Home Login Sign Up Forums News Articles Leaderboards Members Search
Welcome! Sign up to remove the advertisements.

Options:
Archived: Slashing To The Beat: Afro Samurai

Posted Under: Articles
Slashing To The Beat: Afro Samurai
Xbox America Staff
Xbox America Staff

This is a staff member of Xbox America

Xbox America Friend
Xbox America Friend

This user has donated $1+ to Xbox America.

Burnt Waffle
Burnt Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 25,000 or higher.

Bronze Waffle
Bronze Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 50,000 or higher.

Silver Waffle
Silver Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 100,000 or higher.

Golden Waffle
Golden Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 150,000 or higher.

1,000 Posts
1,000 Posts

This user has written over 1,000 posts. Rock on!

Community Spotlight
Community Spotlight

This Xbox America member has been featured in the Monthly Community Spotlight.

360Voice Group
360Voice Group

This user is a member of Xbox America's group on 360Voice.com.

Ron Burgundy
Ron Burgundy

This user has written 10+ published Xbox America news articles.

Brain Stormer
Brain Stormer

This user thought of an idea for a new site feature which was later implemented.

Sociable
Sociable

This user introduced himself or herself in the Introduce Yourself forum.

Googler
Googler

This user used the Xbox America search bar.

Gamercard Lover
Gamercard Lover

This user has posted one of his or her official Xbox America gamercards on another website.

Alright, so what's better than a hack and slash videogame based on a pretty awesome anime staring a crazy samurai? How about the fact that said swordsman sports an afro, and is voiced by Samuel L. Jackson. That's right; Afro Samurai, the popular anime series that aired on Spike TV last year has made its videogame debut. Does it deserve fanfare and praise, or should it be cast aside with the rest of videogames based on insert medium here?

First off, for those of you not in the know about Afro Samurai...I can't really fault you, since I had never actually seen an episode until last weekend. Playing the game, however, prompted me to download and watch the series, a painfully short five episodes. The story follows a swordsman, literally named Afro, on his quest to avenge the death of his father, who was killed before his eyes when he was a child by a gunman named Justice. Afro's father was one of many killed for the Number One Headband; a relic that signifies the owner as being the best swordsman in the world, and some legends even tell that the owner will become a god. The bearer of the Number One Headband can only be challenged by the person wielding the Number Two Headband. Afro, of course, is the current owner of the Number Two Headband, and the target of every assassin looking for power and fame.

I was actually pleasantly surprised that the videogame followed the story pretty much to the T. Sure, there were a few minor differences here and there, but this was the closest videogame adaptation I have seen in recent memory. The other thing I noticed right off the bat: The art style is beautiful. Using cel-shaded graphics with pencil cross-hatching in certain areas was a nice touch, and really draws players into the game. With no Heads Up Display and everything delivered via cross-scenes in real time, rather than breaking up the action with text, players can really get into it, and at times feel like they are actually playing the anime, rather than a videogame.

Alright, once I got through admiring the graphics and environments, it was onto actually playing. The action began right in the first level, where a single line of text appeared across the bottom of the screen as the first battle was about to begin. That was it; the action didn't stop for the rest of the game. Again, much like the anime it is based on, there was no break or pause in the fighting; only the occasional quip from Afro's imaginary sidekick, Ninja Ninja, to break some of the tension and give you a laugh.

The game plays like your basic hack and slash; X is for light attacks, Y for heavy attacks. You can string these two buttons in tandem to create combos, and there is actually a combo menu for you to look at, but it is useless for the most part. Aside from no combo being that difficult, bringing up this menu would pause the flow of combat and do more harm than good. There is a "Bullet-time" (Sword-Time?) of sorts, referred to as Focus mode, where everything becomes black and white, and a speck of light shimmers down Afro's sword when you hold an attack button. If let go when this light reaches the tip of his sword, a devastating damage bonus will accompany your attack, and more often than not lob a limb or two off in the process. There is nothing more satisfying than trying to catch a quick ninja, only to slow down time as they jump up to avoid you, and you end up cleaving their body in half.

Unfortunately, that is pretty much the entire game in a nutshell. The Focus aspect is the only feature that really makes it stand out from any other hack and slash, and while you may think that cleaving enemies in half can never get boring, after seven levels of it....no, it doesn't really get boring, but just a tad bit repetitive. One thing that really annoyed me was that during boss fights and larger fights, invisible walls would come up blocking you off from your objective until the fight was finished. Alright, I understand that: What made me angry was the fact that the enemies more often than not cheated; if I was caught against the invisible wall in a corner, a lot of times they would use the same attack over and over, knocking me into the wall and down, and just as I was about to get up, before I had a chance to do anything, they would hit me with it again, and again. More than half of my health would be gone in a few frustrating seconds of not being able to move.

