• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

So, I beat Shenmue 2. (spoiler filled)

S

StoOgE

First tragedy, then farce.
About 2 years ago I stopped playing Shenmue 2. I loved the first game, and I was loving the second game.. but I got to a point (very near the end actually) where I had to raise 500 bucks to fight a guy. I had 8 dollars in my pocket and started working moving crates with some mongoloid. After 20 minutes of pure boredom and only 150 bucks to show for it, I got mad. Really really mad and stopped playing. I had put up with hunting for sailors, moving crates via a forklift (who ever would have known I would long for the days of forklift driving) and other random BS in this series because when the game shines, it really really really shines. But man there are some lows to get to those highs.

So, I sat down today and decided I was going to finish the game if it killed me. I went to a lucky hit machine, and started throwing money around and doubling up like crazy until I won the 500 bucks because I was not doing that stupid QTE box moving shit ever again. After this I won the fights, and go to the really good final assault on the street gang. The ascent up the tower was really good, there were some good fights, solid QTE's and they did a good job of mixing up the objectives in it. It got really exciting and the final fight was pretty nifty and I was happy.

Then everyting went really really wrong. Instead of the game ending there, something happened. Something really bad. I call it the forest that wouldnt end. I rescued a girl in a river... but instead of the usual Shenmue tactic of letting me do some QTE action, I just watched the game do it. Then I had to walk to a city... but instead of actually walking I just watched as Ryo walked for me. Great stuff guys. Then, they finnaly give me something to do... a QTE dodging shit. Hey, I like QTE's as much as the next guy, but this was really really repetitive. After half an hour of this crap I got to a cave and then got to play a fun game of Virtua pick up fire wood. WHAT IN THE HOLY FUCKING SHIT IS THIS CRAP? Then I got to watch Ryo spar with thin air, and listen to a girl sing.. and the next morning it was MORE watching the two of them walk and talk about stupid shit I dont care about. I KNOW WHAT A FIREFLY IS MOTHER FUCKER, I WANT TO KICK THE SHIT OUT OF SOME BAD GUYS 80'S STYLE, NOT GO ON VIRTUA NATURE HIKE 2K2. After a bit I actually got to control Ryo and play a fun game of wander down a path that looks like every other bit of forest until you come to a dead end. Then, turn around and do the same thing, but when you come to that fork you just passed go the other way.

Then, we come to a landmark. This crazy looking spider tree thing. Good, we finally must gave gotten there. THEN THE STUPID BITCH RYO IS FOLLOWING SAYS "I allways find hope when I see this tree, it means Im halfway to the village" The fact that my controller is not lodged in my TV right now is a testament to my patience. This went on for an hour, the highlight of which being when I heard a mysterious sound of waterfalling and went to explore it.. to find A WATERFALL. Jesus christ, first the guy cant figure out to look at the docks for sailors and now he cant figure out that the sound of water falling is a waterfall. FUCK ME.

Eventually we get to the village where I discover that the game is named after a tree. Lame. Then Ryo is shocked to discover that the phoenix mirror was made in this village, despite the fact that he CAME TO THE VILLAGE BECAUSE THE MIRROR WAS MADE THERE.

The pay off for this 3+ hours of nothing? A floating sword, and two giant mirrors.

Im buying a shotgun and finding Yu Suzuki. He will pay for this shit.
 
I felt kind of the same way with Shenmue 2. I loved Shenmue 1, even though it was clearly flawed. But Shenmue 2 was so inconsistent it drove me nuts.

Here's a bullet point list of things that really killed the experience for me:

- Little things like being able to skip time to events really hurt the realism. Sure, you didn't HAVE to use it since it was totally optional, but it was there and it was too tempting so I did it. Actually having to kill time in Shenmue 1 turned out to be more immersive and more fun since you had a reason to wonder around and mess around with all the extra crap like darts and toy collecting.

- Box moving and airing of the books. FU Sega. FU. The forklift was much more fun.

