Shenmue II details

AM2 of CRI showed Shenmue: The Movie over the weekend in Japan, and details on Shenmue II were revealed. The game will span over four GD-ROMs, and according to creator Yu Suzuki, Sega "hopes to release the game before Microsoft will make its grand entrance." So, if Yu Suzuki is able to complete the game when he expects, it should be released by the fall of this year.

Shenmue II will be divided into four chapters, as opposed to just one in the first game. The main character, Ryo Hazuki, will meet new characters such as the long-awaited Shenhua and a new female character named Joy, who rides on a Honda Blackbird motorcycle. Suzuki commented that "they borrowed the actual motorcycle and re-created it in the game as realistic as possible."

We'll have more on Shenmue II in the near future.