If this
exclusive on Kikizo is to be believed,
Shenmue 3 (covering chapters 7-16 of the planned
series) is not only virtually complete, but it's simply waiting for an exclusivity agreement to be ported to a next-gen
console. The unnamed, but "authentic and reliable" source claims that should such an agreement not come about, this
next Shenmue might even appear as a multiplatform release on the PS3, Xbox 360, and/or Nintendo Revolution,
depending on which option "makes more sense."
Now before we get any farther, it should be noted that we're not talking about Ryu ga Gotoku (an edgier game similar to Shenmue that Sega's working on) or Shenmue Online (the troubled PC MMO that's a bit up in the air right now). So if that's what Shenmue 3 is not, then what's "Shenmue 3" about (if we can even call it that)? Apparently this title will encompass every single chapter of Shenmue (the whole series, if you will), including the resolution of poor Ryo's search for the elusive Lan Di. AM2's plan would be to provide "a complete product" for those who have never played the first two installments, which would free the developers from being tied to a previous platform like the original Xbox (or Dreamcast!) due to a lack of old saves or loyal fan base. Kikizo's trusted source does say, however, that "360 looks most likely, but we shall see what the future brings."
Wow, up to this point, I've still only watched the movie portions of Shenmue 1 that came with 2
for the Xbox, so I guess I'm not bound much by old saved games, either. Maybe they'll bring this out in time to release
on home consoles while Virtua Fighter 5 and Afterburner III come out in the arcades. That would be
sweet. (SEGA!)
[via CAG (registration req'd.); thanks,
Ecofreak]
