It also appears that it will receive a physical release neds bonus 2019 both on the PS4 and Xbox One and will include a double-sided poster. Noticeably absent is a Nintendo Switch version, which is a real head scratcher, but those people could entertain themselves playing real money casinos instead.

The screenshots and video were uploaded to SEGA’s press site last week, and there hasn’t been an official announcement from SEGA as of yet.

There’s no press release or other product information attached, so we don’t have a full list of the games to be included as of yet, but looking at the box art, there will be the usual stalwarts are included in the video, like Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage and Golden Axe, to name a few.

The early portion of the video includes the same awesome 3D interactive bedroom featured in the SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics Hub, which was released on Steam in 2016. That bundle included Steam Workshop support that enabled users to submit mods, which was a really awesome feature.

Here is Sega’s official statement:

“SEGA and D3T indeed had started exploring the feasibility of a full HD remaster for Shenmue I & II. That being said, we soon realised that this was a project with its own set of challenges. Working with original animations and characters but meshing them with enhanced HD visuals gave us a game that we felt would not meet the standards that Shenmue fans expect and deserve. Rather than going ahead with a release that may disappoint fans, we chose to focus on bringing the classic game to PC and modern consoles, so that new players could experience Shenmue’s original charm.”

I buy it. A faithful port with enhancements was the right way to go about it.

I am not a fan of meshing old animations with half baked modern visuals, Yakuza Kiwami is a prime example. I don’t like that in a remake. If I am to buy a remake I’d prefer that it be like Capcom’s Resident Evil remakes.

If Sega can’t do a remake from scratch then I will gladly take an enhanced port over a half old – half new mesh of a game.

Yakuza Studios announced a “legal suspense action” game titled Project Judge, which will launch in Japan this December for PlayStation 4. Luckily western fans won’t have to beg for a release, because SEGA simultaneously announced a 2019 release date us too!

Here’s SEGA’s official press release, which you can check out below

■ About

Sega is proud to announce that the new courtroom thriller from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios, Project Judge (working title), will release in 2019 on the PlayStation 4. Project Judge will feature the voice acting talents of Japanese actor / artist Takuya Kimura as the game’s main protagonist, Takayuki Yagami.

Project Judge takes place in modern day Tokyo, following a serial murder case. The main protagonist, private detective Takayuki Yagami (played by Takuya Kimura), is a man of conviction who fights for his beliefs, despite the overwhelming despair surrounding him. Kimura has met extensively with the game’s development team to craft this protagonist, dedicating more than 1,000 minutes of voice recording time for his lines. By putting forth so much effort in developing this role, Project Judge aims to redefine what it means to truly bring a character to life.

Other talented actors, including Akira Nakao, Kenichi Takito, Shosuke Tanihara, and Pierre Taki were brought in to play the game’s supporting roles. Additionally, the rock band Alexandros enhances the drama to its peak with the original theme song Arpeggio and feature song, Your Song. This game is developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios headed by Sega Chief Product Officer Toshihiro Nagoshi. The studio is known primarily for their work on the Yakuza series, which has sold over 11 million copies worldwide. To create an experience in line with the studio’s core belief to “Create enjoyable games that address mature themes” the team spent more than 3 years developing Project Judge‘s story and characters.

Enhancing the game’s position as a courtroom thriller and embodying the feeling of playing a detective, players will need to utilize key investigative skills in conjunction with unique gameplay features to unveil the truths hidden at the core of Project Judge‘s plot.

What lies beyond the suffering and failures of the man trapped within his past; is it a divine revelation, or something more sinister? Stay tuned for more information on Project Judge, the courtroom thriller action game brought to you by the prolific tag team of Takuya Kimura and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios.

■ Characters

Takayuki Yagami (cast: Takuya Kimura)

The main protagonist of Project Judge.

A fiercely idealistic ex-defense lawyer turned private detective. After facing a devastating betrayal by one of his former clients, he became known as a fraud who lets murderers run free, effectively destroying his reputation.

Now he’s caught up in an enigmatic serial murder case and will need to push his investigative skills to their limit to solve it.

Takashi Genda (cast: Akira Nakao)

A gritty lawyer who has taken on the role of overseeing Yagami’s growth since the start of his career as a lawyer.

Even after Yagami’s incident that forced him out of the legal world, Genda still looks after him and helps him find work from time to time.

Kazuya Ayabe (cast: Kenichi Takito)

A detective with Tokyo PD’s Organized Crime Division.

Ayabe is a crooked cop who withholds information on investigations for his own benefit, but often helps Yagami with his cases – for a price.

Mitsuru Kuroiwa(cast: Shosuke Tanihara)

A detective with the Tokyo PD’s Organized Crime Division, famous for his leadership skills and high successful arrest rate in Kamurocho.

A talented officer who plays by the rules, Kuroiwa sees unknown elements like Yagami as a dangerous nuisance.

Kyohei Hamura (cast: Pierre Taki)

Captain of the Matsugane family, a subsidiary of the Tojo Clan based in Kamurocho.

Hamura is self-centered, but he’s also a mastermind skilled in taking others down for his own benefit. He’s heavily involved with Yagami throughout the serial murder case.

■ Comment from Alexandros

“We are very honored to be part of such a wonderful production.

The demo video that Director Nagoshi showed us was so cool, we were able to envision a song very quickly.

From there, we had multiple meetings and the lyrics kept flowing until it was a complete piece that we feel very strongly about.

We are very excited to play the game ASAP (laughs).”

