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''Shenmue II'' is the sequel to the Sega Dreamcast Modern Action Adventure , RPG , FREE game '' Shenmue '', written and directed by Yu Suzuki . The game was first released in Japan on September 6 , 2001 for the Dreamcast. Soon after the release, it was announced that Microsoft had obtained exclusive rights to the game in the United States for its Xbox system, which cancelled the US release of the Dreamcast version. The Xbox version was launched in the US on October 28 , 2002 . However, the Dreamcast version did get published in Europe by Big Ben Studios on November 23 , 2001 . Unlike ''Shenmue'', no English Dub was made for the Dreamcast's version of ''Shenmue II''; the original Japanese Dub was supplemented with English Subtitles in the European release. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE XBOX AND DREAMCAST VERSIONS When the US Xbox version was released in 2002 , it brought some changes and enhancements to the original with it. The most significant difference is the inclusion of a full English Dub , with Corey Marshall reprising his role as Ryo Hazuki (葉月 涼 ''Hazuki Ryō'') from the first game. There are two new gameplay features—a Snapshot mode to take pictures of gameplay or cutscenes to store on the Xbox's Hard Disk and Filters to alter the colour filters used on the entire screen. The graphics were given a boost by the Xbox's more advanced hardware (more and better lighting during the night hours, better looking water, higher resolution textures, etc.), the Frame Rate is now at a consistent 30 frames per second without any loss in detail (the Dreamcast version used an aggressive LOD that caused pedestrians to fade in and out of plain view in very crowded scenes) and shorter loading times. Also added was a mode to view the player's snapshots and six side stories that could be unlocked by taking an in-game snapshot of certain characters. These side stories took the form of comics (or Manga ) and four of them expand on areas of the story that the main game touches on, while the remaining two contain bonus art. While the original Dreamcast version came on four '' on a separate DVD for play on a standard DVD player. The film is comprised entirely of scenes from the first game. One feature the Xbox version lost was the ability to import a save file from a completed Shenmue game, allowing the player to bring items and money collected in the first to the second game. However, since the player could not import his inventory, the Xbox port started the player off with (nearly) every item obtainable in Shenmue, including a majority of the capsule toys and other collectibles, though the Cassettes (amongst a select few other items that can be reobtained in this installment) are mysteriously missing. This is identical to starting the Dreamcast version without a cleared Shenmue save file. STORY ''Shenmue II'' takes place in four main areas— Aberdeen , Wan Chai , Kowloon Walled City , and Guilin . The story continues the quest of the 18-year-old martial artist Ryo Hazuki to hunt down Lan Di , the mysterious Chinese man who murdered his father and stole a strange mirror with a dragon design. Early on, Ryo's main goal is to locate and learn from Master Lishao Tao who will be able to help him find Yuanda Zhu, as he was instructed to do so at the close of the first installment. Yuanda Zhu, according to Master Chen, can help Ryo find Lan Di. In the midst of uncovering clues to Tao's whereabouts, he inadvertently becomes involved with the inner workings of Aberdeen and discovers the existence of a gang known as The Heavens. Ryo meets Lishao Tao who happens to be a woman named Xiuying. She lets Ryo stay with her and teaches him a great deal about martial arts and about himself. She tries to show him that he has no chance against Lan Di and that his quest is bound to lead him down an evil path. Lishao Tao is unwilling to aid Ryo in his search for Yuanda Zhu and so Ryo works on his own to find him. Ryo soon discovers that the only person who is aware of Zhu's location is the leader of The Heavens, Wuying Ren (who is commonly referred to as ''Ren'' throughout). With the help of Joy and Wong, Ryo is able to locate the base where The Heavens operate from and soon meets with Ren. However, Ren initially sets out to pull con after con on Ryo until Ryo finally confronts him during a hectic chase that culminates in the revelation of the existence of the phoenix mirror to Ren and Ren seizing the opportunity he believes it holds to help Ryo in exchange for whatever amount of money that might be involved. Shortly after that, Ryo meets again with Ren in Kowloon and begins his quest to pinpoint the location of Zhu Yuan Da. Throughout