- The fact that the big secret behind what the name meant turned out to be
a goddamn tree!

- The having to earn $500 to get into that fight as StoOgE pointed out. I thought I had to earn all the money for the fights (some were really expensive) so I actually took a bit of a stress break from the game at this point. Thank god you got enough prize money from the $500 fight for the next and so on.

- The giant, slow, interactive ending and the Indiana Jones feeling in that final room with the ropes and sword and shit (or whatever was in there, I just remember it being stupid).

- The general inconsistencies between action, story and nothing going on. Sure, this flaw was a carry over from Shenmue 1, but S2's long patches of nothing like the 4th disc really made it a punch to the cherries.

- Paying $90+ Canadian at EB to get the PAL version because Sega ditched the US DC audience. It was a decent game, but not $90 decent.

That's all I can think of now. I'm sure there were more things that angered me, but it was so long ago I can't really remember.

Gladly the 4th disc really killed my enjoyment of the plot so I don't think it's a huge loss that there probably will never be a #3 to continue the plot (speculate all you want, I'll believe it when I see it).

Although, I've invested so much time and effort (and MONEY) into the series, if they ever do release a 3rd, I'd probably pick it up for some more abuse... if it were released on a system I own.
 
i loved shenmue 1 (except for a few parts and also an adjustment period) but couldn't bare shenmue 2. i wanted to like it, believe me... but, no.
 
StoOgE said:
Then everyting went really really wrong. Instead of the game ending there, something happened.
Click to expand...

Guilin basically is an interactive ending to the game. Hell you finally find out what Shenmue really is there. And all the stuff shown in the original trailer finally came into play (the magic aspect, Shenhua ect).

I also stopped playing Shenmue 2 soon after I started. It didn't grab my attention fast like the original did. After hearing people here go crazy over how good the sequel was I finally sat down with my imported DC copy and soon after it hooked me. In the end I found it to to be better than the original in everyway. They exploited the combat system alot better, and plus you had Ren. If there ever is a 3rd version, he's gotta be the co star of the game again.
 
I also preferred the first game for a number of reasons.

There was more to do in it not relating to the story to kill time, and the game would MAKE you kill time and wander the city. The ability to skip forward in time really pissed me off.. like you said, you dont have to do it, but there is that part in all of us that wants to continue the main story and see where it goes. Forcing you to let go of the main story and be drawn into the world really helps the game... also when you are forced to go to sleep, I didnt like the ability to start where you left the day before... for much the same reason.

The things that really pissed me off were:

1) Playing it on Xbox. I loved the fact I had collected all this shit, mastered all of the moves and bought every move scroll in the game. With the Dreamcasts death and the cancellation of Shenmue 2 U.S. I lost all of that that I had earned. I had a bit of a disconect with Ryo.. because for the first part of Shenmue 2 he wasnt the charachter I had made him into.

2) Lack of downtime and ability to train. This game forced you along way too much. There were points where you were stuck in the main story for way way way too long... or they would throw multiple timed deadlines at you in a row instead of letting you sit back and train. half the fun of the first game was killing time improving your martial arts with Fuku-san.. so that when you got in a fight you could brigng the wood. Once you left Hong Kong there was no where you *could* practice.

I will say this though: the charachters in Shenmue 2 were alot better. Ren fucking rocked, the badguys rocked and there was no Tom the hotdog guy. If the rumored Shenmue Chapter 1-16 for Xbox 360 does happen, I will be there day one (though, Chapter 2 sounds boring as shit.. its a boat ride to Hong Kong)... and I will buy this game, because I secretly hate myself.

But that ending really pissed me off (and for the record, I wasnt pissed off that there was 'magic' at the end of the game, I saw that coming). It wasnt enough of a teaser because I saw it coming from a mile away, and more than that it took *way* too long. The buildup to the end took hours and you learned very little. I wanted something that left me with my jaw on the floor. Like at the end of the first game I felt a real sense of accomplishment like I had gotten somewhere with the charachter and the story. At the end of this one, it hurt to sit.
 
fuck lifting boxes... i gambled my ass off and had way more than I needed... so i went throuh certain parts a bit faster


but yea... the interactive ending sucked.

still love shenmue like it's my first born baby.
 
