Would you fund a Kickstarter project for Shenmue III ?

[CavZee]

I'm not sure why Sega wouldn't at least try to give us an HD update to the first two games. Then depending on how well it does, have the Shenmue III developed by the Yakuza team with Suzuki overseeing the project.

That would make too much sense right? Then again, we haven't even gotten any announcement about whether or not Yakuza 5 will be localized outside Japan yet.

[jinx]

Done!

I wish Sega would do a Kickstarter for the Dreamcast community. I know it will never happen, but I can Dream. I would easily pledge hundred of dollars for the following.

1. Easily accessible Broadband adapters.
2. Either bring back public servers, or the ability to setup private servers for popular games. (Bomberman Online, Chu Chu Rocket, etc)
3. Rechargeable VMUs (For the love of all that's unholy)

[Jagosaurus]

Done!

I wish Sega would do a Kickstarter for the Dreamcast community. I know it will never happen, but I can Dream. I would easily pledge hundred of dollars for the following.

1. Easily accessible Broadband adapters.
2. Either bring back public servers, or the ability to setup private servers for popular games. (Bomberman Online, Chu Chu Rocket, etc)
3. Rechargeable VMUs (For the love of all that's unholy)

1. Agreed, BBA were rare & are stupid expensive now. I doubt they handle the speed of internet connections today anyway. Those playing PSO are the ones to ask.
2. Again, PSO server folks could help others
3. Agreed! Just got a brand new one. Sure those batts will be out soon & I'll have 2 VMUs beeping at me!

[MulishaSoldier929]

I will gladly give $100 for Shenmue 3 when they send me a localized NA edition of Shenmue 2 for my Dreamcast. Maybe while I am waiting they can also start working on doing the same with Shinning Force episode 2 & 3???? Should I start holding my breath now????.........LOL

[Kirbyepsilon]

Count me in for $25. One of the most fun and creative game formats ever with an amazing storyline.

[Dakinggamer87]

I'm not sure why Sega wouldn't at least try to give us an HD update to the first two games. Then depending on how well it does, have the Shenmue III developed by the Yakuza team with Suzuki overseeing the project.

That would make too much sense right? Then again, we haven't even gotten any announcement about whether or not Yakuza 5 will be localized outside Japan yet.

I totally agree!!

[Original_Name]

I'm sure we all know how the story will end.

I honestly don't think that Shenmue 3 should be released as a game.

If all you want it is a continuation of the story, perhaps a kickstarter campaign to tell the story in another medium. Maybe a Shenmue manga/graphic novel or a Shenmue movie.

Obviously any statement I could make on the conclusion of Shenmue would have to be based more in conjecture than anything else given the current state of the series, but based on a lot of the themes that pop up in the first two games as well as statements I've seen quoted by Yu Suzuki, I think that there is significant cause to believe that the narrative is explicitly meant to be experienced in an interactive format. Suzuki's stated in multiple interviews that it's his express intent that Shenmue be continued as a game, and his examples of what Shenmue III might be like hinge heavily on highly nuanced interactions between the individual player and Shenhua, describing dynamic micro-decisions such as what the player would like to drink or their answers to innocuous riddles slowly accumulating into an engaging and personal narrative.

I've stated this before on the forum, and as I've said I may be wrong, no one really knows how Shenmue III would play out, but I really don't think that Shenmue is a simple revenge story. There are points in the game in which Ryo is questioned by often wiser, more experienced characters in ways that incisively expose his faults as a character: the reckless amorality of his conviction and his inability or unwillingness to analyze what he is becoming in his quest for vengeance. Although it is not a constant theme, the moments in which Ryo is faced with it are highly pronounced and poignant. It is Ryo's bullheadedness and, by the nature of the medium, the player's bullheadedness which propels him forward -- seeking closure in blood rather than the wisdom imparted by his father: "Keep friends, those you love, close to you". Clearly Ryo does not do this -- he leaves everyone who cares for him.

Example of this theme:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZjMJQEfOQs

It's my hypothesis that the reason that Suzuki has stated that Shenmue III "has to be a game" is because a central feature of the story's narrative is dependent upon holding the player directly accountable for Ryo's actions in a highly personal manner. Shadow of the Colossus famously accomplished this in its conclusion, punishing the player for approaching the title as "a game" and turning their bullheadedness against them -- seeming to state that this goal-oriented approach blinds us to the depths of the true nature of art and life. When one realizes that Ryo is ultimately walking the same moral path as his sworn nemesis (Lan Di exacts his revenge upon Iwao because Iwao murdered someone close to Lan Di), you realize that defeating Lan Di isn't a victory -- it's a waste. You become what you hate, fulfill a promise that goes directly against what your father asked of you, and abandon love at every turn. The story knows this, and I don't imagine that its full revelation would be pleasant for the character and the player that caused it.

There's this notion that Shenmue has a simplistic story -- I'm telling you, it doesn't. Could a Shenmue III fall short of what I feel could utilize the medium to its full potential for an incredible and personal twist? Sure. But I'm tellin' y'all (especially those who want Shenmue III so they can "finally kick Lan Di's ass," as I see so often on forums), you look closely at the dialog and it sure as hell looks like they're pulling your chain the whole way along.

So, just as I put down the controller on Shadow of the Colossus before I even killed the first Colossus out of the selfishness of the whole thing, I don't know how far I'd want to personally go into Shenmue despite it being one of my all-time favorite series. But good art is fuckin' important, and this would be the continuation of the medium's most ambitious and potentially fruitful realization of the possibilities of its design, so depending on how much money I would be making at the time of a Kickstarter, I could easily see myself dropping $100 on this.

[elmagicochrisg]

Yu already said that Shenmue was / is all about experiencing asian life in the 80's. So yes, to 'experience' it you definitely have to 'do' something. So a videogame would be the best option to reach that...

Yu also said revenge is ultimately not what the story's about. In the end Ryo won't have his revenge, and he probably won't even want to...

[Original_Name]

Yu also said revenge is ultimately not what the story's about. In the end Ryo won't have his revenge, and he probably won't even want to...

Oh wow, I didn't know he'd stated that so directly -- could you link me to that quote? It's great to hear that my years-old theory has been validated!

[elmagicochrisg]

Yu also said revenge is ultimately not what the story's about. In the end Ryo won't have his revenge, and he probably won't even want to...

Oh wow, I didn't know he'd stated that so directly -- could you link me to that quote? It's great to hear that my years-old theory has been validated!

You can read about it here ...

Yu Suzuki Interview on Shenmue - Shenmue Master