Sega ultimately ended up releasing Shenmue 1 and 2 HD, moderate remasters of the classic Dreamcast games to bring fans up to speed ahead of the launch of next year’s Shenmue 3, the long awaited next entry in the franchise. However, once, it was working on something far more ambitious—a full fledged remake of Shenmue.

Eurogamer shared this news today, also sharing footage of the aborted effort. Apparently, the remake was in development for quite a while before budget and resource considerations led to its cancellation. The remake was going to be a substantial overhaul of the original game, featuring, among other things, proper shadow maps, overhauled rendering and geometry, higher resolution textures, advanced lighting techniques such as ambient occlusion, upgrades made to the NPCs, and more. You can look at what it was looking like around the time it was cancelled in the shared footage for yourself below.

While it is a shame we didn’t get the remake, and instead got the relatively more conservative remaster, in the end, at least Shenmue fans got some modernization of the classic games, I suppose. You can play Shenmue 1 and 2 HD on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

With Shenmue 3 launching next year, the excitement surrounding the classic RPG series is growing with every passing day, which is something that Sega smartly capitalized on when they released the Shenmue 1 and 2 collection roughly a couple months ago. The collection launched for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but as it turns out, Sega is also considering bringing it over to the Nintendo Switch.

While speaking with 4Gamer (via Nintendo Everything) Sega’s localization director Hiroji Noguchi mentioned that the reception among fans to the recent re-release of the Dreamcast classics duo has been very good, and that being able to play the game on the go on Nintendo’s hybrid platform is an attractive prospect.

“The fans have really shown their love for Shenmue – and for that, I really am grateful,” Noguchi said. “Personally, I think it’d be great if you could play Shenmue on the Switch anywhere…”

Meanwhile, Sega’s localization producer Eigo Kasahara also chimed in, saying that bringing Shenmue 1 and 2 to the Switch is “definitely” something they’re considering. “Whether or not we can do something like that in reality, we’re taking the fans’ opinions into consideration,” he said. “Following up on that might take some time, but it’s definitely something I want to consider.”

Make it happen, Sega. It’s a perfect fit. When I reviewed the Shenmue 1 and 2 collection, I mentioned that it was a great way to revisit these old classics, but being able to play them on the Switch might just be even better.

Crash Bandicoot: N.Sane Trilogy‘s reign at the top has come to an end at last, with Codemasters’ F1 2018 having knocked it off its lofty perch. Gfk-Tracker reports that last week, F1 2018 was the highest selling game in the UK, followed by Shenmue 1 & 2 HD– which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The UK always had a fondness for Sega (indeed, even as Sega struggled in the US and Japan with the Master System, in the UK they were the dominant console).

On the individual formats chart as well, F1 breaks Mario Kart 8 Deluxe‘s streak, with the PS4 and Xbox One versions each taking the top two spots respectively.

Back on the all formats chart, Crash takes third place this week instead, with GTA 5 being moved down to fourth place, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe rounding out the top five. God of War, Call of Duty: WW2, FIFA 18, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Super Mario Odyssey, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild all continue to leg it out as well in the top 20.

You can see the full charts below.

All Format Charts

1. (NE) F1 2018 (CODEMASTERS)
2. (NE) SHENMUE I & II (SEGA)
3. (01) CRASH BANDICOOT N.SANE TRILOGY (ACTIVISION BLIZZARD)
4. (02) GRAND THEFT AUTO V (TAKE 2)
5. (04) MARIO KART 8 DELUXE (NINTENDO)
6. (06) GOD OF WAR (SONY COMPUTER ENT.)
7. (05) LEGO THE INCREDIBLES (WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE)
8. (07) CALL OF DUTY: WWII (ACTIVISION BLIZZARD)
9. (15) THE CREW 2 (UBISOFT)
10. (29) FIFA 18 (ELECTRONIC ARTS)
11. (14) PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (MICROSOFT)
12. (22) FAR CRY 5 (UBISOFT)
13. (08) SUPER MARIO ODYSSEY (NINTENDO)
14. (13) MINECRAFT (NINTENDO)
15. (11) LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES 2 (WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE)
16. (09) THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD (NINTENDO)
17. (27) MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION (MICROSOFT)
18. (17) OVERWATCH: GAME OF THE YEAR EDITION (ACTIVISION BLIZZARD)
19. (36) DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN (SONY COMPUTER ENT.)
20. (32) SEA OF THIEVES (MICROSOFT)

