Support NeoGAF

[Backflip]

Oh, so that guy standing in the crowd that looked completely astounded was you?

Nope, I was in a blue shirt, I wasn't the only one in the shot.

 

[ArisenDragon]

oh shiiiiiiiit

awesome japan confirmed for shitcanned?

That would be good, maybe then we can get more updates.

 

[Maligna]

I can't believe...after all the years of him hoping, and eventually getting a license with Sega and a promotional campaign with Sony...that Yu couldn't get a first-rate kickstarter campaign together.

No matter what happens, the team will never be able to start fresh and introduce the project anew. They will never have the ability to state where the kickstarter money is going from minute one, what kind of financial support the outside parties are specifically contributing toward, and - most importantly - how much is needed for which goals.

Every other day could have been a new reveal of concept art, sections of music, a discussion about the engine, interviews with project leads, and finally teasing / showing / discussing new characters, etc.

Look at GAF. We are talking about this game every day, with so little coming from the Kickstarter campaign itself. The team should be leading the conversation with continual updates to further whet our appetite. Instead its been damage control from day three on.

Why should uncommitted fans & newcomers be excited about this project and contribute towards it when the campaign itself inspires so little confidence...?

I can only contribute so much myself.
I still can't believe how much of a blunder this has been.

At least the fans have really been excellent with organizing and getting the message out. They've all been working very hard.

 

[MilkBeard]

oh shiiiiiiiit

awesome japan confirmed for shitcanned?

At this point, that would be a bonus. As long as someone comes on board to handle the Kickstarter in a more professional manner.

 

[VistraNorrez]

The sales will largely be dependent on how much Sega intends to charge for the remasters. What price will the market accept? I don't think they can hit 250K if it's a $20-40 package. If they charge like $5-7 they will sell more but of course that drastically reduces revenue.

People always seem to think that remasters are like this simple and cheap process, but they can and do cost a good deal of money and there's plenty of stuff that can go wrong (Silent Hill HD, Tony Hawk HD). I thought the games were caught up in some legal limbo anyway, due to some of the game engine using licensed middleware.

Shenmue 3 will probably cost $40-45 dollars (digital) when it comes out at the end of 2017. It will probably sell 250k going by past trends for Kickstarter. I don't know what Shenmue 1&2 would sell for, but it would be less, they are 10+ year old games.

Tony Hawk HD was a remake, no way that would happen for Shenmue. If Sega follows other Dreamcast ports, it will be barebones. At barebones I expect $10-15 for each game or a $20-30 dollar compilation. I see no reason 100k fans wouldn't snap up those games at that price. and depending on when it's released it could ride all kinds of waves to greater sales.

 

[Shadders]

Mighty No 9 - 67,226 backers pledged $3,845,170
Bloodstained - 64,867 backers pledged $5,545,991
Shenmue 3, week 2 - 46,459 backers pledged $3,745,694 so far

how are you people disappointed? did you think Shenmue was bigger than mega man/castlevania?

Not so much that I thought it was bigger, just that considering there have been Mega Man and Castlevania games out in the last few years that the appetite for those games would be lower than Shenmue which we've waiting over a decade for.

 

[Maligna]

Not so much that I thought it was bigger, just that considering there have been Mega Man and Castlevania games out in the last few years that the appetite for those games would be lower than Shenmue which we've waiting over a decade for.

On the contrary. More people remember what those games are. They have more mind share.

 

[IrishNinja]

Not so much that I thought it was bigger, just that considering there have been Mega Man and Castlevania games out in the last few years that the appetite for those games would be lower than Shenmue which we've waiting over a decade for.

agreed - just, interested to see where it ends, nevermind my hope that they make a priority of getting paypal setup already for post-KS funding (of which there could be a ton if done right)

 

[s_mirage]

oh shiiiiiiiit

awesome japan confirmed for shitcanned?

Where are you reading that? There's the comment: "@mjqmjqmjq @morning_haze @yu_suzuki_jp 14 years have not destroyed faith in this project. I will not let any companies or people do it."

I don't think that necessarily means that Awesome are gone though, just that he'll do everything in his power to make people keep faith in the project.

 

[NoFaceNico]

I'm from the outside looking in, but does anyone else feel like the Shenmue supporters have mellowed out a bit? It's kinda nice. It's like they were militant for a while and now they're starting to accept that it's not going to get to $10 mil, so may as well just enjoy the ride.



