Posted March 2, 2018 In an interview with Gamersflag, Yu Suzuki revealed that Shenmue III will not being a conclusive end to the series, leaving open the possibility of us seeing Shenmue IV in the future. Quote Interviewer: Now that Shenmue III is well advanced, can you tell us, without much detail, of course, if the end of the game is likely to be open and suggest a Shenmue IV? Is it a possibility that you left yourself? Suzuki: Yes, the end will be open for a sequel. It will not be possible to finish with this third episode. In another interview with Gameblog, Suzuki talked about a number of different subjects, key among them being how Shenmue and Yakuza are often compared. On that topic, Suzuki stated: Quote Yakuza and Shenmue have a lot of similarities but ... I should not have said that. Yes the games are similar. But Shenmue was the first truly open world game of this type and SEGA appreciated and supported it. Subsequently, Yakuza continued this momentum and allowed SEGA to be the precursor of the Open World at the time with (Toshihiro) Nagoshi-kun (the suffix 'kun' is used as a mark of affection and of proximity, editor's note) as the director of the Yakuza project. And I think it's good that SEGA has continued in that direction. I am very happy that this happened because major titles such as Grand Theft Auto could see the day thanks to all this. When asked if Shenmue III would be released in 2018, Suzuki responded that “I’ll try my best to make that happen.” 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 2, 2018 Would be amazing to have this out before the end of the year. Do we know for sure how far along this is? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 3, 2018 (edited) 13 hours ago, Fierce_LiNk said: Would be amazing to have this out before the end of the year. Do we know for sure how far along this is? We know for a fact that it’s been in true development since January 2016, and that the facial animations were originally in the build of the game utilised for the Gamescom trailer, but were removed for some reason. If I’m recalling correctly, I read somewhere that Yu Suzuki also did this (shown an older version of the game before trumping it with the new one not too long later, to blow people away) whilst at SEGA, so perhaps this has something to do with not getting fans too excited and expectant for a 2018 release in the event that it isn’t released this year? I genuinely think it’s 50/50 that we get Shenmue III this year, because the way that they’ve handled things so far has meant that we’re pretty much clueless as to where exactly they are in the development process. On the other hand, I’m pretty confident that we’ll see Shenmue 1+2 HD later this year. SEGA will finally be getting a chance to cash in on their golden eggs, and the release of 1+2 HD prior to III (and then being received amazingly) is vital to the success of III (I think it’s worth mentioning here that SEGA has invested in the project). My personal opinion is that we’ll see Shenmue 1+2 HD announced at E3 and released some time between the start of July and the end of September, whereas I think Shenmue III could arrive in the last week or two of November, if not in December — if the game is to make it to release this year. Otherwise, it’ll probably be delayed into Spring 2019 (and by all means, they should leave it in the oven to cook a little longer than that if that’s what the game needs). Edited March 3, 2018 by Julius Caesar 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 21, 2018 Looks like the English VO recordings will be starting at the end of May for Shenmue 3. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 21, 2018 And when will they start doing Ryu's facial expressions? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 21, 2018 He barely had any in the first two games unless he was drinking a coke! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 21, 2018 1 minute ago, Happenstance said: He barely had any in the first two games unless he was drinking a coke! The original game will be at least 19 years old by the time this comes out... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 21, 2018 Yes but it won’t have been 19 years of time in-game so the poor lad won’t have learnt how to emote. Have a heart man, he’s still getting over the death of his father! You know, on that day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 21, 2018 I think some sailors can help with that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 21, 2018 Sailors... have you seen any? ... I see. