Through the dank smoke of (my neighbor) Jerre’s garage, I conveyed the tale of Ryo Hazuki. Starting from the events in the epic Dreamcast adventure Shenmue, I explained in careful detail how my father had been struck down by the evil Lan Di, how my quest for revenge had eventually found me in Hong Kong. When the time came to describe how the game actually played, though…
It’s kind of a fighting game, except the fights are pretty few and far between. The puzzle solving elements and exploration give a hint of RPG flavor, but you cannot increase the level of your character. The ‘Dragons Lair’ style button pressing is almost never used in today’s games, but it can work when incorporated within a compelling story.
The short answer is this: Though neither of the Shenmue games fit completely into any known genres, whether this is a good or bad thing lies in the eye of the gamer.
But… What Kind of game???
The core gameplay of Shenmue II consists of wandering around aimlessly and asking the same question to every person you see. After doing this for some time, you’ll get a clue as to where you should refine your search. If you don’t know your way around (and you won’t) you’ll either ask every shop owner you see for directions, or ask very slow people to lead you there… very slowly. Once you refine your search to a specific person or place, you’ll end up either at a cinema or an action scene. After this, you’ll start all over at the ‘asking one question to every person you see’ stage.
I know this sounds like the most pointless and tedious game ever. Every time I explain it the realization of how lame it sounds hits me anew. What really makes this work is a very large and interesting story, incorporating many different characters into the world around you. When a game is made to be open-ended, and successfully makes the player feel like he is a part of a living world (rather than a world that exists only for his amusement) that game accomplishes something amazing.
The fighting engine is adequate and incorporates a system in which moves can be upgraded at pre-determined points during the game, as martial artists of various styles share their wisdom. The developers could have easily based an entire beat-em-up on the fighting in this game; the result would have been better than the likes of Blade II or Spider Man. Despite a competent fighting system, fighting only occurs at specific parts of the storyline – usually defending yourself against hostile locals, or beating vital information out of them.
There are a few puzzles to be had, but for the most part they are painfully easy. These consist mostly of a single room search for a specific item or event trigger. The game also has an annoying habit of taking a fairly obvious verbal clue and stating exactly what you need to do (or who you need to seek) before you get a chance to wrap your head around it. The likelihood of getting stuck in this game is very low, but the sense that you are often being herded down a linear path sometimes undermines the open-ended nature of the game.
The last basic type of action sequence is called ‘QTE’ in the book. In these sequences a d-pad direction or action button flashes quickly on the screen. If the button is not pressed in time, or the wrong button is pressed, it is very likely that you will have to start the whole sequence over again. This archaic type of gameplay is more difficult than you may think, as you may well catch yourself paying more attention to the flashy action than the button commands, and the swinging camera also serves to distract.
As with the prequel, there are many mini games (including some classic arcade games) which you will play during the course of the game. The local arcade selection include darts, hang-on, out-run, afterburner, space harrier, a variation of whack-a-mole and slot machines. Arm wrestling, QTE crate carrying, gambling and a couple of pseudo-combat minigames make up possible ‘jobs’ or ways to make some cash (which you will need). A nice addition to Shenmue II is the ability to play these minigames from the main menu, which basically adds the only replay value to the game.
I Miss My Dreamcast
Shenmue was the first game that really showed me what my old DC could do. Incredibly detailed faces spoke in a well-animated fashion. Gorgeous, colorful textures covered every surface. I get all teary-eyed just thinking about it. (Why did they insist on pulling the DC? It’s not fair! DC was a GOOD system!)
The graphics on the XBOX show a marginal improvement over the DC prequel, most notably the addition of a breathtaking, real-time lighting and shadow system. The pathetic draw distance of the first Shenmue has also been upgraded, allowing for the convincing illusion that Ryo is experiencing life in the big city.
While the overall look of Shenmue II does justice to the awesome power of the XBOX, there are moments of graphical weakness. Water effects still look a little fuzzy and two-dimensional. While the heads of people are super detailed (still the best I’ve seen in a console game) bodies are blocky and look awkward at times. I can see why this would have been necessary on older hardware, as lots of horsepower would be needed to render the faces, but it is unfortunate that this characteristic made its way to the XBOX version.
My gripes over the graphics are minor. As far as I’m concerned, this is the best looking 3rd person engine I’ve seen. Ever. This becomes most evident when one notices that the level of texture detail is actually sharper when the area you are in is smaller. When out on a crowded street, signs are storefronts are often a bit muddy – But in a small room you’ll be able to read the fine print on the bottom of a carton of orange juice from several feet away. This level of detail variation shows that the developers thought about squeezing every ounce of texture detail from this engine.
Glorious (Awful) Dubbing
The ambient sounds and music tracks here reek of quality anime style. Those gamers unaccustomed to anime (hey, there might be one somewhere) may find it to be cheesy, but those of us who grew up on the 80’s sensibilities of Japanese animation will feel right at home.
The voice acting is exactly what you would expect, English dubbed dialogue of varying quality. Thankfully, the main character is calm and likable… but something extraordinarily strange happens when English voice actors try to emulate Japanese characters. Once again, anime fans out there will know exactly what I’m talking about.
If you cannot handle anime dialogue, I suggest you pass this game up – lest you be subjected to many hours of it.
Your Kung Fu is Good
The most interesting aspect of the story in Shenmue II is the notion that Ryo’s militaristic style of Japanese Jujitsu is seemingly ineffective against the various forms of Chinese Kung Fu. Kung Fu masters in the game will offer to spar with you, only to deftly dodge every single move that you throw at them. This provides a real sense that you not only have a long way to go before finding your father’s killer, but also a long way to go before your fighting skills are up to the task of defeating him. This also provides a good reason to learn new, more powerful Kung Fu attacks to add to your fighting repertoire.
It is worth noting that a DVD of the cinematics from the first game is included with Shenmue II, so none of the story has to be lost to those who never indulged in the first game.
Another driving force of the storyline involves the difference between Ryo’s rural Japanese sensibilities and the harsh realities of life on the streets of Hong Kong. So determined in his task of revenge is Ryo, that he seems to be ill equipped to adjust himself to urban life.
For better or worse, the change in scenery from the first installment of Shenmue provides ample opportunity for cultural conflict, both national and regional. Perhaps the greatest conflict of all is that within Ryo himself: As he begins to realize that to defeat Lan Di, he must clear his mind and take a more spiritual path with to the martial arts – Even though doing this will cost him the hatred that drives him to do so in the first place.
Final Digs
Shenmue II is a rare beast, somewhat of an experiment in game design. In an industry that rarely tries anything new, it’s pretty refreshing to see something so different. The result is a package will please some gamers and simply annoy others.
While not a very good fighting game, a very minimal puzzle game and a boring RPG – The total package is truly more than the sum of its parts. A hardcore gamer can see pretty much all there is to see in one weekend, and the limited replay value is apparent, so a rental will suffice for most.
Still, this is another game that can be added to a game collection for $15 - $30, depending on where you get it… so hardcore anime fans and those who enjoyed the first game should not hesitate to pick this one up.
