Shenmue

Adult Swim releases Shenmue the Animation First Look Trailer

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Shenmue the Animation has finally gotten a first look trailer by Adult Swim, the anime is set to adapt the events of the first game and most of the second. The First Look Trailer posted above starts off with the iconic Shenmue game opening speech by Shenhua but has some different scenes within like Ryo fighting in a Karate tournament which fans are speculating is where Ryo received his iconic bandaged cut on his face.

According to some interviews, Shenmue the Animation will also use unused script ideas Yu Suzuki had that never made it into the Dreamcast originals. This will give older fans a reason to tune into the show when it finally airs sometime in 2022. Stay tune for more info.

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Shenmue Anime could release as early as November 2021 [Update]

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According to Shenmue Dojo, we could be getting a release of the Shenmue Anime, which was announced last year, as early as November 2021. So how do we know this? Well, some keen eye Shenmue fans noticed a tweet by @TMSent_jp which is the studio animating the project

It sadly looks like the original tweet has been taken down by the studio. Maybe they had a upcoming announcement? Since we haven’t even seen a frame of animation, I assume this is a leaked announcement. We do know its suppose to be a 13 episode series that covers all of the first game and a part of the second.

What are your thoughts on the whole Shenmue Anime project?

Update: According to Adult Swim/Cartoon Network’s Creative Director @Clarknova1, Shenmue: The Animation “will definitely NOT release in 2021.” Meaning that TMS tweet was probably deleted for the obvious mistake. /Update

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Data Discs Announces Shenmue II Vinyl Soundtrack and Optional Slipcase

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Data Discs have announced the followup to their 2015 release of the original Shenmue score on vinyl. Shenmue II will be joining the Data Discs line with a selection of tracks from SEGA’s Sound Team. The release is presented on 180g vinyl with original cover art and two lithographic prints. The editions include: 180g Light Translucent Green and Orange (Limited Edition), 180g Light Translucent Green and 180g Classic Black. Data Discs have also revealed an optional “Dragon and Phoenix Mirror” slipcase built from hardboard and coated in a matt laminated varnish made to hold both releases, and retails for £12.50.

The Light Translucent Green and Orange (Limited Edition) of Shenmue II will be up for an open pre-order until MONDAY 21st SEPTEMBER at 13:00 (UK time), and retails for £20.99. The other two editions will remain available beyond that time (while stocks last) and retail for £19.99. All editions have an estimated shipping date of January 2021. Additionally, the original Shenmue vinyl is being repressed with a January 2021 release date.

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Crunchyroll and Adult Swim announce Shenmue: The Animation, 13 episode anime series

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It looks like the Shenmue: The Animation is a real thing thanks to Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, as they have announced that they are teaming up to distribute the production outside of Japan and mainland China on the Crunchyroll and Adult Swim platforms.

The series is set to have 13 episodes and chronicles the adventures of Ryo Hazuki as he finds his father’s murderer. According to the press release you will visit Yokosuka and Hong Kong metropolis. So it looks like the first season is going to cover all of the first game and probably some of the sequel.

Hit the jump for the press release:

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SEGA Talk #16: Shenmue (1999)

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SEGA Talk is back, and with our return we thought we’d cover a very important game in SEGA’s history. On this episode we discuss the 1999 SEGA Dreamcast classic Shenmue! George and Barry discuss the game’s history, the many innovative gameplay features and our own experiences playing the game.

In addation to the audio podcast, we are offering a special YouTube enhanced version of the show. We are still working out the kinks and feedback would be appreciated. If you like the show, make sure to leave us a positive five star review on iTunes, it always helps!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Play Music – RSS – Download]

If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add  them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

Support us on Patreon! Get an exclusive pre-show, early access, your SEGA memories played at the end and more!

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Shenmue III officially reveals English voice cast

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The Shenmue III Kickstarter has sent out its 96th update, this time discussing the English voice overs that the game will receive. As we already know, Corey Marshall is reprising his role as Ryo Hazuki while Ling Shenhua will be played by new comer Brianna Knickerbocker who is said to have stunned people with her great performance.

We also got a behind the scenes video with the voice actors, Yu Suzuki and sound director Takayuki Nakamura in the LA studio. My main issue is how odd the audio is synced and how there is little to no information in this video. Which has been a common theme with these updates.Also seems like so few people to voice a game like Shenmue III, we even have Katana, Corey Marshall’s daughter making her voice performance debut. Should be a interesting product when Shenmue III releases later this year.

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Shenmue I & II releases in Japan, selling over 30k units its debut week

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If you guys didn’t know, we actually got Shenmue I & II early in the West. Some folks say we got it early to bug test it for its Japanese release, who knows. What we do know is that Shenmue I & II hit Japanese store shelves on November 22, 2018 and charted number for on the Japanese Media Create charts. The top spot was given to Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee! (which seems to track both games as one) but the impressive debut this week came from EA’s Battlefield V which garnered 110,653 sales in its debut week, really making Shenmue I & II’s 37,529 units seem rather weak. But at the end of the day, Shenmue I & II is a port and Battlefield V is a brand new game, so comparing them sales wise is useless.

You can check the full media create chart on Gematsu or after the break:

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Happy 50th Birthday to Ryo Hazuki, star of the ongoing Shenmue franchise!

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Today is the 50th birthday of Ryo Hazuki, fictional star of SEGA and Yu Suzuki’s ongoing Shenmue series. Ryo’s birthdate is given as November 29th, 1968, making him 18 at the time of Shenmue. In fact, Ryo’s 18th birthday is the same day that Lan Di murdered his father. Oddly, this fact really isn’t mentioned in the game (to my knowledge) but knowing this really makes those fateful opening moments all the more heartbreaking for Ryo. Assuming Ryo survives the events of Shenmue III and potential future sequels, he would be 50 years old today, four years older than his father who was murdered at 46.

If you’d like to know what Ryo is currently up to, back in 2010 on The Saturn Junkyard blog I wrote a pretend interview with Ryo asking him about his SEGA Saturn to learn how he was able to own the console ten years before it was actually released. Ryo let slip a few details of his current situation.

Happy birthday, Ryo!

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SEGA Japan reveals Shenmue I & II special collector’s edition for PlayStation 4, with CD soundtrack, poster and box

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File this one under: “The Japanese get the coolest stuff!” SEGA of Japan has released a new trailer for the upcoming Shenmue I & II release for PlayStation 4, and in addition to the footage we got the reveal of a special collector’s edition of the game. Like the Japanese Sonic Mania Plus release, this edition will include the game in a handsome box with a special two CD soundtrack. The soundtrack will feature music from both games. Also included will be a two sided poster and, if it is anything like the other regions, a reversible cover. The special edition will retail for ¥5,990, just a little over $50, however sites like Amiami or Amazon Japan should mark it down a little.

While the game releases this month to the Americas and Europe, Japan will have to wait until November 22, 2018. You can pre-order the game now at Amiami for ¥5,300 and at Amazon Japan for ¥6,469, which includes bonus digital smart device wallpaper downloads.

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Shenmue I & II releases August 21 to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC – pre-order today!

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SEGA has released a new trailer for Shenmue I & II, as well as new screenshots and revealed an exclusive poster and release date. The game releases soon, August 21, 2018, and both European and American versions come with a two sided poster and a reversible cover. As revealed yesterday, save data will carry over from I to II, however save data from II will not carry over to the upcoming III. I do hold out hope that III will at least have some way to check for a save file from the remasters and give some sort of bonus for players.

Pre-Order Shenmue I & II:
PlayStation 4 | Xbox One | PC

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How will modern gamers react to Shenmue I & II?

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To our great delight, just last week Shenmue I & II were announced to be releasing to PS4, Xbox One and PC later this year.

Unlike most rereleases in the past few years, Shenmue I & II are not being remade from the ground up (as seen with Crash, Spyro and the PS2 Yakuza games). Instead, the games will be releasing as enhanced ports, thus retaining the graphical style of the Dreamcast originals. What more, the games will seemingly not be altered to cater to modern gaming sensibilities. Most notably, the ability to time skip (fast forward the clock to when a business opens) will not be implemented in Shenmue I while it will still be present in Shenmue II.

We wanted to ask you, the reader, this: How do you think the modern gaming audience will react to Shenmue I & II?

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SEGA News Bits: Shenmue 1 & 2 HD Announcement Reaction

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SEGA Fes 2018 answered the prayers of many SEGA fans by revealing that at long last Shenmue and Shenmue II would be receiving HD ports to PS4, Xbox One and PC. On this SEGA News Bits, we take a look at the road to Shenmue HD, what new features the games will have and more!

If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon! Supporting us allows you to gain access to an exclusive video series: SEGA News Bits Extra!

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.

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SEGA FES 2018: Shenmue 1 & 2 Remasters announced for PS4, Xbox One and PC [UPDATED]

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Just now Shenmue 1 & 2 has been announced for remaster on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Details are just breaking now so bare with us as we update this story but looks like the much requested port is finally a dream come true for long term fans!

The Steam page has launched, which reveals the game will have an updated user interface, a choice of modern or classic controls and Japanese and English audio (this will be the first time Shenmue I will be playable in Japanese in the west). The game is set to release in 2018.

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What could SEGA’s “16th January” lightbulb tease mean? [Updated]

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Today, both SEGA and SEGA Europe Twitter accounts (why are they have separate accounts still is best left for another article) shared a teaser image of “16th January” and a lightbulb. What could this mean? While it could mean anything really, there are a few clues here. For starters, this image comes from SEGA Europe. The ordering of days before month is a dead giveaway. The lightbulb, meanwhile, is commonly used to evoke an idea. How does one get to an idea? By thinking. The SEGA Dreamcast had the well known slogan “It’s Thinking…”. Could the lightbulb be the idea that the years of thinking is leading to? Could this be SEGA’s tease for impending Dreamcast ports? It’s possible. [Update: Or not? Read on!]

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Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works teases never before seen production materials from Jet Set Radio, Shenmue and more

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Screen Shot 2018-01-08 at 9.26.52 AM

Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works, an upcoming book from Read-Only Memory, is the followup to SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works. Successfully backed on Kickstarter late last year, Read-Only Memory sent a new years update to backers and boy is it an exciting one! Read-Only Memory received a large amount of production materials from SEGA of Japan, including several never-before-seen pieces from popular Dreamcast games. Included in the haul are:

  • Game mechanic sketches, environment concepts and high end renderings for Sonic Adventure
  • The complete design document for Jet Set Radio/Jet Grind Radio, including some amazing graffiti artwork concepts
  • A very early proof of concept video for Space Channel 5
  • Character studies and production artwork for Phantasy Star Online
  • Storyboards, character designs and environment artworks for Shenmue

Read-Only Memory will spend the coming weeks sorting through all the materials and identifying pieces to include in the book, with the final cut of the book to be laid out in a few months. Also revealed is that photoshoots for the Hardware Showcase chapter of the book will be taking place in the next few weeks, featuring everything from consoles to the fishing controller to the Samba de Amigo maracas. If you’re the proud owner of a Dreamcast hardware rarity you think should make the final cut, please do drop Read-Only Memory a line!

We here at SEGAbits can’t wait to get our hands on the book, and in the meantime we’re working to get Darren Wall of Read-Only Memory back for another Swingin’ Report Show podcast.

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