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 21, 2018 (Pokes head in thread) I... I understand... (Slowly backs out of thread) 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 22, 2018 (edited) 11 hours ago, Ashley said: And when will they start doing Ryu's facial expressions? They already have Quote We know for a fact that it’s been in true development since January 2016, and that the facial animations were originally in the build of the game utilised for the Gamescom trailer, but were removed for some reason. If I’m recalling correctly, I read somewhere that Yu Suzuki also did this (shown an older version of the game before trumping it with the new one not too long later, to blow people away) whilst at SEGA, so perhaps this has something to do with not getting fans too excited and expectant for a 2018 release in the event that it isn’t released this year? Source: “...We haven’t yet put in the facial expressions. Until a month ago, we had put in the facial animations, but for the moment, they’ve been removed.” Edited March 22, 2018 by Julius Caesar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 22, 2018 Oh I knew it would happen, just making a joke. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 22, 2018 Also, his name is Ryo not Ryu. Poor guy just can't catch a break in this thread. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 6, 2018 SEGA have teased a surprise announcement going into SEGA Fes 2018, which takes place on the 15th. Assuming that it isn’t news on the Sonic Racing game, it’s possible that we could be hearing news of Shenmue 1+2 HD (or, alternatively, something like Virtua Fighter 6). A few weeks back, Yu Suzuki also confirmed that Shenmue 3 will not be coming to Nintendo Switch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 6, 2018 (edited) I will remain skeptical on Shenmue 1&2 HD until I see an announcement, I've been hoping for it for so long that its just best not to think about it anymore. I have a similar philosophy when it comes to Shenmue 3, I backed it on Kickstarter so look at the updates every so often but progress seems so slow on it that I don't expect it to release anytime soon. I'm okay with that though, I want Yu and his team to have all the time they want to make it, we've waited 16 years for it so another 12 months doesn't bother me. No surprise that it isn't coming to the Switch, Sony funded it in part so even if the Switch was able to run it they likely wouldn't let it happen anyway. Edited April 6, 2018 by killthenet Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 13, 2018 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Ike said: Might be nothing... I’m going to go in believing it’s just some Shin Megami Tensei V news - something I’m excited for, but wouldn’t find anywhere near as exciting as Shenmue 1+2 HD... Really weird that they’ve only just tweeted this out, though. They were teasing this last week; that tweet’s been drafted for a while. Edited April 13, 2018 by Julius Caesar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 13, 2018 I guess the other thing I can think of is the rumoured Persona 3 remake after designs for the living room set were found in Persona 5. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 13, 2018 1 minute ago, Happenstance said: I guess the other thing I can think of is the rumoured Persona 3 remake after designs for the living room set were found in Persona 5. Man, quite a few possibilities are coming to mind now that you mention that, actually: • Persona 3 Remake • Project Re Fantasy • Virtua Fighter 6 • Shenmue I&II HD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 13, 2018 21 minutes ago, Julius Caesar said: Man, quite a few possibilities are coming to mind now that you mention that, actually: • Persona 3 Remake • Project Re Fantasy • Virtua Fighter 6 • Shenmue I&II HD Let's Nintendo Direct this. It's going to be ALL OF THEM and a signed photo of Sonic for every person in the world. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 14, 2018 Typical, we wait a decade and a half for this announcement and it comes on the day the world sits on the cusp of WW3. Shadow drop it straight into my veins already! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 14, 2018 (edited) 5 hours ago, Helmsly said: Man, I love video games. I think I’m just as excited for this as I am Spider-Man. I never played the original versions of the game, but I’ve been holding out for modern releases of the games since I learned about them, because I love storytelling, travelling and world-building in every media, and from what I’ve seen/heard, Shenmue was one of the first shining examples of how to nail that slice-of-life niche that so many other games (particularly SEGA ones, oddly enough) have since built upon, such as the Persona and Yakuza series. Oh, and I’ve listened to it’s soundtrack a lot, and I can’t think of a poorly written note. It’s great that this is a pre-E3 announcement, because it means SEGA are getting ahead of the curb so that they aren’t shoved under the table during E3 itself. It’s also great because it ever so slightly increases the odds of Shenmue III releasing this year: as this was a pre-E3 announcement, I’d have to assume that Shenmue III will be present at the main event (along with a Shenmue I & II reminder/gameplay trailer?). I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that this will come in Q3, because if Shenmue III really is dropping this year, I’d have to guess that that would be placed in Q4; the former in July/August and the latter in November/December, maybe? Edited April 14, 2018 by Julius Caesar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
