Another sonic game *sigh*

[ravanah]

What pleasure i had when reading todays latest news... Gameplay footage for the next Sonic game .... In 3-d ... ...

I think pretty much everyone knows how this title is gonna turn out.

Im starting this thread to see what the good people of Pxbox 360 think of this situation :

Back in the Dreamcast era, i remember buying one of the best games i ever had a chance to play , it's a little game by the name of Shenmue. Most of you probably all know about this game as they came out with a sequal on the Original Xbox a few years ago. This game's strengh was its "sandbox" type of play and great story. Basically you are chasing after the man who murdered your father in an attempt to avenge his death. the games take place in Japan and china and the game itself is a mix of different type of other games. Some sequence is like a GTA style where you roam in the city and explore (No you cant steal cars ..... yet) other times you are fighting using a Virtual fighter style of gameplay. This game is truly unique in its genre and it was revolutionary for it's time.

Then came the sequal that contained more of the same but advanced the storyline a bit further. Without giving out any spoilers, let's just say that all is in place for a final Showdown in Shenmue 3 ... the only problem ... THERE IS NO SHENMUE 3 and this is what is pissing me off. Apparently Sega has no plans in releasing a Shenmue 3 as they are busy working on other projects ..... like Sonic games ....

For the love of St Paul of Petawawa, leave those damn Sonic games alone and give the fans a true next gen experience and finish your god-damned story that you got us hooked on. I can pretty much Guarantee you that shenmue 3 will outsell "Sonic and the rise of the Chaotix Gator like emrald eating Monster" by a huge amount.

Just my 2 cents , sorry for the rant ...

:driver: hi hi hi beep beep ..... ah i feel better now

[Sir Charles]

I disagree with your statement when you say that Shenmue will sell more than a Sonic game. Personally I have never even heard of it. The Sonic game that is out on 360 and PS3 both enjoyed a decent amount of sales success even though it was a highly flawed game.

I quite like Sonic games and am hopeful for an at least half decent incarnation on this gen.

The video I watched on the main PX360 page of the new sonic game looks promising as they have dumped the dodgy camera views and gone for a classic style side scrolling affair. I own the 360 version of Sonic and while I admit its a broken/highly frustrating affair - it was still quite fun to play especially the speed levels.

Time will tell, but Shenmue will not outsell a Sonic title unless it is hyped to the extent of Assasins creed or Mass Effect.

[ravanah]

How can you claim that Shenmue will not outsell Sonic if you never heared of Shenmue ?

[ravanah]

The point is that we don’t need another sonic game (again). Although I do hope the next sonic game is good and has success, my point was to mention that Sega should try to finish the Story of Shenmue for its fans. Unlike Sonic, I never played any other game that resembled Shenmue.

Imagine if you loved Halo 1 and 2 , that bungie would never come out with Halo 3 and you were left on a cliffhanger ending . Now Shenmue is not halo (far from it) but wouldn’t you want them to finish the story that you have been following for the previous 2 games?

Yes you would and you would be pissed if bungie would keep on coming out with C titles over and over again , claiming that Halo 3 are not in their top priorities.

Piece of advice , Find a used copy of Shenmue 2 on original Xbox with the DVD of Shenmue 1 in it (I bought mine for 5 $ at EB)
Watch the DVD (Its made using gameplay footage from the 1st Shenmue on Dream Cast) Then hop onto Shenmue 2 and Enjoy the ride ...

Think a mix of "The sims" with Free roaming like in GTA , Virtua fighter and tons of Exploring to do

Best 5 $ I ever spent (Way more than Any Sonic Game , that's for sure)

[Pepper Jack]

enough with the long ranty posts people, i've never heard of shemune either so it probably won't outsell sonic because i don't think i know anyone who has heard of this game. the old 2D sonic games were great (although no where near as good as mario!) but the sonic 3D games are pretty dire IMO

[ravanah]

Hahaha , guys , K nevermind the part on Sonic ... MY POINT IS I WANT SEGA TO RELEASE SHENMUE 3 !!!! lol

And you guys can't deny that pretty muc hall Sonic Games suck since it went in 3-d

[Pepper Jack]

And you guys can't deny that pretty muc hall Sonic Games suck since it went in 3-d

agreed sir!

