Cult Classics Shenmue I and Shenmue II are making their way to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC as a collection later this year. With Shenmue III slated for the latter half of 2018, fans can replay the classics and those new to the series can get caught up before the next installment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihC52HOx7zA
The Shenmue I & II re-release comes with a few modern updates, including fully scalable resolutions, a choice of using the classic controls or a new modern set, some PC graphics options, an updated user interface, and you can choose to play with either the original Japanese or English voiceovers.
For those unfamiliar, Shenmue follows Ryo Hazuki on his story to avenge the death of his father and to seek out knowledge on the mysterious Dragon Mirror artifact. The game features combat based on jujitsu, investigating clues, some RPG elements, and most of all some mini-games that Shenmue may be most well-known for. Also, some expect some Quick Time Event (QTE) gameplay, as Shenmue is where the term came from (originally Quick Timer Event), although the ur-example for that remains Dragon's Lair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HNOSQqoUcg
We've reached out to SEGA for some clarification, but one question fans may have is what version of Shenmue II will be featured in the re-release, the Xbox or Dreamcast version? The differences between the two are not major, nothing game-changing, but there are quite a few. The video above details them well. If we hear back from SEGA on the matter, we'll of course update this article.
The Shenmue I & II re-release is being developed by d3t, who also worked on the SEGA Mega Drive Classics Hub, including steam workshop functionality. They've also worked with SEGA by providing Steam Workshop support for Company of Heroes among many other projects.
Are you looking forward to the Shenmue I & II re-release? If you haven't played Shenmue before, will you use this as an opportunity to do so? Let us know in the comments below!
