Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for November 2024

Every month Phantom River Stone holds a poll among our patrons to choose a topic for the blog in the coming month. After tallying the votes (including accumulated votes from previous months), the winning topic that has been voted this time is:

"Project Berkley Bonus Disc: Dengeki Dreamcast Magazine (January 2000)"

January 2000 Dengeki Dreamcast Magazine cover

Japan's Dengeki Dreamcast magazine contained a huge 50-page Shenmue feature in its January 28 edition. Within this feature was a reflection on the intriguing Project Berkley bonus disc that had been released a year prior, that even today can be considered to hold an abundance of hints and glimpses as to how Shenmue's plot might once have been (and even could still be) going to unfold. 

Why "Project Berkley"?

In the late 1990s, SEGA's AM2 division, led by Yu Suzuki, embarked on an ambitious venture known internally as Project Guppy. Initially conceived with the title of Virtua Fighter RPG for the SEGA Saturn, the project subsequently transitioned to the SEGA Dreamcast and was renamed Shenmue, with the associated code name changing to Project Berkley. Code names were used to maintain confidentiality during development, adding an aura of mystery to the undertaking.

At his GDC 2014 post-mortem talk, Yu Suzuki reveals how the code name changed during development together with the game's title.

In recent years, Yu Suzuki has revealed the inspiration for the name "Project Berkley":

Q: At the beginning the game was given the codename “Project Berkley”, is there any special meaning behind this name?

YS: It’s actually like this [laughs]: because we realized at the start that this would be a completely different game to anything else on the market at the time, and its scale was unprecedented, we wanted to keep the project very confidential. Because of this we wanted to give it a very cool sounding name, like something from a spy movie. In Japan there’s this phrase bakkureru (ばっくれる) meaning to “pretend not to know” or “feign ignorance”, and by coincidence that there is a place in America with a similar sounding name, so we chose this “Project Berkley” codename.

A special feature of approximately 30 minutes, with the same name of Project Berkley, was included with the Japanese version of Virtua Fighter 3tb, released on Dreamcast in November 1998. Containing  a CGI trailer, an extended interview with Yu Suzuki and various concept art, it provided gamers with an early glimpse into the project's innovative vision, highlighting its potential to revolutionize gaming.

The Virtua Fighter 3tb release included a bonus disc

The bonus disc: "Project Berkley"

Summary of "Project Berkley" Disc Contents

CGI Movie

The feature starts with a CGI movie that lasts a few minutes, showing clips of characters and scenes  - some recognizable today as events from the first few games, and others not - accompanied by an orchestral score that includes the Shenmue theme. The movie finishes with a title of "Shenmue" in Japanese against a mirror design.

A scene from the CGI movie

Introduction and Vision

Yu Suzuki discusses the balance between advanced technology and game sense, which defines his creative style. He emphasizes providing players with a sense of freedom and realism, contrasting with the exaggerated mechanics of other games at the time (e.g., exploding vehicles upon collision).

Development Inspiration

Suzuki's early arcade game concepts explored realistic simulations, such as dogfights in fighter planes and immersive driving experiences (inspired by the movie Cannonball Run and Ferrari road trips). These ideas prioritized enjoyment over strict realism.

The transition to more narrative-driven games came from Suzuki's desire to create a title where story and characters take precedence over overly challenging mechanics.

Breaking Genre Norms

Suzuki was inspired by RPGs like Wizardry and Ultima but wanted to evolve the genre into something more accessible and universally appealing. He coined the term "FREE" (Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment) to describe Shenmue, focusing on interactivity and freedom within a believable world.

The game aimed to bridge cultural and linguistic barriers with universal themes like love, courage, family, and friendship.

Character and World Design

Extensive care was taken in designing characters, starting with rough sketches and evolving through clay and plaster models to achieve lifelike realism.

The game world was designed to be expansive, historically deep, and rich with diverse characters. Around 500 unique 3D models were planned for NPCs alone.

Concept art featured in the Project Berkley movie

Music-Driven Creativity

Suzuki introduced an innovative development process where the game's music was created first to inspire scenario writers and designers. This approach ensured a cohesive emotional tone throughout the project.

Philosophy and Legacy

The interview clearly conveys Suzuki’s ambition to create a game that goes beyond entertainment, embedding meaningful messages and immersive storytelling.

He envisioned Shenmue as a medium to connect people globally, emphasizing the value of friendship and shared human experiences.

The end of the Project Berkley documentary

Dengeki Dreamcast Magazine Article

We will be translating an article in the Dengeki Dreamcast magazine that highlighted several pieces of concept art and CGI scenes that had featured on the Project Berkley disc and speculated about what might be to come in the story. This should make for interesting reading as it was written just after the release of the first game. Have any of these questions yet been answered? 

Magazine page images kindly provided by SkillJim.

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