Shenmue Online?

SEGA
1

[quote=“IGN”]August 03, 2004 - Following our initial report from earlier in the day, new details have come our way on Sega’s attempts to take its Shenmue series of console adventure titles to the Online world. The resulting game, now officially titled Shenmue Online is being developed for the PC.

Shemue Online is a massively multiplayer action RPG. The game will feature virtual recreations of areas from 1980s Hong Kong and China and promises to allow tens of thousands of players to assume the role of militants, using martial arts, Chinese weapons and other powers in real-time fighting sequences.
Development and publishing duties for the game are being handled via partnerships between multiple firms. Korean Online developer JC Entertainment is managing content development along with Korean Online operations and Korean marketing for the title. Sega, while also responible for content development, is supervising development and licensing related to Online game operations outside of Korea. T2 Technology Holdings will handle the Chinese operations of the game as part of a recent agreement reached with Sega.

Fans of the series will be pleased to know that series father Yu Suzuki, now head of Sega internal studio Digital Rex, is taking a role in the game. Sega states that Suzuki will supervise ongoing activities for the game. Suzuki is known for having created the original storyline behind the full Shenmue saga.

As mentioned in our previous article, a private beta test for Shenmue Online will take place in in November of this year in Korea, to be followed by a Korean open beta test and commercial launch in Spring of 2005. T2 Technology expects to have the game out in China also in 2005. Plans for release outside these two territories have yet to be revealed. [/quote]

Yet another online game from Sega, and one set in the world of Shenmue no less.

What are your thoughts on this latest development?

You can read the IGN article here.

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It’s true…

"Sega Corporation and JC Entertainment Corporation today announced a business alliance to co-develop and co-publish Shenmue? Online, a massively multi-player online game(MMOG) for PC platform. Also SEGA has the basic agreement with T2 Technology Holdings Inc. to allow T2 Technology to license China online game operation of Shenmue Online.

JC Entertainment will manage the content development, Korea online game operation and marketing of Shenmue Online, while SEGA will be also responsible for the content development and supervise the ongoing of development and licensing related to the online-game operations in each territory except Korea. In addition, Yu Suzuki, the creator of Shenmue and SEGA?s R&D Creative Officer, will supervise ongoing activities for the game.

By T2 Technology?s online game operation of Shenmue Online, the commercial launch is due to within 2005.

Also Shenmue Online will roll out in Korea, beginning with a private beta in November 2004, followed by an open beta and the commercial launch in Spring 2005. The online game operation in Korea will be managed by JC Entertainment.

The Shenmue franchise was established more than five years ago with the release of Shenmue (Dreamcast?) in 1999, then Shenmue II (Dreamcast?) in 2001. Shenmue boasted groundbreaking full 3DCG environments and over 1,400 characters alive in a virtual world where time passes and the weather also changes, as in real life.

Shenmue Online is MMO Action RPG in which tens of thousands of players will participate in the virtual world of Shenmue staged in China including Hong Kong in 1980?s. Players, acting as militants, will use mysterious powers, kung-fu, Chinese weapons and Qigong in real-time fight-action.

SEGA, JC Entertainment and T2 Technology will leverage a combined development, distribution power, and operation power to expand the online audience of Shenmue Online to grow their network businesses."

Looks like I’ll have to get a new PC.

Online Forklift racing here I come.

Will any luck this wll be big. So at last SEGA can the go-ahead to part III.

Wonder if SEGA should think about also make a MMORPG Panzer Dragoon. With say player playing the part of the Seekers and Empire. Let face it the Panzer universe is big enough to accommodate a MMORPG.

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I’m not a huge fan of online RPGs; I’d prefer Sega to make a new single player Panzer Dragoon RPG.

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Hey I much rather see a standard RPG Panzer Dragoon. But MMORPG’s are getting huge in asia.

This could be a way or getiing much need funds for Shenmue, and sparking interest in the series (same goes for PD).

This could be huge for SEGA

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So in this MMO in the world of Shenmue, will EVERBODY be a kung fu fighter? XD

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Does this not strike anyone else as completely out of left field? I’m not exactly an expert, never got to play the Shenmue games, but for some reason a MMO Shenmue strikes me as… odd.

All these games going MMO is kind of a disturbing trend. I flat out refuse to pay a monthly fee to play a game, so all of these great single player (or single player plus free multiplayer) games going MMO is starting to worry me.

PS. Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting dundun dun dun dundun dun

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All of these…?

Warcraft will continue on as an RTS, I guarantee, despite WoW’s release, but what other examples are you thinking of?

