Review: Shenmue II (XBX)

For a game that bases its timeline in the mid-Eighties, perhaps the only thing missing from its dayglo roster of disparate souls is an mid-Eastern homage to The Village People. Because certainly, given that Ryo Hazuki's ongoing quest to avenge his father's death has landed him squarely among a Z-list cast of American voice actors (for his natch Xbox debut), the familiar vocal strains of a resounding "Go West!" could almost deign to steal Ryo's occidental transformation.

And for a game that demands its lead player eke out a living from the most menial of tasks, perhaps Ryo's newly acquired 'yen' for photography (for his natch Xbox debut) could have handsomely paved his way. It's an attractive wrinkle in the already well-worn sleeves of the Shenmue story. Ryo's quest has thus far kept him carefully pursuing a paper trail of intrigue and bloody-mindedness, but behind the veil his real life mentor, and famed SEGA developer, Yu Suzuki, has been plotting this tangent for years. Among the rewards on offer to those who successfully bring Ryo to the anticlimactic conclusion of Shenmue 2 is a Classified Images folder - wherein a fully working Sega Saturn build of the game is revealed for the first time, albeit in FMV. Artistically, it's nothing more than a postscript to the fervent ambition of Suzuki-san, whose epic tale promises to be expanded even further on the Xbox horizon. But for now, at least, players must be content to explore the beckoning breadth of design that has been handed down from Dreamcast (the native Shenmue platform).
 
Ryo's adventures begin/resume on a Hong Kong pier, and he is free to mingle, to sightsee, to pursue the paper trail at his leisure. Initially, the control method is irksome, with movement restricted to forward, aft, and turning left or right (via the digital pad). It's not a big deal, truthfully, and is far more manageable than even the best Resident Evil clone. But as surely as the maps are opened and Ryo learns to appreciate his rites of passage - literally every one of the game's 1,000+ participants can be stopped at will, prodded, prompted, and purged of clues - there is nary a moment for stunned silence. Unless of course the player chooses to admire the living detail attached to specific 'Shenmue Moments' - the time, for example, when your bag is snatched by Wong and his streetwise buddies; a moment of grief, of panic, of impending reaction.

And yes, these moments unfurl just as methodically as the very best plot strands in a book, however unlike the turning of pages you oftentimes CANNOT return to previous chapters in Shenmue 2 - unless you opportunistically think ahead. Given its breathtaking size and snaking level of detail, it would not be too disingenuous - on my part - to opportunistically throw in some pointers, to help alleviate frustration and thus expedite your steady passage. (winks) Ryo arrives in Hong Kong with a nominal purse (some HK$500). Since Wong does indeed divest you of your savings, read non-refundable story purchase, choose instead to spend your opening hours with the game by supplementing your Capsule Toy collection (before your bag is stolen). A full Virtua Fighter set, for instance, can net you over $100 from pawn shops, and when you are later required to set up camp at the Come Over Guest House, it's just a small step hence to actually begin PAYING your way.

Don't be a chump, this is a game for crying out loud. Why play by the rules? When Joy scores you a - gawp - "job" at Fortune's Pier, take the money and run! (laughs) Go to Warehouse No. 12 and spend the rest of your day playing Chow, aka Big or Small (tip: ignore the Wai Sik and Chow portions of the table and just concentrate on Big or Small bets). You can lay anything between $50-200, and in one heady seven-hour period (ie, gametime) I went from $398 walk-in to $3498 out-the-door. Another pointer: it's advisable to SAVE your game whenever you win big. If you have a run of bad luck, simply reset the game and keep trying.
 
As the story crescendo builds, Ryo crosses paths with a bewildering assortment of characters. It's no coincidence that a 'man' on a mission should obliquely fall foul of the fairer sex, and in one of the most sublime, masterful sleights of gameplay execution, Yu Suzuki has thrown in an exhilarating and at times maddening 'Easter Egg' bonus. For much of its early life, the Shenmue brief was referred to as Virtua Fighter RPG. As Ryo's path eventually leads him to Kowloon, he is there tasked to engage in a number of Free Battles. Canny players will soon pick up on a VF1 theme - Rod Stunt shares the same move set as Jeffry, for example. Greg More plays like Wolf, Chunyan like Sarah, and so on and so forth. But by far the biggest VF throwback and bare-knuckle challenge that presents itself to Ryo arrives in the unassuming guise of a 'Gold Dural' clone. Her name is Izumi Takano, she's 18, and she works at the Tomato Convenience Store in the Golden Quarter!

