3RRDC Shen2

"Across the sea, from a distant land in the East, he shall appear." And
thus begins the second installation of one of the best game series to
come out in recent years: Shenmue II. However, fate was not kind to
Shenmue nor the Dreamcast. For the Dreamcast, life was cut short
before it could be released in America. But thankfully, it was already
translated in English for the European Pal release. And so, many DC
fans were forced to import the game if they wanted to see what would
happen to Ryo Hazuki, as he embarked on his journey to Hong Kong to
avenge his father's death. But what more could the sequel bring? It
needed to be longer, more interactive, have better graphics, more
places to go, and more things to do. And oh boy, did Shenmue II deliver
all of this in spades.

After the opening intro starts and Ryo sets foot on foreign soil, you will
walk a small way to find the workers' pier. Instantly, you will realize
how massive the game is. The buildings and scenery are much more
detailed then before and the world is expanded more then three times
bigger then the one found in the first game. But the further Ryo dives
into the mystery of the mirrors and the man who killed his father, the
more the player realizes that this game is freaking huge. I'm talking
like the first game was like a tech demo compared to this. I showed a
few of my friends this game and they all agreed--this game is massive
and it would take forever to just talk to everyone and go to all the
shops.

The story here takes many twists and turns, and we are introduced to
many new characters (those of importance are mainly female). From
the hot biker girl, to the deadly and sexy kung fu master, the new
characters are awesome. Of course, Ryo will later run into Ren, a
street thug. But is he a friend or foe? And what about that girl from
Ryo's dreams in the first game? How does she play into this? Many
questions are answered in this game, but many more will be opened
up. The story may take a turn from the more realistic first one, but it's
so engrossing that you are just sucked in.

Game play is very similar to the first one. Walk around, talk to people,
fight people, push buttons, and get information on what to do next.
However, many new things have been added to increase replay and
the things you can do while waiting for things to happen. There is arm
wrestling, crate lifting, street fighting, as well as the old slot machines
from the first game. This time there are also gambling spots where you
can gamble for cash.

Another cool aspect is that you can also have part time jobs watching
over the gambling locations. Or you could make a more honest living
and lift crates at the harbor. But that hard earned money will be
needed at various points in this four disk game to move on. Of course,
all the toy capsules and snacks from the first game will tempt you to
spend your money elsewhere. Not to mention the arcade games,
(which now include After Burner 2 and Outrun) there is so much to do
in this game.

I will also mention that I find that disc 3 drags on for far too long and is
the most boring of the disks here. There is too much following people
around and going up and down elevators. The climax of disk three will
seem like it may be the ending of the game, but then it continues on
disc 4 and it just seems like the game will never end. Thankfully
because disk four is so interesting, you will wish this game never did
end.

The first Shenmue was a beautiful game, but put the two side by side
and this one is like a Picasso masterpiece and the first one a scribble
drawing on lined paper. It is awe-inspiring just how much they
managed to fit on the four discs, and just how gigantic this game is. It
is very easy to get lost in the city, as much of it seems like an endless
maze of streets and buildings, all full of people and situations to get
into.

From the harbor at the beginning to the more congested streets of
Wangchai, and then to Kowloon, where the buildings are all multi-
storied goliaths. And just when you think you've seen it all, look out for
another location to explore after that. The scenery is beautiful and I
haven't seen such a living breathing world portrayed so intricately in
any other game. Bravo AM2!

One thing that is important to note is that there are no English voices
in this game. The first one had some funny voices that established a
sort of camp appeal with it. Now, the voices are in Japanese, but there
are English subtitles. So instead of hearing “Excuse me” every few
seconds, you now year “Sumimasem.” The Japanese voices are all
very nice and go for those studying Japanese since Ryo speaks in
mostly very simple sentences.

The music has many tracks from the first game in different
arrangements, as well as many new tracks. One thing that kinda
sucked was that there was no walkman in this game. You can buy CDs
and listen to the music that way. I didn't find a sound test either, so
that was no good. Still, the music is beautiful-just wish we could listen
to it outside of the main game.

There are many secret items and events to find, and secret places to
visit in this game. Secret street fights above the arcade and cool new
toys to buy. Because the world is so massive and there is so much to
see, it would be impossible to take the entire game in all in one play
through. Once you beat the game, you can play the mini-games and
fights in the Shenmue collection on disc 4. Here you can also watch a
movie of the first Shenmue and another awesome bonus is to watch
Shenmue on the Sega Saturn. Seeing the game done on the Saturn is a
treat for Sega fans, and while it would have been easily one of the best
Saturn games, thankfully they worked hard on the series and it
became one of the best DC games.

IMPORT WARNING: With no domestic DC version out (minus the
apparently inferior Xbox version), the PAL version is the way to go.
Even though the Japanese release is usually much cheaper, this one
has the English subtitles that one needs to truly experience this game.
A bit of a warning though. I could never get the game to boot up using
the Gameshark CDX, but it works just fine with my other boot discs.
I've tested the Gameshark out with two copies of this game and
neither worked, so make sure you have a proper boot disc.

Shenmue II is a classic game. It features an awesome story with great
graphics in a fully living 3D world. The Shenmue saga has been an
expensive one to produce, but there are strong rumors that the third
and final installment will hit the next generation systems. If you
thought that the original Shenmue had a cliffhanger of an ending, you
haven't seen anything yet. So now we wait for the final chapter. And
wait. And wait. And wait. But maybe one day, Ryo will indeed return
with his brown jacket. One can dream.

Review by: Orochi Sonic