Publisher: Microsoft

Players: 1

Release: Available Now

Genre: Adventure

ESRB: T

Real life can be boring; nobody enjoys doing homework, mowing the lawn or picking up groceries. But if you never had to do any of that, hanging out with your friends (or sitting back and playing video games) wouldn’t be as fun or as meaningful as it is now.

Just like real life, Shenmue II can be boring. Moving wooden crates around a dock for 10 minutes is not fun. Talking to strangers for hours to figure out a single puzzle is not fun. Being made to play pachinko more than a dozen times in a row is definitely not fun. But when something big happens in the game, the event always stands out as exciting. Why? Because all that boring stuff grounds the adventure. The tedious sequences make everything that happens in the game seem more real.

When you’re flirting with a fiery redhead or running away from a group of street thugs late at night, you begin to feel legitimately attracted, nervous or frightened. The sensation is uncanny; I can confidently say that no other game (including the original Shenmue) has made me feel so personally connected to its world. After playing for about 15 hours, you’ll feel like you actually “know” Hong Kong, its inhabitants and all of its seedy hangouts.

From a technical standpoint, the game is astonishing. You can talk to anybody that passes on the street, and you can enter nearly every building in the city. But the complex relationships are what made me love this game; they are the real draw here. Shenmue II’s central characters all have convincing expressions, attitudes and motivations; they seem like real people when you’re talking to them. You grow to respect your elders, despise your opponents and fall in love with your lady friends. The last third of the game really reinforces this strength: Ryo’s (the hero) brief run-in with Lan Di, his father’s killer, is one of the coolest single moments in any video game.

Like Resident Evil, Shenmue II’s basic play control is awkward at first, but give it time, and you’ll get used to it. More intuitive is the game’s fighting system, which is fun from the start and becomes surprisingly deep near the end of the adventure. In addition to brawling and exploring, players are given time to gamble, arm wrestle, collect knickknacks from vendors and even fool around with classic arcade games (including Out Run and After Burner).

Do you have the patience to play a game for days on end before it actually gets fun? If not (and my guess is that most casual gamers will fall into this category), then pass on Shenmue II. However, if you want to embark on a thoughtful, grand-scale adventure that’s not afraid to test your patience, by all means pick this up. It is my favorite game of 2002.

PROS

Outstanding attention to detail

Complex, dynamic characters

Strong fighting engine

CONS

Some may feel that it’s a bit too artsy for its own good

It’s pretty slow paced

EXTRAS

Shenmue: The Movie comes free with the game, and chronicles all the events of Shenmue I

NOW RATED: A

Copyright © 2002 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Game Now.