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(More customer reviews)"Shenmue 2" is an engrossing game that breaks with either the standard adventure and role playing type game in an effort to totally involve the player. In a brief summary, the basic plot is simple involving the main character, Ryo, who has witnessed the murder of his father, but it unfolds as the epic story of his quest to avenge his father's death. This is the second installment in the series that began with Shenmue. The story begins where Shemnue left off, with Ryo getting off on a pier in Hong Kong.
There are so many things to do and see in this game including non-plot related activities. For example, to make money I've arm wrestled, had matial arts bouts with in-game contestants, played card games, dice, a game of chance where you drop marbles in a vertical board with nails, and worked several odd jobs. I've also practiced my martial arts moves, collected trinkets from the vending machines, visited pawn shops. I still haven't found the 4 classic Sega arcade games yet that are said to be buried in the game. I'm sure I'll play them on the side just for fun when I do.
The fighting aspect of the game is interesting, but something that I have not yet mastered. You can "learn" (ie, are awarded) special moves as you progress through the game that adds to your martial arts repetoire. Several battles come up where I have fought enemies of various skill levels. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost. In some instances, you must win against certain characters in order to unlock further progression in the game. If you don't you will have to try again at a later time. In the case of the Quick Time Event (QTE) sequences, on some occasions the game will let you continue to try until you win.
The game is very interactive as I have found myself talking with and getting advice and help from literally hundreds of characters. I can stop to talk with anyone and they have something usually helpful, but at least relevant, to say. There are numerous well done cut-scenes that bring the personalities, motives and circumstances of the various characters to life. You (Ryo) must become allies with some characters in the game to acheieve some of your objectives and, in some cases, a real tension develops. I stll have not encountered at least two of the main characters and am waiting to see what kind of relation and plot twist will ensue at those points.
The extreme detail of so many aspects of the game are incredible. One late afternoon (game time) just for the heck of it, I went to the second floor of a gambling house in the game, played a selection on the jukebox, gambled a little, then watched the sun go down over the lake and tall buildings of Hong Kong. The clouds were moving, the sun and sky faded from orange thru red, then the sky turned dark as night came over the city. I then spent the rest of the evening just discovering new things in that part of the city until it was time to retire for the evening (always at 11:00PM). Amazing.
I also enjoyed the vastness of the cities. I'm talking huge here. This game makes you feel like you're really in Hong Kong. People are walking and working in stores with the ambient sounds of the city in the background. The neon lights glow and flash in the city at night. You can walk in almost every shop and talk to the owner and people inside, look inside the shop and even purchase something.
I must also comment about the music. The music changes depending on which scene you're in and what's about to happen. It adds to the mood and sometimes adds the element of tension in anticipation of what's to come. Some of the scores and paricularly the theme music are very well done and deserve high marks.
Although the game is a lot a fun, there are admittedly a few problems that I consciously chose to overlook. After all, it is a port from the Dreamcast platform. One is the unevenness of the graphics especially the characters. The major characters are very highly detailed and look like XBox quality. The others are blocky and look like a direct Dreamcast port (which they are). Another is the voice acting which is generally bland but occasionally okay. If the voice acting had been top notch, this game may have been ready for an Oscar :) I really hope that Sega and Microft come out with Shenmue 3 and that it takes advantage of the XBox's capabilities. It will be unbelievable.
I will be honest here and say that Shenmue is a game that will not appeal to everyone. For those gamers who must have an adrenaline fix when they sit down to play a game, they will probably not have the attention span or patience in the world of "Shenmue 2". It is a much more deliberate game, that has a pace that ranges from slowly uncovering clues and experiencing real life events to action packed fighting sequences. The whole idea is to draw you into the main character's (Ryo's) world and let you feel the environment around you and the challenge of the adventure. It's like a movie turned into an interactive game.
Exploring, unraveling and experiencing this adventure/rpg/action game is a real joy - so much so that my wife and kids are with me in front of the television at night watching and taking turns playing. A great game. A classic.
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Shenmue II is an epic adventure with all the elements of a great movie--drama, mystery, suspense, and action–-and offers a unique gameplay experience that seamlessly blends elements of action, adventure, fighting, and role-playing games. In Shenmue II, players assume the role of Ryo Hazuki, a young man dedicated to the task of tracking his father's murderer and unlocking the mysteries of the Phoenix Mirror. Shenmue II continues where Shenmue left off and brings Ryo to Hong Kong with many questions still unanswered as he follows the trail of Lan Di, the man who killed his father.
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