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About
Shenmue is a video game series known for its open world and detailed art and storyline. Directed by Yu Suzuki, the series is 16 chapters long, but only chapters 1-5 have been produced so far. The game is played from the viewpoint of the character Ryo Hazuki as he searches for his father’s killer, a mysterious man named Lan Di, and attempts to unlock other mysteries of the game.
History
Shenmue was first conceptualized by Yu Suzuki in 1993 after a visit to China. The story went through several different prototypes and early versions, including a Sega Saturn prototype called “The Old Man and the Peach Tree” and then as a development version called “Project Berkeley.”[1] While development was initially for the Sega Saturn, during production Sega began development on the new Dreamcast console, and Shenmue became one of the initially popular games released on the new system.
Development of the game was slow-going and expensive – so expensive, in fact, that the game held the Guiness World Record for most expensive video game, costing about US$70 million to produce according to Suzuki in one interview.
The game was notable for its use of cinematographic camera techniques into the game and also for its nonlinear gameplay. Shenmue Chapter 1 was originally released in Japan on December 29, 1999, followed by North America and the European Union the following winter.[2]
Shenmue II was released in 2001, and was similarly expensive to produce, and follows Ryo through chapters 3-5 of the story of Shenmue. In 2001, Sega announced that they would no longer be producing the Dreamcast, and instead begin producing games for other consoles and the PC. As a followup, Shenmue Online was launched in 2004, as a MMORPG; however, interest waned and Shenmue Online was shut down in 2006.[3]
Shenmue 3
On June 15th, 2015, during the annual E3 games conference, Yu Suzuki announced a crowdfunding campaign via Kickstarter. In just 9 hours, the Kickstarter campaign reached its $2 million dollar goal, setting a new Kickstarter record. [4][5]
Reception
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Online Presence
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Search Interest
External References
[1]Wikipedia – “Shenmue”:
[2]Wikipedia – "Shenmue (series):
[3]1Up.com – Shenmue Online Officially Announced
[5]Kotaku – Shenmue 3 Just Hit $2 Million, Setting a New Kickstarter Record