"The series continues because of very strong fan requests. The fans want them, so we make them. We can't say yet when the sequels will be released, but we will do our best to not let the fans down. So, I would like to say to the fans: please look forward to more Shen Mue games on Xbox."
Shin Ishikawa is the current producer of the series, and this quote is taken from a few years back now:
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/features/interviews/am2/
Previously Yu Suzuki said there would only be one more game, but that was when he was still producer of the series.
After playing What's Shenmue again, I'm tempted to re-embark on Shenmue 1 & 2, and drink in more of the character development, take it at a gentler pace. After devoting so much time to the series, and enjoying it so much, it's painful to think there couldn't be another. Shenmue Online looks ropey as hell... gack.
I can't help but believe it will never happen now though, unless III becomes a launch title with some amazing new graphics engine. Games of this quality and thought just aren't being made anymore.
I hated Shemue, but would like to see another made. It would be justification for the project, a slap in the face to devs not willing to take risks, and a boon for the fans.
Even though I didn't like it personally, I could see its worth and value.
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
Did you ever play the sequel?
I can see the arguments that the first game is too slow and drawn out, but the second game zips along, at the expense of some character development.
Now I've played through them both, I'm seriously considering going back just to explore some of the characters a little more in the first game. It does have a unique atmosphere to it, although if you boil it down the the constituent parts it seems like a bunch of boring mini quests, as Animal Crossing does.
The more you play the more you realise the staggering amount of planning and thought has gone into the Shenmue games.
I can see the arguments that the first game is too slow and drawn out, but the second game zips along, at the expense of some character development.
Well, I didn't like the input method, the QTEs or the strict adherence to the day/night cycle (and the fact you had to hang around for things to happen). Still think i'd like it...?
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
Tricky that, I guess the pacing, and generally the whole genre doesn't really float your boat...
I am contemplating either Shemue 2 on the Brick, or starting again on the DC from scratch... I suspect the former will happen before the latter... Or I could wait for it on the Dreamcast 2...? no... that was a little cruel.
Bitch is I never did find my Disk 1 of Shenmue 2, I have to confess I had to torrent it in the end. I've not started playing again though.
Treb it sounds to me like you played the first one as a game. That isn't really the point of the series. The waiting around is intentional, because it forces you to wander off and drink in the world of Shenmue. They addressed a lot of these "problems" in the second game, but essentially if you're playing it properly you don't use timeskip, because it limits your scope for exploration and interaction inbetween snippets of story progression. There are still plenty of areas in the first game that I didn't explore fully and many occaisions when I got so wrapped up in the world that I lost track of time and missed an appointment. Easily done, because the game was so full of little touches and surprises. I remember the first time I saw a character get onto his motorbike, key the ignition and drive off (I was totally blown away).
Control is better in 2 and the QTEs have been expanded far beyond the rather linear QTEs in the first game. The QTE at the very beginning of Shenmue 2 is a masterclass in interactive story telling.
What I want to see is a new Shenmue using Valves Havoc physics engine now that would be something else.
...
I agree that using Valve's engine would improve the experience, but that wouldn't stop me hating Shenmue with a passion. it's the antithesis of what I want from games:
Pinpoint-accurate controls
Immediacy
I bought Gregory Horror Show (that also has similar time constrictions) and similarly hated it. Don't get me wrong, I will play the odd RPG, but I was raised on arcade games and anything that leaves me hanging around leaves me totally cold.
Ironically, being an arcade fan made me a massive SEGA fan. Being a SEGA fan made me a massive Yu Suzuki fan. Imagine how much, then, I was looking forward to Shenmue, and how disappointed I was by what I got.
It just polarises people does Shenmue. As I say, I would like a sequel as it would prove the market is maturing and that decent, original games can still get released. Doesn't make me hate it any less, though }:-)
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
Man that is cold. I bet you didn't get past disk one of Shenmue? Am I right? I too love arcade gaming, although possibly not as much as you
I still got an incredible level of enjoyment from this game. I know I'm probably flogging a dead horse, but lets break it down a little
QTE = Arcade style reaction gaming at its purest
Figting = Arcade Fighting engine (admitedly flawed), borrowed straight from VF
Arcade = Arcade (sheesh what more do you want Hang on and Space Harrier are in there if you need a quick burst of adrenalin)
Forklift Truck = Arcade Racing IN A FORKLIFT
Then there's the darts game, jukebox, saturn, gachapon (sp?) and all manner of other stuff to occupy your time. Just following a character around for an entire day is a joy. And then there is the slow but subtle run in to the christmas period.
You need to get past the initial slow pace of the game and push on through to the good stuff later on. It's well worth it.
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No, man, it isn't!
I know my gaming tastes well enough to know whether I am going to enjoy a game after 2 hour's play. I put 4, 5 maybe even 6 on Shenmue. I think I was on the second disk, but maybe not. I know I was sick and tired of it, though, I promise you!
I hated the game. Live with it
Seriously, though, I've rarely come across a game where people practically beg you to like it, like people beg you to like Shenmue. Possibly SM64 and Zelda OoT, but then most people do like those.
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
Fair enough.
Keep your hair on
We'll agree to disagree then. I've similarly dismissed Resident Evil, after only a few minutes of play for my own peculiar reasons, so I'm not one to talk really.
Back OT, I can't see them releasing another Shenmue (other than Online), which is a great shame. Sega are surprising me less and less with their content. Outrun2 was the last big surprise and that was some time ago now.
...
Shenmue bites. Deal
SEGA are just consolidating right now, I reckon. They've made a lot of wise business decisions recently (in other words, made shitty mainstream games
), but if it gets them back on track so that they can change tack in future, i'll be happy.
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
SEGA never made a penny on Shenmue 1 or 2. As a series it's still in the red. Why would they ever, ever make another one..?
Shenmue is horribly flawed and extremely dull. For some reason I enjoyed the first one towards the end, but the sequal was a drawn-out load of poo. The whole point of the series (as far as I could tell), was to experience a different world, so rich and detailed that you could reach out and touch it...but the script writing was so pathetic that it was impossible to sink into the atmosphere. People rave on about the final disk in S2, and just because of this I painfully played through the game...only to be met with another few ours of rubbish.
Ugh! I hated it.
So yeah, I couldn't care less about Shenmue 3
All that money preumably was spent on development of a story and game engine thats now in place, so in theory any sequels should be cheaper to make.
The longer they leave it, the less likely it is we'll ever see III, as it will cost them more and more to produce an updated graphics engine. I'm holding out hope for a next-gen release game announcement, seems like the best opportunity, but in all likelihood that will never happen
Don't know how you can say you enjoyed the end of the first game, but not the second game... II picks up the pace from I and continues to accelerate towards the end, disks 3 and 4 being pure gold for me all the way through.
Ho-hum.
I've actually just started playing Shenmue I again after the What's Shenmue demo; I've just smacked some sailors up at the Heartbeats bar
I've also called the kitten 'Chibi' this time round, and I'm going to make a concerted effort to phone Nozomi more often.