Individual Formats 

1. (NE) PS4 F1 2018 (CODEMASTERS)
2. (NE) XBO F1 2018 (CODEMASTERS)
3. (NE) PS4 SHENMUE I & II (SEGA)
4. (02) NSW MARIO KART 8 DELUXE (NINTENDO)
5. (03) PS4 GOD OF WAR (SONY COMPUTER ENT.)
6. (05) PS4 GRAND THEFT AUTO V (TAKE 2)
7. (11) XBO PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (MICROSOFT)
8. (04) XBO CRASH BANDICOOT N.SANE TRILOGY (ACTIVISION BLIZZARD)
9. (NE) XBO SHENMUE I & II (SEGA)
10. (07) NSW SUPER MARIO ODYSSEY (NINTENDO)
11. (09) XBO GRAND THEFT AUTO V (TAKE 2)
12. (06) NSW CRASH BANDICOOT N.SANE TRILOGY (ACTIVISION BLIZZARD)
13.  (10) NSW MINECRAFT (NINTENDO)
14. (08) NSW THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD (NINTENDO)
15. (13) PS4 CALL OF DUTY: WWII (ACTIVISION BLIZZARD)
16. (30) PS4 DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN (SONY COMPUTER ENT.)
17. (21) XBO MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION (MICROSOFT)
18. (25) XBO SEA OF THIEVES (MICROSOFT)
19. (12) NSW MARIO TENNIS ACES (NINTENDO)
20. (35) PS4 PLAYSTATION VR WORLDS (SONY COMPUTER ENT.)

If you’re ready, then let’s get started!

GENERAL TIPS AND TRICKS

Don’t Forget To Train

Although combat in the game isn’t too difficult, you may come across some difficult fights that you can’t get past later on. This is why it’s important to train in combat and learn different combos and moves even though if you feel like you don’t need it early on.

Talk To Everyone You Can

This game doesn’t exactly tell you where you need to go next in your pursuit of your father’s killer. It’s up to you to talk different NPCs and try and get some new information that could  be helpful to your cause.  As long as you explore areas and talk to those you see, you will soon be on the right path ahead.

Use Your Time Wisely

There is a day/night cycle in the game,  and so you have limited time in a day to  get things done. Make  sure you manage your time well so that each day ends up being a productive one. In fact, even  when there’s not much to do, it would be a good  idea to participate in the many side activities and mini-games to keep yourself occupied.

Work On Your Relationships

There are quite a few friends that Ryo has in the game’s world, including a romantic interest. However, to get the best out of these relationships, you will have to work on  them by calling them or meeting them. This will change how exactly the relationships develop throughout the course of the game.

Always Be Ready For QTE

Quick Time Events can happen at any time at all, even immediately after a conversation, so make sure that you’re always prepared to react to the situation and mash those buttons when necessary.

HOW TO SKIP TIME IN SHENMUE 1 AND 2 HD

In both games, time plays a very important role and there are many events that will only occur at a specific time in the games. This can make it annoying to just wait around with nothing to do.

In the first game, there’s no real method to just skip time, so your best is to try out some of the many side activities available and maybe do some exploring. The fastest way to move time ahead (not fast enough) though is to simply stare at the watch you have in the game by selecting it from the menu.  However, this will still take a while but there will be certain times when there’s nothing else you can do.

In the second game, you have the option to skip time when necessary. If any mission requires you to be there at a specific time, you can choose to skip time until the required time.

MAIN STORY GUIDE FOR SHENMUE 1

In the first game, one of the most confusing aspects is where to go next or what to do so as to progress in the main game’s story. The game doesn’t exactly engage in hand-holding  the player at every point, which is why we’re here to help you if you need some hand-holding. There are some very specific solutions that you have to use so as to move forward in the game and you can find all of these listed  below.

Finding The Black Car

The first main task you will have to focus on in the game is finding a black car. Before you go out on your search, make sure you thoroughly explore the Hazuki Residence where you wake up. Once you head out of the house, a little  girl called Megumi tells you that the car almost hit an old man called yamagishi, so that’s who you’re going to have to find next. You can find the man’s house in Sakuragaoka and his house can be found at the end of the street. Once you  find him, he will send you off to Dobuita since that’s where the car headed. In Dobuita, just  talk to the people there and they will eventually point towards Nozomi at her Flower Shop. Talk to Nozomi until she reveals information that leads you to Tom from the Hot Dog truck. Finally, Tom will tell you about some Chinese people who argued with him from within that car.

FInding Out About The Chinese People

In this part of the main story, seek out Tao at the Chinese Restaurant and he will tell you about the ‘Three Blades’ which basically refers to the three professions commonly taken up by Chinese immigrants, and these are the Barber, the Tailor, and the Cook. Before seeking them out, head over to the Suzume Park to learn the combat move called ‘Double Blow’ and you’ll miss your chance to do so otherwise. Next, speak to one of the following three people: Itoi at the Patch Shop, Yamamoto at the Ramen Store, or Maeda at the barbershop. Once you do, you can now speak to Liu at the other barber shop and he will send you to his grandfather Liu Senior who can be found back in Suzume Park. Find him here and he will send you looking for some Sailors, and finding them is your next objective.

Finding The Sailors

To find the Sailors, first talk to Tom and then he will point tell you that they often hang out in bars. In Yokosuka there are three bars to look into and these are the Bar Yokosuka, Heartbeats, and MJQ Jazz Bar. There’s nothing of interest in the MJQ bar, so you can skip going there. The Sailors aren’t at Bar Yokosuka either, but you can try and win a pool game there for 1000 yen and some information. The only place left is the Hearbeats and go there after 7 PM to find out that your next objective is to find a person named Charlie.

