Shenmue was a simply amazing game. I
loved it, despite criticizing it initially, it wound up being my favorite
Dreamcast game. The original broke new ground for RPGs and games in general with
it's Asian-cinema look and feel. The sequel takes the original and does so much
new with it. I didn't think you could fix something that's not broken, but AM2
has managed it. Here's my review...
The original left off with Ryo Hazuki leaving Dobuita harbor on a boat to Hong
Kong to avenge Iwao Hazuki's death. Lan Di, who killed his father in the
original, is supposedly in Hong Kong, as is the man who wrote the mysterious
letter to Iwao (Yuanda Zhu) before he was killed. Obviously, Ryo must find Zhu
as fast as possible. Thus is the purpose of (most of) the game.
But if you think three discs of searching for 1 guy is tedious, then you've
already underestimated Yu Suzuki. Despite it, technically, being a search for 1
guy across the span of three discs, the game manages to keep you highly
interested up until the fourth (final) disc.
Wondering how that's possible? In Shenmue 2, you now have a variety of different
jobs, as opposed to one which you must attend on a daily basis. You can work for
various gambling stands called Lucky Hit, win money in Street Fights, move
crates (similar to the forklift job in Shenmue 1) and even win money by cracking
stones in half. An entire button (Y) has been added for asking people about
employment as well. The change is a very welcome one, as working is no longer
tedious.
Besides that, the game is also much, much harder than part 1. The QTE (Quick
Time Events), which is basically follow-the-leader button pressing, is now
insanely difficult. Especially board-walking in the Ghost Head building, where
one mistake causes you to restart the entire ten floors. An increase in
difficulty is always welcome, but I'm a little annoyed that some long stretches
don't allow you to instant retry the QTE, which may surprise you, while others
will.
FREE (Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment) is back as well. FREE is essentially the
fighting aspect of Shenmue 2, such as Street Fights and Boss fights. You control
Ryo in a setting not unlike Suzuki's own Virtua Fighter, and battle one or more
enemies. Some of these battles throw QTE at you randomly as well.
Shenmue 2 is simply huge compared to the first game - or any game for that
matter. In Kowloon on the third disc, you can literally go up to the 10th or
higher floor of any of the number of buildings in the game, which all link
together. There is likely to be several secrets in Kowloon itself which I've yet
to find, hidden in those buildings. Hong Kong itself is magnificent, with
countless stores and alleys and even a shopping mall. The Arcades are back as
well, now with Outun and the returning Space Harrier, along with After Burner II
and Hang On later in the game. There's so much to do in this game that you'll be
lucky to experience half of it in a single play through. Heck there's even a bad
ending along with a good one.
The toy collecting is back in Shen 2 as well. Mostly the same toys as from the
original, though this time you get VF Kids (not sure if they had this in 1) and
by far the coolest collectable toys yet, Virtual On figures. You can't do
anything with them except collect them, unfortunately.
The biggest disappointment I had with the game was regarding the plot. Shenmue 2
is the 2nd to 6th chapters in the saga (the original was just the first). That
said, the game has one of the worst endings I've ever seen. And I'm not on the
same boat with most that it should be contained within a single game, I don't
mind, but the thing is, it's a letdown regardless. You don't even get to visit
the last village, or finally find a certain someone that has supposedly traveled
to the last village. I almost docked a star for this reason alone, but that
wouldn't be fair to the rest of the game.
Control: Control is a weak aspect of Shenmue 2, much like part 1. Ryo randomly
stops and turns around when he's running, the Lock-On segments of the game are
painfully hard to control, and FREE could use some fine-tuning although it is
still well-made. The camera can be a bitch in skinny hallways, and getting
through a crowded White Dynasty Quarter in Hong Kong is nothing more than a
chore. This series definitely needs a revamped control setup.
Graphics: Simply beautiful yet again. With 2, since we're in Hong Kong and there
is a lot more going on, and a ton more lighting, you'll notice more usage of the
Dreamcast's exceptional lighting effects. There's more slowdown here and there,
but overall not bad. The game uses its real time engine for the cinemas and they
look up to par with most non-Square FMV efforts. There isn't a more
aesthetically pleasing game on Dreamcast than Shenmue 2.
Sound: Pretty good. I played the European version, which is translated but
features the original Japanese voice actors. Most of them sound fit for the job,
unlike the US Shenmue actors. The music isn't bad either, featuring some
emotional and typical town stuff. It gets drowned out by the commotion of
pedestrians more often than not, however.
Best DC Game Ever? I would say, although Hundred Swords and the upcoming Ikaruga
might qualify too. Despite the ending, I loved Yu Suzuki's 2nd Shenmue, a game
that will most likely be seen as his best work until Shen III is released, at
least by me. Don't wait for the Xbox version - import this on Dreamcast, if only
for the collectors value of it. With the US one we'll likely get the bad ending
taken out and another laughable voice translation, possibly sans the text. Of
course, this is mere speculation on my part, I could be wrong, but... you know
the rest.
9.8
