Microsoft's booth had a playable demo of Shenmue 2, so of course I gave it a whirl. The game, while said to be at 80%, still felt somewhat slow and had definite problems with hit collision in some cases. The controls were slightly frustrating at times, which made combat frustrating as well. It didn't help that yours truly is a hardcore Nintendo game player, and when the game asked me to hit 'A,' 'B,' or 'X,' I automatically hit the appropriate spot on a Gamecube/Nintendo 64 controller, which is different from the Xbox controller.

Despite all this, the graphics are stunning and smooth. The gameplay is typical Shenmue, changing quite rapidly between free roaming, open combat, and Dragon's Lair-esque "hit the right button" modes. If you were a fan of the first title, and you have an Xbox, definitely watch out for this title. Everyone else might want to wait on RPGamer's full review once the title comes out in Japan.