Shenmue II update

GameSpot has brand-new footage of Shenmue II for the Sega Dreamcast. The clip was shown at the recent showing of Shenmue: The Movie in Japan. The clip shows several new locations, such as the port of Hong Kong, the Kowloon Tower, and a remote forest town, as the camera flies by and through some of the game's areas. Judging from the video, it seems that the character models are further developed visually than the original game's characters, and there are more characters onscreen, as evidenced by several of the scenes shown. Another aspect, which is easily visible in the forest scene, is that the clouds move in real time. In the original game, AM2 used a 2D bitmap for the sky.

As mentioned, The game takes place in Hong Kong and on mainland China in four specific locations: Aberdeen, Kowloon, Wanchai, and Guilin. And Ryo Hazuki will encounter four different heroines in each area: Kun Fanmei, Joy, Kou Shuei, and Rei Shenhua. Characters, such as Ren Wu Yin, who were introduced back when the series was first announced, will make an appearance in the sequel.

The game will cover chapters 2 through 6 and will span four GD-ROMs. No release information has been announced for Shenmue II.

Movie courtesy of Softbank's Dreamcast Magazine.