Yu Suzuki 'Retiring' As Head of Sega R&D

[DoctorFinger]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3604/3411735464_ff163410c3_o.gif

Yu Suzuki, the driving creative force behind Sega's ascension in the 80s and 90s, has officially retired from his position chief R & D creative officer. The 50 year old Suzuki will still remain with Sega Sammy, but in a diminished role.

Suzuki was responsible for some of the most memorable games in Sega's history. He began on the seminal arcade shooter Space Harrier and went on to create titles such as Outrun, Hang-On and After Burner. But his most famous works began with Virtua Racing, a fully 3D arcade racer. This game spawned an entire Virtua line of games, including Virtua Cop, Virtua Racing, and the game originally described as 'Virtua RPG', Shenmue. In recent years Suzuki had shifted more to the background at Sega, and he's almost disappeared from the scene after the publisher cancelled his proposed Shenmue Online MMO.

Source - Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6207395.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6207395).

[Xerxes]

Wtf? I just wiki'ed him last night to see what he's been up to! I wonder if he is getting back on games.

Edit: I think a solid conclusion to Shenmue would be nice. If Yakuza can sell, why not Shenmue.

[Spigot]

Wtf? I just wiki'ed him last night to see what he's been up to! I wonder if he is getting back on games.

Edit: I think a solid conclusion to Shenmue would be nice. If Yakuza can sell, why not Shenmue.As much as I would LOVE a resolution to Shenmue, I doubt it will ever happen. The upside of Yakuza is that rather than being whiny, sailor-loving, kitten-petting Ryu, who seems to stumble from one misadventure to another, you're playing someone who actually seems competent and has a little more oomph behind him.

[shodan2020]

Let's not forget Virtua Fighter... ;)

I hope we'll get a Shenmue 3 out of this, cause right now I'm stuck in a cave in the wilds of China with child. I need to fulfill my quest of vengeance against Lan Di and the Chi You Men.

[shodan2020]

As much as I would LOVE a resolution to Shenmue, I doubt it will ever happen. The upside of Yakuza is that rather than being whiny, sailor-loving, kitten-petting Ryu, who seems to stumble from one misadventure to another, you're playing someone who actually seems competent and has a little more oomph behind him.

I think I'm just gonna be depressed... these capsule toys are the only thing keeping me alive. :)

[Wraith]

I'd still like to see a conclusion to Shenmue in some form, even if it's not the budget-busting greatness of the original. Maybe re-use Yakuza 3's engine, have fewer FMVs, forgo an English voice track... Maybe even put it on the PSP, if that's easier...

[Spigot]

I'd actually prefer they just do away with an English VO altogether. I played the DC version of Shenmue 2 and it was awesome to have the various languages being spoken. The Xbox VO for that same game? Not so hot...

PSP would be a great place for it. I am sure that the people who would really be keen on seeing the finale to the story would be happy with DC-quality visuals.

Hell, do it as a downloadable PSN game a la Siren: Blood Curse.

[Kelegacy]

Hell, I have Shenmue 2 for Xbox (and I think a copy on Dreamcast) but haven't played either. I did think Shenmue 1 was okay...but that was the beginning of my hatred for QTEs.

[Virtual Pariah]

Sorry to hear this.
Yu, was great. But Sega sucks nowadays.

[EternalGamer]

The further away we get from Shenmue the more I appreciate what that game did. As Spigot pointed out, Ryu wasn't the uber masculine superhero we always are forced to play as in games. Nor was the game world a generic one filled with bad guys, but really embedded in a small village in Japan in the 1980s.

It also had a sandbox aspect where you could just wander around and engage in mini-games and collection things like Animal Crossing.

The only thing really against the game is the bad translation efforts, but it did so much that was fresh and entirely unique in the gaming world. Shenmue MMO would have probably been the only MMO I would have ever played.

[EternalGamer]

I never did finish Shenmue 2, so I popped it in to see if it was backwards compatible with the 360 (I know it originally wasn't). It is. I again from the beginning after having not played any Shenmue game in four or five years.

After 20 minutes, I think I found how I'm spending my weekend.

[Kelegacy]

I never did finish Shenmue 2, so I popped it in to see if it was backwards compatible with the 360 (I know it originally wasn't). It is. I again from the beginning after having not played any Shenmue game in four or five years.

After 20 minutes, I think I found how I'm spending my weekend.

Don't tempt me. Please.

[divinechaos]

Someone should make Shenmue 2 the game of the month so we can all play through it.

[EternalGamer]

Someone should make Shenmue 2 the game of the month so we can all play through it.

