Is there enough enthusiasm for a Shenmue 4?

Gotta throw it out there too. I would've much preferred a limited build of shenmue in exchange for a heavy focus on story and character development. I love the shenmue experience and all there is to do, but it supplements the story. I wasnt waiting for Ryo to emerge from the cave so I could play lucky hit again or race turtles. Seeing that "oh shit" moment is what im looking for and I thought we were going to get that with Iwao's backstory but then they dropped the ball. Then Niaowu fumbled even more with the poor introduction of Niao Sun. Even the whole Ryo and Shenhua relationship just disappears in Niaowu and shes just there to hear what you found out that day
 
spud1897 said:
As much as I want to believe this I reckon there would hav ebeen as much of an outcry over less mini-games, shorter game etc as some would say it would lose its Shenmue feel.

Just my 2 cents though
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A good game's a good game. I think there are ways to eschew certain elements of the formula without turning off a majority of fans or newcomers. I'm not a legend like Yu Suzuki, so it's not my place to explain how to accomplish that, but I think a rock solid story and exciting set pieces would've done no harm, even if it meant less Smart Ball, Pail Toss and lamp stores.
 
A good visual novel in the style of Worldend Syndrome where you have the choice between let's say 10 different locations and 3 times of day like morning, afternoon and evening would be a good model for S4. Depending on where you go at what time, you'll get different events and endings. Beautiful illustrations by Miyawaki, good usage of the music tracks in Sega's archive, and I mean somebody will really have to sit down and actually listen to those tracks and choose them according to the mood of each scene, while taking into account how and if those tracks have been previously used in the Shenmue series.

Of course I'd prefer a game in the style of S3 but with focus on inward development of characters instead of external things like a huge useless map and a fuckton of minigames and jobs. Just recycle the jobs and minigames they have in place. Maybe there are even new minigames coming with the Big Merry Cruise dlc.

I'd prefer a story- and character-heavy S4 in the style of S3 but a visual novel or a point & click would be enough for me.

Oh yeah, and drop English voices and maybe keep VO to cutscenes only to keep down the costs.
 
While a watered down Shenmue game with a lot of story might be enough for some, it will likely be a turn off for many others...my thoughts are that if they did that with Shenmue IV, you'd be hearing a lot of the same complaints now about the story, but about the lack of an open world.

I think Shenmue III's story was lacking, yes, particularly after Bailu Village, but I did enjoy the open world. Always have, always will, and it would be a shame if future games didn't have this aspect.
 
I really don't think the mini games and capsule toys etc, ate into the development time more than people are making out it did.
Most of the capsule toys are just shrunken down objects that already exist in the world (arcade cabs, furniture etc)
How long does it really take to stick some pins and a picture on the back of a lucky hit board after the physics and game logic is already in place?
Fishing - two buttons?
Forklift - one route?
Arcade golf and basketball - recycled Pail Toss?
The shops all have a single NPC that is either standing or sitting. The items you purchase are in a pop up menu and not out on display.

Compare that to the cost and man hours of animating and choreographing a fight cutscene like Bei on the docks or Lan Di's henchmen?
No contest IMO
YsNet simply ran out of time. When the project chopped and changed so much due to different funding streams being introduced it's no wonder.
I've said it a million times i'm impressed the game is as good as it is tbh.

Shenmue IV without having to do a million things to please backers, the impending threat of next-gen, the team having much better knowledge of UE4, Suzuki knowing exactly where he's going to start and end?

Who couldn't be excited for that?
 
Down by Law said:
I really don't think the mini games and capsule toys etc, ate into the development time more than people are making out it did.
Most of the capsule toys are just shrunken down objects that already exist in the world (arcade cabs, furniture etc)
How long does it really take to stick some pins and a picture on the back of a lucky hit board after the physics and game logic is already in place?
Fishing - two buttons?
Forklift - one route?
Arcade golf and basketball - recycled Pail Toss?
The shops all have a single NPC that is either standing or sitting. The items you purchase are in a pop up menu and not out on display.

Compare that to the cost and man hours of developing a fighting cutscene like Bei on the docks or Lan Di's henchmen?
No contest IMO
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We've heard what I'm about to say a thousand times, but I think they did a good job with what they had. Hindsight is 20/20 and there will always be things they could've done better/worse on. Suzuki himself wasn't totally in love with the game either, if you watch that rapid fire Game Informer Interviewer:


While tongue in cheek, I think he ended up rating Shenmue III a 5 or a 6 out of 10...he's a perfectionist, and I think the general ambition he has got a little out of hand compared to the resources.

Should Shenmue IV be realized, I think a lot of this stuff being in place is a great thing...copy and paste a lot of it, and you've got a ton of time and resources to flesh out other things.
 
Indeed. The problem is we live in a world where 5/6/7 out of 10 is not seen as okay, good, very good, it's more like terrible, mediocre and OK.
 
I just want the story.

And to be honest with myself. All I ever wanted from Shenmue after the second game WAS the story. So, if they make it animated, or just a comic book, or picture book. I don't fucking care.

Just give me the story. And make it good! That's all
 
The Wolf King said:
Simple answer no.

