Shenmue needs novelization.

D

Dg1995

Joined
Dec 19, 2019
In my opinion we need it as a fail safe device.

So that, if Yu Suzuki fails to finish the story fans will be able to read the rest of the story.(wasn't Shenmue's whole storyline written during Shenmue 1 development ?)
 
Dg1995 said:
In my opinion we need it as a fail safe device.

So that, if Yu Suzuki fails to finish the story fans will be able to read the rest of the story.(wasn't Shenmue's whole storyline written during Shenmue 1 development ?)
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I remember that the concept chapters were written when it was called The Legend of Akira, will be really nice to have more games, but if Yu-san can't make more Shenmue games i think he will do something else to finish the story. I really want to read the original chapters.
 
Hiki said:
I remember that the concept chapters were written when it was called The Legend of Akira, will be really nice to have more games, but if Yu-san can't make more Shenmue games i think he will do something else to finish the story. I really want to read the original chapters.
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You can see more pictures of the chapters in the following article- https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/11/06/inside-the-bizarre-development-of-shenmue-iii
 
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code l name said:
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You can see more pictures of the chapters in the following article- https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/11/06/inside-the-bizarre-development-of-shenmue-iii
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Well, would you look at that; Baisha was actually Chapter 5 all along. The stack of chapters in that first image are:
Chapter 2: Hong Kong
Chapter 3: Suzhou
Chapter 4: Guilin
Chapter 5: Baisha

In the second-to-last image in the set, Yu(?) is holding up Chapter 1: Yokosuka.

Also, in English the cover's say "The Legend of Akira," but in Japanese it says 'Akira no Shou' (Akira's Chapter) which suggests to me that the plan was to do Akira's story, and then maybe move on to other VF characters.

I've seen a few of the pages of Chapter 2 in one of the old promotional videos, and I couldn't find an upload that was clear enough to really read much. What I could read was quite different from how Shenmue II was actually presented, though.


Hiki said:
This is really nice. I hope that one day Yu-san will publish all the original chapters in a form of books or something like that, and the covers could be the chapters concept arts.
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I really hope so, too, even if it's about Akira rather than Ryo, and characters like Nozomi, Joy, Feng Mei, etc are probably missing.
 
Dg1995 said:
Novels can contain more story details compared to games though.

Since novels also explain what the character is really feeling and thinking at the moment.
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Shenmue was never originally a novel for any of us though. I appreciate that in terms of Yu Suzuki's creation of the story, it was created in a novel-esque way, but I will always remember Shenmue as the game I could search every area for any amount of detail, big or small etc.
 
I think Yu Suzuki will make Shenmue 4 and Shenmue 5, i think the end will be in Shenmue 5, but later he can still release the originals chapters in form of books.

This way we will see the story without cuts, we will have more details and the covers could be the chapters concept arts, i dream about that a lot, i prefer Shenmue as games but if Yu Suzuki release the original chapters in form of books i will buy without thinking twice. :LOL:
 
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Did someone from the forum end up getting the script as part of the kickstarter? It would be so wonderful if it got translated and we learned new things previously denied to us!

On the other hand, I agree; i'd want more Shenmue games, but to read this after it ends would be fascinating.
 
bcdcdude said:
Did someone from the forum end up getting the script as part of the kickstarter? It would be so wonderful if it got translated and we learned new things previously denied to us!
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I checked the KS page and saw following for $10,000 backers;

Original script set from Shenmue 1 and 2
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I’m not sure if @Peter or @LanDC can shed any light if the scripts were the original novelization or any new details from first games were in there.
 
code l name said:
I checked the KS page and saw following for $10,000 backers;



I’m not sure if @Peter or @LanDC can shed any light if the scripts were the original novelization or any new details from first games were in there.
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Absolutely no idea. We haven't gotten them, but if we ever do, no doubt we wont be allowed to reveal what's in them. Least as far as I can tell. I would say we will need to sign an NDA before taking ownership of them.
 
