- Follow the exploits of the original series, with all new material and background for fans to enjoy
- Strikingly beautiful art style and texturing, with smooth balletic moves for amazing visuals and action
- Hip-hop inspired soundtrack created by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan actually affects the enemy AI’s movements
- Star-studded cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Pearlman and Kelly Hu in their series roles
- Without pre-rendered enemies, attack scenes are unending in their possible combinations
Product Description
He who possesses the #1 Headband, will rule the world! Afro Samurai is the cutting edge game that delivers a new kind of cinematic game experience, a living episode that offers addictive, immersive and compelling gamepl… More >>
T. Oats · May 29, 2010 at 4:32 pm
First of all the camera views is ridiculous and annoying….. the graphics were great I have to admit but i didn’t purchase the game to just watch the graphics….. the button lay out is just retarded I mean come on three buttons practically controls all his movements……. it is a really really did I already say real lol repetitive game its pretty much the same ninja zombies or what ever you want to call them on every stage and oh yeah speaking of stages don’t get to a part you can’t figure out because there is no objective menue and no maps….. really who designs a game like this in the mist of a bad economy one the last joys a guy has is his/her entertainment to help them get through rough times and honestly this game really wasted both my time and more importantly my money this game really left a bad taste in my mouth maybe i’m wrong for saying so but I will never purchase another game which is a spin off of a movie or anime because I’m just too afraid it’ll be similar to this B.S game Word to the wise don’t waste your time or money
Rating: 1 / 5
OaktopRidge · May 29, 2010 at 5:35 pm
I’ve never reviewed a product before, but with this one I had to let others know of the content in case it wasn’t clear enough in the title description or from the reviews available on the Internet.
Just some background information: I’ve never seen the Afro Samurai animated series and I’ve never read the graphic novels.
The Graphics:
Absolutely top notch. Very few games can boast about their respective visuals as this game can. The animations are extremely fluid and never choppy (e.g. when having Afro change directions the character actually animates towards the direction he’s directed to… he doesn’t just instantly appear facing another direction without a nicely rendered animation. The same goes for standing after getting knocked down or any swing of the sword). All of the animations are beautiful and nearly flawless.
The Controls:
The X-axis on the camera control (the right thumb stick) is inverted and cannot be changed in the options menu. This means that if you would like to look left you would move the stick to the right and vice versa. It can be somewhat disorienting during a fight with a large number of enemies but, with a little time, I adjusted to it all the same.
The Gameplay:
I’m not going to add anything to what can already be seen with the videos available online as well as what can be read in the reviews on the game sites. One thing I didn’t notice in any review or demo was the fact after a short time in the Daimyo’s temple Afro has to fight and hack apart extremely detailed/animated women with very little, if any, clothes on. Personally, I’ve never played a game where hacking apart women was a part of the “entertainment” (irregardless of the fact that these women are prostitues). As a hardened Emergency Room nurse, and one subjected to the escalating violence towards women every working day, I have to admit, I was more than a little disturbed. The game is about honor and family and the defending of the same, but hacking apart women is hardly necessary for boosting game sales, let alone is it entertaining.
Language:
If it matters to you at all, the F-word probably rears its head every minute or so. The voices can be turned off in the options menu, but all of the voices will be removed and the story will probably become impossible to follow and you’ll miss all the humorous quips from Afro’s sidekick, Ninja Ninja. Subtitles are also available.
That pretty much concludes my review. Anything regarding gameplay, story, etcetera, that I did not cover is available elsewhere in a “professional” review. The above mentioned items of interest are only for those people who want to know the finer details missing in a mainstream game review.
As far as the game goes… in general, the game is gorgeous and is lot of fun to play. The developer, in my opinion, needs to allow an option to remove the hacking of women from the story and allow the inverted X-axis to be changed then I would give this a five star rating. Until then, three stars is all it will be getting.
Edit: After having played through the game a couple of times, I have to say that this is a very deeply emotional gaming experience. I think the developers went out on a limb to capture their vision to the fullest, while knowingly alienating a large portion of the gaming world. The game is a brilliant example of dedication and quality craftmanship and is the perfect specimen of gaming art and independence which bucks the currently established, static game formula and props up innovation in its place.
Rating: 3 / 5
ObiWanShinobi · May 29, 2010 at 6:49 pm
The tough part about making an Afro Samurai game would be (in my opinion) getting the art direction and gameplay to allow folks to really experience all the things that made the series so notable. Specifically, finding a graphic way to bring the series animation to what should be a super bloody hack and slash console game and have it make sense…all while retaining the unique style of the series through the characters, story, design and music.
The folks that made this game, to my surprise, nailed the crap outta the hard part. Which should make this game be all kinds of super awesome and a ton of fun to play. The game retains all of the violence, RZA and Samuel L. Jackson goodness that the series had, and presents it all in a really swank and surprisingly cohesive way.
However, if you’ve read a review of this game then you may have heard mention of the very “brokeashell” in-game camera. This is because (as awesome as this game is), the camera is, in fact, dysfunctional beyond belief. However, if you give this game a little bit of time you will eventually get “used” to the camera and stop fighting it as much as you progress through the game. But, and I’m not going to lie here, that process will drive you nuts in the first couple of stages. So with that being the case, is this game worth playing through?
Yepper.
And here’s why. When the camera does behave and isn’t whipping around for no reason, chopping up frames, and generally blocking your view of what you need to see – it does deliver some of the straight-up coolest hip-hop infused samurai action moments in the history of histories… chock full of body parts, buckets o’ blood in slo-mo, and it’s all To The Beat.
If this game were rereleased with a functioning camera, it would be a solid 5 star game. No joke.
So while it definitely sucks, the camera doesn’t make this game as unplayable as some folks’ll lead you to believe. The game is certainly worth your time, and I would say money… but not at full price. I am a fan (not huge, but def a fan) of the series and actually enjoyed this game.
I’d say, unless you are super hardcore fan of the series, this game doesn’t hold up well enough to buy new. Rent it or buy it used.
In summation – If you’re into the series or just into the wonderful Reeses Peanut Butter Cup of Awesomeness that is the combination of Samurai Action + Hip Hop culture, then this game is certainly worth playing, but with the whole camera issue…not exactly worth owning outright at a new price.
Rating: 3 / 5
Edwin Mirabal · May 29, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Games got good action sequences and keeps the fun moving at a good pace, achievements are pretty easy, you can work to get the 1000 in a few days or about 16 hours or so.
Rating: 4 / 5
Taylor C. White · May 29, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Not deep at all and very button-mashing/repetitive, but its not awful for the low price. The hip hop feel is pretty cool, but the game does get old.
Rating: 3 / 5