Regarding Shenmue IV viability

[fabricioz]

Well, since Shenmue III sales and reviews are not going so well as we wanted, it's time to be realistic about some matters:

- I believe Yu has already some plan regarding funding the next game. Probably some publisher or even Sega would have some input at it.

- Even with or without publisher backing, I'm pretty sure the next game will be crowdfunded again. Because the money from the backers (not only the normal tiers funds but specially the high tier) are essential to make the project possible.

Also, the next game cannot take long to be made. Otherwise, the timing will be gone.

So, at this point, I believe the solution to have Shenmue IV (and upcoming sequels) tend to be to:

- Constraint expenses
- Keep the team as long as possible (they already know the drill)
- Reuse engine and assets as possible

Most of part of the project costs were to figuring how to use the engine, optimize it, mechanics, menus, etc. It'll be good enough for all upcoming games. I mean, it could even be episodic/DLC.

It will be MUCH CHEAPER to produce new areas like this! I believe, working this way, they could deliver a new game consisting of two areas each year.

 

[Dmitriy1]

I hope you're right. Concentrating mainly on locales he could do a lot, faster than 4 years. I wish he did all this in 2004, so much already there then. Now he had to reinvent the bike.

 

[gladias9]

I dunno.. I still wished they had settled for a manga/cheap anime.
A video game is just so expensive and time consuming.. They could at least take their time crafting the story/characters this way, I mean I don't even remember half the names of the characters introduced in Shenmue 3..

 

[pilman]

I dunno.. I still wished they had settled for a manga/cheap anime.
A video game is just so expensive and time consuming.. They could at least take their time crafting the story/characters this way, I mean I don't even remember half the names of the characters introduced in Shenmue 3..

Shenmue was never meant to be a manga or anime, it was always about the experience. We are talking bizarre settings like sitting there collecting capsule toys, playing arcade games, gambling, helping feed kittens, driving forklifts, chasing a boss down in the yellowhead building and finding a hidden room to play hang on or an afterburner game in a bombed out looking building where fights are held.

Shenmue would not work as an anime or manga.

 

[gladias9]

Shenmue would not work as an anime or manga.

Considering that there are literal anime out there based on the concepts of video game experiences like Sword Art or Konosuba, Shenmue would probably work fairy well as an anime.. Shenmue 2 even featured a manga of some of its scenes (the boat scene with Chai and Xiuying speaking to Guizhang)

- Ryo taking time from his serious quest for revenge in a filler episode to help a child obtain a rare capsule toy to sell for medicine money? That's character building that is at the very foundation of Shenmue.. better yet it's an actual side mission in Shenmue 3.

- Having to go head-to-head with a pro darts player to obtain information? Straight from Shenmue 2 and gives Ryo a legit reason to participate in mini-games in some episodes.

- It would provide the opportunity to follow the side characters (Shenhua, Ren) just like the cut-out feature that was supposed to be in Shenmue 3.

It'd definitely work as an anime and would provide a lot more storytelling opportunities for the plot and characters of the Shenmue universe. Imagine more scenes of Ryo and Nozomi bonding or Ryo bumping into both Tom and Goro dancing to his boombox? An anime would due the series justice.

 

[Sh3ppy]

I dunno.. I still wished they had settled for a manga/cheap anime.
A video game is just so expensive and time consuming.. They could at least take their time crafting the story/characters this way, I mean I don't even remember half the names of the characters introduced in Shenmue 3..

I’m not bashing you for your opinion, but I find it incredulous that a Shenmue fan would opt for a manga in place of a game to continue the story. In my mind that would always have been the very last resort and even then, I would have been absolutely gutted if that’s how they chose to see out the story.

 

[Amir]

I think it'd be awesome to get a manga of how the 11 chapters were originally plotted out. Similar to how we now have a comic based on Frank Miller's original script for RoboCop II, or William Gibson's script for Alien 3. Could compare the initial chapters to how they turned out in Shenmue I & II.

 

[gladias9]

I’m not bashing you for your opinion, but I find it incredulous that a Shenmue fan would opt for a manga in place of a game to continue the story.

Please understand that I suggested an anime too, not only a manga.

