It has been a few years since Shenmue 3 was first funded on Kickstarter, and while news has been slim, we did hear back in January that we should expect a release later this year. In the meantime though, Sega will be re-releasing Shenmue 1 and 2 on PC and current generation consoles.

Shenmue 1 and 2 were originally exclusive to the Sega Dreamcast, with the first game arriving in 1999 and the sequel landing in 2001. The Dreamcast didn't sell particularly well, so this re-release will put the original games in front of many who missed out at the time. Sega is describing the re-release as the “definitive version” and promises the “best Shenmue experience to date”.

Shenmue 1 and 2 for PC, Xbox One and PS4 will have updated graphics options, modernised controls and the option for Japanese or English voice acting. Pre-orders for the re-release are already live, but a final release date  has yet to be announced.

Sega also needs to elaborate a bit more on graphical upgrades. judging by the screenshots currently available, the main improvement will be a resolution increase.

KitGuru Says: Shenmue is a fairly niche game, but its presence at Sony's E3 conference in 2015 got a lot of people interested in the series for the first time. With that in mind, it makes sense to re-release the original games to try and grow the fan base. 

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