Shenmue 1 & 2 are games that have cemented their place in the history of game design, and the industry as a whole, a long time ago with their groundbreaking open-worlds, unique blend of gameplay mechanics and memorable characters. While arguably the games have become somewhat dated, their importance to this hobby cannot be understated. Shenmue was only ever available on the Dreamcast, while the sequel also got ported to the first Xbox, this new re-release on the PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will make the game accessible to a new generation of players.
Both physical and digital versions of the re-release will be available upon launch, and the two titles will be bundled into a single product. This isn’t a remaster, however - while the PC version will get graphics options, and all versions will have wide-screen support and various control configurations. The visuals, for the most part, will be left untouched and intact, however on PC the graphics options will allow for some modification, though the extent of this is unclear as of yet.
While the tale of Ryo Hazuki’s personal quest for revenge was a financial failure, due in no small part to being the most expensive game to make at its time, it has developed a dedicated and passionate fan-base and cult following over the years with a large throng of players anticipating the release of the crowdfunded third installment. This re-release has also been hotly requested by old fans who no longer have a working Dreamcast on hand.
The physical release of the collection will be up for pre-order soon through first-party stores and US & EMEA retailers, and the digital version will be also available for pre-order through Steam, the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Live Store. SEGA hasn’t said anything about a release date yet, beyond the fact that Shenmue 1& 2 will be out sometime later this year.