[ravanah]

Heres a Shenmue II review taken from Gamespot.com

Released in 2000, Sega's Shenmue was arguably the company's most ambitious project at the time. The brainchild of Yu Suzuki (best known for creating the Virtua Fighter series), the game set out to provide an entirely new type of gaming experience by combining elements of fighting games and adventure role-playing games in a realistic, clockwork world. Set in Hong Kong during the '80s, Shenmue told the story of a Japanese man named Ryo who journeys abroad to avenge his father's murder. Shenmue wasn't a commercial success in this country, and its unusual design met with a mixed response, but the game was certainly a showcase for the Dreamcast's technical abilities. A subsequent sequel continued the story and addressed some of the original game's shortcomings, but unfortunately, Shenmue II, which was released a year later in Japan and Europe, never found its way to the US. That is, until now, as Microsoft has secured the exclusive North American rights to the game and ported it to the Xbox. Given the promise of a marriage between Sega's most ambitious franchise and the most powerful console on the market, the expectations for this game have been running very high. However, the end result doesn't quite live up to those expectations--for one thing, it's easy to tell that Shenmue II was originally a Dreamcast game, since its technical aspects aren't nearly as impressive now as Shenmue's were in 2000. And while Shenmue II for the Xbox is a solid game that offers some improvements on the Dreamcast version, it will mostly appeal to die-hard fans of the original.

In Shenmue II, Ryo's quest to track down his father's murderer, a mysterious man called Lan Di, serves as the story's driving force. Ryo's investigation into his father's death has involved him in a greater mystery revolving around two ancient artifacts (the phoenix and dragon mirrors) and an old prophecy. At the end of the original Shenmue, Ryo's search had led him to set off for China, hot on the trail of Lan Di and in search of the truth behind his father's murder and its tie to the phoenix mirror. Shenmue II picks up where the first game ended, with the opening sequence showing Ryo's freighter pulling into a Hong Kong harbor. You'll take control of Ryo as he steps off the ship. Armed with only an address and the name of a friendly contact, Ryo sets off on a quest chock-full of plot twists that will send him throughout China. If getting a handle on the story seems a bit daunting at first, don't fret--the game provides you with two primers. The first is an in-game "Shenmue Movie" that sums up the main events from the first game in a few minutes, and the second is a much longer summary in the form of "Shenmue the Movie," a DVD packaged with the game.

Shenmue II's gameplay offers as much variety as its story, combining many different gameplay styles culled from a wide range of genres. At its core, the game is basically a hybrid of traditional RPG and action RPG elements--you'll find that standard exploration, puzzle solving, and character interaction will make up a large part of your time with the game. However, you'll also find fighting sequences that use a simplified Virtua Fighter-style fighting system, numerous minigames, and quick time events (QTEs), which are timed sequences that require you to quickly match onscreen commands with controller inputs, much like in the classic arcade game Dragon's Lair. While its main structure is linear, Shenmue II is extremely open-ended in terms of your options. Your main focus is always Ryo's search for information on his father's death, but you'll also find a wealth of diversions, mostly in the form of the minigames. In some cases, the minigames are essential to the main quest, such as working jobs or gambling to earn money in order to progress. However, you'll also be able to take a break from the high-stress vengeance-seeking lifestyle and play near-perfect ports of classic arcade games such as Space Harrier, Outrun, and Afterburner II, which you'll come across in your travels. You'll even be able to do some shopping and spend your hard-earned cash in vending machines bearing assorted toys or on a variety of goods from street vendors.
If you've played the original Shenmue, you're likely to be pleasantly surprised by how much Shenmue II improves on the original's gameplay. The pacing has been considerably tightened, as has the storytelling. If you're lost in one of the game's large environments, talking with one of the locals will often result in that character guiding you exactly to where you need to go. In instances where you'll have to meet someone or go to a location at a specific time, you'll have the option to fast-forwarding time and/or warping to a certain location, to minimize the amount of pointless waiting around you have to do. You'll still be able to roam and pass the time sightseeing if you like, but the new option helps keep the game from getting dull.
Another gameplay tweak can be found in the game's QTEs, which are better this time around. In the first Shenmue, you were forced to repeat an entire QTE sequence if you made too many mistakes. That's sometimes true in the sequel, but you'll also encounter two variations. The first changes on the fly if you make mistakes, allowing you to pick up the action later. For example, in the beginning of the game, you find yourself chasing a boy through the pier area in Aberdeen. The QTE will end if you make too many mistakes, and you'll find yourself back in the normal game. If you explore a bit, you'll find the boy again and continue the QTE. The other variation usually takes place during an action sequence--you'll see the action freeze for a moment while a set of commands flashes onscreen, and you'll have a split second to enter the commands. You'll also find some welcome tweaks in the game's controls and interface. The onscreen interface now shows the outlines of the Xbox face buttons, which have their context-sensitive uses, such as opening a door or talking to someone, overlaid on them according to the situation. You'll also be able to purchase maps of many of the areas you'll explore, and you'll be able to display them onscreen to help you get around. One of the nice touches is the ability to mark an area on the map, which will help you find people or places again. None of these things will be new to you if you've already played the European or Japanese Dreamcast versions of Shenmue II. But they're good enhancements to the first game.

