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Ugh...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 14
Date: March 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Please don't be fooled by the reviews before me like I was. The graphics are okay, good for the PS2 but below average for the Xbox. The storyline is flat, the dubbing is horrendous! (and you can't skip the VErY frequent and LENGTHY scenes) Half of the game is doing menial tasks (working at a dock and lifting boxes for minimal money at length so that you can afford your hotel, and carrying stacks of books outside for a temple library for hlaf of the "day" quite a few times) The fighting is infrequent and subpar and many moves only give you one shot to learn or you will never have another chance. There are certain figures you can collect that will taek you some time to get but they don't unlock any secrets, they just give you the satisfaction of having them I guess. The only good part about this game was the button reflex sequences (can't remember the official name) because it was fun to test your reflexes and see what you did if you got it right. But, those BRS's didn't make u for the... MOVEMENT! OMFG! It was like trying to fire and egg on a block of ice in -20 degree temperatures. It became a game (a very horrible game) in itself just trying to get in doors. If you walked to far you would have to turn, but no, you can't just turn left or right, you have to turn full around. Then you have to try and make a perfect arch into the doorway or you'll be their for another 5 minutes dancing in circles. After playing this game I hoped that the free movie that came with it would be good and would make me less angry. Let me tell you something. This movie was not anime, it was not even what I would consider 3D graphics. It was like playing FF7 with slightly better graphics, a much worse storyline, and their was no gameplay. Nothing made up for the little effort put into everything about this game. I give this game a 1. Please, save your money for Fable if you really need a good RPG/Fighter, I'm sure waiting for Fable to be released will be more fun than actually playing this game.

Boring

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 20
Date: November 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Shenmue and its sequel are like having a real job...but even less fun. If tedious wandering and horrible dialogue are your forte, you might dig it. Everyone else: Save your money. Not even worth renting.

I want my life back!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 9
Date: February 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

As the comic book dude from "The Simpsons" would say, "This is the worst game ever!" and that includes E.T. I was extremely disappointed with this game. Across online game review sites I had seen nothing but great reviews for this game so I had high expectations.

Let's start with the good stuff. It had very good graphics, although body movement was a little blocky, as well as lighting and weather effects, expansive environments which did look a little bit dated for the Xbox, especially the buildings, and I guess a good story line. Ok that was it for the good stuff.

Now the bad stuff:
1. Boring, especially the numerous cutscenes, and what makes it worse is that the game throws in QTE's (quick time events where you have to press buttons as they appear on the screen) so that you can't use the cutscenes for that they are normally used for - bathroom breaks.
2. Working for money was boring, there was no way to get money by performing a task other than moving crates, which was boring and repetitive. Most of the time the D pad didn't respond well to the double and triple taps to the left and right, which made it extremly frustrating.
3. Linear storyline and playing.
4. Way too many load screens, and trivial cutscenes.
5. Only 1 of the 3 sections of game was halfway fun and entertaining and that was the middle section when Ryo was in Kowloon. There was plenty of action and not too many bathroom breaks ... uh I mean cutscenes. The HK and Guilin secions were a bore, especially Guilin. I kept expecting to get to Bailu village and being able to do more of what was done in Kowloon, let's just say that it was a major disappointment.
6. Fixed camera angle, unable to adjust 3rd person camera location to a different fixed position. Ryo took up too much of the screen and in the beginning I got sick watching the screen when Ryo ran.
7. Bad control layout and responsiveness.
8. Command QTE's. Sometimes I was unable to see the order in which the buttons were pressed even when I wasn't even trying to hit the buttons just watch them in order.
9. Ryo's bandaid on his face, it was there throughout the game.
10. Not enough fighting. I'm not a fighting game fan but thats what was the most fun in the game, I found the "free roaming" to be extremely linear and restrictive

... and many more, but the above mentioned were my biggest disappointments. I kept playing because I thought I would this storyline fighting game a chance and I kept expecting the game to suddenly get better, but it didn't. Is there any way I can sue Sega to get that part of my life back that I wasted on this game?

DON'T BUY THIS GAME!!! ... well buy my copy but nobody else buy this game!

Still slow!?!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: December 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I can't beleave they still mad this game so slow. And plus the main character moves like a robot. And I know they could have touched up on the graphics just a little.

A Great Game...For Fans of the First

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: November 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I like many others bought a Dreamcast just for Shenmue I and II. After playing one I thought it was the game of the year because I myself had not played anything like it before. Then when dc was killed and Shenmue II wasn't comming to the States I felt depressed.

I bought Shenmue II about 2 days ago and I am not totally happy with what I had bought. Everything I love from the old game is still there, but not much more. Yes I do see a little improvment in graphics, but could probably be more. They did also add new mini games which are fun and gambling. The fight system and QTE's are what really keep me playing. Towards the end the game gets somewhat challenging, but it takes a lot of time to get there.

Overall this game will be one of my favorites for X box even though the graphics arent at full potential, the acting and voices can get annyoing, and takes a long time to do things. For people looking at this game, it will probably be tough to like the second with out playing the first even with the movie that comes with the game.

For hardcore gamers only; interactive novel; not that great

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 26
Date: October 31, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First of, yes, Yu Suzuki is a genius and I admire what he's attempted to do here. Very valiant effort on this series that may just be ahead of its time.

I just got this the other day and have been trying to MAKE myself play it. That should tell you something right there.
EGM and Gamespot's reviews of this game are dead-on: It definitely feels and looks like a DC port.
Read both of those reviews.

This almost can't even be called a game, and if you go into this thinking you have another Morrowind type game on your hands, than you will be very disappointed.
Morrowind blows this thing away for epic scope, freedom, and variety. It's false advertising if anyone tries to sell this to you under that pretense.

The game is mostly you talking people and getting from point to point. It's a detective novel that you kind of interact with, for all intents and purposes.
Yes, you can sight see, buy knick knacks, find the Sega arcade games, and other side jaunts, but GTA:VC and Morrowind both FAR AND AWAY have a much greater sense of freedom and variety of gameplay than this does. It's not fair to compare such different genres, but that's what some people have been doing, and I am setting the record straight.

I think this is a niche title that fans of the first game should chew up.
For people like me, who didn't play the first one, you might be asking yourself, "Yeah, so?"

I think that this game needed more time on the shelf.
MAKE it Xbox worthy on all levels. As it stands, it reeks of Dreamcast port all the way.
The controls leave something to be desired. They almost go down to Resident Evil level, which is disgraceful. The controls are tolerable, but that's about it.

The game does boast a nice music score, and the transition between the game modes is pretty seamless.

This is a very slow paced experience. VERY SLOW. I recommend that you proceed with caution; consider a rental first. I view this game as an interactive book.

A virtual tour of Hong Kong with lots of [tail] kicking!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 22 / 23
Date: October 22, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Shenmue 2 is the sequel to one of Sega's biggest accomplishments ever: Shenmue. A game unlike anything you've ever played. But be warned this doesn't necessarily mean it's the right game for you.

The Shenmue series, take you on an incredibly deep adventure and puts you in control of the main protagonist, Ryo, in order to discover the secret of two Phoenix mirrors, over which his father was murdered. Your journey begins in a quite 1980's town in Japan. When Ryo returns home one day he finds a black car in the driveway, and some men attacking his father. The leader, Lan Di, eventually kills Ryo's father after a great fight. Lan Di is easily the best villain I have ever seen in a videogame. He's design is truly perfect. He's looks are chilling to the bone.

As you progress through and eventually finish Shenmue, you eventually come to a point where you must travel to Hong Kong in order to find out more about a mysetrious letter sent to Ryo's father the day after he died. This is where Shenmue 2 begins.

And don't worry if you never played the original game on Sega's ill-fated Dreamcast. Shenmue 2 comes with a Shenmue: The movie DVD which explains to you all the events leading up to Shenmue 2 in much more detail than I have.

