IGN's Esra Krabbe - Shenmue 3 editorial (MAGIC '19)

An interesting article for sure. Definitely sounds like this is going to be a true Shenmue game for absolute certain! I also quite like that it's fairly grounded and highlights some of the sacrifices made alongside the improvements. Obviously some of these things will be missed, but it gives us a better outlook on what to expect from the final game.
 
Reading this interview reminded me of an older interview where Suzuki was talking about having a stable but not large budget for his game and about having a realistic expectation of this game. I am disheartened by the lack of throw moves since grappling is a part of jujitsu and made the combat deeper but it is what it is. I think it would be more accurate for the Shenmue 3 facts page to say "All the moves from the previous games have returned except throw moves" otherwise older fans might be disappointed a bit. That being said though, I am utterly amazed that Suzuki has been able to make the best game he can with the limitations put on him. It shows that he's ambitious but also pragmatic and resourceful.

I will support this game to the best of my ability and hopefully through its success Shenmue IV will be born and will show people what a real AAA game should be. I've already made my point about the supernatural elements but again these elements are special because they are subtle and spread out over long stretches of grounded reality which is why when they occur it makes them more special and also adds to the overall atmosphere of the game. With Shenmue IV and possibly V I am sure those elements will come back into play perhaps but I don't think they'll be as overt as Street Fighter or Dragonball.

In any case, I got my preorder from Amazon set and today I'll be preordering from Gamestop. I am so fucking happy right now I never thought I'd ever continue this series and due to fan love I am able to. It's such a wonderful and romantic feeling.
 
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The only thing alarming me a bit is Suzuki bluntly saying there would be no supernatural elements in Shenmue 3. I actually loved the ending of Shenmue 2 and how it subtly introduced some magical realism. Why introduce it all then?

The more grounded in reality the better for me. Never was a fan of the floating swords and fireballs.
 
Reading this interview reminded me of an older interview where Suzuki was talking about having a stable but not large budget for his game and about having a realistic expectation of this game. I am disheartened by the lack of throw moves since grappling is a part of jujitsu and made the combat deeper but it is what it is. I think it would be more accurate for the Shenmue 3 facts page to say "All the moves from the previous games has returned except throw moves" otherwise older fans might be disappointed a bit. That being said though I am utterly amazed that Suzuki has been able to make the best game he can with the limitations put on him. It shows that he's ambitious but also pragmatic and resourceful.


At the same time, we can assume that Ryo will be trained in and adopt various Chinese martial arts, the majority of which are predominately striking styles (Kung Fu) as opposed to the grappling and throwing/takedown styles of Japan (Jujutsu, Aikido, Hapkido).

It only makes sense then that he will utilize the techniques of these new founded Chinese disciplines.
 
I was stunned by how well-written this article is, coming from IGN. Then I saw it was IGN Japan. Of course! What a difference the Pacific Ocean makes.

The information on the new mini-games is welcome - both what will be in the game and what they couldn't achieve this time around. From what they've described, they all sound very appropriate to the setting of rural China (at least from what little I know about it). Although there won't be online leaderboards, I hope we'll have some sort of leaderboards on the Dojo where we can post screenshots of our scores and times.

Regarding the amount of dialog and the depth of the rapport system... it sounds perfect for Shenmue and a big step forward for the series. People are understandably expressing their feelings about the aspects that are not returning to the third installment. But let's really take some time to appreciate the improvements and expansions to the gameplay. This is exactly the kind of thing that everyone has been amazed by and appreciates about the original two games - that, even after many years, people are still occasionally discovering interactions that they didn't know about. It sounds like there will be even more of these kinds of unique interactions made possible this time around. People will be mentioning what Shenhua or Ren said to them and others will be like, "What?! I didn't know that was possible!" It's going to be great fun.
 
Must admit, I did enjoy a good throw move, but defionitely didn't appreciate them for many years until the turn ofo the decade. Besides, they're apart of Japanese martial arts--technically it is realistic to not see them if Ryo is learning more and more advanced Chinese martial arts throughout his journey.
 
The validation feels good lmfao!

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I have to say it's hilarious that we've been saying Shenhua doesn't look authentic and looks like a different character altogether while a certain subset of fans foamed at the mouth yelling at us saying how wrong we were... and now Yu Suzuki confirms they changed her character lmfao...

YS seperating the men from the boys!


I didn't care who that was, but I'm learning a lot about who you are.
 
It doesn't seem like Niaowu is the new name for Chobu. Rather, it seems like a old village we never heard of...
Still a ton of things we don't know ! How many suprises are waiting for us?! :D
I thought about this too, but saying there are 400/500 NPCs between those two locations feels a bit off. Chobu is probably the most populous area of the game from what we know about it, so the number makes more sense in the context of Chobu getting renamed.
 
“I also wanted to implement a snail race, but sadly we weren’t able to do that this time,” Suzuki said with a straight face.

I didn’t understand what could be so special about a snail race. Why would anyone want to watch races featuring a creature even slower than a turtle?

“Snails are very slow, you know” said Suzuki. “I thought it would be interesting to combine this with Shenmue’s flow of time. Ryo would have to place his bets in the morning, but has to come back later in the afternoon to check the results.”

Yu Suzuki-sama is something else.

Quick thoughts:
1. No throws may actually add more realism to Ryo’s martial arts discipline and journey. Depends on how it’s presented.

2. Disinterested NPC’s may actually add more realism to Ryo’s sense of foreign struggles. Depends on how it’s presented.

3. No exaggerated mysticism should most certainly enhance the sense of realism and immersion in Ryo’s human story.

Sounds like we may actually be getting a more realistic and true to life Shenmue III with the perceived “constraints”. More blessings in disguise. And still steadily improving in development...

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It doesn't seem like Niaowu is the new name for Chobu. Rather, it seems like a old village we never heard of...
Still a ton of things we don't know ! How many suprises are waiting for us?! :D
If I understand correctly ちょうぶ(Choubu) is Japanese On reading of Chinese characters 鳥舞 and Niǎo wǔ is chinese pronounciation of same characters according to google(?)
 
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