I was doing some searching around for Shenmue stuff, and I ran across some interesting screenshots detailing progression of Shenmue II development.
As is known, the engine was first built in the 1994-1997 SEGA Saturn years. Here are some screenshots from that version and time running on a Saturn, including many shots from Shenmue II:
China
Ryo and Ren in a Building in Kowloon:
Xiuying in Her Apartment
With Xiuying Outside Man Mo Temple
Outside Shenhua's House in Guilin
Forest of Guilin with Shenhua
Meeting with Shenhua in Guilin
In 1998, the engine got moved to Dreamcast. Here's a shot (and unfortunately a bad capture) of Shenmue II from that year. The graphics engine appears to be pretty much in the final form we know it today. It is notable, though, that this is an early rendition; the scenario presented is actually altered from the final version (slight redesign of Scarlet Hills outside Man Mo Temple; Wong not appearing in Wan Chai like depicted):
I can't wait to see what SEGA (AM2) can do these days on a Shenmue-type game, like Virtua Fighter Quest.
At the following links, you can find some interesting shots of things that got cut from the final versions of the games. Of particular note is this shot of Niao Sun, a character not yet introduced into the series, in what looks like Guilin:
I also remember someone at Gaming-Age a while back asking for help tracking down a particular screenshot of a location not acutally in any of the games. No one was able to help them at that time, but I think the picture they were looking for from their description was this one:
http://www.planetxbox.com/shenmuedojo/s2no.html
http://www.sygrove.fsnet.co.uk/shenmuecenter/unseen.htm
(from http://www.shenmuecentre.tk/ under the Unseen Screenshots section in the menu)
As is known, the engine was first built in the 1994-1997 SEGA Saturn years. Here are some screenshots from that version and time running on a Saturn, including many shots from Shenmue II:
China
Ryo and Ren in a Building in Kowloon:
Xiuying in Her Apartment
With Xiuying Outside Man Mo Temple
Outside Shenhua's House in Guilin
Forest of Guilin with Shenhua
Meeting with Shenhua in Guilin
In 1998, the engine got moved to Dreamcast. Here's a shot (and unfortunately a bad capture) of Shenmue II from that year. The graphics engine appears to be pretty much in the final form we know it today. It is notable, though, that this is an early rendition; the scenario presented is actually altered from the final version (slight redesign of Scarlet Hills outside Man Mo Temple; Wong not appearing in Wan Chai like depicted):
I can't wait to see what SEGA (AM2) can do these days on a Shenmue-type game, like Virtua Fighter Quest.
At the following links, you can find some interesting shots of things that got cut from the final versions of the games. Of particular note is this shot of Niao Sun, a character not yet introduced into the series, in what looks like Guilin:
I also remember someone at Gaming-Age a while back asking for help tracking down a particular screenshot of a location not acutally in any of the games. No one was able to help them at that time, but I think the picture they were looking for from their description was this one:
http://www.planetxbox.com/shenmuedojo/s2no.html
http://www.sygrove.fsnet.co.uk/shenmuecenter/unseen.htm
(from http://www.shenmuecentre.tk/ under the Unseen Screenshots section in the menu)
