Do you prefer the Xbox version or Dreamcast?

[petrosky]

Yea I think one thing unique about Shenmue is how it's on 2 total different companies' systems, one of who doesn't make hardware no more.

[b_ren]

DC. The extra features on the Xbox version was pretty cool though. I wouldn't mind if Shenmue III was released in Japanese with English subtitles at all.

[Hazuki Legend]

There should be the choice of language at the options screen. I personally prefer DC version.

[Landshark]

Ren is the coolest video game character of all time with Japanese voice-acting. He sounds awful in the X-box version.


That one reason is enough for me to pick Dreamcast.

[petrosky]

Ren's voice is also Fukusan's

[cApNhOwDy]

I like the DC version better. I was used to the QTE colors from the first game, so it was kinda wierd adjusting to Xbox version. I thought that the Xbox lighting fuglified the game, as with the voice acting. Disk swapping for nostalgia. I just wish the DC version had the Xbox's save times.

[Jiezeru]

I much prefer the Dreamcast version because thats the first memories i have of playing it, the Japanese voice acting felt more convincing and authentic, as well as Yuans voice being funny as f*ck. I liked the fact you could carry on from the first aswell.

Xbox was good and i did enjoy all the extras you could unlock, and it was only £20 : )

[Latin King]

Well I like xbox because that is the only version ive played but I doshenmue 1 on dreamcast but I decided to get shenmue 2 on the xbox because thought the graphics would be better

[extraordinarybadgrocer]

The differences between the DC and Xbox version graphically are,
-Ryo's jacket is much higher res and detail,
-The glare effect (Neither good or bad, just slightly different)
-The water effects (particularly in Aberdeen) are much better on Xbox.

That's it.

However, I prefer Dreamcast, just because it boasts it's graphical power. The slowdown isn't too bad. I was playing it yesterday. Those graphics are still amazing. They still put out shittier looking games for XB, GC, PS2 etc. Sometimes, Shenmue II and Shenmue I has an almost photorealistic look. Such attention to detail.

[landi vs ren]

Well, the graphics are better on the Dreamcast so i'm going with that. It's almost a coin flip though...

Er no there not. as alimn said the xbox version has way more things going for it.

[LanDC]

The Xbox version is superior to the Dreamcast version is nearly every aspect. Really, the only thing better about the Dreamcast version... is the fact you can play it on the Dreamcast. Even though I prefer the feeling I get playing on the Dreamcast, I still cannot overlook the horrible slowdown and the lack of English voices, along with other minor nitpicks. One nitpick being if you pay attention to the ground textures at times, in some places like Aberdeen near where Jiminez Garcia arm wrestles, you'll notice the textures have jitters. A moving ground? :? If you've only played the Dreamcast version, you're really missing out. Characters disappear like ghosts way too often in the Dreamcast version, and most of the time, the lip movements are completely out of sync with the voices because the Dreamcast isn't fast enough to load everything at once.

The Xbox version runs flawlessly, with no terrible slowdown, causing me to have to scan the camera away from NPCs just to return to a normal framerate like on the Dreamcast version. The Xbox version has English voices, which despite how some people overreact, are not that bad. Ryo's model on the Xbox version is more enhanced and easier on the eyes, along with other minor touch-ups like the water in Aberdeen, and the lens flare (can't forget that one). On the Dreamcast version, you can look up at the sun and it'll disappear. It's very buggy and quite frankly, unattractive. This is fixed on the Xbox version. And there's also a pretty glowing effect at night. At first, I hated this new feature, but I've really grown to like it.

My only two complaints with the Xbox version are:

1.The blur effects added during fights. This was totally uncalled for. It's ugly.

2. It's a bit dark. They turned the internal brightness down just a bit to make the make newly added shadows noticable, I think. In the Xbox version, depending on where the sun is shining, nearby objects/buildings will leave a shadow on the ground. If the brightness is up higher, I've noticed you can't see their detail as well. Still, I can mod the game's internal file and bump up the internal brightness, so it's no problem for me in the end.

[JoeMDesign]

The water IS awesome.

I say the best option is to have a version that looks and plays like the Xbox version (which seems to have been given the more artistic glowy look that Shenmue I featured), but has a story that is actually representative of the creators original vision.

Since

a) All the names are the wrong way round

b) There are repeating character models

c) A "woman" version of Yuan

d) A PG-rated Ren

and

e) No direct item link when playing Shenmue I and II (like on the DC version)

All these things were included for the Xbox version of Shenmue II (strangely a Japanese version has never been produced) but were not meant to be in it.

This must mean that no version released of Shenmue II is really the "true" version. The closest would be the Japanese release on Dreamcast but as LanDC pointed out that it's really bug-ridden and the DC can't handle it as well as the Xbox version.

Let's hope the "next-gen" Shenmue encompasses all three games and the power of the 360/PS3/Wii (whatever console) can realise Shenmue II in it's purest form.

So to answer your question, the Xbox version is better but still far from perfect.

[miguel_erosennin]

Dreamcast for me, Japanese voices, I’m used to Japan language since I watch anime.

[ys]

I prefer the Dreamcast version. Better voice acting and I don't like the blur and nightly glow from the Xbox-version. Furthermore I don't care about extra's like screenshots so I don't see that as a plus anyway.

And I actually like having multiple discs unlike many. Games nowadays are kind of boring with their DVD packaging compared to how it was before I think.

[Jagwarlord]

DC version. I like that fact that I can play Shenmue 1 and 2 without having to change systems. I also like the button layout for the DC. The grafix look brighter on DC too and those red trees look like crap in the xbox version. I also can't stand the blur effect in the xbox.