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So it seems that Shenmue III has gone gold
- Thread starter Acquiescence
- Start date
I played the originals twice on the Dreamcast in 2000/2001 as a teenager. Then I've been following the news all this time, but never replayed the games until this year. In fact I'm currently in the middle of the Kowloon section in Shenmue II.
Originally I think I liked I more than II, because of the shocking technical marvel it represented, because of being the first open world I tried and because it gave me the illusion and "feels" of knowing and living in real Japan. Then I expected more of the same in the sequel but was a bit disappointed because the hometown feel was gone, the colors were too saturated/unrealistic, there wasn't that much difference in the activity between night and day, and other things.
But in this replay, 18 years later, the feelings are exactly the opposite. It was hard to complete Shenmue I: the technical amazement was gone, the pace was really slow and the fascination of "real Japan" is quite less since I've already been to real Japan :-). But, on the other hand, I'm "getting" Shenmue II much more, and appreciate it as the absolute masterpiece that it is. The stylization of the scenarios is less realistic but really beautiful, the characters are much more profound and nuanced and interesting than in the first game, and there's an overwhelming amount of content to enjoy. I've been hooked from minute one and blazing through the game in a short time, feeling deep emotions of nostalgia and amazement in the journey.
Therefore, I'm anticipating the third game now more than I have ever been. In fact I'm really excited to reach the Guilin section of II as a kind of prologue (which I already remember as a "magical" experience back in my first playthrough). And I know the moment I start III and see how exactly they continue from the point they left the journey will probably be the most significant "gaming" moment of my lifetime.
Originally I think I liked I more than II, because of the shocking technical marvel it represented, because of being the first open world I tried and because it gave me the illusion and "feels" of knowing and living in real Japan. Then I expected more of the same in the sequel but was a bit disappointed because the hometown feel was gone, the colors were too saturated/unrealistic, there wasn't that much difference in the activity between night and day, and other things.
But in this replay, 18 years later, the feelings are exactly the opposite. It was hard to complete Shenmue I: the technical amazement was gone, the pace was really slow and the fascination of "real Japan" is quite less since I've already been to real Japan :-). But, on the other hand, I'm "getting" Shenmue II much more, and appreciate it as the absolute masterpiece that it is. The stylization of the scenarios is less realistic but really beautiful, the characters are much more profound and nuanced and interesting than in the first game, and there's an overwhelming amount of content to enjoy. I've been hooked from minute one and blazing through the game in a short time, feeling deep emotions of nostalgia and amazement in the journey.
Therefore, I'm anticipating the third game now more than I have ever been. In fact I'm really excited to reach the Guilin section of II as a kind of prologue (which I already remember as a "magical" experience back in my first playthrough). And I know the moment I start III and see how exactly they continue from the point they left the journey will probably be the most significant "gaming" moment of my lifetime.
You brought a big smile to my face. I'll be 30 in November and Shenmue was also one of the few games my dad was keenly interested in and enjoyed watching. Can't believe we're finally getting our hands on this game after so many years.
Buy Shenmue III guys!
We have to get a Shenmue IV sometime in the 2020s.
I don't wanna wait until 2039!
We have to get a Shenmue IV sometime in the 2020s.
I don't wanna wait until 2039!
For real.
Shenmue II stands among the best games of 2001; and that was a super competitive year.
I'm pretty sure there are plenty of backers who are still waiting for their physical copies
As someone who just recently played these games for the first time, Shenmue 1 was a struggle to get through. It took me a month to finish it and sometimes I wanted to drop it as well.
But I was hooked as soon as I started 2. Finished it in 3 days and easily one of the greatest games I have ever played. It's really amazing how different Shenmue 1 and 2 are from each other.
Im still waiting on an official KS email confirming its gold, its really the only thing I'm waiting on before I restart my replays (as I've always dreamed of starting 3 right after finishing 2, and now this can finally happen!)
Only really reporting what I heard anecdotally. Can't speak to specific cases, or determine what percentage of backers haven't received their game and why. It's not fool-proof unfortunately. Postal services, Fangamer, and the backers themselves can all make errors that mean stuff doesn't get delivered when it's meant to.
I also believe in Bloodstained's case they staggered delivery on some rewards items? Important not to conflate "I didn't receive my XYZ tier" with "I didn't receive my game". I think they're also not shipping certain tiers until the DLC is complete and on the disk? I didn't back Bloodstained so I'm just trying to glean as much as I can from the comments.
For Shenmue III, the current plan is to ship everything in one go so hopefully some of the examples above aren't an issue. Other than that, it's just whether Fangamer are on the ball, the luck of the draw with postal services, and whether backers have filled in their surveys correctly - if at all. Hopefully it works out for the majority, but inevitably there will be an issue somewhere for someone.
Personally, I indulged in a little insurance and tagged on a bonus digital copy when upgrades were offered last year. Just to be sure.
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At the very least, the team is ready to work on IV after III is finished by all accounts, so there's that. We just have to pray that III sells enough for it to happen.
Interesting! I really like that the two games are so different. The intimacy of Shenmue I makes the bigness of Shenmue II more amazing. You start out as a local yokel kid with a small life in a small place, somewhere you can quickly start to basically know everyone in town... and then you're thrown into the overwhelming big city. Such an interesting and unique way to structure a game series.
I mean at this point... with the entire team in place and a finished game (with complete systems)... it feels like they could at the very least Kickstart a few million and do the next chapter within the framework they've already set up. Hopefully they go for it even if III doesn't do huge sales.
A lot of people won't kickstart a fourth shenmue after everything that went down after Deep Silver jumped on board.
Definitely play the first two. HD collections are in good shape now and very playable.