I'm really enjoying the heck out of it. It is so different from what we normally get from videogames. You interact with drunks, butcher shop owners, do construction work etc. It's such a different thing from "shoot a bunch of guns and wack things with a sword."

Yeah, the translation gets pretty silly and redundant, but you can see really charming personality of the character beneath the failures of the dialog.

[Xerxes]

As much as I would LOVE a resolution to Shenmue, I doubt it will ever happen. The upside of Yakuza is that rather than being whiny, sailor-loving, kitten-petting Ryu, who seems to stumble from one misadventure to another, you're playing someone who actually seems competent and has a little more oomph behind him.

He's competent. I just to finish the fight with Lan Di. Maybe they should add Lan and Ryo in the next Virtua Fighter. Even get Tao Li in there.

[Spigot]

I still prefer the DC version for the VO in Shenmue 2. So much nicer.

I really like Shenmue and Ryu and the whole late 80's Japan/China setting and wish/hope that more games use a more modern setting (a la Persona/SMT) instead of generic fantasyville or sci-fi dystopia.

I just think that whatever Shenmue was has basically been left to wither and the Yakuza series has picked up where it left off.

[Jason]

That sucks for Sega, but he's earned his retirement. Like most of the others have said, I'd love to see another sequel to Shenmue.

[Xerxes]

I still prefer the DC version for the VO in Shenmue 2. So much nicer.

I really like Shenmue and Ryu and the whole late 80's Japan/China setting and wish/hope that more games use a more modern setting (a la Persona/SMT) instead of generic fantasyville or sci-fi dystopia.

I just think that whatever Shenmue was has basically been left to wither and the Yakuza series has picked up where it left off.

So the Yakuza beats up Lan Di? Didn't think so!

[Codicier]

I bought Shenmue 2 for the Xbox for $5.

It was probably the best $5 I've ever spent. I really wish they'd commit to making an ending for this game. :(

[Xerxes]

I bought Shenmue 2 for the Xbox for $5.

It was probably the best $5 I've ever spent. I really wish they'd commit to making an ending for this game. :(

That's all I'm asking for. You start a journey only it can never be completed.

[Spigot]

So the Yakuza beats up Lan Di? Didn't think so!Oh, shut your pie hole. You know what I mean! :mad::mad:

That would be kind of cool though. Yakuza 4: The Search For Sailors (and Kittens).

[H.Bogard]

Shenmue and Advent Rising will never get an ending. :(

[JRR1285]

Thanks to you guys raving about Shenmue I just needed to grab it. I managed to find Shenmue II, Jade Empire, and Indigo Prophecy all brand new in one listing for 45 shipped. Do I need to play the first Shenmue to fully enjoy the second one?

[Codicier]

Do I need to play the first Shenmue to fully enjoy the second one?

I didn't and I enjoyed the second one. (Except for the library cleaning thing, that was retarded.)

[EternalGamer]

The second Shenmue comes with a disc that has the "movie" version of the complete story of the first game. It's just all the major cinemas from the first game strung together but it will catch you up.

[Xerxes]

I loved that shitty little movie. I mean the first scene was awesome. The rest of it was weird.

[MagGnome]

The first Shenmue blew me away. I couldn't believe how real the world felt, how gorgeous it was, and how realistic the characters were at the time. I will always have fond memories of that game.

I bought the Xbox solely to play Shenmue 2. Then I bought the game and never played it. :o

[ElektroDragon]

The real travesty is that they never updated Hang-On for current gen systems. I'm sorry but MotoGP is one big stinking pile of boring.

[EternalGamer]

I played Shenmue 2 for around three hours yesterday. Plan on putting in some more time today.

[MagGnome]

I played Shenmue 2 for around three hours yesterday. Plan on putting in some more time today.

Did you find any sailors? ;)

[Urizen]

Another reason reviewers are retarded beyond words. They are always concerned with pigeon-holing every release into some pre-existing niche. Shenmue tried to be different, and game writers did nothing to allow it the breathing room anything new needs. They did nothing to approach the game on its own terms.

Shameful, really. Shenmue wasn't perfect but few games are. The single greatest roadblock to gamers getting a Shenmue resolution is industry's mainstream press.

[EternalGamer]

Another reason reviewers are retarded beyond words. They are always concerned with pigeon-holing every release into some pre-existing niche. Shenmue tried to be different, and game writers did nothing to allow it the breathing room anything new needs. They did nothing to approach the game on its own terms.

Shameful, really. Shenmue wasn't perfect but few games are. The single greatest roadblock to gamers getting a Shenmue resolution is industry's mainstream press.

