Shenmue's Ryo Hazuki Is Speeding Towards Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Never heard of the franchise but good addition for them to tease a new game.

@PrincessEevee9 oh man.... make a point to play shen anyway you can. it's pretty fantastic

They're so trolling lol. I just sold my copy of Shenmue for Dreamcast on eBay, have had a few Dreamcast games knocking about

I'd really like to get Shenmue eventually, but the fact that the second wasn't ported to Dreamcast in NA has put a bit of a damper on my plans.

I would hazard a guess that most ios and android 'gamers' wouldnt even know who ryo hazuki is so it would seem a waste to not put him in the console versions too

Shenmue anything for Nintendo systems please. <3

I'm never getting rid of my Dreamcast or Shenmue 1 & 2. Would love to see the story concluded on WiiU and QTE's using the gamepad could be rather good too, but I think for a release of Shenmue 3 to work it would need to be multi-platform along with Shenmue 1 & 2 as maybe a trilogy set.
As for Sonic Racing I'm rather disappointed that the hype turned out to be an iOS/Android release, would much rather see some love given to the already released console versions.

The ending of Shenmue 2 certainly left the series hanging at an interesting point. Shenmue is just another in a long line of great SEGA games that seem to have been forgotten. Seriously, I know Sonic is important to SEGA but what about all the other great dormant IP's like Shenmue, Panzer Dragoon, Skies of Arcadia, Alex Kidd, NiGHTS, Shining Force and all the other games I could mention. It seems that all we ever get these days from SEGA is cameos from these games. As for Sonic Racing Transformed, they should have put Ryo Hazuki in it from the beginning instead of bloody Denica Patrick or Wreck it Ralph. And how hard is this game to unlock all of the characters? Sadistic!

PLEASE let this be FREE!!! ON STEEEAAMM! AND WIIIIIUUUUUUUUUU!

Glad to see Ryo Hazuki return, after all, he did get the most votes in that poll. Hopefully Ristar gets considered for DLC, after all, he came in 6th place in that poll, so you never know. After all, he is a all-star after all.

Seeing as Nintendo were able to sort it out with Sega to make Bayonetta 2 a Wii U exclusive, maybe it wouldn't be impossible to do the same thing with Shenmue 3. Now that would be special!

@SheldonRandoms Your Christmas Spongebob avatar is a work of genius! Handsome Squidward!

Sega has so many good IPs going unused that you'd think they forgot about them, but since they're still used in cameos like this it just disappoints me. Just give them a new game already! >:[

He better come to Wii U! I am NOT playing that on my Android using touch controls. Yuck.

I have downloaded it on my iPhone, and it is pretty good! The controls do take some time to get used to because they are very sensitive, but they do the job. One thing that I do not like is the fact that you pay 5 euros for the game, and still the game shoves the in-app purchases under you nose every second.

Even if its not DLC, it could even lead to a "Ultimate" version of the game just like many other games before it if DLC isnt possible.... XD

Waitaminute, didn't the original trailer show him in the game? I still don't have this.

Ah, Shenmue... One of the best games for one of the best systems ever made. I still have three systems, and hundreds of games, and I would never part with them.

@SomeBitTripFan
There IS a way to play PAL Shenmue 2 on NTSC Dreamcast, but I can't go into details.

They've hid it pretty well if it's in the Google Play store, cant find any sign of it, only the original game. Does Play store update at noon like the eShop?

@rjejr I just found it on my play store I think its $.99 though...

EDIT: nevermind thats the original game. O well... at least I have the Wii U version to play for now. lol

Now if only they could add Billy Hatcher and the Bonanza Bros...

@MJKOP You WHAT??? Why did you sell it? Did you get rid of all your Dreamcast stuff? I hope not, it's a great console...
@Mr_Nose When you responded to @SomeBitTripFan you were probably thinking about the Utopia Bootdisk, but there are actually perfectly legal ways to play PAL games on an NTSC Dreamcast. The “easiest” way is to use import boot discs and there are several options. You can purchase an Import Boot Disc like the DC-X, Gameshark, Xploder, Action Replay CDX, etc. They cost next to nothing now and can be found in retro shops or online. I say "easiest" because it requires you to swap the discs every time, which CAN be a hassle, but I don't mind doing that and once you're used to it, it's a very small price to pay to be able to play quite a lot of games that you wouldn't be able to play otherwise, and Shenmue is DEFINITELY one of the games that is worth it.

