Shenmue, what can't it do? (Shenmue II (DC))

Member Name:

Product:	Shenmue II (DC)
Date:	16/04/02 (124 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A moving experience, Everything is nigh on perfect, fools you into thinking it's real

Disadvantages: it isn't real, it has an end, you're going to have a lot of cold dinners

Sorry about the title, but seriously, what CAN'T this game do?
Shenmue 2 is the long-awaited sequel to Shenmue (predictably), a game that was released to much critical acclaim a few years ago on the Dreamcast. In those days, Yu Suzuki, creator, had grand plans for the series, 16 episodes, all huge, to be released on the wondrous Dreamcast, a console sure to last a thousand years, or something. Anyway, this never really happened (curse that PS2) and now only Shenmue 2 has graced the ill-fated format. Still, it?s obvious that the 7 YEARS Yu Suzuki spent developing these masterpieces has not gone to waste.

You?ll be glad to know that the second game in the series is every bit as good as the original, indeed, it?s all better, from the way that you can interact to the thousands of people that you?ll encounter, to the-everything.

When the original was released, it was in concert with a great deal of promotion in all of the relevant publications. With these came screenshots of events and scenarios that eventually were found out not to be in the original. To the relief of thousands, all of these features and more have been incorporated into the sequel.

The actual plot is a little like this: Ryo has chased Lan Di (his father?s murderer) across Japan and is now continuing his quest of revenge to circa 1987 Hong Kong after having left everything behind in Yokosuka. Ryo steps off the ferry and that'? where you come in.

One of the first things that you?ll notice when you start play is how daunting the game world initially is. Many people found this to be the case with the original, but no where near this scale. When you first take control of Ryo, you are bombarded with people trying to sell you things, dodgy tour guides, street musicians, stalls, they even sell zippos, just like the real thing! Get a bit deeper into the game and you?ll find a bustling harbour community and docks. Travel in further and you?ll soon
get lost (took me 6 minutes) in the various denominations of a Chinese town.

On your travels you?ll also go to ancient Chinese mountaintop cities and temples, nestled in the Chinese forests and jungles-epic stuff. Of course, all of this seems extremely daunting but thanks to the thoughtful construction of the game, you can take things at your own pace, this allows you to explore the environs of the location you are currently at and there is a LOT to explore.

If you take time to look around during your quest, you?ll find various attractions that can either make you money (like fight clubs, arm wrestling competitions, darts, gambling of many sorts, even part time jobs) or those that are simply there to amuse (e.g. an arcade fitted with old Sega classics, toys). These all add to the atmosphere of being in a real environment, with real people. However, this real world also brings responsibilities, money makes the world goes round and the Shenmue world is no different. You are going to need lots of the stuff if you are to bribe people for vital information, enjoy the attractions, heck; you?re going to need money just to pay for your hotel room. This is where the gambling, jobs and pawnshops come into play. It?s things like this, having to schedule your day, make some money in the morning, continue the story a little in the afternoon and enjoy the evening in the cafes, arcades and gambling houses.

Next I?m going to give a quick rundown of the people that you will encounter on your epic journey. Most of the locals that you will meat are simply there to fill up space, to give the towns a feel of being living, breathing towns. To achieve this, the game?s producers have given each individual, no matter how insignificant, lots of things to say, relevant to what you?re doing at the time.
Incredibly, every single person has a life, they all have somewhere to go at night, they ?re also busy during the day, th
ey all have somewhere they like to hang out, incredible depth I think you?ll agree. The game also has a lot to it that can only be appreciated if one explores a little. Two of these wonderful secrets are the duck races (pure genius) and Ryo?s first serious relationship, something that was woefully lacking from the first, especially with Nozomi around. Speaking of girls, in Shenmue 2, there are scores of them, all interested in Ryo, there?s Joy, the biker babe, Fangmei, the cute cleaner, Izumi, from the Tomato Convenience Store and a few others-brilliant.

As for the graphics, they are beautiful in everyway with light-sourcing appearing on people?s faces when you?re talking to them, reflections, solar flare and a beautiful transition from daylight to darkness (the time is also a factor in the game with 1 Shenmue hour taking approximately 5 normal minutes). Graphical detail on people?s faces has also been notably improved but quite a few of the minor characters still look slightly odd, still, this can be forgiven as it doesn?t detract from the experience.

Gameplay wise, this game delivers in spades and it is clear that the game creators have taken note of previous criticism of the original, which was criticized by some as being a spruced-up point and click. Absolutely everything can be interacted with in everyway that is useful, so if you pick up a jar, for example, you can choose to look inside, or turn it over and inspect the outside for clues. This level of interaction is maintained throughout the game, meaning that the player never feels like they are simply walking past scenery.

To keep things moving, there are frequently QTEs (Quick Timer Events). These involve pushing a certain button, as instructed on the screen, as fast as possible. To begin with, this sounds boring and repetitive, but when you see that whether you getit right or not influences what happens on the screen, and to Ryo, all of this will become more ex
hilarating as these QTEs take you completely by surprise. Here is an example: You are on the trail of some thugs that have taken your only informant hostage. When you find them, you start to run after them. One of the thugs turns around. If you haven?t pressed ?A? straight away, you?re sprawled on the floor after being beaten down. Try again. Right, you?ve got past that bit, but then some other bloke comes out from the shadows brandishing a baseball bat, have you pressed ?X? then ?right?, ?left?,?down?,?B?? If not, pick yourself up again and have another stab.

This is the sort of thing that can regularly happen, this keeps you on your toes. This is where there is the possibility of taking a different route through the story as whether you fail or succeed determines what happens next. However, there are some that you must succeed at or you?ll just be made to do them again. This can sometimes spoil the feel of the game when you are made to repeat a sequence, reminding you that you?re only playing a video game. Another major faculty of the game is the free battle mode. This is self-explanatory. Yu Suzuki has utilized his experience from the Virtua Fighter games and the form of combat in Shenmue is a simplified evolution of the system used in those games with one button for kick, one for punch, one for throw and one for dodge. Combinations of these allow a large number of moves to be pulled off. A great deal of these are already in Ryo?s repertoire but more can be learned through being taught by people in the game. Others can simply be bought in various shops and then mastered.

The whole martial arts thing is an integral part of the game with Ryo using his skills to earn money through fighting, or simply to defend himself from the thugs that have decided that he won?t finish his quest. There are also a number of places where Ryo can train, in order to build up the strength of his moves, the most notable of these being Lotus Park wh
ere you can spar with an old Sensei.

If there is one thing that I must recommend, it?s that you play Shenmue 1 before you play the sequel. This isn?t because it?s necessary, the sequel is a stand-alone title, but there is a lot to be gained from playing the original, not only is it a lot cheaper (this is a bonus as it?s a cheap test to see if you like the Shenmue style, if you do, you?ll know you want the original, if you don?t, you have spent a lot), but you will have a starter file for Shenmue 2.

This is an innovation in the way that you can use your Shenmue 1 completed file to give yourself a head start in the second game. This means extra moves not available in the sequel, also, other bits and bobs are exclusive. This is pretty useless, but gives you if anything, a greater sense of it all being real, having mementos of the last game, It?s just a little thing, but it all adds to an already incredible atmosphere.

This is one of those games that is actually a standalone reason to buy a console, there, nuff said. Top game.

Summary: