Yu Suzuki
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A 13-episode 'Shenmue' anime series is on the way
'Shenmue' is back, this time as a new anime series destined for streaming on Crunchyroll and cable TV via Adult Swim.
'Shenmue III' delayed -- again -- until November 19th
If you've been waiting patiently for the arrival of Shenmue III, you'll have to temper your excitement a little longer. The long-awaited third installment in the classic series has been delayed yet again. Ryo Hazuki is now expected to return to your screens November 19th.
Yu Suzuki 'researching,' but not committed to Shenmue 3 Kickstarter
Famed producer Yu Suzuki might turn to Kickstarter to fund Shenmue 3, though the emphasis here is on the word "might." According to a Eurogamer interview, Suzuki is "researching" the idea of a Shenmue 3 Kickstarter. The designer refuses to commit to anything, but did state that he would like to work on the long-awaited sequel given the "right opportunity." As Eurogamer points out, the first two Shenmue games cost Sega over $70 million to develop, though Suzuki wouldn't specify how much money he'd need to raise to fund a third game in the series. Though this news may set fans' hearts racing with even the slightest glimmer of hope that Shenmue 3 is in the works, we caution you not to hold your collective breath. This is not the first time Suzuki has mentioned interest in crowdfunding, and even if Suzuki does opt to go the Kickstarter route, it will likely be a while before he gets around to it. Though he wouldn't divulge details, Suzuki is currently occupied with a different, non-Shenmue development project. [Image: Wikimedia Commons]
Shenmue development bugs included cats walking like people and empty streets
Shenmue was an ambitious game for its time, incorporating a massive open world, environments full of people and activity and a complex combat system, all of which was delivered using state of the art graphics. It was a huge project and, as director Yu Suzuki revealed during the Shenmue postmortem panel at GDC 2014, it wasn't without some bizarre development bugs. In fact, up to 300 were found every day, according to Suzuki. Without some form of compression, said Suzuki (through interpreter Mark Cerny), all of the content in Shenmue would have required 50-60 CD-ROMs. As that would have been ... prohibitive to the average consumer, the Shenmue team had to come up with ways to save space, though this sometimes created unexpected results. Like cats walking on two legs.
Seen@GDC 2014: (The mob surrounding) Yu Suzuki
There were a lot of people at the Shenmue postmortem panel during GDC. Alas, Yu Suzuki, director of Shenmue, didn't stun the audience with the surprise announcement of Shenmue 3. That wasn't enough to stop eager fans from crowding around the former Sega guru behind classics like Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racing, Outrun, Daytona and Space Harrier. Can't see him in the photo above? Let's get a little closer.
Yu Suzuki thinking about crowdfunding for Shenmue 3
Shenmue 3 is sort of becoming a possibility again, just in time to make sure that wound will never, ever heal. During the MAGS (Monaco Anime Game Show) over the weekend, Sega legend Yu Suzuki told journalist Sebastien-Abdelhamid that he is considering Kickstarter-style crowdfunding for the long-lost project. With the budget for the first two games somewhere in the $70 million area, that could be one ambitious Kickstarter.Suzuki also said (more realistically) that he wants to continue the Shenmue storyline in an anime or manga. In either case, he'd need to obtain rights to his own license from Sega, something he has discussed in the past. The odd racing game cameo aside, Sega's not doing anything with it.
Yu Suzuki's new game is fun to say: Gan! Gan! Pirates
Yu Suzuki, the man behind the Shenmue series, is working on a new title called Gan! Gan! Pirates. Gan! Gan! Pirates is a mobile, social, arcade-style shooter with touch controls taking the place of bright orange, plastic guns, Andriasang translates from a Famitsu feature.Suzuki's new title is free-to-play and features co-op and competitive play; it's set to launch on iOS and Android in September.
Yu Suzuki expresses interest in obtaining Shenmue license from Sega
Get your grains of salt ready, we're about to report on the potential release of another Shenmue title. Speaking to French fan site Shenmue Master at the Toulouse Games Show (not to be confused with the other TGS), Shenmue maestro Yu Suzuki expressed possible interest in obtaining the Shenmue license from Sega. When asked exactly who owns the license, Suzuki responded that the license currently belongs to Sega. That said, he added that "we can obtain the license from Sega," presumably speaking on behalf of his company, YS Net. Of course, that's not a direct confirmation that YS Net is actually pursuing such a transaction. Even if it is, there's no guarantee the license would be used for a true Shenmue sequel anyway. After all, the last Shenmue project turned out be a (recently shuttered) social game. See the English translation of the interview after the break (skip to 9:40 for the question regarding Shenmue's license).
Yu Suzuki leaving management role at Sega in September
Yu Suzuki, the living embodiment of all your favorite Sega memories, revealed in a Gamasutra interview that he is leaving his management position within the company's AM2 studio in September, though he'll remain at Sega as an advisor. He's actually been working at his own company, YS Net, since 2008, in conjunction with his continued employment at Sega. After dropping the news of his departure, he discussed some of his previous works -- including the unreleased MMO, Shenmue Online. Suzuki described his concept for the game as "a town that players create as they enter the game and play it -- something like a multi-CPU system, with each player serving as a CPU." One player, then, would handle important drunk-Santa computations, while another would act as the hot-dog vending core.
Yu Suzuki joins Premium Agency, working on Kinect fighting game
Japanese game and CGI animation studio Premium Agency has announced (PDF) that it has appointed Shenmue and Virtua Fighter maestro Yu Suzuki as an advisor and executive producer. Suzuki will oversee the studio's newly strengthened development team, covering a wide range of social and mobile projects. Suzuki will also oversee the development of a Kinect-enabled fighting game. While a Kinect fighter involving Suzuki is certainly intriguing, we'd like to pitch another idea: Kinect Space Harrier. Think about it, Mr. Suzuki. Think about it hard.
Mega64 and Yu Suzuki reveal Shenmue's conclusion at last
During his GDC panel, Yu Suzuki dropped the world-changing news that he might possibly, maybe, be able to make a third Shenmue game, if he can find the money. But in case this rock-solid guarantee doesn't go through, Mega64 cornered Suzuki and asked him to outline the end of the story, in order to provide us the closure we've craved since 2001. We don't want to spoil the ending of Ryo Hazuki's saga ourselves, so we'll just tell you to go past the break and let Suzuki tell the story of the vengeance-obsessed teen's trans-Pacific ride on a levitating sword, with live-action performances of key scenes by Mega64 and a special guest. Perhaps we've already said too much. It'll be entirely our fault if the story lacks dramatic impact.
Yu Suzuki reflects on Sega career, teases Shenmue
Longtime Sega producer Yu Suzuki delivered his first-ever American talk at GDC, providing a history of his experiences at Sega, from Champion Boxing through the canceled Psy-Phi, a touch-screen based arcade fighting title. It was canceled, by the way, because it hurt players' fingers. He mused that it would work on DS or Kinect, where either a stylus or several feet of air come between your fingers and the screen.
Seen@GDC: Yu Suzuki vs. USSR
We ... don't think he can claim all of these things as his "game works."
Yu Suzuki: 'I think Sega's going to let me' make Shenmue 3
During his GDC 2011 panel, Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki said "I think Sega will let me make it," referring to the long-awaited Shenmue 3. However, it's not a guarantee. He couched the discussion by saying it's contingent on budget issues -- by the way, Suzuki said that Shenmue cost $47 million to make, not the patently ridiculous $70 million Sega quoted -- and that he basically could only be sure that 200 people (the people in the room) would buy it. So it probably won't amount to anything. But Yu Suzuki just sustained our hopes of continued Shenmue regardless.
Yu Suzuki to be honored as 'Pioneer' at Game Developers Choice Awards
Yu Suzuki, a central driving force behind iconic Sega franchises such as Space Harrier, Afterburner, Virtua Fighter and Out Run, will be honored with the Pioneer Award at the 11th annual Game Developers Choice Awards next month. The accolade recognizes creators of "breakthrough genres and concepts" and serves to highlights Suzuki's definitive role in the "golden age" of Sega arcade games. His career started with Sega in 1983 and has encompassed an incredible variety of standout games and personal passions. It's interesting to reflect on the differences in scope between some of his most well-known projects: Shenmue attempted to recreate a vibrant and reactive simulacrum of Yokosuka, Japan, while Ferrari F355 Challenge was an enthusiastic tribute to just one car, displayed across three screens. Yu Suzuki will receive the prestigious gong (in person!) at the Game Developers Choice Awards on Wednesday, March 2, in San Francisco, once he manages to extract it from a giant toy capsule machine. "This is cool!" he'll say. "Maybe I should get another." [Image credit: "The Disappearance of Yu Suzuki" / 1UP]
Yu Suzuki discusses concept for Shenmue 3
James Mielke, formerly of 1UP, tracked down Sega legend Yu Suzuki for an interview, during which Suzuki revealed one of his ideas for the design of Shenmue 3 -- which, just to keep you from getting your hopes up, is still totally not happening. But it sounds interesting! But it's not happening. "Shenmue 3 doesn't expand outward, but inward," Suzuki said, contrasting the expansive worlds of the original games with an emphasis on deeper interaction with the main characters, Ryo Hazuki and Shenhua. In the examples he gave, which were "not actually in the game," your choice of tea or coffee, or answers to hypothetical questions, would affect your relationship with in-game characters. The rest of the two-part interview discusses Suzuki's past creating novel arcade games like Hang-On, the acquisition of 3D technology from Lockheed to develop Virtua Fighter and Virtua Racing, and the long-lost touchscreen arcade game Psy-Phi. "I think it would be good to make it for Kinect," Suzuki mused. "Yeah, maybe I'll make that my next project, although, I should probably make the game a little simpler for the Kinect audience."
