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Shenmue II

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Shenmue II
European Dreamcast slipcase
Developer(s)Sega AM2[a]
Publisher(s)
Director(s)
  • Yu Suzuki
  • Shinichi Yoshino
  • Yoshihiro Okabayashi
Producer(s)Yu Suzuki
Designer(s)Eigo Kasahara
Programmer(s)Makoto Wada
Artist(s)Takehiko Mikami
Writer(s)
  • Yu Suzuki
  • Masahiro Yoshimoto
  • Takao Yotsuji
Composer(s)
List of composers
  • Takenobu Mitsuyoshi
  • Yuzo Koshiro
  • Ryuji Iuchi
  • Takeshi Yanagawa
  • Satoshi Miyashita
  • Koji Sakurai
  • Masataka Nitta
  • Shinji Otsuka
  • Fumio Ito
  • Megumi Takano
  • Osamu Murata
  • Shinichi Goto
SeriesShenmue
Platform(s)
Release
September 6, 2001
  • Dreamcast
    • JP:September 6, 2001
    • EU:November 23, 2001
    Xbox
    • NA:October 29, 2002
    • EU:March 21, 2003
    Windows,Xbox One
    • WW:August 21, 2018
    PlayStation 4
    • WW:August 21, 2018
    • JP:November 22, 2018
Genre(s)Action-adventure,life simulation,social simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

Shenmue II[c]is a 2001action-adventure gamedeveloped bySega AM2and published bySegafor theDreamcast.It was directed, produced and written byYu Suzuki.Like the originalShenmue(1999),Shenmue IIconsists ofopen-worldenvironments,brawlerbattles andquick-time events.It features aday-and-night system,variable weather effects,non-player characterswith daily schedules, and variousminigames.The player controls the teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki as he arrives in Hong Kong in 1987 in pursuit of his father's killer. His journey takes him toKowloonand the mountains ofGuilin,where he meets a girl who is part of his destiny.

Some ofShenmue IIwas developed alongside the originalShenmue,which was themost expensive video game ever developedat the time. An enhanced port was released for theXboxin 2002; the Dreamcast version was not released in North America, whereMicrosoft Game Studiossecuredconsole exclusivity.Shenmue IIreceived positive reviews for its story and scale, though reviews of the port were less positive, with critics finding its graphics lacking compared to other Xbox games. It has appeared in several lists of thegreatest games of all time.

Shenmue IIsold poorly and further games in the series entered a period ofdevelopment helllasting over a decade. In 2018, Sega released high-definitionportsofShenmueandShenmue IIfor multiple formats.Shenmue III,developed by Suzuki's company Ys Net, was released in 2019 following a successfulcrowdfundingcampaign.

Gameplay[edit]

See also:Shenmue § Gameplay

Like the originalShenmue,the player controls the teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki in his journey for revenge. Most of the game is spent exploring the game'sopen world,searching for clues, examining objects and talking to non-player characters for information. The game features a 3D fighting system similar to Sega'sVirtua Fighterseries; Ryo can fight multiple opponents at once and practice moves to increase their power. Inquick-time events,the player must press the right combination of buttons at the right moment to succeed.[1]

Shenmue IIadds several features. Players can ask for directions from passersby, and fast-forward the game's clock when waiting for a scheduled event to occur, such as a shop opening or character arriving.[1]Unlike the firstShenmue,taking a job is not part of the main story, and the player can choose how to earn money—for example, by gambling, arm wrestling, street fighting or running apachinkostand.[1]Ryo can spend money on items such ascapsule toysor 1980s arcade games includingHang-On,[2]After Burner,[1]Space HarrierandOut Run.[3]TheDreamcastversion allows the player to import theirsave datafrom the firstShenmue,transferring money, items and martial arts moves.[4]

Plot[edit]

Ren (left), Ryo (center) and Joy (right)

In 1987, the teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki arrives from Japan inWan Chai,Hong Kongon the trail of his father's killer, Lan Di, of the criminal Chi You Men organization. He searches for Master Lishao Tao, the only link to the whereabouts of Yuanda Zhu, a martial arts expert who sent Ryo's father a letter warning him of Lan Di's intentions. When Ryo finds Tao, whose real name is Xiuying Hong, she refuses to help, considering his quest for vengeance reckless. The two part ways, but Xiuying continues to monitor Ryo's progress.