Where’s Charlie?

Finding Charlie is quite a long process. The first thing you will have to do is go to the Knocking Motorcycle Store where the owner will tell you about him and also points you toward the Jacket Shop where is known for causing trouble. Head on over to the Jupiter Jackets in Dobuita at some time before 8 PM (since the store closes then). Speaking to  Tsuruoka at the Jacket Store multiple times will let you learn that Charlie hangs around the place at night.  If you speak to Kinuyo at the lunch stand, you will be told to check Nagai Industries. This place opens at 4 PM and you can learn from here that Charlie can be found on the streets at night. Next, just hang around Dobuita at 7 PM and keep running between the arcade and the hot dog stand run by Tom and eventually some events will transpire that will give you your next clue to  finding Charlie: the Tattoo Parlor.

To find the Tattoo Parlor, you first have to find some people with Tattoos and you can check out the Arcade or the Knocking  Motorcycle shop to find them. If one of them sends you away, then try talking to the other one and he will ask you to join their gang. Do so, and you will learn that the Tattoo Parlor is in Okayama. Head up to the second floor in Okayama Heights and the Tattoo Parlor is there, but  you find out that Charlie will be in tomorrow.

Translating The Letter

It’s time to find some Chinese people again because you get a letter that was sent to your father before he died, and the problem is that the letter is in Chinese. Seek out Gao Wen in Dobuita and he can be found wandering nearby the arcade. He then sends you to his grandmother  Xia Xiu Yu who works at the Russiya China Shop near Nagai Industries. She will be able to translate the letter for you.

On the letter you will find some cryptic phrases and a phone number. Call the number and responding according to the cryptic phrases in the letter with Father’s Heaven = Nine Dragons, and Mother’s Earth = Comrades. This will now lead you to Warehouse 8.

Warehouse Eight

Finding out  Warehouse 8 is not as easy as it sounds. First, check the phone directory  from the Tobacco Shop in Dobuita and you will find out that the phone you called is from Amihama. To find out where Amihama is, ask Tom and then you can use the bus to get to the place, and the bus stop is close to the Tobacco Shop. The bus will take you to New Yokosuka Harbor and you’ll meet a character called Goro there who will tell you where the warehouse is. Get to the place and pile up the crates to climp up into the area. However, there are two Warehouse 8s and the right one is in the Old Warehouse District. You’ll have to go there at night or else the guards won’t let you in. Use your sneaking skills to get inside the warehouse and you’ll learn more about the item that Li Dan stole.

Finding The Hidden Mirror

Basically, Li Dan stole the Phoenix Mirror, but  he stole only one part of it and the other part has been hidden away. First go to your house and you will be able to find a letter from your father in his room and you can find a mysterious key in his desk drawer. Next, go to the dojo and you will be able to open a locked box that you can find there. Inside it, you will find a sword that is missing its guard. You will be able to find two scrolls along a part of the wall where you found the locked box. Take the scrolls down and the sword will fit perfectly into one of the holes there.

Next, talk to Ine-san, Fuku-san and then Ine-san again and you will know that you need to go to the Antique Store. Go to the Bunkado Antique Store in Dobuita and you will get the sword’s handguard  from the owner of this store. Also, just buy a lightbulb from Dobuita’s Tomato Store because you’ll need it later. Now, talk to Ine-san and Fuku-san and then go to the dojo and you’ll be able to place the handguard into the other slot and this will open up a secret door. Go on down to the secret basement and place the lightbulb and turn on the switch. There are some interesting things to find, so make sure you look around. You may notice that the bookshelves have been moved around,  so pull them back and you will see a wall behind. Break the wall down using a hammer and then call Master Chen up. You’re off to Hong Kong next.

Going To Hong Kong

So, you need to get to Hong Kong. Your first course of action is heading to the Global Travel Agency opposite Tom’s Hot Dog Truck, and once you go there you’ll find out it’s very expensive. Next, talk to Fuku-san and he will give you a bit of money. Once this is done, go to Nozomi and she will suggest using a boat and going back to the Global Travel Agency reveals that they don’t sell boat tickets, and they point you towards Asia Travel Company. Go to them and they’ll tell you to come back in a few hours.

You need a job and working at the harbor would help raise funds while also helping you get close to the Mad Angels and figure out what they’re all about.  Unfortunately for you, there are no jobs available. However, you can find Goro if you Amihama Wharf before 2:30 PM near Warehouse No. 14 and he will set up a job interview for you. Get to Warehouse No. 1 at the correct time and you’ll get the jon. Just keep doing  job, and also keep an eye out for news moves after work. There will be people all around the harbor who will teach you different moves. On ay 4, you will learn about Long Zha which is a job that involves the Mad Angels.

Nozomi’s Rescue

Go back to work on the 5th day and on the same night, you will get a call to get to Warehouse No. 17 within four hours and that Nozomi’s life will be at stake. First, get to Saukuragaoka and find Ito in his house and ask for his bike. Get his bike and complete the mini-game that ensues to make it to the harbor where you’ll have a battle waiting for you.