the course of this, he (and Ren) discover that they are not the only people searching for Zhu and they soon discover that Dou Niu, the leader of a gang known as The Yellowheads (which, fittingly, are the rivals to Ren's own gang) and his partner, a woman called Yuan, are also hunting Zhu down in an effort to turn the man over into Lan Di's custody. After acquiring a number of clues, Ryo finally makes his way to a seemingly abandoned building in a section of Kowloon. There he finally sees Zhu Yuan Da but his meeting is cut short when Dou Niu, Yuan and a number of the members of The Yellowheads appear behind him. In the midst of an ensuing battle that forces Ryo out of the building, The Yellowheads kidnap Zhu and lock him up in their headquarters while they wait for the arrival of Lan Di. Ryo, with the help of Ren (and later Wong and Joy), then makes a last gambit to rescue Zhu from his captors. Together, he and Ren storm the Yellowhead headquarters, often getting separated from each other in the process. During a notable sequence of events, Ryo is led to an underground elevator and fighting arena where he discovers that Joy has been taken hostage by thugs and a powerful martial artist named Baihu. He engages him in combat under the agreement that if he wins, Joy is to be set free. Beyond that, Ryo (with Joy in tow) soon comes to the building where Dou Niu (along with Zhu and Wong - Wong who had been captured along with Joy but separated for undisclosed reasons) are positioned atop the roof (this takes place on the highest building in Kowloon). Once Ryo reaches the roof he is rejoined by Ren and while there he notices Lan Di hovering above on a rope ladder dangling from a helicopter. Despite the momentary distraction, Ryo then engages Dou Niu in battle for the final time. In the aftermath, he is able to save Zhu from the clutches of Lan Di but he is unable to stop Lan Di from fleeing the area. Shortly thereafter, Ryo and Zhu discuss many things while in Ren's hideout near the outskirts of Kowloon. Zhu reveals the real name of Lan Di and the purpose behind the two mirrors depicting the phoenix and the dragon, in which they reveal the location of a treasure that is destined to lead to the resurrection of the Qing Dynasty . Zhu tells Ryo that he would be better off looking for information in Bailu Village in Guilin. Ryo though is more interested in the region because he is told that Lan Di is headed there. At the end of the scene it appears that Ren intends to follow along on Ryo's quest though he does not depart with him. The game comes to an ambiguous close shortly after Ryo reaches Guilin and encounters a young woman named Ling Shenhua, an inhabitant of Bailu Village (who he had only seen in the previous installment through dream sequences). Shenhua leads Ryo to her home on the village outskirts and upon arrival Ryo discovers that her family has some sort of connection with the mirrors. They travel to the stone quarry her father works in to find it completely abandoned. There is a cryptic note and a strange sword there. Using the sword and the mirror Ryo sets off a device revealing a massive depiction of the two mirrors. Near the end of the game things start to change with Shenhua seeming to have somewhat supernatural powers and the device in the caves causing the sword of the seven stars to float. The game ends on this cliffhanger saying that the saga will continue. GAMEPLAY ''Shenmue II'' features gameplay similar to that of its predecessor, Shenmue . However, there are many additions and changes, and many fans consider it to be a completely different experience. One marked difference in this installment of the game series is the abundance of action sequences, mostly relying heavily on the use of QTE events in lieu of FREE battles (whereas the first installment had a fair balance of the two). This adds to the game's cinematic feel but it also pushes the player through the story in a far more linear and somewhat constrained pace than that compared to its predecessor. This installment also introduced an air of mysticism into the story with the formal introduction of Ling Shen Hua. It was never openly discussed during the course of the game, but a notable cutscene reveals that she possesses the ability to interact with nature on more than just a normal level that most others can. This, coupled with the revelation of the purposes of the two mirrors lends the game a more fantasy-styled approached in story and apparently sets the stage for further inclusion and expansion of such elements of mysticism and myth in the series next (and possibly final) future installment(s). SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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