Sega have released a new video in anticipation of the launch of the upcoming HD remaster of Shenmue 1 and 2. The video is a brief summarization of the story of the first two classic games, originally released for the Dreamcast.

Narrated by Corey Marshall, who voiced series protagonist Ryo Hazuki, the video runs down briefly the events of the first two games, setting up their narratives, and talking about the beginning of Ryo’s tale of revenge in the first game, his story’s continuation in the second game, as well as the characters he meets along the way. Of course, footage is also included, and it looks suitably excellent, as expected. Take a look at it below.

Quite recently, Sega shared another video on the upcoming remaster, looking at the locations in the two games and how they compare to their real life counterparts. Take a look at it here. Meanwhile, details on the game’s resolution and its frame rate, as well as why it will remain locked at 30 FPS, were also recently shared by the publisher.

Shenmue 1 and 2 HD Remaster is out on August 21 for the Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Meanwhile, Shenmue 3 is also in development, and it was recently confirmed that it will feature an expanded combat system, thanks to hitting stretch goals on Kickstarter.

When the impossible became possible and Shenmue 3 began development, the first questions to come from fans was “What about Shenmue and Shenmue II ports?” Sega is finally about to cast those dreams into reality, and has now posted an FAQ regarding the games and some key information about the PC ports.

Firstly, yes, the classic arcade games that were in the original release are fully intact. On top of the usual visual enhancements with post processing, HD resolutions and updated UI, the game now allows movement with the analog stick. Players can now save anywhere, as well as carry saves from the first title to the second. Japanese and English dubs are available for both titles as well. 

There are limitations, however, such as cutscenes being letterboxed. The team also ported the Xbox version of Shenmue II for its feature set and stronger visual baseline than the original. Some more PC specific information includes fully configurable controller or mouse/keyboard controls. As for why the game is locked at 30FPS, there are hard coded assumptions about the frame-rate, which means due to the way the game was created, things would break if they pushed it faster. Shenmue & Shenmue II HD hit PS4, Xbox One and PC on August 21.

Sega’s HD remasters for Shenmue 1 and 2 finally have an official release date of August 21^st. As announced by Xbox Live director of programming Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, the remasters are currently available for pre-order and pre-download on the Microsoft Store. Those on the West Coast who purchase the bundle will see it unlock on August 20^th, 9 PM PDT.

Interestingly, Sega itself hasn’t officially confirmed the release date. Regardless, Shenmue 1 and 2 HD Remaster costs $29.99 and will also be available for PlayStation 4 and PC. Despite featuring the same story and gameplay from the earlier Dreamcast versions, the remasters will sport a modern interface.

Players can also choose between classic or modern controls and even experience the game’s Japanese audio for the first time. In the meantime, creator Yu Suzuki is working on Shenmue 3, the long-awaited sequel in the franchise, for PS4 and PC. It’s been delayed to 2019 but development is still progressing steadily.