#shenmue2

In perhaps an unlikely twist along the road to #SaveShenmueHD, fans are currently weighing up the possibility that the Xbox One might soon be the first modern console capable of playing Shenmue 2.

With Microsoft announcing at its E3 conference that its system will be gaining backwards compatibility with original Xbox titles, it's been left for us all to guess whether the English language version of Shenmue 2 will be included in that new functionality.

The game was supported by a similar feature on the Xbox 360 last generation, albeit with a few glitches that were noticed by some players more than others. Whether or not the Xbox One will adhere to the same list of compatible games remains to be seen however.

Also up in the air, as far as publicly confirmed information goes, is whether compatible games will be available to download from the Xbox Store - and, if Shenmue 2 is distributed in that way, would it include Shenmue: The Movie? This recap of story scenes from the Dreamcast-exclusive first game was originally bundled with Xbox copies of Shenmue 2 on a separate DVD.

In summary, Microsoft's announcement raises more questions than answers, though more details will no doubt be released in time.

What's known for certain is that, even if the 2002 edition of Shenmue 2 and its accompanying movie were made available to all Xbox One users, it would still fall short of the ideal way to introduce modern gamers to the Shenmue series ahead of Shenmue 3's release - before even considering the fact that Ys Net's new sequel is currently planned for PC and PlayStation 4 only.

To really seize the attention of newcomers and maximize demand for the next chapter, both Shenmue 1 & 2 deserve the HD remaster treatment - on those platforms at least.

Whether E3 holds more news on that front, time will soon tell.

My hero <3