Sega Fans Shed New Tears, Shenmue City is No More

@hermes said:

I always saw Yakuza as the spiritual successor of Shenmue, at least in terms of gameplay mechanics and structure, maybe that is the reason why Sega doesn't seems to care about reviving the franchise and competing with themselves... Not that another game isn't welcomed, but I feel like that niche is covered.

Anyone who actually gives a shit about this game knows this by now and isn't complaining anymore. It seems like all the people asking for a new Shenmue just love to complain.

Any of the Yakuza games are better than any of the Shenmue games. I thought it was alright, but holy shit, I went back to both of them recently and they're really close to completely intolerable. The voice acting, the translation, the graphics, all completely terrible.

People begging for a new Blue Stinger would make about as much sense.

HOW ABOUT TRYING LUCKY HIT?

This May sound Silly but I would be curious to see if Yu could get the license back, and possibly funding for the game altogether with a kickstarter campaign. Yes the games were flawed, yes the were boring at times, and yes the american voices were hilariously bad.. But man did they have heart. I loved everycut scene of the first game, and I got chills when Ryo finally learned that Akira move at the end of the second.

No one wants this game more than the fans, so I say they should pay for it!

Get a kickstarter campaign up Yu, Suzuki

Ill donate

I dono I find yakuza pretty hard to get into.. and I think its mostly because 90% of the game isn't voice acted. In Shenmue every one actually talked and well at the time it came out that was amazing. It's hard to put my finger on what makes me like Shenmue so much but I think it comes from loving simulation games, especially ones where you control one person and are not some magic all knowing hovering god.

It's good they shit-canned a shit sequel & spared everyone their free time.

@cavemantom:

Sorry, man. If finding a guy involves doing real life low pay work. I don't need it to be an over the top roller-coaster ride. But for 5 hours of each that I played you don't investigate anything. You either get a job at some shitty place or talk to really badly voiced people. I can't even call it a visual novel since you don't progress the plot for a long time. It's more of a visual simulation of boring activities done by a very slow moving man. I'm all for games about investigation, I love adventure games and investigation aspect was probably the main thing why I didn't get bored of L.A. Noire but if you ask me to stand on a corner and ask people to play a game of lucky strike for hours I'm not enjoying this.

Plus all of your problems with Yakuza are taste based. You are basically complaining why Takeshi Mike's Dead or Alive series ended with Earth exploding instead of sticking to serious drama. While all my problems with Shenmue are with gameplay and in theory I would actually like it a lot if it was fun to play. I'm not even completely against having to do boring activities, I caught fish in Yakuza 3 for an hour to get a rare fish but it was still bearable because the minigame was presented in a fun way and was explained pretty well. Lucky chance wasn't so two hours I spent on it were boring and enraging since I had no idea what I was doing. And fishing was optional while working wasn't, and there were no other ways to work at that time so I just quit the game never to return.

@Klei: I hold no opinion. I've never played any of the Shenmue games.

Representing an open world in a game is always troublesome. Shenmue tried to do it by representing the more intimate portions of life and using a sense of narrative scale to lift the greater story by contrast. GTA, while not a completely fair comparison, attempted the feeling of reality by the ability to sidetrack and deviate. The difference is in the sense of accomplishment. If you consider the point of a game to be the completion of an objective then Shenmue has an intrinsic flaw. Its contrast works in two directions; not doing the Big Thing makes me aware of the bullshit branded figurines I've been pointlessly collecting for hours. If collecting virtual figurines is your thing, great. But it's small. GTA, on the other hand, makes me feel that I can represent alternative goals that really might fuck with the supposed world I inhabit. It's not the Big Thing, but, shit, I just blew up 50 cops and jetpacked myself to safety. It's a fleeting thing, sure. No in-game narrative is going to comment on the 15 pedestrians I slaughtered to get to the trigger point of this cutscene. No save will appreciate the human terror I've inflicted on Liberty City. But humans are creatures of the short-term as well as the long. Hit both notes. Let us test our freedom through defiance. Give us the reward for responsibility and chuckle at the mayhem we needed to obtain it. Games aren't real. That's the fucking point. Shenmue, to me, was boring as shit.

