Please add the character backstories from Shenmue Passport

[Oh The Folly]

I haven't played the Steam version, but I'm assuming the character backstories are not included. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

I found out about them from this pcgamer article

But for me the best feature was the character viewer, which provided a backstory for every single NPC in the game, no matter how minor. Sega shut the Passport servers down in April 2002, but luckily these biographies were printed and preserved in the game’s official Prima strategy guide.

Being able to read the backstory for any npc you talk to (or see, if you can't talk) would add so much. And hearing more about it elsewhere, "every single NPC" really means every single NPC--there's backstories even for the cats! (Amusingly, I heard some of the cats have more fleshed out backstories than some of the people.)

It would be so much more meaningful to be able to know those backstories for all the characters you come across, and easily see them in the game. I would say putting that in would go a long way towards making Shenmue on Steam the definitive version.

Also, reading character bios would be a great way to pass the time in a game that you so often have to pass the time (wink, wink).

[R3N]

Not likely to happen sadly.

https://www.pcgamer.com/how-sega-brought-shenmue-back-to-life-on-pc/
Did you look into remastering extras such as the ‘What’s Shenmue?’ pre-order demo or the Shenmue Passport disc?

We did investigate the feasibility of porting these, but were unable to find the complete source code for these extra components.

[Miraglyth]

The complete source code maybe, but it's still a little disappointing they couldn't have copied the text and images and given them in PDF form at least.

[spacetime66]

the character back storys are also in the Shenmue 1 strategy guide... just goto archive.org and search for "shenmue (prima's strategy guide)"

[gordonfreeman01]

Thanks for this information, great to know the content is still available in an accessible form!

[ShinChuck]

I do agree, it would be nice to see it in digital format coming with the games. It doesn't necessarily need to be "the Passport", maybe just some more stuff in the Collection section: character bios, winning can exchange, weather reports, blah blah, just built ground-up.

I know that would be a ton of work though, just dreaming!