Online Model Viewer For Dreamcast Game Shenmue

If you missed our article on how a developer reverse-engineered Sega's Crazy Taxi and made its levels freely explorable in the browser, you can dive into it here. And if you're craving more retro gaming treats, we certainly are, you might also enjoy this project called New Yokosuka.

Developed by Brynn Bateman, this is a proof-of-concept web-based model viewer for 1999's Shenmue 1. The goal of the project is to extract the harbor area from Shenmue, along with its forklift models, to recreate the forklift job featured in the game.

Model extraction has already been completed, while re-implementing the assets in a new game engine is planned for a future phase of the project. So far, the viewer features thousands of models organized by game scenario and zone, true first-person controls with WASD movement and free look, as well as the ability to cycle through day, sunset, evening, and night presets, each with appropriate texture pack swaps.

Although it successfully renders most environmental models, several core engine features are still missing. These include proper character rendering and the automated placement of dynamic objects like decorations, vehicles, and doors within the maps. Some textures may also show minor quality differences or artifacts.

Click here to enter the viewer and visit the GitHub repository. Brynn has shared additional information about New Yokosuka and its documentation there.

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