You probably wont understand my gripes here if youve never played a Shenmue game. Most of you probably havent.
It still baffles me how badly Suziki f*cked this one up.
Now, for anybody who dosent know, Shenmue is a classic adventure game, on the sega dreamcast, released in 1999. Its mixed cinematic gameplay with loads of action to make an unforgettable action game.
It still is one of my favorite dreamcast games. In 2001, a sequal was released, Shenmue 2. In the US, Shenmue 2 never saw a release on the dreamcast, by then, the system ( IN THE US) was pretty much already dead.
It was then released on the XBOX console. I have no problem w/ this, while I prefer the dreamcast I dont care. In european countries, however, the game was released on the DC.
Now, Shenmue 1 followed a basic kung fu movie revenge plot. After the mysterious Lan Di Murders Ryo Hazukis father in front of his very eyes, and gets away w/ it, Ryo swears revenge.
You obviosly play as Ryo, searching for Lan Di.
By the end of the game, youron a boat to Hong Kong, you learn thats were the killer is hiding.
Here we enter SHenmue 2. Oh boy.
Now Shenmue 2 takes place right after the original,, w/ you getting off the boat and arriving in Hong Kong.
Now, Ill spare you the rest of the details and tell you exactly why this sequal sucks.
*****************************SPOILERS*************************
1. The most obvious problem is that when you beat the game, yyou still dopnt have your hands on Lan DI. A third game was
SUPPOSED
to have been made, but after the abysmal sales of the piece of trash, it NEVER HAPPENED
Hows playing a crap sequal to a great game and not ever being able to get any closure in the plot, and now, 8 years later theres no mention of a sequal!!!
2. Creator of the Series, Yu Suziki, who did a stunning job on the first game just put the most boring sh*t in the game humanly possible!
Now, let me tel you some of the exciting tasks you'll be performing.
Moving boxes, yayz!
Or no, how about, catching leaves falling of a tree, I kid you not fellas! They MAKE you do this stuff too, folks, its what advances the " plot"
Maybe, I dont know, AIRING OUT BOOKS FROM A LIBRARY?! YES YO ARE
FORCED
TO DO THIS IN THE GAME IM NOT KIDDING!
Or maybe using multiple elevators to get to one floor, and if you choose the wrong elevator w/ so many f*cking choices, you may get lost, and when you get lost, you Have to travel half way around Hong Kong to look for a f*cking parrot, that may or may not tell you the location of somebody who MAY know the location of your fathers killer.
Now, if youve never played the game, Im going to stop right there.
Now, tell me, from what Ive listed
DOES THIS GAME SEEM EVEN REMOTLEY GOOD?!
Im not joking. You may think I am but all these things you HAVE to do in the game. Did I mention the part in the beginning of the game where you get all your money stolen, and are forced to pawn off little action figures in your pocket. OK, or did I tell you of the supposed meeting with the person who knows a guy who knows a guy who just MAY know the location of Lan Di, turns out to be an ambush.
Did I tell you that if you lose an important fight in the game, and get ambushed, you have to find said person all over again, and hope to god said thing dosent happen again?
Did I tell you of why you have to do that oh so electrifying leave catching sequences, to look in a book, written by the guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who MAY know where your fathers killer is.
THIS GAME IS A F*CKING MESS!
So you open the book, and blah blah blah you find out some secret sign used to contact fellow martial artiest, blah blah you place it in a restaurant, a man comes. Now this wonderfull gentlemen may know the man who knows the person who may know your fathers killer, or hey, at least where hes hiding.
And im not just making this all up, this is exactly how it is.
Its unfortunate that its so true.
Well, yeah, thru a series of looking for parrots, and, oh christ, another wonderful sequance I left ou, oh, golly, Johnny, you'll wanna here this one!
You enter the building where you may find the woman who may know Lan Di. But a friggin homeless man of all people tell you that the elevators dont work. And that you'll have to walk aacross wooden logs, and yes, DOZENS OF THEM, to get to where the woman may or may not be.
Now, you have to be a masochist to keep playing aftyer that point, Ill tell you that. And to play thru that CRAP and find out nope, your fathers killers not here. Worst sequal EVAH!!!!
And I couldnt make this stuff up. Thi is all how it is. I dont understand if the games designer WANTED it to be tis tedious & boring, but I wish to never find ot.
So, in conclusion, buy Shenmmue 1 on amazon, ( if you own a dreamcast ;)) And stay far away from SHenmue 2, far, far far away.
You'll regret it for the rest of your days!
WHew, thanks for listening to me here and NEVER play Shenmue 2.
