Shenmue 3 Enhanced - Interview With ININ Games (Shenmue Dojo Interviews)

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


During our recent trip to Gamescom in Köln, Germany, we had the fortunate opportunity to sit down with Felix and Heiko from ININ Games and ask them a variety of questions about the recently unveiled Shenmue 3 Enhanced.

This is the full interview, except for the final 5 minutes, which were unfortunately cut off from our recording. However, Matt and James recap the missing answers that were revealed during the conversation.

Enjoy!

- The discussion then focuses on the announcement of the "Shenmue 3 Enhanced Edition," which is set to be unveiled at Gamescom.
- Felix explains the background of the project, detailing the collaboration with Yu Suzuki and Wisnet, which has been ongoing for some time.
- He emphasizes the trust established through previous collaborations, which has led to the current project.

Community Response and Future Plans

- Felix shares that the community's reaction to the announcement has been overwhelmingly positive, with high engagement on social media.
- Despite having limited visuals to show, the excitement from the community has motivated the team to continue improving the project.
- The interviewers inquire about the impressions from those who have seen the games showcased, and Felix reports a lot of enthusiasm and interest.
- There is a discussion about community questions, indicating a strong interest in the details of the project.

Platform Availability and Pricing

- The conversation touches on platform availability, confirming that the game will be released on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
- Felix mentions they are considering releasing on other platforms, including the potential for a Nintendo Switch version.
- Pricing discussions indicate a possible upgrade fee of 10 to 15 euros for the enhanced edition, though this is not finalized.
- The technical challenges of ensuring a seamless upgrade path for existing players are acknowledged as part of the development process.

Release Timeline and Content Details

- The team is aiming for a release window around winter 2025, although this is subject to change based on development progress.
- Felix confirms that the enhanced edition will include all previously released DLC, creating a complete version of the game.
- The discussion about physical editions reveals plans for a collector's edition, which may include an art book and soundtrack.
- Community concerns regarding the inclusion of Kickstarter exclusive content are addressed, indicating that it may not be feasible to incorporate those elements.

Gameplay Improvements and Community Feedback

- The interviewers ask about improvements in gameplay, particularly regarding frame rate issues and the presence of "no running zones" in the original game.
- Felix assures that optimization efforts are underway to enhance performance and potentially remove restrictions that slowed down gameplay.
- The addition of more NPCs to create a livelier environment is discussed, with plans to utilize existing models while making adjustments for diversity.
- The user interface and combat tutorials are also set to be revamped, with community feedback being taken into account to improve user experience.


The build crashed at the show so they couldn't present it.

Will retail between €40-50, upgrade for €10.

New trophies.

Yu Suzuki is not satisfied with the current graphics of the remaster.

They (ININ Games) also managed to convince Ys Net to add a feature to skip diakogues and cinematics
They meet weekly with YS Net.
 
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Release window winter 2023???

robin-williams.gif
 
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The story of shenmue 3 sucked ass and it dosen't matter if it gets enhanced because it's not going to help the story any.
 
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They should have edited a few scenes to further the story, even if just clues/dialogue

ChatGPT could have helped :messenger_sunglasses:
 
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This sounds like the reveal where nothing was shown and it was all disappointing once it was.

This is their chance to add significant story beats the way FFXV was able to, and tempt new buyers. As it stands, why bother? They already squandered such a glorious opportunity before.

Get Suzuki to give the plan to RGG team, Kwami 1 and 2 as well. That's all I really want anymore. They are more than capable.
 
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Game is trash. It devalues the series because 1 and 2 are still legit good in my book.

I hated everything about it. They repeat the same story and few enemies twice in 2 stories without moving the overall plot forward at all and Ryo feels weak as shit. Absolutely fucking terrible combat gameplay.

Honestly this KS was a scam.
 
As someone that loved the first two (even had the European II on DC), did III really not answer any questions from the other games?
 
Honestly, Shenmue was passion project from Yu Suzuki straight from the start. It started out as what could have been a Virtua Fighter RPG for the Sega Saturn and ballooned out to this crazy over ambitious project. The original Idea was that Akira would be the central character instead of Ryo, and the game would start in 1986-1987 when Akira was a teenager. Each game would cover a year of Akira's life from 1986 or 1987 to 1992, when the first Virtua Fighter game takes place.


