Gamescom 2024 – Shenmue Talk and Hands on With the Games!

This year I had the pleasure of attending Gamescom for the first time. While not the first time Shenmue Dojo has been represented there with former owner Peter Campbell attending in 2019 and Flagship representing us in 2023 with his fantastic coverage of Air Twister it was the first time I had attended the show in person.

A plan of attack for these types of shows is always tricky to put together with only 1 and a half days’ worth of time to attend the show (excluding Opening Night Live which was covered HERE) with a list of games to play and people to talk to it was an intense few days but days that created some fantastic personal memories which will take a lot to beat – maybe a Shenmue 4 announcement might challenge that! So Shenmue is where we shall start seeing as we are a Shenmue fan-site after all!

Shenmue Chat

Ryan Payton

Before Gamescom, we reached out to Ryan Payton, who we thought might be attending to show off Batman: Arkham Shadows. Ryan kindly got back to us and arranged a time to meet with Matt (between his very busy press commitments) during the show.

As many of you know, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ryan back in 2020, during the very early days of the Dojo Podcast. So, it would have been rude not to talk a little bit (or a lot) about Shenmue. Ryan gave me a huge amount of his time when we were discussing Shenmue, and his passion for the series runs as strong as ever. He’s seen Times Square; he sees and hears the community voices. “Keep pushing and fighting the good fight,” he told me, and hopefully, we will see a Shenmue 4.

Having Ryan give up his time again for this website is rather humbling. Ryan is a hugely respected figure within the games industry—he doesn’t need to make time for me or Shenmue Dojo, but he wanted to. My personal thanks go out to Ryan for taking the time to talk to me and for everything he has done for Shenmue so far.

Michael Huber

As some of you will have seen, I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Huber twice during the show as well as interviewing him back in 2021. The first time was right after Opening Night Live. We talked about Shenmue and the show as a whole, with definite excitement around Mafia: Old Country being revealed. The chat lasted around 10-15 minutes, and after being awake for 19 hours, it was definitely a challenge!

On the second night of the convention, an Easy Allies fan meet-up was arranged. Flagship kindly kept me in the loop with the arrangements for the night, so off we went to the meet-up. Upon arrival, Michael Huber came over, gave me a fist bump, and said, “We need to talk Shenmue later,” which I will come back to in a bit. The conversation then moved on to Star Wars: Outlaws (impressions below) and the show as a whole before he moved on to say hello to the others (around 20 or so) who were there.

Pictured: The group minus Matt who was too late for the picture! Credit Michael Huber’s Twitter

We found a small bar in the center of Cologne, got set up with many beers (or beverage of choice), and chatted the night away—all about games! All of the Easy Allies team were very approachable and friendly, making efforts to talk to everyone who was there.

Huber joined our small group, and we dived into the Shenmue talk. Would Shenmue 4 happen? We all agreed it would but noted that a middle ground had to be found. We discussed our favorite parts of the series, the Shenmue anime and how it didn’t deserve to be canceled, and the larger future of the series, including ways to help it gain the success it needs. The Times Square stunt came up in the conversation, and Huber noted that “a lot of people” had seen it and asked how it all came about. We also talked about Shenmue vs. Yakuza and how it’s a silly rivalry and narrative that makes little to no sense to any of us.

As the night drew to a close, goodbyes were said, and pictures were taken. This is when Huber and I had a brief but private conversation about Shenmue, the future, and the site. While I won’t share the exact nature and details of what was said, it was a very humbling moment to have someone of his stature in the content creation world comment on the site, content, and more. He had clearly engaged with some of the content we’ve made and was very supportive of Shenmue Dojo as a page, what we stand for, and the Shenmue community. I’ve said it many times: his reaction to Shenmue 3 being announced was, and still is, a part of all of us, and he is synonymous with Shenmue on a larger scale.

That in itself is a memory that will be cherished deeply in the history of this page but also on a personal level as well.

Pictured: Matt and Michael Huber

Hands on with the Games!

Sonic x Shadow Generations

Naturally, our first port of call was the SEGA booth, where we made a beeline for Sonic x Shadow Generations. As many of you will remember, Sonic Generations came out in 2011 as part of Sonic’s 20th anniversary celebrations (which makes us feel old) across PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Nintendo DS. As one of the better Sonic games of the time, the challenge lies in how to enhance it to make the game even better. This is where the Shadow section of the game comes in… but more on that later!

