E3 2016 & Shenmue 3

[SMDzero]

Was Sony just taking advantage of us?

Maybe Shenmue 3 was only good to them as an announcement???

They get all the good press for announcing Shenmue 3, make us foot the bill for the game's development, and then push the game into a dark damp corner until it limps out the gate unannounced, unsupported and underfunded while Sony laughs all the way to the bank!

[mjq jazz bar]

I doubt it.

More likely: Ys Net has nothing to show.

[Spaghetti]

Was Sony just taking advantage of us?

Maybe Shenmue 3 was only good to them as an announcement???

They get all the good press for announcing Shenmue 3, make us foot the bill for the game's development, and then push the game into a dark damp corner until it limps out the gate unannounced, unsupported and underfunded while Sony laughs all the way to the bank!

It's not as bad as that, but half the blame for last year's "OMG SONY IS FUNDING SHENMUE" fiasco is them rushing to take credit for the massive success of the Kickstarter and not controlling their message on how they're supporting Shenmue.

[Sappharad]

Honestly, I was hoping to see something too, but I don't really think it would have been a good idea either. I'm disappointed, but not upset as a few of you seem to be.

What are they supposed to show? We've seen Shenhua's house and several areas of Bailu Village. That was just them panning around environments. At this point, they only started experimenting with motion capture a few months ago so there won't be any action from cutscenes to show yet. That leaves showing more environments, but I hope they save Chobu for a proper reveal next year, since that will be the most populated and best representation of environment that the series is known for thus far. The only other option is introducing an updated Ryo model closer to the original design, but I think that would be most effective when they've got a cutscene to show it in.

I think the best thing they could've announced at this point was ports of the first two games, but I guess that needs to wait until PSX in December at the earliest.

I'm curious to hear what others think. What kind of things do you think they should reveal and when? They've been trying to avoid spoilers thus far, (like with the camera angles in the lighting test images from last year) so just how much do you want them to keep under wraps until the game is done?

[SMDzero]

I do agree that Yu Suzuki is probably literally balls deep in Shenmue 3's development and hopefully he and his team are too hard at work actually making the game as opposed to wasting time and resources on an E3 demo.

[Yokosuka]

Yu Suzuki (for as much as i respect him and love Shenmue to death) hasn't made a console game since fucking 2001.

That's the point. Suzuki not making a console game since 15 years ever proves there is something wrong in this industry. And he has to beg for money to leave his unemployment lol.

[mrandyk]

Shenmue 3 in its current stage would have no business being in the same presentation as the games Sony showed this year. Anything short of a final looking product would do more harm than good on such a large stage.

[Spaghetti]

Reminder: Yu's first console game was the original Shenmue, was still general manager of AM2 up until 2008, and as of a few years ago was still working for SEGA in an advisory position. He's not been as dormant as people think, just stuck in the whirlpool of declining Japanese game development. He's still a 30+ year veteran of game development, and that counts for a lot.

EDIT: As for what they can show right now, new character models are at the top of that list. It's been a year, and we know they've made progress (some on this very forum may have even had a peek), so now it's time for a reveal to backers for another round of feedback. I'm fine seeing more of Bailu Village, but only after they've added some NPCs and given them proper animations and routines.

It'd be nice to see some test images/footage of things like combat though.

[Yokosuka]

He was still the AM2 manager of a dying company because he has no other offered job and his situation got worse.
Console, arcade, it doesn't really matter. What's important is that he was used to work on the leading platform at the time (Arcade in 80/90's, console 90's/00's) before ending up making mobile games which even not he does care...

[Spaghetti]

He was still the AM2 manager of a dying company because he has no other offered job and his situation got worse.

I wouldn't say that. Japanese business culture strongly put emphasis on being a "lifer", you worked for one company for the duration of your employment career. Yu likely had this mentality and only left when it became clear SEGA's idea of game development was diverging from his. We don't really know what, if any, offers he got after leaving SEGA. It could be he just wanted a light retirement after leaving SEGA, though interviews did make it clear he wasn't happy doing mobile development, but that was a reality of independent game development in Japan.

[Wanderin']

And yet, this is precisely why this predicament in the seeming difference in support for Suzuki and Kojima raises my eyebrows.