The End

Before you get to work, you will meet Tom and he will say he wants to meet at 12 Noon. Do so to learn his story and also gain a new move. Before going in to meet Tom, try and check up on all your friends as the game will soon end. There will be some big battles to get through and once you do, Ryo will be on his way to Hong Kong.

HOW TO SLEEP IN SHENMUE 1 AND 2

When you’re done with your daily activities in the games, you can turn in for the night. Sleeping is an important part of the games, but you can only sleep after 8 PM. In the first game, you can only sleep in your house. So when nighttime arrives, make your way back home to get some sleep for the night.

In Shenmue 2, things are not much different except for the fact that you can sleep at multiple places throughout the game’s world including places such as a lodge or guest house. This means you don’t have to go back to a single location just to turn in for a night’s rest.

SECRETS AND EASTER EGGS IN SHENMUE 1 AND 2

One of the unique aspects about both these games is that they don’t always tell you of many things in the game’s world. This means that you could easily end up missing a lot of content if you don’t explore everything on your own. You can find below some of the content you can easily miss if you’re not  actively looking out for them.

Shenmue 1

Actively Work On Your Relationship With Nozomi

You should try and call Nozomi up often even if the conversations aren’t always great, but the work will pay off because you’ll end up knowing more about their relationship. Later  on in the game when Nozomi calls you to the park, make sure you go and a scene will play out between the two of them. To get the next part of their interaction, you will have to meet Eri outside the arcade and she will send you back to Nozomi. Once you get back, you can see another touching scene play out.

Finally, towards the end of the game, when Ryo says “I should check with everybody,” make sure you check on Nozomi as well for some extra content.

The Armour Stab Scroll

You will actually be able to find two Chinese scrolls in Hazuki Doji with one behind the Yin and Yang scroll and the other in the basement. However, only the Armour Stab scroll is actually of any use.  Seek out Master Chen for help with translation and he will point you towards Gui Zhang and after this, Armour Stab can be learned.

Ask Around About The Mirrors

Once you get the mirror, make sure you ask around about it to learn more about Chinese culture. Specifically, talk to the following people: Yamagishi in Sakuragaoka, Keizo in Bunkado Antiques, Liu in Suzume Park, and Xia in the Russiya China Shop. Once you show it to all of them, a cutscene will play out.

Pay Attention To The Kitten

Interact with the kitten to find some bits of content as well. Make sure you feed the kitten around the beginning, and later on visit the shrine again and you will see that its leg has healed. You’ll also meet Nozomi there who is treating the kitten with medicine. Around the time when Ryo is trying to get a ticket to Hong Kong, you’ll notice that the kitten is missing, but you can find it just listening for its cries. Visit the shrine again later on and you will get another cutscene which involves Nozomi and the kitten.

Shenmue 2

The Duck Race

If you are able to successfully collect three medals, then you will be able to participate in a duck race, and who wouldn’t want to do that?

The easiest way to get the Bronze Medal is to pay money to the waitress at the Lucky Charm Quarter after you chase Wong through that place. Once you get the Bronze medal, speak to both Eileen and Izumi. After that, in the 3rd floor of the pine arcade, tell the man there that you would like to participate. A fight with Eileen follows and if you defeat her, you will get the silver medal. After this is done, get out of the Arcade and then return to fight Izumi. Once you defeat her, go to the Tomato Convenience Store where you can enter the duck race, but you need your own duck first.

Go to Man Mo Temple and then catch two leaves at once three different times. Once you do this, you will hear a duck noise and you will have to catch a duck feather to get your own duck.  Once you do this, you can go ahead and participate in the duck race.

Fangmei’s  Birthday

So, Fangmei’s birthday is on March 3rd and you can find quite a bit of content related to this, but be forewarned that it’s a bit long-winded. First of all, meet Fangmei and then get to know her well until she starts calling you ‘Ryo’ and not ‘Hazuki’. There are quite a few correct answers, and you can return later to re-initiate conversation in  case you mess it up the first time around. Also, keep 150 bucks ready at hand before you begin.

Once you’ve become her friend, meet Eileen at Pigeon Park where she practicing Martial Arts by the fountain, and this will trigger a cut-scene. On the next day, you will find Eileen and Fangmei eating together at the Man Mo Bistro. Follow Eileen after they’re done eating and she will stop at a point, and she will then have a conversation with Ryo about some things. Your next goal is to head to Complete Clothier in Three Blades Street, and Fangmei will be there. Once you talk to her, you will find out the item she is interested in. Buy the item and then hand it over to Fangmei on her birthday.

Make sure you say goodbye to Fangmei before you leave WanChai for the final scene involving her.

All Moves Locations

These are the moves you  can  get from Wise Men’s Kung Fu at WanChai.

• Dragon Spin
• Oblique Air Kick
• Stepping Strike
• Twin palm Thrust
• Double Storm Kick

These are the moves you can get from winning the challenge Lucky Hit Stand at Dragon Street, Kowloon.

• Monkey Roll Drop
• Heel Sweep

You can get the following moves from the first floor of the Thousand White Building.