I think the hardcore fans who waited over a decade for 3 will definitely jump on board for 4 if they enjoy the third game.
KS a fourth game wouldn't work. Wouldn't garner nearly as much excitement (or money) before and the team burned bridges when they fucked people over with the whole Epic thing. Plus the frame world already exists so assuming the game doesn't do spectacularly bad it'll hopefully be picked up by Deep Silver and they can use the basic frame work they already have in place from 3.
Even before the whole epic deal Yu Suzuki already stated that he would rather not do a ks again. He's hoping a publisher will fund the 4th game which is a possibility bc assets and systems are already in place and dont have to make everything from scratch like part 3.
Yeah no way another Kickstarter would work, especially with new consoles around the corner now. It's too late for them to use the same assets for this gen again.
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It feels like Kickstarter's time has passed in general. Maybe I'm wide of the mark here, but it doesn't seem like developers rely on crowdfunding sites nearly as much as they did five years ago. And like shadowman16 said, there just wouldn't be nearly as much excitement around a Kickstarter for Shenmue IV as there was III. That was a lightning in a bottle situation, deliberately set up so that Suzuki could cash in on all the mania drummed up by the FFVII Remake announcement two minutes prior (and also to a lesser extent the re-reveal of The Last Guardian). There's just no way of duplicating that moment again. Not to mention all the bad blood that has resulted in the EGS deal.
Deep Silver has that Epic money and the groundwork has been laid down with III to help smooth over the transition to IV, so I'm hoping that if initial sales are good in November then it'll be full speed ahead on the fourth installment and crowdfunding won't be needed anyway. We'll see.
I really wouldn't start with 3. You'll be missing out on so many story beats and history if you do. Plus the HD collection is a cheap way of finding out whether Shenmue is for you or not.
Deep Silver has that Epic money and the groundwork has been laid down with III to help smooth over the transition to IV, so I'm hoping that if initial sales are good in November then it'll be full speed ahead on the fourth installment and crowdfunding won't be needed anyway. We'll see.
I really wouldn't start with 3. You'll be missing out on so many story beats and history if you do. Plus the HD collection is a cheap way of finding out whether Shenmue is for you or not.
The plan was never to have the rest of the series hinge on crowdfunding. It took about a year of talking round and diminishing options for Yu Suzuki to even consider it in the first place for III.
As long as sales are compelling enough, there are partners already in place to enable rolling straight into Shenmue IV as Yu Suzuki wants. The backbone for a future game already exists with III's systems and would make producing a straight sequel cheaper than it would have otherwise been, but ideally it'd be nice if Ys Net had more money to play with regardless.
As long as sales are compelling enough, there are partners already in place to enable rolling straight into Shenmue IV as Yu Suzuki wants. The backbone for a future game already exists with III's systems and would make producing a straight sequel cheaper than it would have otherwise been, but ideally it'd be nice if Ys Net had more money to play with regardless.
Playing the first two games is the best way to experience and appreciate the journey, but III will have a recap film for newcomers & flashbacks with recurring characters.
My advice will be slightly different than what you are getting. Get Shenmue I & II and start the first one until you know the premise, the main characters, and the town. That would be 3 or 4 game days.
Then, unless you are really hooked to the world of I, watch a recap of the game on Youtube (search for "Shenmue digest movie") and jump straight to II. Play it thoroughly (it will "flow" easily) and you'll be ready for III.
If you develop a love for the series you will probably want to go back to I and complete it.
I need to finish 1 and 2. Really digging what I've played of the remaster of 1. I hope this turns out well. Looks like it's nailing a certain charm from its era.
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Just saw this on Discord. Not sure how legit it is or whether or not it's been posted already, but here's the back of the box...
It's a preorder box for Europe.Just saw this on Discord. Not sure how legit it is or whether or not it's been posted already, but here's the back of the box...
The rest of the information is accurate but obviously it doesn't have a UPC or any of the usual PEGI identifiers.
I mean, you're not backing a game to get ahead of the queue really, you're throwing in money to support the development, that's it.
I will be shocked if backers (including myself) receive physical copies on release day. Should've saved myself $30 and backed the digital version (although, they could also not send those out on time). No way they shell out the cash for FedEx delivery, you know that stuff is going to arrive via UPS Mail Innovations.
Don't you mean current gen?
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I don't want to get ahead of the queue, I just want to be able to play the game on release day.
She looks amazing and finally get a look at the fortified castleMore information coming later this afternoon, apparently.
Currently playing the Dreamcast version of the first one via Redream in preparation for III.
I'm loving it, so far, though I have to resort to internet once to know how to get to the damn Warehouse no. 8 because no one had a fucking clue where it was. :lol
I'm loving it, so far, though I have to resort to internet once to know how to get to the damn Warehouse no. 8 because no one had a fucking clue where it was. :lol
Agreed.
Honestly the screens don't do the game justice enough. The image is much sharper and cleaner IRL, and the colours pop a lot more.
I have a digital and physical copy through the kickstarter, but I may just buy it straight through the PSN on launch day. I worry about this being a kickstarter project that has a big push during the campaign but doesn't sell very many copies when it actually launches, and if it does, most of it will probably go to the publisher anyway.
Yeah I purchased the digital deluxe even though I will have a KS copy. It needs to sell somewhat well
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More information coming later this afternoon, apparently.
Thanks for the heads up. The background and foreground of this image are truly wondrous sights to behold.
I totally forgot about the season pass, nevermind then I can just buy that
I bet the KS digital copy will just be the standard edition on PSN with a backer DLC pack, and normally if you purchase a standard edition it will discount the digital deluxe version to the difference between the two ($15 in this case)
