Random Shenmue IV Thoughts.

This was my hope from 2017 and beyond; I CAN'T see Sega not doing SOMETHING this time around, even if it is as a 20% investor or something.

Obviously haven't even scratched the surface of this game, but 4 feels like it will be a landmark in the series, like 2 was.
 
Truck_1_0_1_ said:
This was my hope from 2017 and beyond; I CAN'T see Sega not doing SOMETHING this time around, even if it is as a 20% investor or something.

Obviously haven't even scratched the surface of this game, but 4 feels like it will be a landmark in the series, like 2 was.
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And if they do... That means the return of SEGA toys and arcade games

Ooooooh I'd jizz in my pants so hard my pants would rip off and fly to Mars
 
mjqjazzbar said:
Should they update the formula at all if they get to make a fourth Shenmue?
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I think they have foundation of solid game but need to make some key enhancements in several ways. I hope they can build a more complex facial animation system so they have more points of articulation. I think animation in general has potential to get a massive upgrade including walking and running cycles.

Build off fighting system in 3. Bring back throws, grapples and genuine counter attack moves. Build much more complex and dense QTE events ala Shenmue 2

The Shenmue formua is what the fans want. It doesn’t mean they can tweak, adjust and build from it.
 
Do you think a better localization would help? Bringing in a team like the Yakuza team to liven up the language?

I just wonder at what point a change like that even matters. We’d be most of the way through the story by Shenmue 4. Is it worth changing things up significantly to appeal to a wider audience? I’m not sure Shenmue can attract a much wider audience, but we might find ourselves surprised when the dust clears. Maybe a new generation of gamers who enjoy things like Life is Strange or No Man’s Sky will love Shenmue 3 and end up leading to the series’ future success. We live in strange times and I’m not sold on the idea Shenmue is outdated or archaic. It’s different!
 
mjqjazzbar said:
Do you think a better localization would help? Bringing in a team like the Yakuza team to liven up the language?

I just wonder at what point a change like that even matters. We’d be most of the way through the story by Shenmue 4. Is it worth changing things up significantly to appeal to a wider audience? I’m not sure Shenmue can attract a much wider audience, but we might find ourselves surprised when the dust clears. Maybe a new generation of gamers who enjoy things like Life is Strange or No Man’s Sky will love Shenmue 3 and end up leading to the series’ future success. We live in strange times and I’m not sold on the idea Shenmue is outdated or archaic. It’s different!
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I think so, but a lot will depend on if the publisher (Sega pls!) thinks the extra investment in localization and higher budget in general will lead to a larger profit. A big reason that Sega bought Atlus is because of their strong localization talents and success in the western market, so maybe they can handle it. Also, if the plan is to end with Shenmue 5, then I think you'd want to gain a bigger audience for Shenmue 4. I imagine there were a ton of folks who played MGS 4 and 5 who didn't play the previous games, for example.

For me personally, I'd like to keep the quirky dialogue in the past. "Especially since you bought merchandise!", "Do you know where sailors hang out?", and "I see" x10000 is funny to our community, but I don't want to take focus away from the story in the future (a story which I really enjoy!). I compare it to Resident Evil 1 with "Jill Sandwich" and "The Master of Unlocking". Funny to look back on it, but no way should it fly today. I honestly think the dialog alone could have knocked 10+ points off the metacritic in Shenmue 3 and contributes to the sense of tedium in non-fans.

I do agree that the gaming landscape has changed and in some weird way a Shenmue game can be appealing to a new audience. Shenmue 2 on xbox came out at a time when FPS' were getting really big on console, with online play, etc. As well as try hard "dark, edgy" games. Now there's so much more variety and adventure games that have been derisively called "walking simulators" have been popular. Not to mention the Quantic Dream/TellTale/DONTNOD type games. With games sold digitally it's much easier to buy something 2-3 years later through word of mouth or on a big sale, so it's easier than ever for gamers to catch up on the story or buy a game for cheap to try it out.
 
Okay stay with me here. Okay. Listen up. Aight? Aight.

Ryo's shoes say "S3" on them. Obviously referencing Shenmue 3. But in the Bailu Prize Exchange you can get new shoes that say "S4" on them.

Sneaky sneaky (get it because they're sneakers)
 
mjqjazzbar said:
Do you think a better localization would help? Bringing in a team like the Yakuza team to liven up the language?

I just wonder at what point a change like that even matters. We’d be most of the way through the story by Shenmue 4. Is it worth changing things up significantly to appeal to a wider audience? I’m not sure Shenmue can attract a much wider audience, but we might find ourselves surprised when the dust clears. Maybe a new generation of gamers who enjoy things like Life is Strange or No Man’s Sky will love Shenmue 3 and end up leading to the series’ future success. We live in strange times and I’m not sold on the idea Shenmue is outdated or archaic. It’s different!
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I don't know...I'm playing with the Japanese dub and I honestly don't think the localization is that bad for III. Outside of a few spelling mistakes or grammatical errors I've noticed (which have been few and far), it's not a half bad localisation so far...at least when comparing the Japanese (that I can understand) with the subs. It feels pretty on point to me. The English voice acting is....debatable. But the localisation isn't too bad this time out. It's still a bit stilted but nowhere near as bad as the first game. The first game has a sometimes too literal localisation that only helps to display the stiltedness going from Japanese to English

That's the thing I hate the most about even the positive reviews for III. The "but it's only for the diehard fans" line. They like it but it almost seems they're ashamed they liked it. Or they like it in an ironic sense but again, don't want to admit it.

How do they know it will only appeal to the hardcore fanbase?

How do they know some newcomers won't be into it? People like Deadly Premonition for fuck sake. People like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing (which are all about schedules, daily routines and taking your sweet ass time). People like Persona which is very much about following Day to Day schedules. People liked RDR 2 which has a real daily schedule vibe to it at times and it was aping a lot of things from Shenmue (to the point where I was joking that it took R* 18 years to catch up to the little white Dreamcast when it released)

How do they know newcomers won't find something to enjoy here? Even if it is on an ironic level or genuine enthrallment...how do they know?
 
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Sega has to. Especially with thier classic IP revival move. Yakuza is not part of the Classical Sega era(90's-00's) nor is it an exploration game, so Shenmue is the better/best Open world easter egg game for classic Sega brand ips to get exposure and pay homage to Suzuki's past works. It'd be thier greatest PR move and instill faith back by acknowledging Shenmue. The most ambitious/riskiest IP in their stock.
 
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I think Sega would rather hire Suzuki to make a new VF than Shenmue, unless he can present a plan that shows the logical conclusion of the franchise. Picking up another 3 risky titles is a big request for Sega.
 
As sad as that is, from my observations and understanding (as I truly have no pulse on the day to day at Sega), I'd figure that to be true; VF still puts butts in the seats.
 
Okay look at this photo


There is one guy different from the rest. Everyone is holding up three fingers. But one guy on the top row is holding up 4 fingers (2 on each hand).

:unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure::unsure::unsure::unsure::unsure::unsure::unsure:

(Yes I know one is holding up six fingers - three on each hand but that's still the same amount of fingers per hand as everyone else)
 
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