Random Shenmue III Thoughts

Thinking back of my comments about why I liked Shenmue, I have to admit that I was (well, still am), in that the thing that kept me pinning for the series for so long was the "Shenmue feeling" (that being the freedom, the urban setting, the mix of genres, the approach to discovery/interactions), so I was too close to the "problem" to realize I was part of it.
I guess that what made me fail to realize is that for some reason a lot of those systems/design choices people now call it fanservice (which I don't think it really is appropriate to call it that).
But a big part of that feeling is how well Shenmue mixed the gameplay with the story, and due to the lack of good story/setpieces in S3, the feeling gets diluted, even if the core is still there.
 
Had to replay disc 4 of II and afterwards start 3 to see how it holds up... It's really quite a nice transition... I can't wait for 4 anymore... If they can improve from 3, scale back the mini games and focus on the fleshed out story, a bit more mystery and supernatural stuff with a bit of that awesomeness and sometimes grittiness of 2, further flesh out Ryo, Shenhua and their relationship... I really can't wait.

Looking back, really nice trailer, but very spoilery
 
Ryo2040 said:
Looking back, really nice trailer, but very spoilery
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It really was but given there wasn’t a whole lot of cinematic story elements to mine from I think they didn’t have a lot of options.

Still essentially putting the conclusion to fight with Mr. Muscles would be like putting counter Elbow Assault moment against Don Niu in trailer for Shenmue 2.
 
Why was the painting in Shenhuas house (with the place which Shenhua seems to remember to be from) replaced by an image of Bailu village? Has this ever been clarified?

.SPOILER]And why omit the sword of seven stars in the intro but have it in the menu and the bell tower puzzle?
Also too bad the 'magic maze' wasn't realised which basically would have been disc 4 I guess. And that lake of the lantern bugs, although there is a scene in Niaowu./SPOILER]
 
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Worth checking out. I think I only saw something like that in Niaowu at a fishing spot. Unfortunately nothing like the early video with Shenhua a few years ago.
 
So I've started some early work on a 'Shenmue III Character database' (like the one I did for S2) - and have been able to determine there are 314 named characters in the game - which I've collated into a spreadsheet here.

However, one niggling issue comes with two of the Blue Spiders - obviously we all know Yanlang is the leader, but the two thugs with him do not have their names divulged at all while the player is in Bailu Village.

The Blue Spiders then reappear within the 'Story Quest' DLC in Niaowu, and we meet these two again:
blue spiders.png
After you fight them and leave the back alley in Vendor Avenue, you speak to an associate of Zhang's at the hotel - who tells you the following:
gao and li.png
Ok, so we now know that these guys are named Gao and Li. Great! Just one issue - which is which?! The game does not make this clear, as far as I can determine this single line of dialogue is the only time their names are ever mentioned. We never see their names appear on-screen otherwise, as you don't interrogate them like Yanlang, nor are they seen as NPC's in normal gameplay, just in cutscenes and battles.

There may be a clue however, in how the names of the two Red Snakes members are divulged in the game. We know the name of the leader is Ge Longqi (more commonly known as Mr Muscles on this forum!) via one of the notebook entries, but we do learn the names of his two cronies as well. When speaking with Mr. Hsu about the Red Snakes, he tells you their names are Lu and Xiang; and furthermore, that 'one was thin' and that the other 'was as big as a panda'. Assuming he is referring to them respectively in order, we can gather that Lu is the thin guy in the grey shirt, while Xiang is the bigger guy with the bandana.

Should we assume that Gao and Li are referred to in the same order - i.e. that the thin, scrawny guy comes first, and the bigger guy second? If that's the case, Gao would be the thin, bald guy with the spider tattoo on his head, while Li is the bigger guy with long hair. But frustratingly there's no way to really confirm this.

I may post this in the Modding forum as well, but wondered if anyone had any ideas about this? Is there some kind of meaning behind their names in Chinese that may give us a clue? Or is anyone able to find the file names for the character models? Its just really annoying as this is the only barrier to identifying each named character :(
 
Check out Battle Rally; their names MIGHT be there, but I can't remember if the enemies are named when you engage them in battle...
 
Miles Prower said:
So I've started some early work on a 'Shenmue III Character database' (like the one I did for S2) - and have been able to determine there are 314 named characters in the game - which I've collated into a spreadsheet here.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your work. Glad to see the number of characters number in 100’s just as Suzuki said once they got additional funding.

Regarding the name of the sidekicks, are they featured in Pix n Love artbook? That may give additional information on their names.
 
Went to the fishing spot trough the save shenmue building. After a while, Shenhua showed up and we played face off on the terrace. This never happened before. Then in the evening, the beautiful lantern bugs over the water surface, surrounded by the rocks, trees, and a waterfall in the background, right next to the beautifully illuminated temple and staircase/pier from which I'm gazing into the starry sky. :D:love:
 
Ryo2040 said:
Why was the painting in Shenhuas house (with the place which Shenhua seems to remember to be from) replaced by an image of Bailu village? Has this ever been clarified?
Click to expand...

I'd love to have some clarity on this from Yu, also. I think the logical answer is that Luoyang has been cut and won't be featuring in future Shenmue titles.
 
chaikilla said:
I'd love to have some clarity on this from Yu, also. I think the logical answer is that Luoyang has been cut and won't be featuring in future Shenmue titles.
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I don't remember where it was, but he was basically asked about it somewhere, and his response was that all the changes to Shenhua's house were for 'gameplay reasons,' or something to that effect. If I can figure out where exactly he mentioned this, I'll post it.

For what it's worth, the picture of the mountains was essentially moved to the scroll found in the bell tower, at least.
 
If anyone is interested in a collector's edition of Shenmue III; I am planning on selling mine off. Just send me a private message if interested.
 
Ryo2040 said:
Had to replay disc 4 of II and afterwards start 3 to see how it holds up... It's really quite a nice transition... I can't wait for 4 anymore... If they can improve from 3, scale back the mini games and focus on the fleshed out story, a bit more mystery and supernatural stuff with a bit of that awesomeness and sometimes grittiness of 2, further flesh out Ryo, Shenhua and their relationship... I really can't wait.

Looking back, really nice trailer, but very spoilery
Click to expand...
Please please no super natural stuff. Hated in 2 as a kid and loved that they retconned it. Shenmue can still be magical and not exist in a fake world. We have other games for that.
 
scooterusa said:
Please please no super natural stuff. Hated in 2 as a kid and loved that they retconned it. Shenmue can still be magical and not exist in a fake world. We have other games for that.
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That's for Yu Suzuki to decide. Some of us loved the touch of a supernatural feel in the 2nd game, but we shouldn't be telling Yu Suzuki what shenmue is and isn't lol
 
Since the petals of the Shenmue tree are falling, can we stay long enough in Bailu to see the tree without them? :-)
 
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