SEGA has confirmed that Shenmue protagonist Ryo Hazuki will be making an appearance as a playable character in the company’s upcoming Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing.
Hazuki has been off the radar since 2001’s Dreamcast epic Shenmue II, and, according SEGA, has remained one of the most requested characters to appear in next year’s racer.
Appropriately enough, the iconic character will be hopping on his motorbike seen in the first Shenmue to burn up the track, and can switch to a forklift truck – also used by Hazuki in the original game – to shove opponents out of the way as part of his exclusive All-Star manoeuvre.
Check out Ryo in action below:
Okay, so it’s not exactly the Shenmue III we’ve been craving for, but it’s still great to see Ryo cementing himself in the public consciousness once again after all these years. Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is due out early next year for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS.