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Shenmue I & II Remaster (8/21/2018; PC/PS4/XB1 - $29.99)
- Thread starter Y2Kev
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This announcement is like a dream to me, I cannot believe that i'll finally play the games without having to resort to an emulator!
But i'm also very worried about the gamers reception of the games... because one of the biggest problems of the series is that 90% of the meat is in the second game (where everything truly lifts off), while Shenmue 1 is frankly criminally slow until the last part.
I can see many current day gamers putting the game aside before reaching the meaty part, so I really hope they'll add timeskip to Shenmue 1 aswell and a hint system/skip to next story bit system.
Also, for everyone reading this post, do yourself a fucking favor and use the japanese dub exclusively, the difference with the English one is literally like pro and amateurs.
But i'm also very worried about the gamers reception of the games... because one of the biggest problems of the series is that 90% of the meat is in the second game (where everything truly lifts off), while Shenmue 1 is frankly criminally slow until the last part.
I can see many current day gamers putting the game aside before reaching the meaty part, so I really hope they'll add timeskip to Shenmue 1 aswell and a hint system/skip to next story bit system.
Also, for everyone reading this post, do yourself a fucking favor and use the japanese dub exclusively, the difference with the English one is literally like pro and amateurs.
Cannot wait to play each one for the first time! I'm going back to my nostalgic feelings of jealousy because I lacked a Dreamcast and Xbox OG, and so couldn't appreciate all the amazing things my games magazine of choice at the time said about them.
One thing I will mention is I'm happy this is being done since Shenmue 1 & 2 are games that definitely deserve to be preserved for the future. For nearly 20 years they've never released off Dreamcast/Xbox, so having a PS4, Xbox, and especially PC version makes me happy on that merit alone.
Shenmue I meticulously recreates the town of Dobuita in japan. Like, to an insane level of accuracy. People have traveled to Dobuita in japan after playing Shenmue and know their way around.
https://venturebeat.com/community/2014/09/07/shenmue-a-gamers-pilgrimage/
Every single character is named with a routine. Shenmue II shifts the story to Hong Kong, and then the walled city of Kowloon. Again, both are meticulously recreated, but given the nature of the story and the setting, they are less personable. People in Hong Kong are procedurarlly generated, so they don't have the crazy routines of Shenmue I, but that's by choice. It's supposed to make you feel like a fish out of water, like a stranger in a strange land.
The walled city of kowloon is insane in its recreation:
For a bit of backstory ok Kowloon: http://www.businessinsider.com/kowloon-walled-city-photos-2015-2
Every room, every door, every nook and cranny recreated. The place where you meet Ren of Heavens, for example:
You actually go to this spot.
Everything about this is right. Dual audio for both games (after all this time, I can finally play the first game with Japanese voices on), both classic and updated controls included and it's COMING OUT THIS YEAR!
Even the cover art is classy and gorgeous.
Even the cover art is classy and gorgeous.
Switch Ryu's model with a forklift and the Forklifts with a sailor so you can be a forklift driving a sailor?
Doesn't seem to be remastering any assets/the lighting, it's keeping everything the same as the original except they're increasing the internal resolution. Like what you could do with an emulator of the Dreamcast scene was more active.
For improvement talk, how I understand it is that while the games will have a few improvements (modernized control scheme option, better interface/UI, English and Japanese dubs available, resolution options on PC and running in HD on consoles, etc.), the games will probably look and play pretty much the same. Not everyone will be happy with that, but I can dig it.
This is an HD Remaster. I think what you mean is a remake.
I've noticed a lot of people here on ResetEra seem to have HD Remaster and Remakes confused with each other these days, you're not nearly the first person I've seen say this, and I don't just mean people in this thread either.
Some remasters will enhance the graphical visuals a bit, but in order to do that to a Dreamcast game they'd basically need to recreate all the 3D graphics for the game, which if they were to do that it'd essentially be the effort they'd want to put into a remake. But I don't think SEGA thinks a remake of shenmue will do super well in the market, and to be fair they're probably right.