• Serpent Coil
• Dragon Spin
• Oblique Slam
• Machine Gun Fist
• Demons Triangle
• Rear Foot Sweep
• Double Storm Kick
• Diagonal Wipe

You can get the following scrolls by completing a day’s work at Man Mo Temple.

• Mantis Combo
• Lunging Strike
• Horse Show Kick
• Stepping Strike

You can learn the following moves from different people in the game.

• Iron Palm: You can learn this move from Jianmin who can be found in Lotus Park.
• Counter Elbow Assault: You can learn this from Xiuyung before you go to Kowloon.
• Hind Blow: This move is taught by Guixhang after you help her out.
• Brawling Uppercut: Delin will teach this move to  you  when you’re raising funds for Ren.
• Wild Throw: Zhoushan will teach you  this at the monk’s temple once you’ve learnt Hind Blow.
• Predictive Explosion: The blind musician in Kowloon known as Kai will teach you this move.

SHENMUE 1 – HAZUKI RESIDENCE AND FLASHBACK LOCATIONS

You first wake up at the Hazuki Residence in the first game and there are lots of things to explore here. First of all, you will be able to find a cassette tape on the desk nearby. Look into the drawers to find the following items: Cassette Player, Sha Hua tape, and Photo of Friends.

Other things of interest include the Sega Saturn under the TV, the Shadow reaper Scroll in Fuku-san’s room, and a box of matches and candles in the Prayer Room. You can also find the ‘Twin Blades’ move scroll here. You can find a letter in Iwao’s room and a mysterious key which you will need later in one of the drawers.

Flashback Locations

By interacting with certain things in the Hazuki Residence, you will be able to trigger certain memories. The first of these are the chopsticks on the kitchen table in the house.

Following this, head outside and interact with the tree you will see in the corner just before entering the dojo. Next, head inside the dojo and look up at the banner in there to activate the last memory.

CHEATS AND CHEAT CODES

Note: Please use the following cheats at your own discretion. Using cheats online or offline may lead to an immediate ban. GamingBolt or its staff members are not responsible for any problems arising due to their use.

You can make things easier for yourself in this game by making use of cheat codes. There are some cheat codes available that can let you control the amount of money you have, speed up time, and more. First download the cheat engine and then go to these links: (http://fearlessrevolution.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7723#p56909 for Shenmue 1 and http://fearlessrevolution.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7723#p57399 for Shenmue 2). Using those will help you to achieve the following:

• Hours
• Minutes
• Money

SHENMUE 1 ACHIEVEMENTS/TROPHIES GUIDE

Break And Enter: Get into Warehouse 8 and meet Master Chen

Yummy Meal: Find the flashback in the Kitchen

Next Step Hong Kong: Complete the game

Practice Makes Perfect: Practise your Kung Fu in the Dojo with Fuku-san

Hot Dog Moves: Learn a move from Tom at the hot dog stand

To Be This Good Takes Ages: Play Hang-On or Space Harrier

I Know More Kung Fu: Learn 5 combat moves

Gainful Employment: Get a job at the Harbor

One Step Closer: Reach New Yokosuka Harbor

Mirror, Mirror: Get the letter from Yuanda Zhu translated in Dobuita

Treasure Your Friends: Find the flashback in the Dojo

Cat Burglar: Find Megumi’s kitten when it goes missing

I Know Kung Fu: Learn a combat move.

Unexpected Visit: Visit the fortune teller

Boy Scout: Help the old lady in Sakuragaoka find a specific house

Stay Down: Beat Chai in the Harbor

Needle In A Haystack: Find Charlie in the tattoo parlor in Dobuita

Stab In The Dark: Find the Phoenix Mirror in the Hazuki Basement

Full Cabinet: Earn all the Trophies. Well done!

Appropriate Response: Call the police at the beginning of the game

Sore Knuckles: Beat the 70 Man Battle

Simpler Times: Find the flashback in the Yard

What’s It Worth?: Take the Phoenix Mirror to the two antique shops in Dobuita

Gacha Gatcha III: Collect 50 Capsule toys

Mark’s Favorite: Win a forklift race

Freeloader: Buy a soda for thirsty Wang Guang Ji

Gacha Gatcha II: Collect 25 Capsule toys

Gacha Gatcha: Find your first collectable toy

SHENMUE 2 ACHIEVEMENTS/TROPHIES GUIDE

Cartographer: Place a map marker

Big Spender: Have less than 50 dollars when your bag is stolen

New Kid On The Block: Impress the Yellowhead scout, Yuandao Huo, with your fighting skills

Flower Power: See the flowers with Shenhua

Strongarm: Win 5 arm wrestling matches

Autumn In Wan Chai: Catch the leaves

Baggage Claim: Get your bag back after it is stolen

Tree Hunger: Find the Shenmue Tree

Good Samaritan: Straighten the man’s sign near the Come Over Guest House in Wan Chai

Sweet Sorrow: Say goodbye to the 4 wude masters before leaving Hong Kong

Expert: Learn 10 combat skills

Apprentice: Learn your first new combat skill

Back To School: Master the Wild Throw move from the Kung Fu school in Wan Chai

Not Done Yet: Complete the game

Under Your Nose: Catch Yuan and rescue Zhang Shu Qin

David And Goliath: Defeat Dou Niu

Money  For Nothing: Give money to the musicians at the beginning of the game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDGlQ7GPVDI

Slippery Like An Eel: Chase and catch Wong in QTE

Another Fine Mess: Fall off a building with Ren

Never Assume: Meet Lishao Tao

Now I Can Sleep: That’s it. No more Trophies.

