Shenmue II

THE GOOD:
-Almost exact same gameplay as the first Shenmue
-Good graphics, lighting
-Great transition between first storyline and second
-Very interactive environment

THE BAD:
-Some tasks get a little repetitive

SUMMARY:
The first Shenmue on Dreamcast was a revolutionary game, spanning three discs, and about 50 quality hours of gameplay. Shenmue 2 follows that formula to create an even better experience. The graphics, harnessing Xbox's power, are far superior than the Dreamcast's. However, it's the storyline and gameplay that kept me hooked. The story of Ryo Hazuki continues right where it left off in the first one. He travels to Hong Kong, China, and the culture there is very different than Japan. Overall, the culture is very realistically recreated, complete with Chinese "tea parlors" and Buddhist temples. As for the gameplay, its almost identical to the first, even though its on a new console. The...

THE GOOD:
-realistic fighting
-some funny characters
-QTE

THE BAD:
-graphics not really xbox standard
-reaction time of dialoge is slower

SUMMARY:
shenmue 2. quite possibly the best rpg I have played since golden sun 1. lets start with the pros, shall we? the fighting was realistic, with no over-the-top moves like in your average fighting game, some of the characters have funny voices, and dialogue, like the duck(one of the many shenmue secrets) and the new QTE addition. there are 2 types: regular, where you only have to push a single button. the game keeps playing. and freeze QTE, which is when you need to push multiple buttons, and the game freezes while you do so. the game is full of hidden goodies, so you get the most for your buck, especially now that it has been reduced to $30. plus the scenery, though the all around graphics weren't too great, was amazing, especially in the third chapter. there is...

THE GOOD:
The story is captivating to those that like games with several choices to make, carving one's destiny, but of course there are unpreventable events. The graphics are "advanced Dreamcast" in a way, but can be seen that important XBOX elements have been added. They impress me a little. No filmed cinema, all game graphics in cut-scenes. Realistic fighting mechanics add to good flexablility and realism. XBOX controls make it easier to "refine" your fighting with kung fu. Oh yeah, snapshots of almost any point in gameplay can be taken and there are many fun Sega games from the later '80s that can be unlocked.

THE BAD:
Too many non-related choices can be made outside of main story line. Some problems with characters talking simply unusual or dull English. Some QTEs being too fast for success the first try.

SUMMARY:
Shenmue II leaves off where Shenmue ended and isn't very hard to comprehend together...

THE GOOD:
If you liked Shenmue I, then you'll definetly like enjoy Shenmue II. It improves on the first version by making it more action packed, and cuts out some of the slightly boring parts from the first game such as having to wait for appointments. There are plenty of interesting characters for Ryo to interact with. It's also has bigger and more varied environments. Instead of just one city, Ryo has to visit 4!

THE BAD:
May be too slow paced for some people.

SUMMARY:
If you haven't played the first, I still highly recommend it, for it's envolving gameplay, interesting story and characters. Plus it has a digest movie detailing all the events of the first game, so if you haven't played it you'll know what's been going on. If you've played the first then this is a must!

THE GOOD:
Despite the difficulty of following the act of Shenmue one, Shenmue two managed to captivate me and bring me back into that state of complete and totall obsession. Once I got started on this game, I couldn't stop, it has lots of cool minigames and lots of collectable things to do, following the plot is a minor part of the game. The story is exciting, and fun to watch unfold, and the fighting and chase scenes are exhilerating. The game adds alot to the plot, but still leaves plenty of questions to be answered in further games. The characters are likable and diverse, and the general game attitude is very positive.

THE BAD:
It has basically the same graphics as the old game, and the ending, while not bad, may dissapoint some.

SUMMARY:
The characters, plot, sidequests, and general gameplay are all excellent. I love this game, and if you enjoyed Shenmue one, you will too.

THE GOOD:
The best part of this game is the free play. It is so life like. Ryo is the perfect charcater for this game with his spicky hair and revenge from his fathers death. Its also cool because of the things that you can collect hing like toys zippos (lighters) and learn new move handbooks! The other cool thing is that you can beat up people. You can even ask people for help in directons what things are or who they are. You can train with masters of martial arts.

The graphics are amazing! Controls are cool as well as the sound! The music is so nice it can ease ones soul. The story plot is great too (with or without playing the first Shenmue)! All in all this is my favorite game for the Xbox Consol!!!!!!

SUMMARY:
This is my first review. I think its coll writing about my favorite game!!

THE GOOD:
There are many good points of this game and although it may not have changed much since the release on the DC a few years ago,it has a few really good point,the fact that the voices have gone back to English is a thing that i find good because the Japanese voices never really did it for me as Shenmue 1 was in English so it made it feel more original,the new camera feature is also something i find good because it allows you to take photographs where and when you want and it is good to take some pics when you feel you have had a good part of your journey

THE BAD:
Well every game has it's bad points i guess and there are only 2 things that annoy me about this game,1)the game does seem a little short but i suppose if you aim to fill the notebook it could last a while,2)the camera angles when you are fighting are very annoying because you can't see what your doing properly

SUMMARY:
Well......I must admit i...

THE GOOD:
The story line, arm wrestling, Arcades, The DVD and the fighting sequences.

THE BAD:
Too Damn short

SUMMARY:
Much improved version then Dreamcast version.
The story line really rocks can't wait for the next one. But one of the best features as got to be the arcade machines you can play on classic games like Hang on, Space harrier, outrun and some the game designers have made up. Its is one of the most addictive games I have played on even after the 6 time of completion.
The DVD is just every scene from the orignal game but worth a look if you have never played shenmue before.
The fighting engine seemes to be from virtual fighter. This game should not be missed out on thats how good it is

THE GOOD:
Graphics, Gameplay and original style.

THE BAD:
Could have been longer.

SUMMARY:
Shenmue II met all of my expectations. I found this game extremely addictive, I would constantly tell myself "just a little more and I'm done" and eventually hours would pass with me doing this. This game combines features of roleplaying, stragedy, and fighting, deffinately a game to get if you like games that fit into any of these categories. And although I mentioned that the game was a bit short, on the brighter side, it offers tons of replay ability. I'm on my third time through it now, and I'm still not sick of it, and there is still lots to be discovered.

THE GOOD:
Just like a kungfu action flick.

THE BAD:
I would say the only bad things are camera angle tends to zoom in during fights, and redemption gave this game a 3.8

SUMMARY:
YOU GET NO WEAPONS! The enemy tends to show off their pocket knives, but your a martial artist.. not a hell bent serial killer. If you have godlike hand-eye cordination and think arm-wrestling for 50 dollars is easy... this is for you. Unlike metal gear 2: sons missed puberty, err, sons of liberty... where you get to play for maybe 4 hours and sit though 8 hours of movie.. Shenmue makes sure to keep you awake with QTEs.
<Quick Time Event> basically a button flashes on the screen 4 or so times and you have to act fast enough or, 1 of several things will happen starting from getting the crap kicked out of you, to falling 40 ft to your doom.. Buy this game or beat up your friend and take it!