Shenmue IV Will Happen - Here's Why!

Not to get into, "that," topic, but it stems from a certain country beneath my own, that strives to make everything black and white, with no middle ground and that tries to create division.

When that becomes the loudest voice and there's either money, fame or power to be gained, people jump ship and try to emulate.
As someone who lives in 'that country', I agree with you. One day, I hope to move to the Japanese countryside.

P.S. Always happy to have you impart your wisdom with us @Spaghetti
 
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I dunno about that. Jim Ryan seems pretty determined to run the PS5 into the ground, so doing something that might actually encourage people to buy one probably seems a little counterintuitive from his point of view. Besides, Sony seems far more interested in blockbuster titles that will score 90 or above on Metacritic these days than taking a chance with niche titles. Imo, there’s more chance of a Last of Us part 2 full remake being announced for the system than there is Shenmue 4.
Just don't count on Microsoft to bail Shenmue out is all I'm saying.
 
7/10 is considered rubbish these days. Back when I was a kid 7/10 was considered a solid game with some flaws.
Yeah. I've argued with people who tell me a game's trash because it didn't score a 90 or above. As far as some gamers are concerned, it's AAA or bust. That mentality is leading to the sorry state of the current generation...

Metacritic shouldn't factor into a company like Deep Silver picking up Shenmue for another game. They mostly trade in games that score like Shenmue 3.
 
Yeah. I've argued with people who tell me a game's trash because it didn't score a 90 or above. As far as some gamers are concerned, it's AAA or bust. That mentality is leading to the sorry state of the current generation...

Metacritic shouldn't factor into a company like Deep Silver picking up Shenmue for another game. They mostly trade in games that score like Shenmue 3.
Exactly and that in turn stifles developers being creative by conforming to the tried and tested AAA model. I really enjoyed Ghost of Tsushima but at it's core, barring some nice little things like the wind being your waypoint, it was largely what we have had before.

I really wish these big titles took more risks but then factor in Metacritic and it all adds up to the same formula.

That said there's some wonderful AA and Indie games that are creative or different.
 
I just want Shenmue 4. don't make us wait another fifteen years.
I don't think Yu has another fifteen left in him to create games, by that point he'll probably be sipping whisky in a rocking chair :p
 
I don't think Yu has another fifteen left in him to create games, by that point he'll probably be sipping whisky in a rocking chair :p

that's the scary part. is there is a chance we never get to finish the series. Part of me is sad we won't get to experience it how it was intended to begin with. And, let's just say playing toward the end of Shenmue 2 has got me so in my feels unlike before that I am creating different saves to just replay the ending parts of the game.

:(

Wish some way outside the games that Yu could somehow maybe get someone to do a graphic novel, or a book so we can get it how it was supposed to be done originally. Or, maybe the anime will capture that. Let me be honest, finishing three was bittersweet but compared to 2, that shit was a gut-punch. I was all hyped thinking we were going to Gulin and there was another part to the game, nope you got stuck in a cave. And, now I hope we don't get stuck on a stone walkway.
 
I think if the Dreamcast wasn't ultimately doomed and Yu was continued to be given infinite resources, we'd have seen Shenmue as it was originally intended, or as close as possible.

Today it's different. Yu's having to do the best he can on a more limited budget with a lower number of staff. I think the ship has long sailed on how we were originally going to see the series play out. And as far as I recall, Yu was always rewriting or changing up parts of the story anyway.

But none of these things are necessarily a bad thing. For what it's worth, I really loved my time with Shenmue 3. It wasn't perfect, but I didn't expect it to be, given the circumstances. It nailed the atmosphere, music and charm. But it was lacking on story progression and felt somewhat unfinished in certain areas.

Shenmue 4 can build upon those foundations and I'm still as excited now as I've always been to see where the story will go.
 
I think if the Dreamcast wasn't ultimately doomed and Yu was given infinite resources, we'd have seen Shenmue as it was originally intended, or as close as possible.

Today it's different. Yu's having to do the best he can on a more limited budget with a lower number of staff. I think the ship has long sailed on how we were originally going to see the series play out. And as far as I recall, Yu was always rewriting or changing up parts of the story anyway.

But none of these things are necessary a bad thing. For what it's worth, I really loved my time with Shenmue 3. It wasn't perfect, but I didn't expect it to be given the circumstances.

hard agree. I'm just being difficult and stubborn. I am happy though we get a chance to see it through.
 
It's true that this story has been reworked since day one.
  • Shenmue 1 abandoned the Virtua Fighter universe and significantly expanded its one chapter into a 25-30 hour long game.
  • Shenmue 2 omitted entire chapters (Boat, Suzhou, Shanghai) and reshuffled events originally reserved for much later in the story (Guilin).
  • Shenmue 3 repurposed previously cut material to depict a slightly more expanded Bailu and Niaowu (e.g. Chai's return which would have originally happened on the Boat).
I'm not sure if an unbreakable original vision exists anymore, but perhaps a reservoir of story chapter ideas and a general outline from which Yu can assemble a new game however he chooses.
Or, maybe the anime will capture that.
I'd definitely keep an eye out on the anime for sure. I believe Yu said he'll be incorporating previously cut material back into the story in that adaptation.
 
