Random Shenmue Thoughts

Though I don't understand modding and the only games I play on PC are basic old games (i'm a console gamer through and through). I'm going to buy S1&II on Steam in readiness for the Dragon & Phoenix edition :) Think it's the 5th time i've bought both games now haha.
 
For a long time, I used to think the two potty-mouthed schoolgirls Ryo can talk to or encounter with Mai were a gang by the name of "Wannabe" because one of the guides I had referred to them as something like "wannabe gangsters." I had never heard the word before, but, well, "wannabe" sounds Japanese enough, right? 😅
 


Really enjoyed this discussion with @DasMuel

Since this was brought up in the discussion when Shenmue 3 Initially launched as a PS4 Pro user I was also annoyed they didn’t cap the framerate at 30 FPS. Thankfully the one unintended benefit was because there was no lock, on PS5 you essentially get a smooth 60 FPS experience which really helps the experience. So keep that in mind if you replay the games,

I am looking forward to your Shenmue 2 video.
 
I was at an arcade last weekend that had this popular game show called GameCenter CX on the TV, and it had a very rare Yu Suzuki interview where he went in depth about Shenmue Online. He went on about how the Combat System had evolved into even something better than what he did with VF and went on discussing about other details about the game. I wish I would have pulled my phone out and recorded this episode.



Does anyone know anything about this interview or have seen it? This same episode also had Hideo Kojima on it talking about MGS3 in depth so I think this would've been around 2004.
 
I recall seeing an episode of GameCenter CX where Arino Shachou visited Suzuki at Sega, but I thought they were mostly just talking about Virtua Fighter and how he got the tech for VF2. I didn’t remember anything about Shenmue Online.
 
I replay the first two games for different reasons. Shenmue 1 has a more intimate world and more detailed NPC's, which makes you feel connected to Yokosuka. Every obscure piece of dialogue feels like a reward.

Shenmue 2 has a better story but the NPC's are a little bit more generic (probably for a variety of reasons such as the world being bigger/Ryo being a stranger). The story can only sustain your interest for so many playthroughs but the combat system is what keeps me coming back to Shenmue 2. It's so enjoyable. I have a different fighting style on every playthrough but nothing can beat arm break fire and machine gun fist as part of Ryo's arsenal. I only managed to unlock monkey roll drop on my last playthrough (a few years back) because of how hard it was to acquire. Shenmue 2 would be worth a playthrough just to try and master certain/unlock certain moves or even just to master the combo extenders.

On a side note...While I try to avoid applying real-world logic to Shenmue, I'm surprised Ryo's family or friends didn't face any reprisals from the Mad Angels after Ryo left for Hong Kong. They apparently disappeared after Terry's defeat (according to Gui Zhang in Shenmue 3). Back in the era where you had to rely on cheat books and dubious internet sources for game secrets I can vaguely remember a rumor that the dojo was burned to the ground after Ryo left for HK :ROFLMAO: I also heard that there was an airport in the code for the first Shenmue...
 
chaikilla said:
I replay the first two games for different reasons. Shenmue 1 has a more intimate world and more detailed NPC's, which makes you feel connected to Yokosuka. Every obscure piece of dialogue feels like a reward.

Shenmue 2 has a better story but the NPC's are a little bit more generic (probably for a variety of reasons such as the world being bigger/Ryo being a stranger). The story can only sustain your interest for so many playthroughs but the combat system is what keeps me coming back to Shenmue 2. It's so enjoyable. I have a different fighting style on every playthrough but nothing can beat arm break fire and machine gun fist as part of Ryo's arsenal. I only managed to unlock monkey roll drop on my last playthrough (a few years back) because of how hard it was to acquire. Shenmue 2 would be worth a playthrough just to try and master certain/unlock certain moves or even just to master the combo extenders.

On a side note...While I try to avoid applying real-world logic to Shenmue, I'm surprised Ryo's family or friends didn't face any reprisals from the Mad Angels after Ryo left for Hong Kong. They apparently disappeared after Terry's defeat (according to Gui Zhang in Shenmue 3). Back in the era where you had to rely on cheat books and dubious internet sources for game secrets I can vaguely remember a rumor that the dojo was burned to the ground after Ryo left for HK :ROFLMAO: I also heard that there was an airport in the code for the first Shenmue...
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Don't remember the airport, but I believe the Dojo being burned to the ground was a mod @LanDC did way back when, though I can't seem to find the video.
 
24Nathan said:
Don't remember the airport, but I believe the Dojo being burned to the ground was a mod @LanDC did way back when, though I can't seem to find the video.
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Really? I was a pretty dedicated user of the Dojo back then and can’t recall that mod.

I do remember reading about the Dojo on fire but couldn’t place exactly where that was from. I thought it was a rumour about sequel or something but couldn’t locate anything either.
 
