Revealed: Sega's Cancelled Shenmue Remake - With Fully Updated Graphics!

Aside from some bugs, Sega's Shenmue 1 and 2 HD remaster was a good release but originally, plans were afoot for an altogether more ambitious project - and you can see it right here.
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[@martin4458]

I bought Shenmue 1&2 a year ago for PS4. It cost me €10 brand new. I started playing Shenmue1 on PS4 a two weeks ago. What an amazing game. I knew nothing about it except that it was a Dreamcast game that had a cult following. I think it's the most charming game I've ever played in my life. I'm really enjoying it. Shenmue is like finding a diamond in the rough, and although it might not appeal to everyone, but for me it's amazing.

[@retrogamelord3763]

Enjoy it! Shenmue 2 is a masterpiece!

[@novinworks]

SHENMUE KIWAMI: The Cat is Out of The Bag.

[@kwedl]

Dragon Engine Shenmue would probably end up looking better than Shenmue 3, which would be really weird.

[@daringintrovert]

Are you kicking some sailors?

[@notcodeman]

I have been asking for a Shenmue ga Gotoku for sometime, most logical crossover ever could be the final chapter of the series where Ryo tracks LanDi back to Japan where he is hiding in Kamurocho with the triad who is secretly teaming up with the Tojo Clan

[@gc3k]

Someone explain to me why the Shenmue re-releases or part 3 aren't being built from the ground up on the Dragon Engine??

[@nihren2406]

Well for starters Shenmue III is being developed Ys Net, an independent developer run by Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki. The Dragon Engine is owned by Sega, if not at least Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. So on top of licensing the Shenmue IP, they would also have to license the engine because Sega isn't just going to hand it to them. It's also supposedly a bit difficult to use, while Unreal Engine 4 allows them to prototype very quickly. They could probably pull off similar graphics in Unreal Engine 4, but it's clear Ys Net had a style they were going for which isn't hyper-realism. Or rather, the environments are hyper-realistic, but the characters look like they were pulled straight out of a Dreamcast game, and as the Yakuza team put it, the Dragon Engine is intended for photo-realistic games which is why they didn't use it for Fist of the North Star.

[@x556]

Time for another kickstarter.

[@BoundaryBreak]

did i miss it? where did you obtain this footage?

[@HappyConsoleGamer]

I am looking for sailors With Fully Updated Graphics!

[@tchitchouan]

They're big bad strong men, you know !

[@GrayFoxGamingHD]

i dont want to donate any money for your new camera.thanks

[@MK-qo1rz]

I want to get swetty!! ... (IT'S FROM THE GAME) LOL 🙄

[@luismartins3785]

So SAD !

[@segaboy9894]

Wow, this is gonna set off a real shit-storm on Twitter... ...People will be asking why they paid $20 for the HD version on not this. It looks gorgeous!

[@segaboy9894]

Oh yeah... haha. I got a good deal on a Steam key.

[@kurisu7885]

Rightfully so too.

[@xnonsuchx]

Because they probably would have had to sell it for twice as much and not have it ready for another 1-1.5 years for a more questionable number of buyers.

[@mementoa9025]

I paid $30 and still got my moneys worth. As much as I enjoyed it I'm surprised Sega even went this route first, because Shenmue is such a niche series and lost them lots of money. All most people wanted too were ports to modern hardware, after so many years of asking. I'd gladly pay again for this version though because without HD ports as an entry point I dont know if I'd pay more for later Shenmue titles.

[@yanceyboyz]

£17 on steam launch day 😌

[@iPlaySEGA]

OH my GOD!!!! WTF happened again??!! Why SEGA WHY??!!

[@lurk7757]

@Abysmal Horrors No u

[@imacg5]

Maybe just another FF XV. Or MGS V. You know, the "Japanese game companies are really bad at project management" stuff.

[@eyb0ss]

This is what the HD remaster could have been, and damn does it look good.