... still kinda cult-y though.

 

[Spaghetti]

Do it. I have nothing to hide.

I'm confident because until the last day or so, I thought people in the thread were overreacting by saying the KS had been badly run.

i mean, i've already been through your post history and i could pick things out.

but honestly? i know you're a fan of shenmue, and i know that the running of the kickstarter doesn't inspire much confidence in some. the last thing this thread needs is another back and forth when it looks like things are finally turning a corner.

i overreacted about calling you a driveby poster, and i'm sorry. it's just that fatalism and pessimism are two of the biggest threats to this kickstarter campaign, and at some point just becoming an echo chamber of concern is going to put people off backing shenmue 3 just as much as awesome japan's weirdness.

loads and loads of people see gaf each day whether they're members or guests. they may not have a clue what shenmue is, and they might come into this thread. if they just see negativity they're not going to give the campaign a second look.

this thread should gear itself for positivity about the games and prospect of a third game, fond memories, and reasons why the world needs another shenmue. i know it isn't 'balanced' and might look like we're sticking our heads in the sand, but most of this thread is about worry at this point rather than excitement and optimism

 

[Elios83]

Not so much that I thought it was bigger, just that considering there have been Mega Man and Castlevania games out in the last few years that the appetite for those games would be lower than Shenmue which we've waiting over a decade for.

It's the opposite.
Since so many years have passed it means that a lot of people don't even know what this is about and if it's worthy of their money.
And Yu Suzuki is just making the promise he will make the game but this is not enough to attract people beyond the hardcore fans from the Dreamcast days.

 

[Shadders]

On the contrary. More people remember what those games are. They have more mind share.

I guess, but for both of those campaigns, it didn't really feel like it was genuinely a case of "It's now or Never, this is your last ever chance to get a game like this"

Whereas with Shenmue 3, if the KS fails, or if Yu put too low a value on it, then this game is literally never going to happen.

 

[hamchan]

I'm from the outside looking in, but does anyone else feel like the Shenmue supporters have mellowed out a bit? It's kinda nice. It's like they were militant for a while and now they're starting to accept that it's not going to get to $10 mil, so may as well just enjoy the ride.



... still kinda cult-y though.

Stage 5, Acceptance.

 

[Spaghetti]

Where are you reading that? There's the comment: "@mjqmjqmjq @morning_haze @yu_suzuki_jp 14 years have not destroyed faith in this project. I will not let any companies or people do it."

I don't think that necessarily means that Awesome are gone though, just that he'll do everything in his power to make people keep faith in the project.

mmm, maybe i'm reading into it a little, but he seems aware of shortcomings.

i have no doubts something is whirring behind the scenes a little here. who knows if anything will come of it though.

 

[benzy]

Hopefully they don't wait until Friday to release new reward tiers.

 

[MilkBeard]

mmm, maybe i'm reading into it a little, but he seems aware of shortcomings.

i have no doubts something is whirring behind the scenes a little here. who knows if anything will come of it though.

Yeah, I just assumed that complaints have reached his ear and it's possible that this situation has come into discussion at least.

Suzuki kept a cool face during the stream, but I think it would be hard for him to not notice how inept the other two were.

 

[Jomjom]

I really hope they can get 8-4 on this somehow. Even if it's just for the last two weeks.

Would it be unprecedented for a KS to be extended say for another month?

 

[VistraNorrez]

I guess, but for both of those campaigns, it didn't really feel like it was genuinely a case of "It's now or Never, this is your last ever chance to get a game like this"

Whereas with Shenmue 3, if the KS fails, or if Yu put too low a value on it, then this game is literally never going to happen.

The KS is a success, get this talk of failure out of here. We are getting a game. It's been funded.

 

[Spaghetti]

Yeah, I just assumed that complaints have reached his ear and it's possible that this situation has come into discussion at least.

Suzuki kept a cool face during the stream, but I think it would be hard for him to not notice how inept the other two were.

it may be just wishful thinking on my part to think he's actually going to do anything as drastic as replacing the KS team, but i'm pretty sure awesome japan are being told to get their shit together immediately.