I recall all the complaints about the "mundane" activities you engage in in Shenmue, but you know what has become really mundane to me? Shooting aliens and terrorists and hitting orcs with big swords. Shenmue took daily interactions and wove them into a narrative in an open world.

I agree that the game is far from perfect, but got knows so is GTA and that series got a ridiculious amount of praise since 3.

[Spigot]

Sadly, Shenmue 1 & 2 were both waaaay ahead of their times. Yet another reason why I really, really hope that Yakuza 3 gets released over here so that we can (hopefully) vote with our wallets and show that strong, narrative-based games in modern settings (albeit Japan) are worth making and distributing in North America and elsewhere.

Shenmue is dead. Long live Yakuza!

[Jason]

Shenmue is dead. Long live Yakuza!

It's not dead as long as the dream is alive!:D

I played and enjoyed the first Yakuza. I haven't played the second one though. I would like to see both games get sequels released here in the States.

[Urizen]

I recall all the complaints about the "mundane" activities you engage in in Shenmue

So do I - quite vividly. I remember one particular reviewer saying you can't progress the story simply because it's not 2pm on Wednesday afternoon.

If you played the game like it wasn't some sort of speed run, you would have more respect and appreciation for what the game WAS trying to do.

[Xerxes]

So do I - quite vividly. I remember one particular reviewer saying you can't progress the story simply because it's not 2pm on Wednesday afternoon.

If you played the game like it wasn't some sort of speed run, you would have more respect and appreciation for what the game WAS trying to do.

Exactly. And while their were some very mundane tasks, it was the vairety the kept me coming back for more. I probably would of beat it if my xbox HDD didn't crap out on me. Starting from scratch just wasn't something I was ready to rush into then.

[shodan2020]

I'd still like to see a conclusion to Shenmue in some form, even if it's not the budget-busting greatness of the original. Maybe re-use Yakuza 3's engine, have fewer FMVs, forgo an English voice track... Maybe even put it on the PSP, if that's easier...

For me, the english voice track was a great deal of fun. My friends and I still quote the track form time to time for giggles.

"Anybody want to play a game of Lucky Hit?"

We also formulated a theory that Ryo is a broken husk of a man who's only fuel is revenge and capsule toys. Capsule toys that he must purchase through means of visiting shady gambling dens to play "Big or Small". :)

[Spigot]

Don't forget Ryu's *ahem* kitten stroking fetish.

You have no idea how hard it was not to go blue there...

[Wraith]

Personally, the English track never really bothered me. (Other than Mongo Congo, anyway, from Shenmue 2.)

I was just suggesting it as a way to make a potential Shenmue 3 less expensive to develop/release.

[Xerxes]

Personally, the English track never really bothered me. (Other than Mongo Congo, anyway, from Shenmue 2.)

I was just suggesting it as a way to make a potential Shenmue 3 less expensive to develop/release.

And I found them to be great options.

[EternalGamer]

For me, the english voice track was a great deal of fun. My friends and I still quote the track form time to time for giggles.

"Anybody want to play a game of Lucky Hit?"

We also formulated a theory that Ryo is a broken husk of a man who's only fuel is revenge and capsule toys. Capsule toys that he must purchase through means of visiting shady gambling dens to play "Big or Small". :)

It really is a translation job that has become iconic. I normally am not a fan of the "it's so bad it's good" school of ironic humor, but I make exceptions for things like Resident Evil 1 and Shenmue. I think largely it was result of them needing to fill in the space of Japanese lip syncing/cutscenes since Japanese is a lot less direct in its ability to express things than English is. So we end up with these crazy awkward, repetitive conversations.

I'm playing through Shenmue 2 right now on the 360 (I think I am almost at the end) and some of the most enjoyable moments are the silly sounding conversations. They have made me laugh out loud more than once and they add to the game's charm rather than take away from it in my opinion.

[Purple Santa]

So the consensus is buy Shenmue 2 and just watch the movie to understand Shenmue 1? I played about half way through Shenmue 1 on the Dreamcast. I need to find a copy of Shenmue 2 since it's BC.

@Spigot: I was going to start GoWII after P3...I think i'll play Yakuza instead...

[Wraith]

So the consensus is buy Shenmue 2 and just watch the movie to understand Shenmue 1? I played about half way through Shenmue 1 on the Dreamcast. I need to find a copy of Shenmue 2 since it's BC.
If you don't have access to a Dreamcast, then I suppose that's the best route. But Shenmue 1 is definitely worth playing.

