Would you be happy if Shenmue 4 was the final game?

JoshTehKing20 said:
I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to come off as passive aggressive, I was just stating that I didn't agree is all. Sorry 🙏
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No worries, man. We're all here to discuss some Shenmue.

I am really curious if some of the gripes people have with III's story could be addressed by thinking about as another piece of the big ol' pie, however. O agree it had some pacing problems, but it factually did check off more boxes than II did.
 
Personally I'd prefer 5 games as originally envisioned but if that isn't possible then I'd settle with 4 being the final game so long as he can get as much of the story told as he possibly can without compromising his vision significantly (I was hoping for a little more exposition about the plot but at least we got some more info about the mirrors albeit not much).

5 games should theoretically be possible given that they now have a solid foundation and assets to work from which saves on costs so you never know, ultimately it'll all depend on sales numbers of III and possible financing opportunities for a potential Shenmue IV but we have to clear all of that before we can even get to really discussing Shenmue V, so for now let's just sit back, relax and see what happens.
 
JoshTehKing20 said:
Considering how little story S3 covered, i think we may need another 2, 3 or maybe 4 installments. 🤷🏼‍♂️
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't 3 just really meant to cover the growing relationship between Ryo and Shenhua? Which we got in Bailu. It was always meant to be a smaller, more condensed experience than we got in 2.

I found the story progression just fine personally.
 
People really piss me off concerning the endings of this franchise. Let's be frank here.

  • Shenmue was relatively successful unit wise and well funded at the peak of its popularity but was a catastrophic loss.
  • Shenmue II bombed, was well funded and was a catastrophic loss.
  • Shenmue III bombed, wasn't well funded and was incredibly hard to get made and no doubt a loss even with our funding.
If on the insanely off chance this honestly dead franchise gets a fourth wind somehow, it needs to end. The "grand vision" doesn't matter anymore, it can be condensed, other games have told more of a story in a single title than the culmination of all three Shenmue games rolled into one so to say it would somehow be this bastardization and compromise everything is totally ridiculous.

A lot of people on the edge who liked the original games have clearly stated they didn't buy III just for the fact that it didn't end the saga. It's not worth it to invest not only time but money into another incomplete uncertainty, especially after 17-18 years. And people here actually want a 5th game and beyond? Really? III is likely it, we're no doubt at the end of the road already, but to be so arrogant and so selfish as to push for anything beyond a 4th game when so much time over decades of peoples lives have been consumed and wasted just waiting for this to end is just nuts.

III felt disrespectful enough that in 18 years this man couldn't find a way to tell his story in one final game, after 18 years this great visionary of storytelling couldn't find a way to bring things to a close... It's not like we know the story, whatever he laid out would have been the canon ending as far as we're concerned, he could have ended it in a thoughtful manner.

This fanbase was already small, all that's happened now is a large section of the sparse remainder is now soured and turned off, not only for the fact that it's not been completed when given the insanely rare opportunity, but also for the fact that III was disappointing all its own, and now we're in the same position we were in for the last 18 years.

So no, the game needs to end in 4 if it somehow miraculously gets a chance to exist. The thought of a 5th game shouldn't be on anyones mind, it should be relentlessly beat into Yu Suzuki's head that 4 is it if he gets the opportunity to create it, it needs to end and he needs to find a competent enough way to make that happen regardless of plans he had 20 years ago when Sega was giving him $50+ million for a game.

He's old, we're old or getting there, interest is at an all time low, the circus tent needs to be torn down.
 
DynamiteCop! said:
People really piss me off concerning the endings of this franchise. Let's be frank here.
  • Shenmue was relatively successful unit wise and well funded at the peak of its popularity but was a catastrophic loss.
  • Shenmue II bombed, was well funded and was a catastrophic loss.
  • Shenmue III bombed, wasn't well funded and was incredibly hard to get made and no doubt a loss even with our funding.
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Shenmue 1 and 2 were funded together. Shenmue 1 sold relatively ok. 1.2 million units but yes Shenmue 2 wasnt close to that at all.

You're making assumptions about Shenmue III. Until we know the numbers you can't say it bombed or not. The initial impression isn't good from the little information we have but until we know numbers I'd urge calm on this point.

