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Shenmue III - New Trailer feat. Gameplay to Debut @ MAGIC Monaco [March 9th, 10:50AM CET onwards]

Spaghetti

Spaghetti

Member
Dec 2, 2017
2,740
UPDATE 02:

Disclaimer: Footage still considered WIP. "Work in progress. Game not final".



Direct feed trailer.


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COUNTDOWN TO SHIBUYA CRAZY TIME (now ended)

http://shenmue3.netrility.com/ (thanks Sapphard)​


UPDATE 01:

The trailer will be shown at Shibuya Crazy Time, which begins at 5:35PM CET.

In the meanwhile, an off-screen image of the combat was shown:

D1NfauqWwAAQSRQ.jpg:large


Information from the panel:

- The amount of unique NPCs in the game has been expanded significantly. In the original plan, the second main area of the game (Chobu) was set to only have 50 NPCs. Now, including the starting area Bailu, there are over 500 NPCs in the game.

- We previously learned jobs/mini-games like chopping wood and fishing would be available, but there will be an extra dimension to the fishing game. Outside of being able to purchase rods and bait, Ryo will also have the chance to take part in fishing competitions.

- For players less experienced with fighting games, there is the AT (automatic transmission) mode that will allow you to set and string combos of five moves together that can be activated with the triggers/buttons. Players familiar with fighting games can switch to MT (manual transmission) mode for freedom in how they attack.

- The fighting poses of enemies will give you a clue towards what kind of martial arts they use. This plays into information from the EDGE preview that stated Ryo will need a solid repertoire of moves in order to put up a strong fight against more exotic forms.

----------------------------------------------

Getting the important questions out of the way first:

TRAILER WHEN?​

I don't know! Yu Suzuki has a 70 minute Shenmue III panel starting from 10:50AM CET, but the game has also been known to show up at Shibuya Crazy Time at the end of the day - which is scheduled for 5:35PM CET this year. It could be either, so we'll just have to wait and see.


Will the trailer be available online?​

Yes. No idea if it will go live immediately as it premieres at MAGIC, but probably not long after it'll show up on YouTube or Kickstarter. I'll keep the OP updated throughout the day as news breaks, as it's likely not to be the only piece of new information we get.


What about Yu Suzuki's panel?​

@ShenmueGuru will be recording the entire thing and uploading it to the Shenmue Dojo's YouTube channel as fast as the hotel internet connection will allow. The panel will be in French and Japanese, but English live translation packs are available at the event - and hopefully the audio from those can be recorded.


Will the event be live streamed?​

Unfortunately not. A huge attaché of Shenmue communities are attending again this year however, and will hopefully give us a play-by-play of the event as it happens on social media.

Here are a few I'd suggest keeping an eye on:

Shenmue Dojo (Twitter) (Facebook) (Instagram) (YouTube)
Team Yu
Shenmue Forever
Shenmue Master (French fansite)
SEGASaturno (Spanish SEGA fansite)


In the meanwhile...​

EDGE recently ran with Shenmue III as their cover story, where Andy Kelly wrote a great preview for the game. I'd really encourage picking up the issue itself if you can, but here's a spoiler free summary of the information to read while waiting for the new trailer to hit:

What does this article cover?

A few things, but is by no means an exhaustive detailing of Shenmue III's gameplay. Many things we already know are in the game are not mentioned. The article covers, in some level of detail:

. The Affinity System, and how that ties into quest progression
. The symbiotic nature of combat, training, and stats progression

Other, smaller details are talked about it more vague terms. They aren't particularly anything we haven't heard before, so I've omitted them.

The reason for putting together a spoiler-free summary is because it reveals some of the plotting of an early questline, some character names, and a potentially more important location mention; depending on some context we don't currently have. It's either a potentially medium sized spoiler, or not a big deal at all if you've even remotely followed this game. Erring on the side of caution, I won't mention it here.


What about the controls?

There are some mentions, but I get the distinct impression this was not a hands-on demo, so explicit details are not tendered outside Yu Suzuki saying they've included modernisation like right analogue stick camera controls.

There's a small stack of evidence the game controls for certain with standard modern dual analogue controls. The article has a slightly misconstrued quote from Yu Suzuki about wanting to maintain the control scheme from Shenmue II with added modernisation (e.g camera controls), but don't take that to mean Ryo's movement is d-pad bound. Trust us on this one.


Did EDGE like it?

