Random Shenmue IV Thoughts.

As long as the major stuff is voiced I don’t care about some stuff. I think about Elden Ring where the animated mouths just opened randomly and didn’t match the dialogue at least in some quests. I think the main cutscenes sync up. I never saw one person say anything about that being an issue. Shenmue 4 could do the same thing.

As for the world I would rather have a dense world like Yokosuka than a sprawling world with less density.
 
Focusing on making the world bigger to me is secondary. Like someone else here stated I'd be more than happy with a game the size of yokosuka/dobuita or even bailu village. The focus needs to be more on fleshing out the characters and the story. Making the world bigger is a nice thought for an explorer but it could potentially take away more from what budget they have. Leaving the franchise in limbo and being all secretive does no favours for the fans and it definitely isn't the doing the series any favours either. I'm not saying we're owed anything but I think we deserve answers to what is actually going on with S4 and future installments.
 
I like the Division Bell a lot. It's an underrated album imo and better than A Momentarily Lapse of Reason and that weak Endless River album.
 
Seaman said:
Really? You're too kind 🥹 thanks for the compliment.
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Yeah, THANKS FRIEND.

Did my head in, lucky for me I’ve forgotten how it sounded now.

I’ll keep my thoughts on Pink Floyd to myself…
 
Okay, I know this is gonna get some reaction...but just hear me out.

Would you rather Shenmue IV become another generic open world game to try and appease the masses...or would you rather the series die on the hill it lives by being Shenmue tried and true?

Keep in mind. I DON'T want Shenmue to die at all and if it needs to change with the times then so be it. But apart of me really doesn't want Shenmue to become like every other generic open world game out there. I like that Shenmue is its own weird thing. I feel like that's what makes Shenmue for me. Is that it is its own brand of open world that doesn't play by the same rules as every other generic open world game. And I think if IV happens and if it becomes like every other open world game, it will lose its identity.

I'm aware there are ways they could appease both audiences. Maybe give a traditional Shenmue mode for the hardcore and a casual mode featuring mini maps, quest identifiers and all that other junk for those who want a more modern approach.

But yeah, if push ever came to shove, would you rather Shenmue die on the sword or lose its identity and become something unrecognizable to us?

Just a question...like I said, I don't want Shenmue to die at all. I want it to keep going, but just a question.
 
I never want Shenmue to appeal to the masses because I don’t see a world where the masses would accept Shenmue. And that’s fine. Shenmue 1 and 2 excelled in what they did. Yu built a living breathing world and made me feel like I was walking in the shoes of Ryo Hazuki.

The biggest thing I want is a focus on quests that bring meaningful story progression. What I did during Shenmue 3 just didn’t seem meaningful to me when compared to potentially two more games of plot development. If Shenmue 4 and 5 are the final games and they’re like Shenmue 3 I don’t really see how Yu is going to wrap the story to up because there are SO many questions that have to be answered and things that I think we all feel have to happen.

If you asked me finishing at 5 would be rushing things based on where we are now. It seems more likely that it would take Shenmue 7-8 if we base the story on the postmortem art unless 4 and 5 are massive games. If they’re like Shenmue 2 I can maybe see 5 or 6 being closer to finishing the story.
 
danielmann861 said:
Okay, I know this is gonna get some reaction...but just hear me out.
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danielmann861 said:
Would you rather Shenmue IV become another generic open world game to try and appease the masses...or would you rather the series die on the hill it lives by being Shenmue tried and true?
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There must be a sort of a third way, sitting somewhere in the middle of those extremes. Even the og Shenmue 2 added features aiming for wider audiences (minimap, fast-forward time, simpler fighting system, more action packed...) and usually its the favourite chapter among fans. Furthermore, I strongly believe there're possible approaches to the series that could work for almost everyone. I even keep that there's a chance of getting a all-round, groundbreakng next installment.

danielmann861 said:
But yeah, if push ever came to shove, would you rather Shenmue die on the sword or lose its identity and become something unrecognizable to us?Just a question...like I said, I don't want Shenmue to die at all. I want it to keep going, but just a question.
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So, if there was a gun pointed at me and only could be those options... I say bury it under ground.
But at risk of being repetitive, that mindset is too unjapanese, too unSuzuki.
As many others pointed, the episodical system has a lot of potential.
 
I like the episodic approach also. The downside is that I imagine it would be hard to keep a team together if each episode depended on uncertain funding/kickstarter, etc. If members of the team get a better offer for more stable work, there could be a lot of turnover. Could be a bad or good thing, but I imagine it would make it hard to manage.

Otherwise, please release the story in manga or similar format.
 
If Shenmue 4 does indeed happen, from what we’ve heard from YS, it WILL be different. As to just how different, there’s only one man who can say…

If you ask me, it really doesn’t need to change too much to be appealing to a wider audience - the story is the greatest in any game I’ve ever come across, that alone is enough of a draw if people give it a chance. Make the story just a little faster paced, like S2 rather than the first and third games.

