Shenmue 2 Interview with Yu Suzuki | DoriMaga May 2001

This interview with Yu Suzuki about the upcoming release of Shenmue II for Dreamcast was published in the May 2001 edition of Japan's DoriMaga magazine. It took place following Sega's decision to cease production of the Dreamcast a couple of months earlier in March 2001.

The translation begins below.

DoriMaga: There was a huge turnout at SEGA's recent event, Game Jam*, reaffirming the great anticipation for Shenmue II. What plans are there for the Dreamcast in future, and what is the significance of Shenmue II? Let's hear a message from Yu Suzuki to the readers of the new-look DoriMaga magazine and users of the Dreamcast.

*Note from Switch: Game Jam was a trade event held in Tokyo by SEGA the previous month, in April 2001, and featured preview gameplay of Shenmue II.

Suzuki: Game Jam was fantastic. While we apologize for any inconvenience caused due to the crowded space, we are delighted that so many people attended. Seeing such a large number of attendees makes us very happy. Seeing so many attendees on that day made me think, "It's a shame we're giving up on the Dreamcast..."

DoriMaga: The event featured the first-ever demonstration using actual hardware, but how far along is the development of Shenmue II at this point?

Suzuki: Well, as of the end of March, it's mostly been bug fixes. That means we've essentially locked in the program code, and from there, it's mostly about replacing data and focusing on debugging. Since April, we've been diving into that work, and at the moment, we're at a stage where it's nearing the finalization process. At this stage, if we are able to iron out any critical bugs, we'll be looking at finalization in just a few weeks.

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The Shenmue III Publishing Torch Has Passed to ININ Games | Community Video Selection

Although several days have passed since the announcement caused a flurry of excitement in the Shenmue community, we could not let it go unmentioned on the blog any longer: with the blessing of YS Net, ININ Games has assumed publishing rights for Shenmue III!

The YS Net Press Release

It all started with a rather inconspicuous news entry added on 19 November 2024 to the YS Net official site, simply titled "Notice Regarding Shenmue III Publishing Change". This linked to a press release  document that announced the immediate transfer of publishing for Shenmue III to ININ Games, stating:

"Following the previous collaboration on Air Twister, this will deepen the relationship between ININ Games and YS NET. Known for their commitment to celebrating beloved titles, ININ Games is excited to shepherd Shenmue III into its next phase.

This collaboration marks the beginning of a new chapter for Shenmue III, with ININ Games working closely alongside YS NET to honor the series' legacy while ensuring its accessibility to even more fans around the world".

 

The ININ Games Press Release

A couple of days later, an online article by Gematsu quoted a press release from ININ Games. After noting the significance of the transfer date coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Shenmue series and the fifth anniversary of Shenmue III, the release continued:

"We at ININ Games are honored to carry the Shenmue torch forward during such a significant moment in the series’ history. As we reflect on two decades of innovation and passion, we remain dedicated to preserving and sharing the journey of Ryo Hazuki with both long-time fans and newcomers".

 (Note, there had been some initial confusion about whether the rights were for the complete franchise, but it was later clarified to be just Shenmue III).

The timing, on the 5th anniversary of Shenmue III, suggests that the previous publisher, Deep Silver, had publishing rights for a period of five years from its release. In addition, the mention of ensuring "accessibility to even more fans" suggests that the exclusivity to Sony's PlayStation platform has now also ended.

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"FighterMania!" Signed Art Prints by Eric Kelso at Half Price for Black Friday

Special-price signed prints from Eric Kelso!

Voice actor Eric Kelso is well-known in the Shenmue community for having provided the iconic voices of Masayuki Fukuhara, Guizhang Chen and Wuying Ren in the first two Shenmue games (English voicing). He has also been a long-standing supporter of the Shenmue community and franchise in general, contributing to voice mod projects and even featuring in Issue 1 of Shenmue World magazine!

