Shenmue Critic Reviews

Shenmue II literally is 5 times the game Shenmue: Chapter 1 is...an incredible experience for me, from start to finish. The core gameplay formula isn’t much different from the first game, just packed with more action and improvements.

More action-packed than the original was.

I loved Shenmue. But as great as I thought that game was, nothing could have prepared me for Shenmue II.

The big improvement for me is that everything is a lot less linear then before; it really does feel that your actions directly influence Ryo’s progress through the adventure.

Shenmue II is so much better than its predecessor, refining nearly every aspect of the original. It's a polished game that serves as a showcase for the DC and the evolution of the RPG genre, and fans should definitely find a way to play it.

A disappointing sequel; it’s just not as good as the original which was in my opinion one of the greatest games of all time, it really was magical. Graphically it’s superior, but gameplay-wise, it’s just more of the same, albeit at a considerably slower pace.

Fans of the original Shenmue will be delighted with the sequel while gamers new to the series should be able to get into the game's deep atmosphere with little difficulty.

A good game, but not one that is going to have a lot of replay value. Once you have gone through it, the only real reasons to dig the discs out again are the arcade classics included within.

A breathtaking visual experience. X-Box, PS2, and GameCube may have titles that push more polygons, but it's Sega's attention to detail, quality of texture mapping, and the overall scale of the game world that makes Shenmue 2 stand out.