Shenmue II

Shenmue II
File:Shenmue II Cover-JAP.jpg
Developer(s)	Sega-AM2
Publisher(s)	Sega (DC) Microsoft Game Studios (Xbox)
Designer(s)	Yu Suzuki (Director/Producer)
Platform(s)	Dreamcast Xbox
Release	Dreamcast JP September 6, 2001 EU November 23, 2001 Xbox NA October 28, 2002 EU March 21, 2003
Genre(s)	Adventure game
Mode(s)	Single player

Shenmue II (シェンムー II, Shenmū Tsū) is an Adventure game for the Dreamcast and Xbox game consoles. It is the sequel to Shenmue, and was produced and directed by Yu Suzuki of Sega-AM2. Due to exclusivity rights obtained by Microsoft, the North American Dreamcast version was cancelled. Unlike the first game of the series, no English dub was recorded for the Dreamcast version of Shenmue II, and the European release included subtitles. The later Xbox version included an English dub, and was not released in Japan. Shenmue II incorporates four chapters of the Shenmue saga.

Story

Shenmue II begins shortly after the first installment concluded. While Shenmue told the story of the 1st chapter of the saga, the second game tells the story of the third, fourth and fifth chapter. The second chapter happens between Shenmue and Shenmue II during his trip from Yokosuka to Hong Kong and is just mentioned during the beginning of the game. It is available as a comic book as an extra in the Xbox version of the game.

The third chapter of the saga begins when Ryo Hazuki, the main protagonist of the series, arrives in Hong Kong in order to locate Master Lishao Tao as he was instructed to do by his friend and confidant, Master Chen Yao Wen, at the end of the series' first chapter. This mysterious and elusive individual is Ryo's only possible link to Lan Di, the Chinese man who murdered his father. After a difficult search, Ryo finally meets Master Lishao Tao, a woman named Xiuying; but she is unwilling to assist him in what she considers an immoral quest for vengeance. The two part ways, although Xiuying continues to monitor Ryo's progress and they continue to meet on occasion. Through his continued search, Ryo discovers another individual who may be able to assist him in locating Lan Di.

Wuying Ren, commonly referred to as Ren throughout, is the leader of a gang named The Heavens, who engage in a variety of illegal activities. After initially attempting to wile Ryo, Ren decides to assist him in his quest after discovering that there are large sums of money tied up in the mysterious and ancient Phoenix Mirror. A young boy who holds Ren in high regard (considering him like a brother, although they are not related by blood) named Wong, and an adventurous and free-spirited woman named Joy also befriend and assist Ryo in his continued search for Lan Di.

The fourth chapter of the saga takes place in Kowloon, as Ryo attempts to locate Yuanda Zhu; a martial arts expert who sent Iwao Hazuki a letter warning of his impending murder, a warning that arrived too late. At this juncture, several confrontations ensue between Ryo and his allies and the dangerous Yellowheads organisation, who are aiming to kidnap Yuanda Zhu on behalf of Lan Di.

After following several clues, Ryo and Ren finally find Yuanda Zhu; but the meeting is cut short when they are ambushed by the Yellowheads leader, Dou Niu, and Yuanda Zhu is kidnapped in the resulting encounter. Wong and Joy are also held captive, although Ryo later ensures their release through his victory against a powerful martial artist. In the climatic scene that follows, Ryo and his allies enter the building in which Yuanda Zhu is being held and after Ryo does battle with Dou Niu for the final time, they are able to prevent Lan Di from receiving a captured Yuanda Zhu as originally planned. Illusive and imperious as ever, Lan Di escapes once again. Yuanda Zhu provides Ryo with crucial information regarding the true purpose of the dragon and phoenix mirrors. It is revealed that the mirrors will lead to the resurrection of an ancient order, known as the Qing Dynasty.

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Ryo and Shenhua in the chapter's ambiguous final scene.

