Has anyone seen Shenmue II (XBOX) in stores?
10-29-02, 07:43 PM
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Has anyone seen Shenmue II (XBOX) in stores?
I was curious if anyone has seen any copies of Shenmue II in stores yet? According to EB it ships out today but is still a preorder and Amazon lists it as shipping out on November 1st. I just got off the phone with someone at my local Game Crazy and they told me that they aren't sure if or when they will get any in. I was worried that this game might get lost amongst the rush to pick up GTA: Vice City.
10-30-02, 09:25 AM
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FROM IGN'S REVIEW
Shenmue was one of my favorite Dreamcast games, one I had trouble putting down. The sequel, while new to the US, feels almost outdated. The voice-acting is bad, the graphics are not on the level of other Xbox games, and Shenmue II never involved me as much as the original. In fact, a lot of the things set up in the original don't come to bear in Shenmue II until several hours into the game, leaving an odd disconnection from the first game for the first couple of hours.
There's very little back story offered in the game itself, so anyone who hasn't played the original and doesn't watch the included Shenmue Movie may find themselves wondering what the big deal is. There's been no additional set-up added to the game. Where the original eased you into the fighting system, explaining moves to you, showing you you needed to practice regularly, and letting you get your feet wet before diving into serious battles, Shenmue II assumes that you've played the original. If you haven't, it may come off as a bit confusing, or more likely, a bit frustrating. Though some new graphical tweaks and cosmetic features have been added, the game is a relatively straight port from the Dreamcast version.
Even though there's a lot more fighting and QTEs than in the original, Shenmue II suffers from a bit too much meandering. It would have been nice to see the story take off a bit quicker, because in all honesty, I really just wanted to learn more about Lan Di and the Phoenix Mirror. While you had to work at the docks driving forklifts in the original, it had a purpose -- you were trying to ferret out some baddies. But here, you work because you need the cash. To make a story strong and compelling, though, everything needs to be more directly tied into the main focus. Otherwise, it feels a bit pointless.
Shenmue II is a good game and a definite pick-up for RPG fans, but more should have been done with this sequel to make it more accessible to those who never played the original. It has its faults, for sure, but it is a unique experience. It's certainly a love or hate type of game, which means that you should only buy it if slightly open-ended RPGs appeal to you. The only real bummer is that there seem to be no plans for a third installment, which could make this one heck of a long cliffhanger.
-- Hilary Goldstein
Presentation
A fascinating look at Japanese and Chinese culture... and at the growth of a boy into a man. Great atmosphere and a realistic Hong Kong. 9.0
Graphics
A good attempt to make a Dreamcast game look Xbox-worthy, but this still falls short of current standards. Many unique characters, though. 6.0
Sound
That voice acting is terrible, but the score is top notch. It's the music that saves the game from bad sound infamy. 7.0
Gameplay
Solid fighting engine and the QTEs are great. Could have used more of this in the beginning and the game tends to meander at times, but overall a great RPG experience. 8.0
Lasting Appeal
Over 20 hours of gameplay plus numerous side quests and mini-games to occupy your time further. Once you beat it, though, you're done. 8.0
OVERALL SCORE (not an average) 8.3
Shenmue was one of my favorite Dreamcast games, one I had trouble putting down. The sequel, while new to the US, feels almost outdated. The voice-acting is bad, the graphics are not on the level of other Xbox games, and Shenmue II never involved me as much as the original. In fact, a lot of the things set up in the original don't come to bear in Shenmue II until several hours into the game, leaving an odd disconnection from the first game for the first couple of hours.
There's very little back story offered in the game itself, so anyone who hasn't played the original and doesn't watch the included Shenmue Movie may find themselves wondering what the big deal is. There's been no additional set-up added to the game. Where the original eased you into the fighting system, explaining moves to you, showing you you needed to practice regularly, and letting you get your feet wet before diving into serious battles, Shenmue II assumes that you've played the original. If you haven't, it may come off as a bit confusing, or more likely, a bit frustrating. Though some new graphical tweaks and cosmetic features have been added, the game is a relatively straight port from the Dreamcast version.
Even though there's a lot more fighting and QTEs than in the original, Shenmue II suffers from a bit too much meandering. It would have been nice to see the story take off a bit quicker, because in all honesty, I really just wanted to learn more about Lan Di and the Phoenix Mirror. While you had to work at the docks driving forklifts in the original, it had a purpose -- you were trying to ferret out some baddies. But here, you work because you need the cash. To make a story strong and compelling, though, everything needs to be more directly tied into the main focus. Otherwise, it feels a bit pointless.
Shenmue II is a good game and a definite pick-up for RPG fans, but more should have been done with this sequel to make it more accessible to those who never played the original. It has its faults, for sure, but it is a unique experience. It's certainly a love or hate type of game, which means that you should only buy it if slightly open-ended RPGs appeal to you. The only real bummer is that there seem to be no plans for a third installment, which could make this one heck of a long cliffhanger.
-- Hilary Goldstein
Presentation
A fascinating look at Japanese and Chinese culture... and at the growth of a boy into a man. Great atmosphere and a realistic Hong Kong. 9.0
Graphics
A good attempt to make a Dreamcast game look Xbox-worthy, but this still falls short of current standards. Many unique characters, though. 6.0
Sound
That voice acting is terrible, but the score is top notch. It's the music that saves the game from bad sound infamy. 7.0
Gameplay
Solid fighting engine and the QTEs are great. Could have used more of this in the beginning and the game tends to meander at times, but overall a great RPG experience. 8.0
Lasting Appeal
Over 20 hours of gameplay plus numerous side quests and mini-games to occupy your time further. Once you beat it, though, you're done. 8.0
OVERALL SCORE (not an average) 8.3
10-30-02, 10:22 AM
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Great, since I picked up the European version last year I now have one less XBOX game to worry about...
Thanks for posting!
Jeremy
Thanks for posting!
Jeremy
10-30-02, 03:41 PM
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There's very little back story offered in the game itself, so anyone who hasn't played the original and doesn't watch the included Shenmue Movie may find themselves wondering what the big deal is.
geez
For anyone who hasn't seen the shenmue 1 flashback movie included with 2, it's very comprehensive.
Chris
10-30-02, 05:06 PM
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Originally posted by Gallant Pig
How could the voice acting be worse than the first if they use the same actors?
How could the voice acting be worse than the first if they use the same actors?
to be fair though, the voice actors for Shen Fa (who was only in the intro of the first game) and Ryo were ok, but the rest were terrible, especially the NPC's. I played Shenmue II last december, the japanese voice acting was excellent.
10-31-02, 10:30 AM
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Unfortunately, it's not bilingual as I hope it would be. Therefore, I ain't touching it, and Sega/MS lost some sales with the absence of this important feature. I'll wait on news on the EU/JP XB version before I have to get the DC version as a last resort.
