I'd like to see the release of the demo around June. If they manage to release the game on December, that would be a good introduction to the game and kill time until the release.
Combat gameplay would be nice to hear of it although having in mind that in a recent interview Suzuki still didn't make up his mind about it, I'm not so sure we'll get to see it. However, I'm still hoping to see at least some prototype about fighting, having in mind they have 'something'finalised if we remember that pic with Ryo kicking two enemies with his head photoshopped.
I'd like to see at least pictures of baisha, we still have not seen a single image about that place with the toulous, I'm curious!
About the interview from the Christmas update; it's best not to take what Yu said there too literally.
Actually, literally might not be the best word. There's some context missing in that interview that can make it a little confusing if taken in isolation.
See, in that interview Yu talked about general goals for the combat (thinking-style game, etc), and then specified tying it into mechanics like item collection, cutscenes, QTEs, etc. However, previously Yu has talked about physics and environment interactions, better 360 degree offensive capability, tactics, and so on. Because these weren't mentioned in the interview, I think Yu was specifically talking about what they look to include in the combat
going forward in development, rather than what they've
already achieved.
Talking about what he's thinking of doing and the "don't expect them (the mechanics he talked about) too soon" comment might give the impression they've not made much progress on combat, but I don't think that's the case based on the above. It's just an error in communication the Kickstarter update team didn't notice.
I think they've definitely got their combat model worked out and implemented to some degree, they're just looking to improve it and tie it in better with other elements of the game right now. One way or another I think we'll hear/see more about combat at MAGIC, even if it isn't strictly part of whatever gameplay demo they plan to show. It could come up in Yu's panel as part of the presentation.
I really hope the demo is more in the style of "What's Shenmue?" so as not to spoil the game, but I fear it will just result in even more shit posting.
Yu apparently wants to backer demo to be like "What's Shenmue?", so there's a reasonable chance you'll get what you want in that respect.
As for the shitposting, maybe. Depends how much of the gameplay variety is shown off during it. What's Shenmue? is pretty notable for not showing off the breadth of Shenmue's basic mechanics, but I think they'll have a more robust offering for Shenmue III's backer demo. I would like to think YSnet know that even though the demo is exclusive to backers, the footage and impressions shared will be a valuable word-of-mouth marketing tool; and so they aim to show the game in the best light possible.