I both love and dislike Shenmue at the same time. When the moods right for me the Shenmues pulls me it with immersiveness, but on some days and any slipping patience it's the most tedious thing ever.
 
1) Playing it on Xbox. I loved the fact I had collected all this shit, mastered all of the moves and bought every move scroll in the game. With the Dreamcasts death and the cancellation of Shenmue 2 U.S. I lost all of that that I had earned. I had a bit of a disconect with Ryo.. because for the first part of Shenmue 2 he wasnt the charachter I had made him into.
Click to expand...

From what I remember being said, that's a pretty useless feature anyway since Ryo gets mugged right at the start of the game anyway. All you keep is your toys.

I couldn't make use of the feature either becuase the PAL DC Shenmue 2 could not read NTSC saves.
 
StoOgE said:
...when the game shines, it really really really shines. But man there are some lows to get to those highs.
Click to expand...
The series summed up perfectly.

I hated the interactive ending. Partly because I got so annoyed & impatient that I didnt pay attention to the last half of it. When it ended I was even more annoyed because I just assumed the stupid shit could go on for a few hours more so I went back to replay that part.

Recently sat down determinded to play parts 1&2 back to back after last playing them a couple of years ago. Got about 50 minutes into part 1. Turned off Dreamcast.

Awesome thread StoOgE, now I want Shenmue 3 and some fucking closure in my life!!
 
If only the game didn't feature Ryo as a main character...

I love both Shenmue games though, incredible experiences. If only they would finish it, those bastards. Not finishing a game like that should be illegal.
 
The river/forest stuff in Shenmue 2 is probably the longest extended ending in the history of video games. The towers was clearly the climax of the game, so I can't say it bothered me. Then again the crate moving and book airing stuff didn't bother me either, so take that as you will. :lol

Shenmue 2 is my favourite non-racing/sports game of this generation...for me it's a lot more balanced, polished and consistent then the first game, which was clearly artificially extended in order to make the game longer. Stuff like the book airing, crate moving and WUDE search is just stuff Ryo's gotta do to get what he wants (and what he needs). When I play games like this, I literally assume the role, so even the menial stuff becomes something that's important and neccessary. And when it becomes part of the collective whole, it just adds to the fun of the whole game. But that's me...I'm wierd like that.

Of course thanks to this stupid thread, I've got visions of Shenmue 3 dancing in my head again. Thanks a lot. :lol
 
HomerSimpson-Man said:
When the moods right for me the Shenmues pulls me it with immersiveness, but on some days and any slipping patience it's the most tedious thing ever.
Click to expand...

This is kind of how I feel. I cherish my memories of playing through both games for the first time as some of the best gaming moments ever, but... when I think about starting a new game, and think about all the waiting and box-carrying and talking to people on the street...

...
 
Shinobi said:
Of course thanks to this stupid thread, I've got visions of Shenmue 3 dancing in my head again. Thanks a lot. :lol
Click to expand...

http://games.kikizo.com/news/200508/141_p1.asp?f=141_p1.asp

Now you'll really get your hopes up.. when I read that article I knew it sounded like someone talking out their ass with no source at all, but part of me still thinks its true, it seems to make some sense given that Shenmue 1 and Shenmue 2 were both basically finished and ready to go on Saturn.. I wonder how much of the game was finished before the Dreamcast ever launched. I still dont think we will ever see another Shenmue game (especially since they killed Shenmue online) and that really sucks :(
 
I've always believed that as long as Sega could get back in the black, they'd be no reason not to make Shenmue 3 for PS3 and/or 360. Nothing's really changed that perspective. So yeah, I believe it's going to happen eventually. But I'm not gonna keep awake at night waiting for the official announcement either. If it happens, I'll be happy as Gilligan. If it doesn't I'll be disappointed, but life goes on.
 
