The GHZ Forum

Here.

So Shenmue Online is a go, then.

I keep falling further behind in the Shenmue series; still, I've yet to play the second one. I cannot view the interview from behind my current computer's firewall, but does the story take place in the series? Is it canon or is that not yet known?

You keep falling behind? There have been two games and the second one came out four years ago. How can you keep falling behind?

Maybe he just really sucks at it, and is really poor.

YS wrote:No, the story will be finished through games. The MMO will be a game that will have a long lifespan through upgrades and updates. This will allow gradual continuation to the story. It follows up directly to the story of Shenmue 2 at first, but maybe we'll move on even further as time passes.

Wait, so Shenmue Online WILL be a direct follow up to Shenmue 2 and become canon? ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

That's fucking lame. I swore off all MMORPG's after WoW consumed my soul. Now I have to play this freaking MMO to get the rest of the story? I thought I remember reading something about it being primarly aimed at Korea and other Asian countries awhile back too. Is an english version planned?

LVL 50 DETECTIVE LFS

I don't even want to play Shenmue Online for the story. MMORPGs are hardly the best at conveying an involving and interesting plot. GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Shemue had an involving and interesting plot?

Speaking of Shenmue, I've been thinking about getting my hands on the PAL Shenmue 2 for the Dreamcast, but will the PAL Shenmue II read data from NTSC Shenmue 1 if I want to load Shenmue 1 data?

Yes, assuming you hack it.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/dreamca ... 58064.html

Click on the UK to US save conversion FAQ near the bottom. It might be a bit tricky in this day and age though since you need a dial-up ISP with an email address to mail the save as an attachment to your PC. To be honest, I don't really think it is worth the trouble. I just did it cause I wanted the money, and this was back when the Dreamcast wasn't dead yet so it wasn't that bad. So I did all that for the money, and you get robbed 2 minutes into the game.

Poison Eggroll wrote:Shemue had an involving and interesting plot?

Speaking of Shenmue, I've been thinking about getting my hands on the PAL Shenmue 2 for the Dreamcast, but will the PAL Shenmue II read data from NTSC Shenmue 1 if I want to load Shenmue 1 data?

You just answered your own question (if I'm interpreting correctly that you have not yet played Shenmue 2). Shenmue was all setup.

Light Speed wrote:Yes, assuming you hack it.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/dreamca ... 58064.html

It might be a bit tricky in this day and age though since you need a dial-up ISP with an email address to mail the save as an attachment to your PC.

You can also use one of those VMUs that hooks up to PCs.

The overall style of Shenmue is a great fit with a MMO. How cool was it to work through all those massive apartment buildings in Shenmue II? How cool would it be if each one was occupied by an actual person? :D

But I REALLY don't see how an MMO could continue the Shenmue story directly. I realize that Suzuki is just doing whatever it takes to finish his story, but how can we see the end of Shenmue without playing as the main character?

Sure, an MMO set in the Shenmue universe could work... somehow. I guess. Maybe. Actually, it still doesn't make sense to me.

Where did all these martial arts/Dragon Ball Z empowered people come from? What do they have to do with Ryo, Lan Di, and the mirrors?

Trying to make it part of the story is especially bogus. Shenmue is Ryo's quest, not thousands of random people's.

Double-S- wrote: Where did all these martial arts/Dragon Ball Z empowered people come from? What do they have to do with Ryo, Lan Di, and the mirrors?

Given the weird, strangely non-realistc (though amazingly awesome) ending of Shenmue 2, seeing someone go all DBZ in the Shenmue universe doesn't seem so weird.

As much as I love the series, I've pretty much given up on it. A Shenmue MMORPG isn't a replacement for a real Shenmue 3. I really don't know what Sega is thinking; if Shenmue didn't sell well when it was on the consoles, what makes them think they can profit by releasing a spin-off in an already bloated, over-crowded genre?

While we're on the subject of Shenmue, has anyone played Ryu Ga Gotoku yet? I've heard it plays like the spiritual successor to Shenmue, except with yakuza and stuff. And unlike Shenmue, the mainstream press actually likes this one.

Squirrelknight wrote:While we're on the subject of Shenmue, has anyone played Ryu Ga Gotoku yet? I've heard it plays like the spiritual successor to Shenmue, except with yakuza and stuff. And unlike Shenmue, the mainstream press actually likes this one.

*Drops a hint*

I heard it is coming to the West as the title Yakuza. Comfirm or Deny?

I've heard the same. "Yakuza" sounds painfully generic compared to "Ryu Ga Gotoku," which may be the best title for a game starring a Japanese mobster tough guy ever, but it'd be a small concession to make if the game actually makes it out here.

I cannot give a direct answer, but depending on your preference, that is correct.

Gameplay footage of Ryu Ga Gotoku gives me the impression that the combat system may be extremely sluggish.

One Classy Bloke wrote:I cannot give a direct answer, but depending on your preference, that is correct.

That's a pretty awesome nonanswer.

Double-S- wrote:Gameplay footage of Ryu Ga Gotoku gives me the impression that the combat system may be extremely sluggish.

A bunch of impressions that I've read said the fights play like Spikeout. I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

But whatever, I'll still end up getting it if they do decide to bring it over here. And Yakuza isn't that bad of a title. A worse title would be "PENIS: THE GAME".

"Yakuza" is okay I guess. At least it's not as bad as "The Rub Rabbits".

Ryu Ga Gotaku translates to "Like A Dragon" right? Is that really such a bad US label?

Was "Where Do Babies Come From?" that bad, either?

Probably, yeah.