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Well, I was thinking of Warcraft, which you already touched upon. Plus many of the big MMORPGs were originally single-player RPGs (Ultima, Phantasy Star). I’m not especially into any of these series, so it doesn’t bug me that much, but I just don’t like the trend.

Might just be the paranoia talking. Who knows.

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Ultima still continued offline after the release of UO, but Ultima 9 was one of the buggiest pieces of crap I’ve ever seen :slight_smile:

PSO… that’s not even MMO o_O

I wouldn’t count on developers “replacing” standard RPGs with MMO… just using existing brands to branch out and start MMO franchises.

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It’s not?

Well, there ya go. I’m so averse to the things I don’t know a whole lot about 'em.

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Not all online RPGs are MMORPGs. :slight_smile: The key thing is that “MMO” stands for “mass multiplayer.” In Phantasy Star Online you’re limited to three other people. Four players does not make a “mass multiplayer” game. PSO is just online. That’s all.

Shenmue Online doesn’t really do anything for me one way or the other since I wasn’t into the original, but I am a bit bothered by all the MMORPG hype sometimes. Maybe it’s just because I’m not crazy about spending gobs of time leveling up my characters and duking it out with five thousand other players on the same server so every time I see another one coming I want to roll my eyes, but from a detached intellectual standpoint, I’d like to see how it goes. It’s certainly a break away from the all too common fantasy and science fiction environment.

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I know what an MMORPG is. I had just assumed for some reason that PSO was one. Obviously I was wrong.

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So what does this actually have to do with Shenmue aside from the fact that it’s set in Asia during the 80s?

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I also read about this yesterday, at GameFAQS, and Shenmue Dojo. At first I was excited then I started thinking of its flaws… Firstly as with most MMORPG’s, i reckon there will be a monthly fee. (to raise money for something perhaps?)

And then we will have the world of Shenmue 1/2… With 1000 Ryo’s Walking around? I also hear of things like fireballs, and sourcery and stuff. What. The . Heck. I hope that is a lie because just will just crush the realism.

I guess what i wouldn’t mind, is that you don’t become Ryo, but choose another inhabitant, even something like a shop owner, or some martial artist that wants to be the best. (Maybe Yu Suzuki can be the only Ryo :slight_smile:

Anyways, I guess as most things with me, its a “wait and see” thing.

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Sega has no plans to release Shenmue Online outside of China and Korea at the moment. I’m not bothered in the least though, which is strange since I usually never miss an opportunity to criticise my friends over at Sega. :slight_smile:

At least Sega hasn’t abandoned the Shenmue series like many fans thought it had. Sega is simply trying to turn it into a profitable franchise. Introducing the Shenmue series to one of the largest markets for multi-player online RPGs in the world will mean more exposure for the series itself. If the series gains more popularity, then it won’t be long before Shenmue III arrives.

The only games I’m eagerly awaiting from Sega are Shining Force IV, a remake/rerelease of the complete Shining Force III trilogy… in English (though I will no doubt be waiting forever for it), and of course, a new Panzer Dragoon RPG.

Sometimes I feel as if Sega treats us as nothing more than consumers. Do we, the fans, even matter to Sega anymore?

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Of course, but it’s impossible (and impractical) to please everyone.

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Or they want to use all the expensive material already produced for the series. :slight_smile:

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XD

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this is really the dumbest thing in the world XD

sega has so much potential right at their finger tips but they don’t seem to realize it. i could probably think of 10+ games that would make better MMOs and countless games that would make better games. seriously… shenmue online… there’s no potential there.

seriously, what could you do? fight… and… race forlifts…?

now a skies of arcadia would have limitless potential for an MMO. upgrading your equipment, fighting monsters, get special attacks, getting your own ship or joining someone else’s crew as a merc, attacking/boarding ships as black pirates or defending them as blue rogues, going into ancient ruins with your buddies, looting, plundering, giant armada battles between countries, getting your own island headquarters, perhaps encountering a gigas, and exploring an enormous world on a flying boat.

is sega blind? i bet shenmue online gets canned XD

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[quote=“Shadow”]

Of course, but it’s impossible (and impractical) to please everyone.[/quote]

I took part in a recent discussion about Sega where someone claimed that Sega didn’t owe its fans anything, which annoyed me in ways I cannot even begin to describe.

I think Sega can redeem itself in the eyes of fans of the Shining series with the forthcoming Shining Force IV. I just hope that Sega hasn’t forgotten its fans outside of Japan. During the Saturn era Sega of America repaid our loyalty by not translating the entire Shining Force III trilogy… because Sega owes us nothing? The last thing some developers will do is betray their fans.

Personally, I’m overjoyed that Sega has chosen to continue the Phantasy Star, Shenmue, and Shining series in one form or another, but ignoring its fans will be the death of Sega.