 

[jcjimher]

loads and loads of people see gaf each day whether they're members or guests. they may not have a clue what shenmue is, and they might come into this thread. if they just see negativity they're not going to give the campaign a second look.

this thread should gear itself for positivity about the games and prospect of a third game, fond memories, and reasons why the world needs another shenmue. i know it isn't 'balanced' and might look like we're sticking our heads in the sand, but most of this thread is about worry at this point rather than excitement and optimism

I couldn't agree more with you.

And, in addition, my excitement and optimism is honest and sincere. Come on, we are getting Shenmue III, and not only Yu is on board but also some of the main programmers, musicians, designers, even the architect of interiors from the old games.

With that said, and going back to the topic of the 1+2 remakes (or even III if they want), one idea I had about the handling of the arcades would be to sell the old arcade games (Outrun, Hang-on and Space Harrier, not Excite QTE and the likes) as DLC. Or they could even sell them as separate games on Steam/PSN and allow you to play them in-game if you have them in your library.

In that line of thought, it could also be a cool touch if, in Shenmue 1, you could play the Saturn at Ryo's house with the Sega games you had in your digital library... (they could go to the extent of showing a physical CD on a shelf on Ryo's room). Would make a good cross-promotion thing I guess...

 

[indigo-cyclops]

It's too bad that Shenmue documentary isn't complete...

 

[Shadders]

loads and loads of people see gaf each day whether they're members or guests. they may not have a clue what shenmue is, and they might come into this thread. if they just see negativity they're not going to give the campaign a second look.

this thread should gear itself for positivity about the games and prospect of a third game, fond memories, and reasons why the world needs another shenmue. i know it isn't 'balanced' and might look like we're sticking our heads in the sand, but most of this thread is about worry at this point rather than excitement and optimism

This is a very good point. You shan't sniff another word of negativity out of me. [Unless something really stupid happens and I need to call it out]

 

[indigo-cyclops]

I really hope they can get 8-4 on this somehow. Even if it's just for the last two weeks.

Would it be unprecedented for a KS to be extended say for another month?

Can't be extended, time is locked after the campaign is created. What they can do is get Paypal up ASAP and then continue to manage and interact with folks after the campaign to ensure post-KS money keeps rolling in.

 

[MilkBeard]

Can't be extended, time is locked after the campaign is created. What they can do is get Paypal up ASAP and then continue to manage and interact with folks after the campaign to ensure post-KS money keeps rolling in.

Yup, Paypal is another thing that needs to happen. That and the PS4 physical. I hope they are seriously working on those two things.

 

[celsowmbr]

What would be the impact if Sega announced the remastering of Shenmue I and II?

1- Before the kickstarter's end?
2- After the kickstarter's end?

 

[GhostTrick]

garbage FUD & awesome japan no doubt didn't help, but we've still set records here...id say this is way more than many argued prior. more importantly? i know we need to see new blood but i really wanna see the final push before i speak on this overall, could be surprises in store.

*big ol' edit: - some quick #'s

Mighty No 9 - 67,226 backers pledged $3,845,170
Bloodstained - 64,867 backers pledged $5,545,991
Shenmue 3, week 2 - 46,459 backers pledged $3,745,694 so far

how are you people disappointed? did you think Shenmue was bigger than mega man/castlevania?

Shenmue 3 is supposed to be bigger than Not-Megaman and Not-Castlevania.

 

[BoxManLocke]

What would be the impact if Sega announced the remastering of Shenmue I and II?

1- Before the kickstarter's end?
2- After the kickstarter's end?

Don't see why it would have any impact before the remasters come out. And they would need to be priced decently too.

If the product Sega proposes is a good remaster at an interesting price, it could be very important for when Shenmue 3 hits the shelves.

 

[wild wild rice]

Is it me or has funding come to a standstill?

 

[indigo-cyclops]

Don't see why it would have any impact before the remasters come out. And they would need to be priced decently too.

If the product Sega proposes is a good remaster at an interesting price, it could be very important for when Shenmue 3 hits the shelves.

This is how I see it...it would mean more success at release for Shenmue 3 than anything, unfortunately.

 

[Spaghetti]

Is it me or has funding come to a standstill?

the funding won't be like it was on the first day where you could literally just sit and watch the figure jump up and up and up. funding is coming in spurts, it's not really recommended to just sit and watch the KS page and expect to see any major change over an hour or so.

I couldn't agree more with you.

