For hardcore fans of the Shenmue series, the announcement by Yu Suzuki of the Kickstarter for Shenmue III during Sony’s E3 2015 conference probably resulted in a prolonged orgasm. In all fairness, I was a bit excited at the prospect. Shenmue was a groundbreaking game in 2000, and I remember being wowed by its storytelling and visual prowess. Of course, that feeling left me when I remember that it was also a game where you got to wait for a bus IN REAL TIME! Let’s just say that my excitement for the third entry was quickly tempered.
However, even I am interested in the latest rumor concerning the series. Allegedly, SEGA is readying remastered versions of Shenmue and Shenmue II. The original made its much-ballyhooed debut on SEGA’s Dreamcast, while the sequel saw releases on the Dreamcast and Microsoft’s original Xbox. These titles are ripe for a remastering, and it’s a good idea for SEGA to release them before the third title, which is purportedly being delayed until sometime in 2018.
As someone who remembers most aspects of the original games fondly, the thought of playing remastered versions of the original games interests me. However, Shenmue’s primary contribution to gaming in my eyes is its use of quick-time events. There are very few things I dislike more than QTEs. One of them involves death.