I enjoyed the extended ending of Shemue 2. After being stuck in that final town for so long and taking a 1 year hiatus from the game half way through climbing up the final building, the ending was very refreshing. It was interesting to talk to the girl about BS and learn what "shenmue" actually is. Sure it ended being like an episode of Lost, creating more questions than answers. I still found myself getting draw into the shemue story again. It came off more like a prologue than an actual part of the game.
 
FUCK you guys! Seriously. No shit you're not going to like the ending, when you have absolutely no personal attachment. You came back after 2 YEARS! So you're saying they built to great climaxes and you liked the action. But you didn't get Shenmue. It's a game that thrives on personal attachment. It's very close to a novel in the way it plays. I'd probably hate a novel too, if I was looking for shit loads of action when the character is learning life lessons and patience.

And that's what they get for trying something different. For being something different than a videogame. Maybe they should have jumped on a jet ski, Shenhua and Ryo, and chased down Lan Di's plane with a rocket launcher. THAT'D OF BEEN FUCKIN' COOL! Then maybe Lan Di jumps on the boat and Ryo and him have it out in an all-out kung fu explosion! Ryo can kick his ass in the water! Have you ever thought of a character making a personal relationship in a game? Like say movies do? It's not meant to be a "kick ass like it's 1986" game. It's meant to be "live life in 1986" while taking a certain path, set back in Shenmue 1. They could have made the work more fun or had more action, but that wasn't the point of the game. But what are you gonna do? You try and be innovative, and you get massive hate with massive love. I starting to think Kojima was right, in saying videogames can never be movies. I didn't understand why back when he said it.
 
wierd.

i just installed a new dvd drive in my xbox on Thursday. i popped in Shenmue 2 on Friday and found out that i hadnt played it since August 2004.

im at the same spot. i have 50$ in my pocket and remembered that my next step was to raise 500$ for some unremembered reason.

i need to finish this sucker next week. screw lucky hit though, im going to hit the dice tables.
 
I LOVE the last disk in the forest! It's wonderful. Who cares if you don't play it much. It's like a beautiful movie. The bit in the cave was amazing.
 
I enjoyed both Shenmue titles a lot but as some of you claim, I didn't enjoy part 2 as much as I did with part 1...Dunno why.
Perhaps part 1 was more solid, and the stuff you had to do was clearer. Besides there was the Japanese ambience which I particularlly enjoyed :)

And yes, to earn money the way to go was gambling...If Shenmue has taught me a single thing, that's the fact that if you face economical problems in real life, a job isn't the way to go. You have to go to gamble.
 
Yusaku said:
When was Gamespot's legendary Shenmue review bumped from 6.8 to 7.8? It was right the first time?
Click to expand...

ug, did that happen? i hate that shit.

Game Informer did the same shit with Goldeneye back in the day.
 
The end of disc three was amazing you guys can bitch all you want about disc 4 but I was so into it I just wanted more. The environments were stunning.
 
Merlin said:
I LOVE the last disk in the forest! It's wonderful. Who cares if you don't play it much. It's like a beautiful movie. The bit in the cave was amazing.
Click to expand...


QFT

i loved the change in pace, after the frantic battle with so many people we are rewarded with a wonderful interactive ending. It was pefect, trecking up the mountain, Ryo opening up for the first time, after reaching that tree you realize the journey was indeed great. Tooks days of walking.

Loved every second of it
 
Funny, I finished Shenmue just recently and I liked Ren a lot. Their duo at the tower was absolutely awesome! Then came the fight with Dou Niu on the roof and I actually said "Lan Di" loudly when I saw him! :lol

After that fight, Ryo left to the forest and it was a little long. Especially when you had to talk.