[Xerxes]

It really is a translation job that has become iconic. I normally am not a fan of the "it's so bad it's good" school of ironic humor, but I make exceptions for things like Resident Evil 1 and Shenmue. I think largely it was result of them needing to fill in the space of Japanese lip syncing/cutscenes since Japanese is a lot less direct in its ability to express things than English is. So we end up with these crazy awkward, repetitive conversations.

I'm playing through Shenmue 2 right now on the 360 (I think I am almost at the end) and some of the most enjoyable moments are the silly sounding conversations. They have made me laugh out loud more than once and they add to the game's charm rather than take away from it in my opinion.

Aren't you anti-QTE?

So the consensus is buy Shenmue 2 and just watch the movie to understand Shenmue 1? I played about half way through Shenmue 1 on the Dreamcast. I need to find a copy of Shenmue 2 since it's BC.

@Spigot: I was going to start GoWII after P3...I think i'll play Yakuza instead...

Shenmue 1 summed up in 90 minutes is pretty cool. It gets weird in some parts but the beginning story is pretty much nice.

And I can't counter the word of Spigot but I'm sure he'd say knock GoW 2 out first. He said it wasn't all too long. I know I put in about 15 hours on Shenmue and someone told me I might be near the mid point, but I had a lot more to do.

[Kelegacy]

Aren't you anti-QTE?

No, that would be me.

[Xerxes]

No, that would be me.

You weren't the only one. Just the most outspoken.

[MagGnome]

My favorite part of Shenmue was the motorcycle ride with the girl, I can't remember her name. That was a really touching moment - something that games rarely pull off. It went on a little too long though if I remember correctly.

[EternalGamer]

If you don't have access to a Dreamcast, then I suppose that's the best route. But Shenmue 1 is definitely worth playing.

I don't know if it would be worht the hassle. In my opinion, the Xbox version is definitely the best way to play Shenmue 2. My brother had the imported version from Europe and I played it some, but I just really like the goofy voice acting and the graphics look much better upgraded and scaled to 720P on the 360.

Plus Shenmue 2 comes with that crazy movie disc that has all the cinema from Shenmue 1 (including the motorcycle ride I believe). It's a little weird to watch, but it certainly will give you the gist of what you need to play the secon game without the hassle of replaying through Shenmue 1.

[Spigot]

Bah. I spoiled myself by having the import copy of Shenmue 2 for my DC back in the day and while there is something charming about the awful, awful voice work in the Xbox version, I just can't sully my experience by playing through it again with that version. The VO in the import was sublime...

[EternalGamer]

Holy shit, Shenmue 2 becomes really awesome. I had no idea how large the scope of this game really was. It's a vast improvement over the first game. I can certainly see why it was so expensive to produce. I don't think most modern games have this many art assets.

[Xerxes]

Holy shit, Shenmue 2 becomes really awesome. I had no idea how large the scope of this game really was. It's a vast improvement over the first game. I can certainly see why it was so expensive to produce. I don't think most modern games have this many art assets.

Did you just start playing the game again? :confused:

[EternalGamer]

I only played about 7 or 8 hours of it the first time. Last weekend, after this news of Yu Sazuki's retirement, I decided to start it again since i found that it was backwards compatible with the 360 and I still had a copy. I'm glad I did.

[Xerxes]

I have my copy, but my backlog is too huge to go back to that. Shenmue 2 was a long game.

[EternalGamer]

That's part of what impresses me about it. I figured i was getting into a game about the size of 1 but it is easly quadruple the size. The scope really is impressive.

[Spigot]

Holy shit, Shenmue 2 becomes really awesome. I had no idea how large the scope of this game really was. It's a vast improvement over the first game. I can certainly see why it was so expensive to produce. I don't think most modern games have this many art assets.Here's the thing. They basically rolled Shenmue: Chapters 2, 3 and 4 (and maybe 5) into what became Shenmue 2. I think it was originally envisioned as a 7 part game and reality sunk in and they basically crammed a good 3-4 chapters into the second game's disc.

Which I quite preferred as the plot had a lot less meandering and filling of time and a lot more progression. Plus it took you to a few more locales than just the docks.

[MagGnome]

I think it was originally 16 parts, but I might be mistaken.

I really need to track down a copy of two at some point. Does it play well on the 360?

[Spigot]

I think it was originally 16 parts, but I might be mistaken.I think that might be a little larger than planned, but it was definately going to be pushing on the double digit mark if they did one game per chapter.

Ah. Shenmue 2, for any who are interested, tells the story of chapters 3-5 of the Shenmue tale. The second chapter is essentially the boat ride over from Japan to China and is on the Xbox disc as a comic book.