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It is an incredible concept overall. Yu Suzuki really let his stardom as a top Sega Producer go to his head. It's like there was really no one at the company to tell him to scale things down into something more practical. Yu Suzuki was really hell bent on making his magma opus a reality at the cost of Sega's pocket books. Yakuza took this concept and simplified it in so many ways.

His Shenmue 3 project was interesting, and nowhere near the scale that he set out to accomplish at Sega AM2. Project Berkley really was an 'impossible' project, and in many ways, still is... not even the 1.5 billion dollar budget GTAVI is this ambitious.. and it is still ambitious. I am surprised that Yu Suzuki made it this far.

Sometimes I wonder what could have happened if Shigeru Miyamoto was given unlimited time and funding by Nintendo to just let loose and make his passion project. How he could have easily just tanked Nintendo. But none of the games he worked on are that... even if Miyamoto has a few dumb gimmick ideas that he thinks are 'gold' thrown into his games (sometimes they are 'gold') , I don't think Miyamoto ever really over stepped his boundaries on the scope of a project. Sometimes would put a larger project on the back burner and return to it later.
 
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Can't believe I backed this turd on Kickstarter back in the day. I didn't even bother to redeem my PS4 code for it after seeing the reviews.


Man... I can't believe that was an E3 2015 announcement at the Sony booth...
 
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Honestly, Shenmue was passion project from Yu Suzuki straight from the start. It started out as what could have been a Virtua Fighter RPG for the Sega Saturn and ballooned out to this crazy over ambitious project. The original Idea was that Akira would be the central character instead of Ryo, and the game would start in 1986-1987 when Akira was a teenager. Each game would cover a year of Akira's life from 1986 or 1987 to 1992, when the first Virtua Fighter game takes place.


0dwHAhnCjclQT4jS.jpg
\

It is an incredible concept overall. Yu Suzuki really let his stardom as a top Sega Producer go to his head. It's like there was really no one at the company to tell him to scale things down into something more practical. Yu Suzuki was really hell bent on making his magma opus a reality at the cost of Sega's pocket books. Yakuza took this concept and simplified it in so many ways.

His Shenmue 3 project was interesting, and nowhere near the scale that he set out to accomplish at Sega AM2. Project Berkley really was an 'impossible' project, and in many ways, still is... not even the 1.5 billion dollar budget GTAVI is this ambitious.. and it is still ambitious. I am surprised that Yu Suzuki made it this far.

Sometimes I wonder what could have happened if Shigeru Miyamoto was given unlimited time and funding by Nintendo to just let loose and make his passion project. How he could have easily just tanked Nintendo. But none of the games he worked on are that... even if Miyamoto has a few dumb gimmick ideas that he thinks are 'gold' thrown into his games (sometimes they are 'gold') , I don't think Miyamoto ever really over stepped his boundaries on the scope of a project. Sometimes would put a larger project on the back burner and return to it later.
Yu Suzuki ended up a disappointment working outside Sega. Really feels like the mystique surrounding his genius vanished. The two minor games he's released since Shenmue 3 range from horrible (Steel Paws) to middling (Air Twister), both with the same awful GUI and aesthetic issues that added to Shenmue 3's long list of issues. I don't think there's much he can offer when he isn't handed a blank check or Lockheed Martin technology.

Those of you hoping for a YS-produced Shenmue IV should just hope that Sega takes pity on us and lets RGG revive the series. YS Net is a dead end.
 
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Seriously? They aren't even going to bother with the input lag issues?

Basically an insult on top of an insult that Shenmue 3 turned out to be.
Yeah, he said something like, "It's not likely" and acted like he didn't want to get into it. Chances are the genius Yu Suzuki intentionally wants input lag by design or some nonsense.

I am convinced we'll still get the Impact Font title screen and hideous menus when the $50 re-release comes out. I just don't get it. I've looked at the Shenmue 3 credits. They didn't hire complete novices. There's a load of ex-Sega and Nintendo devs listed, even some RGG staff. The lead developer looks like he's fairly proficient in UE, yet they couldn't even get a working build to load at the show. I don't know why the whole package looks so damn cheap.
 
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