Prior to the 2018 Tokyo Game Show, Sega ran a poll asking what games fans wanted to see adapted to the AGES line. In case you missed it, the Jet Set Radio series was at the top of the list. This covered the original game released on Dreamcast in 2000 and also Jet Set Radio Future launched on Microsoft’s Xbox in 2002.
Right below this was the 1999 AM2 classic Shenmue along with its 2001 sequel. As noted at the time, the demand for the first two entries in this series are likely because of the recent two-pack HD remaster made available on multiple platforms. Speaking to 4Gamer around the same time of this year’s Tokyo Game Show, Sega localisation director Hiroji Noguchi said he was flattered fans had shown such strong support for the Shenmue series and said it would be great if the games could be played on Nintendo’s new hybrid device:
The fans have really shown their love for Shenmue – and for that, I really am grateful. Personally, I think it’d be great if you could play Shenmue on the Switch anywhere...
Localisation producer Eigo Kasahara was more direct with his response, saying how both Dreamcast classics were in consideration now that the fans had spoken:
Whether or not we can do something like that in reality, we’re taking the fans’ opinions into consideration. Following up on that might take some time, but it’s definitely something I want to consider.
Would you like to see Shenmue I and II released on the Switch? Have you played these games previously? What did you think about the results of the Sega AGES poll? Tell us below.
[source nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 107
Unless they're porting Shenmue 3 don't even bother, But we know that won't happen since Sony is basically half funding that game.
It’s odd. I wonder that if back in the day, games producers ever thought their games would have a life in the furture, a decade maybe two...appearing on consoles as yet undreamed.
Hell yes, bring it on. The first two games remastered on a Nintendo platform, and being able to play them anywhere, is SO worth it, even if we might not get the third one. These games are some of the best ever made, so they're more than welcome, far as I'm concerned.
@ThanosReXXX I totally agree with you!
I don't see how a Dreamcast and an Xbox game would be that difficult to port to Switch. The Hat in Time developers (and many trolls) insisted that game couldn't work on Switch, and we know the end of that story. I doubt this is any different in terms of feasibility.
Never played these games before, but definitely would change that if they came to Switch.
The Dreamcast... what a sad story. Sega asked Microsoft to make the OS and eventually MS became interested in the console market. The market was not big enough for 4 players so Sega was forced out. It's the same as Nintendo asking Sony to make the disc drive for their console.
ANYTHING Sega can bring to the Switch will be a great thing!! I hope the Sega library on Switch will one day be as big as Hamster’s!!! 😃
I prefer a AGES then a remaster. It's almost the same, with a lower price. Bit I'd prefer to play Yakusa
@Rika_Yoshitake
If you want to hear something crazy, the solution would be a trade.
As Shenmue 3 has budget of Sony and Bayonetta 2 was developed with budget of Nintendo, and easily both IPs belong to SEGA, then, a Shenmue 3 in Switch while Bayonetta 2 in PS4, what do you think?
...
...
...
okeeeyyyyy, better keep thinking about something else ........
YES, bring it on. I picked it up for ps4 already but would glady double dip to have Shenmue on the go.
Hopefully it shows up on the switch, sells well and paves the way for some Yakuza games.
I just got 1 and 2 on Steam (never download them - just wanted them back) and backer for 3 (also PC)
I'll Have all 3 on PC where (unless steam dies) I will never loose them again.
I'll buy it if both games were on the cartridge otherwise if this is just another digital release like Capcom then I'll pass. I'm not going to trust digital purchase that much when game companies could end up like Telltales.
listening to fans?
panzer dragoon 1-3 remasters
phantasy star 1-4 remasters (ok maybe not 3)
virtual on (contemporary mechanics, and graphics)
house of the dead
jet set radio
phantasy star online 3
virtua fighter
nights into dreams (even a remaster)
Money, Sega. you'd be making money.
If it's not the version with Fanta in the vending machine, don't bother bringing it to Switch.
Are these games a case of "it's so bad it's good", like Kung Pow: Enter the Fist? I've only seen snippets on YouTube and the voice acting was so awful that I laughed at it.
I'm a little confused by the rallying cry around Shenmue. Isn't the Yakuza series essentially the modern reincarnation of Shenmue?
This games aren't nearly as good as everyone says they are. I'm willing to admit that people have different tastes, but they are far from the greatest games ever.
So while I'd be happy with more Switch releases, I definitely wouldn't be buying these.
