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The Shameful Media Coverage of Shenmue III
- Thread starter Danlord
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Every now and then, there are games where dog-piling is the popular behavior from the media. For whatever reason, it is acceptable to have a negative attitude and rake the game over the coals with a large helping of snark. Shenmue III's KS campaign totally fell into that unlucky club.
You see it all the time. For years, Dynasty Warriors games were treated like they were the most awful games on the market, but then a Zelda version comes up and the media knows Zelda is a beloved franchise, so they grit their teeth and pretend some innovative changes took place that set this one apart from the others. Some of them even go the other route and double down on that narrative because they know it'll generate clicks and attention.
That's just one example though. The thing with S3 fans is that it was fun to mock us over the years. Internet d-bags loved to wave their fingers in our faces and dismiss the idea that a third game could ever be possible. I dont know why this was so much fun, but assholes are entertained by strange things. So when the announcement came that the new game was coming, suddenly the crow was too much for them to swallow and they did the first thing that came to mind: look for reasons as to why it'll suck so bad that we'll wish the dream never came true.
You see it all the time. For years, Dynasty Warriors games were treated like they were the most awful games on the market, but then a Zelda version comes up and the media knows Zelda is a beloved franchise, so they grit their teeth and pretend some innovative changes took place that set this one apart from the others. Some of them even go the other route and double down on that narrative because they know it'll generate clicks and attention.
That's just one example though. The thing with S3 fans is that it was fun to mock us over the years. Internet d-bags loved to wave their fingers in our faces and dismiss the idea that a third game could ever be possible. I dont know why this was so much fun, but assholes are entertained by strange things. So when the announcement came that the new game was coming, suddenly the crow was too much for them to swallow and they did the first thing that came to mind: look for reasons as to why it'll suck so bad that we'll wish the dream never came true.
Spyder_Monkey
Banned
But they don't have third party backing. Sony was promoting the campaign but they're not funding the game. And he doesn't need $10 mil that was just the maximum amount of money the game was going towards. It was a pretty straightforward campaign all things considered with my biggest concern being no physical PS4 copy (which was fixed) it's just this FUD the gaming press spread for clicks. Let's face it, positive coverage only goes so far and Shenmue got so much of that that it crashed Kickstarter. People love to feed onto negativity and Kickstarter is the best place to spread negative coverage.
No, instead you'll play armchair financial analyst.
DannyDanger
Member
I know it sucks. But i don't think linking to the BS articles will help the situation
Don't give them any more clicks
Don't give them any more clicks
I'm really not seeing the "shameful" part to any of the media coverage of Shenmue 3.
Iva Demilcol
Member
I remember even indie developers wrote opinions about the budget of Shenmue III and some of them seemed kind of angry about it... Since some of them have relationships among the press I don't find surprising the bad coverage at all.
Aguero9320
Member
If anything I'd say the coverage of Shenmue has been way over the top in positive terms. Some of the reactions to it when it was announced bordered on embarrassing, particularly given the fog that surrounds what it will actually be (if it ever is).
Because Suzuki said "well, yeah we have 2 million to make the game but in reality I need 10M to get the TRUE vision out to my fans"
What does that mean? A gimped version? Half assed? Not complete? We don't know and it seems like we aren't getting a straight answer.
Rekki-Maru
Banned
Damn, there ain't no love on these muthafukkin streets! Hey Kotaku, find out if Yuzo Koshiro is going to do work on the OST- that's all i want to know.
Ryo Hazuki
Member
A lot of the coverage seems pretty bad, not even neutral. One thing I've noticed recently is the headlines focusing on money issues. Why not write articles on how Yu Suzuki is working ~18 hour days on the game? Oh yeah, because that's not going to get those concern clicks.
- Eurorgamer, where even the title of the article focuses on an off the cuff remark about money.
- Eurorgamer, where even the title of the article focuses on an off the cuff remark about money.
You dont find running stories claiming sony is funding the game when it wasnt true to be shameful reporting? Arent journalists supposed to vet an article before running it? Dont you usually interview people you hurl accusations at before running an article proclaiming their actions to be a "problem"?
jesus, come on. If I didn't know it was Shenmue, this would read like an African American in the 1960s talking about the civil rights movement.
SEGAvangelist
Member
This is typical media coverage of controversial gaming topics (post social media boom). They overblow everything for clicks. I'm not sure why people think Shenmue III is getting it worse than any other hot-button topics.