Or, as a somewhat more expensive alternative (depending on how badly you would want to play any game), you could buy a second hand/refurbished PAL Dreamcast and a converter plug to be able to use it. Most modern TV's are able to display PAL & NTSC now anyway, so that shouldn't be an issue.
And while I'm at it I can absolutely recommend a Dreamcast VGA Box to every Dreamcast owner. If you have a modern HD TV it's absolutely worth it. The box I have has several connections (PC Monitor/VGA, AV OUT, S-Video) and my HD Plasma screen has a VGA port. It gives you a rock solid 480p image, which doesn't sound like much, but you have to remember that they didn't have HD back then. It shows the games like they should have been shown all along. Because of crt screens/normal TV's at the time, most people didn't have that option and the only people that saw the games in their true form were the developers, seeing as they had their dev kits hooked up to VGA monitors.

My Dreamcast died on me, I got it repaired but the same thing happened turned out the controller was blowing it. I loved it! I've got Sonic Adventure, Soul Reaver, RE Code: Veronica, Chu Chu Rocket & couple of other games still knocking about but no hardware or peripherals anymore

@MJKOP Ever thought about getting a refurbished one? I've bought one from a web shop almost three years ago and it still works like a charm. Cost me around $60/€50. Well worth it, I'd say...

I'd love to but between my 3DS, Wii U two kids and work I couldn't justify it to be honest. Great memories though!

@MJKOP Great memories for sure. Maybe you can put one on the birthday list or next years' Santa...

Lol good idea

I still have the first Shenmue for my Dreamcast, such an awesome game. I really hope Sega decides to revamp that series.

@MJKOP

I am in the same boat as you. My DC broke in 2000 and my games have been there doing nothing since then. Sonic, Crazy Taxi, Shenmue, Soul Calibur, MvC and SFIII. Not sure if the VMU still works.

I had Crazy Taxi and Soul Calibur too amazing games!

all I need is shenmue 3 fuc!k#$e%r23s

ohh goodness i am having flashbacks of working on the forklifts again lol Great lets hope for a new shenmue on wii u

I love Shenmue. I was there, man...I had a Dreamcast at the time and bought Shenmue day one in the US. Imported the slowdown-plagued PAL version of Shenmue 2. I love Shenmue.

But the time has passed. Shenmue, a celebration of all things Sega, does not belong on a Nintendo, Sony, or (ugh) a Microsoft console. Shenmue 3 is best left a distant dream of a bygone era.

@SahashraLA unfortunately Shenmue is not, was not, and will never be a "system seller". In fact, Shenmue on the U is a really terrible idea because all it would bring is more HURR DURR WII U=DREAMCAST hate.

"until Mario Kart 8 crosses the finish line and hits store shelves it remains one of the console's best racers..." Is the writer assuming that MK8 will be better than Sonic Transformed, based on expectation rather than established facts?

@GreatPlayer Might be based on playing the betas that have been shown on several occasions now? From what I hear the verdict so far is that it is shaping up VERY nicely indeed, and they have more than enough time to tweak it even further.
And besides that, Mario Kart still has the reputation to beat, so every other cartoon-ish racer will automatically be compared to it.

I love this game and would buy DLC for the Wii U version. But Sega needs to smarten up and release it before Mario Kart 8 drops!

Shenmue 3 for Wii U would be awesome, also Ryo Hazuki for Sonic & All-Stars Transform for Wii U would be awesome.

@faint im glad someone else knows the joy of Shenmue as well.

personally I think the WiiU would be a great home for HD dreamcast classics like Shenmue. As for why Sega have left so many Ip's from that era gather dust over the last few years, I have a theory. It was a result of a shift to tap into the tastes of western gamers, a re-evaluation of what could be considered global appeal. Before the sales success of the xbox 360 and call of duty 4 Japanese developers could more or less take the west for granted as the dominant console had been a japanese one since the mid eighties. So a publisher like Sega could simply make games the way they wanted and the west could have the games they would feel are worth releasing there. Even after Sega buried the dreamcast and went third party they did the logical thing and brought their current ip's over to the other consoles. While they weren't all multi-million sellers like virtua fighter 4 on PS2 was, it was a strategy that more or less worked. And then Sony slipped up allowing microsoft to gain some ground and around 2007 COD4 became a smash hit and everybody took notice. Another factor that plays into this is the rising cost of developing a AAA game, which means developers and publishers can't take any risks now. So in a market where the race is on to create the next COD4 or the next GTA or the next (insert franchise that sells millions on the name alone) nobody wants to take a chance at putting out something that might be well made and worth playing but is ignored by the majority of players. It saddens me that today the stakes are so high that a game being a cult hit or a hidden gem rather than a smash could be the difference between a company going bankrupt or surviving. So it is that I believe Sega is worried that not enough people will buy something such as Panzer Dragoon U, or Shenmue 3 or Jet Set Radio U. Sadly it seems the only franchise they are willing to persist with is Sonic even though it's inherently a the type of game that works best in 2D. . . . . and that is my 2 cents.

