Shenmue 3 Kickstarter

[Blu]

3M hit! Rapport and Skill trees next!



This is/was my reaction to the announcement to Shenmue 3.

I'll celebrate by feeding the kitten some sardines and gettin' sweaty in the Dojo.

[Snatch1414]

Let's keep the train rollin'! I wanna see some fun in-game stretch goals as extras. I don't even care if it's just more costumes, just something. A stretch goal like "20% more capsules to collect!" or "Hidden licensed Sega arcade game!" would be awesome.

EDIT: Just ratcheted up to the $120 level. Was planning on dropping a hundo because my name in the credits was too tempting, but my buddy had to go the extra $20 for the friggin' capsule toy and I couldn't resist. I'm assuming it's only a matter of time they announce physical PS4 copies right? Anything but the $29 level feels unjustified otherwise.

[Thierry Henry]

A different perspective,

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/ ... right-now/


"Stop Donating To The 'Shenmue 3' Kickstarter Right Now"

Here’s the good news: Shenmue 3 is actually happening! That’s a great thing. This long-awaited sequel to one the most beloved games of all time is finally coming back to modern consoles as part of slightly surreal streak of wish fulfillment this E3, and we should be happy about that fact. Yu Suzuki and Sony said that this game wouldn’t happen unless it could raise $2 million on Kickstarter, which it blew through in a day, and now it’s nearly up to $3 million. So, a success. And now it’s time to stop giving it our money.

There was something very strange about this Kickstarter from the beginning. Shenmue 3 isn’t the first Kickstarter game apparently using the platform for publicity while actually funding the project through more traditional means, but it’s certainly the most brazen. The very fact that it was launched on stage at the Sony press conference set off a giant warning sign, and the fact that they were only asking for $2 million dollars to make the sequel to a game that cost $70 million in 1999 set off several more. The game is being funded by Sony, and it’s using Kickstarter as a way of gauging fan interest. It’s a little bit deceptive, but it’s hardly uncommon.


As with most games like this, most of the Kickstarter rewards amount to pre-order bonuses, and we at Forbes are always cautioning you against pre-orders of any kind. This kind of pre-order is the most “pre” imaginable. We’ve seen virtually nothing from this game, and we’re taking it on faith that it’s going to be worth our money based on our faith in Yu Suzuki and our love of the previous games. It’s a nice idea, but I’m a firm believer in not buying things until you know whether or not they’re any good. If something went wrong, Shenmue 3 would be far from the first Kickstater game to lose its way.

Sony asked a price from its fans, which they paid. Shenmue 3 is happening. This game is going to cost far, far more than $2 million to make and the majority of that money isn’t going to come from Kickstarter. The stretch goals are a bizarre in this circumstance: would they really have not made Spanish subtitles if they didn’t raise a few extra dollars, thus sacrificing the entire Spanish-speaking market? Does the scope of the game actually depend on them raising an extra $1 million on top of the what they already have? Somehow I doubt it. Sony has agreed to help with this game, and it’s going to want the game to be successful. Its development budget does not depend on reaching stretch goals.

So while it’s always fun to get excited about things, pre-orders in any form perpetuate a skewed relationship between gamers and developers, one where the quality of the game becomes increasingly unbundled from its financial success. It’s great that we’re getting Shenmue 3. Now we have to sit back and wait to see if it’s going to be any good.

[Snatch1414]

That's a fair stance to take I think. If nothing else I do agree about the shady nature of the whole "Need a Kickstarter so a billion dollar company can fund this" part of it. Other than that we can only hope the Kickstarter funds will at least in part go to things that maybe wouldn't be in the game otherwise. Hell, without the Kickstarter maybe the game is just a $15 digital download that's a half-assed version of a full sequel.

The interesting thing about the Kickstarter to me is the $29 level. That'll get you a digital copy of the game. That totally confuses me about the size of the project. I don't know how they arrived at that number.

[Reprise]

Cynical article is cynical.

It isn't a con. This will likely help pay for all the technical resources to get it made. Then, Sony will likely provide a team of bodies in order to help with actual development. So Sony wanted to use a Kickstarter to gauge interest? So what? And let's not act like it's some Sony exclusive either... Remember, it's coming out for PC too and they haven't ruled out a possible Wii U or XBOne release just yet.

I say, if people want to keep on donating, then do! Let's reach those stretch goals and then some and make it the best game it can be.

Also, stop citing the 70 million! That was the cost for the time and effort and research put into the ENTIRE franchise and creating the engine from scratch. Let's not forget it also includes the cost of the original Saturn development, even from the days of it being a Virtua Fighter spin off. These days, a game like Shenmue wouldn't need anywhere near that cost. Especially with them utilizing the Unreal engine.

[Blu]

I think it's fair to be cautious. The subtitles seem a little strange as a stretch goal, but I'm curious and optimistic what the goals beyond $4M will be. I sincerely hope that Sony's asking for the Kickstarter is to gauge interest so that they know it's a fairly safe investment on their end. I mean the game isn't obviously going to be this huge AAA title and I think everyone knows that by now, but what would the budget even be for this? $30M? $40M? Is the 2M to cover the initial overhead and rights to use Unreal engine?

To be fair, Iga's game appears to be about the same stage of development, with concept art and renderings. Are there similar sentiments being shared about that campaign?

