US Shenmue

US Shenmue is a Dreamcast reissue of Sega AM2's Shenmue, published by Sega in Japan on 5 July 2001. Despite its title, it was sold only in Japan and presents the North American localization of the original game.

The story follows Ryo Hazuki in Yokosuka, Japan, in 1986. After witnessing the death of his father, Iwao, at the hands of Lan Di, Ryo begins an investigation that leads through the streets of Dobuita and the harbor in search of answers about Lan Di and the Dragon Mirror.

Players question residents, inspect objects, follow leads recorded in Ryo's notebook, and visit businesses that operate on their own schedules. The game also includes a day-and-night cycle, changing weather, capsule toys, arcade games, and other activities alongside the main investigation.

Its action sequences draw on Sega AM2's fighting-game experience, with Ryo able to learn and use martial-arts moves in battles. Shenmue also combines exploration with cinematic quick time events that require timed button inputs.

US Shenmue uses the English voice track and English presentation associated with the North American release. It adds a subtitle setting that lets players select either Japanese or English text; Ryo's notebook entries are in Japanese.

This distinguishes it from the original Japanese Shenmue, which uses Japanese speech and Japanese subtitles, and from the North American and European releases, which use English speech and English subtitles. US Shenmue does not offer the original Japanese voice track with English subtitles.