madtheory's Full Review: Afro Samurai for Xbox 360
The number one headband. In the universe of Takashi Okazaki's critically acclaimed manga and animated series Afro Samurai, the headband is both the greatest gift and the ultimate curse. The one who wears it is said to be bestowed with powers akin to that of a god, while being forever destined to be pursued by the only one who can kill him, he who posseses the number two headband.
Developed by Surge, Afro Samurai for the XBox 360 is a video game translation of the successful comic franchise. The player is tasked to control the hero, a stoic black samurai simply named Afro, as he fights his way through an alt-steampunk-styled feudal Japan in his quest for revenge against the current number one, the man who killed his father.
Those accustomed to arcade brawlers are instantly going to feel at home with the controls. The four surface buttons correspond to light slash, heavy slash, block, and kick. Combo strings can be performed by rapidly pressing attacks in a specific order. There are several preset combos initially available, while others must be unlocked as the player progresses through the story mode, including some of Afro's father moves that are unlocked by finding five mementos hidden throughout each level. Even though none of the move combinations are terribly complex, the addition of a "dojo" training mode would have gone a long way in helping players master Afro's loaded move arsenal much more quickly.
While fighting, Afro Samurai's attacks build up his inner Focus allowing him to enter something called Focus Mode. Think "bullet time" from The Matrix - game time slows down drastically allowing for Afro to be more precise and considerably more damaging with his strikes. While Focused, Afro has access to an additional array of devastating attacks including body-bisecting perfect slashes, bullet cuts and reflects, and a number of roll and flip escapes.
Graphically, the game sports a gloomy cell-shaded beauty that manages to incorporate both the seamlessness of the animated series and the panel-driven action of the comic manga. To totally immerse the player in the blood-gushing glory of the game, the typical Heads Up Display (HUD) clutter has been removed in favor of displaying the characters' vitals on the characters themselves. Afro's damage taken is represented by the amount of blood in his clothes, a glowing pendant attached to his sword measures his focus meter, and successful combo strings are represented by splatters of blood on the screen.
The sounds in Afro Samurai are everything you'd expect from the franchise; sharp steel-to-steel clashes, rich splashes of blood, and the wails of fallen foes are all artfully laid over somber, Shaolin Hip-Hop from legendary Wu-Tang producer RZA. All of the voice acting is true to the series as well; Ron Perlman returns as the smoky-voiced Justice, and Kelly Hu brings life to the beautiful female assassin Okiku. Of course the irrepressible Samuel L. Jackson reprises his dual role as both Afro and Ninja Ninja, the Flavor Flav to Afro's Chuck D. In addition to providing occasional guidance to the player, the Ninja alter-ego delivers classic chestnuts such as "she puts both asses in ‘assassin'" and "I see you picked your favorite character: ‘Guy Who Dies Like a B***h.'"
Sadly, your most challenging foe in this game will not be amongst the hordes of endless ninja and samurai you'll be facing, it will be the frikking camera. Typically in games like this, the camera floats just behind the shoulder of the player, but in AS the camera rotates around the protagonist seemingly at random, frustratingly changing directional orientation as it spins around Afro. Coupling these camera problems with other significant shortcomings such as unnecessary platforming jumps, the inability to skip cut scenes, cut scenes that end before the dialog completes, and artificially long periods between save points to lengthen the game, and what could have been a great cult classic is almost reduced to bargain bin fodder.
While hardcore Afro Samurai fans will revel in the sheer unadulterated joy of spilling blood as the afro-rocking unf**kwitable samurai, those unfamiliar with the franchise may not be able to look past the glitches and bugs, and see the decent game buried underneath. Cop it if you're a fan of the franchise; rent it if you're not - you may find yourself hooked.
Follow Afro Samurai as he fights to become the number one warrior, a title currently held by Justice, the man who killed Afro's father when he was a c...More at J&R Music and Computer World
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