Afro Samurai for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

I was at first impressed with the cell-shaded graphics and excellent voice acting (Sam Jackson's profanity-laced diatribes are hilarious) that transfer the themes and story of the Anime cult hit superbly. However, I soon grew tired of dispatching wave after wave of carbon-copied enemies interspersed with mini and main boss battles. Admittedly, the combat engine is awesome- never have I had the degree of control over a blade in a videogame, providing moments of sheer (shear?) elation as I sliced and diced my foes at every conceivable angle (Top of someone's head? Check. Both legs at the femur? Check. How about cleaving someone in two from head to groin? Double check). A tedium set in as I navigated the game's storyline, impressed as I was with the production design and style. Success against the increasingly difficult boss battles requires a very narrow skill set, limiting the choices the player has in order to beat a particular foe. When a game devolves into robotic button mashing, I check out (I had similar issues with Street Fighter 4). Definitely worth a look, there's fun to be had, but I think the next game in the series would benefit from more gameplay variety, perhaps in the form of upgradeable weapons and skills. Add a .5 to my rating for the combat system though- it is gloriously violent...

nuff said.

for those of you who dont have cable tv....(?) afro samurai was a 5 episode anime on Spike TV starring samuel l jackson as an...afro-ed samurai. the show was great. over the top action, hip hop style, and language foul enough to curdle milk. the game of the same title has the same attributes. so lets look at the pros and cons.
PROS:
1. graphics.i really like them.cell shaded, and the characters don't look goofy in 3d.
2.the gameplay.simple button mashing. easy to pic up, easy to perform brutal attacks.
3.a cool new game engine that allows u to slice and dice enemys accurately.clothing tears,meat shows,blood sprays,and the part you cut is the part that splits.
4.all the original actors for the voices.feels like the show.just great.
CONS:
1. sadly, more than id like there to be. first off...the gameplay.id really expect more from a game that's supposed to be INSANLY over the top. it isnt.sure,you can hack and slash through countless enemys,you can even use bullet time to slow things down and slice em in half...but it feels sluggish and slow.you can wall run...but only in certain spots...you can move crazy fast to kill loads of enemys...but only if you wait for EVER.idk,i just wish that the gameplay had stuck to the true nature of the show.i know they COULD have done it...but they DIDNT.
2.the language.yeah...sam jackson IS KNOWN for his EM EFFS...but there werent even this many in the show.if you dont want you kids asking uncomfortable questions...dont play this game around them.seriously.
3.innacuracy.never have i seen a game that was so unfaithful to the story it is based off of.SURE it has the BASIC story line...but they change EVERYTHING for the sake of extending the game length...and that will ruin it for the fan boys.

in the end...this is a good game, especially if you want to just kill something. but it isn't good ENOUGH. it just ends up feeling LAST GEN.

but rent it. an 8/10.

this review brought to you by pucheo on youtube.