Shenmue online...More Than Just a Trademark????

Excellent point!!

 

I think everyone's over-reacting a bit on the negative side... just because the franchise is going online doesn't nessicarily mean that it's going MMORPG, items and levels and stats galore. An example of this is Resident Evil Outbreak. It is indeed online, but the game does follow a linear, story-driven path that can be experienced by more players. Besides, what fun would an online Shenmue be if you couldn't be a character close to the story? How many people do you hear say, "Yeah, if I could choose my character in Shenmue, I'd want to be Tom, the hot dog guy.."?

I think we should all calm down and wait for a bit more of concrete news before deciding the game is going to suck ass based on our expectations. I for one am rather intrigued as to how this is going to work. It looks as though Nintendomad is a bit excited too... :smt043

 

FYI.... Sega of Japan finally put it on their News Release page, so it looks much less dodgy now (unfortunately). ]

Here's a VERY breif overview as posted at Japanese Gaming

 

If it is a MMORPG, then the fans will feel a little bit betrayed. Just like people objected to Starfox Adventures, Sonic Adventure, SMB2, etc.

Any time there's a major change in gameplay, a lot of the people who loved the old games get upset. That doesn't mean that this game will be crap, it'll just tread on a few toes.

 

I really only hope for two things:

1. It is a success and rakes in money to secure the future of the Shenmue franchise.

2. It is brought over to PS2 or GC (XB has proven to be a poor platform for the series) so its console-gaming fanbase can experience it and contribute towards its success.

 

erm excuse me HOW THE HELL has the xbox been proven as a poor platform for the series?

Plz do explain as to why...

 

Non-existant Japanese Market

If they release it for the Xbox then they will miss out on all the potential sales it could garner in Japan on other consoles. They should make a PS1 port beacuse I'm sure it would still sell better than an Xbox port :smt043

 

Re: Non-existant Japanese Market

Well if they dint do a wank port of a two year old game then maybe it would of done better.

Sega made no effort what so ever to make the game playable on the xbox and they only released it to cash in america and europe because they were so wank with the dreamcast release....


No one can say the xbox is been proven to be a bad platform for the game. Its the ONLY platform that could give the game a much bigger potential.

Plus shenmue online would only work with the xbox anyways. Xbox live would be needed and also the harddrive.

 

Chill. You obviously think I'm referring ot the XBOX's prowess, which of course I am not.

What I *am* referring to is SALES and XB userbase buying habits.
Shenmue II bombed on XB. The XB is a very American and Western machine and so are the games that its *typical* userbase purchases and NOT the console gamers will buy for the more non-mainstream titles. That's not a coincidence.

What ARE you talking about ? Prowess means nothing. Sales on the XBOX BOMBED - and MS' piss-poor job with publishing the game has FAR more to do with its failure than SEGA ever did. A wank job? AM2 put a lot of effort into making this a worthwile port and DID - furthermore research your facts, the game was a little over year old when it was released on XBOX. The only 'wanjk job' in Shenmue II on XBOXis the lack of a Japanese audio track and subs - which is something MS refused to allow.



Even though the XB is the most ideally suited and successful online-gaming-wise out of the three, it's been made painfully obvious for SEGA and other devcos that the fanbase for the more non-mainstream stuff resides in the PS2 and GC userbase.

 

That will be down to Sega making the wankest port ever of a 2 year old game that anyone who wanted to really play it already had it. It has nothing to do with the xbox userbase not buying into a game like that. If sega had released a new shenmue game or at least made 2 worth buying then it most likely wouldnt of bombed.

 

Explain that. A new Shenmue gane? Shenmue WAS the newest Shenmue game in North America. Shenmue II was and is an excellent title on both DC and - minus the voice acting - XBOX.

As I said - Sales on the XBOX BOMBED - and MS' piss-poor job with publishing the game has FAR more to do with its failure than SEGA ever did. A wank job? AM2 put a lot of effort into making this a worthwile port and DID - furthermore research your facts, the game was a little over year old when it was released on XBOX. The only 'wanjk job' in Shenmue II on XBOXis the lack of a Japanese audio track and subs - which is something MS refused to allow.

Don't try to absolve MS' piss poor job with markweting the game as it did far more damage then SEGA ever did. Or - as it appears - are you not even aware that MS held publishing and marketing rights and control?

Games are re-released on other platforms ages after all the time - they sell well on the new console IF the fanbase and userbase is there. Shenmue II was no exception and failed on the XBOX because the interest of the userbase was NOT there. You do NOT see games of Shenmue, Sudeki, PD Orta etc's ilk on the XB charts - what you DO see are FPS', those (dehumanizing propagandist) war games, sports titles and THEIR ilk.


You're obviously a loyal XBOX gamer and see thsi as an attack on yoru machine, which it isn't. It's fact - SEGA games have sold FRA better on PS2 and GC than ever on XBOX - and furthermore developing for XBOX would eb a waste of time as SEGA would only lose out on the Japanese market and gain a apittance of a profit, if any, on Shenmue Online in NA/Europe on XB.

 

On a completly seperate note I must say, In Shenmue 2 (DC) I miss the bad voice acting from Shenmue 1.

I think it made the game have more appeal.....like watching a badly dubbed Kung Fu film :smt023

 

Whats this Shenmue movie I see on Suprnova?

 

Shenmue : The Movie was an officially released cinema/VHS/DVD/VCD release from Yu Suzuki that was simply the main cinemas from the game lumped together, much like the official Biohazard : Code Veronica The Movie.

It was also packaged with Shenmue II XB.

 

"Do you know where I can find some sailors?" :smt043 :smt043

Every time I asked somebody that in game, I had to laugh. Ryu sounded like he was trying to get picked up or something.

 

I missed out on this. I played the Japanese version the day it came out, and never looked back.

On a note about the fight... the claim that niche stuff not selling on the Xbox is true. I don't see how anyone can say otherwise. I have no clue what they're thinking releasing Metal Slug 3. Anyone into the series can no doublt play it in Kawa-X already.

EDIT:
This is what g-rev has to say about the game. I posted this at Digital Press, and of course, Japanese Gaming... nothing new if you saw either of those.

 

Famitsu's coverage of the press conference in China.
http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/2004/08/04/103,1091551028,29280,0,0.html

Sorry, too tired to wade through it. Nothing really new, but there are pictueres of Yuji Naka picking up some Chinese hoes.

Also, they (actually G-rev who offered the link) mention selling the games in Japan... no US though. I guess we'll have to see.

 

You should check this link out:

http://www.fileplanet.com/dl.aspx?/planetxbox/shenmuedojo/Shenmueonline/shemue-online.wmv