Arino visited SEGA and talked to Suzuki about Shenmue Online in the Ghosts 'n Goblins episode in the first season of Game Center CX. The show started off as an interview show where Arino would talk to famous developers, he talked to Kojima during the development of MGS3 as well IIRC.
 
code l name said:


Really enjoyed this discussion with @DasMuel

Since this was brought up in the discussion when Shenmue 3 Initially launched as a PS4 Pro user I was also annoyed they didn’t cap the framerate at 30 FPS. Thankfully the one unintended benefit was because there was no lock, on PS5 you essentially get a smooth 60 FPS experience which really helps the experience. So keep that in mind if you replay the games,

I am looking forward to your Shenmue 2 video.
Click to expand...

Hey thanks Man. I'm glad you enjoyed it - I wish I'd had a couple of beers beforehand - I was sweating through the entire thing! Segalacious is a really lovely guy and I was so happy to chat with him.

Anyway, my Shenmue 2 video is finally done. Here it is. I hope it's of some interest. Cheers.

 
Was reading this fantastic article, and BOOM just like that I want to re-play Shenmue again for the 20th time or something...

kotaku.com

Shenmue's Much-Hated Forklifts Feel Revolutionary Today

Mario has Yoshi. Link has Epona. Ryo Hazuki has a forklift. This unassuming industrial vehicle has become so closely identified with Shenmue that when series director Yu Suzuki wanted to tease the announcement of Shenmue III, all he had to do was tweet a picture of one. For both advocates and...
kotaku.com kotaku.com
 
If i had the power to change the forklift part i wouldn't change, i love the forklift part.

Same thing with the voices in the game that a lot of people hate. I'm not saying the voice acting is the best thing in the world but i wouldn't change this. Can you imagine Shenmue without those voices now? in my opinion without those voices the game would even have a different feeling to it.

I prefer to play in japanese but on my first playtrough i played in english, i really can't imagine Shenmue one without this voices, it is part of the charm of the game in my opinion.

Questions for people here: If you had the power to change the Forklift part and the voices in the game, would you change? you like the forklift part?
 
Hiki said:
If i had the power to change the forklift part i wouldn't change, i love the forklift part.

Same thing with the voices in the game that a lot of people hate. I'm not saying the voice acting is the best thing in the world but i wouldn't change this. Can you imagine Shenmue without those voices now? in my opinion without those voices the game would even have a different feeling to it.

I prefer to play in japanese but on my first playtrough i played in english, i really can't imagine Shenmue one without this voices, it is part of the charm of the game in my opinion.

Questions for people here: If you had the power to change the Forklift part and the voices in the game, would you change? you like the forklift part?
Click to expand...
I fell in love with Shenmue the way it was made; I've played it like that for almost 20 years and I've always found something new in every playthrough and that is one of the magical things about Shenmue that a lot of people miss out and don't understand why we love this series so much.
The only thing I would change would be the crates that we carry with the forklift for other itens like in Shenmue 3; that was really a great improvement; hope they make that in the Phoenix edition that Lemonhaze and his team are creating.

The voice acting is what makes Shenmue charming; it is like those B type movies that are good and memorable because of that.
That's why they became cult classics just like Shenmue.

In terms of the main plot I believe that the voice acting in Shenmue always felt pretty solid, it was only in the side stories that I felt that it felt kind of ackward; but that was for me what has it made it memorable.
The originals were always pretty solid in that department; Shenmue 3 on the other hand had a lot more comedy mixed in and ended up having a less serious tone overhaul.
I believe that Shenmue 4 will be much more serious overhaul because it will focus much more on the main plot; but I'm also hoping to see some comedy mixed in it because it wouldn't be Shenmue whitout it.
 
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Hiki said:
Questions for people here: If you had the power to change the Forklift part and the voices in the game, would you change? you like the forklift part?
Click to expand...
I do like the forklift part, and not just riding the forklift itself but the whole "job" section of the game. But at the same time I think it probably could've been improved in some ways.

If there is one thing that might bother me a bit, then it would be the "being on the rail" mechanics for the most part of that section of the game. Maybe the addition of the optional day off would be good.
For example, if you could choose to go to work today or not(not very realistic isn't it?🙂), and spend the whole day however you like. The option to finish early would be nice, but since cutscenes are scripted it wouldn't work well.
I don't know if it makes sense but it always bothered me that Ryo is making so much more money during that section, and there's not much time to spend it.

Unless it was intentional of course, I was thinking, what if it was made on purpose? The idea that player won't be able to spend much money in Shenmue I and would have to transfer it all to Shenmue II.
And since it would be quite a sum of hard earned money, it would have much bigger impact on player after losing it all.

With voice acting, well it's not the best, but it was fine for me, and it's not much about acting itself, but rather, I guess, the direct translations that made some of the interactions sound a bit weird. Like, the "Hey mister wanna wrestle?". It probably sounds more natural in original Japanese but a bit weird in English.
Maybe it is what you would call a charm, and I probably got used to it, so I wouldn't change it either.
 
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