- Shenshua...
- Yes?
- What is that brown thing with green stuff on it?
- It's a tree...
(pause)
- Hummm, a tree.
- Yes, it grows in the forest, where the mystical rabbit and the magical deer lived together for 500 years (and other ramblings about legends)...
- Humm, a rabbit.
- Yes, we'll eat one tonight.
- Errr...

Then came Virtua Wood Picking which ended quickly but after that, the thing with the two mirrors and the sword (!?) were very intriguing. I guess I will really hate that ending if we don't see a Shenmue 3 sometime... but other than that, I liked it.
 
Merlin said:
I LOVE the last disk in the forest! It's wonderful. Who cares if you don't play it much. It's like a beautiful movie. The bit in the cave was amazing.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It's definitely one of my most memorable gaming moments.
 
holy shit :lol

I just went back to Shenmue II about 8 days ago and was in the EXACT same spot. Had to raise $500 so I could fight someone.

I don't think i'm going to finish it though.
 
Merlin said:
I LOVE the last disk in the forest! It's wonderful. Who cares if you don't play it much. It's like a beautiful movie. The bit in the cave was amazing.
Click to expand...

Seriously, that part dripped with atmosphere. And atmosphere is precisely why I prefer Shenmue 1 to Shenmue 2. Shenmue 1's world felt so solid, so real and detailed, it was fucking amazing. I'll be the first to admit that the gameplay was sometimes a pain, but my god, IMO it still has THE most complete and realistic world ever presented in a videogame. The atmosphere is unmatched. Shenmue 2 though, lost a lot of the atmosphere - the game world was much bigger and therefore much less detailed, the colours used were much brighter and less realistic, and the sky was rendered by the graphics engine - technically impressive but it looked like shit compared to Shenmue 1's sky - same goes for the water. Another thing - as the game took place in Ryo's home town, most of the people that populated it knew Ryo - I loved the fact that I could walk around town and see the same people every day, either looking at shops or working in them, and even run into a friend or two and have a chat. In Shenmue 2 though, it's the same old story - an adventure in a foreign land with a bunch of nobody npc characters and the token "exciting" companions that you befriend.

Also, I preferred the QTEs in Shenmue 1 - I mean holy shit, Shenmue 1 still has the best action sequences/cut scenes in any videogame IMO. Also, I actually enjoyed the forklift racing! I hated the box moving in Shenmue 2 though. Ugh. Additionally, the voice acting stunned me in Shenmue 1 - a lot of people bag it, but it was the first time I'd ever played a game in which all the speech is actually voice acted. Shenmue 2 felt a bit disconnected to the first because it was subbed instead of dubbed - well, the DC version was, not sure about the xbox one.

Still, I would kill for the next in the series. FFS.
 
It's been a long time since I've played either of them, but in S1, you could buy all different kinds of items in stores (grocery stores, etc) but didn' seem to have that in S2. Am I correct in this? That's what I remembered anyway.

I liked both, and yet disliked portions of both games. S1's town just felt more complete, more than anything in S2.
 
You just summed up perfectly the reasons why I couldn't stand Shenmue 2....and I freaking LOVED the first one.

Shenmue 2 dragged on and on and on.

Everything from Shenmue 1 was bigger in Shenmue 2. I'd say too big. The dialogue/cut scenes were so long that they put you to sleep and the world was expanded too much.

The developers clearly wanted to expand on Shenmue 1 but I think they pushed way too hard. I think they lost focus. I agree completely with Optimistic about the atmosphere of Shenmue 2 compared to Shenmue 1. In Shenmue 1 there were only a few areas so the designers were able to spend more time polishing everything but Shenmue 2 was just massive and I think they bit off more than they could chew.
 
Baron Aloha said:
Everything from Shenmue 1 was bigger in Shenmue 2. I'd say too big. The dialogue/cut scenes were so long that they put you to sleep and the world was expanded too much.

