All those years of lobbying for such a mediocre outcome? This is the bitter observation that we can make after playing the remasters of Shenmue I & II, offered this Tuesday, August 21, 2018 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. By putting aside its nostalgic fiber, and avoiding falling into exacerbated fanboyism, we must indeed recognize the unglamorous work done by d3t (British studio which has already worked on the SEGA Megadrive Classic compilation or the recent Burnout Paradise Remastered) , tasked with bringing the adventures of Ryo Hazuki back to life. Between a mind-boggling list of bugs, simply inexcusable framerate drops, audio recordings that date from the last century and subtitles that contain numerous errors, it is obvious that the time given to this "HD remaster" has been more only minimal. Faced with a wave of indignation on Twitter, SEGA has indeed recognized that the result obtained was not acceptable. But no matter, the damage is done and the marketing trick has done its work. Because if you too thought you were dealing with a real HD remaster by buying this compilation, you will probably bite your fingers.
Indeed, visually, there is no difference with the games of the time and all you have to do is go to the graphics options, have fun activating and deactivating the HD function to realize how much we fooled.
At a time when many publishers and other studios are giving themselves the means to offer us quality restoration work worthy of the aura of the games that are the subject of this facelift (Shadow of the Colossus, the Yakuza Kiwami to name only these two titles, eh), SEGA was content to make a stupid and easy port by integrating a smoothing function, in order to make the graphics smoother, sharper. Indeed, visually, there is no difference with the games of the time and all you have to do is go to the graphics options, have fun activating and deactivating the HD function to realize how much we fooled. Because an HD reissue necessarily implies technical improvements and with regard to Shenmue I & II HD, this is not the case. Both the characters and the backgrounds are still as cubic and geometric as ever, the textures have retained the vagueness and lack of detail of the time, the animations display the same rigor mortis of what was done in the early 2000s, and we don't not even mention the grip which really dates from the last century. Even the interface (now austere) has remained the same with Dreamcast icons that will capsize the hearts of the most feverish fans. No, really, SEGA has done nothing to ensure that the return of its two cult games is done in the noblest of ways.
REMASTER HD YOU SAY?
There are, however, some notable changes, such as the switch to 16/9 format, with the exception of cutscenes which will be displayed in 4/3 (what heresy!), the possibility of skipping cut-scenes, the possibility of saving at at any time, the introduction of Japanese voices for the first Shenmue and the absence – almost total – of loading time, which is very appreciable, it must be admitted. After these little "extras" (which are nothing extraordinary for an HD remaster), it is clear that Shenmue I & II are titles that belong to another era. Rediscovering them as they are in 2018 is therefore not necessarily the best gift to give to the new generation, who risk turning their backs on them quickly if they are not indulgent. Even the old testers that we are (and who were captivated by these two games when they were released respectively on Dreamcast), we had some retches when we saw such a result. If we can, at least, disregard the visual of the time (and still eh, we are talking about an HD remaster, need we remind you?), we would have liked SEGA to rethink the game controls for him give it a little more flexibility. Why not have redesigned the management of the camera (by avoiding for example that it refocuses automatically?) Or a playability thought out with the two analog sticks? Why not have retouched the inertia in Ryo's movements, which become a real ordeal in the narrow streets and in the interior decorations? Why so little work in the end? Why so much contempt too? Why do you want to deceive the consumer? Why ? Why ? Why ?
TWO GAMES THAT HAVE AGED BADLY?
So yes, if you are one of those players who are 30 years old and over and who keep a memorable memory of the adventures of Ryo Hazuki, know that it is possible to buy the "HD" compilation of Shenmue I & II for around 30 -35€ will certainly not be a problem. No doubt because nostalgia (not to say fanboyism) will have taken precedence over reason. And as everyone knows, the heart has its reasons that reason ignores. For this category of people, rediscovering these two cult games will allow them to associate them with strong moments of their youth, and undoubtedly to undertake again the vengeful quest for a Ryo Hazuki whom SEGA nevertheless left on the edge of the road almost two decades ago. So yes, the two episodes of Shenmue were avant-garde games, full of ingenious ideas and dazzling gameplay, symbol of a time when some game designers were already thinking about the freedom we could offer players. in a captivating world. A journey of several hours to undertake, fascinating, although a bit boring too...