Ryo encounters Wuying Ren, the wily leader of a street gang. Ren decides to help Ryo after deciding there may be money to be made in Ryo's mysterious phoenix mirror; Lan Di took the second mirror, the dragon mirror, when he killed Ryo's father. Wong, a street boy who admires Ren, and Joy, a free-spirited motorcyclist, assist Ryo in his journey.

Ren informs Ryo that Zhu is hiding from the Chi You Men inKowloon Walled City,a densely populated, crime-ridden enclave of Hong Kong. They locate Zhu there but are ambushed by the criminal Yellow Head organization and Zhu is kidnapped. Ryo and his allies infiltrate the Yellow Head headquarters, but Wong and Joy are captured. Ryo defeats a powerful martial artist and rescues Joy. On the rooftop of the Yellow Head building, Ryo rescues Wong and Zhu from the Yellow Head leader, Dou Niu, as Lan Di departs by helicopter.

At Ren's hideout, Zhu reveals that Lan Di killed Ryo's father because he believes Iwao killed his own father. He also reveals that the mirrors will lead to the resurrection of theQing dynasty,the last imperial dynasty of China. Zhu advises Ryo to continue his search in Bailu Village inGuilin,where he says Lan Di is also heading.

In the mountains of Guilin, Ryo rescues a girl, Shenhua Ling, after she dives into a river to rescue a deer. Shenhua's family is connected to the legacy of the mirrors, and she seems to have magical abilities. They walk through the mountains to her village. At Shenhua's family home, a tree named Shenmue (Chinese for "sedge tree") is in bloom; she explains that her name means" flower of the Shenmue tree ". The pair go to a stone quarry on the village outskirts to meet Shenhua's father, but find he is missing. They discover a cryptic note and sword; Ryo combines the sword with the phoenix mirror, triggering a device that reveals a large mural of the dragon and phoenix mirrors.

Development[edit]

See also:Shenmue § Development

Shenmue IIwas developed bySega AM2and directed byYu Suzuki.[5]Part of the game was developed in tandem with the firstShenmue,[6]which wasmost expensive video game ever developedat the time and is reported to have cost Sega US$70 million; in 2011, Suzuki said the figure was closer to $47 million including marketing.[7]According toIGN,Shenmue IIwas completed for "a much more reasonable sum".[6]

Release[edit]

Shenmue IIwas released for Dreamcast in 2001 in Japan and Europe. The Japanese version includedVirtua Fighter 4Passport,promoting Sega's upcomingVirtua Fighter 4.[8]By 2003, the Dreamcast version had sold 100,000 copies, a tenth of the original game's sales.[9]

Microsoft securedconsole exclusivityrights in North America forShenmue II.Sega released an enhancedportfor Microsoft'sXboxconsole on October 29, 2002.[4]The port features an additional camera mode, optional filter effects, improvedframe rateand lighting, and English-language voice acting.[4]It also contains a DVD ofShenmue: The Movie,acompilation filmcomprisingcutscenesfrom the originalShenmuethat was released in Japanese theaters.[4]Ananime adaptationof the first twoShenmuegames premiered on February 6, 2022.[10]

Ports[edit]

Main article:Shenmue (video game) § Port

Sega released remastered versions ofShenmueandShenmue IIgames for thePlayStation 4,Windowsand theXbox Oneon 21 August 2018.[11]The remaster include updated graphics and control options, improved user interfaces and Japanese and English voices.[12]

Reception[edit]

