On Shenmue's future

[O Rei do Frango Assado]

We're all hoping that, someday, Shenmue 3 will come to life. I don't have much hope, to be honest, but since we never got any confirmation that the game will never be, I still have a little bit of hope.
If, someday, we get confirmation that the game will come out, it will be very joyous news for all of us, Shenmue fans.
Or will it?

We must remember that Shenmue was supposed to have 16 chapters and I'm pretty sure that Shenmue 3 wasn't supposed to be the last in the series. If Shenmue 3 ever comes out, I have the feeling that will be a rushed job just to shut us up and so that they can say that the story wasn't left unfinished.
Think about it; Shenmue 3 doesn't even seem likely, so if it does come out, it'll probably end the series. Just imagine how much of what Yu Suzuki had originally planned for the series would be cut out... Brrr!
I mean, they couldn't possibly fit all of the remaining chapters into a single game. Not if they wanted to do all that was planned originally.

Also, I sure hope that Kikizo article isn't true. A game that has been ready for ages and which is waiting to be ported into some undefined console can't be good. At least, it certainly can't be special. How many special games do you know that were left finished for ages (while technology and games evolved, by the way), waiting to be ported into some console?

You see, Shenmue is a very special game. I bought a Dreamcast just for that game and I bought it even before the game was released, because, just reading the previews, I could see it'd be great. I wasn't disappointed. When Shenmue 2 came out, once more, I wasn't disappointed. I liked it even more than the first.
Knowing that those first excellent games were just the first 2 of a whole bunch of them with a continuous epic story left me really excited. Unfortunately, SEGA isn't what it used to be and a lot has changed.

The question is: is it better to get a rushed Shenmue 3 with the rest of the entire story in it, which, of course, would mean that a lot of stuff (and I mean A LOT), both story and gameplay-wise, would be missing, or is it better that Shenmue 3 doesn't come out at all and, at least, it wouldn't ruin the series, leaving us with just 2 very special games and, thus, with nothing but good memories about the series? Of course, I'm not even taking Shenmue Online into consideration, since, as far as I'm concerned, that's not even Shenmue and it'll probably only come out in Asia.

Of course, the best thing would be SEGA continuing what was supposed to do initially and launch Shenmue 3, 4, 5, etc., each one of them a very special game, like the first 2. However, if even Shenmue 3 seems unlikely, the scenario described above seems nearly impossible.

Things don't look good...
Well, life goes on, I guess.

[Henry Spencer]

How many more topics must we have about Shenmue III's future?

Good post and that, but still, we have discussed this many times; all we can do is wait my friend. It is all we have left, patience. I've been waiting longer for other films or games to come back, this is one of many for me. So I may not be as sick of waiting as everybody else is, but still, show faith and patience, and don't worry, it's not worth it. ;)

[O Rei do Frango Assado]

Yeah, I figured that there were already several topics about this subject, but I was bored and felt like sharing my thoughts.

And I know it's not worthy it for me to worry. Like I said, life goes on and even though I'd really like to see Shenmue continue like it was originally planned, it isn't something that keeps me up at night.

Like you said, there's nothing more we can do but wait and I'm fine with it. I'm a very patient man.

I was just wondering if it would be better for Shenmue 3 to come out as a mediocre game or if it would be better for it not to come out at all and leave the series unspoiled.

[code l name]

Interesting topic, funny thing was I was thinking of making a similar point but with a slightly different angle. What I was going to suggest was since it's been many years since Shenmue 2 released can a game like Shenmue 3, which as you mentioned will have to be severly cut and put together live up to the weight of expectations, loyal Shenmue fans demand and expect?

I mean we're essentially run both games dry thanks to the fantastic community discovered numerous nuggets, and hidden information and secrets. We've spent years speculating on where the story could and may go, and with those lofty expectations, can the game ever hope to reach those levels?

It's a tough one, I remembered a friend drew a parallel with the Godfather and mentioned how the 3rd film came years after the first two movies, but because of people's expectations it could never deliver on all fronts (Some could also point to the new Star Wars films, but those are just plain bad ;))

So will Shenmue 3 if released potentially destroy the games legacy with a less than stellar game? Who knows we're still very much in the dark. What I will say however, not matter what happens, the original vision of Yu Suzuki will never be properly realized and that my friends is the most frustrating and dissapointing aspect to this whole debacle.