Honestly, it's very plain for anyone to see that the storytelling of the series has taken a sharp nosedive with Shenmue 3.
I am purely looking at this from a "I want the full story experience, screw those pointless mini-games" point of view.

Yu Suzuki has already shown us that, when under budget constraints, he is more willing to cut story-related content like Baisha, let the story flatline in Niaowu or even rush the finale than to give up these precious mini-games or reduce the location sizes that are too big for their own good.

 

[Dmitriy1]

Please understand that I suggested an anime too, not only a manga.

Honestly, it's very plain for anyone to see that the storytelling of the series has taken a sharp nosedive with Shenmue 3.
I am purely looking at this from a "I want the full story experience, screw those pointless mini-games" point of view.

Yu Suzuki has already shown us that, when under budget constraints, he is more willing to cut story-related content like Baisha, let the story flatline in Niaowu or even rush the finale than to give up these precious mini-games or reduce the location sizes that are too big for their own good.

I hate the idea of non video game Shenmue. You do have a point in a way. Pointless streets with tons of shops selling junk, each with a salesman that had to be drawn, and voice recorded too. Some mini games were more fun than others. It's a freaking video game. I keep saying to you all, as a non martial arts movie with no action bits to distract, 1&2 would seem silly. It would be the worst movie out there. You seem to know the story anyhow from those old magazines I guess outlining VF RPG. Personally I don't care if he cuts what you saw in half again, if the GAME is good, if it's fun to play. Shenmue 3 was fun to play. I'll play it again. I for one want nothing but a game for Shenmue 4. Cartoons, or comic books I'll just ignore. I'm re reading a book series ATM that beats all these silly stories, game or film like crazy. I don't need to see a comic book just to know what he thought up in 1999. He had to cut bits of Shenmue 2, but as you said you found out from a comic book. He can easily do a recap using still pictures and text before S4 starts what you might not have seen. He also has DLCs now to do these missing parts with. You don't know yet that he won't do that fake RTS mini game. We'll see. But give me a real game for Shenmue 4...

 

[Sh3ppy]

I hate the idea of non video game Shenmue. You do have a point in a way. Pointless streets with tons of shops selling junk, each with a salesman that had to be drawn, and voice recorded too. Some mini games were more fun than others. It's a freaking video game. I keep saying to you all, as a non martial arts movie with no action bits to distract, 1&2 would seem silly. It would be the worst movie out there. You seem to know the story anyhow from those old magazines I guess outlining VF RPG. Personally I don't care if he cuts what you saw in half again, if the GAME is good, if it's fun to play. Shenmue 3 was fun to play. I'll play it again. I for one want nothing but a game for Shenmue 4. Cartoons, or comic books I'll just ignore. I'm re reading a book series ATM that beats all these silly stories, game or film like crazy. I don't need to see a comic book just to know what he thought up in 1999. He had to cut bits of Shenmue 2, but as you said you found out from a comic book. He can easily do a recap using still pictures and text before S4 starts what you might not have seen. He also has DLCs now to do these missing parts with. You don't know yet that he won't do that fake RTS mini game. We'll see. But give me a real game for Shenmue 4...

i agree with most of this. What makes Shenmue Shenmue is the story, yes, but also all the ancillary stuff that make the world come alive. I would be gutted to see Shenmue finish in anything that’s not a game.

 

[pilman]

Please understand that I suggested an anime too, not only a manga.

Honestly, it's very plain for anyone to see that the storytelling of the series has taken a sharp nosedive with Shenmue 3.
I am purely looking at this from a "I want the full story experience, screw those pointless mini-games" point of view.

Yu Suzuki has already shown us that, when under budget constraints, he is more willing to cut story-related content like Baisha, let the story flatline in Niaowu or even rush the finale than to give up these precious mini-games or reduce the location sizes that are too big for their own good.

Not really...Bailu Village was already in shenmue II but it was cut, if you compare the photos from II to III, you can even see many of the existing buildings including the watch tower.