As long as Yakuza is still a thing, I'll hold out on writing out the last scrap of worth Sega has to me.

@cavemantom said:

@ZagZagovich:

The Yakuza games are not fun to play.

See how valuable that sort of input is?

People's love of Yakuza will never cease to amaze me. Folks like you take issue with Shenmue's plot, but not Yakuza's? Investigating, infiltrating and dismantling some shadowy crime syndicate and murdering their leader who uses magic-martial-arts is supposed to be a breeze, and hardened Japanese gangsters are totally viable as heart-of-gold having Shonen archetypes? Yuck. Kazuma Kiryu is idealized to a fault. He always does the right thing, but is punished in spite of it. Luckily, he can overcome any punishment, THEN HIT A GUY WITH A BIKE! Gang. Ster.

A lot of this seems to stem from the faulty perception that Shenmue is supposed to be an action game about revenge. It's an adventure game with some Virtua Fighter-lite combat. The guy you need revenge on demolishes you and your far more experienced father in the first 5 minutes of the game. Then, he flees to China, protected by a vast web of criminal ties, in a time before the internet.

Trying to find him is the game. Fighting him isn't.

I haven't played any of the Yakuza games yet, but I agree with your assessment on people misconceived view towards Shenmue. It's not supposed to be a high-tailed chase for the bad guy, but a methodical and immersive experience than your typical "fun" types of games. I think the games succeeds on that aspect for the most part. But I could also understand disliking towards the game, as it does rely too much on artificial padding and having to wait in real-time to progress through the game is tedious. Still, if it's taken for what it truly is, a visual storytelling experience, Shenmue can be quite engaging.

Then again, I could be wrong here. I mean, I love L.A. Noire. The core gameplay isn't great, but it's one of most immersive games I've played and the storytelling is incredible. Almost everyone was disappointed by L.A. Noire except for me. Either people were expecting a 1940s GTA, or I just have really bad taste in video games.

@coribald said:

Sega fans have tears left?

This

@ZagZagovich:

The Yakuza games are not fun to play.

See how valuable that sort of input is?

People's love of Yakuza will never cease to amaze me. Folks like you take issue with Shenmue's plot, but not Yakuza's? Investigating, infiltrating and dismantling some shadowy crime syndicate and murdering their leader who uses magic-martial-arts is supposed to be a breeze, and hardened Japanese gangsters are totally viable as heart-of-gold having Shonen archetypes? Yuck. Kazuma Kiryu is idealized to a fault. He always does the right thing, but is punished in spite of it. Luckily, he can overcome any punishment, THEN HIT A GUY WITH A BIKE! Gang. Ster.

A lot of this seems to stem from the faulty perception that Shenmue is supposed to be an action game about revenge. It's an adventure game with some Virtua Fighter-lite combat. The guy you need revenge on demolishes you and your far more experienced father in the first 5 minutes of the game. Then, he flees to China, protected by a vast web of criminal ties, in a time before the internet.

Trying to find him is the game. Fighting him isn't.

@will_leisure:

That's your opinion.

I thought they were pretty great action adventure games, silly localization and obtuse endings aside.

Revenge stories are always about the journey-- there wouldn't even be a story if Ryo's first action was killing Lan Di (which seems unlikely, given the beating Ryo receives in their first encounter). The kitten stuff is 5 minutes in his day. The capsule stuff is only as prevalent as you want it to be. The forklift driving is how Ryo plans to finance his trip to China (unless you'd be more comfortable with him mooching off Grandma for the rest of his life). Everything tied to Ryo's efforts to track down a guy who seems to have a knack for not being tracked down, even the kitten stuff. If you want to find out about the black car on the day that it snowed, you'll have to feed a kitten once in a while.

The only glaring flaw in Shenmue/Shenmue 2's story is that the purpose of the Phoenix and Dragon mirrors is so mystically vague throughout.

What's certain is that Lan Di is using some sort of ancient Chinese voodoo to Kung Fu harder than anyone else. Ryo wouldn't last a second against him, even with his accumulated progress in Shenmue 2. That game ended with suggestions that Ryo was on the verge of cracking the purpose of the mirrors, and Lan Di's goals in turn. That's reason enough for me to want a continuation of the story.

