Shenmue lives on with Shenmue Online

[Prince]

Today Sega is holding a press conference in Shanghai, Shenmue Online was recently rumored (since yesterday) to be the focus of the event. I don't know if it went on yet or not but I guess it did cause this site has news on it...

Summary:
- Korean company (JC Entertainment) and Sega (Digital Rex studio) are developing Shenmue Online
- Was in development from February of last year
- Development cost is 30 billion won (~ 28 million USD)
- Private beta test in November, public beta test in first half of next year

Link:
http://japanese.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2004/08/03/20040803000032.html

Official Domain (a placeholder page for now..): http://www.shenmue-online.com/

------------------------------------------

It's pretty surprising to see a new Shenmue game in development. And that's a pretty fucking huge production budget. I think that with all that money being poured into it, this is the game that will finish the story off.

I wonder what the "Online" part of it is. I guess an MMORPG... we should get more info later today probably.

[Anti-Colin]

shenmue mmorpg, holy shite fuck.

[alpha]

This is going to be so cool.

[Prince]

The site is still blank but i found the PR:
http://www.shenmue-online.com/pdf/20040803_ShenmueOnline_English_HP.pdf


(Tokyo, Japan / Seoul , Korea / Shanghai, China) – August 3, 2004 – 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.

[...]

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.

[Prince]

Renders:

http://premium.uploadit.org/dsn2000/sen3.JPG
http://premium.uploadit.org/dsn2000/sen2.JPG
http://premium.uploadit.org/dsn2000/sen.JPG
http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040803/1091587071.jpg
http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040803/1091587163.jpg
http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040803/1091587211.jpg
http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040803/1091587251.jpg
http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040803/1091587325.jpg
http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040803/1091587395.jpg
http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040803/1091587358.jpg

[Michael]

I want to say hell naw, and hell yeah. Shenmue is my favorite game of this generation, and I knew when it was going to the xbox that it would have online. But I really hope that they don't go overboard with the online aspect and leave the single player which I loved so much in a shambles..they will finally use magic I see...

[Freeman_JI]

No fucking way! i seriously predicted this, just like MGS3 when i said to my buddy that it would be cool to play as BigBoss in a remake of the MSX Mgs's.

but hell i need this, i assume platform is Xbox. I don't give a shit if this game has to come to PS2 aswell as long as Sega puts this on the box.

BTW: just a few months ago i was so pissed that i sold my shenmue ages ago that i bought a jap copy :dur: don't know how to read jap though.

wow i mean wow this is the most exciting thing to happen this gen for me! :cool:

EDIT: kinda funny how i changed my aviator to Ryo like a month before this happened, just out of nowhere i said "i'm chaing my aviator to a Ryo pic"

[Michael Bluth]

Guys, it's for the PC. Maybe Xbox Next?

[Michael]

^really...how does sega ever expect to transport the rpg elements...they jipped us with the whole 1-2 thing in america...now 3 may not have it as well if it's on pc first...well, I'm gonna get a good enough card for my pc by then anyways...

[Freeman_JI]

PC DAM! ... Halo2 regains it's spot as my most wanted :)

[Michael]

^I guess I'm a bigger fan of this series then you then...Shenmue 4 life!

[Michael Bluth]

And as of right now, this one's staying in Korea / China / Japan....

[fishbonetaher]

i really hope that they release it on pc, because i really want to buy this game, atleast if its really good.