If Panic Button can get doom and Wolfenstein running on the switch I’m pretty sure Sega should be able to do the same with shenmue with very few issues. Honestly, ports, indies, remasters and rereleases who cares the more games on switch the better for all of us switch owners. The big third parties are going to continue to follow suit. Hard to ignore the success of the switch and it’s growing install base
Oh wow! SEGA doing something not Sonic related? Unheard of!
It’s a game I’ve always wanted to try it
Fans: We want * insert game here *
SEGA: ....maybe buy more Mega Drive ports and we'll think about it....
I don't give crap what some people say about not having the 3rd on here.
1 and 2 are fantastic games just by themselves and I still play them.
I would absolutely love to have two remastered versions on the Switch.
@SakuraHaruka Sure but Shenmue IP is a little more iconic. Don't think Sony is losing any sleep over missing Bayonetta. I would like to see a real HD port of the first two.
It's too bad these companies have to wait until they hear the cries of the fans before even starting development.
Retro style games have been selling multiple times as many games on Switch as they do on competing consoles, even though those consoles have larger install bases.
You release on Switch a year after you do on other platforms, and Switch owners get tired of waiting and move on. Hopefully all the publishers have caught on now.
I bet they will lose thousands of sales on the Genesis collection, for not doing a simultaneous release.
Sailors?
Sega, time to push... the Panic Button!
Please do it Sega and M2! These two games deserve to be on the Switch.
I get the feeling these games have aged like milk but I loved them first time round, I got completely absorbed into them, I'd like to be able to give them another shot on the Switch.
Sega is listening to money
Same as the comment above.
If it comes to the switch, I will definitely pick them up.
I am down for a good port. The PS4 ports have had some issues.
I'm not sure why some are bringing up Shenmue 3,that's got nothing to do with Sega. It's part funded by Sony, it's developed by Neilo and YS Net (Yu Suzuki) and will be published by Deep Silver.
As for Shenmue 1&2, I reckon they're going to get the M2 treatment which should make them even better than the HD ports the other consoles got. M2 said they would be meeting with Sega Europe who handled the ports this week and would discuss the feasibility of bringing Shenmue 1&2 to Switch.
Nearly anyone who played these incredible games back when they first released knew they were playing something special, something unique, something that was far ahead of anything they'd played before. They might not have aged too gracefully but at the time these games were among the all time greats. The impact the original had on me is up there with Sonic, Ocarina of Time amd Mario 64. These games created a seismic shift in gaming that's rarely if ever been matched since.
@Rika_Yoshitake @SakuraHaruka
Whether Shenmue 3 eventually comes to Switch, unlikely as it is, is not Sega's decision. They are not involved in funding it, not involved in its development and they're not involved in publishing it.
The original 2 games are perfectly enjoyable without part 3.
@OorWullie
I investigates, and yes, SEGA is not directly involved in the Shenmue 3 project, however, Sega gave the license to Ys Net and Deep Silver for the development and distribution, which means that it is still, we can say, a SEGA game at some point, because mainly, the franchise is owned by SEGA.
Something similar to Pocky and Rocky in the SNES, because those games, even though they were developed and distributed by Natsume, they got the license of Taito, the company that owns Kikikaikai, the game on which the Pocky and Rocky games are based, which, "we can say", are Taito games
@aznable I'd say Virtua Fighter being given the M2 treatment is inevitable. They've had to emulate Virtua Racing from the ground up and with Fighter using the same engine, it's logical to assume they will use that experience on VF as well. Plus it finished very high on the recent poll they done. I reckon it will be one of the 4 titles still to be revealed.
I want to see them directly acknowledge Panzer Dragoon Saga was third in ranking. Let it be so, Sega!
@Rika_Yoshitake That's silly. Xbone got Shenmue 1 & 2 HD, no reason Switch shouldn't.
@jtmnm The issue with Panzer Dragoon Saga is that they lost the source code. So, it can't be ported, it would either need to be a straight rom dump in an emulator or a complete remake from scratch.
I loved the original games, spent most of the time collecting the egg capsules. I hope this does come to Switch
@KIRO I was just thinking the same thing yesterday, browsing the eShop and seeing Sonic the Hedgehog at number two, could they ever have dreamed it would still be making them money decades later?
Day one.
I would love some shenmue, but only if we would get 3 also.
Shenmue was next to zelda my favorite.
Where's my new Virtua Fighter 🤔😭
Okay. So it is a nice way of saying: "Keep on port begging. We like it."
If sega listened, they would be with Ninty and bring us the long awaited F-ZERO SX!!!
@Rika_Yoshitake
It's coming to pc though? Plus Sony basically views switch as a handheld anyway.