Pictured: Front of the SEGA booth showing off Sonic and his Rings!

The demo was presented on a PS5 and was a timed demo (around 10 minutes) where you could choose from two options: Classic Sonic Generations or Shadow Generations.

After opting for Classic, you are dropped into the first level from the original game, Green Hill Zone Act 1. Needless to say, this demo was completely faithful to the original game, running at a flawless 60 FPS while also featuring some minor tweaks. One of these tweaks is that the platform hints have been generalized and re-recorded to work better across all release platforms. Otherwise, the level is as it was in the original Sonic Generations release. Whether voice actors have been called back to re-record character lines is something I have no information on at this point.

Act 2 followed shortly afterward, based on Modern Sonic, and again the level was presented as it was in the original release. The boost mechanic, which is a mainstay of Sonic games these days, was introduced and felt as snappy as in the original games. However, Sonic’s jumping felt a little floaty compared to my memory of the original Generations release. This could just be me misremembering, though, rather than an issue with the game itself.

Pictured: Green Hill Zone Act 1 – Classic Sonic

After a small taste of Act 2, we wanted to make use of the rest of the demo to try Shadow Generations, which is the newly created content for Generations. In this demo, you could choose between Space Colony Ark 1 and a boss fight level. Having chosen Space Colony Ark 1, you are thrown into a narrow section of the stage with lots of grinding and bouncing between enemies to progress through the level. The stage design here is really cool, striking a much darker, edgier tone compared to the original Generations levels, but also benefiting from what feels like some of the better-designed levels from Sonic Frontiers, where levels present several different paths to the player without feeling overwhelming. Controlling Shadow felt very much like controlling Sonic and, again, a little sluggish in response time.

Pictured: Shadow in Action – Credit SEGA

Also, disappointingly, the demo’s FPS in this level dropped below 60 FPS multiple times, and to the naked eye, it seemed to dip into the 30s. The optimization certainly wasn’t complete in this demo, but it must be stressed that this is a demo, and there’s plenty of time to solve this issue. The trailer they released the day prior, showcasing Shadow’s newly acquired Doom Powers, was much smoother.

Unfortunately, the demo then timed out, so we did not get to try the boss fight. However, SEGA’s reps kindly let me watch someone else play the fight, showcasing Shadow’s new Doom Powers:

as well as a return to Shadow’s classic Chaos Control power. The powers look like a unique extension of Shadow’s gameplay and form part of a broader effort by Sonic Team to expand his abilities once they realized that only using Chaos Control was not enough to make what they felt was an impressive game.

This new mode is considered to cross over into the original story of Sonic Generations and very much feels like a game in its own right. Should they fix the performance issues I saw in the demo, this should be a welcome complement to what is already considered a decent Sonic game.

Sonic x Shadow Generations releases across all platforms on the 22nd of October.

2point Museum

Continuing our time at the SEGA booth, we moved on to Two Point Museum, which is a direct follow-up to the 2022 game Two Point Campus. Much like its predecessors (University and Hospital), this is an isometric point-and-click game where you take control of museums throughout the game, building up their exhibitions, digging for discoveries, all while making sure no one trashes the place and ensuring your staff don’t all run to the staff room at a moment’s notice!

This demo presented the player with the first level from the game, which serves as an enhanced tutorial mode. It guides the player through how to place an exhibition, hire staff, build rooms, open the museum, make money, and keep things running somewhat smoothly. All of these mechanics will be familiar to players who have experienced the previous games. If not, the tutorial does a great job of helping you along the way. The aim of the game is to create what they call “buzz” around the museum while ensuring you are making enough money to progress to the next level. If you think back to Two Point Hospital (2018), you had to manage the satisfaction of the patients alongside making money, and the premise here is pretty much the same.

Pictured: In-game shot from reveal pack – Credit SEGA

One unique feature in the game is the use of the helipad, which has made appearances across all entries in the series. Here, you use the helipad to send your team of hired explorers off to make and find new discoveries to bring back to the museum for you to show off to your budding archaeologists, who are waiting with bated breath. You have the option to send them on a short and rather unsafe expedition, a “normal” expedition, or a longer one. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks, but provided they are successful, you will be rewarded with a new item to showcase in the museum.