They should of just come out with a forklift simulator for IOS, slap Shenmue on it and call it a day.

Good riddance. Better off rebooting the series to catch up with the genre.

I got Shenmue 1 and 2 at the same time for the DC. I played through 1 and couldn't get myself to play 2. Initially, I thought it was because I've had my fill of the wonderful world of Shenmue, but it turned out that I was just bored to death of the universe. The very nature of the game's story threw me for a loop, because the hero has a pressing agenda, only to be delayed—whether by uncontrollable circumstance or by his own selfish volition—to give the player an excuse to clock hours into the game.

While it was a pioneer of its genre, I cannot excuse the game for being tedious and boring. The gameplay doesn't stand the test of time, either.

Well that's a shame but after played the first and second and having really enjoyed them, I'm not sure this would have given me or other fans what we want. Would have been nice to have more Shenmue though

@RoyCampbell said:

@Arthurd said:

I used to be Chinese but then I took an arrow to the knee.

Thank you.

@hermes: it seems that what you say makes the most sense. there are a great many similarities mechanics wise. but this also seems to be a case like Keiji Inafune and Mega Man. it's almost like when Yu Suzuki left, the remaining members refused to touch the series.

                   

@Klei said:

@JohnPaulVann said:

@Klei said:

Seriously guys, get over this franchise. If they wanted to make a sequel, they would have. But for some reason, probably due to the lack of faith in the sales of the project, it probably won't happen. Shenmue 2 was an interesting game, but really, it should be left in the past. Just move on, people.

Go fuck yourself. You just don't understand anything.

Oh wow. A touchy one. You mad, bro?

You asked for it. A lot of people hold this series in high regard, just telling them to "get over it" because you don't share their opinion is not going to change their minds.

                   

               

I always saw Yakuza as the spiritual successor of Shenmue, at least in terms of gameplay mechanics and structure, maybe that is the reason why Sega doesn't seems to care about reviving the franchise and competing with themselves... Not that another game isn't welcomed, but I feel like that niche is covered.

If they were to go back I'd much rather see then revisit the series from the start, rewrite and start again.

Relevant: http://www.destructoid.com/yu-suzuki-says-he-can-get-the-shenmue-license-from-sega-219036.phtml

This is the most positive and forthcoming Yu Suzuki has been able to be in years. Looks like one door has closed, and a better one may open.

I used to be Chinese but then I took an arrow to the knee.

@ashogo:

But you really got to get over it. It's been a decade since the last one and even then it was not a fun game to play. Unique and ambitious but the gameplay was just boring. I understand you might have reverence to it but you got to understand the inherent flaws of a game that in it's first two hours makes you work on a plinko machine or whatever it's called. I'm glad you have memories and feeling for these games but there will never be a third one, and probably shouldn't be because a project like that these days would bankrupt a company. Plus Yakuza games do the same thing but way better and without the boring parts. Way better children too. Combat system is more complex and satisfying. Characters are not scary robots voiced by racists. And there are now almost 6 games to play though if you include the crazy zombie spin-off and the PSP one.

I used to be Chinese but then I took an arrow to the knee.

@Klei said:

@JohnPaulVann said:

@Klei said:

Seriously guys, get over this franchise. If they wanted to make a sequel, they would have. But for some reason, probably due to the lack of faith in the sales of the project, it probably won't happen. Shenmue 2 was an interesting game, but really, it should be left in the past. Just move on, people.

Go fuck yourself. You just don't understand anything.

Oh wow. A touchy one. You mad, bro?

You asked for it. A lot of people hold this series in high regard, just telling them to "get over it" because you don't share their opinion is not going to change their minds.

Can't say I'm surprised.....

                   

@Klei said:

Seriously guys, get over this franchise. If they wanted to make a sequel, they would have. But for some reason, probably due to the lack of faith in the sales of the project, it probably won't happen. Shenmue 2 was an interesting game, but really, it should be left in the past. Just move on, people.