The way the game works is this. It takes a number of different genres and gameplay elements and blends them into one huge game which takes place in what is no less than a small, virtual reproduction, of Hong Kong in the 1980's. And when I say reproduction, I mean it. The game has complete day and night cycles, seasons, and weather patterns. You sleep at night, play the game during the day, and as you progress through your adventure you'll notice seasons pass by. You'll watch leaves fall of trees, rain muddy the streets, and snow cover everything in white, just like in real life. Of course, time moves much faster than in real life, thankfully, so a day in Shenmue is rougly half an hour long.

The main part of the game has you running around this virtual city and talking to any of over 1000 characters who each have a complete day and night AI routine. It's as real as they get. Each person actually has his or her own life in the game. In your quest for information, you will run into a lot of bad people, where the next genre comes in. Fighting. Shenmue 2 has a fighting system so advance, that it's almost on par with pure fighting games like Tekken or Virtua Fighter, and this is just a part of the game.

You'll aslo be able to take part in quick time events: which are basically cutscenes, but with a little bit of interaction from the viewer. Meaning if Ryo's chasing somebody and something falls in front of him, it's up to you to make sure he jumps over the obstacle and not trip over it. And this is done by pressing a button or a combination of buttons which are shown to you on the screen as the cutscene is rolling. You have to have incredibly fast reflexes to succesfully complete each QTE perfectly.

But even if you fail at one of these, it doesn't necessarily you have do it over. Shenmue 2 is such a vast game that your failure may just simply lead you on a whole different path that will still get you to the same point.

Finally there are some rpg elements in the game. Not only can you enter stores, and practically any building in the city, but you can buy things. For example, you can buy certain scrolls from shops that will teach you new figting moves, and by practicing these moves with a sparring partner, you will actually get better at doing them, increasing your chances of succeeding in fighting battles.

Shenmue 2 also makes a few great improvements over its prequel. The graphics are of course better. But more importantly, you have the option to fast forward time. So if you have to meet somebody the next day, and you don't feel like gambling or playing mini games at the local arcade all day, you will have the option to jump forward in time and meet that person. This greatly helps improves the speed of the game. Overall, Shenmue 2 is just a lot bigger, better and faster than Shenmue.

Of course, all this just barely scratches the surface. I'd have to write a book to be able to describe Shenmue for what is truly is.

A Very Slight Step Down From Part I

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: May 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I can't really explain why I fell so deeply in love with Yu Suzuki's first console release, the Dreamcast's original Shenmue. Perhaps it was the sense of complete freedom, which allowed players to spend their income however they saw fit, completely disregarding the story in favor of video games and little toy capsules. Maybe it had more to do with the utterly enveloping environment, which went further toward becoming a totally immersive scenario than any other game in history. Who knows, maybe it was the game's setting in mid-80s Japan, two cultures I've always found fascinating (80s pop culture and traditional Japanese culture). One thing's for certain, it wasn't the emotionless, deer-in-the-headlights expression constantly sported by the story's hero, Ryo Hazuki. Regardless, I was hooked on this story of revenge, reality, and the kind of awkward relationships characteristic of our teenage years.

Though the Dreamcast sequel never arrived in America, Sega revamped the title, added a few new features and finally released it on Microsoft's Xbox. Alongside Halo, it was my first purchase for the enormous black and green machine.

Bar none, the coolest thing about the Shenmue series is its outrageous attention to detail. There exist hundreds of storefronts, people, objects, games and environments that don't have any impact whatsoever on the story itself. They could've just as easily been left out, yet their inclusion broadens the game's scope substantially. Almost every doorway can be opened, every object, from the fliers hanging in a popular street corner to the televisions hidden away in the corner of a pawn shop, can be examined in detail. Sega even carried on the tradition of including emulated versions of Suzuki's arcade hits, this time packing in Afterburner II, Out Run, Hang On and Space Harrier.