Ryo is advised to continue his search in Bailu Village, in remote Guilin. He parts ways with Ren, Wong and Joy; continuing his journey and heading for the same destination as his rival, Lan Di.

The fifth chapter takes place in Guilin. Short after arriving, Ryo encounters a young woman named Ling Shenhua. She had previously appeared to Ryo through several dreams throughout the first chapter of the series. As the two converse, it is revealed that the Shenhua family is connected with the legacy of the dragon and phoenix mirrors. Shenhua leads Ryo to a stone quarry on the outskirts of the village to meet with her father, but he is nowhere to be found. The episode comes to an ambiguous end when the pair discover a cryptic note and sword, which Ryo combines with the phoenix mirror and unwittingly sets off a device revealing a huge depiction of the two mirrors. At the game's cliffhanger ending, the sword is seen to float in mid-air.

Characters

File:Ren Profile.jpg

Wuying Ren, the charismatic leader of The Heavens who becomes a trusted ally.

As in the first chapter of the series, Ryo Hazuki is the main protagonist and the only playable character. As the player progresses through the game, Ryo will encounter a variety of new characters as he travels through Hong Kong and Guilin in search of Lan Di. Early on in the story, Ryo meets flirtatious Hong Kong socialite, Joy. She will later become a more important character in the story through her association with Wuying Ren (more frequently referred to as Ren). He is the leader of a gang, known as The Heavens, who are primarily involved with petty crime in the local area. Ren, however, seeks fame and fortune; both of which serve as his main incentive for assisting Ryo in his quest to begin with. Ren's charisma and charm is greatly admired by Wong who sees Ren as an older brother and aspires to be like him. Although she refuses to assist Ryo in his quest, which she considers to be immoral and dangerous, Hong Xiu Ying (aka Master Tao Li Shao) offers him valuable advice and several important martial arts skills. Thoughtful and elegant, a lifetime of sacrifice and sorrow appears to be hidden behind her beautiful eyes. She is a motherly figure to adopted Fangmei Xun, who is physically attracted to Ryo and is frequently bashful around him.

As the story develops, Ryo seeks and eventually finds Zhu Yuan Da; an old acquaintance of Iwao Hazuki who attempted to warn him of his impending murder. Once an owner of a wealthy trading company, he is kidnapped by The Yellowhead corporation, who act on behalf of Lan Di. The powerful underground corporation is headed by Dou Niu, although Ryo has more involvement with his eccentric sidekick, Yuan. Yuan is referred to as a female (and voiced by a female actress in the English voiceover) in the Western and European releases of the game, but in the original Japanese edition is established as a cross-dressing male. Although it is never confirmed, there are several allusions to a homosexual relationship between Yuan and Dou Niu. For example, Dou Niu refers to Yuan as his "cuddly little love thing" on one occasion. The final major character that Ryo meets is Ling Shenhua. This beautiful and innocent young woman grew up in Guilin, surrounded by only nature. Though pure and compassionate, Shenhua also has great strength. She previously appeared to Ryo through his dreams and there is an implied mystic connection between them both that would always ensure their meeting.

Content and features

Geography

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The courtyard of Queen Street, with its large water fountain, located in Aberdeen.

Shenmue II initially takes place in Hong Kong. The final chapter of the game takes place in picturesque Guilin, located in China. The environments found in Shenmue II are based upon the geography of locations in and around Hong Kong. The environments found in the game are much larger than those found in the first title of the series. It has been noted that the settings of Shenmue II are less intricately detailed than those of Shenmue. The first environment of the game is Aberdeen Harbour, where Ryo arrives after travelling from Japan via Boat. Aberdeen is an underprivileged area, and in addition to the various docks and drinking establishments, there are several gambling parlours where players can take part in QTE-based games of chance. Ryo meets a variety of dangerous individuals here, but also future allies including Joy, Wong and Wuying Ren. On the outskirts of Aberdeen, is Queen's Street, a pleasant area that is lined with brownstone houses, reflecting Hong Kong's British governors.