The Dreamcast version ofShenmue IIreceived positive reviews.[30]GameSpotfound that it greatly improved onShenmueand refined "nearly every aspect", with an "epic feel."[1]Tom Bramwell ofEurogamerfelt it was an effective "swan song"for the Dreamcast, which it took to" the very brink of its capabilities ".[18]GamesRadarfelt that, like the first game,Shenmue IIhad some uninteresting elements, but praised the expanded scale and action.[31]

Reviews of the Xbox version were less positive.IGNpraised the story, but criticized the English-language voice acting and found the graphics lacking compared to other Xbox games.[4]Matt Keller ofpalgn.comalso criticized the English-language voice acting but concluded: "Shenmue IIis a great example of the fusion of two different genres, and it provides an excellent, engrossing narrative to compliment the excellent gameplay. "[25]Eurogamer'sMartin Taylor criticized it as a "lazy port", and concluded: "Your perseverance with the sluggish pacing can be rewarding, butShenmue IIconsistently proves itself an ageing game with ageing looks. "[32]GameProstated: "Shenmue IIis an extremely satisfying yarn that breaks into new visual and gameplay territory. The Xbox needed a game like this. "[22]It was nominated forGameSpot's annual "Best Story on Xbox" award, but lost toDead to Rights.[33]

Shenmue IIwas voted the tenth-best game of all time byIGNreaders in 2008.[34]In 2013,Den of GeeknamedShenmueandShenmueIIthe best Dreamcast games,[35]and in 2014EmpirerankedShenmue IIthe 51st-best game of all time.[36]

Sequel[edit]

Main article:Shenmue III

After the commercial failure of the first two games,Shenmue IIIentered a period ofdevelopment helllasting over a decade.[37]In September 2011, Suzuki left Sega to focus on his development studio, Ys Net.[38]In June 2015, he launched a successfulKickstartercrowdfundingcampaign to developShenmue IIIwith Ys Net for thePlayStation 4andWindows,having licensed the rights from Sega.[39]It was released in November 2019.[40]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Ported toPlayStation 4,Windows,andXbox OnebyD3T
  2. ^Microsoft published the Xbox version.
  3. ^Shenmue II(Japanese:シェンムー2,Hepburn:Shenmū Tsū),pronounced[ɕe̞ɴ.mɯ̟ᵝː];approximately/ˈʃɛn.muː/,"shen-moo"

References[edit]

