Xbox

Shenmue II

I love Shenmue II, and it is easily my favorite game ever. However, I'm here to tell you if you should buy it. If you can handle a long, sometimes slow game with fantastic story elements and an unbelievable atmosphere, then yes, you should. I'm also the first person to admit that Shenmue II isn't for everybody, so if you aren't sure, you should probably give it a rental first. Regardless, do yourself a favor and at least try it. Games like this don't come along every day, or even every lifetime.

Parfaitement à l'aise sur Xbox, Shenmue 2 est un titre incomparable qui séduit par son univers tantôt poétique tantôt violent, ses environnements asiatiques superbes, ses personnages irrésistibles, ses nombreuses références aux arts martiaux, et tout simplement cette quête passionnante qu'il propose. Un titre culte qui doit figurer dans toute ludothèque Xbox.

Technically, the Xbox conversion of Shenmue 2 is a pot-pourri of highs and lows. Visually, it's two notches above its DC brother, but two notches below what the system is capable of.

The graphics have not been greatly revamped from their Dreamcast source, but they were groundbreaking a year ago and still stand out among the Xbox elite. Every nuance of town life seems to have been captured accurately, right down to behavior patterns of the populace.

With it’s mixing of genres and brilliant story, Shenmue II is an unforgettable experience gamers should not miss. Although far from perfect, the game’s lengthy quest is a worthwhile journey to take on even if you’ve never played the original.

Shenmue II isn't just a game, it's an experience you'll never forget, and the inclusion of the Shenmue: The Movie DVD makes it that much easier to get on board. It's definitely an acquired taste, but if you don't mind the slow pace and poor voice acting, you'll discover one of the most amazing adventures ever to hit any video game console. I can't wait to see what Suzuki-san and company have in store for Ryo next.

Shenmue 2 is all about balance- between the beginning (Shenmue), and the end (the hopefully forthcoming Shenmue 3), quantity and quality (in terms of graphics and sounds), and action (Battle and QTE events) and inaction (gathering clues and asking questions). While the game may have it’s rough spots, Shenmue 2 is a must have for ANYONE who’s played through the first, and is still worth a look to newbs looking for an epic quest to dig into.

Shenmue II is a very good sequel to one of the most unique video games in town. Great storytelling combined with a variety of gameplay elements keep things interesting, though there are certainly a few pebbles this grasshopper fails to snatch.

Shenmue was one of my favorite Dreamcast games, one I had trouble putting down. The sequel, while new to the US, feels almost outdated. The voice-acting is bad, the graphics are not on the level of other Xbox games, and Shenmue II never involved me as much as the original. In fact, a lot of the things set up in the original don't come to bear in Shenmue II until several hours into the game, leaving an odd disconnection from the first game for the first couple of hours.

The game comes with a lot of bang for its $50 price tag. In anticipation that there may be newcomers to the series, Microsoft packaged "Shenmue: The Movie" with the game. The movie is actually a whole bunch of cut scenes from the previous Shenmue game on the Dreamcast, and was even shown in theatres in Japan as "Shenmue USA" (because they used English voice acting with Japanese subtitles). The movie lasts about an hour and a half, and while it is crudely done and the graphics may offend some of you who are used to DOA3-quality visuals, it gets the point across pretty well.

Ultimately, a variety of factors prevent Shenmue II from living up to its expectations. The Dreamcast game pushed the Power VR chipset in the console to its limits and beyond to churn out some of the finest visuals seen at the time, which contributed greatly to the game's impact on that system. On the other hand, the uneven graphical and audio presentation of the Xbox version don't do much to make a case for the console's proven graphical muscle. The inconsistencies in the audio further detract from experience, sending you to the options screen to turn off the character's voice rather than pulling you into the game.

The big question here, of course, is whether Shenmue II is worth buying. Well, if you've already played through the Dreamcast version, then no - there's virtually nothing on offer here that you haven't already seen. If, however, you haven`t played the game before, then it's something we heartily recommend.

Regardless of the dry voice acting and lack of Xbox graphical flair, Shenmue II has the story and atmosphere an adventure game needs to make it a worthwhile experience. Fans of Shenmue will no doubt be instantly hooked as Shenmue II surpasses the original in almost every regard. New players may find it a little difficult to be sucked in since they won't be as attached to the main character. Just as with the first game, you can't play for ten minutes and make a decision as to whether you like it or not, because as more and more of the first area opens up -- the living, breathing world will pull you in. Unfortunately, the game doesn't come to a complete conclusion, and will leave players anticipating the third installment in the series.

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.