Shenmue Town is a 'side story,' made by Yu Suzuki's new company
Here's a thought experiment. Would it be worse if: Yu Suzuki's Shenmue story continued, but in the form of a mobile game that none of us will ever play, or a new (mobile, Japanese) Shenmue game was made by Suzuki, and didn't continue the story? Both of those are kind of hellish -- the first means that we'd only be able to catch up with our pal Ryo through online summaries by fans, while the second would mean that the Shenmue story was being drawn out even more without reaching any kind of resolution. Shenmue Town, the Japan-only mobile game announced last month, will be a "side story" to the Shenmue games, developed by Yu Suzuki's Ys Net and managed by Sunsoft. So Suzuki finally figured out a way to make more Shenmue ... and it's a "side story." There are still few details about the game: Andriasang reports that you'll start in Yokusuka, setting for the first Dreamcast game, as Ryo Hazuki. Art on the official site is all Dreamcast-era character art, with a note that "Shenmue returns" and an invitation to "Come back this winter."
Yu Suzuki assumes even smaller role at Sega
Yu Suzuki, creator of such renowned gaming franchises as OutRun, Virtua Fighter and Shenmue has been slowly making a move out of Sega's R&D division over the past year, taking on such a limited role that Sega of America's president believed he'd left the company. GameSpot now reports that Suzuki is (officially) stepping down from his post as creative director altogether.But there's a twist. The legendary designer will, in fact, stay on at Sega, limiting his scope to one R&D department, AM Plus. The team he'll be managing created the Japan-only Lindbergh based fighting game Psy-Phi and another arcade title, Sega Race TV. As they say, "You can take the man out of Sega, but not the Sega out of the man" -- but, in Suzuki's case, we doubt the former will fully happen until he's a little older and grayer.
VC Monday Madness: Space Harrier
Space Harrier (Sega Master System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)Wii Fanboy says: download it! Yu Suzuki's Space Harrier is quite the fun time. It may not be the perfect arcade port and runs a bit slow when you're playing, but, overall, it's a fun game. And, seriously, for $5, it's a great diversion. You aren't going to be investing 20 hours into the thing, but, for $5, it's a great way to waste a rainy afternoon. Each week, we here at Wii Fanboy like to check out the latest Virtual Console releases in our VC Monday Madness feature, in the hopes that you can make the most sound decision possible regarding purchasing retro titles from the Wii Shop Channel. If you're looking for more retro goodness, check out Virtually Overlooked, which talks about games that should be on the Virtual Console.
Yu Suzuki no longer a Sega employee [update: yeah he is!]
Update: Whoops! Sounds like Sega America CEO Simon Jeffrey was totally out of touch. "Yu Suzuki is at Sega and is Creative officer at Sega Corp," Jeffrey told GameDaily this afternoon, recanting his original remark to Gamasutra (see below).Original: If we had made games like Virtua Fighter, Out Run, Shenmue and Virtua Cop, we'd kind of hope that we could spend our later years with feet propped up in an expansive Sega office being fed peeled grapes by Amy Rose. But that's not the case for legendary Yu Suzuki who, according to a Gamasutra interview with CEO of Sega of America Simon Jeffery, is no longer employed by the company."Yeah. He's kind of his own man right now. Every now and again, he'll come up with an idea, and I don't think anything has come out of that yet, but we're still working with him," he said.In other news, Shenmue Online confirmed for 2009! Wait, did we say confirmed? We meant "absolutely never ever going to happen so put your fan fic into a rocket and shoot it into space." Sorry about that.[Via 1UP]
