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Shenmue 2 - Review |
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Big Cities, Big Brawls
By: Jake Alley
Review Breakdown |
Battle System |
9 |
Interface |
6 |
Music/Sound |
5 |
Originality |
5 |
Plot |
6 |
Localization |
5 |
Replay Value |
6 |
Visuals |
10 |
Difficulty |
Easy |
Time to Complete |
30-60 hours
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Overall |
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Criteria
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When the original Shenmue
was released it met with somewhat mixed reviews. While most who played it enjoyed the immersive
real world setting and attention to detail, many were put off by the slow pacing and obtuse fetch
quests. Shenmue 2 irons out these flaws and refines the high points, to create a highly
satisfying experience.
Shenmue 2 follows the continuing story of Ryo Hazuki as he searches for the man
who killed his father in the real world, circa 1987. However, while the first game was set in Ryo's
fairly small home town in Japan, the action is now set in various locations in China leading to a
very different experience. At any time of day, the streets are full of people, there are far more
buildings to explore, and room and board must now be earned.
The change of locale also fits in with a somewhat ironic improvement. In the
original Shenmue asking for directions would yield only a name at best, as anyone would give
in one's home town. As a foreigner however, Ryo will now receive detailed directions, maps, or
even have people offer to have him follow them when they're heading towards his destination. Not
only does this justify an improvement in gameplay with simple logic, it means one will never be
at a loss figuring out where to go next, lending the game a much brisker pace than the original.
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Battles tend to be large.
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Having shed much of the time consuming searching from the previous game, Shenmue
2 offers up much more in the way of actual action-oriented gameplay. The fighting game style combat
is still present, with more moves to learn, and greater customization. Also returning are the QTEs,
cinematic events which are effected by pressing certain buttons, or combinations of buttons at the
right time. These are at times more complicated than they were in the original, but they now come
with much more forewarning, and in some cases failure results in a new possible course of action
rather than a chance to retry.
While Shenmue 2 is quite action packed, it is also very story driven. Out of the
sixteen chapters planned for the series, the second through fourth fall within its scope. Therefore,
while there are still a good number of loose ends floating by the game's conclusion, the player
does gain a great deal of insight into each of the characters, and many questions left from the
original game are answered.
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Highly detailed characters. |
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While the gameplay is fun enough, and the plot sufficiently interesting, the
greatest strength of Shenmue 2 is the attention to detail. Even the incendental background characters,
of which there are hundreds, look totally unique, have their own daily schedules, and are capable
of having a wide variety of fully voice acted conversations. While exploring a condemned forty
story apartment building, each and every abandoned room can be entered and explored. Even the
weather is accurately reflected.
For those RPGamers who enjoyed the original Shenmue, Shenmue 2 should come as
a wonderful treat. For those who found the original too slow paced, it may come as a pleasant
surprise. In either case, players will finally learn where that title comes from.
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