Shenmue 3 definitive edition on Kickstarter or via Investment

Joined
Dec 18, 2021
Hi all,

listening in to the Christmas streams about the momentum of Shenmue the anime series and also a possible Shenmue 4 after that, I was wondering if either Ys Net going for a Kickstarter or investor to fund a Shenmue 3 definitive edition was a needed move to bring Shenmue 3 up to standards ready for the fourth game. In effect it could tidy up the game ready for new fans after they watch the anime and want to try the games out.

to keep existing fans happy they could offer an upgrade price for the new edition as a download.

What are peoples thoughts?

A list of improvements I think would be good are as below;

an import into Unreal 5 or latest Unreal 4 engine with direct x12

support for DLSS and maybe ray tracing

prepare save carry over for a Shenmue 4

allow import of save game from Shenmue 1 / 2 HD into Shenmue 3 definitive edition

combat system brings back throws, counters and parries

fix odd QTE timings

Demon's Triangle counter in ending of Shenmue 2 brought back into Shenmue 3 and onwards for story integration and fighting.

English voice acting changed to original cast for Ren and Lan di via Shenmue dojo's recordings.

rework character designs on Lan di and Ryo to bring them closer to the look of Shenmue passport / Cutscene models from original games.

rebalance of economy, Stamina drain (remove sprint drain as well) and money earned / won and stats grind made less harsh.

rebalance combat and make it more varied between opponents so changing up approach and use of different moves have tactical meaning

deeper story driven tutorial on combat system

improved auto move hot key controls for better selection during fast combat

Complete all locked Shenmue 3 Kickstarter goals from past (extra area and advanced combat features)

rework character models for the bosses, where new moves must be learnt to beat them, so they don't look like ogres that could crush Ryo or Lan di to death in seconds.

remove self reference comedy from ending where flamboyant marital arts fighters around Lan di are all frauds and cannot fight as it breaks the tension and tone of the story.

Extend end game as intended.
 
The game is only two years old. They need to focus on 4. And given the controversy of how the first kickstarter was handled, the idea of a kickstarter would hey shredded in the media. S3 was divisive enough and I imagine it turned some people off the series completely or they became indifferent. And all that stuff you listed sounds almost like a remake. Doubt all of that is getting made from kickstarter money.

Also, I think ryo and Lan Di's character models are fine. Lan probably looks the best.
 
Honestly, I think Shenmue 3 is now a closed book. I'd prefer them to keep moving forward and carry any improvements into Shenmue 4 than taking two steps back to remake things - we'll never reach a conclusion at that rate.

For now, the LRG Complete Edition with the vanilla game + DLC is the closest thing we'll get to a Definitive Edition.
 
My heart skipped for a second when I read the topic title, so thanks for that :cautious:

I agree. Let's move onwards and upwards. The LRG version with all patches and DLC is likely the last word on the game, so let's look forward to Shenmue IV instead.
 
Hi all,

listening in to the Christmas streams about the momentum of Shenmue the anime series and also a possible Shenmue 4 after that, I was wondering if either Ys Net going for a Kickstarter or investor to fund a Shenmue 3 definitive edition was a needed move to bring Shenmue 3 up to standards ready for the fourth game. In effect it could tidy up the game ready for new fans after they watch the anime and want to try the games out.

to keep existing fans happy they could offer an upgrade price for the new edition as a download.

What are peoples thoughts?

A list of improvements I think would be good are as below;

an import into Unreal 5 or latest Unreal 4 engine with direct x12

support for DLSS and maybe ray tracing

prepare save carry over for a Shenmue 4

allow import of save game from Shenmue 1 / 2 HD into Shenmue 3 definitive edition

combat system brings back throws, counters and parries

fix odd QTE timings

Demon's Triangle counter in ending of Shenmue 2 brought back into Shenmue 3 and onwards for story integration and fighting.

English voice acting changed to original cast for Ren and Lan di via Shenmue dojo's recordings.

rework character designs on Lan di and Ryo to bring them closer to the look of Shenmue passport / Cutscene models from original games.

rebalance of economy, Stamina drain (remove sprint drain as well) and money earned / won and stats grind made less harsh.

rebalance combat and make it more varied between opponents so changing up approach and use of different moves have tactical meaning

deeper story driven tutorial on combat system

improved auto move hot key controls for better selection during fast combat

Complete all locked Shenmue 3 Kickstarter goals from past (extra area and advanced combat features)

rework character models for the bosses, where new moves must be learnt to beat them, so they don't look like ogres that could crush Ryo or Lan di to death in seconds.

remove self reference comedy from ending where flamboyant marital arts fighters around Lan di are all frauds and cannot fight as it breaks the tension and tone of the story.

Extend end game as intended.
Honestly any time at this stage is likely going towards Shenmue 4. The franchise (pre-anime) is considered niche so any funding would be, IMO, better pushed towards future games than going back to look at Shenmue 3.

Shenmue 3 is a closed book, for now anyway, unless we get some mega investment that essentially re-launches the whole series. Even then the games is only 2 years old and I'd imagine probably not at the top of the priority list.

Our effort, whether 3 was liked or not, should focus on Shenmue 4 and the Anime now.
 
My heart skipped for a second when I read the topic title, so thanks for that :cautious:

I agree. Let's move onwards and upwards. The LRG version with all patches and DLC is likely the last word on the game, so let's look forward to Shenmue IV instead.
I changed the title of the thread so I do not do that to other people lol
 
The game is only two years old. They need to focus on 4. And given the controversy of how the first kickstarter was handled, the idea of a kickstarter would hey shredded in the media. S3 was divisive enough and I imagine it turned some people off the series completely or they became indifferent. And all that stuff you listed sounds almost like a remake. Doubt all of that is getting made from kickstarter money.

Also, I think ryo and Lan Di's character models are fine. Lan probably looks the best.
that would be far from a remaster if they just upgraded unreal 4 engine other than the combat system extension, which would be a lot of work.
 
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