To Be This Good Takes Ages: Play all 4 arcade games

Master: Learn 15 combat skills

Adept: Learn 5 combat skills

5 Star General: Find Yuanda Zhu

Nomad: Leave Hong Kong

Challenger:  Win an arm wrestling match

The original games were released back in 1999 and 2001, since then we have seen two console generations pass  and the current one is  heading to a close. A lot has changed since 1999…and one of the major concerns that I had while playing Shenmue is whether its visuals and gameplay mechanics will feel dated. Another concern I had with the re-release is that these aren’t your usual remasters. It’s basically a port of the original game and we were intrigued to check whether there is more under the hood, other than your expected boost in resolution.

For a series that is almost 17 years old and was most likely missed by the current gamer demographic, it  did a lot of things that were way ahead of its time. The years 1999 and 2001 weren’t an era where you would see wide open world games like you do today, so for its time the open level-based design in Shenmue was simply revolutionary. The open level design also allowed for a ton of environmental interaction forcing the players to explore every nook and cranny giving a sense of exploration and satisfaction unlike anything else before. You see, the Shenmue games won’t hold your hand…there is no map (well, you can buy them later) but most of your exploration depends on visual indicators. Interacting with NPCs in the game to find your way across, really gave a sense of player agency like no other game could do at the time.

The series also featured an in-game weather system allowing for several parameters such as clear skies and rain amongst other, along with a completely day/night cycle. Furthermore, the series kind of promoted the idea of “if you see it, you can reach it”, allowing the player to access a large number of interior rooms. Furthermore, these are completely littered with intricate details. Think about the level of intricacy in Yakuza on the PS2 back in 2005 but much more than that…this is something that these games were already doing half a decade before the Yakuza games!

Then there is the matter of pioneering game systems like quick time events…a feature we still see games using in 2018. Shenmue 1 and 2 not only improved brawling and open world systems, it was one of the first series to include dynamic NPCs and environmental behavior. For example, some stores will remain shut during night time and will open up during working hours or NPCs taking day and night work shifts. The world of Shenmue feels so authentic that sometimes we wonder how the development team managed to pull this off and that too at such a grand scale. Being one of the first open level games of that time, the development team had no existing blueprint to base Shenmue of off and to deliver this time of immersion with the help of mini-games, managing money and time, learning a deep combat system and going through your part time job of forklifting can be overwhelming for some players.

So, yes, the list of stuff you can do in these games is quite long and is beyond the scope of this feature but the burning question remains…how much of an improvement are we looking at in the re-release? Does the re-release versions bring in any new features? Well, first of all, let’s get the most least expected improvement out of the way. Compared to the Dreamcast version, Shenmue runs in full HD on the current-gen consoles. Unfortunately, the frame rate is locked to 30fps and the lack of 60fps is a bit disappointing. But, there is a specific reason for that…You see, this series is almost two decades old and during those days games were coded for specific architectures making them quite difficult to port them to other platforms. The same applies here…the architecture back then was vastly different than what we have now and although a boost in performance would have done wonders, its exclusion is not really a game breaker. The Shenmue games are slow paced to begin with so the lack of 60fps doesn’t really hurt the experience.

The re-released port also brings in several improvements in the form of bloom effect, a better anti-aliasing solution, a decent texture filtering solution and the odd improvements in textures here and there. However, the biggest improvement comes in the form of loading times as these have been drastically reduced in the re-release.

However, there are a more than a couple of noticeable issues that may hurt player immersion. The English voice overs seem to be lacking any sort of remastering at all and the cutscenes are still rendered in a 4:3 aspect ratio. The latter is something that we can live with but the lack of any improvements to voice overs is disappointing.  Furthermore, the controls haven’t aged well and navigating Ryo through the streets can be difficult due to certain camera issues.

So, overall, there isn’t anything technically wrong with this port as it’s essentially the same game from 20 years ago. The developers and publishers have been very  clear about this…this is not a remaster…so one should keep their expectations low if they are a expecting boost in the graphical effects. In an era where a remake of Shadow of the Colossus is one of the best games of 2018, would the fans had been served better if Shenmue 1 & 2 were to be remade? Possibly, yes. But game development is often more complicated than writing millions of lines of codes. There are issues related to licensing of in-game objects, music and more. We can go on about complaining how this re-release is not up to the standards of current-gen from a visual perspective but in all honesty, we should just keep those complains to ourselves and just thank Sega for letting us play one of the greatest game series of all time.