[@jacobsmith1173]

Sorry Huber!

[@franzusgutlus54]

Love and respect!

[@l90316]

Jacob Smith He will get it somehow.

[@nowonmetube]

Damn, the remaster looks so much better 😢

[@entertainmentwizard2703]

Man I want this build of the games it looks so good, given the success of the HD ports I think Sega should finish these builds!

[@juicebrother]

I love how you guys keep doing videos about Shenmue. Please don't stop : ) We need to keep showing our interest in these titles, if we want to keep them alive. They truly deserve it.

[@PeugeotRocket]

Man, if I was a billionaire, I would go to these devs and just throw money at them to finish and release these games, no strings attached.

[@annacuevas2686]

That and buy all the ip's from Konami, EA and Activision. Would also give metal gear back to kojima ....

[@PeugeotRocket]

@@annacuevas2686 I would definitely buy the rights to MGS or at least license the name and then allow Kojima to develop with full creative freedom. He may not even want to continue the series though. That was a long chapter in his life, he may have moved on... :(

[@justkiki2290]

Same here

[@fromfilmtocode]

Notch, where you at? Stop playing factorio and fund it!

[@flyboxpicture]

Shenmue Kiwami would be great...

[@kodoyama]

Hopefully Sega might resurrect this project if Shenmue 3 performs well. It would be great to have both remastered and un-remastered versions of the originals on modern consoles.

[@GrayFoxGamingHD]

i doubt it. They would most likely spend their time developing Shenmue 4 with Yu Suzuki.

[@blueblur8420]

Always remember that Yakuza 1&2 got HD ports for PS3 and Wii U before they made the Kiwami, ground up remakes of Yakuza 1&2

[@jsh020]

I think that's unlikely for a number of reasons and the best we can hope for is them assisting with shenmue 4, frankly im terrified that shenmue 3 wont actually do anywhere near as well enough to garner a sequel in the first place, so little of the game has been shown off ad I just dont think theres honestly much demand for it outside of us diehards

[@FinalLuigi]

@@blueblur8420 It's funny to note that the PS3 has two versions of Yakuza 1; the HD version from 2012 and Kiwami. Three if you include the BC PS2 original.

[@IslandBoy-808]

jsh020 There wont be a Shenmue 4,. Yu Suzuki's intention is for the game to be 3 chapters.

[@Cafeman_2D]

Very, very interesting. I would have loved to play this version. Look at that foliage, the stones, the wood textures. How did this footage become released and available?

[@dougr.8653]

People didn't buy the originals that time, imagine today.... At least we got the HD release. I'm proud owner of the original releases.

[@Krukikro]

I think it sold pretty good, but development costs were insane, so they didn't profit. But yes, today it would be a pretty boring game for the casual audience, if youre not looking for a lession in history.

[@PanzerDragoonWorld]

I’m curious to know why SEGA decided to officially disclose/confirm this kind of information... I wish we could have a Panzer Dragoon Saga remake..

[@drybonez2087]

Truth is, as nice as this looks, people would have STILL complained about it not looking as close to the original. People are so unappreciative and tend to not be satisfied with anything.

[@IFuruya]

So true...

[@drybonez2087]

@Gabbiadini This is a prime example of what im talking about. There will be always be people that are never truly satisfied regardless of how something looks or is.

[@SEMARPE]

lol

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

@Marcus Stayte Rerelease isn't worse though. Tf you talking about?

[@rioplats]

I mean, very few people complained about SotC (2018) as far as I'm aware. A remake simply has to hold up to modern standards to satisfy most players, as opposed to be a trailblazer for today as Shenmue was when originally released.

[@TheOttomatic91]

Digital Foundry I love you guys please don't ever change

[@livewallberg]

Yes. Please dont go the merge and sellout train.

[@CanonGames]

This would have been so good if it got released.

[@MajoraZ]

So where did this video footage come from?