DynamiteCop! said:
A lot of people on the edge who liked the original games have clearly stated they didn't buy III just for the fact that it didn't end the saga. It's not worth it to invest not only time but money into another incomplete uncertainty, especially after 17-18 years. And people here actually want a 5th game and beyond? Really? III is likely it, we're no doubt at the end of the road already, but to be so arrogant and so selfish as to push for anything beyond a 4th game when so much time over decades of peoples lives have been consumed and wasted just waiting for this to end is just nuts.
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Again this is an assumption. Where is the hard evidence to back this up? It was never even peddled by Yu Suzuki or anyone that III would end the series. The media acted surprised for clicks but that's it.

DynamiteCop! said:
III felt disrespectful enough that in 18 years this man couldn't find a way to tell his story in one final game, after 18 years this great visionary of storytelling couldn't find a way to bring things to a close... It's not like we know the story, whatever he laid out would have been the canon ending as far as we're concerned, he could have ended it in a thoughtful manner.
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Again I refer to my previous point. There was no chance 3 would finish the game. Yu Suzuki had enough credit in the bank that the majority of fans, whether they liked Shenmue III or not knew what they were getting into. [/QUOTE]

DynamiteCop! said:
This fanbase was already small, all that's happened now is a large section of the sparse remainder is now soured and turned off, not only for the fact that it's not been completed when given the insanely rare opportunity, but also for the fact that III was disappointing all its own, and now we're in the same position we were in for the last 18 years.

So no, the game needs to end in 4 if it somehow miraculously gets a chance to exist. The thought of a 5th game shouldn't be on anyones mind, it should be relentlessly beat into Yu Suzuki's head that 4 is it if he gets the opportunity to create it, it needs to end and he needs to find a competent enough way to make that happen regardless of plans he had 20 years ago when Sega was giving him $50+ million for a game.
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Outside of here theres been quite the number of positive responses.






This is just a selection. I'm sure you will go through twitter to find 5 opposites to prove your point but honesty outside the dojo the response has been much more positive.

The rest of your comment comes across as a little disrespectful. That's your opinion but putting it across in that manner is uncalled for.

Alls left to say is Merry Xmas. I may not agree with you but I wish you the best for 2020.
 
All this stuff about the “majority of” and “large number if” is so ridiculous. It seems the fans reacting that badly to Shenmue 3 are the same five or six people who want everyone to know how much they don’t like Shenmue 3, whether it’s on Reddit or on here. I see lots of positivity and praise for Shenmue 3 from the community; I’d say the majority of the community. Many people who are “disappointed” I imagine would still happily play a fourth or a fifth game and aren’t acting like Yu Suzuki has committed a mortal sin for not having the ability to create the perfect Shenmue 3. It’s ok to not view these things in completely black or white outcomes...
 
DynamiteCop! said:
People really piss me off concerning the endings of this franchise. Let's be frank here.

  • Shenmue was relatively successful unit wise and well funded at the peak of its popularity but was a catastrophic loss.
  • Shenmue II bombed, was well funded and was a catastrophic loss.
  • Shenmue III bombed, wasn't well funded and was incredibly hard to get made and no doubt a loss even with our funding.
If on the insanely off chance this honestly dead franchise gets a fourth wind somehow, it needs to end. The "grand vision" doesn't matter anymore, it can be condensed, other games have told more of a story in a single title than the culmination of all three Shenmue games rolled into one so to say it would somehow be this bastardization and compromise everything is totally ridiculous.

A lot of people on the edge who liked the original games have clearly stated they didn't buy III just for the fact that it didn't end the saga. It's not worth it to invest not only time but money into another incomplete uncertainty, especially after 17-18 years. And people here actually want a 5th game and beyond? Really? III is likely it, we're no doubt at the end of the road already, but to be so arrogant and so selfish as to push for anything beyond a 4th game when so much time over decades of peoples lives have been consumed and wasted just waiting for this to end is just nuts.

III felt disrespectful enough that in 18 years this man couldn't find a way to tell his story in one final game, after 18 years this great visionary of storytelling couldn't find a way to bring things to a close... It's not like we know the story, whatever he laid out would have been the canon ending as far as we're concerned, he could have ended it in a thoughtful manner.

