Sega may be readying an HD remaster of the first two Shenue games

By Imad Khan Published February 27, 2017

shenmue hd remaster 2017 cropped — Shenmue

With the highly anticipated Shenmue 3 on the horizon, wouldn’t it be great to play the original games in glorious high-definition? If rumors are to be believed, a Shenmue HD Remaster is currently in development with a release scheduled for later this year.

A source close to Atlus USA has told Rice Digital that Sega is planning to release an HD remaster of the first two Shenmue games. This comes as great news for fans, as currently the only way to play the games are on Dreamcast and the original Xbox.

Recommended Videos

Last year Sega revealed that it was looking into remastering the original Shenmue games and even registered ShenmueHD.com.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

At E3 2015, series creator Yu Suzuki went up on stage during the Sony press conference to reveal the Kickstarter for a potential sequel. Suffice it to say, the Kickstarter was a major success, raising $6.3 million. Gamers can still pre-order the game via the official site, only adding to the development budget.

Shenmue 2 was released in North America in 2002. Since E3 2015, plenty of gamers have become intrigued by the series, but playing the original games has been difficult because of limited availability. The HD Remaster would greatly serve the upcoming Shenmue 3 by helping gamers catch up on the story.

Interestingly, the source could not confirm if the Shenmue HD Remaster would be making its way to PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. The source did say with confidence that it would be coming to PC via Steam.

Since its announcement, not much has been revealed about Shenmue 3. It’s currently slated to come out in December 2017 for the PlayStation 4 and PC, but considering the development team is relatively small, it’s possible that the project could be pushed into 2018, to the dismay of fans.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Imad has been a gamer all his life. He started blogging about games in college and quickly started moving up to various…

Gaming

Metroid Prime Remastered gives the best video game soundtrack its due

Samus stares down Thardus in Metroid Prime Remastered.

Despite first playing Metroid Prime over 20 years ago, parts of it still came back as clear as day to me as I played through its excellent Switch remaster. I could still recall the exact moment when I experienced my first Metroid, as it bursts out of its test tube and starts wildly zipping around. I remember every camera shot leading into the Thardus battle. I’m even able to find some of its most hidden collectibles with a bit of muscle memory I never even knew I retained.

Even with so much of the first-person adventure game is branded into my brain, there’s one aspect that I can always recall with particular clarity: its soundtrack. Metroid Prime’s original soundtrack is one of the brightest highlights in a game full of them, offering players a host of atmospheric sci-fi tracks to scan and blast to. Each composition is bursting with personality, from its X-Files-like opening theme to the almost West Coast hip-hop synths of Chozo Ruins.

Gaming

Metroid Prime Remastered makes one of the best games of all time even better

Samus stares up at Meta Ridley in Metroid Prime Remastered.

After countless rumors and years of disappointment as those leaks failed to materialize, Metroid Prime Remastered is finally a reality. Though its existence may not have come at a shock at this point, Nintendo’s surprise shadow launch of it following this week’s Direct showcase certainly caught fans off guard. Shortly after the presentation wrapped up, I was unexpectedly revisiting my favorite video game of all time with all of its creative glory intact.

As its name implies, Metroid Prime Remastered isn’t a total overhaul of the Nintendo GameCube classic. Every second from the first-person adventure game unfolds exactly as you remember it, from its thrilling opening aboard an abandoned space frigate to its mournful trek through Phendrana Drifts. The visuals have been modernized and a new control layout makes it play like a modern shooter, but those are the only real changes you’ll find through the adventure.

Gaming

The best video game remakes and remasters of 2022

Ellie from The Last of Us Part I stands in front of text that says 2022 Best Remakes & Remasters.

There are plenty of brand-new games to enjoy in 2022, but sometimes you just want to revisit an old classic. Game companies are keenly aware of this, so the plethora of original titles that release each year always comes with a heaping helping of remasters and remakes that update old games for a new console. Some of these updates can feel superfluous, but oftentimes they ensure that loads of people who can't play the original now have access to old standbys.
From full-on remakes to fleshed-out remasters, 2022 was full of great remasters and remakes across every platform. These seven games, in particular, stood out as the best to us. They are rereleases worth checking out, whether you've never played them before or want to experience a classic again.
The Last of Us Part I

The Last of Us Part I earned backlash when it was announced due its $70 pricing and how readily available the PS4 remaster of this PS3 classic is, but that doesn't mean The Last of Us Part I isn't a good remake. This is the best that The Last of Us has ever looked, with that extremely polished and graphically impressive detail that we've come to expect from PlayStation's big AAA exclusives. Its chilling tale about the lengths people will go to so they don't feel loss again is as poignant as ever, and experiencing it again may get you hyped for the upcoming HBO Max show. Most importantly, The Last of Us Part I features a massive and thorough amount of accessibility options, so players with disabilities finally have to tools to experience this masterpiece of a game for the first time. It might feel unnecessary, but The Last of Us Part I sets a standard that other remasters should follow.
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe

nproxy.org