[@ShadowLady1]

this

[@byebye1813]

Somewhere super secret.

[@Yautah]

"Sources"

[@bigbro890]

Snapchat

[@wing0zero]

Some shady back alley deal went down, a envelope of cash for a bluray disc 🕴✉💿👤

[@JoeyJ0J0]

I am just glad they rereleased these two games, Shemue is a good series

[@khantastico]

Can i sign a petition to make this real? Please

[@mushroomkingdomhearts8331]

Shenmue 3 is already happening thanks to it being a Kickstarter, we shouldn't push our luck, but hey, maybe in the future we will get this remake

[@mightyhadi6132]

Great content as usual from Digital Foundry , keep up the good works guys. I hope we can talk more about next gen system and how emulation can work on future system on PS5 .

[@nihren2406]

There is a part of me that hopes Sega gives these remakes to another developer and finishes them. I'd buy them even though I already got the HD collection.

[@TastingKitty]

All of the changes made (just looking at it alone...) was truly breathtaking. Sad that this didn't end up being the Shenmue HD that we got, but hot damn I'd love to see something similar be attempted as a mod (or even as a completely different release altogether.)

[@ZeroHayabusa]

I wish RGG Studio could work on Shenmue 4 while Yu Suzuki focused on the story of the game. I think it would sell much better if it was on the RGG engine and just modernized and improved the gameplay elements of the first 2 games.

[@Diegorsilva2007]

I mean, it sure looks good and I would buy it in a heartbeat, but for today standards, it doesn't cut anymore. Sega may have thought: "Hey, this looks like a remake for ps3, not ps4", and instead focused on a remaster using the same old assets. Easier to market, easier to develop. Remakes for this generation needs to be on the same level of Crash, Spyro and SotC, otherwise there will be backlash from the community.

[@jonnysac77]

It would be really cool to see a remake of Shenmue where 1&2 are combined into one game like it seems like they were planned to be in the Saturn prototype footage

[@esppiral]

Shame on you SEGA!!!!!!

[@startedtech]

Wait, who discovered this? Was this leaked on a forum? Or did someone exclusively leak it to Digital Foundry?

[@PeugeotRocket]

My heart just broke... I still remember before I had even entered highschool buying a DC and then a friend got amped up for buying one (which he did) and the first game we played together was Shenmue. I was up all night long playing it at his house. I was so tired the next day but it was soooo worth it. :) Ah, one of those memories I wish I could relive.

[@drewtiberiusarundale]

Not sure how to feel about this. Still, we got a re-release of Shenmue 1 & 2 and 3 is on the way. Who am I to complain.

[@schizogony]

I like the original. I like flat surfaces with a texture to represent depth. I like lighting that looks like a late '90s arcade game. I like when you can tell things are made of polygons.

[@SuperFam12345]

Great video and so damn intriguing as well. I had know idea another version existed.

[@CaseyMongilloYT]

I love this. I had no idea this was even in the works. The maps look great, but the NPCs are the biggest improvement. The regular game's always looked a little cheezy compared to main characters, but that's also part of the game's charm.

[@RebirthCrusader90]

I definitely would've been cool with waiting for a bit to get these versions instead. The NPC models in particular look better in these builds. But oh well, I'm still glad I got to experience the games at all.

[@Marc28031984]

Man Why did they cancel it!? It looks awesome! Too bad we will never get to play it... But great to see it. 👍🏼 The music still gives me goosebumps. Shenmue is just EPIC

[@LeanneMustafa]

ah my heart. i read that title too quickly and was like *SHENMUE 3 JUST GOT CANCELLED??*

[@Ganimoth]

exactly

[@rcontrerastaule]

Shenmue 3 was founded with Kickstarter...

[@aarongarza4769]

Leanne B. Right!?

[@aarongarza4769]

Ricardo Contreras I think you mean funded...