[MagGnome]

Thanks for the correction and the info, Mr. Spigot.

[Spigot]

Thanks for the correction and the info, Mr. Spigot.I live to serve.

I'd still just be happy if they put the story elements for the final chapters online so we'd all have some inkling as to how it ended. Hell, publish it as an ebook or something if they need to monetize it... or a manga or whatever.

Just don't leave us hanging!

[Xerxes]

I live to serve.

I'd still just be happy if they put the story elements for the final chapters online so we'd all have some inkling as to how it ended. Hell, publish it as an ebook or something if they need to monetize it... or a manga or whatever.

Just don't leave us hanging!

Don't worry. Sega will go back to it one day. Along with Panzer Dragoon.

[EternalGamer]

I think it was originally 16 parts, but I might be mistaken.

I really need to track down a copy of two at some point. Does it play well on the 360?

I just finished playing it tonight and I played it from start to finish on the 360 over the last week. It has some minor sound glitching at times, but nothing major. For example, there are a couple of districts in town where the town background noise will suddenly cut out and (more rarely) the sound effect of completing a QTE button press doesn't play. But there are no gameplay glitches or graphical glitches that I ran into. In fact, it looks fantastic upscaled on the 360.

[EternalGamer]

Don't worry. Sega will go back to it one day. Along with Panzer Dragoon.

I'm not so sure. Maybe in the distant future when it becomes economically feasible to remake the entire series and reintroduce it. But how many times has that happened in the game industry? The only remakes I can think of are of games that already gained a pretty substantial audience the first time. I can't really think of an example where a company remade a game that didn't sell up to expectations.

[EternalGamer]

I think that might be a little larger than planned, but it was definately going to be pushing on the double digit mark if they did one game per chapter.

Ah. Shenmue 2, for any who are interested, tells the story of chapters 3-5 of the Shenmue tale. The second chapter is essentially the boat ride over from Japan to China and is on the Xbox disc as a comic book.

I can't believe I am going to read a digital comic book of a videogame but I think I am actually interested enough to check that out.

In terms of the story progression, I agree that it made for a better pacing and more variety. However, it did result in a sort of an elongated (and a bit awkward) denounement. The gameplay climax of the game is at the top of the 40 floored Dragon building. But the narrative goes on for several hours beyond that point.

It actually made for an interesting narrative structure. Except for the lame way it ended. The game did have some narrative resolution in terms of offering solutions to Ryu's questions, but then it just goes an introduces a fuckton more.

[Spigot]

Don't worry. Sega will go back to it one day. Along with Panzer Dragoon.We all know that Shenmue is really a prequel to Panzer Dragoon. Ryu will find the first dragon and destroy the world.

[MagGnome]

I just finished playing it tonight and I played it from start to finish on the 360 over the last week. It has some minor sound glitching at times, but nothing major. For example, there are a couple of districts in town where the town background noise will suddenly cut out and (more rarely) the sound effect of completing a QTE button press doesn't play. But there are no gameplay glitches or graphical glitches that I ran into. In fact, it looks fantastic upscaled on the 360.

Where did you find the game at?

I wish it was an Xbox Original. That'd be great.

[EternalGamer]

Where did you find the game at?

I wish it was an Xbox Original. That'd be great.

It's just been sitting on my shelf for years. However, I was at Gamestop today looking for a copy of Yakuza 2 (which I opted out of because they wanted $30 for it) and I saw a copy there. I think it is pretty darn cheap, like most original Xbox game are nowdays. I doubt it woudl be over seven or eight bucks.

Half.com has it for $4:

http://product.half.ebay.com/Shenmue-II_W0QQtgZinfoQQprZ8327

[MagGnome]

Thanks! I really shouldn't pick up any more games, but I'll probably buckle on this one. I should have played it long ago.

[Variable Gear]

It's about time, Suzuki-san.

[shodan2020]

We all know that Shenmue is really a prequel to Panzer Dragoon. Ryu will find the first dragon and destroy the world.

Actually, I think that's what happens if you collect all of the capsule toys in the first game.. :)

[Nameless]

In terms of the story progression, I agree that it made for a better pacing and more variety. However, it did result in a sort of an elongated (and a bit awkward) denounement. The gameplay climax of the game is at the top of the 40 floored Dragon building. But the narrative goes on for several hours beyond that point.

The top of that building was such an epic fight scene. I don't think I'm ever going to forget that battle. All of that build up for Dou Niu released in one single move to finish the fight. So great.