The remastered ports of Shenmue 1 and 2 are now out for PC, Xbox One, and PS4, and they’re quite decent overall as we noted in our review.  But you know what it means now that these games are out on PC? It means that we’re going to be seeing some great mods for them. And sure enough, a HD Texture Pack mod has been released for the collection.

This HD Texture pack has been made by user ‘Drogean’, and makes use of Kaldien’s Special K mod for the game. As the name suggests, it offers higher quality textures for the game’s environments and clothing. What’s interesting, though, is that the modder notes that the mod doesn’t just upscale default textures within the game, but that it actually brings recreated HD textures for the entirely.

You can get the mod here if you want your game to look the best it possibly can on you PC. This is the kind of stuff Shenmue fans in the PC community have most likely been waiting for, and hopefully, we’ll get to see some great mods for the games released in the future as well. This is just the beginning, after all (one would hope, at least).

Shenmue 1 and 2 is currently available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It presents a great opportunity to play (or replay) both games in anticipation of Shenmue 3, which, it was recently confirmed, will be launching in August of 2019.

Perhaps the most important thing that needs to be kept in mind while looking at Shenmue 1 and 2 HD is that these aren’t remasters, as Sega themselves have stated explicitly prior to launch. Rather than touching up and modernizing most, if not all aspects of the experience like remasters are supposed to do, D3t have instead merely ported over Shenmue and its sequel to current-gen systems. Beyond some light, cursory work done on improving a few visual aspects of the two games, everything else in the entirety of both the experiences has been left almost completely untouched, so Shenmue 1 and 2 feel and play almost exactly like the original releases with sincere faithfulness.

"Beyond some light, cursory work done on improving a few visual aspects of the two games, everything else in the entirety of both the experiences has been left almost completely untouched, so Shenmue 1 and 2 feel and play almost exactly like the original releases with sincere faithfulness."

As a result, for those who played and fell in love with these titles two decades ago, jumping back in should prove to be no problem at all. Readjusting to the eccentricities and design issues that were par for the course back when Shenmue 1 and 2 first launched will surely take some time, but since none of the issues present here would be new, that shouldn’t be a hurdle that seems insurmountable. As anyone who’s played Shenmue or its sequel would tell you, there’s a unique charm to these games that hasn’t ever been replicated in any other game. While modern open world games feel the need to hold the player’s hands along every step of the way, Shenmue 1 and 2 instead challenge you to live and breathe in their worlds like you were truly part of them. If there’s a certain place you need to head to to complete a task, you get no help from mini maps or compasses or pointers in any form.

Instead, you have to explore the open world, read signposts and boards in the environment, ask people for directions, and accrue clues from your surroundings. If ever any of that doesn’t appeal to you at any given moment, going to the arcade and playing some lovingly recreated Sega Arcade classics, or just playing a surprisingly addictive round of darts, is an extremely viable – and enjoyable – option. At their core, Shenmue games challenge the players to completely submerge themselves in their worlds, to absorb every tiny detail, the result of which is two games that are so thoroughly immersive, it’s hard to think of anything else that hits these same heights, even today. With both Shenmue 1 and 2, within a few hours you will likely have memorized major landmarks, directions, and locations, making you feel truly at home, and navigating through these areas and digging through to your next objective almost becomes muscle memory.

This core gameplay loop, once you get into it, is hard to get out of, and those fundamental pillars of the experience remain as strong as ever. With Shenmue 2 especially, that feeling of engagement becomes even more heightened. The setting of 1980s Hong Kong in the sequel is inherently more interesting than that of its predecessor, since not only is it larger and offers more to look at and learn about, but also because it plays host to a much more versatile and interesting variety of activities, with more part time jobs, more mini games, and the like. Shenmue 2 is also a much better paced game in general, and although it’s very much focused on getting players to become deeply intimate with their surroundings just as its predecessor is, it does a far better job of breaking the monotony with interesting activities and a regular stream of events in the story that keep things moving along nicely.

"While modern open world games feel the need to hold the player’s hands along every step of the way, Shenmue 1 and 2 instead challenge you to live and breathe in their worlds like you were truly part of them."

However, for those who completely missed out on these two games back when they first launched and are taking this opportunity to see what the fuss is all about – of which I suspect there might be a fair number of people – things could be slightly more complicated. That’s because the aforementioned gameplay loop is not exactly easy to get into, especially if you’re completely new to these games, and are going in with tastes and expectations that have been shaped by contemporary experiences. For the most part, video games in today’s day and age revel in moving at a brisk pace and throwing players for a loop on a regular basis- Shenmue, on the other hand, is all about absolute immersion, about taking things slow, about absorbing all the details. There’s a very good chance that if you’re playing these classics for the first time ever, that slow pace and the monotony might put you off. The fact that several prominent aspects of both the games simply haven’t aged very well, from their often unintentionally hilarious writing, to the wooden dialogue, to some occasionally jittery animations, might also contribute to that.