I'm super excited for all the long suffering Shenmue fans but also excited that I finally get to play them for the first time!
I actually tried to play through Shenmue 1 last year, I bought it way back at the DC release but just stopped for some reason and it went back on the shelf. But the same thing happened last year too so I'm not sure if it's the game or me that is the problem. Can't say that I dislike it, the progression is just too slow for me I guess. Maybe it's better if you use a guide. Pricing will determine if I give it another try with this release.
Can't wait, now i dont have to drag out my DC copies before shenmue 3.
Still to this day disk 3 of shenmue 2 is still one of the greatest gaming experiences I have had.
Still to this day disk 3 of shenmue 2 is still one of the greatest gaming experiences I have had.
The story is, IMO, Shenmue's greatest strength.
There is nothing like it in gaming.
Well that's good. Sega doing what SE and Bamco don't.
Although, as this is Sega, it'll release the same day as RDR2 and be quickly forgotten about.
Although, as this is Sega, it'll release the same day as RDR2 and be quickly forgotten about.
Nice. I was starting to wonder if this would ever happen. I can finally experience these games.
Shenmue I is really slow. Really, really slow. It makes more sense when you realize that Shenmue I and II were likely one game on the saturn, as all the clips from the Saturn version show them together.
Shenmue I is 1 chapter out of 16 planned chapters for the story. It's the prolouge, essentially. Shenmue 2, by contrast, is chapters 3-5 (Chapter 2 is the boat ride from Japan to China that was cut, but eventually told in comic form). Despite Shenmue II covering 3 times as many chapters, both games are largely the same length for an average playthrough. So Shenmue I feels way, way slower, because there are much less story beats in general. Actually, much of Shenmue I, like maybe 60% of the plot, revolves around you working at a dock to make money. And that's pretty much it -- going into a daily routine until you earn $X to buy a plane ticket. And, in this section, there are really only 2 or 3 areas to explore. Even when it was new, I found that part of the game to be a drag.
Shenmue II never really has moments like that. It moves forward very briskly and is constantly taking you new places. Shenmue II is also full of combat and action sequences told in QTE. So yeah, Shenmue II is a much better game overall.
Shame most never played Shenmue II.
No, a remake would be entirely new assets and textures along with possible gameplay changes. A remaster is simply updated visuals, mainly improved texture quality, anti-aliasing, resolution, etc. Just look at the MGS Collection Remaster, God of War Remaster, Shadow of the Colossus Remaster, etc. Now, the information regarding this Shenmue port is a bit hazy right now for me but it does not sound like a typical remaster but rather a simple port. Though you can correct me if I'm wrong.
A few screenshots from the Steam page:
It seems there will be both 16:9 and 4:3 options. Or are these just emulator shots?
This is looking like the lowest possible effort. Better than nothing I guess!
As a kid back in those days I read all the good stuff about it in gaming magazines and over the past years people kept talking about it.
I will give it a try and even if really don't like the looks I will give Shenmue 3 anyway a chance.
Gah that makes me sad to hear, I have Shenmue 2 also on the shelf from back in the days buy I never even inserted the disc since I just figured I had to complete Shenmue 1 first, which I still haven't managed to do as I explained :/
Well I guess since I owned a Dreamcast only starting 2009 and never got around picking the originals up I'll finally get to play these masterpieces, I'm really excited for them! :D
This is still technically a remaster. A remaster just means a rerelease of the original with some tweaks/improvements. What developers do for remasters varies, but having higher resolutions, dual audio, and a new control scheme is enough to call it a remaster. They don't necessarily have to redo textures or AA for it to be called a remaster.
Honestly, Shenmue I can be summed up in just an hour or so. Which is kinda what they did with Shenmue: The Movie.
I feel like shenmue I has a lot of padding to make it feel like a full game. Releasing Shenmue I and II together is honestly a really good move.
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