Shenmue II

Like the original Shenmue, the player controls the teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki in his journey for revenge. Most of the game is spent exploring the open world, searching for clues, examining objects and talking to non-player characters for information. The game features a 3D fighting system similar to Sega's Virtua Fighter series; Ryo can fight multiple opponents at once and practice moves to increase their power. In quick-time events, the player must press the right combination of buttons at the right moment to succeed. Shenmue II adds several features. Players can ask for directions from passersby, and fast-forward the game clock when waiting for a scheduled event to occur, such as a shop opening or character arriving. After Burner, The Dreamcast version allows the player to import their save data from the first Shenmue, transferring money, items and martial arts moves. == Plot ==

In 1987, the teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki arrives from Japan in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, on the trail of his father's killer, Lan Di, of the criminal Chi You Men organization. He searches for Master Lishao Tao, the only link to the whereabouts of Yuanda Zhu, a martial arts expert who sent Ryo's father a letter warning him of Lan Di's intentions. When Ryo finds Tao, whose real name is Xiuying Hong, she refuses to help, considering his quest for vengeance reckless. The two part ways, but Xiuying continues to monitor Ryo's progress. Ryo encounters Wuying Ren, the wily leader of a street gang. Ren decides to help Ryo after deciding there may be money to be made in Ryo's mysterious phoenix mirror; Lan Di took the second mirror, the dragon mirror, when he killed Ryo's father. Wong, a street boy who admires Ren, and Joy, a free-spirited motorcyclist, assist Ryo in his journey. Ren informs Ryo that Zhu is hiding from the Chi You Men in Kowloon Walled City, a crime-ridden enclave of Hong Kong. They locate Zhu there but are ambushed by the criminal Yellow Head organization and Zhu is kidnapped. Ryo and his allies infiltrate the Yellow Head headquarters, but Wong and Joy are captured. Ryo defeats a powerful martial artist and rescues Joy. On the rooftop of the Yellow Head building, Ryo rescues Wong and Zhu from the Yellow Head leader, Dou Niu, as Lan Di departs by helicopter. At Ren's hideout, Zhu reveals that Lan Di killed Ryo's father because he believes Iwao killed his own father. He also reveals that the mirrors will lead to the resurrection of the Qing dynasty, the last imperial dynasty of China. Zhu advises Ryo to continue his search in Bailu Village in Guilin, where he says Lan Di is also heading. In the mountains of Guilin, Ryo rescues a girl, Shenhua Ling, after she dives into a river to rescue a deer. Shenhua's family is connected to the legacy of the mirrors, and she seems to have magical abilities. They walk through the mountains to her village. At Shenhua's family home, a tree named Shenmue (Chinese for "sedge tree") is in bloom; she explains that her name means "flower of the Shenmue tree". The pair go to a stone quarry on the village outskirts to meet Shenhua's father, but find he is missing. They discover a cryptic note and sword; Ryo combines the sword with the phoenix mirror, triggering a device that reveals a large mural of the dragon and phoenix mirrors. == Development ==

Shenmue II was developed by Sega AM2 and directed by Yu Suzuki. Part of the game was developed in tandem with the first Shenmue, According to IGN, Shenmue II was completed for "a much more reasonable sum". ==Release==

Shenmue II was published by Sega for Dreamcast in 2001 in Japan and Europe. The Japanese version included Virtua Fighter 4 Passport, promoting Sega's upcoming Virtua Fighter 4. By 2003, the Dreamcast version had sold 100,000 copies, a tenth of the original game's sales. The Dreamcast version was not released in North America, where Microsoft Game Studios secured console exclusivity rights for Shenmue II on Xbox in October 2001. The Xbox version was distributed and marketed by Microsoft and released in North America on October 29, 2002, and in Europe in early 2003. It features an additional camera mode, optional filter effects, improved frame rate and lighting, and English-language voice acting. An anime adaptation of the first two Shenmue games premiered on February 6, 2022. Sega released remastered versions of Shenmue and Shenmue II games for Windows, Xbox One, and the PlayStation 4 on 21 August 2018. The remaster include updated graphics and control options, improved user interfaces and Japanese and English voices. ==Reception==

The Dreamcast version of Shenmue II received positive reviews. GameSpot found that it greatly improved on Shenmue and refined "nearly every aspect", with an "epic feel". GamesRadar felt that, like the first game, Shenmue II had some uninteresting elements, but praised the expanded scale and action. Reviews of the Xbox version were less positive. IGN praised the story and soundtrack, but criticized the English-language voice acting and found the graphics lacking compared to other Xbox games. GamePro wrote: "Shenmue II is an extremely satisfying yarn that breaks into new visual and gameplay territory. The Xbox needed a game like this." Shenmue II was voted the tenth-best game of all time by IGN readers in 2008. In 2013, Den of Geek named Shenmue and Shenmue II the best Dreamcast games, and in 2014 Empire ranked Shenmue II the 51st-best game of all time. ==Sequel==

After the commercial failure of the first two games, Shenmue III entered a period of development hell lasting over a decade. In September 2011, Suzuki left Sega to focus on his development studio, Ys Net. In June 2015, he launched a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to develop Shenmue III with Ys Net for the PlayStation 4 and Windows, having licensed the rights from Sega. It was released in November 2019. == Notes ==