Shenmue II

"You don't just play this game. You experience this wonderful, impressive and magnificient pice of art!"

Shenmue flashback...

Ryo comes home on a snowy afternoon on November 29 1986, where he sees how his father Iwao Hazuki is murdered by a man named Lan Di. Lan Di steals a mysterious Dragon Mirror, and then delivers the final blow to Iwao, who stumbles to ground, and dies. Ryo starts his search for Lan Di, and is confident not to rest until he has avenged his father. He finds out that Lan Di is the leader of a Chinese kartel, the Chi Youmen and that there is another mirror, the Phoenix mirror. Lan Di will try to use both mirrors, but for what? And there is also a letter for Iwao, from a man named Zhu Yuanda who lives in Hong Kong. Ryo finally leaves for Hong Kong, and continues his quest...

The saga continues...

I was very impressed by the first Shenmue. The beautiful graphics, the amazing world that Ryo lived in, and of course the dramatic action scenes, although somewhat few. Shenmue was definitely the most impressive game I had ever played in my life and the main reason why I bought a Dreamcast. The downsides to Shenmue was the action, there simply wasn't enough to satisfy us. It also was a little to short, and it didn't really ended. Ryo left for Hong Kong, continuing his search for the murderer of his father. It kinda felt as if you've just finished the first chapter of a book. Fortunately, Shenmue II starts of right where the Shenmue left. Ryo arrives in Hong Kong, and he must find Zhu Yuanda if he wants answers to his questions.

Shenmue II is the direct follow up on the first Shenmue, and a lot of improvements have been made. First of, the graphics are even better than the first one. It’s pretty amazing how such an old console as the Dreamcast can show of the beautiful and detailed environment in Shenmue II.
A downside to this is that there can be a lot of slowdown when you run through a crowded area.
Shenmue II is also HUGE! The first Shenmue seems like a freaking demo compared to this one! You’ll be completely lost the first you play, and you’ll constantly discover new areas. It’s impossible to see everything this game has to offer you in one try. Just like in the first Shenmue, you’ll discover new cut-scenes, side-quests and areas when you play through the game again.
And then, there is the action. The battles and QTE’s where very cool, but far to short and not enough to keep us satisfied. Shenmue II also starts of a little slow, the first disc doesn’t really have a lot of battles, but the game gets rolling on disc 2. From there of the game will throw battles and QTE’s at you like frisbees! The battles are also tougher and longer than before. And you can also participate in street fights to earn money.
Another change are the voices. Shenmue was subbed and dubbed, but Shenmue II only has Japanese voices with English text. It’s kinda annoying at first, it seems like the characters lost their identity, but it’s not really a problem because you’ll eventually get used to it. Having Japanese voices was to only way to still see Shenmue II on the DC before it dies out, and now we can no longer complain about the horrible voice-acting.
The controls have also changed. You interact with the environment by using the A, X and Y button. The commands of these buttons change, depending on where you are. You use X to open door, enter in games or open your notebook, Y to talk to people about money, and A to ask for clues or directions.

Ryo meets with all kinds of people. There is Wong, a young boy spends most of time mugging people with his older friends. Xiuhiang, a woman with a deep interest for martial arts. And Ren, leader of a street gang, obsessed with money and trusts almost no one. Of course not everyone is friendly to Ryo, since Hong Kong isn’t always a safe place to be. Ryo will often get involved in street fights with thugs.
There are also many mini-games. The good old arcade is back, and we can still play darts, Space Harrier, Hang On and QTE’s games. The latest editions are Outrun and Afterburner II, both older games from Yu Suzuki himself. You can replay these games on disc 4 if you have a save file by using the Shenmue Collection. This option allows you to replay some battles, mini-games in Shenmu II, and as a bonus you can see ‘never shown before’ images the Saturn version of Shenmue.
You can also arm wrestle or gamble to earn money.

I could talk about this game for hours, but I suggest you just go to the nearest games store and get it yourself, because this is truly one of the most impressive games ever made!

Shen...

+ Best DC graphics ever
+ The story unfolds
+ Finally, some action!
+ Can’t get enough of those QTE’s
+ Hong Kong is HUGE!
+ Shenmue Collection
+ Still the most amazing virtual world ever

Moo...

- Some slowdown
- I would rather have English voices

Buy/Rent: BUY!
Difficulty: Medium
Replay value: High
GRAPHICS: 10
SOUND: 10
GAMEPLAY: 10
OVERALL: 10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/12/01, Updated 11/24/02