Shenmue 3
Latest
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.
Epic will cover refunds for unhappy 'Shenmue 3' backers
You might be less inclined to panic the next time a game you've crowdfunded becomes an Epic Games Store exclusive -- particularly if you're a Shenmue fan. Ys Net has informed Shenmue 3 backers that it will (with Epic's financial support) accept refund requests from those unhappy that the PC version won't be available through Steam until a year after its initial release. How much you'll get back will depend on whether or not your rewards have already been implemented, but you won't have choose a PS4 copy just to signal your displeasure.
'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]
Sega confirms 'Shenmue 3' trademark is fake
Are you a fan of the Shenmue series that would love to play a new installment in the series? Well, run to your room, dig out your Dreamcast (or Xbox) and replay the existing installments at an obnoxious volume, because Sega has stopped by to deliver the news that no one wants to hear. A recent trademark listing for a "Shenmue 3" was fake and not at all affiliated with Sega, the publisher told Eurogamer. The representative stated that Sega is "looking into the origins of this application," but in the mean time, the listing filed with the Office of Harmonization for the Internal Market has already disappeared. As if people on the Internet enjoy the dismay of others, rumors of HD ports of the first two Shenmue games for XBLA and PSN popped up last year as well. We're starting to wonder if Shenmue fans can even react to news like this anymore, or if the years of disappointment have left them completely stoic.
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.
Rumor: Shenmue 1 and 2 HD finished, hitting XBLA/PSN
All right, before we go any further than that headline up there, we want everyone playing along at home to go to the kitchen and bring back one of those big cardboard cylinders of Morton's salt with the little metal flap on top.Got it? Okay great, because you're going to need more than a grain for this one: HD versions of Shenmue 1 and 2 have been completed for more than a year and are pending release on XBLA and PSN, according to an anonymous source reporting to Gamerzines. The source goes on to say that Sega has been sitting on the remakes while it decides the fate of a potential Shenmue 3, though the source did not specify what that fate is.Look, we're not saying that it isn't true, or that we don't want HD remakes of two of our favorite games ever, because of course we do. We just want you to be careful and not get your precious little hopes up, only to have them dashed to pieces -- your broken, mangled hearts never able to trust or love again.
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.
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 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."