There's no such thing as a cut scene in Shenmue II, everything you see is live rendered. And, while that was a real feat for the Dreamcast (producing graphics on the fly that rivaled those of the Psone and N64's pre-renders), it's not as impressive on the Xbox. Though it gives it the old college try, Shenmue isn't as visually impressive as Rygar: The Legendary Adventure on the PS2, Metroid Prime on the Gamecube or even Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee on the Box itself. Honestly, though the visuals are improved slightly, this still looks, feels and functions much like a Dreamcast game. The water effects, especially, pale in comparison to what we've already seen the Xbox can do. The game looks above average at best. Not great, but still good. As I mentioned earlier, the real strength of Ryo's world is the tremendous variety in the storefronts, environments and various items, and this is something that helps set it apart from the pack.

Occasionally, Ryo will be drawn into a fight scene, which functions like a strange blend of Final Fight and Tekken. Visually, the transition between "wander and talk mode" and "fight bunch of guys mode" is almost seamless. Very rarely are these fights one-on-one affairs, and you're usually called upon to take down upwards of a half dozen guys at one time. You've got an impressive list of moves at your disposal, with more available as the game progresses, but really only utilize about ten or eleven on a regular basis.

The musical score to Shenmue II follows in the footsteps of the original; it's epic. Every one of the arrangements in the game serves to broaden the scope of this already impressive, expansive title. It truly feels like you're playing a character in a major motion picture, and it invokes your emotions at just the right moments. Near the game's conclusion, when Ryo stands atop the roof of the tallest building in town, staring into the sunset, you really feel as though you're coming of age along with him. When he first rides into port aboard an enormous ocean liner in the game's opening scene, the music further emphasizes that this is the beginning of a tremendous journey. It really is that solid.

Pity I can't say the same about the voice acting. Every one of the characters is just as wooden and emotionless as Ryo himself, which is one of the dark clouds that seems to have followed this series throughout its existence. Though everyone in town has a distinct voice, they all share similar traits; nobody gets excited about ANYTHING, and they all place intonations on the wrong words with frightening regularity. Ryo himself is one of the least appealing characters I've ever played, and nearly everyone in the world seems to share this disposition. It's hard to get excited about the revelations involving Lan Di and his relationship to Ryo's father, when those making the revelations are themselves completely disinterested in the proceedings.

Included with the Xbox version is a DVD containing the majority of the cutscenes from the original Shenmue for Dreamcast. I found this to be a great, somewhat quick, refresher course before diving into the new events. It'd been years since I last ventured into this world, and I was reminded of several small threads I'd have otherwise forgotten. On that same hand, I can imagine how much the inclusion of this disc would have aided players with absolutely no experience with the Dreamcast. A great idea, and something I wish more gaming dynasties would consider.

Overall, I found myself enjoying the first Shenmue more than I did the sequel. This is still a series I'd be interested in seeing pursued, but no matter what you may have heard... it HAS taken a small step down with this release. While the first game focused much more on Ryo's inability to relate to his peers, his awkward social life and his pure intention to avenge his father's murder, the sequel delves more into the spiritual and political ramifications of his actions. It wasn't quite as much fun as the original, though the overall feel was very similar.

It's not as good as the first, but it's still a great game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: January 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'll say it right off the bat- this isn't as good as the first one. In fact, it took me a while to get into the sequel, whereas with Shenmue, I played it non-stop because it was so perfect. Actually, you'll probably never hear anyone praise the first one as much as me. But Shenmue 2 is still pretty good.

This game was supposed to come out years ago for the Dreamcast, and it did...just not in America. I ended up importing the game just to continue the amazing story and see how far Ryo would get into the revenge of his father's death. I was a little disappointed. It took way too long to actually get anywhere, and for the majority of the game (about 2/3), you seek someone to give you information on where you should go. Here's an example of most of the beginning of the game-

"Go seek x and he will give you directions for x where you will find x."

There was only so much of that I could take at one time, so I ended up playing only an hour at a time or so. There were a lot of points in the game where I just didn't care what happened next as long as something good happened soon. I ended up spending a lot of the time street fighting for money or collecting Capsule Toys to get a break from some of the boring events.