While the fact that the gameplay in Shenmue II stays true to that of its Dreamcast counterpart is definite plus, it's unfortunate that the game's presentation does the same. The game's graphics are an improvement on the Dreamcast version's graphics, but they're disappointing nonetheless. One of the most impressive aspects of the game on Sega's system was how far it pushed the hardware in order to display the high amount of detail in the characters and the massive environments. While Xbox version retains everything seen in the Dreamcast game and tosses in improved lighting, as well as an improved character model for Ryo, the visuals are far less impressive overall. Many of the game's characters look blocky, and textures that might have looked good on the Dreamcast are far less flattering, and sometimes downright bad, on the Xbox. The visuals are also brought down by some of the same fade-in seen in the Dreamcast game and some instances of slowdown. The impact of the game's impressively framed and executed real-time cutscenes is lessened as a result of all this.
However, the weakest aspect of the game's presentation is its audio, which is jarringly uneven. The game's score is as impressive as ever, featuring a great collection of music that does an excellent job of setting the tone and lending a distinct atmosphere to the various locales you'll find yourself in. The score is especially notable during the cutscenes, which feature Dolby 5.1 surround. But that great music is overshadowed by the consistently lifeless or poorly done voice acting. When even the main character sounds bored and disinterested during the game, you know there's trouble ahead.

As mentioned, some Xbox-exclusive extras have been added to the game, but, aside from the Dolby 5.1 support in the cutscenes, they don't really amount to much. The controller's white button will let you cycle through five filters, such as a sepia and black-and-white tones, that will let you change the game's graphics on the fly. The black button will let you take "snapshots" at any point during the game, and you can save these pictures to the Xbox hard drive. While they're nice touches, these things won't really enhance your gameplay experience in any significant manner.
Ultimately, a variety of factors prevent Shenmue II from living up to its expectations. The Dreamcast game pushed the Power VR chipset in the console to its limits and beyond to churn out some of the finest visuals seen at the time, which contributed greatly to the game's impact on that system. On the other hand, the uneven graphical and audio presentation of the Xbox version don't do much to make a case for the console's proven graphical muscle. The inconsistencies in the audio further detract from experience, sending you to the options screen to turn off the character's voice rather than pulling you into the game. Though, despite these and other shortcomings, Shenmue II's gameplay and story still make for a solid game, especially considering the absence of anything quite like it for the system. So while the journey to the Xbox may have tarnished the experience to a certain degree, there is still a good, atmospheric game with a strong story to be found in Shenmue II if you're open to it.

[Pepper Jack]

i'm not reading that...ever

[ravanah]

Fine , go play sonic then ... lol

[Sir Charles]

Sega should try to finish the Story of Shenmue for its fans. Unlike Sonic, I never played any other game that resembled Shenmue.

Imagine if you loved Halo 1 and 2 , that bungie would never come out with Halo 3 and you were left on a cliffhanger ending . Now Shenmue is not halo (far from it) but wouldn’t you want them to finish the story that you have been following for the previous 2 games?



Sega will only make games that will make them £££s and $$$. Games like Sonic will always get them revenue. Why would they make another Shenmue over another Sonic title?

As a rule, I don't play games that has a title I cannot pronounce.

[Pepper Jack]

i think it's pronounced "shamone"

[blu_yu_away]

The only good 3D Sonic game was Sonic 3D blast for Genesis.

[ravanah]

Sega will only make games that will make them £££s and $$$. Games like Sonic will always get them revenue. Why would they make another Shenmue over another Sonic title?

As a rule, I don't play games that has a title I cannot pronounce.

Lol ... Its like Shen-Moo

[oli]

Sonic is meh.Final.

[Blasterpez]

so since the last 8 sonics blew ass, they must release another. in 3d no less, so you can almost see the crap blow off your screen and onto you. sweet.

[Iwrin Fletcher]

Yes someone else who enjoyed shenmue. I have the original dc version and the euro dreamcast version of part 2. Sega needs to have Yu Suzuki (creator of the virtua fighter series as well as classics like after burner) finish his masterpiece saga.

[BRUTAL1TY]

Shenmue was one of the greatest games I've ever played. I, however, did not play Shenmue 2. I think the new Sonic has potential as they are going with the 2.5D look. It's the old-school sidescrolling perspective with 3d elements. I think this will help considering camera issues were in excess in the 3d Sonics.

Also I thought I heard Shenmue 3 was in development?

