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I need to play the Shenmue games - what are my options?

B

bananafactory

Banned
So Shenmue is a series I have always had interest in, and now seems like the time to dive in.

I understand they were made for the Dreamcast, which I don't have. Is my only choice tracking a Dreamcast system down along with the games or are there ports/emulation options that I'm not aware of?

And some more questions about the series in particular:

1.) What other games would you compare them to? I've watched some trailers and gameplay but have a tough time getting a read on the style
2.) Do they still hold up well today?

Edit: I have an Xbox One, but no 360 or Xbox 1. I do have a PS3, PS4, and pretty powerful gaming PC

UPDATE 1:

In the end, I decided I want the authentic dreamcast and Shenmue experience, for better or worse I have ordered a PAL Dreamcast system and a VGA adapter. I am paying a lot for it but will probably end up flipping everything once I'm finished and hopefully get back most of what I paid.

As for the games themselves - I'm still scoping them out and looking for a reasonable price, but I'll be playing PAL versions of both Shenmue 1 and 2 on my Dreamcast.
 
C

Cheddahz

Banned
You can easily play the second one on an Xbox (or a 360) and I think it comes with a movie or something summing up the first one (if you can't get a Dreamcast and/or the game)
 
K

KDash31987

Member
Shenmue II is also on Xbox, and is backward compatible on Xbox 360. It comes with both a DVD of a movie version of the first game, and a story summary of it on the game disc itself.
 
N

NolbertoS

Member
Shenmue 1 is hard to find on ebay last I checked and now with this news, the game will be worth 2-3 times its value. Emulation is your best bet unless you have an original Xbox and can watch Shenmue 1 cinematic story and then play Shenmue 2
 
T

Tain

Member
How does the original emulate? Is it a pretty breezy experience in nullDC or Demul from beginning to end? I'd play it on DC but some friends are asking about it now.
 
Karak

Karak

Member
Dreamcast for Shenmue 1 or emulator on PC but be warned the games are ancient in gameplay.

Shenmue 2 in Xbox or Dreamcast.

FYI though the ports aren't great.
 
S

SparkTR

Member
Tain said:
How does the original emulate? Is it a pretty breezy experience in nullDC or Demul from beginning to end?
Click to expand...

I finished both on NullDC, was easy apart from the arcade machines not working. Even imported my saves into Shenmue 2.
 
G

Google

Member
bananafactory said:
I'd still have to buy an OG Xbox then. Are the ports superior to the Dreamcast versions, or identical?
Click to expand...

Incorrect information.

Shenmue 2 was ported from the DC to XBOX. It's playable on the 360 and features an English VO dub whereas the DC version only had Japanese as VO option.

Shenmue 1 has never been ported but a 'movie' is attached to the XBOX version.
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
Shenmue I got a movie, Shenmue II is backwards compatible on the Xbox 360.

I recommend people at least hold off on watching Shenmue II on youtube or whatever. You play Shenmue I more for the experience of an amazingly intricate handcrafted world, not so much the story. Shenmue II, by contrast, is very story driven.

It's such a slow burn - a lot of people can't get into it because the story is so slow to get started. But it's slow for a reason - it lays an extremely solid foundation with lots of backstory and motivation. Shenmue II ends just as the story kicks into high gear.

I am so ridiculously stoked for this because, as someone who has played a lot of video games in my lifetime, Shenmue remains one of the better gaming stories told. It's a really classic Kung Fu story. It doesn't feel cheesy or derivative, it feels definitive.

Actually playing Shenmue II makes the beats hit harder, especially when it crescendos just as your heart starts beating. Shenmue I, by comparison, has much fewer peaks.

Cynn said:
Buy a Dreamcast. You'll tank me later.
Click to expand...

This is the best option, though. Shenmue with the VGA adapter still looks good.
 
T

Tain

Member
bananafactory said:
I'd still have to buy an OG Xbox then. Are the ports superior to the Dreamcast versions, or identical?
Click to expand...

Only the second is on Xbox, it runs well. It has a few altered textures, but the big difference is that it's dubbed where the Dreamcast Euro version is subbed (there is no NA Dreamcast release).

Honestly though, you'll probably wind up playing the original Shenmue dubbed since it's the only way it's in English save for "undubs" floating around online, so a dubbed Shenmue II isn't a big deal.
 
J

J2 Cool

Member
Original is too great, cinematic is a travesty. I think I have two copies of Shenmue sitting back home in Chicago, dreamcast. Go emulation if you have to. Shenmue II Xbox

The first one sold a million copies, its downfall really was timing. Difficult when it was released on Xbox for anyone to play the first. Being completely mishandled put the series into a slumber unfairly.
 
B

bananafactory

Banned
Google said:
Incorrect information.

Shenmue 2 was ported from the DC to XBOX. It's playable on the 360 and features an English VO dub whereas the DC version only had Japanese as VO option.

Shenmue 1 has never been ported but a 'movie' is attached to the XBOX version.
Click to expand...

Ok. So it seems like Dreamcast + the games is still the best option, unless PC emulation for them is solid and I can just buy the discs without the system.
 
