SEGA announced that Shenmue I & II will launch on August 21 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
The physical version, available for preorder since April, will include a double-sided poster featuring characters from the Shenmue series and reversible cover art with original artwork. The digital version is available to preorder now from the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, and Steam at a 10% discount from the original US$29.99 price.
Below is a description of the collection provided by SEGA:
About Shenmue I & II
A tale of revenge.
In 1986, teenage jujitsu fighter Ryo Hazuki returns to the dojo of his father, Iwao Hazuki, only to witness his murder by a Chinese man, Lan Di. Lan Di steals a mysterious artifact known as the Dragon Mirror. Ryo vows to avenge his father's death and sets out to discover Lan Di's whereabouts.
Here is the new trailer:
Key Features
- The best Shenmue experience:
- Updated user interface
- Choice of classic or modern controls
- Japanese audio available to global audiences for the first time
- Adjustable screen resolutions
- An epic legend:
- A grand tale of revenge
- Solve the mystery of your father's murder
- An experience never to be forgotten
- The world feels alive:
- Talk to anyone and explore the world for clues
- NPCs live independent lives on their own schedules
- Faithful recreations of 1980s Japan and Hong Kong
- Lose yourself in arcade games, collectibles, and much more
SEGA also posted a frequently asked questions section on the collection's official website:
Which version of Shenmue II did we port?
For technical reasons, we started with the Xbox source code and data. This has the advantage of some additional features absent from the Dreamcast version:
- Photo system
- Filters
- Texture mipmaps to improve anti-aliasing
As some community members already know, the Xbox version has some graphical differences from the DC version, which will also be present in our release.
What features did we add?
Alongside the Herculean effort of porting the code to new platforms, there are many things we added:
- Choice of Japanese or English voice acting in both games
- Save files can be carried from Shenmue to Shenmue II on every platform
- You can save anywhere in both games
- HD-resolution rendering
- Updated user interface
- New post-processing effects for both games
- Full controller support, plus configurable mouse and keyboard support for PC users
- Full achievement support for both games on every platform
What does "modern control scheme" mean?
The modern control scheme means that we enabled analog-stick movement for Ryo instead of using the directional pad, as well as adding full mouse and keyboard support for PC users.
Will the games run at 60Hz?
Throughout the engine, game code, and scripts, there are hard-coded assumptions about a fixed 30Hz frame-refresh rate, so the game needs to run at 30Hz.
Is the game in 4:3 or widescreen?
The sections where players can control the camera are in 16:9. Cutscenes will use the aspect ratios of their original formats.
Will the emulated arcade games be playable?
We are pleased to announce that all the arcade games from the original are fully playable in the new release!
Who do we have to thank for this incredible work?
The incredible team at d3t.
Below, you can see the image gallery (click to enlarge):