[@TravelWright22]

Same

[@trignite]

I don'y like the post processing and lighting, it really changes the atmosphere and things just don't look right. But other than that the remake looks a lot better. And thankfully lighting and post processing isn't hard to change.

[@i7rooper]

It's not. That annoying bloom with poor global illumination is characteristic from the previous gen (Xbox360 and PS3)

[@KarimJovian]

It's pretty obivous. If Shenmue 3 does really well then a Shenmue 1 and 2 Remake will be made using assets from this cancelled and Shenmue 3 models. Like they did with Yakuza

[@JustSomeObject]

sadly shenmue 3 is a flop

[@erwanlecainec3394]

Hi John, I played with the VR headset yesterday night. I had it for more than a year but I had still not tried Shenmue with the VR headset. And still, with the PS4 set up on medium or large screen with the PS VR options, it's as if you had the characters as tall as yourself just in front of you with the cinema effect and the big screen through the PS VR. It's so unbelievable you have to see it. The game really seems to be magnified this way, especially with the Oled screens of the Sony VR headset. The textures and details and colours are bright. But there's more. You've got the possibility to come back in 4/3 as you know and the VR gives the proportions of the 4/3 on the big screen with the right ratio. So which one is the best on this config' ? 4/3 or 16/9 ? It's a real shame that Shenmue was not transcribed in VR for the exploration of the town at least because Ryo's head could have been our head mimicking the camera's move... And I expect so much from the remakes of Panzer Dragoon with the VR as an option given it's a rail shooter just like Rush of Blood which is absolutely amazing on this format !!! Panzer Dragoon in VR would be a real dream especially when you already played Rez in the same VR conditions. Nevertheless, with the VR headset, the frame rate seemed a bit slower than usual on Shenmue. You have to try it, John, as a man fond of Shenmue and fond of perfection of pictures, the VR headset on PS4 and PCs must be tested with Shenmue, which remains a very cinematographic game in its approach. Question in the same time : if we set 720p on the PS4 menu, would there be a 720p picture on the VR headset OLED screens ? I ask you this because I have an old HD Ready Plasma TV (Pioneer PDP-428XD) and I know for sure it was the best panel to play with PS3 and 360 with the native resolution of 90 % of the games at the time. This TV accepts 1080p but its native resolution is 1024x768 (with pixels which are not exactly square but rectangular...). Cheers and Happy New Year by the way. ^^

[@DreamcastGuy]

OMG I need it!!!

[@Fendera1]

nostalgia is a heavy drug

[@xxx1xxx275]

You 'need' it but we all know you wouldn't play it more than 2 hours

[@LaughingxClouds]

Lol, this guy has Dreamcast on his name but never makes any Dreamcast content... Let alone Sega content. It's mostly garbage Watch Mojo top 10 videos and half-ass redundant rants.

[@LaughingxClouds]

@Felipe M. very true

[@cookman08]

I come to DF for the consistently excellent technical analysis, but I gotta say I'm really digging the games historian aspects of the Retro content. There's no shortage of games history content out there, but none (that I'm aware of) that also provide such an informed take on the technical side of things. Have you considered doing some more hard-ware focused episodes like the 32x posts? PC Engine? Perhaps a closer look at strengths and weaknesses of different consoles through the lens certain games.

[@jeanjean3922]

Wow thanks for sharing, never heard of this

[@mjc0961]

Do you know where I can find some remade sailors?

[@NorieagaHDR]

Damn, this would have been epic.

[@MrHonwe]

But which platform were the previews running on?

[@gammaphonic]

Looks like they were aiming for something similar to what blue point did with Shadow of the Colossus. All new textures and character models with much better lighting, but the same basic game running underneath. To be honest, I’m happy with the plain old port that we got. Personally, I like my retro games with warts and all included.

[@Helvetica_Scenario]

Actually, the Bluepoint remake doesn't have the old code underneath. It's a new engine.