The point - hopefully - is not for any of us to resort to comparing who, between Suzuki and Kojima, has been and/or is the more prolific, active, or successful game creator. That kind of thinking is unfair and disrespects both men and everything they've done up to this point. In fact, it's the kind of subjectively negative thinking that may have alienated Suzuki for all these years to begin with (ie. people saw that Shenmue flopped in sales, the Dreamcast and Sega went under, so therefore they subjectively associated and considered Suzuki to be an underachieving game creator not worth anyone's support, etc.).

So - given that this issue should not devolve to comparing the value and worth of these two men's creative life achievements, the worry behind Suzuki not getting the same level of neigh unlimited support and resources from Sony like Kojima most likely is, is the basic possibility that Suzuki and Shenmue 3 are not being set up for success to begin with, by being given the kind of resources and support that it needs to be a certain success.

Long story short: objective and subjective success for Sony shouldn't be based around comparing which of its developers within its own sphere of influence are better than each other. Rather, so long as the company (Sony) has duly chosen to commit its brand and reputation to a project (which Sony has all but done for Suzuki and Shenmue by presenting Shenmue 3 on its stage as a console exclusive), then all such projects should theoretically be given the same levels of support and resources as needed to ensure they are successes.

Ultimately, we want to proactively set Shenmue 3 up for the best possible outcome - that is in everyone's best interests, fans and Sony alike. Kojima and Death Stranding certainly seemed to be set and poised for that by the help Sony seems to be giving it. Can we really say the same for Sony, Suzuki, and Shenmue 3?

[Kintor]

Long story short: objective and subjective success for Sony shouldn't be based around comparing which of its developers within its own sphere of influence are better than each other. Rather, so long as the company (Sony) has duly chosen to commit its brand and reputation to a project (which Sony has all but done for Suzuki and Shenmue by presenting Shenmue 3 on its stage as a console exclusive), then all such projects should theoretically be given the same levels of support and resources as needed to ensure they are successes.

Ultimately, we want to proactively set Shenmue 3 up for the best possible outcome - that is in everyone's best interests, fans and Sony alike. Kojima and Death Stranding certainly seemed to be set and poised for that by the help Sony seems to be giving it. Can we really say the same for Sony, Suzuki, and Shenmue 3?

Again, I must offer a word of warning against the kind of support you're seeking from Sony.

Let me be blunt - Sony is not a friend of Shenmue.

Nothing Sony has done in terms of support and promotion for Shenmue has been from the goodness of their heart. By helping Shenmue at this stage Sony expects something in return at a later stage, as Sony is afterall a business. Thus far, Sony stands to benefit mostly in terms of prestige, by having the near mythical Shenmue 3 appearing on the PlayStation 4 (and not the Xbox One), sending a message that Sony's platform is the place to be if you take old school gaming seriously.

Of course, this also means that asking Sony for more help will have direct consequences for the Shenmue franchise. Every measure of support received from Sony must be paid-back in turn; the more Shenmue takes from Sony the more that Sony will expect in return. To the extent that if Sony were to have direct financial influence over Shenmue as whole then they would be able to alter the design of the game. Shenmue 3 would become Sony's vision of the game not Yu Suzuki's vision.

[Snakiest]

Ah, the magical community of shenmue fans. Waiting for the biggest game show just to see a new screenshot of their beloved game. -) This e3 has been pretty bad so far, hasn't it? -)

[Spaghetti]

I wouldn't fret too hard about Sony and Shenmue. Sony have a vested interest in making good on the promises of E3 2015, which means not only do TLG, FF7R, and Shenmue III come out, but that they're also respectable, well made games.

They may have been glory hogs, and likely aren't stepping up to the plate of providing additional support, we know that their Third Party Productions team has taken a particular interest in the game. That should hopefully provide benefits to the development in terms of technical guidance, or maybe access to information or technology YSnet may not otherwise have gotten alone.

Although to be honest this is, for the most part, navel gazing. We're not on the inside of whatever deals were made, so we're basically clueless and trying to string together what little we do know into something that makes sense.

Any extra financial support is probably coming from Shibuya Productions. While their resources are a lot more limited than Sony, it could be Shenmue III's success has opened more doors for capital raising.

[Monkei]

I see many of you are feeling the need to go full retard again.. are you guys really that naive, that stupid? Always ready to turn into an angry mob of idiots, fueled by the disappointments you're creating yourself over and over again by having the most unrealistic expectations? You're so out of touch, it's not even funny.