the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

Not sure how many fans of the video game series Shenmue are on here, but for those who haven't heard, Shenmue III is finally happening via a Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3. Shenmue II was released over 14 years ago and ended with a cliffhanger, but the game series is finally continuing on PS4 and PC due to fan interest.

Those who haven't played Shenmue I & II and have an interest in CMA should definitely try to check them out. The first was released in English on the Sega Dreamcast, while Shenmue II was released in English in the U.S. on Xbox and in Europe on Dreamcast. The story revolves around a Japanese teenager who sees his father killed by a mysterious Chinese stranger, and sets off on a quest for revenge starting in Japan and onwards into China. Playing the game, it becomes clear as you progress that it becomes more than just a revenge tale, but a story about the virtues of classical martial arts (at one point, you're sent to learn about wu de - martial virtue). Tai chi and Bajiquan enthusiasts will get a kick out of seeing some real live moves integrated in the game that you can learn from masters that you encounter and use on enemies, check out some my favorite scenes below:

小擒打 - Small Catch and Hit (Chen Taijiquan)


斜行 - Oblique Posture (Chen Taijiquan)


外門頂肘 - Outer Elbow Strike (Bajiquan)


沖捶 - Rushing Hammer (Bajiquan?)

Suzuki-san has my money already..lol. This game was amazing, I played both 1 & 2 more times than I would like to admit.

$4.5 million with nine days left to go. I'm pretty amazed that there's so many people out there that are willing to shell out hundreds, even thousands of dollars to see this game made. If I had more money myself, that dinner with Yu Suzuki looks mighty tempting.

Into the last few hours now, with $5,914,486 raised.

Really happy this game is happening - it's one of the major reasons I carried on with MA practice, and eventually got into CIMA.

Roll on 2017!!