Go fuck yourself. You just don't understand anything.

                   

               

I played the first when I was in elementary school... Beat the game twice.

Played the second in highschool. It's actually a few of the games that I can't forget to this day. I played the yakuza series, but I don't think it can compare to shenmue. Shenmue was the most immersed I ever been to a video game.

Hopefully they make a shenmue 3 or a spiritual succesor to it. Not another Yakuza game please, it's getting old fast.

If they did make Shenmue 3, it would have to much more than just Shenmue 2 with modern graphics, it would have to have a lot more open and detailed world, much better combat, etc. As well as all the other things that would go along with modern games.

This shouldn't surprise anyone. The series died the moment the Dreamcast did. Just like the Panzer Dragoon series died, the moment the Saturn did. Sure they release Shenmue II on another console, and they released a new Panzer Dragoon on another console, but that was done out of hope that these games would sell big. Both games didn't sell big, hence the end of both series.

It's about sells and cashing in. I personally would love a sequel to XIII, since I thought it was a great cell-shaded shooter, but because of low sells, I know that will likely never happen.

i had a great time playing through shenmue when it was new. when shenmue 2 arrived, i was ready to recapture that experience, but the game only partially recaptured that same feeling as the original. i'm not surprised the spinoffs failed, but i'll be damned if i wouldn't sink my teeth into a proper third part in the trilogy. too bad it just looks more and more like it'll never happen (unless another developer takes the reins at some point).

THE DREAM WILL NEVER DIE!!!

damn. some day...

Why not release and HD version of Shemue 1 & 2 with chapter 2 made into game as a bonus incentive?

What? How can they do this to the beloved Shenmue(TM) franchise??!!

@Klei: Nah, I think I'll just keep on passively hoping a miracle happens and we get some kind of closure. But thanks for the input, that was super neat. ;)

@shodan2020 said:

I really didn't have much hope; I've loved both 1 and 2, but this is a damn shame. :(

My sentiments exactly. It's really too bad.

I really didn't have much hope; I've loved both 1 and 2, but this is a damn shame. :(

Looks like Ryo and Shenhua will be stuck in that cave forever :(

@JohnPaulVann said:

@Klei said:

Seriously guys, get over this franchise. If they wanted to make a sequel, they would have. But for some reason, probably due to the lack of faith in the sales of the project, it probably won't happen. Shenmue 2 was an interesting game, but really, it should be left in the past. Just move on, people.

Go fuck yourself. You just don't understand anything.

I'm quoting this for how unreasonable upset and angered you are.

Oh well, it wasn't Shenmue III anyway. That is the only game I would've cared about. I was thinking about how awesome it would be if Bioware proper acquired it, but then I realized they would probably stick to Jade Empire if they wanted an asian themed rpg. It just sucks to experience an interesting franchise die before its time. I'm looking at you as well, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines.

@JohnPaulVann said:

@Klei said:

Seriously guys, get over this franchise. If they wanted to make a sequel, they would have. But for some reason, probably due to the lack of faith in the sales of the project, it probably won't happen. Shenmue 2 was an interesting game, but really, it should be left in the past. Just move on, people.

Go fuck yourself. You just don't understand anything.

That's real mature of you. Did you wait with baited breath for over a decade for Duke Nukem forever as well?

@Lurkero said:

Hey Shenmue fans, just play Yakuza and get over it.

already there :P i have all 4...but unfortunately 2 dont work.... no luck finding another copy yet though

@Phazon said:

People still care about Shenmue? I thought it was irrelevant post-GTA3.

I don't know how you've come to the conclusion that a story focused game is irrelevant post GTA3, I guess that makes a lot of games irrelevant then.

Just because GTA3 did open world better doesn't mean anything, that wasn't why people liked Shenmue.

People still care about Shenmue? I thought it was irrelevant post-GTA3.

this is what happens when you don't keep the games inetia going for to long between the last game and the proposed 3 basically if you wait to long you kill your own franchise .

@HarrySound: All sixteen chapters? Sold.

I would trade all the Uncharteds, Modern Warfares, Battlefields and Assasins Creed in the world for Shenmue 3 :(