Page 1 of 3
Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sat Mar 05, 2016 10:54 amby Tigrr
For those of you who have been following the Monaco Magic thread may have seen an interview with Yu Suzuki. In it he describes that Shenmue III will cover chapters 5 and 6, but I was under the impression that we'd already had those chapters. Certainly the Shenmue dojo forums suggest that SIII should be starting with chapter 7.
Any one have any idea where exactly we are in the story line?
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sat Mar 05, 2016 11:05 amby Peter
The numbers have varied as the years have went on, but the official line from Yu Suzuki is:
"There is a total of 11 chapters. Shenmue 3 will be chapters 5 and 6."
He is asked this quite a few times since E3 last year, and his response is always the same now.
The breakdown is as follows:
Shenmue 1 - Chapter 1
Omitted Chapter 2 - a small story on board the boat from Japan to China. Referenced at the beginning of Shenmue 2 by the mother and daughter once Ryo gets off the boat
Shenmue 2 (Hong Kong) - Chapter 3
Shenmue 2 (Kowloon) - Chapter 4
Shenmue 2/3 overlapping (Guilin) - Chapter 5
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sat Mar 05, 2016 11:16 amby Hanzumon
The problem is, that Yu Suzuki cancelled a few chapters in his Shenmue-Saga.
Shenmue 1 Game: Chapter No. 1
Shenmue 2 Game: Chapter No. 2 + Beginng of Chapter No. 5
Shenmue 3 Game: Rest of Chapter No. 5 + Chapter No. 6
Chapter No. 2 and No. 3 were cancelled 15 years ago ...
Here is a short overview on all eleven chapters:
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sat Mar 05, 2016 5:29 pmby James Brown
Looking at the number under each image @ Magic Monaco, (
https://youtu.be/HjeCsdcSIUs?t=116) Yu has put "2" under the second image and "5" under the guilin picture. Are we now to think that the above chapter concept art that Hanzumon posted above shows that he's cutting the 3rd and 4th image "chapters" out of the original story? Or did he number the images by the current chapter structure so that "2" which was previously the boat chapter is now the actual chapter given to the start of Shenmue 2, and so come Guilin we are now on chapter 5, hence the "5" under that image...? Or did he mearly just number the above images, and chose 5 to represent Guilin which relates more to Shenmue 3 than the previous images
?
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sat Mar 05, 2016 6:13 pmby Spaghetti
The way Peter presented it seems correct, judging from Yu's comments.
What makes it slightly confusing is that while whole chapters have been scrapped, it's likely certain parts or remnants of ideas from those chapters could have made it into the games or been switched around, etc.
I mean, the fifth image in the picture Hanzumon posted is when Ryo meets Shenhua, but he's in a martial arts uniform when we've already seen concept art of him in his white shirt and wristbands with Shenhua so...
Long story short, it's best to just accept what Yu says about III being chapters 5 and 6 and not think about it too hard.
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sat Mar 05, 2016 6:24 pmby Hanzumon
But is it true, that chapter 4 is Kowloon from the second game?
If I look a the picture with four enemies in the back (one of them with a mustache), I don´t think, that we had this chapter in the second game. Who are these four enemies?
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sat Mar 05, 2016 6:52 pmby Spaghetti
Hanzumon wrote: But is it true, that chapter 4 is Kowloon from the second game?
If I look a the picture with four enemies in the back (one of them with a mustache), I don´t think, that we had this chapter in the second game. Who are these four enemies?
That's kind of what I mean by repurposed materials. Maybe these were the Kowloon fighters (Stunt, More, Chunyan, Baihu), but had their designs changed along with their placement in the story. We'll probably not know for sure unless someone sits Yu down and asks them to go through the original plan.
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sat Mar 05, 2016 7:01 pmby DEVILLE_David
Yes, story has been modified and it's not really clear right now but I'd get it down like this (for now) :
Shenmue Yokosuka : chapter 1
Shenmue II : chapter 2 (Hong Kong / Kowloon)
Shenmue III : chapter 5 & 6 (Guilin)
At first (the original story), it was probably something like :
Shenmue :
Chapter 1 (Yokosuka + boat part)
Chapter 2 (Hong Kong / Kowloon)
Shenmue II :
Chapter 3 (Train)
Chapter 4 (?)