[@SianaGearz]

@@Helvetica_Scenario you might want to go back to the Digital Foundry video on that. The new graphics engine runs right alongside the old game code, save for just the rendering portion of the code that was stubbed out. In the games of that era the code really isn't structured for reusability or replaceability, so the word "engine" apropos original codebase is perhaps slightly misplaced.

[@Helvetica_Scenario]

I thought I had read that they redid the game from the ground up.

[@Helvetica_Scenario]

Yeah, Siana, you're right. The graphics and animation are new, while everything else is the same underneath.

[@BobDeFred]

This is amazing and breaks my heart at the same time it’s a real shame that we didn’t get this version

[@acoulte8072]

where did you get this footage? Did you record this yourself?

[@matthewcullen3486]

They should do a Kickstarter

[@RenoFriends]

Do you know anything about the Mad Angels?

[@Odie50000]

Were you guys planning on analyzing X and Pro versions of Black Ops 4 or nah? Just curious and I enjoy Foundry's videos a lot. Cheers!

[@Tamplet5]

kickstarter for Shenmue i&ii remake! Please Yu Suzuki!!

[@clarkyk85]

Looked damned impressive. Maybe the modding community will get inspired now

[@cookman08]

I would also be interested to hear your thoughts on game preservation in general, and the fact that so much of the design and creation process is being lost to history? Would the world be a more interesting place if there was a general agreement in the industry to open source game engines after X years or some other arbitrary metric?

[@OwtDaftUK]

I was wanting a loyal HD upgrade so I'm happy. Now I have that i'd not mind a full remaster like this too, but it still could happen, you never know.

[@RichardSimms87]

At 6:16 there are two guys crossing a bridge with...broomsticks sticking out their groins?

[@phreakinpher]

That PLACEHOLDER graphic looks like something out of THEY LIVE or some sci-fi thriller.

[@Midekai]

I had no idea that prototype was even being made!

[@MrSoftypolimer]

Due to the game length, they could have release it as a whole saga in one single game but it's a little too late now. Shenmue's charm was the open area fill with insane detail to interact with which never seen before at the time and still not too common till these day. Unfortunately, there are still plenty of modern titles similar enough to make Shenmue look generic. I'd rather have the whole series reset or just merge the universe with Yakuza series and continue it there as an aged grandmaster Ryo with a bit of mysterious back story revealing little by little of what happened after Shenmue 2.

[@chillnspace777]

Basically, this. Hames have evolved a lot since these games are released, and Shenmu 1 would NOT translate well enough today. Yakuza is basically its spiritual successor and even that franchise has changed as well

[@boredstudent]

It would have been awesome to play Shenmue in that version

[@Deniz_50]

I still need to finish them, it is on my to do list, soo many games

[@RodniDemental]

Great video! Fascinating stuff.

[@user-hy9pd4dt4i]

A big rock is already thrown into SEGA Office window.

[@HUYI1]

make it comet sized!

[@NathanGargus24]

Hope we get this someday.

[@j.deleos1412]

Man, I would have gladly paid a little more for those updated visuals.

[@SuperJumpReviews]

wow, that was close, for a second I thought they had cancelled shenmue 3 or something when I glanced at the title of the video.

[@Tromzy]

Thank you very much DF, now I WANT this version of the game !

[@mondodimotori]

What's the source of this leak?

[@Tigerex966]

where can i buy the unreleased versions

[@5133pp1z]

Some remastering on the audio would have been nice at least. I'm glad that there's something left to play for posterity.

[@ElricSowrd]

I didn't know about this. Don't forget about Grim Fandango Remastered.

