Random Shenmue III Thoughts

I'd like to share some thoughts about the demo.

As we know, Suzuki is using agile development to make Shenmue 3 and, because of this, until they finish the game near august next year the game won't have the quality standarts Suzuki seeks.

Besides, we know Suzuki wants to make something similar to what was "What's Shenmue" back in those days, that lead me to think they need some aditional time to make the demo.

The demo is supposed to be released before the release of the game as the kickstarter page tells.

So, if they need to finish the development a month or so before go gold to send it to retailers, that means the game could be finished before the end of june 19. Could we have the demo around june 19 then?
 
Assuming they are on schedule, I expect the demo to be launched at E3. Although as it's exclusive to backers, maybe it won't make sense to coincide it with an event.
 
Could someone please shed some light on the impending S3 demo and its implications?

I just can’t, for the life of me, understand why anyone would wanna play the demo before the official release. Why not just wait and play the official game when it’s released.

I would refuse to play the demo if I were offered a copy unless they were looking for feedback from fans so they could make adjustments to the game before release. But with S3 being released not too long after the demo, I don’t think it viable to go down this path.

I think the demo being a reward on the Kickstarter campaign was a bad idea and I foresee a can of worms being opened when it’s released to fans.
 
BalHan said:
I think the demo being a reward on the Kickstarter campaign was a bad idea and I foresee a can of worms being opened when it’s released to fans.
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What can of worms are you referring to? People judging the game before it's 100% complete?

That's going to happen with or without a demo. It started to happen the moment they released the first screenshots/footage...and we haven't even seen any gameplay yet! I haven't heard Shenmue III mentioned on a single podcast without someone voicing their concerns over it, some genuine (the lack of facial animation really threw a lot of people off), some disingenuous (some people just want it to fail because they're dead inside).

As dedicated fans we can be extremely protective of the game, but honestly, the only way a demo could have a negative impact is if A) the game itself is bad, and the demo exposes that before release, or B) the demo is extremely early, incomplete and is riddled with bugs. Personally, I don't think either of these things will happen.

People are more accustomed to playing unfinished games now with the proliferation of Early Access, betas and the like, so even if they release a slice of the game that isn't 100% complete, as long as they feature a disclaimer that states exactly that, then most people will give it the benefit of the doubt.

That said, there is no way in hell I'll be playing that demo. I didn't wait 17 years just so I could jump the gun by a month and play an incomplete version. I still don't know if I'm even going to watch gameplay footage at this point :oops:
 
I've said that I wouldn't play it for a long time, but I have the willpower of a pigeon so I don't know...

On the one hand, it should be the full game in my hands, ready to play, when I step into that world. I've waited all this time, so surely a little bit longer wouldn't be too bad.

But on the other hand... I've waited all this time, finally here it is! Even if it's just a small taste, why wait any longer than I have to? Just have a blast at the demo!

I honestly don't know what I will do, but part of me wishes they just forget the demo, and make the decision for me. I know its kind of a unique situation, so we will just have to see how it plays out. But if they do a RE7 type thing, with a trailer at E3 and a "play the demo tonight".... a lot of people would get swirled up in the hype of it all. Just a case of waiting to see what happens I guess.
 
BalHan said:
Could someone please shed some light on the impending S3 demo and its implications?

I just can’t, for the life of me, understand why anyone would wanna play the demo before the official release. Why not just wait and play the official game when it’s released.

I would refuse to play the demo if I were offered a copy unless they were looking for feedback from fans so they could make adjustments to the game before release. But with S3 being released not too long after the demo, I don’t think it viable to go down this path.

I think the demo being a reward on the Kickstarter campaign was a bad idea and I foresee a can of worms being opened when it’s released to fans.
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Can't speak for anyone else, but I'm looking forward to provide final feedback on a beta demo before world release. I recall the Shenmue II demo was compartmentalized enough so that it provided a glimpse into the experience while protecting the sanctity of the story.

My current concern is when and how this demo will be released. Is E3 too late? Is PSX too early? Or is it being released quietly sometime in between?
 
I don't think the reason of the demo is for feedback. I think even today is too late to give feedback to Suzuki and his team about issues with the game. The game must be almost finalized and with no room left for critical changes.

The meaning of the demo may be to let fans taste sooner than the rest of gamers "the game", mechanicals, graphics, sounds...

I don't know what I'll do when they release the demo. I think depends on how long I'll have to wait until the full game, if it's too long to the launch of the game, maybe I'll give it a try. It's too hard having a Shenmue 3 demo and not to take a look..
 
I'll be taking a look at the demo.

It's not going to spoil the story - they're not going to make the demo the climax of the game, it'll be either the introductory sequence or something new.

It's not going to spoil the gameplay - it's too late for any major changes to be made to gameplay, and most of the bugs will have been ironed out by that point too.

It'll be the starter. A bit of soup before the main course.
 
Part of me really wants the demo to just be a continuation of Ryo and Shenhua walking along the river having a conversation. Just as you're about to pick up some more herbs, the demo fades out and ends with a "play the full game on..etc"
 
So Shenmue 3 appeared on watchmojo's "Top 10 Unreleased Games With WAY Too Much HYPE" video at number 9

Purely clickbait, but I guess it's somekind of publicity.
 
Do you think it is possible that Gameplay of Shenmue III would revealed without announcing anything?
 
SledgeNE said:
Do you think it is possible that Gameplay of Shenmue III would revealed without announcing anything?
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I think they may not announce it previously, but certainly it would be exposed in an important event like e3 or Gamescom to reach everybody. It wouldn't have much sense release a trailer in the Kickstarter page without advertising it properly.
 
I'm almost sure it has been talked about but I can't find it, I'm talking about the great wall zone. We know there will be three zones in Shenmue 3, could it be possible that the great wall zone is a part of baisha?
 
Just a thought I've been having recently, but I'm really going to enjoy the time when this game finally gets released and everyone on this forum is sharing their various thoughts and feelings on the game. It's great that this forum still exists for the very reason that most people I know don't really give much of a hoot about Shenmue. At least, not to this extent. So it's really cool to have a place where everyone will be sharing in the excitement...or the agony. But I'm trying to be optimistic.
 
What do you think will include the digital soundtrack from Kickstarter/Slacker Backer? Will it includes a Best-of-Compilation from all the three games or from Shenmue III only?

Edit: Doh! Next Time i read the Kickstart-Pledges. ;-)
 
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I re-watched the Berkley video and saw something which I imagine many have here...
SHENCHAR2.JPG

Has this character ever been shown? I know a lot of the previous footage oh Niao Sun has also been in a snowy environment too.
 
^I hadn't watched that video in a long time. If we take it at face value, it seems Shenhua could be the one to wreck shop against Lan Di...I guess it makes more sense than Ryo doing it :p
 
Starting to really hope for a meaty update.

Less than a year to go and I don't even know what the gameplay's like yet! *argh*
 
mjqjazzbar said:
Starting to really hope for a meaty update.

Less than a year to go and I don't even know what the gameplay's like yet! *argh*
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We really need something soon. Do they really expect us to wait until Magic in Feb?
 
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