One of the most beloved video game series of all time is coming back in 2018, as Shenmue and its sequel Shenmue II are launching on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, along with a PC release on Steam. The original games were released on the short-lived Sega Dreamcast console in 1999 and 2001, respectively, where they gained a passionate following. As the series makes its way to a new generation of consoles and gamers, a press release from Sega states this is its “most requested re-release of all time.”
The story follows young martial artist Ryo Hazuki as he sets out to avenge the death of his father, who died at the hands of a man seeking a mysterious stone artifact known as the Dragon Mirror. Hazuki wanders his home city of Yokosuka, Japan, investigating leads that take him to the harbor and onboard a boat to Hong Kong, where the second game picks up the story.
The Shenmue series combined open-world exploration with a complex fighting system and RPG elements. Day cycles into night and weather patterns change as NPCs and local businesses follow their own schedules according to the game’s internal clock. Minigames offer a break from the action, and in-game currency can be used to purchase everything from food to toys. If that’s not enough, you can also partake in a little duck racing.
Shenmue had the distinction of being the most expensive video game ever developed at the time of its release. Despite praise from gamers and reviewers alike, neither of the games met commercial expectations, though Shenmue II was ported to Xbox in 2002.
Shenmue I & II will launch both physically and digitally for consoles, while PC users will be able to download the collection via the Steam digital platform. Sega aims to maintain the original series’ look and feel, while adding modern features such as scaleable screen resolution, a choice of modern or classic controls, graphics options for the PC version, an updated user interface, and original voiceover audio in both English and Japanese.
According to the press release, the physical and digital editions will be available to pre-order from “first party stores, Steam, and U.S. and EMEA retailers soon.” The latest information can be found on the official Shenmue I & II Shenmue I & II site.
After years of delays, a sequel to the series broke the record for video game campaigns on Kickstarter. Shenmue III raised more than $6 million dollars from nearly 70,000 backers, and is set to be released for PS4 and PC in the second half of 2018. You can also keep an eye out for a possible preview at E3 this year.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.