[Sneakster]

Another Sonic? If you ask me I think that is one game that is overdone. Much like the Final Fantasy franchise. They need to put both those games out to the pasture and leave them be. Shenmue was a great game...WAS. I had the Japanese version. I had a great story and awesome gameplay but the first or the second one didn't reach financial success. EG: GOW or Assassins Creed. So why would they make a third? They shouldn't, plain and simple.

[ravanah]

Because there aint no other game like it and they left us with a cliff hanger ending again.

Imagine if Starwars would have stopeed at Episode 5 .... with han captured and the story half finished .....

lol and Shenmue with this Gen's graphics would absolutely rock ...

[Pepper Jack]

that is it god dammit!!!!!! i've had enough!!!! link me to some good shamone videos!

[Sneakster]

that is it god dammit!!!!!! i've had enough!!!! link me to some good shamone videos!
Shenmue...SHENMUE!!!! DAMN...time to hit youtube.

HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40tAOdfSsPg)
AND HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feowudkRnlI&feature=related)

[BRUTAL1TY]

Pepper Jack has never played Shenmue!? Shame on you for no Shenmue!!

[ElderScroller27]

kids keep laying down the cash to buy, so they will keep making more. Just like drugs

[Pepper Jack]

yeah, those damn junkie kids!

[blu_yu_away]

"Another Sonic? If you ask me I think that is one game that is overdone. Much like the Final Fantasy franchise. They need to put both those games out to the pasture and leave them be."

Final Fantasy is a great series. Although I really don't like a lot of RPGs I have to Final Fantasy credit. They always keep me entertained. Final Fantasy 10 was my first and one of my favorite games on PS2. Since then I've played others and they are great: especially VII and Tactics. And why would you put sonic and Final Fantasy out to rest when they are still HUGE financial successes, especially the Final Fantasy series.

[Blasterpez]

maybe i missed the post, but what does shamu have to do with sonic? same developers? Same console? What is the correlation?

[blu_yu_away]

If I picked it up right I think they're both made by Sega?

[ravanah]

maybe i missed the post, but what does shamu have to do with sonic? same developers? Same console? What is the correlation?



I want Sega to make Shenmue 3 ... not Super sonic 2.5D Extreme pinball adventures 7

[Vesh Drown]

I still have hope for this series. I think it jsut needs one really great game for it to come back to the spotlight.

[Sneakster]

Final Fantasy is a great series. Although I really don't like a lot of RPGs I have to Final Fantasy credit. They always keep me entertained. Final Fantasy 10 was my first and one of my favorite games on PS2. Since then I've played others and they are great: especially VII and Tactics. And why would you put sonic and Final Fantasy out to rest when they are still HUGE financial successes, especially the Final Fantasy series.
I missed this. I wasn't taking anything away from Final Fantasy. Come on though...Final Fantasy 12? Its kind of redundant. Before you know it our great-great grand kids will be playing Final Fantasy XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX on their Xbox 1080.

[Pepper Jack]

Before you know it our great-great grand kids will be playing Final Fantasy XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX on their Xbox 1080.

speak for yourself old man lol, your great great grand kids will be playing final fantasy XIIV on the 360 lol

[Sneakster]

they probably will be...lol.

[Spartan1127]

Sonic and all his *** friends fail. ~Closed~

[Sir Charles]

Sonic and all his *** friends fail. ~Closed~

Prentending to be a mod -50

[shane32Eire]

Prentending to be a mod -50

Being a Mod -75

[oli]

LOL. Burns unit has been informed of incoming victim.

[robertpaul9]

That's too bad considering that Sonic used to be Sega's Mario. I think they should use a whole new team to develop the game to give the franchise a much needed change of direction.

[ravanah]

You guys will not beleive it but i gave in and bought The Sonic the Hedhog game for my kids.

Yeah that's right the one with the damn sutpid load times and horrible camera angles. They wanted something , say it at Wall mart at 18 $ so i took it for them , guess what , they stopped playing it the next day .... So even though im pissed that i wasted 18 $ , at least im glad to see that even they think sonic sucks lol ....

They also made me download Crash bandicoot on my 360 ..... oh god , please kill me now ... (Kids didin't force me to do these acts , but the wife did help them out) .... No sex for a month or I buy the game for them .....

Sometimes i wish i could go back in time and rewind , then fast foward 1 month later .... Ah well , Id she don't want any , theres always her sister who is sizzling hot ... lol ...

[Kona Palangi]

You guys will not beleive it but i gave in and bought The Sonic the Hedhog game for my kids.

I'd only do such a deed as a punishment ... Not as a reward.

[Blasterpez]

you know, the only sonic game i ever really played was the one on the genesis. i remember thinking how great it looked on a 16bit system after all the NES 8 bit games. but, like sneakster said, like mario, i lost interest pretty quick. i didn't have enough ADD for it to keep my interest for to long i guess.