A part of us still cannot quite believe that sega is finally getting around to finishing the "Shenmue" trilogy. The first game was developed and published all the way back in 2001, for the underperforming but still great Dreamcast console.
A retrospective
Although "Shenmue" ended up selling reasonably well, sitting as the fourth best selling game for that particular console, Sega still considered it a disappointment as it cost a considerable amount of money to develop. Since it received universal praise and rightfully stands as one of the best games on that particular platform, a sequel was developed and released in 2001.
It sold abysmally, with around 100, 000 units shipped in the first year. Even porting it over to the Xbox did not really help matters.
For the longest time, it seemed like "Shenmue III" was nothing more than a pipe dream. Thankfully, a successful Kickstarter and a newfound public interest in nostalgic products brought this action-adventure series back from the dead.
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
"Shenmue III" is set to be released on the PlayStation 4 and Windows later next year, so it is no surprise that Sega is considering re-releasing the original two as a double pack for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A Sony console has never actually housed a "Shenmue" title, so this would be a pretty historical event for the platform.
The company has not commented on whether this release will actually happen, although a few European outlets leaked the information on their websites. We do not know any real information, although they did include a 2017 release date. Considering we are nearly half way through September, that might just have been wishful thinking.
If the collection were to be released, a straight forward HD upgrade would be the realistic outcome. Both "Shenmue" games were gorgeous, for their time, and hold up relatively well today. Getting an opportunity to replay them on a home console at 1080p would be a dream come through. The combat might be a bit stiff, especially compared to modern titles like "Sleeping Dogs" or "Yakuza 0," but the focus was always on the story and atmosphere.
We would love a full-scale remake of the first two titles but considering how much money Sega lost the first time around, the fact that a re-release is a realistic possibility is more than enough. Considering each game offers more than 20 hours of gameplay, a $59.99 price-tag would be fair enough.
