At last, fans of Sega's epic Dreamcast series can get their first good look at Shenmue 2 in action. Packaged along with the recent release of Fighting Vipers 2 is a promotional disc, containing game demos and trailers, including the highly anticipated cinematic trailer for the upcoming Shenmue 2.

The trailer displays the same incredible graphics as were seen in the original title, but taken to a whole new level as Ryo travels across rocky hillsides and through dense forests. Quite a contrast to the suburban scenery of Shenmue, this new terrain shows off the graphical power of the game in a whole new way. The forest setting is rendered perfectly, with no noticeable clipping or pop-up, and not a hitch of slowdown. Every tree, rock and plant is modeled in exquisite detail, and the entire world is decorated with very realistic environmental and character shadows. No footage of Hong Kong is shown in the trailer, although the city is expected to be the major setting for a large portion of the game.

With the familiar orchestral theme playing in the background, the brief footage is quite amazing, even though it is certainly but a glimpse of what the game will offer. By the time this sequel actually ships, fans may be seeing an even more impressive game engine, with the possibility of having up to 50 characters on-screen at once. Future footage of the game will likely show off what the engine is truly capable of. For now, be sure to download the trailer, located below, and check out Shenmue 2 for yourself.