@TheRealThanos MK7 and before are simply rehash of the old formula. What is MK8 really different (wall-racing)? I can say a whole bunch of things better in Sonic transformed compared to the previous version of the game.

@JustinH The PC version runs wonderfully at 60 FTPs per second. It looks even better than the Wii U version (at 30FTPs only).

@Nomad At least they get cameos. Streets of Rage has had nothing since the mid-90's, not even a spot in "Project X-Zone."

Heh, he's playing "Space Harrier" in plane mode and some kind of racing game (Daytona?) in car mode. That's an awesome touch!

@GreatPlayer With all due respect I think that is more up to one's opinion than actual fact. Of course you will find similarities in every sequel and everyone knows that Mario Kart ALWAYS incorporates levels from previous games/consoles, so no surprise there, either. It is actually what is EXPECTED of the Mario Kart series, and certainly no rehash. Mario Kart 8 offers all that, but in the most expanded version, both in gameplay and graphics, and on top of that some new gameplay mechanics, that can't be labeled by just calling them 'wall-racing'. And saying that is a rehash is like saying that every racer (or actually every game genre) is a rehash because to a certain extend every genre is always more of the same, only with different levels, possibly new characters and some new gameplay mechanics. People will eat this up and sales for the Wii U will rise accordingly. It may not be for you then, if you already have your verdict out, but I'll just wait and see and try it for myself. If it is a bad game or a rehash, then I don't think you would hear so many positive things about it. The Sonic All-stars Racing games were of course able to gather all they needed from all those games and come up with their own variation on it, but most of those mechanics were already present in the Mario Kart games. If you would cut out all the games between the first Mario Kart and the last, you would have the same effect; major changes between the two.
Either way, I'm pretty sure that if it's not for you that there will be more than enough other games on the way to enjoy yourself with, so you could just go for one of those instead, then.
@theBluntKnight Some interesting points there, you might be on to something...
@BulbasaurusRex The racing game is the original version of Outrun. I'm guessing if we would be able to see the screen on the motorbike, then it would probably be Super Hang-On...

@TheRealThanos Yes, flying and boat-racing were already in MK games. So Sonic Transformed was no different from MK. That was what you are implying.

What is the thing that is so different between MK8 and MK7, except the gimmick of wall-racing (which copied from Sonic Rider)? I ask many people and they cannot even answer this question.

@GreatPlayer Ask the specialists, I'm just a fan. Look up professional reviews and they will tell you. Asking ones friends what the difference is isn't the way to go, since they all have their own (probably biased) opinion. Professional reviewers will give you the complete low-down and all the interviews about the displayed (and widely tested) betas can be found all over the web.
I hardly think Sonic Riders was an inspiration: it was an air boarding game, having more in common with WipeOut or F-Zero. Mario Kart 8 uses maglev (Magnetic Levitation) karts, hardly copying...
And I try my best to provide facts instead of implying things. All cartoon kart racers are made more or less along the same lines so similarities are bound to occur and comparisons between one and the other will always be made. But like I said before, Mario Kart is still the mold from which all others are made, so they are still the one to beat and according to various previews number 8 is going to set new standards as far as fun, gameplay mechanics and graphics are concerned. Not my words, so don't shoot the messenger...
Here's some of the features and options I found online:
Retro Features
The coin collecting from Mario Kart 7 returns. This time, you are able to collect as many coins as you can, but only the first 10 will give extra speed. Tricks from Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7 will also return. Gliders, Driving Underwater, and Kart customization returns from Mario Kart 7. Bikes return from Mario Kart Wii. Two drivers on one kart return from Mario Kart Double Dash.
New Features
New features of the game include the possibility to customize your bikes, design your own custom tracks, and the addition of a Story Mode.
And here's a wiki for additional info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Kart_8
But besides such info I usually just watch previews to see what's coming and what professional reviewers have to say, because they (should) know what they're talking about.

I think that Shenmue 3 will be announced at GDC this year, as a PS4 exclusive.

I want a Shenmue game so badly.

@yuwarite nah xbox one most likely

@Chuie I said that because Yu Suzuki is doing a Shemue postmortem at GDC this year and Mark Cerny (of Sony) will be translating, so we'll see what happens.

Dear SEGA,
Please release this Ryo Hazuki content on all console versions of this game. And please make Shenmue 3, oh, and please release Skies of Arcadia Legends (with uncompressed audio) on the Wii U and include the Dreamcast VMU mini-games for play on the Wii U Gamepad. Thanks!