Peter said:
Absolutely no idea. We haven't gotten them, but if we ever do, no doubt we wont be allowed to reveal what's in them. Least as far as I can tell. I would say we will need to sign an NDA before taking ownership of them.
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Oh, so you haven't got them yet? That's quite interesting. Have you had separate correspondence regarding ownership of them (or did you go for something else?)

It's understandable, but also a shame regarding the NDA. I wonder if it's something that would only be for X number of years?
 
I really don't want a continuation in the form of a Novel. this has happened to the conclusion (well re-opened again?) of Final Fantasy XV. It was meant to have a Second Season Pass, but on their 2nd Anniversary conference everything was scrapped & all we're getting is scraps in a novel - which is beyond disappointing. It's released this week actually:

It was a troubled development & one of the biggest Issue was the focus of expanding this entry into other mediums,, we got an Anime & Movie, which admittedly were decent (I enjoyed Kingsglaive more than the main game truth be told), but having detail so much back story and previous events in these mediums it left a lot missing from the core experience of the game. Then there is the DLC integration which on the initial playthrough a character disappears and re-appears for no valid reason- FFXV Rant over!

Point being, we've experience Shenmue via the video game medium - with the wounderfully indulgent FREE system that lets us interact in a game like nothing we've experience to this day (IMO). I think continuing or adapting the story in a novel form simply wouldn't bring the tangible experience of Shenmue to life.
 
I doubt many people care about my example, but there was a similar thing with Mass Effect: Andromeda. A book on the Quarian Fleet was allegedly supposed to be DLC, only for it to be scrapped due to the poor reception of the game.

I actually enjoyed that thing, so woulda liked to have had the additional content.
 
Mittens2317 said:
I doubt many people care about my example, but there was a similar thing with Mass Effect: Andromeda. A book on the Quarian Fleet was allegedly supposed to be DLC, only for it to be scrapped due to the poor reception of the game.

I actually enjoyed that thing, so woulda liked to have had the additional content.
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I second this actually.
 
Peter said:
Absolutely no idea. We haven't gotten them, but if we ever do, no doubt we wont be allowed to reveal what's in them. Least as far as I can tell. I would say we will need to sign an NDA before taking ownership of them.
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Thanks for the insight Peter. I’m surprised you haven’t received this, I just assumed you were given this at KS diner.

I honestly would be surprised if they would ask you to sign a NDA, first because Shenmue 1 & 2 have long been released, in addition Suzuki has proudly shown others early manuscripts of Shenmue and of course the games structure has long since been changed and altered. Most importantly I can’t imagine any story elements in first two games would spoil events past what we’ve seen in Shenmue 3.

Nonetheless I hope you will keep the community updated once you receive this.
 
bcdcdude said:
Oh, so you haven't got them yet? That's quite interesting. Have you had separate correspondence regarding ownership of them (or did you go for something else?)

It's understandable, but also a shame regarding the NDA. I wonder if it's something that would only be for X number of years?
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code l name said:
Thanks for the insight Peter. I’m surprised you haven’t received this, I just assumed you were given this at KS diner.

I honestly would be surprised if they would ask you to sign a NDA, first because Shenmue 1 & 2 have long been released, in addition Suzuki has proudly shown others early manuscripts of Shenmue and of course the games structure has long since been changed and altered. Most importantly I can’t imagine any story elements in first two games would spoil events past what we’ve seen in Shenmue 3.

Nonetheless I hope you will keep the community updated once you receive this.
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To be honest, it's been an ongoing thing and there has been communication. It's complicated and to be perfectly blunt, i don't think we will be getting them at all.
 
Peter said:
To be honest, it's been an ongoing thing and there has been communication. It's complicated and to be perfectly blunt, i don't think we will be getting them at all.
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This may be a sensitive topic but I’m curious now more than half a year removed from release of Shenmue 3, in retrospect knowing what you know now would you still have backed the game at the level you did?
 
Surely those things are still property of SEGA. Companies aren't usually in the business of giving away stuff like that, so Yu and his KS team could've offered them up without doing their due diligence first. Not to mention their historical importance.
 
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