Pictured: In-game shot from reveal pack – Credit SEGA

The final note to make here is that possibly one of the best features of these games still remains, and that is the narrator and PA announcer during the game. They continue to provide the dry, satirical humor of the previous games and titles such as Theme Hospital, which is always appreciated. Overall, this is a faithful entry into the Two Point franchise. A release date is not yet confirmed for this title.

Star Wars Outlaws

Star Wars: Outlaws releases on August 30th, 2024, and has the potential to be a solid addition to the Star Wars video game arena. In this game, you play as outlaw Kay Vass, who is seeking the means to start a new life rather than being a Jedi. You will shoot, use stealth, and solve puzzles on your journey to freedom.

At the start of the demo, you are presented with a title screen with two options: the first to enter the main game and the second to explore the various settings. The settings allow you to switch between Performance (60 FPS) or Quality (30 FPS) mode and adjust various screen settings such as brightness, HDR, and contrast. For the purposes of this demo, it was a PC demo tested in Performance mode.

After browsing the settings, it was time to choose a demo level. Three options are given to the player: “False Flag,” which is an escape/fighter jet mission; “The Wreck,” focusing on infiltration; and “The Relic,” also focusing on infiltration. The Relic was chosen, and you are immediately dropped into a cutscene providing a bit of backstory before giving control to the player. Graphically, even in Performance mode, the models and environments look great—striking the Star Wars look and tone reasonably well. One complaint was the excessive use of film grain, which gave an incredibly blurry effect across the entire presentation and could not be turned off in the demo. Usually, this is an option that can be changed in final products, so hopefully, this is the case here. Another issue found in this demo was a number of graphical glitches. In the main interior area of the demo, there were sections where textures would pop in and out, flicker, and look rather unstable as you moved toward them. Given how close the game is to release, it is disappointing to find glitches of this nature, but it must be noted that the build of the game could have been significantly older.

Pictured: Opening from ‘The Relic’ Demo Level

Controlling Kay felt intuitive and smooth while exploring the area in free-roam mode, with the aim of infiltrating a small base to steal a relic and escape. Once inside the base, the other mechanics come into play, most of which will feel familiar to those who have played Ubisoft titles before. Stealth mechanics work by using crouch and cover, while allowing you to use a one-button takedown on enemies who do not see you. The takedowns themselves look great in motion, but the act of executing them feels incredibly sluggish, with a delay from the button press to the action being carried out.

The lock-picking mechanic (called Data Spike) is fascinating but also quite frustrating at the same time. Here, the premise is that you listen to the beat of the lock and respond in kind with button presses that match the pattern, which then turns the lock into position to open the door. While a unique idea, carrying this out in the game without any explanation was particularly challenging, and a tutorial would have been appreciated. Increasingly difficult sections like this could be off-putting.

Pictured: Interior Level – Credit Ubisoft

After failing miserably in the stealth section, the gunplay ensued. This felt tight, responsive, and satisfying when taking down your opponents. While the AI didn’t offer too much challenge in this demo, it is plausible that in larger battles, you could easily become overwhelmed with enemy fire and have to adopt new tactics. The reload mechanic here is borrowed straight from Returnal, where you time a small bar to land within a section in an on-screen pop-up. Do this successfully, and you get a faster reload and seemingly a small buff in shot power. The minor complaint about the gunplay was not the mechanics themselves (they’re the most solid in the demo) but that the excessive film grain made it very difficult to shoot enemies who were off in the distance. The player then had to resort to looking at where the shots came from, firing back, and hoping something was hit.

Overall, the game is solid and captures the Star Wars universe nicely, but there are some issues that may hold it back. Reviews of the game sit at a 7-8/10, which is where, based on the demo tested, we would place this game.

Mechabreak

Mechabreak is a multiplayer team Mech game that allows players to join forces to complete objectives, choose from, and customize a large variety of mechs and weapons. Announced at the 2023 Game Awards, the game has faced several delays, with a release now due in 2025 across Xbox, PC, and PlayStation 5. There is also an open playtest for which players can sign up, though this is limited to PC.

