Actual Shenmue Online game images...

Ngangbius · Post by **Ngangbius** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 6:29 am

http://www.gamekult.com/tout/actus/arti ... 0447142642

...

...Sweet Zombie Jesus, SEGA!!

Ash Holt · Post by **Ash Holt** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 8:24 am

...What the fuck is going on? There's some kids, and some people standing around.

And the old guy in the second picture looks like he's rapping.

Baba O'Reily · Post by **Baba O'Reily** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 9:00 am

I would make a joke about sailors, but I can't think of one.
So... Am I supposed to be excited?

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 9:55 am

"For all of those who wish they were born Asian - an entire game dedicated to letting them live out their fantasy!"

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 10:16 am

I've never been there, but I'm pretty sure people in China don't actually look like that...

j-man · Post by **j-man** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 5:39 pm

w33rd. Am I supposed to be impressed? It looks like PSO with Chinese people and harbours.

Light Speed · Post by **Light Speed** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 5:48 pm

I think this is gonna suck.

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 7:53 pm

Oh yeah. It's the MMORPG based around stereotypical kung-fu movie China.

That's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard.

What's next?

"Sidney Online"? Become an Austrailian and use boomerangs to kill kangaroos?

"South Africa Online"? Experience the vicerial thrill of creating a black character and using it to fight against apartheid while riding on lions?

"Mexico Online"? Put on a damn sombrero and pray for a better economy?

Oh well, I wonder how the flight physics will play out? Because as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon proved - all Asians have the secret ability to fly at will.

's true.

Post by **Crazy Penguin** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 8:13 pm

LITTLE GIRL STOMP ON PUNY VILLAGE, RARAGRAHRGHGHGG!!!

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 8:18 pm

That doesn't look like a girl to me. It looks like a creepy, giant-cheeked rendition of a little boy.

But now that you've pointed it out, check out his left foot. It's floating above the ground, not touching it.

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 8:23 pm

Oh yeah. It's the MMORPG based around stereotypical kung-fu movie China. That's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard.

Actually, I think that's a pretty good idea. Can't say whether or not Shenmue Online will achieve it, but it's still a good idea.

I think we're still kind of at a point where "stereotypical" doesn't apply to MMO games. Even though the scenarios are trite, actually playing a part in them is still new and often exciting. Of course it won't be forever, but hell, I'll gladly play make-believe chop socky movie with a bazillion other people.

Baba O'Reily · Post by **Baba O'Reily** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 8:24 pm

Zeta wrote: "Sidney Online"? Become an Austrailian and use boomerangs to kill kangaroos?

"South Africa Online"? Experience the vicerial thrill of creating a black character and using it to fight against apartheid while riding on lions?

"Mexico Online"? Put on a damn sombrero and pray for a better economy?

You may be on to something.
"Bronx Online": Experience the thrill of living in the city and getting yo' cracka ass stuffed in a trashcan.

Post by **Crazy Penguin** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 8:26 pm

Zeta wrote:That doesn't look like a girl to me. It looks like a creepy, giant-cheeked rendition of a little boy.

But now that you've pointed it out, check out his left foot. It's floating above the ground, not touching it.

At first I thought it had some kind of bow or ribbon in its hair, but upon closer inspection it appears to be blood, quite possibly from a conflict with Godzilla.

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 8:45 pm

Hey, it might be worth checking out if you can create a little girl character, level the fuck out of her, and use a 5-year old girl in a pink dress to royally kick the ass of everyone and everything around you.

Post by **Delphine** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 8:45 pm

Or red hair dye.

Post by **Squirrelknight** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 8:50 pm

Ren used to be cool. Used to be.

gr4yJ4Y · Post by **gr4yJ4Y** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 9:20 pm

Seriously all MMORPGs seem the same to me. Just because this one is Shenmue flavored doesn't mean it will be good. As far as I can tell it might even use the Matrix Online engine... which will suck.

I wonder how much money Sega is wasting on this one. Why couldn't they had just made Shenmue III?

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 9:27 pm

Because MMORPGs are the flavor of the week. Every license is being crammed into an MMORPG format.

Why?

Because you can charge monthly for it!

You just don't sell a crappy game once!

You can re-sell it to the same person, again and again, who stupidly must keep on paying you for a game they already bought from you.

It's the most brilliant scam in the entertainment industry, and the chief reason I don't play MMORPGs. If I buy a game, that should be it, dammit. I shouldn't have to re-buy it every month just to play with a bunch of idiots who can't spell.

And yet amongst this sudden over-saturation of MMORPGs, Nintendo still stupidly refuses to create a Pokemon online RPG. Despite the fact that the entire game is focused around interacting with other players and PVSP competition. Zidiots.

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 9:52 pm

So where do you suggest they get the money to maintain servers from? Grants?

Brazillian Cara · Post by **Brazillian Cara** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 9:59 pm

I'm trying to think on a joke about brazillians stereotypes. But I guess the Samba/Carmen Miranda mix has worn off (thankfully).

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 9:59 pm

I actually know about how much it costs to maintain a large set of well-designed (key word) servers. Not $270,000 a month, I can tell you that! There's a DEFINATE overcharge there.

(Assuming that at least 30,000 players are subscribing and an average subscription charge of $9).

Of course, if they just throw the game and the servers together to cash in and it's full of bugs and unnecessary downtime, - of course that's going to cost a lot more.

And that doesn't include development for little updates like new areas. But hell, if you design the game right the first time (something that's becoming rarer and rarer in this day and age) it shouldn't need a ton of updates and patches and new geegaws to pique the attention of the masses.

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 10:56 pm

It's not just the servers themselves, such massive, open-ended projects need alot of monitoring. You need to hire alot of different people, technical people to handle the networking, more technical people to handle the actual game program, then you need people to monitor what's going on, keep track of cheating, etc, etc. And then periodic upgrades with new content, special events, etc, are also part of the webwork, so it's not like they just develop a game then have you pay for it again every month. There's constant work going on on the back end, too. And since we live in a capitalistic society, of course they're going to make sure they profit from it, because that's why they made the game in the first place.

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 9:55 am

It boils down to this: I can play FF11 and pay a monthly fee every month to live in an open-ended world with few stories or concrete goals and have to deal with tons of idiots.

Or I can buy FF12 ONCE and get relatively the same experience except WITH a story and actual goals and without having to deal with someone running around screaming "J00)Y! I n33d sum G11 F h4wt s3x0rs!"

The choice should be obvious to anyone.

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 10:46 am

Have you ever even played an online game? It's not the same experience at all. Human interaction makes all the difference in the world, and actually makes things that would be outright tedious alone alot of fun (which is basically what I was saying above). The notion that every single player in every single online game is a 12-year old geek who can't type is as ignorant an assumption as if you'd said the same thing about the internet in general. I've played with some fun, interesting people on both PSO and FFXI.

We live in a service society, and online games are a service, much the same way that satellite TV or a subscription to your favorite magazine is. It's absurd to think you shouldn't have to pay for it.

Post by **Popcorn** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 11:40 am

I'm actually very optimistic about PSU-- I think it has the capabity to be fantastic. I think the online RPG genre has room for a lot of great stuff, but the only really great thing anyone's done in it yet is PSO... I'm really interested in seeing if Sonic Team will be able to regain any of the glory that this site seems to be have become a kind of time capsule of.