The developers clearly wanted to expand on Shenmue 1 but I think they pushed way too hard. I think they lost focus. I agree completely with Optimistic about the atmosphere of Shenmue 2 compared to Shenmue 1. In Shenmue 1 there were only a few areas so the designers were able to spend more time polishing everything but Shenmue 2 was just massive and I think they bit off more than they could chew.
Click to expand...

It's a good point but seeing as Shenmue I and II were originally one game on the Saturn at what point did Suzuki change the balance (if at all)? Was it based on Shenmue feedback or was II the same as it was originally was intended to be? Shenmue II conveyed the big city so well I actually couldn't find my way back to the hotel the first night. Also Shenmue II had much more hidden scenes inside it like the 3 prize fights and the duck racing...where the duck actually talks!

Shenmue had a much more familiar atmosphere that the player could feel at home in, II had the player experience huge unfamilar areas that didn't feel so comfortable cos the action didn't unfold in just one or two places it happened over many areas. The two were definately different experiences but the question is were they meant to be?

Also the second chapter on the boat consisted of Ryo defeating Chai again, as detailed in the filler comic.

On a side note, how rare is Shenmue II Xbox in the UK? I can only seem to find a second hand copy for £14.99
 
Umm.. for that money raising part.. you guys do know you can just save the game right before you do some gambling, then go big.. if you lose restart and at save point... if you win well.. you got your 500 fast.
 
Man so many times in the middle of that game I wanted to scream "WHERE'S THE FIGHTING!?", hell in the last tower I stop playing the retarded sneaking mini game just so I could get into some damn fights.

The second city also sucked. I'm wandering around looking at all the arenas and thinking Finally some action. And almost all of them are "Haha, you must dodge me eight times to win". Blech.

I was also annoyed that the whole move level up from the first game was basically ignored. Well I guess it doesn't make much of a difference since there wasn't very much fighting anyway. Old guy in the park was amusing but I still perfer "Let's get sweaty".

And let's not forget the wooden plank QTE FROM HELL.

Not having Fuku san around really emphasised how borderline retared Ryo is sometimes.
 
I loved the game in general, but I don't have the patience for the Anime-esque drama of the last disc. If I want drama I'll go for indie films and some Hollywood, but not HK or Japanese productions. Ever since I saw The Killers and heard them yelling "Mickey Mouuuuuse!!!!!" as the other cop's being shot at...
 
I loved the game. I usually hate these type of games but shenmue2 really sucked me in.

The atmosphere was damn near perfect. I didnt mind the lack of fighting cause the sense of accomplishment when i forwared the story was so high.

The ending (last disc)trumps everything else this gen IMO.


The planks sucked ass tho.
 
J2 Cool said:
FUCK you guys! Seriously. No shit you're not going to like the ending, when you have absolutely no personal attachment. You came back after 2 YEARS! So you're saying they built to great climaxes and you liked the action. But you didn't get Shenmue. It's a game that thrives on personal attachment. It's very close to a novel in the way it plays. I'd probably hate a novel too, if I was looking for shit loads of action when the character is learning life lessons and patience.

And that's what they get for trying something different. For being something different than a videogame. Maybe they should have jumped on a jet ski, Shenhua and Ryo, and chased down Lan Di's plane with a rocket launcher. THAT'D OF BEEN FUCKIN' COOL! Then maybe Lan Di jumps on the boat and Ryo and him have it out in an all-out kung fu explosion! Ryo can kick his ass in the water! Have you ever thought of a character making a personal relationship in a game? Like say movies do? It's not meant to be a "kick ass like it's 1986" game. It's meant to be "live life in 1986" while taking a certain path, set back in Shenmue 1. They could have made the work more fun or had more action, but that wasn't the point of the game. But what are you gonna do? You try and be innovative, and you get massive hate with massive love. I starting to think Kojima was right, in saying videogames can never be movies. I didn't understand why back when he said it.
Click to expand...