I'm sure i've mentioned this before, but i'm really not liking the disparity between AAA juggernaut games and tiny indie games; there's very few AA middle budget games nowadays...that said, the Ace Attorney Chronicles announcement today was a wonderful surprise.

To be honest, trying to predict what will happen is a fools game. Things change on a daily basis to the point it's often exhausting trying to keep up. What we do know is that:

1) A Shenmue game can be made on an AA budget.
2) There is a hardcore fanbase that will buy anything that has "Shenmue" written on it.
3) The series has goodwill (and I still believe does despite what people say about Shenmue III)
4) Most tidbit Shenmue news does get picked up by a lot of the press. And despite most of it being junk and less than pleasant, the important thing to remember is that Shenmue is not forgotten.
5) People in high places know that Shenmue is important. Let's not forget that one of the higher ups from Adult Swim is a massive Shenmue fan (apologies if i'm incorrect).
6) God knows we need good news~
 
7/10 is considered rubbish these days. Back when I was a kid 7/10 was considered a solid game with some flaws.
As I have stated in the past, I can not fathom why people place such value on something as subjective as entertainment media. Pardon my crass language for a second, but I have more respect for someone who enjoys games such as E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Superman 64 cause "Fuck you. That's why". In other words, someone who remains true to themselves.

There's nothing wrong with placing some value in the opinions of others, but nobody can tell if something is right for you or not.
 
I always found the hate for ET somewhat humorous. It’s not fun and definitely nonsensical, but so are most 2600 games. Now, Superman 64...

But I agree with your larger point. It’s sad some people just care about critics.
 
I can't remember the last time I looked at a review before buying a game. Nowadays reviews don't really matter as much as they did in the past.

You generally see enough footage and images of games before you purchase and should be able to decide for yourself whether it looks like a game you would enjoy.
Whereas in the past (early or pre-internet days) it wasn't as easy to come across gameplay footage or images. All we had was cover art, small gameplay images on the back of the box, or the opinions of a reviewer from your video game magazine of choice.
 
I'm starting to come to terms and peace with the prospect of not getting another game and moving more so onto the idea of anime because of the cuts. Especially with covid not doing our slim chances any good.

The majority of my love for this game stems from this forum. We only need tiny pieces of information to speculate what could happen and we let our imagination combined with our passion for the game to really flesh out a good story.

With low budgets, cut content and the need to make profit I'm beginning to fear that 4 and 5 may actually do more damage for my image and memory of the game than not having them at all.

But regardless of that I yearn for the next games. I just hope they do it justice. And I really hope the anime continues to the end and fleshes out the original story as intended. I hope the games and anime work side by side to complete Yu's true vision.
 
There's been cuts since day one and rewrites. IIIRC Suzuki even might've confirmed there's only outlines but they're not fully written until production begins.

Lamenting on the "cuts" seems like a futile endeavor.
 
Personally I think they should streamline the story, and reveal some of the CYM leaders as characters who have already been in it. Tentei = secret persona of Yuanda Zhu, and Ziming ascends to become one of the 4 leaders, as the CYM civil war plays out.
 
That's a good point about reviews. The person who reviewed NieR Replicant today gave a rather middling review and I thought "well hang on, she was critical of Persona 5, Yakuza LAD etc...what's wrong with her?" and then I took a step back and thought "Why does someone who i've never met upset me so?". When I realised that I was being silly, I felt better. Maybe it's because everything I love she doesn't, but at the end of the day, as long as *I* enjoy the game, that's all that matters.

For what it's worth, I find her reviews intelligent, but I still think that she is being contrary, because that gets people riled up = more traffic.
 
Tangentially, NieR is one of the most vastly unappreciated gems of the PS3 era, despite its flaws back then.

The fact it even got a sequel is incredible. It was under the radar for years. And I believe, not 100%, I recall it was an ardent fanbase that prompted Yoko to go and pitch for a sequel.

So not too dissimilar in nature to Shenmue and its return to gaming. Both flawed games, both got sequels and remaster years after their release due to fans.
 
7/10 is considered rubbish these days. Back when I was a kid 7/10 was considered a solid game with some flaws.


It's less that 7/10 is considered rubbish and more like big publications moved their scale toward 9-10.
There's been a period (and it's still the case) in which anything decent was a 8, anything good was a 9 and anything great was a 10.

That's also the reason why Metacritic doesn't apply the same scale for movies, which a 61 grants you a green "generally favorable" score.
The day the press starts using a scale from 3 to 10 again is the day a 7 wont be average anymore but good.
 
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