World exclusive previews are rarely negative anyway, but this was written by Andy Kelly who is a bonafide Shenmue fan and wrote a great review for Shenmue I & II for PC Gamer, alongside several other articles about the game.

I don't want to put words in his mouth, but the distinct impression I got from reading the article was a feeling of excitement at what he had seen, and the untold prospect of there being more to come. You could argue that "of course a Shenmue fan would like Shenmue III", but what was shown to him were not nostalgic trappings to give him the warm tingly feelings, and instead new and rejuvenated gameplay concepts for the series that he seems sold on.

Anyway, without further preamble, the details:


Bailu and its Villagers

Much like NPCs in the original Shenmue, the residents of Bailu village will have their own homes, schedules, and personalities. This matches up with what Yu has said previously about Bailu being a world more like in the original game, and Chobu resembling more what we found in the sequel.


Investigation Gameplay & the Affinity System

The traditional investigation gameplay of Shenmue returns, but with a twist.

NPCs will now no longer automatically give you the information you need. With the Affinity System, you need to be sufficiently known and trusted by NPCs for them to reveal this key information. There are various factors to this, and the examples given were spending enough time around the village and completing tasks to have the NPC or general community warm up to Ryo.

It sounds like the Affinity System has other outcomes besides an NPC giving, or not giving information to Ryo. It's implied personal stories of these characters may unfold the more intimate you are with them, and that also some encounters may go so poorly they spark a combat scenario.


Shenhua & the Affinity System

Shenhua both affects, and is affected by, the Affinity System. Ryo is an outsider and a stranger to this land, while Shenhua is not. Taking Shenhua along with you can improve your ability to gather information with the Affinity System.

As we already know, the more time and conversations you have with Shenhua, her relationship with Ryo will grow and improve with the Affinity System. She will become friendlier, and her expressions and attitude will change depending on the Affinity System.


Mini-Games

Not much detail here, but there is a new gambling mini-game where you throw coloured balls into buckets to win prizes.


Combat, Stats Progression, & Training

Yu Suzuki: "A new battle engine has been created especially for Shenmue III. It's been designed so the player can repeatedly undergo training to increase their level, to be able to take down even super-tough opponents."

Combat animates in a style recognisable to Virtua Fighter players, but much smoother and with clean transitions between moves.

Ryo's combat prowess is now rooted in three main stats, Attack Power, Endurance, and Kung Fu.

Endurance is also linked to a stamina bar that affects most of Ryo's physical actions, including doing martial arts moves, and even sprinting around in the open world. Eating food can refill your stamina bar, which Ryo can keep in his inventory. As the Endurance stat rises, Ryo will have more stamina.

Attack Power is pretty much what it says on the tin, it's how much damage Ryo can dish out.

The Kung Fu stat is fed by both Attack Power and Endurance, which will allow Ryo to master more advanced moves.

Training plays a big part in Shenmue III from the sounds of things, with specific locations made available for Ryo to hone his skills and spar. Here, Ryo can also change out of his clothes and into martial arts gear.

Training is done through multiple methods. One way is improving Ryo's stats through rhythm-based mini-games, such as maintaining the Horse Stance to boost your Endurance, and Bruce Lee's "One Inch Punch" on a wooden training dummy to boost both your Attack Power and Endurance.

Another is by taking on sparring opponents. In these sparring matches, the combos for the moves Ryo currently has equipped are displayed so you can get familiar with them. Timing your attacks and blocks correctly against your opponent will raise your Attack Power and Endurance stats, as well as your Kung Fu stat. Sparring is a more efficient way to improve your stats, but also more difficult than Horse Stance and One Inch Punch.

You can train (and learn I'd assume) moves from technique scrolls, which can be found in multiple ways in the game. These scrolls can be bought, traded from other characters, and found in the game world. (Based on other things we know about this, you may also be able to win them from mini-games, received them as a reward for an event, or gain them from story progression too.)

All the scrolls from Shenmue and Shenmue II will be available, including new ones to bring the total up to around 100. Ryo having a more robust moveset will allow him to properly form a counter attack against more exotic forms of martial arts he may come up against in combat. Muay Thai and boxing were two examples given. This explains Yu Suzuki's comments about wanting to include "puzzle game" elements into Shenmue III's combat, and linking fringe elements like mini-games and the in-game economy further into core gameplay.

Organised street fights are returning, and may be a lucrative way to make some money. Ryo paid 1000 Yuan as an entry fee, and walked away with a cool 2500 in winnings in the example given.

