Goodbye Ren, Joy and Wong…

[Shenmue 2 - Sega Dreamcast]

After a long time spent with Shenmue 2, it’s possible to forgive it’s old fashioned ways and pretend you’re still in 1999. When the Dreamcast was 128 bits of cutting edge technology and the best graphics available anywhere.

One of the main gripes is when you have to repeat the QTE sections over and over because you miss just one -> or <- prompt. But when the plot gets a moving and a grooving you don’t mind so much. And through the climax of disc three you’re rewarded with loads of fighting sections.

[SPOILERS - you have been warned]

First you have to gain a fighting rep to get noticed and recruited by the guys at the Yellow Head. This where I thought “Oh that’s why there’s so many fighting areas!” Some of the fights are a bit varied; one you have to fight a guy with a patch on his eye, go for the blind spot. Another you have to get close up to grab the guy. Once you get noticed by this recruiter guy that looks a bit like Oddjob from Goldfinger he gives you three photos. The photos are of three top fighters of varying difficulty that you must defeat. Some of them end with a well implemented QTE that comes just in the nick of time for you to finish the enemy.

So once you find yourself in the Yellow Head building, Ren catches up with you as always. And you make your way up the many floors of the building. Fighting or stealthily avoiding lots of baddies. Some of the stealth sections involve avoiding a flickering light. But most are played out with a QTE, but thankfully, for a change, if you fail the QTE you can then just fight the enemies instead. The fighting is actually quite fun in my opinion. As I started to get the hang of dodging and blocking. Then it was just a case of dodge, throw, dodge, throw. It might sound dull, but I was chuffed for figuring it out.

By the end of the third disc I was really getting into it. The finale reminded me of Metal Gear Solid on the PS1. A helicopter with the legendary Lan Di (a loose connection with the Hind-D helicopter from MGS as it was also on the roof)!!!! And then fisty-cuffs with the bloody annoying Dou Niu, reminiscent of the fight with Liquid Snake, this time with Ren, Joy and Wong cheering you along. This would have been a fun end to the third disc, but they had to spoil it again! You defeat Dou right? Wrong you then have another QTE to complete! You fail the QTE and you have to defeat Dou all over again. Why AM2*, why?????????

With Dou Niu defeated and “surprise surprise” Lan Di flying off, there are some interesting revelations about the phoenix mirror. I won’t give too much away, but it leads to you leaving for Guilin, which is where Lan Di buggered off to. Ryo being the hero that he is he leaves on his own. Before he goes he says farewell to Xiuying who gives him a fighting move scroll, good ol’ Xiuying (looking forward to trying out the new move). After this, Ryo leaves for Guilin, with Joy and Wong seeing him off.

“Goodbye Joy and Wong, why isn’t Ren seeing me off too, miserable bastard!”

Ever onwards to Disc 4…

*AM2 = developer of Shenmue 2

[ Posted by Robert Langley-Jones ]