In spite of this not being a remaster, Shenmue 1 and 2 have both received some visual upgrades, which I mentioned earlier. Colours look brighter, with much better contrast than the original Dreamcast releases, things such as shadows and shapes are better defined and look crisper, the environments are bursting with sharp details that can be appreciated even from a distance, while things such as foliage and clouds in the sky boast far more detail than they did two decades ago. Everything is just much less muddier and a lot sharper in general, and though all D3t have essentially done is touch up all the original assets in both games to bring them up to 1080p resolutions, the resulting change is quite visible, and very much appreciated. There are a few pop ins every now and then, and I came across a glitch in Shenmue 2 that froze a section of the UI and prevented it from reacting to changing situations, but none of these issues are terribly intrusive in any way.

One area that definitely could have used similar polishing is the quality of the voice overs, but sadly, this is an area where Shenmue 1 and 2 HD finds itself noticeably lacking. Essentially, the very same heavily compressed audio files that were used in the original game have been taken and reused wholesale- or that’s what it sounds like at any rate. Sound quality during voice overs is unclear and simply not up to the mark, and some slight work to make improvements in this area would certainly have gone a long way, especially since the restrictions that called for low quality audio twenty years ago are no longer a factor. Additionally, while both Shenmue 1 and 2 obviously run in wide screen aspect ratios now, cinematic cutscenes in both games are still played in a 4:3 aspect ratio, for whatever reason. This letterboxing becomes even more pronounced in Shenmue 2, where black borders around the screen are even more prominent. It’s not a deal breaker, but it can certainly pull you out of the experience sometimes.

"Everything is just much less muddier and a lot sharper in general, and though all D3t have essentially done is touch up all the original assets in both games to bring them up to 1080p resolutions, the resulting change is quite visible, and very much appreciated."

Another area where at least some level of reworking or optimizing would have been appreciated is the controls. Though analog sticks can be used in both games for the purposes of movement and controlling the camera, the control schemes themselves are still very much based on D-Pad functions, which means movement is still digital, just mapped to the analog stick. This also means that movement and direction changes are both handled by the left analog stick. In and of itself this would not be as much of an issue, but camera control is tied to the right stick, which leads to something of a mishmash of control options. As a result, Shenmue 1 and 2 often end up controlling a bit awkwardly, making simple traversal, or even things such as turning in a particular direction, feel quite inaccurate at times. It’s not a game-breaking issue by any means, but it can take some getting used to.

It’s a testament to the timeless quality of Shenmue and Shenmue 2 that despite these issues, I don’t find it hard to recommend their HD ports. Sure, some aspects of both games haven’t aged as gracefully as others, while the lack of optimization in some deficient areas is also felt, but the inherent strengths of both games that created a legion of devoted fans twenty years ago still shine through. Newcomers might find it a little harder than veterans to get into the groove, but I recommend trying to get past the hump nonetheless. As we gear up for the long-awaited release of the third instalment in this tale of revenge, Shenmue 1 and 2 HD looks like the perfect excuse to jump back into these veritable classics.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

Once upon a time, Shenmue and Shenmue 2 represented the biggest, most ambitious games ever made, featuring a variety of systems, realistic and immersive worlds and NPCs, and the best graphics at the time. That was almost 20 years ago now- what was cutting edge and impressive then, well, isn’t now.

Which is why, in an era when the average AAA game can easily end up taking up about 50GB of hard drive space on your system, the Shenmue 1 and 2 HD Collection will take just 10.35GB of hard drive space put together- at least according to the game’s product page on the console PlayStation Store. That’s tiny- it’s even smaller than games like Monster Hunter World and Persona 5, which represent among the smaller games (in terms of file size) that have been released for the PS4 and/or Xbox One this generation.

But hey, when did file size ever indicate quality? Shenmue was a fantastic game then, and it is bound to be one today. The Shenmue 1 and 2 HD Collection launches on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on August 21.

Senator Armstrong – Metal Gear Rising: Revengence

Metal Gear is well known for being surprisingly over the top. Metal Gear Rising Revengence doesn’t climax a game full of ridiculous Cyborg against Cyborg action with a battle against some huge walking tank (though that comes before the climax), but against a corrupt politician. Getting his powers from a small loan of a million nanomachines, son, Senator Armstrong uses his enhanced durability and strength to knock around Raiden like so much scrap metal, and would have succeeded if not for the meddling of Blade Wolf

Sega has released a new trailer for Shenmue 1 and 2 HD, the upcoming HD compilation of the original two games in Yu Suzuki’s pioneering and groundbreaking action RPG series, that launches ahead of Shenmue 3 to catch players up with the story.

This brand new trailer walks us through an introduction of the characters who are players in the Shenmue saga, presented by none other than Corey Marshall, the English voice actor for series protagonist Ryo Hazuki. Of course, we get a lot of gameplay footage too (fans are sure to recognize some iconic scenes from the first two games and feel pangs of nostalgia)- and while these games now look their age, you do appreciate how well they have held up, given that they are almost twenty years old each at this point.

If you haven’t played Shenmue ever (or not since the games first came out), this collection will be your best bet at seeing why the franchise is so beloved at all. Shenmue 1 and 2 HD Collection launch for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on August 21. Recently, it received a Japanese release date as well. Meanwhile, last week’s trailer for the game briefly recapped the stories of the first two games. Watch it through here.