T

takoyaki

Member
You can either buy a PAL Dreamcast with both games, or buy a US Dreamcast and use a bootdisc for Shenmue 2. I remember the Xbox version of Shenmue 2 running pretty badly on the 360. If you want to play the Xbox Version, I recommend doing it on the OG Xbox.
 
B

bananafactory

Banned
takoyaki said:
You can either buy a PAL Dreamcast with both games, or buy a US Dreamcast and use a bootdisc for Shenmue 2. I remember the Xbox version of Shenmue 2 running pretty badly on the 360. If you want to play the Xbox Version, I recomend doing it on the OG Xbox.
Click to expand...

So Shenmue 1 got a NA release but Shenmue 2 did not?

How much hassle will it be to get a PAL Dreamcast running on my TV (Canada)?
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
bananafactory said:
I'd still have to buy an OG Xbox then. Are the ports superior to the Dreamcast versions, or identical?
Click to expand...

I actually prefer the dreamcast versions. The DC version of Shenmue II is barely a step back in terms of visuals, but you gain so much more from having all your stuff transfer over. The things you notice when going from Xbox to Dreamcast are minor, like the lense flair on the sun being a circle on the xbox where it's an octogon on the dreamcast, or more people in the distance (the dreamcast version uses crowds fading in and out).

And, being in japanese, it has better voice acting.
 
R

ramoisdead

Member
To be honest, I'm just waiting for an announcement of Shenmue 1 + 2 to be remastered. There's no doubt Shenmue 3 will be funded with some stretch goals so I'm pretty sure SEGA will want to revisit the series and ride on that hype train.

As for where to play it now, buy a used Dreamcast and track down a copy of Shenmue 1. Part 2 should be easier to track for the original Xbox.
 
G

godofcookery

Member
Krejlooc said:
I actually prefer the dreamcast versions. The DC version of Shenmue II is barely a step back in terms of visuals, but you gain so much more from having all your stuff transfer over. The things you notice when going from Xbox to Dreamcast are minor, like the lense flair on the sun being a circle on the xbox where it's an octogon on the dreamcast, or more people in the distance (the dreamcast version uses crowds fading in and out).

And, being in japanese, it has better voice acting.
Click to expand...

can you decrease load times via emulation for the DC version?
 
T

takoyaki

Member
bananafactory said:
So Shenmue 1 got a NA release but Shenmue 2 did not?
Click to expand...

Yup. DC version of Shenmue 1 had English voices, the DC version of Shenmue 2 only had English voices. I think they added the English voices for the Xbox version.

How much hassle will it be to get a PAL Dreamcast running on my TV (Canada)?
Click to expand...

It's the best way to play both games imo. You can use a DC VGA box (original ones can be hard to find and are expensive, but you can get a used 3rd party VGA box on ebay pretty cheap). You'll also need a step down converter that changes 110 to 220V, those are cheap and easy to find , e.g. amazon.
 
B

bananafactory

Banned
ramoisdead said:
To be honest, I'm just waiting for an announcement of Shenmue 1 + 2 to be remastered. There's no doubt Shenmue 3 will be funded with some stretch goals so I'm pretty sure SEGA will want to revisit the series and ride on that hype train.

As for where to play it now, buy a used Dreamcast and track down a copy of Shenmue 1. Part 2 should be easier to track for the original Xbox.
Click to expand...

I'd rather not buy 2 systems though...trying to find a single solution here.
 
T

Tain

Member
bananafactory said:
Ok. So it seems like Dreamcast + the games is still the best option, unless PC emulation for them is solid and I can just buy the discs without the system.
Click to expand...

I'll try to be comprehensive:

Shenmue, in English, is only on the Dreamcast. Emulation would be okay, but you can't rip the discs without a Dreamcast because they are on a proprietary disc format. I wouldn't feel bad downloading the game after buying the discs personally, but that's me. Also, there are modified versions of the game floating around with the English audio replaced with the Japanese audio (while maintaining English subtitles), might be something to look into if you're gonna emulate anyway.

Shenmue II, in English, is on the Xbox in North America and the Dreamcast in Europe. There is no North American Dreamcast release. The Euro DC release is subtitled, the Xbox release is dubbed. Otherwise the Xbox release is fine.

If you have no old consoles (including the 360) lying around and no interest in buying them, I'd emulate the Dreamcast versions I suppose.
 
F

Fhtagn

Member
bananafactory said:
So Shenmue 1 got a NA release but Shenmue 2 did not?
Click to expand...

the euro version got some limited domestic retail if I recall correctly but yeah that's about right. There were a few crucial UK only English language DC games like Shenmue 2 and Rez, and I dunno if I'd call it crucial but also Headhunter and probably more.
 
B

bananafactory

Banned
Thanks for all the answers guys. I was worried this thread might have been unnecessary but this shit is way more complicated than I thought, haha.

I think I'm going to go with a PAL Dreamcast + Shenmue 1/2. Now I need to know how to get that working with an NTSC TV
 
T

Tain

Member
bananafactory said:
I think I'm going to go with a PAL Dreamcast + Shenmue 1/2. Now I need to know how to get that working with an NTSC TV
Click to expand...