Chapter 5 (Guilin)
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sat Mar 05, 2016 7:35 pmby Sonoshee
Having to cancel out chapters in this epic saga is the definition of hell.
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sat Mar 05, 2016 7:42 pmby Spaghetti
It's fairly natural for things to get cut out. Chapters from books get canned, you get deleted scenes in film and television, cut content from games, etc.
We already know quite a few chapters were already cut before Shenmue even went into production anyway. As long as it doesn't feel unnatural, chopping and changing parts of the story should yield a tighter, more consistent story as a result.
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sat Mar 05, 2016 7:53 pmby Peter
When Shenmue was originally released, after Shenmue 1, each game was to be a standalone chapter, according to Official Dreamcast Magazine at the time. Of course, plans change, and Suzuki-san has been very open about that. From the initial concept art he has had to adapt the story.
All we have to work with now is what we have had in terms of the playable story through the games, and the future. Even I don't know the absolute truth, but just thinking about it logically, you can see the chapter beginning and ending in each segment of Shenmue 1 and Shenmue 2. Compare this with Guilin being chapter 5 then it all adds up.
Also, for those not doing it, just imagine Shenmue 2 ending in Kowloon with Yu and a Zhu saying you must go to Guilin. Theoretically that's the games natural ending. We got some extra/bonus content from disc 4 of Shenmue 2, of what would come in Shenmue 3, so it still matches up. I don't think it's too much of a debate really.
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sat Mar 05, 2016 8:17 pmby Hanzumon
Sonoshee wrote: Having to cancel out chapters in this epic saga is the definition of hell.
The problem is: When you have 11 chapter and each chapter is a full game and every two years a game comes out like Shenmue 1 (1999) and Shenmue 2 (2001), you would have to wait 22 years to complete the story.
If Shenmue 1 comes out in 1999, then the last game (Shenmue 11) would come out 2021. It would be a too long journey, for every one. For the fans, for Sega and for Yu Suzuki himself. We had started on Dreamcast and would end the series on Playstation 5.
I think, that five Shenmue games are enough to tell this great story in one of the best videogames of all time.
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sun Mar 06, 2016 4:19 amby Hyo Razuki
Aren't the participants of the Tokyo dinner going to get a copy of the original script? We could always get that script translated, if we wanna find out how the story was originally planned.
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sun Mar 06, 2016 4:46 amby Hyo Razuki
Hanzumon wrote: Sonoshee wrote: Having to cancel out chapters in this epic saga is the definition of hell.
The problem is: When you have 11 chapter and each chapter is a full game and every two years a game comes out like Shenmue 1 (1999) and Shenmue 2 (2001), you would have to wait 22 years to complete the story.
If Shenmue 1 comes out in 1999, then the last game (Shenmue 11) would come out 2021. It would be a too long journey, for every one. For the fans, for Sega and for Yu Suzuki himself. We had started on Dreamcast and would end the series on Playstation 5.
I think, that five Shenmue games are enough to tell this great story in one of the best videogames of all time.
Well, I"d be fine with finishing the Shenmue saga in 2021, to be honest. 
S3 will come out in late 2017 at best. Possibly even at some point in 2018. We'll see.
The truth is, beyond S3, we have no clue whatsoever how things will progress. Does Ys Net have the licence to make just S3, or did Sega licence the entire Shenmue franchise to them? Will it take 4 or 5 games to finish the story? Yu has ruled out a 6th game and we know S3 won't be the end of the last one.
If S3 does well, Sega might even ask Yu to come back and let him make S4 as an official Sega game.
One worry we need not have is Yu's age, however. Making games is not physical labour and since Yu is self-employed now, retirement age does not really play a role. His mental capabilities also do not seem to be deteriorating anytime soon. I can easily see Yu making games till he's 70. 
Re: Where exactly are we in the story?
Posted:
Sun Mar 06, 2016 5:44 amby SMDzero
It would be great if the saga stretched out into 2021 as long as we got a fully realized chapter every two years.
Imagine how cool it would have been if Shenmue Chapter 2: The Boat had come out in 2002 and been a 3 disc epic played entirely on the boat?