 

[lightningstrike]

I want Shenmue IV the video game or nothing, if they ever released an anime/manga finishing the story I would just ignore it/ never read,& if I did see it by accident I would just say it doesn't count, come on guys.. We will see Shenmue IV, lets stay positive

 

[Araviel]

Well, since Shenmue III sales and reviews are not going so well as we wanted

You come up with some good points concerning producing IV, but everybody on here, can we please stop throwing the above statements about as if they're facts? The reviews in have not been bad, in fact they've been overall pretty balanced and even good for most part. That's the majority. Repeating a claim doesn't make it true. As for sales, lets self-regulate our emotions for a bit and wait for March analysis at the very least. Thanks.

 

[Dmitriy1]

You come up with some good points concerning producing IV, but everybody on here, can we please stop throwing the above statements about as if they're facts? The reviews in have not been bad, in fact they've been overall pretty balanced and even good for most part. That's the majority. Repeating a claim doesn't make it true. As for sales, lets self-regulate our emotions for a bit and wait for March analysis at the very least. Thanks.

Or especially in nov of 2020 when it hits their beloved Steam. I may hate it, but at least a few thousand will only buy it then.

 

[Dmitriy1]

I want Shenmue IV the video game or nothing, if they ever released an anime/manga finishing the story I would just ignore it/ never read,& if I did see it by accident I would just say it doesn't count, come on guys.. We will see Shenmue IV, lets stay positive

I think there's way, way more chance now than in 2002. I want to see the first DLC soon though. Or info on what will be in it. I've the season pass.

 

[hmjohnny]

I'm worried that if we get Shenmue 4 at all it will be an at least somewhat compromised experience from Suzuki's original vision and it may be the last Shenmue game he is able to make. This means it will either truncate the story or leave it on another cliffhanger.

While I prefer he get the chance to realize his full vision in games I believe that ship has sailed. I'm not beholden to it being a game or nothing and I do want closure on the story. Whether or not Shenmue continues in game form I would love to see the original VFRPG script/story released to seen what it could have been before all of the compromises. If the Shenmue story cannot be completed in game format then I would prefer something, probably a novel or visual novel, to end it off.

 

[Revan]

I'm worried that if we get Shenmue 4 at all it will be an at least somewhat compromised experience from Suzuki's original vision and it may be the last Shenmue game he is able to make. This means it will either truncate the story or leave it on another cliffhanger.

While I prefer he get the chance to realize his full vision in games I believe that ship has sailed. I'm not beholden to it being a game or nothing and I do want closure on the story. Whether or not Shenmue continues in game form I would love to see the original VFRPG script/story released to seen what it could have been before all of the compromises. If the Shenmue story cannot be completed in game format then I would prefer something, probably a novel or visual novel, to end it off.

I don't think it would be. Suzuki has always maintained that Shenmue's story spans "about 4-5 games". If 4 is indeed the end, it would still agree with his original vision.

Plus, the story has already changed since the original VFRPG concept anyway. Shenmue 2 omitted the two Shanghai chapters entirely, yet it's still an amazing game.

 

[DanyTargaryen]

I highly doubt there will be a Shenmue IV.

At least not so soon.

I think Yu Suzuki might try to do another VF though.

 

[Dmitriy1]

I highly doubt there will be a Shenmue IV.

At least not so soon.

Suzuki is no longer tied hand and foot, and can find ways to put out a fun game with more than just fighting in it. If he does it very soon, there's a chance he might actually make 1 last game. I've zero doubts which game I'd want that to be. He talked himself about arcades dying in Japan. Another fighter might cost as much as Shenmue 4 would, and sell as little, while fixing things in 4th combat engine might cost, but way less. Heck the rose garden is a fighter, other than if you want to fight VS a friend, that I do get. He could implement that option, if he decides to.

 

[Dmitriy1]

I don't think it would be. Suzuki has always maintained that Shenmue's story spans "about 4-5 games". If 4 is indeed the end, it would still agree with his original vision.

Plus, the story has already changed since the original VFRPG concept anyway. Shenmue 2 omitted the two Shanghai chapters entirely, yet it's still an amazing game.

I'd much rather he finally lets us become masters, these crazy 3 games treating Ryo as some punk after he was learning martial arts all his freaking life were a pain to me. Each of the 3 games did it. I'd rather he finally got way better at the start, have them show little bits of him learning more, but in the game let us be good at it finally. I think it's time.That means to me the 4th would be final.