I dont see the point. Yakuza 3 is releasing stateside and a new Yakuza is coming in japan next month. They would have to make it a huge production to outshine yakuza so would it really be worth it?

I can see MSFT giving it a go though, strategically if they do it now it sets them up better for next gen in japan big time. They will have implanted Shenmue 3 and a butt load of JRPG's this gen, sure at a lose most likely, but in mindshare it could be huge when the next xbox 360 releases.

Id much rather have sega offer Shemue 1 and 2 on Live and PSN than anything else.

and the point is pissing off every gamer who played Shenmue 1, 2 and dying to play Shenmue 3.

life needs to go on, i don't want them to realease old shenmue games with the story unfinished yet.

Yeah, because thats the exact reason the game would bomb, why release a game that, as you say, doesnt have a finished story all these years later with gamers having no access to the first 2.

Yeah, i agree. Any hope of a Shenmue III would have to start with the first two releasing on Xbox Games for Demand and PSN (running in HD if possible).

I don't see Shenmue as "feeling Playstation", it has never been in a PS platform anyway. The 2nd one even released on Xbox!

With Yakuza doing so well, I don't see Sony "opening their wallet". I do see Microsoft investing in it, if their japan team is really serious about "saving Xbox" they would do it, it's now the #1 game everyone is dying to see Sega do (Sonic 4 used to be first, but they are doing that now).

I would have thought Yakuza doing so well in Japan would be exactly the reason why Sony would buy it, because they know it would sell! The last thing they want to do is buy a game which would not sell. Possibly Yakuza doing so well is Japan is because it is a "wanna be" Shenmue.

And exactly because it's a "wannabe" Shenmue is why I think Sony wouldn't fork whatever much money Shenmue 3 would cost. They already have a similar game in their catalog, which pretty much is only really popular in japan (so far). Shenmue would be a huge, huge risk, and could take sales away from Yakuza (or vice versa). Publishers tend to look at their games as a catalog and check variety, I think Yakuza is "PS3's Shenmue", so imo it would be even riskier.

MS on that matter... they don't have Yakuza, Shenmue II was on the Xbox, and they are looking to boost their presence in japan, so there is something there.

Nintendo will.

well, Shenmue 2 was ported to the original Xbox, so I think it is probably more likely that this is something Microsoft would go for. It is also another game that could give them an in for the Japanese territory.

If Shenmue wans't a huge sucess in the past (from a financial point). Why people think that this time'll be different?

nope, that would be a waste of money.