@exopiscea
It's good, I got the remaster on pc when it came out. I had never had the opportunity to play it before either! I love it, fantastic story, interesting and life-like world and the mini-games are awesome. My only niggle is how often you have to kill time on it. Sometimes it will be like 8am and you have to do something the following day at like 10pm. If they had found a way to speed up or skip time it would have been handy. But to be honest there is everything from slot machines to arcade games in it. So you aren't twiddling your thumbs too much.
NO.
WE WANT A NEW JET SET RADIO
!!!
Meh no thanks... This might not be a good idea, the fact that the 3rd one is coming to the PS4 only just leaves a "i really dont care about the series" taste in my mouth.
I mean think about it... You play this then you wanna play the 3rd one and need a PS4 to do it.
Actually I'd go as far as saying Sega should really not bother, might actually do more damage than good...
Imagine if the ports suck but the 3rd game is really good on PS4... Yeah thats gonna be some serious shade thrown towards the Switch.
Yeah no thanks Sega... Find something else to port. I'd prefer to see the Yakuza games rather than these.
But where is Rainbow Cotton from the Dreamcast for Sega Ages?
I'd pick up a physical Trilogy for Switch, thanks.
@Razer don't really think it's a bad idea of it happens. The port won't be any worse then the current port available on other systems. Could actually end up being better to be honest.
Anyone who likes shenmue knows the third game is PS4/PC only.
Not having the option to play it on switch isnt gonna really be a problem. Shenmue III isn't confirmed for Xbox one either so switch would just be the same.
My guess is thats Shenmue HD absence on Switch is about that its not that easy to quick port a dreamcast emulation to the arm-chip. The fact is that Shenmue does not even run that smoothly on my PS4, theres still some "slow motion"-slowdowns when the game goes under 30Hz.
As and when Nintendo realise they want to make piles of money by rereleasing GameCube games on the Switch I’d love to see Skies of Arcadia Legends get a rerelease beforehand.
@RasandeRose nah switch just wasn't considered when development started for this game. Porting from the Dreamcast is not gonna be a problem at all
@DrJiggle
"I See"
Isn't Shenmue 1 & 2 HD incredibly buggy on the PC's, PS4's, and Xbox One's respective version?
@John_Enigma yeah even one of the original developers has said he isn't happy with the results
@NINC0MPUTER Erm... that's not really how it all happened.
Microsoft was NOT the reason for Sega leaving the hardware market "because the market wasn't big enough for 4 players", not at ALL.
Microsoft simply decided to continue with console development BECAUSE Sega fell away, due to failure after failure and gross mismanagement. Only AFTER all that had happened, did Microsoft decide to use the experience they had gained with making the Dreamcast OS, to make their own console and become a player in the video game console market.
@kobashi100
Yeah, the porting process took about 3 years. So ofc. the big difference in cpu standard, from the other versions x86 to arm, would make it even more complex than it already was. Keeping it in mind how sloppy Sega kept its expensive classic (missing original dreamcast code etc), Im not surprised they went under as a competitor to Nintendo and Sony.
Just the fact Sega hired an english-speaking company to port it, when all the fact sheets etc in the original code is in japanese, makes me wonder how well they manage that company.
Then getting porting it to the Switch... it's dreamcast game I'm pretty sure it can handle it.
But get the bug fixes right this time. (kinda odd how they manage to have so many with the PS4 release...)
@aznable don't forget virtua tennis and house of the dead VR too.. i'm still waiting on those.
but they are listening alright lol
Lies! If Sega was actually listening, we would have Phantasy Star in the West, a sequel to Jet Set Radio, more games that are NOT Sonic and for those Sonic games, they would have been actually good and or decent.
@aznable so many great racing games, come on Sega take my money..
Since Sony is involved with part three, it gets tricky. They could change the characters, graphics, and title like the old days and call it Wonder Boy in Sailor Land or something like that.
@OberonPrime i would like to know when in my post i even said it won't run well because of the Switch's hardware?
Did you even reply to the right person?
@BionicDodo Didn't stop Konami from porting Silent Hill 2 & 3, albeit they didn't bother reverse engineering a finalized copy.
@OberonPrime no probs 😎. Confused me a bit there, had to reread my own post lol.
In some way Shenmue benefits greatly from nostalgia. Yakuzi has been mentioned a lot, but in vibe I think Sleeping Dogs is a closer cousin. Shenmue did a lot of things that were emerging and strung them together around a decent (been so long) story. So it has some limited open world exploring, some decent combat, some mini-games, it was an early attempt at what later games did much better so therefore beloved.