Sho_Nuff82
Member
"Appalling" is really the word you want to use there? By journalists asking for more transparency before people dump millions down a well on a game that already has some nebulous level of financial backing?
After Inafune's fuckery I'm all for people shining a little light on kickstarters that back on nostalgia bucks.
After Inafune's fuckery I'm all for people shining a little light on kickstarters that back on nostalgia bucks.
Are you hurt because no one is universally praising your beloved franchise's latest chapter
DangerMouse
Member
Neither is Sony. Sony isn't Kickstarting the game and it's coming to PC in addition to PS4...
They're just a backer and reportedly not even the biggest. Unsurprising really since they probably only have decent but tepid interest in the franchise since it's never been on Playstation before with it being on Dreamcast and Xbox only in the past.
Nothing wrong with being skeptical but it's because it went beyond that into straight up FUD as fact.
SolidSnakex
Member
The hubbub over Shenmue's budget has always been misleading. It was around 47m according to Suzuki and covered marketing as well. Considering how groundbreaking Shenmue was at the time and how ridiculously detailed it is even compared to modern games, that doesn't seem all that bad.
SpikedGunner
Member
Gaming Journalism at it's finest.
To be fair, I do understand the skepticism and that's fine to have, especially with Shenmue's often cited (though misunderstood) budget and the nature of certain other notorious kickstarters as of late.
However I feel as though that still doesn't excuse some of the word twisting and out of context clickbait titles...or the article mocking the placeholder box art. Polygon in general doesn't surprise me.
To be fair, I do understand the skepticism and that's fine to have, especially with Shenmue's often cited (though misunderstood) budget and the nature of certain other notorious kickstarters as of late.
However I feel as though that still doesn't excuse some of the word twisting and out of context clickbait titles...or the article mocking the placeholder box art. Polygon in general doesn't surprise me.
So what is your excuse for repeating the claim that sony is funding this, months after they've clarified they aren't?
AndrewDean84xX
Banned
I just don't see that this game will ever be what we want. I say that as a huge Shrnmue fan too.
If any of their negative nanciness had any basis in reality, sure, but most of it is just exaggerated beyond reason & logic and they can't even get their facts right.I threw down 120 bucks on this potential disaster
I want my games media to be negative nancies for once. Too much positive coverage out there for shit that will be shit when it releases. Mostly though, if the game is good when it comes out, who gives a shit if some journalists were skeptical a year+ out?
Like, please do tell me what is so OMG PATHETIC DISGUSTING GREEEEEEED LOL SHAME ON YU SUZUKI THIS GAME WILL BE A DISASTER in having a post-KS few month extra PayPal campaign? Pretty much all bigger Kickstarters nowadays have a way of pledging after the KS campaign and unlike Shenmue III, you can often pledge money until the game is close to release, whereas Shenmue III will end its extra funding campaign 2 years before the projected release of the game. But no, apparently Yu Suzuki should shut up and not ask for any more money than what they already got.
Jonneh3003
Banned
I read shameful as Shemale....
Shemales really aren't giving this game the coverage it deserves.
Shemales really aren't giving this game the coverage it deserves.
Kenzodielocke
Banned
I don't know, most people just seem to want a conclusion to the story.
ebullientprism
Member
Gaming media just cant win on GAF.
Be positive? lol enthusiast press.
Be cynical? HOW DARE YOU SAY BAD STUFF ABOUT A GAME I LIKE!!!!! HACKS!
Even when (times like these) some skepticism and questioning is called for.
Be positive? lol enthusiast press.
Be cynical? HOW DARE YOU SAY BAD STUFF ABOUT A GAME I LIKE!!!!! HACKS!
Even when (times like these) some skepticism and questioning is called for.
So I'm going through the articles in the OP and I'm not seeing anything shameful. Hell, the Polygon article about Sony's involvement is basically just quotes from Sony guy with some added facts. A lot of opinions about Kickstarter and nebulous funding campaigns, and the placeholder box art is hilarious.
outunderthestars
Banned
I think the press should be more skeptical on alot of crowdfunded projects. I don't see why this should stop just because they are concerned about a project that you like.
Danlord
Member
FYI: I have not played a Shenmue game, nor have I backed the Kickstarter. I intend to buy Shenmue 1 & 2 HD if/when it is announced, but so far I am not an invested fan.