Yu got 3 all wrong and focused on the wrong stuff and it's hurt the series
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It does feel like the tone everywhere I look is fairly negative. I look at a lot of Twitter posts about Shenmue 3 and they're 80% negative, mostly about the Kickstarter, but also as a response to the media like Dunkey's vids. I hope if Shenmue 4 becomes a reality it's completely funded by the publisher and Ys Net because there's no way they can turn to crowdfunding.
 
mjqjazzbar said:
It does feel like the tone everywhere I look is fairly negative. I look at a lot of Twitter posts about Shenmue 3 and they're 80% negative, mostly about the Kickstarter, but also as a response to the media like Dunkey's vids. I hope if Shenmue 4 becomes a reality it's completely funded by the publisher and Ys Net because there's no way they can turn to crowdfunding.
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There's also a lot of positive receptions. Everything isn't one-sided. I mean, even for people who were underwhelmed by 3, I feel like there's still a curiosity for 4.

I still think a crowdfunding would be possible... but yeah, it'll be only for the biggest fans and among them, those who liked 3.
 
mjqjazzbar said:
It does feel like the tone everywhere I look is fairly negative. I look at a lot of Twitter posts about Shenmue 3 and they're 80% negative, mostly about the Kickstarter, but also as a response to the media like Dunkey's vids. I hope if Shenmue 4 becomes a reality it's completely funded by the publisher and Ys Net because there's no way they can turn to crowdfunding.
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The Dojo is probably the most positive of the three main Shenmue fan bases and we’re pretty divided. The Shenmue reddit in particular seems pretty toxic and the substandard DLC and continued delays with Kickstarter rewards really isn’t helping.

I can’t quite understand the ferocity of the negativity as, in spite of its flaws, the gameplay of Shenmue 3 is actually pretty good and overall it’s not a bad game.

I do feel that Yu dropped the ball a little by neglecting the story and character development though. That he thought we had waited nearly two decades to drive forklifts and play lucky hit again suggests to me that he’s a little out of touch with the fan base. It should have gone without saying that the story needed to be the main focal point of Shenmue 3.
 
I wish Yu would make some press rounds at least. The silence hasn't helped. Not sure he has anything specific to address, but I think it'd help to do a Q&A with the crowdfunders or just do a nice post-launch interview where he could answer some questions that have been out there for a while now. The PR in general has been very poor since 2015 and it's a shame they haven't figured that out yet.
 
mjqjazzbar said:
I wish Yu would make some press rounds at least. The silence hasn't helped. Not sure he has anything specific to address, but I think it'd help to do a Q&A with the crowdfunders or just do a nice post-launch interview where he could answer some questions that have been out there for a while now. The PR in general has been very poor since 2015 and it's a shame they haven't figured that out yet.
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Depending on how aware Yu is of the reception to Shenmue 3, he may not be feeling up to facing the fans just yet.

Whatever the end result, I’ve no doubt in my mind that Yu and his team put their all into this game and wanted nothing more than to please the fans who had put their faith in them. The game selling relatively poorly and the media’s mixed reviews will likely have hurt a lot, but if he’s been made privy to how the fan base has responded, he may well be feeling pretty devastated.

I know if it were me that’s how I’d be feeling at least.
 
I like to think that a man like Yu Suzuki couldn't achieve the highs of his career if he let these types of things get him down. Of course he's a human like the rest of us, but I think he'll weather it ok. Surely being accused of killing Sega and the Dreamcast is much worse than the same five nobody Kickstarter trolls calling him a drunk.
 
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GhostTrick said:
There's also a lot of positive receptions. Everything isn't one-sided. I mean, even for people who were underwhelmed by 3, I feel like there's still a curiosity for 4.

I still think a crowdfunding would be possible... but yeah, it'll be only for the biggest fans and among them, those who liked 3.
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Another kickstarter will just give the press more ammo. No way will an S4 kickstarter be the record breaking success it was for S3, probably nowhere near. Even if it made 3 mil, it would be automatically "S3 kickstarter bombs, burned fans not falling for the scam this time".
 
mjqjazzbar said:
I like to think that a man like Yu Suzuki couldn't achieve the highs of his career if he let these types of things get him down. Of course he's a human like the rest of us, but I think he'll weather it ok. Surely being accused of killing Sega and the Dreamcast is much worse than the same five Kickstarter trolls calling him a drunk.
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One would like to think that his team will shield him from the worst of it, but all the same, I don’t think that his team can honestly tell him that the fan base were happy with Shenmue 3 and I’m guessing that’s a question he will have asked. Some loved it, some had mixed feelings and some hated it, but looking around it definitely feels like the last two groups massively outweigh the first and so to say that the fan base is happy would, in my eyes at least, be an outright lie.

As for the Sega vs Shenmue 3 comparison, I really do think that the response to S3 whit harder.

With the original games, Yu did his job and delivered two great games that he was more or less happy with. The games sold pretty well given the install base of the Dreamcast and there were clearly other factors in play when it came to Sega’s demise (the ridiculous approach to hardware development in the mid to late 99’s certainly springs to mind). This criticism will likely have been much easier to brush off, especially given how Sega shafted him in the aftermath.

When it comes to Shenmue 3, his relationship with the fans is a lot more personal. He’s seen pictures and videos of us during campaigns and met many of us at conventions and events. He fought long and hard to have a chance at making Shenmue 3 and we gave him the budget to do so. Shenmue 3 was for the fans and that many are feeling let down (some even cheated) would, I think, sting a little more. It’s not like he can just brush it off so easily either because by his own admission, this was a mediocre game.
 
I think some of you need to learn the definition of the word "opinion".

I also believe Yu is well aware of the reception, positive and negative, to Shenmue III.

Through its flaws, I liked the game and can't wait for IV. The one thing I cannot excuse, however, is the lack of communication via Kickstarter and the absolutely horrid reward shipping process.
 
That's why I think a good Q&A with backers or an interview with one of the major magazines/websites would be a big help at this point. The bad news just doesn't stop flowing. Time to change the narrative a little bit.
 
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