Yesterday I mentioned that I would kill for a new Battletoads game, which I would, but it leaves me in a bit of a pickle as I'm not sure how to explain how badly I want a third Shenmue game. Saying I would cause a nuclear holocaust seems like a bit of an understatement as well, and I'm not sure how I can go beyond that. The point being is that I want it bad. The trilogy has to finish, and I don't care how poorly it sells. It seems SEGA doesn't either, as they're as desperate to finish their opus as I am to play it.
According to a site in a different language, in a recent issue of the 360 dedicated Famitsu the game was discussed and the sum of it was this: "None of the previous games sold really well for the investment made, and SEGA is in doubt as to if it will resurrect the series. However, SEGA assured the fans that if there is some opportunity to revisit the series, they would love to do it.
"SEGA also mentioned the chance of one of the three hardware makers financing the game's (Shenmue III) production in exchange for an exclusivity deal."
I know I'm just getting my forklift driving fanboy hopes up since I'm pretty sure there is almost no money in making the game and thus it won't get done, but I can't help it. SEGA and Nintendo have been awfully chummy these past years and Nintendo definitely has the money to fund a very risky project. While I'd love to see Shenmue in high def, the game could rock on the Wii with the right controls and the random mini-games would be right at home.
SEGA fala sobre Shenmue III Notícias [Eurogamer.pt, via NeoGAF, via GoNintendo]
Contest:
10:00 AM on 01.31.2010
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If it got Nintendo exclusivity, I'd buy a Wii.
If it got Sony exclusivity, I'd buy 5 copies.
Just sayin'.
You know Nintendo has more up thier sleeve anyway. If The Last Story and Xenoblade are any indication, Nintendo's been spending a bit of that money they like to print so much.
*fingers crossed*
and it would be perfect for any console
Just put it on 360 or PS3 and we'll be fine. I'd really like to see Shenmue in a decent resolution, with a good control scheme and maybe some kind of online functionality. None of those things the Wii can provide.
Oh. And Shenmue Collection would be a great idea as well.
I need this game to be made dammit! Honestly though, i'll be disappointed if its a lo-res Wii affair, I want Shenmue in HD. Either on the PS3 or 360 will do me nicely.
For anyone that played Shenmue 2 more recently than me; what chapter did the game end on? I remember them saying the story was split into 16 chapters but the entire first game (do you know where sailors hang out?) was only the first chapter.
I would rather see it on 360 or PS3.
And in that case, MS actually did pick up the tab.
Wii's the best fit for Sega's needs. I have no idea how well Yukuza has done with the Sony crowd, but I have e feeling unless Ryo Hazuki can run around hitting everyone that they'll enjoy it.
Woah.
If I had the money i would definately finance it, please make it happen on the Dreamcast, which as a big enough fanbase for this to sell just right!
Sega made the game, released on the dreamcast in Japan, then released it over in Europe. Microsoft then asked to port it to the xbox.
MS ported it, did the mild update to graphics, bloom lighting and the hired the actors to do the voice work for it - unfortunately the same ones Sega had before.
I played both the Xbox release and imported the PAL version for Dreamcast. I know the differences.
MS's port of Shenmue II bombed, even with for the small effort MS put into marketing it. I doubt either party would be interested in this one bombing on Xbox again.
I've been playing the Yakuza series for the first time recently on PS2, and that is a clear example of how Shenmue could work - with a few tweaks, of course. With that in mind, I could see a Shenmue 3 for PS3. Of course, 3 wouldn't necessarily be the last one..it depends how many chapters they'd intend to cover in this hypothetical sequel.
Speaking of chapters....why don't they follow the Siren: Blood Curse model, and release the next few chapters as downloadable installments? That way they could judge how much of an appetite there was for the whole story to be told, and then they could spend a little longer on the last chapters of the game, and release the whole thing on Blu-Ray? I can't help thinking that we're a few steps closer to Shenmue 3 today...
See, this is EXACTLY why multiplatform games should be around. All they want to do is make a game for the sake of the fans and to finish off the story. I don't care what it ends up on... If it gets made, then it was all worth it.
Re-release the first 2 as a SEGA Classics combo pack for $20 bucks, make it available for all 3 console platforms (maybe a PC/Mac release as well), see how well they sell on the console and which console sells the most, then go from there.
Sega must know how Shenmue's popularity has blown up since the second game. It's now a cult classic. Sega would be stupid not to release it.
They could also pull a FFXIII, and port it to the 360 for the Western audience.
Come on, Sega. You can do it.
Sega are dropping the ball. Their roots are in arcade games, but they have been ever so slow to drip feed us their 16 bit hits. Come on, Sega, where's Motoraid, Scud Race, Daytona, Star Wars Arcade, etc. If these were tweaked to HD and available via Live/PSN, they'd be laughing and not worrying about cash to make Shen Mue. Get as much DC/Arcade stuff online as possible.
Putting Shen Mue on Wii is pointless. There's no money to be made there, and if there is, its a hell of a lot more risky to try. Poor sales of good games litter the thing, a harsh truth. It would be a technically piss easy port to try, though.
The ace in the hat, is the Xbox version of Shen Mue 2. If they sorted the first game out, both could be on Live quickly. Other formats require working from scratch.
Get on the ball Nintendo.
Taking that into consideration, Wii would probably be the ideal console since production costs would be dramatically lower, thus not requiring nearly as many copies sold to turn a profit. And, as others have said, this sort of Sega title would fit in well with the other quirky Wii titles, and would greatly benefit from motion controls (IMO).
Plus it's Mcrosoft. They're all about the "I got one and yoou don't. Nanny, nanny, boo, boo."