[@ninjagaiden86]

I can’t believe this was a thing

[@Phiidyn]

I think the most likely reason this version was supplanted with the HD Remaster we received was due to time constraints. Shenmue III is due out next year and the time needed to finish the full remakes of I+II most likely would have lead to a projected release date beyond the launch of the already many times delayed third game. The release timing of many HD Remasters/Remakes (Kingdom Hearts, Uncharted Collection, etc.) coincides with projected releases of sequels and are used to generate hype, bring new players into a franchise, and refresh people's memories in preparation of a sequels release. With an additional delay to Shenmue III being out of the question a staggered release schedule with remakes coming out after the third game would be their only option. That makes no sense from both a marketing and consumer standpoint and would lead to decreased sales of both games. Hence the cancellation of the full remaster. This is most likely the reason for the full remasters "glitchyness" too. The team simply needed to hit a target release date predicted by analytics teams to best generate proper hype for the third game; soon enough to keep the series fresh but not late enough to fatigue players with too many releases. Certainly not after the release of the third game. Instead of delaying it or both games for the sake of polish they decided post-release support would be the best option. Although I would have been eternally grateful for a full remake of both games the timing just wasn't right from a business perspective. That's my take anyway. Maybe in 10-20 more years we'll see a I+II+III Remaster. Until then I'll enjoy what we got.

[@kwedl]

I never understood why they didn't make a remake like Kiwami 1 or 2, even the engine would work well with it and the team can push out games like no other. But then again a Shenmue remake in the Dragon Engine would look better than Shemnue 3.

[@michaeljohn5130]

Money.

[@gc3k]

It really sucks that the creator of a Sega game is making a sequel apparently without Sega's help, and they even released the old games to cash in on his indie project. The whole thing sounds very cold and passive-aggressive to me

[@xMTxcameron]

@@gc3k SEGA were great enough to give Yu Suzuki the licence to make the game he wishes. If SEGA were even remotely interested in making Shenmue III we would have had something a long time ago, which is why they're not involved in the making of Shenmue III now

[@xMTxcameron]

@@gc3k Hahah well those games are a different story, they've been successful. Shenmue was not unfortunately, as a Shenmue fan that's devastating. Those other IP's mean nothing in relation to their interest in Shenmue. SEGA took a massive hit with the cost of the games which is why they haven't been interested in it, sure this remake has resurfaced but it's been canned and that probably confirms even further that SEGA aren't interested in investing a great deal of money into the series.

[@xMTxcameron]

@@gc3k Oh wow lol, I'd love to know I'm spouting anti-comsumer rhetoric. There's tonnes of evidence out there to tell you that Shenmue was not a successful game, Yu Suzuki himself the Shenmue project cost SEGA about $45 million at the time and Shenmue never would have made that money back. That's a fact. Sure you could say there is a little bit of interest in the series now that Shenmue III was successfully Kickstartered and they're riding that Shenmue hype but again, looking at how low budget the HD collection is shows how much interest SEGA seems to have in Shenmue and that's very little. That's no hate towards D3T, who have done a good job with remastering the game even though it has its issues but there's no denying that it's a low budget release which is reflected in its retail price. I'm the biggest Shenmue fan so it is depressing to see SEGA have little to no interest in the series but it's a clear reality. I'd say SEGA's history with Shenmue shows pretty clearly that they haven't been interested in the series even after so much fan outcry for the series, they had 13 years since their US OG Xbox release of Shenmue II to do something major with the series themselves before Shenmue III was taken to Kickstarter but they did pretty much nothing. I'd say that speaks volumes in terms of their interest in the series.

[@BRSG.]

Why didn't they just make a patreon? Goddamnit, Sega.

[@capcom23]

exactly. let us fans know so from our excitement i'm sure could make some donation or something for this project. They would've selled a lot more that's for sure

[@jinkazama7587]

Dodged a bullet that is Shenmue HD There's a reason companies like Blue Point exist.

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

The HD rerelease is good though. God, you people are such complainers.

[@xMTxcameron]

@@user-vi4xy1jw7e The HD Remaster was a very solid collection, the issues that it does have aren't that major and are being worked on. They did a very good job with them even though some of the issues are frustrating, it's still amazing to have these games on modern platforms.

[@Ash-cc6om]

You can see that it's a demonstration of the capability of their graphic engine running on a developers Dreamcast rig. It's a what could it look like if the released consumer dreamcast had more Cpu and graphical power. Possibly a glimps of how a DC2 would have been able to perform.

[@Tigerex966]

ill be holding on to my original dreamcast disc only played a few times disc #1.

[@FurobaOA]

Hope we will also get a remaster, but people would have been pissed if the originala were missing.

[@luqmanr]

wait... so does the updated graphics run on the old engine? that's really impressive, bummer it didn't work out

[@blackhatfreak]

Whew for a second I thought they cancelled the HD but, then I remembered it already came out.

[@Megaspartan23]

It would be interesting if the modding community work on a mod that gives the game a massive graphics overhaul to match the cancelled remake

[@Belgiumdoesnotkickas]

so now we got a half assed version instead of a full remastered version

[@BeastGamerKuma]

Damn this would have been better! I wanted a remastered version because the HD release is clunky.

[@BasedSakurai2024]

Are you guys gonna cover the 3DS remake of Luigi's Mansion?

[@carlospokorski6825]

It’s sucks this didn’t come out but I’m still so happy with the re releases I can’t wait for 3

[@playaz1911]

From Eurogamer website: UPDATE 16/10/18 3:52pm: Sega has been in touch with a 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."

[@ChrisBa303]

6:32 whats the name of the song? Cant find it

[@xMTxcameron]

First Harbour Arrival

[@altrogeruvah]

You forgot to mention where this video came from! Was this a leak? Official footage release from the devs? Very interesting material.

[@bluecellspy]

Since watching DF retro shenmue videos I’ve recently decided to finish playing Shenmue 1 👍

[@RelentlesSoul]

Holy shit this looks amazing from a Shenmue fan I hope these assets are released to modders or for current owners of the rerelease as well.

[@Libretro]

Thanks John for at least showing behind the scenes stuff like this. I still think the issues were of such a severe nature in the Collection that DID get released that far more attention should have been put on them in the DF video, but I can understand the circumstances involved and why you didn't want to go all hard on them considering the circumstances involved and the limited amount of time you had available to do the video. Still though, that Sega UK just essentially closed up shop and they moved QA to Bulgaria just further underlines that unfortunately Sega is not putting their best foot forward here. They set up their subsidiaries for fail by giving them unrealistic expectations to deliver on with practically zero budget, basically look the other way when QA fails and circumstances lead to a subpar product, then proceed to just blame their subsidiaries and daughter companies overseas and just close up shop and try something else. This is bad management and worse, the customer gets to suffer from subpar products because of this kind of bad management. Unfortunately, we all know the games industry has severe issues when it comes to working practices and such, so none of this necessarily comes as a surprise, but one would hope things would be slowly changing. But not much seems to be changing for the better honestly, maybe even things becoming worse instead. Let's just put it like this - if this current-day Sega were the same company Sega was back in my teens and would put their stamp of approval on products like this with the kind of quality we'd see in this 'collection', I certainly would not give a crap about them today. That is ultimately the problem here - we have built-in nostalgia here, so we can rationalize it and remember a Sega that once was nothing like this and was actually the one leading the graphics arms race, with a now-massive company like Nvidia once being merely a middling contractor for them. Unfortunately for Sega, to today's kids this matters precious little, there is not some built-in attachment to their past as it is for us, and what matters is the here and now, who the current movers and shakers are now, who is excelling now and who is not, etc. The people who were 'there' back then recognize that this was a once-great company that has fallen on harder times in recent decades so as fans we want to see them succeed again and pump on all cylinders. Unfortunately, it seems to be kind of like wishing Queen or the Rolling Stones could come back in form and show everybody how it's done - very much a time and place thing. So far, the only product these days that still reminds me of the Sega of past years (that lead the way in the industry, if at least technologically) is Yakuza (and maybe Judge Eyes, although that remains to be seen). Just a shame that this era of unbridled creativity and balls-to-the-walls craftsmanship (Rez/Jet Set Radio/Panzer Dragoon/Virtua Fighter/Shenmue/Scud Race/Daytona/Sega Rally) seems to be all but over. The merger with Sammy really ruined the creative side of this company unfortunately it seems. I don't think another nostalgia-bait Sonic game is going to cut it for me, either. I like Sonic as much as the next guy but I've had my fill by now, and Sonic was not all that Sega stood for, and for me it was not even 10% of what the company stood for back in its heyday. I want the Sega back that pushed boundaries and wasn't just a Johnny one-note franchise factory.