Gameplay Trailer 

Via Gematsu 

Titled Space Channel 5 VR: Arakata Dancing Show, this VR game will allow players to “dance with Ulala to save the world from the invasion of mysterious dancing aliens known as “Morolians.” Players will take on the role of a newbie reporter at a future universe television station, decide on poses with senior reporter Ulala, and eventually dance.”

Space Channel 5 VR: Arakata Dancing Show will be released sometime in 2019.

Via Gematsu 

It’s been well over 15 years since we have left Shenhua and Ryo in that cave, and various advancements in technology have taken the concept of what it means to be an open world game to a whole other level. I do, however, believe it is unfair to compare these titles with games like Grand Theft Auto V or Red Dead Redemption, as Shenmue I & II is an entirely different beast. As the Shenmue fanbase and SEGA have said in their recent marketing campaigns, this is the game that helped shape open world games as we know it.

In 1999, Shenmue was indeed one-of-a-kind and revolutionary for its time. You inhabited a living, breathing world where day turned to night, snow turned to rain, and NPCs went along their day with schedules designed just for them. You could knock on any door, examine every object, and talk with anyone you encounter. When I popped in the first disc into my Dreamcast, my little mind exploded at the sheer concept of such a game existing.

But enough of my reminiscing; Let’s take a look and see how well SEGA preserved and polished these games for the modern gamer.

Lucky Hits

The first thing you’ll notice is that Shenmue I & II  is playable in full 1080p. Despite being originally designed for your retro, square televisions, playing Shenmue on an HDTV feels quite natural. When it comes to cutscenes, however, the game is set back to its original resolution. If you would like to play the entire game in its original resolution, you have that option to do so.

For the longest time, Shenmue’s English voice dub has been viewed as campy and pretty hilarious. With the exception of Corey Marshall’s Ryo Hazuki and a select few main characters, the voices of the various NPCs are pretty hilarious. Although in my opinion, that’s what gave Shenmue its charm. If you’re not a fan of the English dub, however, you can play Shenmue I & II entirely in Japanese for the very first time! Fans of the Yakuza series and Japanese dub purists will surely be excited to take advantage of that option.

The iconic loading screens and UI have been completely overhauled to work with every port. Speaking of loading screens, load times have been completely obliterated. Staring at that black and white screen waiting for the next area to load is a thing of the past and makes for a much smoother experience. You can even save anywhere at any point in the game!

A feature that many fans in North America had missed out on was the ability to transfer your save file from Shenmue I to Shenmue II. While some may consider this to be a miniscule addition to the game, it really makes every decision you make in Shenmue I have more gravitas. All the training and capsule toy collection you do in the first game definitely pays off when Ryo steps off that boat in Shenmue II.

I (Can’t) See…

Although SEGA did deliver on a number of improvements in Shenmue I & II, the game isn’t without its hiccups. There are a couple of sound issues and graphical glitches that occur in the game, even after the day one patch. Certain cutscenes such as an interaction with Fuku-san would cut to the dojo floor and I would be left staring at some wood while I get asked if I would like to spar. The music in both Shenmue I and II would occasionally get a bit off tempo or I would get one sound effect playing repeatedly during gameplay. SEGA is aware of the issues and they are slowly but surely addressing them, so at least there’s that.

Summary

Although Shenmue I and II  were released over 15 years ago, I believe it was important for SEGA to re-release Yu Suzuki’s games to the modern audience and expose them to what is considered to be the pioneer of open world games. The games are not without their faults and another patch is necessary to alleviate some of those sound and glitch issues, but that shouldn’t take away the experience of exploring Yu Suzuki’s living, breathing, and detailed world.

A number of improvements had been made to these classics, and although it would have been nice (and wishful thinking) to get a complete remake of Shenmue I  and II, it feels great to play these classics on modern consoles.

PROS

+ New UI

+ Long loading times eliminated!

+ Dual voice audio

+ Transferring save files from Shenmue I to Shenmue II

CONS

– Minor audio issues

– Certain graphical glitches need to be addressed in a patch

In the latest Kickstarter update, Yu Suzuki announced the official release date for Shenmue III, along with a new trailer to feast your eyes on. I’ve also screen-capped a couple of images from the trailer, which you can take a look at below.

August 27th, 2019. Get ready!

Via Kickstarter

SEGA announced Thursday that Blaze the Cat, Silver the Hedgehog, and Vector the Crocodile have been added to the roster in Team Sonic Racing under the name “Team Vector.”

Sonic and Shadow may have the coolest cars, but Team Vector’s cars are on fleek. Silver’s ride takes after the aesthetic of Tron: Legacy, Vector’s car has teeth that can chew anyone he attempts to tailgate, and Blaze’s car has enough fire and horsepower to outrun even Sonic.

If you think Team Vector isn’t hot enough to break the ice, Tails’ Channel’s screenshots of Ice Mountain will tell you otherwise.

Team Sonic Racing will be zooming to PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch Winter 2018.

Team Sonic Racing will be playable at Gamescom 2018, so give us your thoughts on the game so far.

Team Sonic Racing will be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC this coming winter.

Press Release

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise hits store shelves October 2nd. You can pre-order your own copy of the game by clicking here. 

But today, we received some even crazier news from SEGA that the game will be released in Japan on Nov. 22, and the PlayStation 4 version will include an amazing physical collector’s edition. This edition will include a 40-track soundtrack on double CD, a two-sided poster and the game itself.

The game is available to pre-order now from Amazon Japan, which you can find the listing here. Also, Phantom Riverstone has translated the tracklist, and you can see that by visiting their article here.