The second game came essentially after the DC was dead. It wasn’t even widly released in NA but you could get the EU version and it vame with a boot disc to make the game boot in NTSC. It did not have localized english voice using jap voices with English text. I am one of like 14 people that bought it. What was compelling people to want the second game was the story. In 2002 it came out on XB0 and they just did a brutally awful voice localazation. That would have been OK but it did not have japanese option and many considered it to be almost unbearable.
The series was intend to be a trilogy and after all these years I am more interssted in what the game can be now. I would much rather see the 1/2 remaster on Switch as honestly I don’t think a port holds up that well. JetGrind and Crazy Taxi would hold up a lot better for straight ports.
@DingDongVG you have got to see this
Will it include bad voice acting and pay phone missions as well?
If only Team Sonic would listen...
@Rika_Yoshitake I'd say that's fair though. If Sony is funding development even just partially, then it makes sense for Shenmue 3 to be exclusive to their platform. Nintendo did the same with Bayonetta 2 and the game remains exclusive to them, to this day. Nintendo fans hate on others begging for ports of Nintendo 3rd party exclusives to other platforms, so it'd be unbecoming to do the same thing when the opposite is happening.
Sonic Adventure 1+2 remaster please...
What's with the influx of PORTS / OLD GAMES coming to Switch all the time?
I feel like every time I turn on my computer to read Switch-related news there's either talk of a port of an old game possibly coming to Switch or there's an announcement of an old port of a game coming very soon (i.e. Virtua Racer, '92)
I'm sick of these old games/ports. I didn't buy the Switch to play decade-old game. I didn't buy the Switch to play rehashed games that we have played to death already. Nintendo Switch is turning into that go-to system to play your favorite games from a decade ago. It's super annoying. I'm cool with interesting ports like Dead Cells, Little Nightmares, Hollow Knights and games in that vein because they're not that old and work very well on a portable system — but OLD REHASHES... NO.
Virtua Racer was recently announced and people acted like it was Second Coming of Christ. Seriously. This SEGA racing game is from 1992. I don't want to play 30 year old games on my Switch.
Give us more triple AAA games ... no more of these fillers. Nobody wants to keep re-purchasing old games.
Oh God yes! Release it for the Switch already. As a matter of fact, there are MANY Sega games that we need. The release of Lightening force iv and Sonic last week was a great start but we need so many more. Please Sega, go back into the collection and start pumping them out. I have so many of the re-releases in my 3DS but I want them on my Switch asap. Also a physical release would be even MORE appreciated.
@ClassSonicSatAm
The glitches are due to lost data from the Dreamcast-original.
The Dreamcast sigh .....what a console.
Sega is listening to fans. In other news the world is coming to an end.
Dragon's Lair for Japanophiles. This game is rubbish! And it has zero chance of coming out on Switch.
(I don't want to jinx it lol O.< )
@SakuraHaruka The differences between those two comparisons is that Shenmue 3 was crowdfunded by the fans and Sony would only help market the game. Bayonetta 2 was not crowdfunded and the money used to developed and market the game came from Nintendo themselves. So in a way Nintendo had more to do with Bayonetta 2 than Sony's little support of Shenmue 3. The thing is Shenmue 3 would still happen without Sony but Bayonetta 2 would not have happen had Nintendo not revive it.
@ejf1984 They are bringing back old games cause they know there will be many people who would love to play those again or for the first time. For example with Shenmue I & II, other than the Dreamcast and Xbox where else would you find Shenmue 1 & 2 though? Now games like Final Fantasy VII, Super Mario Bros. 3, Donkey Kong Country and Sonic the Hedgehog are ported, re-releases, and/or remake to death already, but rare gems like Grandia 1 & 2, Langrisser 1 & 2, Tales of Vesperia, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, Shenmue 1 & 2, and the Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy, those are games that are exclusive to one or few platforms at the time and seeing them coming to modern consoles with modern visual upgrades is a welcome addition. I don't get why offering retro to the new generation is a bad thing though, sometimes you had to remind the new generation that games back then isn't the same as right now with all the pre-order bonus, microtransactions, DLCs, and season passes that ruin modern gaming. Also it isn't like the new games ain't coming though, we still got new titles like Doom Eternal, Shin Megami Tensei V, Daemon X Machina, Dragon Quest XI, No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again, Fire Emblem: The Three Houses, Luigi's Mansion 3, Town, and recently Valkyria Chronicles 4.
The Shenmue games were extremely ambitious for their time, but personally they never quite held my attention for long due to the funky gameplay mechanics. I definitely understand the desire by fans to see a comeback, but there are a boatload of other iconic Sega franchises I'd much rather see either remastered for new/younger gamers or, better yet, receive all-new games. For instance:
1) Shining Force A full HD, current-gen remaster of the incredible SFIII...all three interlocking Scenarios...over 190 hours' worth going by my personal playthroughs...would blow away anyone who never got to experience the entire original (only Scenario 1 came out in the West thanks to Sega's ineptitude).