[Clint]

I keep hearing everyone say:

'Because SEGA haven't told us Shenmue III will never be made'

Can anyone recall the last time a big company told the whole world they were scrapping a game?

Everyone needs to forget about playing the waiting game and start getting some actual answers. (although that's easier said than done. VideoGaiden supposedly failed with this)

[Blade Runner]

We're going to have to trust Yu Suzuki that he won't fuck up the game. If it ever does come out, and is going to finish the story, I hope it's just on several discs rather than being a rushed game.

[code l name]

We're going to have to trust Yu Suzuki that he won't fuck up the game.

Unfortuntely from his recent interviews and the situation with him shifting studio's and games being cancelled, I hate to say it but I think Suzuki's creating days are numbered.

And while some may inject the game in terms of story and from what I understand events are written in stone, simply putting those in a game won't be sufficent. Games rely on pacing, a consistent narrative structure and games like Shenmue benefited from an 'unamed' quality which really made it rise above the crop. So if Shenmue III ever see's the light of day you know Suzuki or whoever's in charge won't have the amount of staff, time nor definitely budget that they had with previous games.

[VGAce]

Of course I'd want Shenmue III, even if it were rushed, rather than not having it at all. So you play the game and it pales in comparison to the first two. So what? Does that change how great the first two were? No. A lot of people hated Jar-Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequels, but it never changed how special the original trilogy was for them. Obviously I would want and expect the same attention to detail that the first two Shenmue titles exhibited, and I'd fully expect the third game to be at least as good as the first and second, but if it weren't I don't think it would ruin my love for the series, nor would it taint the seven years of memories I have of playing the games. Now, I'd be angry without a doubt, but you can't change something once it has already occured. If anything, it would give us all one final reason to stop supporting Sega. For all our loyalty and patience and acclaim (and our money), we deserve a third Shenmue that lives up to the first two, but in the end, beggars can't be choosers.

[lovemetal07]

can we just get rid of the registration page already so noobs would quit coming here acting like hot shot thinking there bringing this big news to the dojo, well i've got news for you, we know its not coming and we dont really care anymore

[VGAce]

ENOUGH with bashing the new members! You, DeadPool, corn_chipz and (to a lesser extent) Orange Lightning have been a veritable supply of pure unadulterated hate for a good week now. Don't you have anything else to say on these boards besides snide remarks about new members? Are you really so much better? If I had to compare the Dojo's gaggle of "noob" bashers to the new members that have joined this week, I'd say the new members have already contributed far more to these boards. Give it a fucking rest already.

[Hazuki Legend]

^ I think it's their new years resolutions to bash all n00bs.

[O Rei do Frango Assado]

How stupid of me to come to a Shenmue forum to post my thoughts about the series...

People like lovemetal07 (whose writing is worse than mine, despite the fact that english isn't my mother tongue) can just sod off.

[fuku_san]

ENOUGH with bashing the new members! You, DeadPool, corn_chipz and (to a lesser extent) Orange Lightning have been a veritable supply of pure unadulterated hate for a good week now. Don't you have anything else to say on these boards besides snide remarks about new members? Are you really so much better? If I had to compare the Dojo's gaggle of "noob" bashers to the new members that have joined this week, I'd say the new members have already contributed far more to these boards. Give it a fucking rest already.

Good post men, totally agree with you. I know newbies bother the old members because they already discussed those topics thousands times but some members like DeadPool broke my fucking balls with this newbie shit.
To the newbies: Please take a moment to read some shenmue III old topics before spell.
To the anti-newbies: Is enough, maybe new members can contribute to the dojo, be nice with them.

[OL]

ENOUGH with bashing the new members! You, DeadPool, corn_chipz and (to a lesser extent) Orange Lightning have been a veritable supply of pure unadulterated hate for a good week now.

Eh?
I may occasionally make jokes, but I haven't said anything even remotely close to bashing new members recently. And certainly not within the past week (or two, or three, or four...).
Besides, the newest flood of newbs seems to be composed of a much less "noobish" lot than what has come before. It isn't worth making fun of these ones. Hell, take the guy who started this topic for example; he types in proper sentences, he doesn't shorten the word "you" into its lazy cousin, "u", he isn't posting startling "revelations" such as "OMG!!! Yuan is a MAN!!!".
All in all, there really isn't anything to make fun of, much less "bash".

(I know, lots of "quotations" in this paragraph)

[Ryo's Room]

*Looks in thread, closes, repeat process*