Shenmue III's supposed to release this year, but we'll save you the disappointment of a delay right here and now: it's not. Ys Net has uploaded its first developer diary in months today, and it's basically two minutes of next to nothing, as the team laugh and joke their way around the company's distinctively pokey office.
There is a very brief look at some QTE testing, which features PlayStation button prompts for the first ever time. We also see a new scene of hero Ryo Hazuki opening some cupboard doors, but the developer's still not ready to show the protagonist's face. And yeah, there's your latest update – we suppose it's more fulfilling than a drawing of some mountains.
[source kickstarter.com]
Comments 14
Shenmue 3. KH3. FFVII. Not for a good while kids.
This is probably why Sony didnt fund this alone. They just chucked 8 years of cash at TLG.
Another game for PS5 eh?
Maybe they're too busy with the PS4 ports.
I'm still waiting for Rainbow Skies, that was due out in 2014, a follow up to Rainbow Moon, so I was never expecting S3 in 2017, or really 2018 either.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F2FNhuKEOiM
Never expected it to be anywhere near done this year. Hopefully in the meantime we actually get that remastered Shenmue collection.
Uh, what's with the overly negative tone of this article?
Would you rather have the dev team spending all their time producing videos for the Kickstarter, or actually making the game?
Maybe 2020. And yes, release the collection first.
@Spaghetti Making the game, of course. Just thought it was a disappointing update after waiting so long for it is all.
@get2sammyb I get there maybe be some build up of anticipation, but it was only three months. A lot of other crowdfunded games that have released updated even less frequently than that.
YSnet doesn't have a media wing or a documentary crew following them around like other devs/crowdfunded games. The updates are put together by YSnet staff who have full days worth of other duties to attend to as well.
The article's content just felt like sniping considering the dev team are working very hard. If the title cards in the video are to be believed, they're at the office working as late as 8PM in some of this footage.
@Spaghetti As someone who put £600 into the project, I would have preferred just a written report on the progress if they don't have much time. I felt like this video revealed very little about what's been going on in those three months — it's basically just a couple of minutes of people sharing a joke in a meeting room.
I think they could share more about their progress and take less time making it. Doesn't need to be a nicely edited video at all. Oh, and I — like many others — also work way beyond 8PM. So?
As a backer myself, im not that fussed about knowing the ins and outs of what's going on with the development. As long as its still being made and relatively on schedule I would rather the staff concentrating on working on the game than giving monthly updates.
Each to their own and all that I suppose. A barrage of info throughout the development for me would potentially spoil the surprise of what they have in store.
Its bad enough with the amount of preview's games get in the 6-9 months before release that it sometimes kill anticipation dead. I dont really want it to happen with this.
@get2sammyb I put a lot of money into the project too, but I don't think pledge ****swinging would be helpful in this discussion.
As for a written report, carving out a block of time to write, translate (with a third party who are not always available no less), and copy edit would probably actually take more time than keeping a camera handy to record ongoings in the office as they're happening, and then clipping it into a video. It would also be a case of telling and not showing. There is more revealed about this game in the fleeting glimpses in the video than any written status update previously, and I say that as someone who has voraciously consumed any and all media related to this game - written or otherwise.
If you look at the video you'll see:
. An arcade, a feature which they couldn't previously confirm.
. Excite QTE, and QTE Title, returning mini-games they couldn't previously confirm.
. A return of the hint feature.
. A quality of life improvement where the notepad is segmented by coloured tabs.
. An advanced version of the minimap from Shenmue II.
. A look at the viewing angle of FREE Quest gameplay.
. Concept art literally everywhere.
. Bailu Village from on high.
. In-progress work on a quest.
& probably even more.
I'm not sure why you're trying to throw my comment about 8PM back in my face, however. I'm sure you work hard staying that late, and naturally would have sympathy with the developers at YSnet for doing the same. Surely you can understand that they're giving it their all where it counts right now, which is development.
Language - get2sammyb
@Spaghetti I want to respond to this but I think we need to agree to disagree. I think this was a poor update and I was disappointed with it after waiting so long.
I'm a huge Shenmue fan and not looking to take cheap shots at a dev who's trying its best. But I feel they could have done a better job with this update and that's my opinion.
You disagree and that's fine.
You didn't notice the suitcase moving... also, why was one guy wearing Children's Ward Scrubs?
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