Agreed...like I said, throwing myself into the game, basically assuming the role of Ryo, every aspect of the game becomes so much more enjoyable. I've done this with a few other games as well, most notably Wing Commander 1 & 2, Fate of Atlantis and Flashback. It makes the slow portions of the game easier to handle, and the tense part of the games are given even more tension.










Optimistic said:
Seriously, that part dripped with atmosphere. And atmosphere is precisely why I prefer Shenmue 1 to Shenmue 2. Shenmue 1's world felt so solid, so real and detailed, it was fucking amazing. I'll be the first to admit that the gameplay was sometimes a pain, but my god, IMO it still has THE most complete and realistic world ever presented in a videogame. The atmosphere is unmatched. Shenmue 2 though, lost a lot of the atmosphere - the game world was much bigger and therefore much less detailed, the colours used were much brighter and less realistic, and the sky was rendered by the graphics engine - technically impressive but it looked like shit compared to Shenmue 1's sky - same goes for the water. Another thing - as the game took place in Ryo's home town, most of the people that populated it knew Ryo - I loved the fact that I could walk around town and see the same people every day, either looking at shops or working in them, and even run into a friend or two and have a chat. In Shenmue 2 though, it's the same old story - an adventure in a foreign land with a bunch of nobody npc characters and the token "exciting" companions that you befriend.

Also, I preferred the QTEs in Shenmue 1 - I mean holy shit, Shenmue 1 still has the best action sequences/cut scenes in any videogame IMO. Also, I actually enjoyed the forklift racing! I hated the box moving in Shenmue 2 though. Ugh. Additionally, the voice acting stunned me in Shenmue 1 - a lot of people bag it, but it was the first time I'd ever played a game in which all the speech is actually voice acted. Shenmue 2 felt a bit disconnected to the first because it was subbed instead of dubbed - well, the DC version was, not sure about the xbox one.

Still, I would kill for the next in the series. FFS.
Click to expand...

The contrast between the two games is why I don't think Shenmue is a bad game, but is why I think Shenmue 2 is a far better one, because it's the mode I preferred. Shenmue 1 really did have a sense of hanging in your neighbourhood, going through the same streets you've seen for years. But I preferred Shenmue 2's bigger scale, the sense of being a fish out of water, meeting unsavoury characters but also meeting a few who were good people. And the QTE's were far better and more intense in the sequel...the very first one that was the chase in the streets beat pretty much anything that existed in the first game, and the massive QTE in the crowded street market (disc 2) slaughtered anything you could find in the original game with the exception of the last fight. And I thought Shenmue 1 dragged on a lot longer then Shenmue 2...really, Shenmue 2 had a lot less of the waiting around for stuff, and there was a lot more to do to pass the time when you did have to wait for things. In the original a lot of the stuff that was done wasn't pivitol to the story...it was mainly done to stretch out the playing time (how many times did he chase after someone in the first game, only to be told he had to see someone else). In Shenmue 2, most of what's done was connected to the development of Ryo's character and knowledge, or the story itself. Well, that's how I see it anyway.

As for the plank bit, just use Gamefaqs...write out the button combinations needed on a piece of paper, memorize the steps for each plank, and away you go. Yeah it's cheating, but who gives a fuck. :lol
 
The Plank Bit: On the DC version, I would just save before I attempted each plank. If I fell, I would just restart and end up right where I left off.

Worked great.
 
StoOgE said:
About 2 years ago I stopped playing Shenmue 2. I loved the first game, and I was loving the second game.. but I got to a point (very near the end actually) where I had to raise 500 bucks to fight a guy. I had 8 dollars in my pocket and started working moving crates with some mongoloid. After 20 minutes of pure boredom and only 150 bucks to show for it, I got mad. Really really mad and stopped playing. I had put up with hunting for sailors, moving crates via a forklift (who ever would have known I would long for the days of forklift driving) and other random BS in this series because when the game shines, it really really really shines. But man there are some lows to get to those highs.

