II has a special place in my heart
With Final Fantasy VII and Shenmue making a comeback, it’s been a weird past few years to reflect on. For many it was the golden era of gaming, with a resurgence of JRPGs into the mainstream, and oddball Dreamcast (and Xbox) adventures about punching fruit and the joys of riding forklifts and asking locals where they can find some sailors.
According to Rice Digital Sega is going to be going a lot further than just Shenmue III, as a source from Atlus USA informed them that there will supposedly be a Shenmue I and II HD Remaster released this year. They’re waiting to release them both at the same time rather than individually, as a clear lead-in for the third iteration, which is looking to get pushed into 2018. Rumors have been swirling for a long while with the remastering of this classic pairing, and this only stokes the fire.
While Shenmue is iconic in its own right, Shenmue II impacted me in a big way. It came at a perfect time in my life, and has kept me waiting for a follow-up ever since. I hope this remaster project goes off without a hitch, and that all of the minigames, arcade machines and all, are intact!
Shenmue HD Remaster coming in 2017 [Rice Digital]