Eric had been wanting to create a way for fans to obtain genuine signed items directly, to avoid the need to run the gauntlet of online marketplace websites and potentially paying exorbitant prices for signed items of unknown origin. So he recently announced a new project to make available a series of 9 limited-edition art illustrated prints by artist Thomas Duncan that capture several of his famous fighting characters.

Each of these character prints comes signed by Eric, and furthermore each is personally addressed with a special message of your choice! Also available in an A4 size print of Eric with images of his characters.

Preview of the Shenmue characters:

Each high-quality print is enclosed in a transparent hard-shell case, and sent in a bubble envelope to ensure they are delivered in pristine form. The character cards are postcard size and look great displaying together in a frame, as Eric demonstrates in his video introducing them:

For Black Friday, Eric is offering a single limited-edition signed character card, or the A4 card, for just $40. Or, go all out and get the full set of characters for $240, which comes with the A4 print for free! International shipping is free on all orders.

This is a fantastic chance to add to your collection with a personalized, signed print from Eric Kelso. 

To Order:

Head over to Eric's website for the simple ordering process.

A4 print design featuring Eric himself!

Unboxing Video by SkillJim

Check out SkillJim's overview and unboxing of the full set of prints!

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Eric Kelso Returns to Voice Ren in Shenmue III | Shenmue Dojo Mod

 

Following the release of Shenmue III in 2019, fans in the Shenmue community have released a range of mods for the PC version of the game to tweak all sorts of aspects, including graphical and audio adjustments.

Back in 2019, a Shenmue III mod was organized by Patrick Fuller that allowed players to hear Ryo's telephone conversations with Guizhang and Fuku-san voiced by the original voice actor from the first game of the series, Eric Kelso, who specially recorded all the lines for fans to enjoy.

And now a brand new, and much more substantial, Eric Kelso mod has been released by the Shenmue Dojo. Produced once again by Patrick, this mod amazingly swaps in the voice of Wuying Ren as heard in Shenmue II, for Ren's entire part in the game! The recordings have been masterfully and seamlessly integrated back into the game, and hearing Ren's restored voice will bring a smile to the face of fans for whom this is the true voice of Ren.

This mod is the culmination of efforts from the project team, and is credited to the following core team: Patrick Fuller* (producer / director), Lemon Haze (coding), James Brown* (testing / footage), Jibby* (graphic design) and Peter Campbell (audio assistance).

* Also supporters of Phantom River Stone through Patreon!

There is even an added bonus in that Lan Di's lines, although not many in Shenmue III, have been revoiced by voice actor Paul Lucas. They bring back that snarling sense of menace all players will remember from Ryo's encounter at the start of the first game.

Both voice actors are well loved in the community for their ongoing support and participation of the franchise ever since the release of the original games, and have contributed their recordings free of charge. Thanks to their generosity, and the hard work of the Shenmue Dojo project crew, fans playing the PC version now have the option of hearing the original Ren and Lan Di.

This superb mod has already caught the attention of global media (including PCGamer). And hopefully this incredible effort will also come to the attention of producers of the upcoming Shenmue Anime. I'd love to see Eric and Paul back to provide the English voices.

How to Install the PC Mod

Installing the mod is simple. Just follow these steps:

1. Download Forklift zip from the Shenmue Dojo server
2. Unzip the zip contents into your Shenmue3\Binaries\Win64 folder.
3. Download the mod zip. This is the complete version which has the new Ren mod as well as the previous Eric Kelso voices for Ryo's telephone calls with Guizhang and Fuku-san.
4. Create the folder Shenmue3/Content/Paks/~mods if it does not already exist, and unzip the zip contents into it.
5. Start the game.

Watch the Scenes

If you don't have a PC, you can watch all the Ren scenes (together with Lan Di at the end!) on the Shenmue Dojo channel:

• For more details, see the Shenmue Dojo forum thread here.

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Ryo & Ren Reunited! Eric Kelso and Corey Marshall Twitch Livestream Announced

Voice talent Eric Kelso (English voice of Fuku-san, Guizhang, Ren as well as additional minor characters in Shenmue I and II) will be joining Corey Marshall on his Twitch stream as he plays Shenmue II!