So, I sat down today and decided I was going to finish the game if it killed me. I went to a lucky hit machine, and started throwing money around and doubling up like crazy until I won the 500 bucks because I was not doing that stupid QTE box moving shit ever again. After this I won the fights, and go to the really good final assault on the street gang. The ascent up the tower was really good, there were some good fights, solid QTE's and they did a good job of mixing up the objectives in it. It got really exciting and the final fight was pretty nifty and I was happy.

Then everyting went really really wrong. Instead of the game ending there, something happened. Something really bad. I call it the forest that wouldnt end. I rescued a girl in a river... but instead of the usual Shenmue tactic of letting me do some QTE action, I just watched the game do it. Then I had to walk to a city... but instead of actually walking I just watched as Ryo walked for me. Great stuff guys. Then, they finnaly give me something to do... a QTE dodging shit. Hey, I like QTE's as much as the next guy, but this was really really repetitive. After half an hour of this crap I got to a cave and then got to play a fun game of Virtua pick up fire wood. WHAT IN THE HOLY FUCKING SHIT IS THIS CRAP? Then I got to watch Ryo spar with thin air, and listen to a girl sing.. and the next morning it was MORE watching the two of them walk and talk about stupid shit I dont care about. I KNOW WHAT A FIREFLY IS MOTHER FUCKER, I WANT TO KICK THE SHIT OUT OF SOME BAD GUYS 80'S STYLE, NOT GO ON VIRTUA NATURE HIKE 2K2. After a bit I actually got to control Ryo and play a fun game of wander down a path that looks like every other bit of forest until you come to a dead end. Then, turn around and do the same thing, but when you come to that fork you just passed go the other way.

Then, we come to a landmark. This crazy looking spider tree thing. Good, we finally must gave gotten there. THEN THE STUPID BITCH RYO IS FOLLOWING SAYS "I allways find hope when I see this tree, it means Im halfway to the village" The fact that my controller is not lodged in my TV right now is a testament to my patience. This went on for an hour, the highlight of which being when I heard a mysterious sound of waterfalling and went to explore it.. to find A WATERFALL. Jesus christ, first the guy cant figure out to look at the docks for sailors and now he cant figure out that the sound of water falling is a waterfall. FUCK ME.

Eventually we get to the village where I discover that the game is named after a tree. Lame. Then Ryo is shocked to discover that the phoenix mirror was made in this village, despite the fact that he CAME TO THE VILLAGE BECAUSE THE MIRROR WAS MADE THERE.

The pay off for this 3+ hours of nothing? A floating sword, and two giant mirrors.

Im buying a shotgun and finding Yu Suzuki. He will pay for this shit.
Click to expand...

While I cannot say anything in regards to the crate shifting work, but I can defend everything else that happens after the final battle. You obviously didn't get or understand the entire meaning of what happens afterwards: everything that happens after the final battle (or the 4th disk for Dreamcast owners) IS a massive interactive ending. It's a massive ending as big - if not bigger - than the ending for 'Return of the King'.

Luckily for me I didn't had to move much crates as I earned most of my money beating up the smaller challenges/guys before the main events.
 
The planks never gave me much of a problem. It was the final QTE to finish off the fat man on the roof that made me almost loose it. I knew what I had to do I just couldn't pull it off. Its like my hand would just go dumb or something. =\
 
Kiriku said:
Heh, that's funny...I found that last part the only redeeming factor in the game. :P
Click to expand...

forbes.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

New Shenmue Artworks Released by Shenmue Dojo
Retro 
7
155
MrJangles replied
I miss Destiny 2
2 3 4
180
896
Bondo replied
Shenmue III Enhanced (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S, NSW2) - First Trailer
2 3
132
1K
enjoyed bell woods replied
GameStop: "Beat the price change, the time is now."
2
80
1K
MisterXDTV replied
Beat Weaver - Official Reveal Trailer
Trailer Indie 
0
107
IbizaPocholo replied
Top Bottom