SEGAbits Shenmue III Hype Train! Update: Funded but lets go further!

[Team Andromeda]

How many chapters did Shenmue 1 & 2 include? And how many chapters are left for shenmue 3? Just wondering how much work they have to do

There's 10 chapters left to be told

[George]

But he already admitted to having cut at least one chapter out. The boat ride after Chapter 1 was suppose to start another chapter but they didn't have enough content to make it one. They did a manga comic about what happen in the boat:
http://shenmuedojo.net/new/story/sidestorycomics.html

The last one.

Pretty much mysterious, since the project has been moved around and shortened. Especially after the first game.

[Aki-at]

How many chapters did Shenmue 1 & 2 include? And how many chapters are left for shenmue 3? Just wondering how much work they have to do

Yu Suzuki from just last year;

“Yes indeed, the story is far away from being completed and to be honest, I do not think that it’s possible to end it during Shenmue III. If I had to do it my way, players would experience the ending during Shenmue V. But that seems to be a lot so I’m going to try to finish it within the next 2 games.”

http://shenmuedojo.net/new/extras/interview1114.html

So at least 2 games left.

[crackdude]

I'd wager that if Shenmue III is a success then the story will go on for one or two more games.

I seriously hope that we get some closure at the end of III anyway. Otherwise, we'll be clamoring for Shenmue 4 for another 14 years.

[Aki-at]

I'd wager that if Shenmue III is a success then the story will go on for one or two more games.

I seriously hope that we get some closure at the end of III anyway. Otherwise, we'll be clamoring for Shenmue 4 for another 14 years.

I hope its so successful Yu Suzuki is brought back into the gaming spotlight, then again I think he's just doing this for the fans and might retire after this.

But if he does, what a legacy, no one can ever match him in video games,

[max_cady]

I've heard the 14-chapters claim a long time ago. But it's clear that a lot of stuff had to be cut out during production. My main pet peeve with Shenmue 2 is that the ending was so incredibly vague that I'm dying to see how this game takes off from there.

[Team Andromeda]

The boat ride after Chapter 1 was suppose to start another chapter but they didn't have enough content to make it one.

The boat ride was not a chapter in it's self , but part of a chapter and even with cuts it still took 7 years and 2 games  just to tell 6 chapters . There's no way on earth Shenmue III will finish the story. 

[Barry the Nomad]

Suzuki needs to pull a George Lucas and condense his story. Lucas started with a 9-12 film idea, and then realized he might only make 1-3 films so he made the early episodes the backstory (1-3), condensed a few chapters for 4, told 5 and concluded it at 6.

Shenmue could end at III if Suzuki makes some concessions and condenses things. I mean, I don't want his vision to be truncated but I don't think people would be happy to see another To Be Continued in 2017...

[Aki-at]

Suzuki needs to pull a George Lucas and condense his story. Lucas started with a 9-12 film idea, and then realized he might only make 1-3 films so he made the early episodes the backstory (1-3), condensed a few chapters for 4, told 5 and concluded it at 6.

Shenmue could end at III if Suzuki makes some concessions and condenses things. I mean, I don't want his vision to be truncated but I don't think people would be happy to see another To Be Continued in 2017...

Suzuki > Lucas

He'll never compromise his vision, he's tapping that pencil furiously now making sure the DREAM IS UNTAINTED!

[Barry the Nomad]

LOL, so Shenmue X then?

[MadeManG74]

I am interested on if they're going to bring back the gashapon and arcade games. If so, will it be a share of Sony and Sega? Just Sega? Will it stick to Sega of 1999, with only a few select franchises, or will it encompass the broadened spectrum of Sega characters? Will any new Yu Suzuki games appear?

Personally I wanna see UFO crane games make an appearance, either alongside gashapon or replacing it outright. It would be a perfect fit for Shenmue.

Don't forget this seems to be taking place entirely in a rural villiage in the middle of 1980's China. I'm not sure we'll get any arcade machines at all, maybe not even electricity.

What do you guys think about this "Instant Mastery" thing Suzuki talked about in the KS video?  I believe it gives of an idea about the type of combat system we might see in Shenmue 3, something more simple perhaps? I would've been great if they maintained the VF-esque combat system...

Yes yes, I know I'm being negative,  last negative post, I swear! (At least, for a while!)

I don't like the sounds of it at all.

As I said, I'm already bracing for a bad game, but I don't even care.