Eric and Corey worked together in Japan recording their lines for SEGA for the original Shenmue - and following that, again for Shenmue II - more than twenty years ago. (You can read about this in our earlier interview with Eric Kelso on the blog).

And now they will be back together to chat and interact with fans on this special stream. Get your questions ready!

In Corey's announcement tweet, he says: "Eric and I will reminisce about our (mis)adventures working together and will take questions from Shenmue fans.  Don't miss this very special livestream!"

• Time: Friday, March 5th at 8pm Los Angeles time [= Saturday 1pm JST]

• Stream link: https://www.twitch.tv/coreymarshallvoiceoverpro

At the Sega studio, during the recording of Shenmue II: Eric Kelso, Lisle Wilkerson [voice of Joy / Xiuying / Yuan] & Corey Marshall

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TVGS Interview with Voice Actor Eric Kelso

Recently James from the YouTube channel That Video Games Show interviewed Japan-based voice actor Eric Kelso, who has a wealth of voice-over and voice acting experience in a variety of fields, and of course played the English voices of Fuku-san, Guizhang and Ren in the first two Shenmue games.

The questions cover Eric's activities in Japan as well as several Shenmue-related topics, including:

• Which of the 3 Shenmue characters you voiced did you have the most fun with?
• What is your favorite dish to cook?
• Were you contacted about returning to play as Ren in Shenmue III?
• Would you be open to re-recording your own original voices for the Shenmue III characters?
• What made you decide to move to Japan?
• Can you play any musical instruments?
• What is your favorite "Ericism"?
• Have you ever played Shenmue I and II?

Eric has always positive supported Shenmue and the fan community, and it is a pleasure to hear from him again in this interview.

Further information on topics mentioned:

• Eric's book "Ericisms" is available on Amazon
• As Eric mentions in the video, he has revoiced some of the Shenmue III telephone conversations and these are now available for fans to enjoy:
• Ryo calling Fuku-san, revoiced by Eric Kelso
• Ryo calling Guizhang, revoiced by Eric Kelso
• You may also like to check out this blog's 2017 interview with Eric.

Link: That Video Game Show YouTube channel

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Shenmue 3 Guizhang Call Dubbed by Eric Kelso

If you enjoyed the recent revoicing of Ryo's telephone call with Fuku-san in Shenmue 3 by the original voice actor, Eric Kelso, then don't miss this second treat in the form of a telephone call with Guizhang that has also been revoiced by Eric.

The arrangement of the recording work by Eric and the redubbing of the video was carried out by James Reiner, who comments in the video description: "The BGM and subtitles are done in post edit. I also changed the script a little so it is not canon."

As James alludes to, he has made some changes to the wording compared to the Shenmue 3 lines: the phrasings of the spoken password sequence accurately reflect those from in Shenmue 1, and Guizhang has regained his usual gruff tone and attitude towards Ryo from the first game. Plus - he now makes mention of the accident that befell him at the end of the first game!

• James Reiner's YouTube channel contains many more Shenmue-related videos.

It has been amazing to see what has been achieved by fans together with Eric generously giving his time freely to carry out these recordings so we can hear these characters chatting with Ryo just as they sounded in the first game.

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Eric Kelso Voices Fuku-san! Shenmue 3 Telephone Conversations | Guest Post

We welcome guest contributor Patrick Fuller back to the blog with something special that's sure to bring a smile to the face of players of Shenmue III who have fond memories playing the English dub of the first game.


As a fan, one of my most anticipated features of Shenmue III in the build-up to release was the ability to contact characters from the previous two games with an international phonecard.

However, anyone who has reached the Hotel Niaowu will have noticed that the payphone in the lobby has some technical issues. Long distance calls are fine, but often the people on the other end of the line will sound slightly different than expected.

Rather than wait for Ma Jailing at the front desk to have this fixed, I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands.

I met Eric Kelso earlier this year in Japan, and whilst I was too drunk to remember any of it, luckily, he remembers me and has been kind enough to record the script for Ryo’s phone calls with Fuku-san.

