7. Shenmue III

Shenmue3 ShenhuaProphecy Trailer

The re-release of Shenmue and Shenmue II this year by Sega AM2 renewed interest in the series, just in time to whet our appetites for the long-awaited third game. Set in Guilin, China, Ys Net’s Shenmue III continues the story of Ryo Hazuki’s quest to avenge his father. It also develops the relationship between Ryo and Ling Shenhua, the mysterious girl who first appeared to him in his dreams.

The first two Shenmue games were groundbreaking with a degree of freedom that inspired the open world style of games, though launching on the short-lived Sega Dreamcast kept them from reaching a wider audience. They incorporated a ton of mini-games, from forklift racing to a fully functional arcade. You can bet that there will be plenty to do and explore in this game too, managing both the story and Ryo’s everyday life. There’s still plenty of time to catch up on the first two games if you haven’t already; Shenmue III won’t release until August 2019.

The bandage is purely for looks.

The martial arts of the Shenmue games are based on real-life Ju-Jutsu.