[BogusMeatFactory]

In response to the, "Stop backing on Kickstarter." I understand people not liking the pre-order mentality, because you don't know what you are going to get, but I am perfectly fine with it in this particular instance. I don't see a problem with it. I want the stretch goals reached and I want more and more people to experience the game. Do it. Don't it. It doesn't matter.

The author of this article states that Shenmue could have problems, like so many other kicktarter projects, but those projects were headed by small independent teams that literally took the money and ran. This isn't some small company making a small game. I am happy that Sony is backing the game financially, because otherwise the game would suck at 2 million.

They don't NEED the excess cash from the kickstarter, but what the NEED is to know that we want this and are willing to spend our money on this and other future projects like this.

I think what led to me putting the game down was the lack of direction. Very possible that I just wasn't in the right mindset for the game, or that I got used to "Quest Trackers" and the like in more modern adventure games. I feel like I am lost without a cause in between every goal.

Either I am worse at the game than most people, which is entirely likely, or maybe that is part of what people enjoy about it?

I want to give it another go, with less expectations of what I think the game is/should be, and just take it in. I think an oozing post from the meat man about what exactly it is that makes this game so wonderful would be a huge help. Heck, you got me wanting to play point and click games (Buying Grim Fandango very soon in fact!), and I never had an interest in them.

For what its worth, I liked the kitten. I never got to any forklifts, actually was looking forward to seeing what that was all about, but I just talked to like 100 people that seemed irritated at my existence.

Dunpeal, I understand your frustration in not knowing where to go and what to do. What I suggest is approaching the game in a way a person would approach a book. Take things slow and at a casual pace. Don't let yourself be distracted easily. To help guide you in what you need to do, talk to everyone you see in the game. If they aren't just a random passersby than they usually can offer up a tidbit of information. Talking to as many people as possible can open up different paths to a problem and pushes the story along a bit differently.

A lot of time they reference a location and it helps to take a look at the maps strewn about the locales.

Look at everything. Go into shops and look at their wares, open drawers and explore locales. Take an in-game day to explore the Hazuki Home, a day to explore Sakuragaoka, a day to explore the harbor etc. and just enjoy. This is a game that was built with everything laid in place long before they developed it. The story and character motivation has been set. Characters say and do things with purpose and intent that may sometimes confuse you, but are done intentionally. When you explore your house, you learn so much about the people around you. You can read the scrolls and their sayings and that says something of your father. Looking at Fukuhara's bedroom says a lot of him as a person and his mentality.

A lot of the focus in this game is on character and that is where a lot of people find issues with it. They get distracted by the voice acting and therefor deters them from enjoying it. Some find it to be exactly the opposite, that the cheesy delivery of lines can sometimes heighten things. Others don't have it affect them in any way. Just focus on what is being said, versus how it is being said.

Come in with an open mind and just go where the ride takes you and don't stress out about time. Sure the game has its flaws, but those flaws are superficial. Just explore and play and talk to me about it. Let me know how you feel and why you feel it and I can also help make you see it in a different perspective.

I find that most games that people don't enjoy is because they don't get how to enjoy it.

[Snatch1414]

Remember, it's coming out for PC too and they haven't ruled out a possible Wii U or XBOne release just yet.

No they haven't ruled those out, but frankly Sony parading it around on stage then putting up funds = PC and PS4 only to me. I suppose everyone has a price though. Wouldn't be worth it for MS or Nintendo though I don't think.

To be fair, Iga's game appears to be about the same stage of development, with concept art and renderings. Are there similar sentiments being shared about that campaign?

No one in the mainstream paid attention to Iga's kickstarter and Shenmue was at E3. That's all that is.

They don't NEED the excess cash from the kickstarter, but what the NEED is to know that we want this and are willing to spend our money on this and other future projects like this.

Still though, if Sony put it out to the gaming press that they wanted to collect $2 million from gamers and in return they'd agree to make Shenmue 3 it'd be a PR disaster. The similarities between that and this, other than how it's perceived, are pretty much identical to me. My capsule toy not withstanding.....

Don't get me wrong. The market dictates and the market in my brain says I should spend and feel like I contributed here. That's really all that matters. I just think the guy has a point.

[Erik_Twice]

He's not wrong, it's true that Shenmue 3, like lots of lots of games before it, is using Kickstarter as a way to get free money and healthy dose of free marketing. And it's very hard to deny that the mentality people have with Kickstarter is not so much one of patronage as one of preordering stuff if not the same kind of blind consumerism that drives Steam sales.

I know it's pretty much raining of the parade but to Caesar that which is Caesar's and so on.

[Blu]

To be fair, Iga's game appears to be about the same stage of development, with concept art and renderings. Are there similar sentiments being shared about that campaign?

No one in the mainstream paid attention to Iga's kickstarter and Shenmue was at E3. That's all that is.

https://news.google.com/news/story?ncl= ... CCkQqgIwAA

I don't think I agree with you. It made 10 times its funding goals, how did it get that traction? I mean we're comparing one platform of presentation and media coverage to another. If you said that Shenmue 3 had a higher profile reveal, then I'll agree with you. But given the success of Iga's kickstarter and its viral explosion and backing I don't think that's an accurate statement.

Regardless, it's a time to celebrate and hope things come to fruition.

Erik, are we too trusting of the system, cooperating with the state? Interesting use of the quote.