The menu and journal in S3 are a bit weird. Update those. Give quest markers as an option maybe, wouldn’t want them personally but wouldn’t bother me much. Do something or other with the combat, not saying add SONIC BOOM! or anything, just make it a bit more dramatic. I think that’d be all that’s needed really, alongside a strong narrative.
 
Also meant to respond to the episodic idea - new Shenmue every year or something? Don’t think anyone would whinge.

Although the team points you bring up @japalp are quite right. And would it be sustainable to see the story through?
 
Tbh when I think of it I absolutely hate (more against it than hate to clarify lol) the idea of the episodic shenmue (BUT OF course if that’s only way we can finish it in game form and doing it justice then ofc) and quite frankly it bugs me cause shenmue in the first place unfortunately never got the chance in the first place

yes even if it given that chance at the end shenmue 1’s lifetime sales would’ve probably been in the low 3 million absolutely max 5 i think the original shenmue 1&2 would’ve sold 3-5 million copies each max now the sad reality is i feel like at the end either shenmue 4 or 5 would’ve reached 7.5-10 million single-player games are now more beloved and appreciated ofc the right word is appreciated people were very happy in 2018 being of the best years for singe-player games you know this renewed want and support for single-player games also people wanting and loving old games and nostalgia being big if shenmue 3 wasn’t a kickstarter title say it had a budget of $50M both ysnet and sega developing and sega publishing
say we lived in alternate timeline sega didn’t fucking keep releasing add-ons for the sega genesis and the sega saturn selling little more and better, then the sega dreamcast being sega’s final console still but it’s lifetime sales right after the generation ends is 19-20M units I think shenmue 1 if it was really given the chance would’ve ended up with 3.17M- to just shy jus short of 4 million and shenmue 2 selling about 4.2M at max i think 5 million is the absolute ceiling for either or 1 or 2, then we get shenmue 1&2 hd or the remakes which ever is better and respectful to the legacy, I can see shenmue 3 selling a little over 5 million copies then shenmue 4 or 5 each selling around 7-10M copies max.

FUCK SEGA or and fuck any big publisher that can give us 4&5 full shenmue experience and doing justice and still not doing it FUCK shenmue 6 lol we just want 2 more games suzuki said he can wrap it up really in 5.
 
I honestly don't think the nice approach to sega is really working. They need to see and feel how pissed the fanbase is getting with their constant mistreatment of yu suzuki, the fanbase and the series in general. There's nothing wrong with showing passion for a good cause but sometimes they need to see a little fire in that passion too. I'm not saying we should gang up and insult them, absolutely not. But let them know, see and feel how fed up we are with being casted to the wayside constantly.
 
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Sammy-SEGA are walking on very thin ice on the nerves of Shenmue fans. I don't know how long we can last. :)

For myself, I have decided not to buy any of their games until the Shenmue situation is resolved. I was able to resist picking up Yakuza Infinite Wealth, but had a harder time letting go of Unicord Overlord. :D

It's about time this Shenmue madness to end. They need to do something about the series.
 
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I think you can modernize Shenmue while keeping it unapologetically Shenmue at the same time. It really depends on the resources YS has at his disposal at the time of development.

One of the biggest elements missing from Shenmue 3 is its lack of Sega influence and how much time and resources could have been divided into other areas.

For example: I feel that YS should not have had to make new arcade mini games from scratch. It's a shame we can play AM2's greatest hits (Virtua Fighter, Fighting Vipers 1 and 2 etc.) in Yakuza but not in Shenmue itself. Which is supposed to be VFRPG.
 
While we wait for news about Shenmue IV a Shenmue Manga version would be really good now. If Shenmue were my creation this is what i would do now, a Manga version.

One chapter per 2 weeks telling the story of Shenmue I till Shenmue III, with new stories for the characters to enrich even more the lore of Shenmue and much more. After some time, the Manga volumes would be released for us to buy.

In 2022 we had the Shenmue Anime and it was a really good addition to the Shenmue series, with Yu Suzuki as Executive Producer.

I am optimistic about Yu-san making Shenmue IV and Shenmue V and this way completing the story, but if this year we don't get any news about the future of Shenmue even I will start to feel worried about the situation.

I'm not saying that a Manga version should be made instead of Shenmue IV, of course I want the game Shenmue IV. What I'm saying is that while we wait for Shenmue IV it would be nice to have Shenmue in another format, in my opinion a Manga version would be a perfect addition to the Shenmue Series right now.
 
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Journey to Baisha.

Baisha.

Cliff Temple.

Something happens.

Another boat up the river.

Small Languishan type area.

Train.

Errrm… somewhere. I thought Meng Cun. But maybe Meng Cun needs to be later on in the story.

My very vague outline idea of how I’d see Shenmue IV happening, ideally.
 
SPG said:
Journey to Baisha.

Baisha.

Cliff Temple.

Something happens.

Another boat up the river.

Small Languishan type area.

Train.

Errrm… somewhere. I thought Meng Cun. But maybe Meng Cun needs to be later on in the story.

My very vague outline idea of how I’d see Shenmue IV happening, ideally.
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Wait do u think that’s all the areas we’re going to get in a Shenmue IV like more likely or in reality? (at least where we are now we don’t know the future)
 
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