The demo tested was on an Xbox Development Kit. A PC option was available elsewhere but was not tested by us.

In the demo, 8 players are dropped into a level with only one choice of mech and limited weapon customization options. You are then thrust into the action, where you must stop the enemy mechs from gaining ground on your team. Once a team’s score reaches 100, the game is over. Combat in this game relies on a variety of short- to long-range weaponry and felt rather unresponsive when trying to switch between them or use them quickly. The transitions between guns felt sluggish, and the combat was overwhelming.

Visually, the game has clearly taken some inspiration from Virtual-On, which is never a bad thing. However, the performance of this demo left much to be desired. According to the FPS counter in the top right of the screen, the target FPS was 60. During gameplay, this dropped into the mid-teens, which only further contributed to the overwhelming combat and sluggish feel of the game overall.

As an idea, the game has definite potential, but there is a long way to go for this game to realize that potential. It could become the type of project that ends up on the trash heap due to too many delays and companies cutting their losses rather than pouring in more resources.

Symphonia

Symphonia is a visually stunning and rhythm-based action-adventure video game developed by the independent studio Sunny Peak. Symphonia is set in a beautifully crafted world where music plays a central role in both the environment and the gameplay. The player takes on the role of Philemon, a young conductor in a world where music has the power to shape the world itself. The game’s story revolves around Philemon’s journey to restore harmony to his world, which has fallen into chaos due to the dissonance caused by a dark force.

Pictured: In-game action from the opening world.

The gameplay of Symphonia revolves around rhythmic exploration and puzzle-solving. Players must guide Philemon through various levels by interacting with the environment in time with the music. The world reacts to the player’s actions, with platforms, obstacles, and pathways appearing or changing based on the rhythm and melodies played.

The game’s art style is one of its standout features, with hand-drawn visuals that are reminiscent of a living, breathing painting. The environments are rich with detail, from lush forests to mystical ruins, all designed to reflect the musical theme of the game.

Pictured: Opening Scenes

This game is a throwback to the 16-bit era with a modern twist. A demo is available on Steam and well worth checking out and is slated for a 2024 release.

Top Spin 2K25

The last of the games actually tested came to Top Spin 2K25 which is already available to buy across most platforms. As a Virtua Tennis veteran any sort of tennis game is appealing so we gave this game a ‘shot’ and, unfortunately, was left rather disappointed in the overall feel of the game.

Pictured: Wimbledon from Top Spin 2K25 – Looking Great

Firstly, the tennis stadiums you play in are visually stunning and provide an accurate representation of Wimbledon, Flushing Meadows, Roland Garros and Melbourne. However, the same cannot be said of the models of the tennis players in the game. Most of the faces looked off when compared to their real life counterparts with Andy Murray’s face standing out but not for the right reasons. When you think that EAFC can scan hundreds of players to look fairly decent it is dissapointing the same level of fidelity could not be found in Top Spin with far less players to have to work on.

Pictured: Andy Murray in Top Spin 2K25

The movement of the players felt incredibly sluggish overall with their reaction times being significantly slower than any button presses on the controller. This then impacted the speed of the rallies which felt artificially slow. The actual shot control system is very good allowing for timing of shots which if done correctly would reward the player with a much more powerful stroke and lessen the chance of the ball falling outside of the relevant lines.

Overall this is one game to miss at this point in time.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Extended Gameplay Trailer and Video

Following the excitement of Opening Night Live’s presentation and release date trailer, we were treated to an extended gameplay trailer (arguably even better than the ONL one) and a behind-the-scenes video from MachineGames, the developers behind the highly anticipated Indiana Jones game. From the outset, the developers made their goal crystal clear: to create a cinematic, immersive Indiana Jones adventure that retains all the charm, wit, revolvers, and Nazi-punching action of the original film series.

Presentation is always key in games of this nature, and from the extended look, it’s evident that players will not be disappointed. Indiana Jones himself retains some of the classic look of Harrison Ford, yet is aptly portrayed by Troy Baker, known for his roles in Batman: Arkham, The Last of Us, and many other games. Baker delivers a new but faithful performance of this much-beloved character, capturing the essence of Indy while bringing his own touch to the role. Additionally, the game’s cinematic presentation in the cut scenes was a deliberate choice by the developers, likely inspired by the success of Sony’s AAA titles, such as Uncharted 4, which are renowned for their film-like storytelling.

