards should remain exclusive for the Kickstarter, those Exclusive Rewards will not be made available on the PayPal page as originally promised.

Thank you all for your participation. We hope everyone will continue to let their voices be heard as we go forward with the project.

http://i.imgur.com/5Cp230Dl.png
http://i.imgur.com/WyRyswFl.png

Shenmue.link

The Shenmue III official website has undergone a renovation. The site has been updated as of January 4th. The Kickstarter Updates will continue to be posted here, along with Shenmue news and development progress reports. The site can be accessed at https://shenmue.link/?en

Link to original update on Kickstarter.

Although this 30-minute VHS video of Shenmue beta footage was released by SEGA back in 1999, as far as I know English subtitles have not been available.

Happily this is no longer the case as I have now completed adding in English subtitles. Even if you have watched it before you may like to enjoy it again!

https://youtu.be/Ju7b5EeZkYU

Giorgio wrote: Just struck me that the following video has not been translated. Any chance?

Translated subtitles for the Shenmue beta video are now complete.

I've posted it here in the Shenmue forum.

Maybe Yu-san mentioned the Zatoichi series and the Kurosawa movies separately?
Oops, yes he did - now fixed up. Thanks for the catch!
I am interested to watch the films that Yu Suzuki mentioned in this said interview.
For a horrifying moment Giorgio I thought you'd posted this in the translation requests thread. I was about to call an ambulance for Switch. :D
:rotflmao:

While digging around in a file of Ryo's animations I came across one that sounded interesting, named AKI_AKI_TRAIN_DOOR, so I hooked it up to trigger within the game. Here's how it looks:

http://i.imgur.com/txXYM44.gif
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P5LAMxDSkg
Although it's a fairly straight-forward animation, from the naming my guess is that it may have been made for use in the "train" chapter that Yu Suzuki had planned for after Ryo left Hong Kong. The animation would fit for the situation when Ryo is moving between two carriages on a train through a sliding door (with the door sliding shut behind him).

Not sure if it's readable but what is written about Steven Spielberg and multi CPU usage on the powerpoint ?
https://i.imgur.com/cH2ms7H.jpg
Quite a few words were too blurred to be legible but here's a summary based on what I could make out or guess.

As you said, it looks like this slide was part of the talk event by Yu (& Takeuchi) in March 2015 on the topic of being a game developer.

"Open World: breaking new ground / Steven Spielberg"

Steven Spielberg once visited Sega and AM2, around the period when he was preparing to launch GameWorks. During the visit, Spielberg asked me for his autograph since his son Max was a fan of Virtua Fighter. One thing Spielberg said, rather sheepishly, that particularly left an impression on me was, "Kids prefer games to movies!".

Games should be designed so that children can play them time and again without growing bored. Interactivity plays an important part in this. Having characters/monsters moving in predictable patterns should be avoided.

Recently, games have much larger game fields through the use of external servers and databases. This will greatly expand the potential of open-world games even further. They will allow a huge number of people to be supported, even more than with MMOs, and who can participate from anywhere, at anytime. It will allow for more realistic worlds to be created. It will open up a new world of entertainment. If there are 100,000 players participating then effectively you have a 100,000 multi-CPU game.

Wow thanks Switch, you translated more than I expected.

Very first time I read the confirmation of the Spielberg's visit in the Sega premises although it was pretty obvious given the Gameworks history. Good to see Suzuki always thinking about the global future of gaming as well despite his virtual retirement.
Glad you found it of interest!

On the Shenmue Master site I found this photo of Yu, Max and Steven which looks likely to have been during that visit:
http://i.imgur.com/i7VFT3q.jpg

The Shenmue Master site has a good collection of various screenshots (from magazines) of the demo, and some comparisons with how the actual TGS booth looked.

http://shenmueangel.free.fr/page.php?cat=genese&page=digitaliland

U10 wrote: Something I found in Dorimaga which I'd like to see translated:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=49587

Noted for the request pipeline!

Hm, the address comes up ok in Google maps for me. It looks like it's close to Ebisu station, and you need to go down a small back road to get to it.

I actually came across some photos of the Ys Net building at this rental apartment site. Apparently there is a vacant apartment in the same building (and on the same floor) as Ys Net.
http://i.imgur.com/H8Mf5L8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gvUZCK5.jpg

The page also has a map on it, does this work better for you?
http://www.shibuyachintai.jp/rent/detail_702.html