Shenmue II

"Worst part: makes me want to play Shenmue III"

...and that's probably the ONLY bad part of Shenmue II. Well, okay, it's not THAT great (in that it does have some flaws), but still a stellar performance by Yu Suzuki and his team, nonetheless.

GRAPHICS: The graphics are only slightly improved from its predecessor. That said, observing the game on its own, the graphics are very well-done on the DC hardware. The environments are very detailed, with no expense spared in detailing buildings, floors, characters, etc. The locales are varied and don't have any redundant look whatsoever (unless it's appropriate--not like you'd find much variety in, say, a cave). The only flaws in this department are: a severe case of character pop-up, often happening in very close proximity to Ryo; occasional slow-down when many characters and buildings appear; and a lack of texture blending (if that's the right terminology) makes textures appear very shimmery when viewed from a distance. Think almost Playstation-like texturing. Still, the graphics are awesome and their detail is unsurpassed. (10/10)

SOUND/MUSIC: Another excellent department and, in my opinion, greatly improved from the original. Sounds are very particular, and depend on the area. The developers went through a great deal of effort to ensure you hear virtually everything that you'd hear in real life. The musical score is also an excellent compliment to the already-intriguing and, at times, deeply emotional storyline. (10/10)

CONTROLS/GAMEPLAY: A few additions to controlling Ryo's life make Shenmue much more enjoyable. Now, rather than pressing one button to do everything, you are given three which are context-sensitive; that is, depending on what you want to do with some objects, you'll press a different button. For instance, when talking to a shop owner, if you want to simply chat, you press one button; for a specific request, another. The buttons and their usage are always indicated on-screen. Also, a map is now displayed in the upper corner of the screen (provided, of course, Ryo purchases one for each sector in town). You're allowed to make small checkmarks on each map to remind you of where you should go.

The fighting engine is relatively the same as in the previous game, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but could be better. The fighting aspect, from my experience, was a little tighter this time around. Counters and some moves are easier to land successfully, and more intricate and useful maneuvers are learned. My problems with the fighting engine are the camera angle, and the somewhat unimportant (but still annoying enough to mention) issue of running from enemies. As soon as you are seperated from your opponent, all the enemies give chase, and run the exact same speed. It would have been more appealing to see some variety in the enemies' speeds (a big, fat guy should run slower than a thin guy, right?), or at least varying reactions to Ryo's moves. Besides boss characters, it seems every enemy in Shenmue II fights in the same, almost predictable fashion.

There are more mini-games this time around, and include all the previous games from Shenmue II. There are now several ways of earning money, but these jobs can become repetitive and dull. Fortunately, you're not always pressed for money (at least, not like in the original Shenmue), so you won't spend half your time hauling boxes or gambling. And finally, one small quirk: there is now virtually no use for buying chocolates or potato chips at the store, as there's no more raffle (and, essentially, since those items have no usage, making such purchases a waste of money).

Bottom line here: if you've played the original Shenmue, be prepared for an improved game of the same flavor. (9/10)

PLOT: My opener for this review is that it makes me want to play Shenmue III. The plot for Shenmue I was great, and made me want to play Shenmue II. Now I've played Shenmue II, I am deeply disheartened that I'll have to purchase new hardware to play Shenmue III (not only that, but unless Sega devises some device to read Dreamcast VMU's, there's no way to carry over my progress from this game on to the next Shenmue episode). The plot is very engaging, and will leave you thinking about Ryo's life weeks, months, or even years after the conclusion of Shenmue II (by the way, the series doesn't end with Shenmue II, in case it wasn't already evident).

The story is now presented in a more film-like fashion, using camera angles that resemble most present-day motion pictures, with dynamic soundtracks to match. The opening sequence is immediately indicative of Suzuki's improvement on the presentation of the Shenmue series.

All the characters are very intriguing, and are introduced and developed very effectively in-game. The irony is that, of all the characters, Ryo appears to be least believable in his somewhat erratic decisions concerning his ultimate goal. Ryo is absolutely, positively, die-hard determined to move ahead with his goal, never saying ''No'' to the possibility that he should have more common sense in his actions. His decisions are very predictable, and he has the same emotionless character he was in Shenmue (which isn't so bad, considering that a change in his attitudes and opinions would have been somewhat peculiar). But the rest of the characters are an all-star cast to compliment Ryo Hazuki (Minor Spoiler: god, the street gangs in this game are even authentic to the era--they scream ''80's!'').

The plot is, without a doubt, the best I've ever come across in video gaming (beating out, in my opinion, the much-hyped but ultimately disappointing Metal Gear Solid 2). I can't wait to play Shenmue III. (10/10, though I'd give it 11 if I could).

OVERALL: I am shocked that Sega decided not to release this game on American Dreamcast consoles. Why NHL 2K2, but not Shenmue II? I'll never understand. Nevertheless, if you're even remotely interested in playing Shenmue II, import the game; like, right. Stop what you're doing, and do it NOW. Or wait for an X-Box release, I guess... (10/10)

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/05/02, Updated 03/05/02