For many US SEGA fans, the treatment of the release of Shenmue II has long been a tough pill to swallow. And it now appears that what was said at the time by Peter Moore was not the truth, the whole truth, only the truth. Indeed, a recent discovery reveals that SEGA of America upended its plans at the last minute.
A full and official American Dreamcast version of Shenmue 2 is coming to be discovered and put online. As Shenmue fans know, this version was never released and discontinued in favor of the Xbox version. For once, the discovery of this version is the work of Laurent Comby from the SEGA Dreamcast Info site.
The Swiss collector who works for the preservation of video games has therefore managed to get his hands on a complete but never marketed version of the monument of Yu Suzuki. As a reminder, SEGA has never marketed Shenmue II on Dreamcast in North America. This version has been canceled following the cessation of production of the Dreamcast.
SEGA bet on the Xbox
SEGA announced the cessation of production of the Dreamcast on January 31, 2001. Incidentally, it also revealed its intention to offer games on all consoles. And in the process, he unveiled the establishment of a partnership with Microsoft. Partnership which concerned the release on Xbox of several SEGA games, some of which exclusively. And among those titles was the first American version of Shenmue II.
The cancellation of Shenmue II on the American Dreamcast had generated some bad buzz across the Atlantic at the time. American gamers loyal to SEGA had indeed had the impression of being abandoned by the house of Sonic. This had resulted in a strong importation of the European version of Shenmue 2 in North America.
Shenmue 2 finally on the American Dreamcast
Resellers who did not import, however, offered the European version of the game accompanied by a boot disc. The latter made it possible to run the European game on an American console. For his part, Peter Moore, then president of SEGA of America, apologized among fans of the brand.
According to him, the cancellation of the American Dreamcast version of Shenmue II was taken with “long-term SEGA fan interests in mind. “He also added that this decision was intended to ensure the”longevity of SEGA licenses, including Shenmue. “Everyone knows what it was like …
Coming back to today’s discovery, Laurent Comby allows anyone to Download this American Dreamcast version of Shenmue 2. However, don’t count on him to reveal how he got his hands on it. Finally, note that this version allows access to several debug menus. These give access to unfinished areas and allow you to move quickly from one part of the game to another. The most relentless Shenmue fans will therefore have things to dig into.
What do you think of this discovery? Did you think there was indeed an American Dreamcast version of Shenmue 2? SEGA made a mistake in reserving the game for the Xbox in the US. Give us your opinion in the comments below.