And, in addition, my excitement and optimism is honest and sincere. Come on, we are getting Shenmue III, and not only Yu is on board but also some of the main programmers, musicians, designers, even the architect of interiors from the old games.

With that said, and going back to the topic of the 1+2 remakes (or even III if they want), one idea I had about the handling of the arcades would be to sell the old arcade games (Outrun, Hang-on and Space Harrier, not Excite QTE and the likes) as DLC. Or they could even sell them as separate games on Steam/PSN and allow you to play them in-game if you have them in your library.

In that line of thought, it could also be a cool touch if, in Shenmue 1, you could play the Saturn at Ryo's house with the Sega games you had in your digital library... (they could go to the extent of showing a physical CD on a shelf on Ryo's room). Would make a good cross-promotion thing I guess...

This is a very good point. You shan't sniff another word of negativity out of me. [Unless something really stupid happens and I need to call it out]

let's put on a united front the best we can.

 

[Theonik]

It's been a really disappointing campaign. That goes without saying.

I have to admit though, I thought there were a few more Shenmue fans out there waiting for this. Now though, I think there's probably only been 50k people clamouring for this all along. Surely, there can't be any fans out there just sat on their hands at this point.

Yeah, I don't see how any Shenmue fans couldn't have already pledged.

You'd be surprised. There is also a lot of people who cannot pledge strictly because of the payment method restrictions Kickstarter has. PayPal lets people pay straight from their bank which is much easier for some. For Bloodstained there was a cool $208k on there.

That would be good, maybe then we can get more updates.

That is entirely dependent on who replaces them or in fact if someone does.

 

[grumble]

Shenmue 3 is supposed to be bigger than Not-Megaman and Not-Castlevania.

Not anymore... There is an entire generation of gamers who have no idea what shenmue is. Which is sad.

 

[IrishNinja]

it's just that fatalism and pessimism are two of the biggest threats to this kickstarter campaign, and at some point just becoming an echo chamber of concern is going to put people off backing shenmue 3 just as much as awesome japan's weirdness.

loads and loads of people see gaf each day whether they're members or guests. they may not have a clue what shenmue is, and they might come into this thread. if they just see negativity they're not going to give the campaign a second look.

this thread should gear itself for positivity about the games and prospect of a third game, fond memories, and reasons why the world needs another shenmue. i know it isn't 'balanced' and might look like we're sticking our heads in the sand, but most of this thread is about worry at this point rather than excitement and optimism

i mean, i get why there's some pesimmism - again, FUD and awesome japan incompetence are a downer - but i co-sign the rest of this

It's too bad that Shenmue documentary isn't complete...

yeah, timing-wise it would've been great now - still, in the wake of this it'll do far better than prior, i imagine

Shenmue 3 is supposed to be bigger than Not-Megaman and Not-Castlevania.

fortunately, it is! already about to lap the former, and id bet solid money on the latter too

 

[Theonik]

Not anymore... There is an entire generation of gamers who have no idea what shenmue is. Which is sad.

Reading posts on NeoGAF about how Assassins Creed 2 is some poster's formative game. PUT THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE.

But for better or for worse, Shenmue has transcended its own game. It has become a meme of sorts. Even people who never played it or know nothing about it know about it.

 

[Spaghetti]

posted it before, but maybe we need to hear it again:

check out this great shenmue medley for a little inspiration

 

[shinobi602]

The fan mockups have begun lol.

 

[Erevador]

The fan mockups have begun lol.

Seeing the words "Shenmue" and "PS4" in the same image, still amazing.

 

[Theonik]

The fan mockups have begun lol.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CInv5Y2UEAAjWqw.jpg:large

Guess there's a lot of fans that never even seen a PS4 game.

 

[IrishNinja]

The fan mockups have begun lol.

..ill take it

Seeing the words "Shenmue" and "PS4" in the same image, still amazing.

also this

 

[MilkBeard]

The fan mockups have begun lol.

Dat is a beautiful cover.

 

[ElTorro]

garbage FUD & awesome japan no doubt didn't help, but we've still set records here...id say this is way more than many argued prior. more importantly? i know we need to see new blood but i really wanna see the final push before i speak on this overall, could be surprises in store.