[@thesch2867]

I'm just disappointed at how dead the Virtua Fighter series is right now, the community is very active but still no new game or ports. Nowadays SEGA sees everything as a risk.

[@Libretro]

They did the same thing Square Enix did with Final Fantasy and turned most of their videogame business operations into a single franchise factory, the exact thing that Hironobu Sakaguchi did not want. The problem is that the bulk of Sonic's sales was all made in its heyday, and that the franchise is becoming increasingly irrelevant to gaming at large. So they can delude themselves all they want that adding all DLC sales combined with total number of game sales amounts to 80 million, I would wager that Sonic (even post-Mania) is less relevant even than Kirby to modernday gamers, and that to bet the farm on a franchise like that to see you through the future just means Sega will become increasingly irrelevant to the modernday games landscape. What they should be doing is more unique franchises with the kind of production values associated with a series like Yakuza, but something with international appeal. There is also the unfortunate but painful truth that while their arcade games were great in their day, realistically you could make these kind of games in 5 minutes these days in say Unity or Unreal Engine 4 editor. They had brilliant execution of course but for full-priced offerings, it is very hard to justify the price. Console gaming has changed a lot in the years since Dreamcast and people expect more content for $60 than what you'd get out of Crazy Taxi's challenge modes on Dreamcast or whatnot. This was previously their forte, so I'm not sure how that would be able to be updated for the modern age. Under better management, Phantasy Star Online could totally have sustained the kind of interest that World of Warcraft and FF14/FF11 still has. They beat both to the punch, yet PSO is all but a distant memory for many western gamers.

[@thesch2867]

LibRetro At least a new console Virtua Fighter with as many features as PS2 VF4Evo + online could very well be worth 60 dollars, sadly AM2 doesn't seem to be interested in making a new VF.

[@Libretro]

The Virtua Fighter/Daytona/Sega Rally/Shenmue/Scud Race/JSR/Space Channel 5/Rez period is definitely the part I am most nostalgic for when it comes to Sega. Sonic games were fun and all but that alone doesn't really represent what I liked about Sega, and milking that franchise to death certainly won't bring them back to their former stature. Neither will some Creative Assembly/football management games made by their western subsidiaries. So you're right, stuff like that is what I'd see them rather focusing on instead of another ho-hum Sonic 3D game or some Mario Kart me-too clone. And if they feel there is no money in that, create new franchises then that ARE instead of just betting the farm on Sonic and Yakuza forever. Unfortunately, from discussions I've had with some people inside the loop, their main talent base is all but gone post-Sammy merger except for Nagoshi-san, so that is why you see Yakuza being the only thing left that is still reminiscent of those earlier golden years.

[@ngates87]

Would have been nice if nothing else gotten the improved textures.

[@TheDistorted]

Sega are like that first love that felt ideal at the time while it lasted, and you are forever nostalgic for ... But your every attempt to recapture that feeling fails to live up to your expectations, with it most of the time leading to a feeling of anticlimax and disappointment... and the bittersweet reminder of heartbreak

[@C1K47]

Necesitamos esto! SEGAAAA!!! TERMINEN ESTE PROYECTO!! Finish this and Take my Money!!

[@peite7878]

OMG! Thank you! *pays appreciation to SEGA and DF*