Hands On: Shenmue II

[Bond]

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/360/360328p1.html

When Shenmue first arrived on Dreamcast, it was promoted as just the first in an epic series that could span four to six massive games. The original was really just a prequel to the true adventure of Ryu, a young man looking to avenge his father's death. Shenmue II was always meant to be the beginning of Ryu's journey, with the first installment there to help ease gamers into Ryu's world. Unfortunately, the Dreamcast went the way of the Dodo and the sequel to Shenmue only managed an appearance in Japan and Europe. Finally, American gamers will be able to join Ryu on his journey of revenge. Gamer's unfamiliar with the original need not worry. Shenmue II will have a short recap of the first Shenmue. The real adventure begins now, and hopefully there will be several Shenmues to come.

The story thus far
Shenmue begins with the murder of Ryu's father by a mysterious man named Lau. Ryu, young and inexperienced, sets out to find the truth about Lau and his father's death. Along the way, Ryu hones his martial arts skills, discovers Lau's desire to rule the world, and leaves his home in Japan for the island of Hong Kong.

The demo
Shenmue II is a deep, interactive world where almost every cupboard and door can be opened and every person can hold a conversation. Though AM2 would like to call it a "FREE" game, it is still basically an RPG. Which is good, because the Xbox is in need of a few and Shenmue looks be a quality title. There are two things in Shenmue II that stand apart from other RPGs -- Quick Time Events (QTEs) and the fighting engine.

QTEs
Quick Time Events are used much more heavily in Shenmue II than in the orignal. Players watch the game in action and much press buttons as they flash on the screen. In the demo, the QTE was a large fight in an alley with several thugs. Hitting the button within a second or two of it flashing on screen offers a positive action, while pressing the wrong button or mistiming the action leads to something negative. For example, the button may flash B and if the B button is pressed in time, Ryu will dodge the swing of a fist. However, if the wrong button is hit, the punch will connect, sending the QTE down a slightly different path.

Most QTEs are not fights, but can be chases or other actions. The QTEs were far too few in the original Shenmue and need to be much more frequent in the sequel, which they appear to be. Failing a QTE doesn't cause something negative in the game. Instead, you get to retry it most times. At least, that was how the first Shenmue worked and how the demo worked as well.

Fighting engine
The fighting engine is real-time and fluid like any good 3D action-title. Ryu can learn new combos or buy scrolls with new moves on them. Ryu rarely fights one on one and is often crowded by others. This requires gamers to learn to block and position themselves properly. The fighting is much smoother than in the original and more enjoyable.

Graphics and sound
Shenmue II looks better than its Dreamcast incarnation, but not enough to make it really next-gen. The game looks good, but could have done more with the power of Xbox. The music remains incredible within the game and from what little was heard of dialogue, it seems the voice-overs won't be as stiff as the original.

Screen shots (some look bad, because of the glare):

















Shenmue II Trailer running on Xbox