*big ol' edit: - some quick #'s

Mighty No 9 - 67,226 backers pledged $3,845,170
Bloodstained - 64,867 backers pledged $5,545,991
Shenmue 3, week 2 - 46,459 backers pledged $3,745,694 so far

how are you people disappointed? did you think Shenmue was bigger than mega man/castlevania?

While the campaign is not unsuccessful, we must not forget that it started with a public announcement at the largest gaming event of the year, followed by immense media coverage, reaching more people in a few seconds than the other kickstarter campaigns could have hoped for.

It just hurts to see that massive potential flushed down the toilet somewhat by a shitty campaign management. The game will be fine, but they (Awesome Japan) have been handed pure gold and couldn't deliver.

 

[openrob]

Is it me or has funding come to a standstill?

Nah man all KS's have this slump.

Anyway - here is some cool music.
Should be on the Kickstarter front page
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rccW9Tig6_Y&index=5&list=FLlKqjBcJcgcrFxkCJ23qcPw

 

[Theonik]

While the campaign is not unsuccessful, we must not forget that it started with a public announcement at the largest gaming event of the year, followed by immense media coverage, reaching more people in a few seconds than the other kickstarter campaigns could have hoped for.

It just hurts to see that massive potential flushed down the toilet somewhat by a shitty campaign management. The game will be fine, but they (Awesome Japan) have been handed pure gold and couldn't deliver.

It was way out of their depth.

 

[Spaghetti]

The fan mockups have begun lol.

heh, PEGI 3.

actually here's an interesting discussion, what kind of PEGI/ESRB rating do we think we're looking at? shenmue has some violence but it's not overly bloody or bone-crunching (well, besides arm break fire...).

i wonder how that'll go in 3. shenmue II was significantly darker and more violent in places than the first game, but that feels like a reflection of the location more than anything. surely the calm mountains of guilin can't offer as many dangers as kowloon... right?

 

[wmlk]

It was way out of their depth.

It doesn't even look like they cared. Heck, they're using two different typefaces/logos for 'Shenmue 3'. That stuff is so basic.

 

[border]

While the campaign is not unsuccessful, we must not forget that it started with a public announcement at the largest gaming event of the year, followed by immense media coverage, reaching more people in a few seconds than the other kickstarter campaigns could have hoped for.

It just hurts to see that massive potential flushed down the toilet somewhat by a shitty campaign management. The game will be fine, but they (Awesome Japan) have been handed pure gold and couldn't deliver.

Maybe Yu Suzuki shouldn't have torpedoed the campaign by saying he needs 10 million to make a true successor. Maybe his stretch goals shouldn't have been meaningless nonsense buzzwords like "Character Perspective System". Why should anyone care if the game gets to 5 million when they don't even know what that will accomplish?

Or maybe there's something that's just less appealing about this game than there was about other Kickstarter titles. It's the third in a series of games that nobody really played, and it exists in almost its own genre that is difficult to define or show off in a video. Most of what made the original game unique has become pretty commonplace. I kinda doubt that a more flashy, better planned campaign could have really done that much better.

 

[JonathanNemo]

Not anymore... There is an entire generation of gamers who have no idea what shenmue is. Which is sad.

One thing the Nots had going for them is how easy it is to find and play the old Megamans and Igavanias on digital distribution services. Capcom has been generally pretty good at making money off their old IP, Konami ehhhhh but at least they got the Igavanias out there on PSN and Wii U.

Sega has... not been as good, outside of their USA Genesis library. One reason the only old Sega IP that has any sort of wide brand recognition today is Mr. Sonic T. Hedgehog.

 

[Sectorseven]

heh, PEGI 3.

actually here's an interesting discussion, what kind of PEGI/ESRB rating do we think we're looking at? shenmue has some violence but it's not overly bloody or bone-crunching (well, besides arm break fire...).

i wonder how that'll go in 3. shenmue II was significantly darker and more violent in places than the first game, but that feels like a reflection of the location more than anything. surely the calm mountains of guilin can't offer as many dangers as kowloon... right?

Probably Teen unless alcohol and tobacco bump it up to Mature. I don't know how strict they are about those things these days.

 

[shanafan]

So when this game releases, are we all still buying a copy besides the one we are entitled to, just to ensure the series makes a profit and we can possibly see Shenmue 4? I plan to buy at least a few copies.

Just one. PS4 digital because that's the only option for me.