2) Phantasy Star Whether it's a return to the classic Algol Star System (which hasn't been revisited since the Genesis) or Phantasy Star Online, either formula would doubtless be received well by fans if handled right.
3) Skies of Arcadia That world is simply too big and full of too many potential stories to explore for Sega not to take us back. Just be sure to bring back Horteka's incredible music fully intact; it's one of my all-time favorite videogame songs.
4) Dragon Force If you missed the original game (localized by Working Designs) or its sequel (Japan only) for the Saturn, you missed out on hands down one of the most visually impressive SRPGs of that console generation. Up to 200 sprite-based soldiers, cavalry, samurai, archers, mages, or even dragons, harpies, or zombies would fight it out as their commanders exchanged Street Fighter-esque special attacks across the battlefield. If you love micromanagement, this game has you covered, with roughly 100 generals and their armies to command (and keep happy via rewards and decorations) as you fight to take control of an entire continent as one of eight leaders, each with their own storylines.
5) Panzer Dragoon Seriously, this franchise NEEDS to be seen on current-gen platforms. And the massive, (four-disc at the time) Saturn RPG, Panzer Dragoon Saga, is perhaps the most overlooked gem from that system, with an amazing atmosphere and sense of bleakness bordering on despair.
@Liam_Doolan If Sega were really listening to fans we would already have shining force, panzer dragoon (saga) and skies of arcadia on Switch instead of the umpteenth version of sonic. shenmue &+2 would be nice but the gameplay is something people should look at without nostalgia. these games are mostly slow and can sometimes be tedious (ah the memories of my job as a forklift driver still haunt me). However they form the basis for later games like Yakuza. If they are thinking about Shenmue then maybe there is some hope for Yakuza ?
@JR150
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Shining Resonance Refrain
Yakuza 6
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Fist of the North Star
All of the above are 2018 SEGA games and none of them are Sonic related.
@QuickSilver88
Yu Suzuki said he originally planned for Shenmue to be 4 or 5 games. I hope he'll wrap things up with Shenmue 3.
@aznable You bash PS III but what if they actually finished it this time? The generations system was really cool and there were some awesome characters. Great soundtrack too.
@coleman83 “I WANT TO TRY IT”
@ClassSonicSatAm They had to reverse engineer the original Shenmue due to not having access to the source code. Also, notated code for Shenmue 2 was in Japanese and so that took longer to translate. So yeah, there’s new bugs because of that.
@RushDawg He already stated Shenmue 3 won’t wrap it up. HE says he’d ideally like 5 games but would work hard to finish it in 4 if need be. So, here’s hoping 3 sells well!
@Antraxx777
I've played psiii through with every timeline. don't get me wrong, i love it, it's just a terrible game in comparison with the others. the music, pacing and animations were terrible. downright bizarre half the time.
@RCGamer My exact thoughts
@exopiscea
Yeah I would hold out for a switch version. I would love to be able to play it in a more comfy environment!
@Rika_Yoshitake
No it is not. Shenmue 3 was funded through Kickstarter with extra money provided by its publisher Deep Silver. Sony is NOT funding it and never was.
@Dalarrun These games are great actually. It is only the voice acting that is "so bad it's good".
@TheFox Not really. Yakuza has some similarities to Shenmue and took some inspiration from it, but they are ultimately very different experiences. Yakuza is more of an action game, while Shenmue is mostly about exploration. The stories are COMPLETELY different too.
Panzer Dragoon Saga please, and Space Channel 5 games.
@Rika_Yoshitake Shenmue 3 was funded by Kickstarter. It only has limited exclusivity on PS4
@SuperZeldaMaker Oh gosh I thought I was the only VF player on this site.
@KenW77
That's good to hear, I'll keep my eye on them!
@aznable Don't forget Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2.
@KenW77
I play with Japanese audio and the voice acting was fine tbh. Tom is particularly hilarious in Japanese as he is meant to be American so his accent is terrible.
@starman292 Yeah the Japanese voice acting is much better and the foreigners who speak broken Japanese are funny.
@RasandeRose That would explain alot.. wish SEGA would look after their source codes better... then poorly remaking them like this.
Sugar still chasing Nintendo I see. I hope they bring both shenmu games and Alien Front Online to the Switch. Oh and also Crazy Taxi. Good times, those were.
I would love Shenmue 1,2 and 3 on Switch.
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