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The affluent Golden Qr. in Wan Chai, home to various entertainment venues.

Wan Chai is a highly affluent and metropolitan area of Hong Kong, and is comprised of six distinct quarters in Shenmue II. The first of these is Green Market Qr., which contains several points of interest including the Come-Over Guest House, where Ryo stays for an extended period before meeting with Hong Xiu Yung. The area also houses a bustling market and a pawn shop where players can trade items for Yuan. Beyond are the residential quarters South Carmain and Wise Men's, they are of little interest overall although the latter is the setting for several meetings between Ryo and various martial arts masters, who can teach him new techniques and fighting moves if the player so wishes.

The vibrant Golden Qr. is lined with various stores and boutiques, including the Tomato Convenience Store; a branded chain of supermarkets that appear in the previous installment of Shenmue. There is also a video game arcade, which allows the play of Space Harrier and Outrun, two popular hits produced by Yu Suzuki. The Lucky Charm Qr. contains various stores, most of them dealing in consumer electronics; and several bars and restaurants. The final area of Wan Chai is the White Dyntasy Qr., an attractive hamlet that is most notable for the Man Mo Temple, where Xiu Yung is the resident master.

Kowloon, an urbanised area of northern Hong Kong is the final district of the city that Ryo visits before leaving for Guilin. It is surrounded by eight peaks, the most famous of them being Lion Rock. Ryo arrives in the area via bus. This densely populated city is visually dominated by its many high reaching skyscrapers, which are in varying degrees of disarray. Whilst here, Ryo's home is Ren's hideout, located on the outskirts of the city. In addition to the locations that progress the narrative of Shenmue II, Kowloon also contains a variety of gambling, video game and retail establishments for the player to enjoy. The Yellowhead Building, where Ryo and his allies do battle against Lan Di's dangerous associates for the last time, is in the very center of the city.

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Guilin offers much stunning scenery.

Ryo's final destination in Shenmue II is beautiful Guilin. This subtropical region is surrounded by the Lijiang River and several mountains, the most notable being Elephant Trunk Hill. Arriving here via boat, Ryo meets several locals of a small riverside village before traversing deeper into the surrounding forests and meadows. Guilin is home to Ling Shenhua, who shows Ryo some of the region's more impressive attractions. A substantial point of interest within Guilin is the frequently foreshadowed ancient tree from which the saga's title is derived. Located in the garden of the Shenhua residence, this ancient blossom tree is both literally and figuratively, at the centre of the prophecy that runs as a continuous thread throughout the Shenmue series. The game's final scene takes place in a setting based upon the Seven-Star Cave.

Differences between the Xbox and Dreamcast versions

When the U.S. Xbox version was released in 2002, it brought some changes and enhancements to the original with it. The most significant difference is the inclusion of a full English dub, with Corey Marshall reprising his role as Ryo Hazuki (葉月 涼 Hazuki Ryō) from the first game. There are two new gameplay features – a Snapshot mode to take pictures of gameplay or cutscenes to store on the Xbox's hard disk and Filters to alter the colour filters used on the entire screen. The graphics were given a boost by the Xbox's more advanced hardware (more and better lighting during the night hours, better looking water, etc.), the frame rate is now at a consistent 30 frames per second with less loss in characters on-screen (the Dreamcast version used an aggressive character LOD that caused pedestrians to fade in and out of plain view in very crowded scenes). The Xbox version also used Quincunx Anti-Aliasing (like many Xbox games) and although the technique reduced "jaggies" associated with aliasing, fans are generally split down the middle as to whether this hurt the image quality in the Xbox version of the game giving it a somewhat "blurry" or "washed out" look.

