August 21st sees the long-awaited release of SEGA’s new versions of Shenmue I & II, enhanced by d3t for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam).
While the compilation is available at bargain prices, newcomers to the series may wonder if it’s worth diving into a pair of titles first published on the SEGA Dreamcast console in 1999 and 2001.
Members of the Shenmue 500K group on Facebook were therefore asked to help explain to new players the kind of games that awaited them in Shenmue I & II. Here are some of their responses.
The double pack is budget priced for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (where Steam pre-sales will likely become available once an exact release date has been confirmed). To further ease the strain on fans’ wallets however, especially for those seeking to buy multiple copies, the Shenmue 500K group on Facebook has been crowdsourcing the cheapest deals in each country.
Note: Retailers willingly take the hit on any discount below the recommended price, so Sega and their partners receive the same amount regardless.
Fans can help drive pre-orders by promoting the games in the #Shenmue Tweetathon, taking place every month on the 3rd. Spreading the word to gamers far and wide, the community can maximize the success of this relaunched franchise and help secure its future beyond Shenmue III next year.
When Sega announced last month that Shenmue 1 & 2 are coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2018, there was realistically only one thing the members of Shenmue 500K were going to do after securing our preorders.
Last summer, Yu Suzuki announced the extension of Shenmue 3’s development amidst a new global publishing deal with Deep Silver, allowing his Ys Net studio to fulfil its greater ambitions for the crowdfunded game.
In response, members of the Shenmue 500K group on Facebook have teamed up for the latest in a tradition of community collages, welcoming Deep Silver into the fold as an integral part of the sequel we’ve all been looking forward to:
Thirty-five fans from fifteen countries make up this collage, each holding a letter they’ve made to spell out their message. The same spirit of international collaboration that helped revive the Shenmue franchise continues to support those actively working to secure its future with the best possible Shenmue 3.
Though spread across the globe, members of the Shenmue 500K community have several times come together in visual form by way of a photo collage, spelling out their sentiments to all involved in securing Shenmue’s future. These collaborations to demonstrate the united will of the fan base have not gone unnoticed by the industry or the press, and now form an important part of the group’s history and identity.
Corey “Ryo Hazuki” Marshall is joined by his cast mates from the Shenmue series in unofficially reprising their roles for this plea to gamers, requesting urgent funds for residents in disaster stricken areas of Texas, Florida, and the Caribbean, recently hit by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.
In addition to lives tragically lost, the damage caused by this unprecedented series of storms has destroyed homes, livelihoods, and turned day-to-day living upside-down for many in the affected areas, including members of the Shenmue fan community.
With your help, survivors can make the best of a terrible situation and restore some normality to their world that was changed beyond recognition overnight.
To donate whatever you can spare, please visit OneAmericaAppeal.org, an aid project endorsed by every living former US President, and now the cast of this enduring Dreamcast saga.
Our thanks to all of the voiceover artists for giving their time and their talents to this cause in that distinctive Shenmue style. If you enjoyed their reunion then please reward its purpose, and act without hesitation to do the right thing.
Big congratulations to Dustin Janzen for winning our recent raffle to win a copy of Shenmue II signed by Yu Suzuki himself! Thanks for the picture, Dustin!
The raffle raised money for orphaned kitties at a Japanese animal shelter, as part of the Shenmue Heart of Gold campaign. Major thanks to everyone who took part, and please keep your eyes peeled for future contests announced via this website, the Facebook group, and on our Twitter account.
Right after the release of an in-development teaser video for Shenmue III, Gamescom 2017 in Cologne brought developer Ys Net into the center of a media feeding frenzy, with director Yu Suzuki’s schedule fully booked with interviews that continue to surface on websites of varying languages.
Nonetheless, the legendary creator behind some of Sega’s best loved games (including Virtua Fighter, Out Run, Space Harrier, Daytona USA, and more) still managed to squeeze in two busy Meet & Greet sessions with fans and some exclusive interviews with the Shenmue fan community.
You can already read Shenmue Dojo’s interview on their forum, and another from French site Shenmue Master is on its way. But what follows is the first interview conducted by Shenmue 500K, the series’ largest dedicated Facebook group whose burning questions were crowdsourced from members across the globe.
Relaying these questions on the group’s behalf were Sílvia Vila Tarrés from Barcelona and James Hamill from the UK.
