Shenmue 2 to ship with movie DVD

Microsoft, who recently took over European publishing duties on Sega's Shenmue 2, has announced that the game will ship on March 21st and will include a 90-minute-long "Shenmue The Movie" DVD. Viewers will be able to watch it on any DVD player (including Xbox, if they have the DVD remote), and choose from English or Japanese voice-overs and subtitles. However the game itself is dubbed over in English, unlike the European release of the Dreamcast version.

Shenmue The Movie is 90 minutes of footage from the Dreamcast Shenmue, designed and laid out to deliver the experience of playing the original game from beginning to end. Without the constant distractions and cute arcade emulation, obviously. It was originally shown in Japanese cinemas last year, and sold on DVD for 4,700 yen (roughly €36/£24).

Because Xbox is missing out on the original instalment, this inclusion is designed to encourage new gamers to pick up Shenmue II, overcoming the initial feeling of alienation. Think of it as a 90-minute opening cinematic.

MS has uploaded a film trailer for Shenmue fans, which can be found here.

Shenmue virgins confused by this RPG-centred gobbledegook should consider reading our reviews of the games on Dreamcast, here and here.