This fanbase was already small, all that's happened now is a large section of the sparse remainder is now soured and turned off, not only for the fact that it's not been completed when given the insanely rare opportunity, but also for the fact that III was disappointing all its own, and now we're in the same position we were in for the last 18 years.

So no, the game needs to end in 4 if it somehow miraculously gets a chance to exist. The thought of a 5th game shouldn't be on anyones mind, it should be relentlessly beat into Yu Suzuki's head that 4 is it if he gets the opportunity to create it, it needs to end and he needs to find a competent enough way to make that happen regardless of plans he had 20 years ago when Sega was giving him $50+ million for a game.

He's old, we're old or getting there, interest is at an all time low, the circus tent needs to be torn down.
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Eat shit.

Don't care if I get modded.
 
I'm just a big Shenmue fan as anyone else here (lost my account on the old Shenmuedojo, so I just re-registered here), but I think we have to be realistic about this. Shenmue III has not set the world ablaze, let's just be honest about that and what it means for a sequel. Getting S3 was nothing short of a miracle. I'm so happy we finally got it, although I have some issues with the game it's been amazing to play it.

I find it rather unrealistic to expect we could ever get a S5. Do we want to? Of course, I'd like S6. But seriously, who's going to fund another two or three games? Deep Silver? I highly doubt it. EGS? Why? I think S4 is our best option, only problem is funding. Just as before. The S3 Kickstarter was amazing but a once and never again thing. Just be glad it happened. S4 need to be funded by someone else.

I am disappointed Yu Suzuki didn't take the story further in S3. He got a unique opportunity and kind of blew it. I like S3, but I expected Suzuki to be willing to compromise more. Cutting Baisha was a sad thing, but probably necessary. Bailu should've been a smaller part of S3, I think, and the story rushed on more. I don't know what Yu Suzuki himself thought after the S3 Kickstarter but the reality is, we'll likely never get S5. Shenmue has never been mainstream product. I'd rather have the story finish than just be left like S2 was for almost two decades just because Suzuki stubbornly refused to rush the story.
 
What if 5 had the scope of something like The Witcher 3? Then no need for 6 lol - Extremely doubtful but you get the idea.

The more I think about it the more I'm thinking that 4 will be on PS5...
 
I can only imagine that the funding and sales will decrease with each new entry, so, based on that assumption, I would be happy with them piling all funding and efforts into a massive Shenmue 4 with an ending to the story and dlc. I personally wouldn't want them to leave 4's ending open for a 5 and then risking an underfunded or disappointing 5.
 
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Have you guys watched Bakhshi's Lord Of The Rings cartoon ?
That cartoon tried to cram 2 LOTR books into a 2 hours cartoon. As a result it had a very fast pacing compare to the movies or books which made it kinda unenjoyable in some ways.

If Shenmue 4 becomes the final game, it will get messy story wise.
 
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Pessimistic opinion: They'll have a story linking comic I bet. So any story/plot points that don't need rendering in the game can be made as an extra comic or bonus thing for NG+ etc... Like the ship confrontation on ship between S1/S2.
 
gamesbloke said:
What if 5 had the scope of something like The Witcher 3? Then no need for 6 lol - Extremely doubtful but you get the idea.
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This. There's a fair bit of chat based on how many chapters of the story are in the master plan for Shenmue, but I don't understand why that gets interpreted as needing heaps more games to cover each chapter fully, as if making a large game with more chapters would somehow not give each chapter enough space to be told.

I think we need to stop comparing size and story coverage with only the other Shenmue games, and instead look at what the rest of the world of action adventure games are giving people.

Using the Witcher 3 example (hoping enough people have played to get this analogy), the amount of story and action covered in Shenmue 3 is about two loads of White Orchard in W3: show up somewhere, meet people, gather info, fight randoms, identify boss, prepare/train/concoct, fight, win, move onto next location. Shenmue 3 is basically that pattern, twice, plus the castle bit.

Witcher 3 wasn't five games, it was just one big one.. so why should a single Shenmue 4 to finish everything be interpreted as a game that should shrink the story? It could instead be a bigger scale that actually covers more story, and less padding of running all over town to find the correct martial arts bookstore or aged wine or whatever.

Or, spread it over 2 games, but each of those games needs a loooot more story and purposeful substance in each.
 
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