There are also many other curious, and somewhat baffling graphical differences, some of which have been documented on this page; http://park.fateback.com/differences.htm

Also added was a mode to view the player's snapshots and six side stories that could be unlocked by taking an in-game snapshot of certain characters. These side stories took the form of comics (or manga) and four of them expand on areas of the story that the main game touches on, while the remaining two contain bonus art.

While the original Dreamcast version came on four GD-ROMs, the Xbox version is on one DVD and came bundled with Shenmue: The Movie on a separate DVD for play on a standard DVD player. The film is comprised entirely of scenes from the first game.

One feature the Xbox version lost was the ability to import a save file from a completed Shenmue game, allowing the player to bring items and money collected in the first to the second game. However, since the player could not import his inventory, the Xbox port started the player off with (nearly) every item obtainable in Shenmue, including a majority of the capsule toys and other collectibles, though the cassettes (amongst a select few other items that can be re-obtained in this installment) are mysteriously missing. This is identical to starting the Dreamcast version without a cleared Shenmue save file.

Gameplay

Shenmue II features gameplay similar to that of its predecessor, Shenmue.

However, there are many additions and changes, and many fans consider it to be a completely different experience.

One marked difference in this installment of the game series is the abundance of action sequences, mostly relying heavily on the use of QTE events in lieu of Free battles (whereas the first installment had a fair balance of the two). This adds to the game's cinematic feel but it also pushes the player through the story in a far more linear and somewhat constrained pace than that compared to its predecessor.

This installment also introduced an air of mysticism into the story with the formal introduction of Ling Shenhua. It was never openly discussed during the course of the game, but a notable cutscene reveals that she possesses the ability to interact with nature on more than just a normal level that most others can. This, coupled with the revelation of the purposes of the two mirrors lends the game a more fantasy-styled approached in story and apparently sets the stage for further inclusion and expansion of such elements of mysticism and myth in the series next (and possibly final) installment(s).

Whereas the first Shenmue consisted of a single world with an immense amount of detail (for example, the ability to open almost every drawer in Ryo's house and often pick up the contents inside) Shenmue II consists of several worlds with less intricate detailing.

Shenmue III & Future Developments

Sega originally planned for Shenmue III, but over time the project was canceled. Various unconfirmed reasons for its delay varied from budget issues, poor sales of Shenmue 2, creative differences, commitment problems, etc. Over the past few years since Shenmue 2, Shenmue 3 has been announced for development and cancelled at least two times. After some time a new Shenmue project was underway, later revealed to be Shenmue Online. The final chapter of the Shenmue saga has been finished already, but never went into production. Fans petitioned for its development, but nothing official has been announced so far. Because some believe the game may never be published, some opted for a comic book or script release for sales to give fans closure to the Shenmue story.

According to Shenmue Dojo, Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki was quoted as saying, "Regarding Shenmue 3, we're not carrying on relative development yet, and I can't give you any further information for the time being." Most recently there's been unconfirmed sources of Shenmue getting redeveloped and compacted (Shenmue I, II and III) into one whole game. People unfamiliar with the Shenmue game will have a chance to play Shenmue with the modern consoles such as Xbox 360 and/or PS3. It's said the final chapter will be added in along with updated graphics to enhance the gaming experience and finally give closure to the Shenmue saga. To date there has yet to be any official announcements or publications to suggest the rumors are true.

 Fans are still trying to let Yu Suzuki know that they are waiting for him to finish his series.  Most notably an online petition is still up and collecting names from years ago, now up to 46,000 signatures.  There have also been attempts by BBC scottland to rise an answer out of Sega about the status of Shennmue III on their tv show Videogaiden.  In early 2007 a new project launched with the hopes of bringing all petitions and pleas for Shenmue into one voice, The Shenmue Myspace Campaign has been working with the Shenmue Dojo to start new projects to open Sega's eyes.

External links

• Official Shenmue Website
• Shenmue II at MobyGames
• Shenmue II (Xbox) at Game Rankings
• Shenmue Dojo at GameSpy