This right here is the luxury solution, nice. Shenmue II supports 60hz and will work fine on an NTSC TV. I think Shenmue does as well.

You can also buy a US Dreamcast and use free burnable boot CD to run European games.
 
A

akira28

Member
shit what did I do with my xbox games...or rather what did my parents do with all my xbox games?

I'm willing to buy an HD PC port again though, obviously.
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
bananafactory said:
I think I'm going to go with a PAL Dreamcast + Shenmue 1/2. Now I need to know how to get that working with an NTSC TV
Click to expand...

Does your TV have a VGA or DVI input? If so, use a VGA adapter and run the dreamcast to your TV. You'll get the very best picture possible from the dreamcast and will avoid the messy PAL/NTSC issue.
 
B

bananafactory

Banned
Krejlooc said:
Does your TV have a VGA or DVI input? If so, use a VGA adapter and run the dreamcast to your TV. You'll get the very best picture possible from the dreamcast and will avoid the messy PAL/NTSC issue.
Click to expand...

Hmm...no DVI. It may have VGA. Let me stumble 2 feet to my right and check

Edit: Nope, both TVs are HDMI only. My computer monitor has VGA though. What are the audio output options for dreamcast? Just your standard composite red/white?
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I'm glad I got my collection in order the last couple years. I have Shenmue 1 on DC and 2 on Xbox. Now to actually finish them... (Knowing 3 would never come killed my buzz before)
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
bananafactory said:
Hmm...no DVI. It may have VGA. Let me stumble 2 feet to my right and check

Edit: Nope, both TVs are HDMI only. My computer monitor has VGA though. What are the audio output options for dreamcast? Just your standard composite red/white?
Click to expand...

You can use a VGA->DVI->HDMI converter, but you'll need to run external speakers to the dreamcast.

Yeah, the dreamcast only offers left and right stereo. The VGA converter has two RCA jacks.
 
C

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
If you hold out for a while there will probably be remasters/re-releases on PS4/PC. The first two games are old enough at this point it would be kind of silly to push out Shenmue 3 without reintroducing people to the series through the two prior games.
 
T

t26

Member
bananafactory said:
Thanks for all the answers guys. I was worried this thread might have been unnecessary but this shit is way more complicated than I thought, haha.

I think I'm going to go with a PAL Dreamcast + Shenmue 1/2. Now I need to know how to get that working with an NTSC TV
Click to expand...
No need for pal system. All you need is a boot disc to make it region free
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
chaosblade said:
If you hold out for a while there will probably be remasters/re-releases on PS4/PC. The first two games are old enough at this point it would be kind of silly to push out Shenmue 3 without reintroducing people to the series through the two prior games.
Click to expand...

I would bet money on these coming out, yeah.
 
B

bananafactory

Banned
chaosblade said:
If you hold out for a while there will probably be remasters/re-releases on PS4/PC. The first two games are old enough at this point it would be kind of silly to push out Shenmue 3 without reintroducing people to the series through the two prior games.
Click to expand...

If it wasn't being Kickstarted I'd say the same, but I'm pretty skeptical at this point. Who makes the call on those HD collections, Sega?

Krejlooc said:
I would bet money on these coming out, yeah.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...maybe I should wait then. UGH. Decisions.
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
t26 said:
No need for pal system. All you need is a boot disc to make it region free
Click to expand...

You can only do this if your dreamcast was made before October 2000.

But nearly all of them are.

bananafactory said:
If it wasn't being Kickstarted I'd say the same, but I'm pretty skeptical at this point. Who makes the call on those HD collections, Sega?



Hmmm...maybe I should wait then. UGH. Decisions.
Click to expand...

They're already completed. Sega has been sitting on them for several years now. All they have to do is just release them.
 
C

Cartman86

Banned
Shenmue is a life simulation basically. A game that is a bunch of genres in one. A game where a dev wanted to put a bunch of shit in that you normally can't do. So it's the room interactivity of Gone Home and Duke Nukem 3D. The fighting system of Virtual Fighter, weather, time, and people simulations, standard RPG conversations and at the time new cinematic interactivity (QTE).
 
T

takoyaki

Member
t26 said:
No need for pal system. All you need is a boot disc to make it region free
Click to expand...

I think that's the easiest/cheapest solution OP: US/Canadian Dreamcast + 3rd party VGA-box + VGA to DVI/HDMI converter + US Version of SM1 + EU SM2 + bootdisc

Make sure you're TV accepts 480p and you might have to make the bootdisc youreself (just google it)
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
Cartman86 said:
Shenmue is a life simulation basically. A game that is a bunch of genres in one. A game where a dev wanted to put a bunch of shit in that you normally can't do. So it's the room interactivity of Gone Home and Duke Nukem 3D. The fighting system of Virtual Fighter, weather, time, and people simulations, standard RPG conversations and at the time new cinematic interactivity (QTE).
Click to expand...

Shenmue II, however, is a Jack Chan life simulation.
 
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