Shenmue 2 (Sega Dreamcast)
I’m not a fan boy… I haven’t played the first game… But does this legendary game still impress?
I’ve looked into purchasing Shenmue numerous times. One of the biggest and most influential games ever out of Sega and for a lot of people, the crowning achievement in Sega’s adorned achievement hat.
The problem is Shenmue isn’t a game you can just jump into. For a game Sega spent so much time, resources and energy on, it doesn’t feel mass market. Shenmue is an adventure trying to find your fathers killer. Shenmue 2 starts in Hong Kong as Ryo tracks leads of his fathers killer to China.
Both Shenmue and Shenmue 2 are well remembered for pushing the boundaries of what an open world was and even now, playing Shenmue 2 has left a really big impression on what the Sega Dreamcast was really capable of. Crowded streets, detailed cityscapes, lens flare, scenic locations and the hustle bustle of navigating popular areas at night, it’s stuff I’ve seen in later open-world games but in Shenmue, Ryo doesn’t particularly stand out, it feels like you’re nearly part of the crowd. Different sections of the city can feel incredibly different and it took me back when I was totally lost, asking for directions and one NPC told me this district is a total mess.
Shenmue 2 has plenty of ways you can interact with the world, working, gambling, visiting pawn shops, accepting challenges and playing games. Some of the mini-games nearly had stumped for good, catching the leaves especially. I’m not a patient gamer, and three leaves in a row seemed impossible. After putting the game off for a whole week because of this one challenge, I decided to try it again until I finally got past it. By reading the instructions carefully, practicing and just ‘going with the flow’, I managed to clear this section in 15 minutes one night.
Shenmue 2 can be cruel, but other times it totally flips the experience. In another mini-game I was struggling with (Playing Darts for info on the Heavens gang), I failed miserably but the character still told me what I needed to know because I had ‘enthusiasm’. Playing with the players expectations makes the game feel less predictable, different characters respond to your wins and failings differently. Losing a fight may result in you getting up and doing the sequence again or waking up the next day being nursed to health having to start from scratch again.
Shenmue 2 is a massive game that stretched what the Sega Dreamcast was capable of, but also the expectations of gamers. In the face of the Playstation 2, this was the Dreamcast’s killer application (or it would have been if it sold better).
After two amazing Shenmue games (I assume the first game was amazing), the hardest part about getting into the series is knowing there isn’t a third part. No finale to the adventure. As much as everyone wants to see this great series tied together and wrapped up, there’s little chance of being able to make a game now that could live up to the first two titles. The expectations have been set and anything less than outstanding would seriously hurt the Shenmue series.