Honestly should have just showed artwork of the game instead of showing those graphics. That would have been my opinion on the whole thing.

Worked for Igavania. Two pieces of concept art.

Well, here is the concept art for the Virtua Fighter RPG chapters. Gives you a hint at what his original vision was:

What upsets me more than anything is that i feel like the story has been cut to shreds. I feel like we aren't going to get this globe-spanning epic, and that the story will wrap up in this next game, probably taking place entirely in one town.

He already had to cut Chapter 2 entirely, we never got to play that. I'm worried about how much more he had to cut. Something is better than nothing, sure, but I hope we get some kind of run-down or summary of the 'True' Shenmue after 3 is done.

Do we know if Shenmue III is going to be taking place in multiple countries/towns? A stretch goal was to 'Expand the villiage' which makes me think it's happening in one little rural villiage.

[CrazyT]

Yu Suzuki from just last year;

“Yes indeed, the story is far away from being completed and to be honest, I do not think that it’s possible to end it during Shenmue III. If I had to do it my way, players would experience the ending during Shenmue V. But that seems to be a lot so I’m going to try to finish it within the next 2 games.”

http://shenmuedojo.net/new/extras/interview1114.html

So at least 2 games left.

This is relieving to read. I thought Suzuki was gonna cut himself thin by trying to fit everything within 1 game with the budget while there are more chapters left than shenmue 1 and 2 combined, and those games were already huge.

I am still kinda skeptical about this thing. I do really want to believe... It would be something if Suzuki was that huge of a contributor for shenmue 1 and 2, that it wouldnt matter what team works under him, he'd be able to achieve anything being that strong of a director. I actually do believe that

[Aki-at]

What upsets me more than anything is that i feel like the story has been cut to shreds. I feel like we aren't going to get this globe-spanning epic, and that the story will wrap up in this next game, probably taking place entirely in one town.

He already had to cut Chapter 2 entirely, we never got to play that. I'm worried about how much more he had to cut. Something is better than nothing, sure, but I hope we get some kind of run-down or summary of the 'True' Shenmue after 3 is done.

Do we know if Shenmue III is going to be taking place in multiple countries/towns? A stretch goal was to 'Expand the villiage' which makes me think it's happening in one little rural villiage.

Mang did you miss my comment, is it cause you hate me now? I bet it's cause you hate me now : <

Yu Suzuki from just last year;

“Yes indeed, the story is far away from being completed and to be honest, I do not think that it’s possible to end it during Shenmue III. If I had to do it my way, players would experience the ending during Shenmue V. But that seems to be a lot so I’m going to try to finish it within the next 2 games.”

http://shenmuedojo.net/new/extras/interview1114.html

So at least 2 games left.

I don't think much has changed, except you hate my guts now ;___;

[Aki-at]

This is relieving to read. I thought Suzuki was gonna cut himself thin by trying to fit everything within 1 game with the budget while there are more chapters left than shenmue 1 and 2 combined, and those games were already huge.

I am still kinda skeptical about this thing. I do really want to believe... It would be something if Suzuki was that huge of a contributor for shenmue 1 and 2, that it wouldnt matter what team works under him, he'd be able to achieve anything being that strong of a director. I actually do believe that

A possibility but Shenmue 3 will literally be a prologue to Shenmue 4, much shorter than the other games but a way to demonstrate to both Sony/SEGA/both to open their wallets and fund an bigger expansion for the IP into Shenmue 4.

If this game ends up doing a million (Very likely at this point) I don't see either Sony or SEGA passing up the funds to Suzuki as long as he's able to demonstrate the spiraling budget of Shenmue was a one off and that he knows how to design open world games on a timely and budgeted manner.

[MadeManG74]

Mang did you miss my comment, is it cause you hate me now? I bet it's cause you hate me now : <

I don't think much has changed, except you hate my guts now ;___;

I did see that, but I'm also catching up on like 6 pages. This topic moves fast.

I also just want to brace for the worst, I feel almost as if he's since been asked to wrap it up in one game, or just wants to because he's not sure if Shenmue IV will ever happen.

Even wrapping it up into two games is cutting a lot. I really hope we don't finish the story in a little Chinese villiage and never get to travel to the Shaolin Temple in the mountains or to the big rolling fields, or wherever he was meant to travel originally.

Either way, once the story is done, I'd love for Yu Suzuki to give us all a run down of what the original vision's story was going to be.