  1. ^abcde"Shenmue II Review".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on January 9, 2016.RetrievedNovember 20,2015.
  2. ^abKulas, Dale (May 5, 2004)."Shenmue 2 review".Xbox World.Archived fromthe originalon May 4, 2005.RetrievedAugust 1,2019.
  3. ^Meister, Rich (June 2, 2018)."Yakuza eliminated any interest I had in the return of Shenmue".Destructoid.RetrievedAugust 1,2019.
  4. ^abcdefGoldstein, Hilary (October 29, 2002)."Shenmue II review".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2015.RetrievedNovember 20,2015.
  5. ^"Creator Yu Suzuki shares the story of Shenmue's development".Polygon.March 19, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on June 28, 2015.RetrievedJune 29,2015.
  6. ^abFahs, Travis (September 9, 2010)."IGNpresents the history of Dreamcast ".IGN.Archived fromthe originalon September 28, 2014.RetrievedNovember 11,2017.
  7. ^Diver, Mike (May 2, 2014)."Shenmue– discovering the Sega classic 14 years too late ".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on June 26, 2015.RetrievedJune 30,2015.
  8. ^Chojin."Shenmue II ( シェンムーＩＩ ) ~ Dreamcastgaga".Dcgaga.com.Archivedfrom the original on January 1, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 1,2014.
  9. ^"All Time Top 20 Best Selling Games".May 21, 2003. Archived fromthe originalon February 21, 2006.RetrievedDecember 1,2006.
  10. ^Diaz, Ana (January 19, 2022)."Shenmue gets new anime on Crunchyroll and Adult Swim".Polygon.RetrievedFebruary 6,2022.
  11. ^"Shenmue's HD re-release gets a final date".Eurogamer.net.RetrievedJuly 5,2018.
  12. ^Knezevic, Kevin (April 13, 2018)."Shenmue 1 & 2 Coming To PS4, Xbox One, And PC This Year".GameSpot.RetrievedApril 14,2018.
  13. ^"Shenmue II for Dreamcast".GameRankings.CBS Interactive.Archived fromthe originalon January 1, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 1,2014.
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  15. ^"Shenmue II for Dreamcast Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.RetrievedJuly 13,2018.
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  17. ^ドリームキャスト - シェンムーII. Weekly Famitsu. No.915 Pt.2. Pg.47. June 30, 2006.
  18. ^abMartin Taylor (December 23, 2001)."Shenmue 2".Eurogamer.net.Archivedfrom the original on January 9, 2016.RetrievedDecember 3,2015.
  19. ^Martin Taylor (March 12, 2003)."Shenmue 2".Eurogamer.net.Archivedfrom the original on May 22, 2024.RetrievedJune 12,2024.
  20. ^[1]ArchivedApril 5, 2004, at theWayback Machine
  21. ^"Shenmue II".Game Informer.January 2003. p. 111.
  22. ^abTOKYODRIFTER (November 21, 2002)."Review: Shenmue II for Xbox on GamePro.com".Archived fromthe originalon June 21, 2008.RetrievedJanuary 1,2014.
  23. ^Ricardo Torres (December 4, 2001)."Shenmue II Review".Gamespot.Archived fromthe originalon August 19, 2010.
  24. ^digitaltaco."Shenmue II - European Import".planetdreamcast.Archived fromthe originalon March 25, 2009.
  25. ^abMatt Keller (August 10, 2003)."Shenmue II Review".palgn.com.Archived fromthe originalon September 5, 2006.
  26. ^"Archived copy".www.gaming-age.com.Archived fromthe originalon December 22, 2001.RetrievedJanuary 17,2022.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. ^Rick Larson (April 2, 2003)."Video Games Daily | Xbox Review: Shenmue II".Games.kikizo.com. Archived fromthe originalon April 4, 2008.RetrievedJanuary 1,2014.
  28. ^"Out-of-Print Archive • Dreamcast reviews archive".Outofprintarchive.com.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 1,2014.
  29. ^Jake Kelly."Shenmue 2 - Import Review".Rpgamer.com. Archived fromthe originalon January 1, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 1,2014.
  30. ^"Shenmue II".Metacritic.RetrievedMay 19,2018.
  31. ^"Review - Shenmue 2".GamesRadar.February 2, 2002. Archived fromthe originalon February 2, 2002.RetrievedMay 19,2018.
  32. ^"Shenmue 2".Eurogamer.net.March 12, 2003.Archivedfrom the original on November 20, 2015.RetrievedNovember 20,2015.
  33. ^GameSpotStaff (December 30, 2002)."GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2002 ".GameSpot.Archived fromthe originalon February 7, 2003.
  34. ^"IGN Top 100 Games 2008 | 10 Shenmue II".Uk.top100.ign.com. Archived fromthe originalon October 28, 2008.RetrievedJanuary 1,2014.
  35. ^"The top 25 Sega Dreamcast games".Den of Geek.April 8, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on November 4, 2015.
  36. ^"51. Shenmue II - The 100 Greatest Video Games Of All Time - Empire Online".Empire Online.Archivedfrom the original on August 19, 2014.
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  38. ^Sheffield, Brandon (June 24, 2011)."Yu Suzuki at a time of transition".Gamasutra.Archived fromthe originalon November 4, 2016.
  39. ^Shenmue 3 Just Hit $2 Million, Setting a New Kickstarter RecordArchivedMarch 4, 2016, at theWayback Machine
  40. ^"What's on TV this week:Shenmue III".Engadget.November 19, 2019.RetrievedNovember 19,2019.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shenmue_II&oldid=1228729408"