Pictured: Indiana Jones in-game model – Credit MachineGames

The video then shifted to showcase a variety of gameplay elements, including combat, gunplay, traversal, and puzzle-solving. These core elements revolve around Indiana’s iconic inventory: his hands, whip, notebook, and revolver, all of which received an extended focus. Hand-to-hand combat appears to be both challenging to master and easy to pick up, with footage showing it to be snappy and responsive. An exciting added mechanic allows players to use environmental objects to create space during fights, a feature that looks to be a superb addition. Additionally, while not much gunplay was shown, what was displayed looked solid and true to the action-packed spirit of the Indiana Jones franchise.

Pictured: Punch to the face! Credit Game Awards 2023

Next up were the investigation and puzzle elements, which seem to play a significant role in the game. Players who take the time to explore the expansive maps outside of the main story will be rewarded with a variety of puzzles and artefacts to discover. The game features a notebook reminiscent of the one in Shenmue, detailing clues, drawings, and next steps for the player to follow. Although the footage did not fully explain how these elements integrate into the broader gameplay, it’s clear that they will add depth and richness to the adventure.

Players won’t have to wait long to experience this for themselves. Indiana Jones is set for release on PC and Xbox on December 9th, with a PS5 release slated for spring 2025. This game promises to deliver a thrilling and faithful Indiana Jones experience, blending the best elements of classic film adventure with modern gaming innovation.

General Experience of Gamescom

Gamescom is the largest gaming convention in the world, offering an experience that comes with many positives as well as some challenges.

On the positive side, the event is incredibly well-organized overall, with helpful staff who are always on hand to assist. The general vibe from the over 100,000 gamers attending throughout the weekend was nothing short of fantastic. Everyone was there to celebrate games, and while it’s well known what this gamer thinks about the state of modern gaming on a personal level, it cannot be disputed that the collective spirit was one of pure enjoyment and passion for what games represent. Whether you’re running a large news outlet, a small niche gaming site, or just there to experience something new, people from countries far and wide come together in what was truly an awesome experience.

A new addition this year was the fast pass system for certain games, which, in theory, was a great idea. The queues for the most popular games can stretch to over three hours, so offering a fast pass option seemed like a smart way to manage crowd flow. However, these passes were gone within seconds of the timeslots going live, raising questions about whether a better system could be implemented in future years. While the premise is solid, the execution left something to be desired.

Additionally, there’s so much to do at Gamescom that careful planning is essential. Without a clear plan, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and lose track of your objectives amidst the sea of activities and exhibits.

See you (hopefully) in 2025, Gamescom—Shenmue 4 better be there!

Thank you’s

As ever in trying to run a small gaming website there are challenges along the way. I won’t go into them here but I wanted to offer some personal thank you’s to people who helped us along the way at Gamescom:

I want to extend a personal thank you to everyone at Gamescom, the community on social media, and Didier (Dadij) for the support and guidance on the show floor to resolve some frustrating and challenging issues early on. All that effort was worth it in the end!

James Macke: For putting up with my insane persistence in wanting to get things sorted so that I could cover everything for the site in the best way I could.

Flagship: Thank you for hanging out, keeping me in the loop for the Easy Allies meet and for helping keep the party going on the Wednesday night!

Ryan Payton: As mentioned above – for the time to talk to me and for supporting Shenmue so strongly with so much passion and care.

Michael Huber: For taking the time to chat to me about Shenmue for 2 nights running and being a Shenmue fan! But also for your kind words towards everything Shenmue Dojo stands for and the content we put out. Those words and support will stand long in the memory and are truly humbling.

The Shenmue Community: It goes without saying that without the strength of support you have shown not only Shenmue Dojo but Shenmue as a whole we would not have gotten to where we are today. While you all know we don’t have the power to promise Shenmue 4 (or 5) will happen you all still come out in your numbers to support Shenmue on social media, engage with our crazy ideas and make this thing we do worth it! James and I truly believe that a way can/will be found to conclude this wonderful series we all cherish so deeply. This site will not rest until we have that conclusion.