Shenmue 2 is 20 years old today.
First released on Dreamcast on 6th September 2001 in Japan, it came to Europe a few months later on November 23rd – and was an Xbox exclusive in North America when it eventually arrived in October the following year.
You can watch Digital Foundry compare the 2018 remaster of Shenmue I and II on modern platforms versus the Dreamcast original:
Shenmue 1+2 HD Remaster: The Ultimate Version – PS4 Pro/Xbox One X/PC and Dreamcast Tested! Watch on YouTube
Shenmue 2 was one of the final major releases for the Dreamcast – the system was discontinued by Sega earlier that year – and the last entry in the series until the crowdfunded sequel in 2019.
For me, Shenmue 2 was the perfect example of a sequel with real ambition – swapping Ryo Hazuki’s sleepy Japanese hometown for the sprawling streets of Hong Kong as he continues his search for his father’s killer, Lan Di.
Though detective work remained the focus, it was much longer and action-filled adventure. There’s more mini-games, fight scenes and QTEs to vary the pacing, as well as several quality of life touches, such as the much-requested ability to jump forward in time to save you waiting around for events to happen.