One street fighting example given was a kind of gauntlet, with greater financial rewards on offer the more opponents you beat; at the price of increasingly more difficult opponents and martial arts style you may not be able to counter. Another involved Ryo taking on multiple opponents at once.


Concluding Remarks from Yu Suzuki

"Everything is thanks to the power of the fans who continued to offer their support for such a long time. Every year I get sent letters and such from people looking forward to Shenmue III, and people saying they don't care if it takes the form of a manga or novel or whatever. They just want to know what happens next in the story.

This combined with the Kickstarter eventually blossomed into something we never imagined when we started out on this project."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


And finally to get us all in the mood, an excellent cover of Shenmue II's opening theme by Richard Cartlidge on YouTube.
 
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Spaghetti

Spaghetti

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Dec 2, 2017
2,740
Minor news recap:



D1KGzi9XQAA5N3_.jpg

Yu Suzuki was interviewed by a gauntlet of Shenmue and SEGA fansites and communities yesterday, and likely the attending games press will do the same today.

For the fan interviews, they probably won't be published for a little while as the answers are independently checked and re-translated from Japanese instead of just relying on the interpreter's version, but if any break during the event I'll add them to the OP.

Doors have apparently opened at MAGIC, and the queue is looooooong. Good turn out this year.
 
GhostTrick

GhostTrick

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Oct 25, 2017
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I expect the trailer to hit at 5:35pm CET so in 8 hours and 30 minutes, for the Crazy Time.
 
MilkBeard

MilkBeard

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Oct 25, 2017
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oh damn. less than 2 hours until the panel. Hope we get it then. But either way, can't wait.
 
Spikey

Spikey

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Jan 28, 2018
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I am incredibly hyped today. Shenbuddys, soulmates, this is the day. I trust in Yu
 
Kida

Kida

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Oct 27, 2017
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Today is the day we hopefully see what Shenmue 3 actually is going to be after 18 years of waiting. I'm excited and nervous. Let's all hope for a great showing!
 
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Spaghetti

Spaghetti

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Dec 2, 2017
2,740
Glugging down a huge coffee. Was practically buzzing with excitement last night + relatively early start to get this ready, so I'm gonna need the boost.

Anyway, on-topic - I hope the trailer is during the morning session so Yu can talk about the game without potentially spoiling reveals during his panel.

EDIT:

The auditorium is filling up for the MAGIC opening ceremony.

 
Tricky I Shadow

Tricky I Shadow

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Oct 29, 2017
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Yu Suzuki must be pretty nervous at the moment. So much depends on this trailer. It's going to set the tone towards the game from now until it releases. I can already see it...

Shenmue fans are going to absolutely love the trailer and be extremely excited. Tears of joy will happen!

Angry Yakuza fans/people with no interest in Shenmue will probably say it looks like shit because it doesn't look as good as something like Uncharted 4 or God of War (LOL).

So in other words - it'll be the usual bullshit. No matter how good the game looks the naysayers will dogpile it. I just hope the trailer gives them as little ammo as possible.
 
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Spaghetti

Spaghetti

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Dec 2, 2017
2,740


We are now: ONE HOUR before Yu Suzuki's panel.

The start times are sometimes a little delayed though, so maybe add five-ish minutes onto that.
 
so1337

so1337

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Oct 28, 2017
3,476
I'm ready for the trailer. It's been a while since we've seen the game in motion.
 
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Spaghetti

Spaghetti

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Dec 2, 2017
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Yu Suzuki's signing session. There's going to be another in the afternoon too.

Fifteen minutes until the panel, give or take.
 
Alastor3

Alastor3

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Oct 28, 2017
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It's one of those game I want to play but don't want to do the first two ones
 
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Spaghetti

Spaghetti

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Dec 2, 2017
2,740
Yu Suzuki's conference is due to begin shortly.

EDIT: Scratch that, previous panel overran so there will be a short delay.
 
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Spaghetti

Spaghetti

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Dec 2, 2017
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FYI previous panel was a live drawing that seems to have overran pretty heavily. That seems to have wrapped up now.
 
Alienhated

Alienhated

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Oct 25, 2017
3,527
Please.
Be good. As the lastest screenshots.
No more older build BS.
No more plastic shader.
No more wonky lighting stuff.
No more dead faced models.
Let' get some decent marketing please.
This has to be the time.
 
GhostTrick

GhostTrick

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Oct 25, 2017
11,297
So far they're talking about the Kickstarter campaign, how Yu Suzuki felt about it. Nothing new so far.
 
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