The ONLY way you can challenge her is to firstly a) make your introduction (in the store), and b) cross paths with another 'hidden' character, Eileen Eidelweiss (who trains in Pigeon Park). But wait, there's more! In order to activate the Dural fighting arena, you must first locate a Bronze Medallion in the Green Market Qr. After fulfilling the above two objectives (meeting the girls), turn right as you exit the Come Over Guest House. Take the first alley you see, proceed down it, passing the first lane on your left and turn right. To your left you'll see a man stacking crates in a shop. Outside of this shop is an opening in the white brick wall. You'll enter a Vacant Lot. There are three boxes of rare toys for the taking, along with the Bronze Medal. Voila! You've just triggered the Dural/Izumi event. It takes place on the third floor of the Pine Game Arcade (in the Golden Qr.). You must first defeat Eileen/Pai before Izumi becomes available. Good luck Ryo!

On a less exuberant note, there are two things that detract from the otherwise buoyant battle 'momentum' of the Xbox revision. The regular pad is unwieldy, and it's all too easy to hit the white (aka Filters) button instead of Y to evade. Secondly, there is a problem with directional controls when entertaining Quick Timer Events (QTE) - where the player is simply required to assist Ryo, by hitting buttons and directional prompts that are flashed on screen. At certain moments, should you not meet the requirements of the scene you are doomed to repeat them, ad lib and ad nauseum, until time - or your patience - runneth out. It is here that the player is advised to keep a notepad handy, because there are Free Battle moments much later in the game where success or fatigue depends on your QTE responses.
 
One of the more 'esoteric' additions to the Xbox revision has been the Snapshot Viewer - which allows you to store 126 Polaroid moments on your Xbox hard drive. As an artistic embellishment, it's nigh on essential to the seasoned Shenmue player. Indeed, for those of us who have already consigned the DC adventure to memory, it's inordinately good fun (if not a tad compulsive) and there are certainly 'Shenmue Moments' that you'll be swotting to catch (the lovely Lishao Tao's closing kata, where Ryo is presented with the Demon's Triangle moves scroll, instantly springs to mind). In much the same fashion as Ryo becomes your eyes in the field, you soon nurture a sixth sense for organic direction. Take the flighty, able-bodied Joy, for instance. She captively fills your lens...should you pull the trigger NOW, or wait until she saucily sits askance her motorcycle? Heck, why not do her both? Why not snap away heartily to your shutterbug's content - you can always exit the game pronto, bring up the shot viewer, and sort through the proofs.

Ah yes, the sorting. The wheat from the chaff. (?) One of the many complaints prematurely levelled at the Xbox build was a lack of decidedly "new" content (over the DC original). It came as something of a surprise to this player that, upon routine shuffling of photos (sorted by X, deleted by Y), there were additional eggs in the offing - a locked Secrets folder, in fact. There are six pages of partially obscured game characters (eight to a page, 48 in total) and in order to open the presents - incidentally, a very cool series of Side Story manga comics - on each page, you need to have taken a happy snap of each of these charas in game. This requires a fortuitous reloading of game data, because if you've RANDOMLY saved your progress you overwrite key story moments (in which these characters might appear). Here again is where a little foresight can come in handy - lest your days be filled with the arduous process of trial and error. It's highly recommended for instance that you start a New File at each of these key turning-points (in the event you'll inevitably miss something or need to retrace your steps):

1) Aberdeen - before handing over the money to meet Ren (Beverly Hills wharf)
2) Kowloon - upon arrival
3) Kowloon - Yellow Head Building (before you set out to meet the 'scout' at noon)
4) Guilin - upon arrival
5) New File upon completion of game (to assess performance, unlock game rewards, etc.)

Technically, the Xbox conversion of Shenmue 2 is a pot-pourri of highs and lows. Visually, it's two notches above its DC brother (AM2 have attached light sources to EVERYTHING - moreso at night, where neon bathes you in its "afterglow") but two notches below what the system is capable of. Whereas the DC version allowed you to soft-reset the game, Xbox requires you to reboot the disc (thus leading to 'dirty disk' errors and sometimes unavoidable scratching - it's happened to me). The Shots viewer and bonus DVD movie (note: if you plan on viewing this movie on your Xbox, you MUST have the playback kit) are compelling reasons to look twice - or lovestruck - at this landmark title. For sheer ambition, depth of design and unrelenting promise to deliver 'big' on the package, Shenmue 2 is worth every one of its 9 Gamestyle points. In the end, a narrative as broad and sweeping as the grandeur remit of Yu Suzuki's simply cannot be contained within mere layers of text. To get literally the most from Shenmue 2 - and that includes diverse mini-games, the buying and selling of Capsule Toys, the unlocking of classic SEGA arcade games, to wit, Outrun, Afterburner, Space Harrier and Hang On - you literally need to PLAY it. To walk a mile in Ryo's shoes. To experience those 'Shenmue Moments' for yourself. Go forth young grasshoppers - and plentify.

Rating: 9 / 10

Words by Steven Scheidel