There is a point where journalists can offer up different perspectives, holding opinions that go against the grain and there can be investigative pieces about funding and such things, but the pieces highlighted both in the OP and mentioned throughout with Eurogamer's piece (and a comment about Game Informer's coverage) have been of poor quality.
I am not suggesting journalists should offer unabated praise, but at least give me a reasonably constructed article regardless of the type of content I'm presented.
Dreamwriter
Member
Sony *is* investing on the game, just not fully funding it. As for the $10 million, Yu Suzuki basically said that's amount needed to let him make the game he's always dreamed it could be (and no, it wasn't the maximum amount, he had stretch goals beyond that).
PdotMichael
Banned
That's the problem when people interpreting things into something even they don't know a shit.
Videogame journalism in a nutshell.
Videogame journalism in a nutshell.
That's standard games journalism for you. Why research an article when you could just creatively fill in the blanks of a story with something that will generate far more clicks?
(EDIT: That being said, I don't think that the Shenmue III Kickstarter campaign was handled particularly well. It should've been way more transparent right from the start. However, jumping to conclusions without doing any research and trying to get something online as quickly as possible, facts be damned, is even worse IMO.)
(EDIT: That being said, I don't think that the Shenmue III Kickstarter campaign was handled particularly well. It should've been way more transparent right from the start. However, jumping to conclusions without doing any research and trying to get something online as quickly as possible, facts be damned, is even worse IMO.)
SpikedGunner
Member
That's all I ever wanted, I'm not asking for BIG OPEN WORLD! LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE!
I'm keeping my expectations in check and just want the series to be completed and successful.
The Jackdog
Member
did you read any of them?
most of these are using quotes directly from the people involved.
The articles that aren't just straight up opinion articles are all well researched.
King Beyond the wall
Member
I very rarely read or pay any attention to games journalists anymore because their opinions and reactions are so different from mine. I just use neogaf which offers a good range of opinions with supporting evidence for each interpretation. In comparison games journalists (I don't mean to make them sound stupid) seem to give a very simple and usually knee jerk reaction and interpretation of news.
The crew at gametrailers are really good though and are the exception.
The crew at gametrailers are really good though and are the exception.
Tertullian
Member
I am interested in this. Any links?
Danlord
Member
Read a reply I posted above, I have never played a Shenmue game nor have I backed Shenmue 3.
Stevey
Member
Hades Hotgun
Banned
You got called out for being factually wrong and your response is a nonsensical ad hominem?
Nice.
I agree in part, because if we just look at the facts... it was a pretty poor thing they did. First announcing a kickstarter as the "only way this game is happening" to "oh, but don't worry, Sony is also paying for this game" 24 hours later after the project had already been funded. It can't be seen as anything other than intentional to not mention that so they could raise as much money as possible before anyone found out that they didn't really need their money in the first place.
This doesn't excuse some of the media stuff, but I don't know that it's any worse for Shenmue 3 than it is for gaming in general. A lot of sensational headlines that... are extremely far from the truth (hello, Destructoid... and I use to love you back in the Jim Sterling days). The media can be really good at times and some of the complaints here are overblown and just showing that people don't think it's okay how Shenmue 3 has been handled, but reality is, this isn't any worse than coverage of anything else. Find outlets you agree with and stick with them.
Have you read all of them? I'm assuming that they must have definitive proof that Sony is indeed funding the development of the game, right? Not just providing support. But actual money into the development of the game. Because that seems to be the major crux of the argument.
Mr. Nice_Guy
Member
I generally see most Kickstarters for games have a minimum goal, but mention how they want to add more things if they get more money, implying these are things that will make the game "whole" in a sense. There was nothing not straight about how he worded that. Perhaps you might be over thinking it?
ZombiePlatypus
Member
It's a testemant to how beloved the whole project is that it managed to raise what it has so far despite all the smearing the media tried to pull on this game.
Kuchera's garbage articles in particular read like a disgruntled fanboy ready to instigate a flamewar. That he's being passed off as a journalist is a joke.
I can't wait to play and enjoy this game. Doubly so just to spite the people who seem to have a vendetta against it.
Kuchera's garbage articles in particular read like a disgruntled fanboy ready to instigate a flamewar. That he's being passed off as a journalist is a joke.
I can't wait to play and enjoy this game. Doubly so just to spite the people who seem to have a vendetta against it.
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