Originally Posted by
Jeremy
As a huge fan of the original Shenmue on the Dreamcast, I, and many other fans of the original, were quite disheartened to hear of the sequel’s cancellation in the U.S. for the DC. Thankfully, Microsoft saved the day when it was announced that the game would see a U.S. release, but on the Xbox. As someone who would have been just happy getting the planned DC game, I was quite pleased when I heard that MS would be adding things to the Xbox version, and upgrading the graphics a bit. Sadly, I couldn’t buy Shenmue II, or an Xbox to play it on, until over a year after the U.S. release of Shenmue II. In that time, I played through the original Shenmue in anticipation of finally playing the sequel. To my amazement, Shenmue II lived up to every expectation I had for it, and then some.
Shenmue II begins where the original Shenmue ends, with Ryo on a ship bound for Hong Kong in search of Lan Di, the man who killed his father (Iwao Hazuki.) It is in Hong Kong where you will meet up with a majority of the game’s newest characters, who will both oppose Ryo at times, and help him on his quest for Lan Di. Character involvement in this game is taken further than it was in the original, although some of the new characters don’t have quite as much depth as those in the original.
The gameplay in Shenmue II is comprised in a similar manner as the original game. You’ve got your free battles, in which you take full control over Ryo Hazuki in his battles, and then there are the Dragon’s Lair-esque Quick Timer Events (or QTEs), which have been revamped a bit in the sequel to include more button presses, to keep you even more vigilant of the commands given to you. The key changes from the original to the sequel are the location, and the cast of characters. The locations in Shenmue II (Hong Kong, Kowloon, and Guilin) are more vast, expansive, and detailed than those featured in the original game.
The cast of characters is also broader this time around, although that isn’t always a good thing due to some of the character bearing strikingly similar characteristics to folks from the first game. No one from the original game, barring Ryo (and Shenhua, who was in Ryo’s dreams in the original), Lan Di, and Iwao Hazuki is featured in any prominent way in the sequel. Although some of the most memorable characters in the original, like Fuku-san, Tom, and Nozomi are given quick mentions in the game, which serves as a nice way of tying things together from game-to-game. The new characters, who don’t resemble other characters from the original, are fantastic. Memorable characters like Ren, Xiuing,Yuan, and Dou Niu are introduced in this game, and they fit in just as well as the best characters from the original game did.
Now that I’m done with my diatribe on the locations and characters (at least for the foreseeable future), let’s get back to the gameplay. One small change from the original is that you can now opt to have time pass by via a menu selection, rather than go find things to do to pass the time. While this feature is fine for those who can’t be bothered to wait for the next key event, it does lend itself towards not allowing you to really immerse yourself in the environment. One of the things I enjoyed most in the original Shenmue was walking around town, talking to folks, playing in the arcade, buying capsule toys (which now include Rent-a-Hero, much to my delight), and in general, making full use of what was provided to me by the game. The sequel lets you do that, but by offering a method of bypassing one of the key components of the original, it kind of cheapens the game a bit. Thankfully, you don’t have to make use of the feature, but its mere inclusion is a bit of a disappointment to me.
The aforementioned QTEs take on a whole new life in the sequel. In the original, they weren’t really used too much, as the free battling, which in and of itself wasn’t used enough, tended to take precedence over it in many fighting scenes. In the sequel, you’ll be doing plenty of QTEs and free battles, which equals more excitement for the player, and more involvement in the goings on of the game as well. The revamped QTEs are a breath of fresh air, as the added button presses really help to keep them from getting stagnant.
The aforementioned Xbox-exclusive features to Shenmue II include some graphical filters (that are pretty much useless) and a nice snapshot feature that enables you to capture some of the game’s most memorable moments (of which there are many) and view them in the game’s snapshot viewer. This feature also unlocks some nice hidden stuff, which adds to the game just a tad since it fleshes out some of the new characters.
Controlling Ryo through his journey is just as easy at it was in the original, due in part to the Xbox controllers featuring a nearly identical button layout to the Dreamcast’s controller, which makes transitioning from one system to the next quite effortless. The controls are quick and responsive, which is important in a game where your reflexes will be tested quite a bit. You don’t want muddy controls costing you a valuable free battle, or an important, or lengthy QTE, and in Shenmue II, you won’t have to worry about that.
Shenmue II’s graphics are some of the most jaw-dropping I’ve ever witnessed. The sheer amount of things in this game is staggering, and all of them have been given pain-staking levels of details. Sure, the game’s DC roots show through at times, but the game still looks fantastic thanks to the laborious effort put into them. Little touches, like fantastic lighting and reflections, add to the mood of a certain area and really help give the game a sense of realism it would otherwise lack. The game’s many characters all look fantastic, and barring the painted-on business suits that adorn some of the characters, they look stellar when compared to nearly any other game out there.
Shenmue II’s sound, particularly the soundtrack, aren’t quite as memorable as the original’s. The music in the original Shenmue, mainly the title theme, was some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard in a video game. While the music in the sequel follows the same path as the original, for the most part, the music just isn’t quite as impressive as the original’s. In the original, nearly every piece of music was memorable, and helped add to a scene, or a character in some form. In the sequel, that isn’t the case. Only a few pieces of music really add to anything. Despite its shortcomings, the music is still better in Shenmue II than in 90% of other games on the market. The sound effects are pretty much identical to those featured in the original. They’re fantastic, and fit nearly everything perfectly. The voice acting on the other hand, isn’t fantastic. While it isn’t horrible by any means, some of the voices are just off, like the young Xiuing’s voice, which sounds as if she smoked a few carton of cigarettes a day due to it being so deep. Ryo’s voice acting is pretty much identical to the original’s, it’s solid, but not spectacular in any way. Ren and Joy each have great voice acting, which is nice. For the most part, the main characters feature solid voice acting, while the peripheral characters, oddly enough, feature great voice acting.
Shenmue II’s replay value is solely determined by how much you are willing to put into the game. If you are willing to give the game a chance, and come into with an open mind, odds are, you will end up liking the game. If you enjoy a slow-paced game, you will absolutely love Shenmue II. Conversely, if you like fast-paced games, you’ll probably enjoy the game as well, particularly the action-packed (and QTE-heavy) Kowloon portion of the game. The addition of the snapshot viewer also gives you a little incentive to get through the entire game, as some of the most beautiful scenery is featured in the final chapter of the game in Guilin.
All in all, Shenmue II is a fantastic follow-up to the much-beloved original game. More of everything is provided, and while some changes in the pace aren’t really needed, they are there for those who wish to make use of them. The graphics are fantastic in most places, but the game does occasionally show its Dreamcast roots, which isn’t always a bad thing, but in some cases, it is. The music is decent enough, it’s better than in most games out there, that’s for sure. However, it’s not as good as the music featured in the original. The voice acting isn’t too shabby, it’s not the best ever seen in a game, but it’s not the worst either. If you’re looking for a game that will both make you think and leave you at the edge of your seat, pick up Shenmue II as soon as possible.