For anyone who wants to hear what Ryo’s conversations would sound like with the original voice actor, get ready to bathe in some nostalgia and enjoy the video.

About the author: Patrick (Paddy) Fuller

I’ve been a Shenmue fan since back in 2002 and have not been able to get this series out of my head since. The world has so much depth and presents something new with every playthrough.

I’m @patrickjfuller on Instagram and @paddyjfuller on Twitter if you want to follow me for pictures of Japan.

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Guizhang Promo Clip Voiced by Eric Kelso

Guizhang has a message for Ryo!

Presenting the third and final promo clip voiced specially for the blog by Eric Kelso, voice of Ren, Guizhang and Fuku-san in the Shenmue games. 

The interview with Eric can be found here.

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Eric Kelso Answers Your Questions! | Interview with the Voice Actor for Ren, Guizhang & Fuku-san

The characters of Fukuhara-san, Guizhang and Ren are certainly some of the most memorable characters in the first two Shenmue games.

I had the pleasure of interviewing the actor behind the English-language voices of all three of these Shenmue characters, voice talent Eric Kelso.

As well as voicing [from left] Guizhang, Ren and Fuku-san, Eric also voiced a number of minor characters in Shenmue. One of his other lesser-known characters is Nagashima, one of the pair of thugs that Ryo runs into on Dobuita Street. *Correction: Nagashima was voiced by Dario Toda; Eric also voiced some of the fishermen at the harbor (as best we can determine from their voices: Kim Shihan, Susumu Kodo, Shigeru Kojima and Kazuomi Narasaki).

Questions for Eric were gathered beforehand from all over the Shenmue community, including through blogs, fan sites, Facebook and Twitter. Although not every question could be covered, the majority of them were able to be asked. The name of the person / people who suggested the question is noted above alongside each question.

The full interview transcription starts below. As you will see, Eric is a fan of the Shenmue series and very supportive of the fan community, and it was a really fun interview to do.

Plus, following the transcript, listen to an audio compilation of a selection of Eric's answers from the interview.

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Eric Kelso Interview Coming Soon | Fuku-san Promo Clip

Presenting a second teaser for our upcoming interview, again voiced by Eric himself - the Fuku-san edition!

The interview with voice talent Eric Kelso (Ren / Guizhang / Fuku-san in Shenmue) will be posted up on phantomriverstone.com within the next few days.

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Eric Kelso Interview Coming Soon | Ren Promo Clip

I had a fantastic interview session with voice talent Eric Kelso, who plays Ren, Guizhang, Fuku-san in Shenmue.

We covered a good number of the questions gathered from everyone's submissions earlier, which I'm really happy about. The transcript is being worked on and should be posted up here on the blog within the next few days.

In the meantime, check out this awesome promo / teaser in the voice of Ren that Eric specially recorded for us!

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Submit Questions for our Interview with Eric Kelso [now closed]

Phantom River Stone is excited to announce that we have lined up a special interview this week with one of the English voice actors from Shenmue I and II: Mr. Eric Kelso.

Eric is a long-term resident of Tokyo, and has an extensive career in narration and voice acting, as you can see from his profile page. And, as anyone who has contacted or met him will know, he is a huge supporter of the Shenmue fan community.

Eric played several major voices in the Shenmue games, including most famously Guizhang, Ren of Heavens and Fuku-san. He also voiced several other smaller roles in the game, such as some of the security guards manning the gates at New Yokosuka harbor.

What questions would you like to ask Eric?

Any question or topic is fine, although the interview will mainly be centered around Shenmue. For example: his experience recording for Shenmue I & II, current-day interactions with the other voice actors, thoughts or hopes about Shenmue III, his career, other voice-recording work done for arcade games etc... Unique or fresh questions are especially welcome.

The interview is scheduled for this coming Thursday June 15th, so get submitting! Leave your questions in the comments below. We will try to ask as many of your questions as possible in the interview.

Question submissions are now closed. Thank you for everyone who participated! The interview will be coming soon.

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