Shenmue II literally is 5 times the game Shenmue: Chapter 1 is. After finally making his way to Hong Kong, Ryo Hazuki must find new leads in his quest to kill Lan Di. For the first two disks, the same old formula that you either loved or hated in Shenmue: Chapter 1 returns. You literally step right off the boat in Aberdeen, a crowded harbor area, and must find a place to stay for the night. Much like in the first disk of Chapter 1, you spend most of disk 1 in Shenmue II exploring, and running from place to place trying to dig up more clues.

The thing that makes the difference in Shenmue II is the huge environments. When I said the game is literally 5 times the games Chapter 1 is, I wasn’t kidding. The harbor town of Aberdeen, and the city of Wan Chai, where you spend all of disk 1 and 2, are absolutely enormous. Wan Chai is split up into 6 different Quarters, each having a unique style. For instance, the Green Market Quarter is the busy shopping area, while the slums of the South Carmain quarter can get you into some trouble, and the Golden Quarter has a mall, arcade, and yes, a Tomato Mart!

Each area has a ton of streets and back alleys to explore. I had been at least three days into the game and I thought I had explored every nook and cranny of Aberdeen and Wan Chai when I found a back alley that led to a rooftop where a gang of thugs were sparring and arm wrestling. The scope of the environments is simply incredible. I haven’t even touched on the hundreds of rooms found in the towers of disk 3, and for spoilers sake, I won’t. After seeing all there is to see in Shenmue II, I really don’t know why Yu Suzuki even bothered to release Chapter 1. Shenmue II is to the Tour de France as Shenmue: Chapter 1 is to a 5-K.

Keeping yourself entertained while waiting around is much easier this time around. Heck, I spent a few days (in Shenmue time) just gambling and arm wrestling for cash. Since Ryo starts out with little money, it’s not just a mini-game; it becomes essential to gamble for some extra money. Another big plus is that you don’t have to work, but if you decide to, you have a few different job options around the harbor area. Better yet, through the “Action Select” in-game menu, you can ask about working on the fly.

Once the story starts to develop, everything falls into place, and the pace starts to really pick up. The story takes a sharp turn more than once, and Ryo finally starts to learn more about the man who killed his father. The action moves a lot quicker as a whole, and by the 3rd disk, it’s all out anarchy. Free battles and QTE events are much more prevalent, keeping things moving. Unlike in Chapter 1, if you fail a QTE, you don’t get to repeat it over and over (most of the time). Events change depending on the result of the QTE. Whew, some of them are downright nasty, too.

The Shenmue engine certainly isn’t as breathtaking as it was a year ago, yet Shenmue II’s style shines in other ways. Technically, the graphics are underwhelming, considering what we have seen now on the PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox, but the unbelievable score and art style will suck you in. I have never heard a better musical score in any game, this side of Chrono Cross. Nothing besides Chrono Cross even comes close. Each Quarter of Wan Chai has its own orchestrated theme, which changes at night. I didn’t think it could get any better until I heard disk 3 and 4’s music. Incredible!

Despite what rumors you may have heard, every single character is Shenmue II has voice acting. It happened to me after playing Shenmue: Chapter 1, and it’s happening again. Every time I play an RPG without voice acting, it just feels like something is missing- the emotion.

The new Action Select menu works a lot like that in the N64 Zelda games, and it works very well. The four Dreamcast face buttons are shown in the bottom right hand corner. The X button always represents your notebook. The others change depending on what you’re doing. When you approach someone, you have the option to speak with them about everyday chit chat via the A button, or about money via the Y button. If you need to talk to them about money, 4 options will appear- basically, “gambling”, “buy”, “sell,” or “work.”

This is a huge improvement that gives the player much more freedom. You can even ask a passerby for help if you get lost, and they’ll point you in the right direction. If you’re really stuck, you can keep asking them, and they will eventually take you there. Things don’t seem nearly as linear, as communication is in the hands of the player.

Overall, Shenmue II was 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. So many improvements, in fact, that I am confident about giving Shenmue II an “A” score. It isn’t a game for everyone, but in my opinion, it’s one of the best gaming experiences out there. It’s a damn shame that so many will have to wait more than a year to play it.