December 2017 is fastly approaching!

[SMDzero]

I wish all the best for Shenmue 3 and sell tons of copies in order to not use again Kickstarter. That said, if the game doesn't do as well as it needs in order to not use Kickstarter again, I hope they use it again, this saga must conclude in game form without having to wait another fifteen years game. And i think that it will be éxitous using this again, they could obtain at least the same or more amount than they have attained this time, we all would pay for a new Kickstarter without any doubt.

I agree with Shenmue 4 needing to be in a game form.

The nightmare scenario is that Shenmue 3 doesn't sell and we get the Shenmue 4 story on the back on a chewing gum wrapper.

As a kickstarter backer, I hereby pledge to buy an additional copy of Shenmue 3 when it is released in order to boost sales.

Who else will take this pledge?

[Hazuki00]

I will buy several copies when it is released to give as a gift and for me one more copy. It is important to do it the first day or the first few days to help sales and make it successful, this will make good publicity.

[fittersau]

I wish all the best for Shenmue 3 and sell tons of copies in order to not use again Kickstarter. That said, if the game doesn't do as well as it needs in order to not use Kickstarter again, I hope they use it again, this saga must conclude in game form without having to wait another fifteen years game. And i think that it will be éxitous using this again, they could obtain at least the same or more amount than they have attained this time, we all would pay for a new Kickstarter without any doubt.

I agree with Shenmue 4 needing to be in a game form.

The nightmare scenario is that Shenmue 3 doesn't sell and we get the Shenmue 4 story on the back on a chewing gum wrapper.

As a kickstarter backer, I hereby pledge to buy an additional copy of Shenmue 3 when it is released in order to boost sales.

Who else will take this pledge?

I was already planning on doing it. Buying a physical PS4 copy in addition to my Digital PS4 and Physical PC version.. but regardless of how much we buy, we hardcore fans still can't make up the 1 million sales Cedric says he thinks will sell. I don't think Cedric is lying at any stage, but I think he falls in the optimistic fanboy category too easily.

75,000 x 3 for example only equals 225,000 sales.

You really need to have stellar game to get the 9/10 scores and sell 1 million in your first month.

The spot light will be on Shenmue 3 and even harsher because of it's Kickstarter success and previous reputations of underselling.

[fittersau]

Also a delay in Shenmue 3 allows Sega more time to position Shenmue 1 & 2 HD for release. So really I don't think there's any problem with Shenmue 3 being delays up to a year.

[Spaghetti]

In any case, Shenmue III is in a better position to sell than its predecessors. The platform has traditionally been what hobbled Shenmue's sales, either be it the Dreamcast or the Xbox. At least now Shenmue III has the benefit of launching on two successful platforms day one.

The reception it'll get at review is... unknowable right now, but I predict mixed things on the sheer virtue of it being Shenmue. The attitude towards pacing is unique in this series, and it's often a case of it clicking or not clicking with you.

Games media is kind of an oxymoron in that they'll praise action thrillers and walking simulators to high heaven, but not something that strikes a balance between the two extremes.

Shenmue is a series that tests player intelligence, attention span, and even patience. These are qualities I rarely find in any games "journalist".

But all the same, if Shenmue III is really tightly focused I can see a lot of people liking it on the virtue of being a unique, engaging story-based game that bucks a lot of the trends and flaws of open world games with a narrative.

[RiGoRmOrTiS]

I honestly think game media will shit on the game regardless of whether it achieves what backers wanted simply on the virtue of it being a kickstarter that got time on Sony's E3 stage. it's another opportunity for faux outrage and extra clicks

[FlagshipFighter]

I honestly think game media will shit on the game regardless of whether it achieves what backers wanted simply on the virtue of it being a kickstarter that got time on Sony's E3 stage. it's another opportunity for faux outrage and extra clicks

It's possible. Some outlets like Polygon carry weird fuckin' vendettas into their work, and the games media is chock full of sub-forum poster reviewers who have their opinions shouted through a megaphone and treated like gold despite not actually mattering any more or less than anybody else's. Similarly you've got the cult of personality games media who fans treat like the true bastion of good taste despite such a standard not actually existing.

But still, the cream rises to the top. If Shenmue III is exemplary and unique enough to earn begrudging admiration for ambition and execution, then that'll be enough. There will still be critics no matter what. I predict certain games media personalities are going to see Shenmue III's release as a way to cause controversy by needling/irritating the fanbase into posting hate; at which point there will be another round of "see, I told you Shenmue fans are crazy" "what a shitty fanbase", etc.

I hope before that happens we can sufficiently organise in a way that the majority agree not to give them what they want, and stay rational and collected while still defending the game. As long as we can cut through the negative noise and show open minded gamers what the series is really about, I think the game can do okay regardless of reviewers.

[Hazuki00]

I am sure that media will talk shit about shenmue, no matter how good Suzuki makes the game. They are dishonest people who don't mind tell líes just to get some clicks. Nowadays people don't pay so much attention to these places but it hurts the game reputation.

In another order of things, I don't forget the old mantra 'things can change in any moment' but Suzuki's words still rings in my ears 'early in the year we could Show trailers'... I am very looking forward to this moment

[Himuro]

The media is turning around on Japanese games so much that if the game is of quality I'm now of the firm belief that they won't talk shit. If anything, Japanese games are becoming cool again on the web and I fully expect to see lots of "I've always liked Shenmue" happening.

[Spaghetti]

Fingers crossed.

Certain Japanese titles have become kinda like the indie darlings were for the games press a few years ago. Shenmue deserves the love, but it won't necessarily get it.

I'm pretty confident III will play to the strengths of the series, though. There's nothing particularly offensive about how Shenmue goes about being a story-based, semi-open world action game. If YSnet stick the landing on making the best qualities of Shenmue stick out in an impressive way, even hardened critics are going to have to bite their fucking tongues before chatting shit.

[BigTuna]

Reactions to Yooka-Laylee haven't been too impressive. Many people saying it should have been pushed back at least another year. That game was announced years ago.

I fully expect Shenmue 3 to be pushed back to either Winter 2018 or Spring 2019. I'm ok with that. But who knows! We'll just have to wait and see. HD remasters certainly wouldn't hurt the delay.

[Spaghetti]

Reactions to Yooka-Laylee haven't been too impressive. Many people saying it should have been pushed back at least another year. That game was announced years ago.

A lot of the negative reactions seem to be because of design philosophy adhering too closely to conventions of the past, not willing to evolve beyond its spiritual roots, or at the very least suffering for evoking the weaker of the Banjo games (Tooie, rather than the original).

Another year wouldn't have solved these issues. A significant retooling may have, but that's a whole other ball game. Even if PlayTonic were given all the time in the world it's no guarantee that they would have noticed areas that attracted them the criticism.

Ultimately, none of this has any actual comparable relation to Shenmue III's schedule.

[Hazuki00]

I've been re reading the Kickstarter page and rewatching vídeos they put in every Kickstarter update. Oh, and seeing one time and another every picture they released about Shenmue 3. The wait until E3 it's going to be very hard! I'm eager to see some new pictures and vídeo, some days are harder than others and today is one of those days that you can not stop to try to obtain new info about the development of Shenmue 3!

[FlagshipFighter]

It's "the itch".

If it helps, we're only two weeks away from the end of the month!

[Rikitatsu]

It's "the itch".

If it helps, we're only two weeks away from the end of the month!

Maybe we'll start getting updates mid-month instead, considering we got last month on the 16th of March...

Plus, it'd fit nicely with E3's schedule (13th - 15th of June)

I'll keep an eye out for tomorrow/after tomorrow...