For those who don't know (I pity you), the saga of Shenmue takes place in Japan in the 1980's. Ryo Hazuki, the main character, comes home to witness his father murdered by Lan Di- someone who is looking for 2 mysterious mirrors. Ryo's dad hands over the first one, but later on, Ryo himself finds the other and goes to Hong Kong to find Lan Di and get his revenge. Upon arriving in China, you have to seek out someone who knew that Ryo's dad was going to die. From then on out, it's all a matter of finding people for clues and getting into fights to find that person. A lot of the characters are pretty cool though, something that the first one lacked a little of. But that's understandable since in Japan, Ryo was a big fish in a small pond (as it just took place in his hometown and a harbor), but he's in a whole new place here.

The Japanese/UK versions had Japanese voices with English subtitles. But for the Xbox, we have English voices, many of which are returning from the first (Ren's voice actor is the same one who was Fuku-san and Guizhang in the first). The voices aren't bad, but the acting is. A lot of the times, questions don't sound like questions, just statements. I guess this isn't bad because it'd be weird to go from English voices on the DC to Japanese all of a sudden, but it'd be nice if there was a feature where you could pick which language to hear the game in. Another thing that Shenmue 2 has that helps it out is the "follow" feature. If you don't know where a location is(and believe me, you won't for most of the game), you can ask someone, and they'll usually lead you to your destination. It's very helpful. Oh, and now you can save at any point in the game. That should be a major relief for most players.

Fighting is tedious here. In the first Shenmue, it was fun and easy to do moves. But here, you end up being stuck with horrible camera angles that screw you over more times than not. In fact, I ended up having to restart a ton of fights thanks to that stupid camera. Oh, and remember the awesome fight music from the first? That's been replaced with what I think is pots and pans being beat on with wooden spoons. It just doesn't seem like a serious fight with that "music" playing.

The QTEs got more difficult, which is good. About 2/3 into the game, you'll deal with one every few minutes. This added a lot more action which was needed in the first part of the game. Some of the QTEs that take place are walking over thin planks of wood in 10+ story buildings. I tell you, I've never held my breath during a game, but that part did the job for me.

I must mention- the climax of the game is one of the coolest things I've seen in gaming/cinema history. It isn't what you think it is, but the way the developers did it is just plain awesome.

The Xbox version has a few slight improvements over the DC version though:

-You can take pictures at any time during the game and view them in a photo album. Also, you can change the colors of the game with special filters at any time. When taking pictures, look out for main characters and ones that don't show up often. After you beat the game, you can unlock pages from the official Shenmue comic depending on if you took the right pictures or not.
-Some fighting elements from Virtua Fighter 4 are thrown in. And, because you're in Hong Kong, you'll learn a few Kung Fu moves to help you out. A lot of them are very powerful too.
-Improved graphics. The colors are brighter and less grainy. And there's almost no slowdown at all. The DC version had horrible slowdown when multiple characters were on screen at once.
-New sound (5.1 Dolby Digital cut-scenes)
-...the Shenmue Movie. This movie is horrible. It's meant to give people a detailed motion picture of what happened in the first game if you didn't play it. I must say that I was embarassed upon watching it. Whoever was playing during the fights, I felt bad for him. They kept getting knocked out by the weakest of enemies. On the bright side, if you're depressed, you can watch the movie and cheer up. Oh, it's also in Japanese or English dialogue, but you can only have Japanese subtitles or none at all.

Yes, Shenmue 2 is larger than its prequel, but that doesn't make it better. As I've said, it took a while before anything really happened, and there are a lot of boring "follow x to get to x" events, but that's ok. As long as we keep getting Shenmue games to continue the story until the end, I'm happy. Buy Shenmue 2 to help out Sega and Yu Suzuki so more come. It could be 2 more years before we see the third one. And believe me, we need more games, as this one ends on a bigger cliffhanger than the prequel.

Shenmue Rocks!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: August 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game first came out for dremacast in Europe and asia. Now its coming to xbox. This is an epic RPG which will span several sequels. The world of Hong Kong Comes alive! Ryo Hazuki is avenging his father's death. He has come to Hong Kong to search for his father's killers. He will live, work, sleep and take revenge in Hong Kong. This is an mix of action adventure RPG. When this game comes out in November, it will truly rock Xbox. So RPG fans put this on your wishlist and start saving some $$$$.

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