Shenmue I & II gets August release date on Xbox One, preorder here

By Asher Madan
published

A Shenmue collection is coming to Xbox One soon.

Shenmue
Shenmue (Image credit: Sega)

Recently at Sega FES 2018, the publisher announced that a rerelease of Shenmue and Shenmue II would launch in 2018 for Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4. The updated version would get physical and digital editions known as "Shenmue I & II". The collection costs $29.99 but the publisher didn't provide a release date.

Luckily, Shenmue I & II went up for preorder on the Xbox Store today, and revealed when the game will hit modern systems. According to the listing, the collection will release on August 21, 2018. Many gamers thought the release date would be closer to the holiday season, but thankfully the wait isn't that long!

Shenmue I & II comes with original features like the captivating jujitsu combat, investigative gameplay, role-playing elements, and odd mini-games. The title is set in a real-time open world that includes a proper day-and-night cycle and weather changes.

Players take a thrilling voyage across faithful recreations of Hong Kong and Japan in a tale of revenge and mystery. Both of the titles are regarded as cult classics, and Shenmue II is one of the most requested games for Xbox One backward compatibility even to this day.

Keep in mind that Shenmue I & II isn't a complete remaster. The visuals will mostly be the same. The game features scalable resolution, choice of modern or classic controls, PC graphics options, an updated user interface, and the option to select original Japanese or English voiceovers.

According to Sega, the Shenmue franchise has established a passionate following and is revered as one of gaming's greatest series of all time. These revolutionary masterpieces deliver a gripping story of retribution as Ryo Hazuki sets out to avenge his father's death and attempts to unravel the secrets behind a mysterious artifact known as the "Dragon Mirror".

It'll be interesting to play these games again on modern machines to see if they hold up after all these years. What was considered revolutionary years ago might not be good enough today.

Keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for all the latest in Xbox and Windows 10 gaming, accessories, news, and reviews!

Asher Madan
Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.

9 Comments
  • I really wish this were a proper remaster.
  • Same here.
  • Sucks it's not a remaster but i preordered this weeks agl at gamestop.
  • I want this on switch so bad.
  • I want this. I loved the original on the Dreamcast and if I can play it in any form then I'm happy.
  • dont support this. they'll just use the money to fund SHenmue 3 which will only be a ps4 exclusive.
  • Shenmue 3 is said to be on PC as well. Also it's not developed by Sega, so I doubt any money will go to Shenmue 3. However, on the other side, if sales number shows that there are many Xbox players buy Shenmue 1 and 2, the developer would be more likely to add Xbox to their platform in the future.
  • Not a remaster but good thing is, this version can also run on future Xboxes.
  • What will be nice about this is that players in North America will be able to experience continuing their save from Shenmue 1 to Shenmue 2 like you could in the Japanese version. Back when 2 was released I had imported the EU copy of the game and hacked my game save of Shenmue 1 with a hex editor so I could continue the story without starting over in the sequel. It was a pain but worth it to feel like the story was cohesive as a whole.