Shenmue 2 PS4 PlayStation 4 1

A remastered version of Shenmue and its sequel will apparently release this year, according to a "trusted" Atlus source who spoke to Rice Digital. The two games will apparently deploy as a single package rather than separately, and are being prepared ahead of the release of Shenmue III, which is currently slated for 2017 but is expected to slip into 2018.

SEGA's been teasing a remaster for some time now, and hope was further reinforced by the registration of ShenmueHD.com domain names. The publisher has cited licensing issues as one of the reasons behind its reluctance to re-release the classics, but we suppose it could get away with simple texture swaps.

As huge fans of the Shenmue games, we'd love to see this series brought back from the brink and made relevant to a new audience all over again. The originals are particularly antiquated these days, though, so it'll be interesting to see the reaction from gamers who have grown up with more modern open world titles.

[source ricedigital.co.uk]