Health was another interesting thing; as I said earlier, there is no Heads Up Display of any kind. I didn't quite understand at first, but health seems to be measured by how red Afro's clothing becomes. When it starts to become a deep red, the screen starts to become hazy as you are on the brink of death. There is also an experience system that is never fully explained; I have seen a message flashing across the screen saying I gained a rank, but no where does it say what rank I am, how much experience I have, or what these ranks actually do.

Another frustrating quirk; the difficulty is noticeably up and down. While the majority of the game is not too difficult, boss battles become strikingly hard for no reason. Nothing is helped by the fact that the game doesn't really give you any pointers on how to combat your foe; you're pretty much left to figure that out on your own. I mean, I'm always up for a challenge, but when you're coasting along hacking up baddies without getting struck, and then you get beat down by a boss fight five times in a row, it gets a little aggravating.

Speaking of aggravating, lets have a look at jumping in the game. Now, I am no fan of jumping in videogames; I don't mind a little fancy wall running and such if it is kept simple, but too many bad experiences with Tomb Raider and the likes on PSOne turned me off to the whole jumping thing. There are quite a few jumping maneuvers that players need to pull off in this game, but the way Afro jumps is...well, kind of clunky, for lack of a better term. For a game of this type, you would expect the jumping to be smooth and similar to say, Ninja Gaiden, for example. What we get is the opposite; I have to pull off the same moves as other games, such as wall running, wall jumping, pole-vaulting, etc. However, unless conditions are perfect, Afro can only jump about two or three inches off of the ground. I guess he is a samurai, not a ninja...

Of course, nothing is helped in the game by the camera. Now, some of you may have heard about how atrocious the camera is; it isn't as bad as I have heard some people describe it, but it isn't an action-friendly camera, and if your game focuses on action above all else, that's not a good thing. First off, unlike almost every other action game, the camera is inverted; this means up is down and down up, left is right and right left. Unlike every game I have played that I can remember, there is no way to change this to normal. So you are stuck having to adjust to the inverted camera. I never fully adjusted, and many times found myself moving it in the opposite direction I wanted it to. To me, that was a poor design choice; make the default inverted if you are that set on it, but at least give players the option to change it to something more comfortable. Another camera defect was the fact that I found it sat too close to Afro, and more often than not I was getting hit by enemies I couldn't see. If you can adjust, it might not be as bad for you, but in a game of this type, the camera couldn't so much use a little re-working, as it could a complete over-haul.

Sound in this game? Fucking amazing. I'm sorry, but colorful language was the only thing I could use to describe it. The voice acting was spot on; Ninja Ninja, who I mentioned earlier, and who is also voiced by Jackson, was a big motivator to keep me playing. His lines were great, and for such a serious action-packed game, I was literally laughing out loud at some of his comments. All of the voice actors are the ones from the anime series, including Jackson as Afro and Ninja Ninja, Kelly Hu as Kokiku, and Ron Perlman as Justice. Aside from the superb voice-acting, I loved the music. It would go from Feudal Japan style sounds, to an all out hip-hop jam during big battles. The music in the game, as well as the anime, is inspired, and largely produced by The RZA. I don't know, it just pulls it all together: A heavy-metal type mix ala Devil May Cry just wouldn't work, but RZA's tracks, all custom recorded for Afro Samurai, fit perfect. Plus, I'm a Wu-Tang fan from back in the 90s; 36 Chambers is one of the best albums ever recorded. But I digress...

I know all of you wafflers out there are saying 'Alright Hektic, we don't care about your shitty taste in music. What about the achievements?!' Well, I managed to beat the game in about two days; if you do your homework ahead of time and grab yourself a list of the five collectibles in each level, you can get around five to six hundred points in one play through. The achievements are a good balance of completing chapters, performing special decapitations and amputations, to collecting particular items. Kidd Cartel has an achievement guide viewable here that will help you on your way to 1000 points. If you really want to 1K this game, be prepared from some frustration; a whopping 200 points can be had for beating the game on both difficulties (normal, and then hard), but hard mode is quite difficult. There are also a fair number of achievements that involve playing Ninja Ninja's minigame "Body Part Poker", in which you have to lob off the limbs and heads of a particular set of enemies, which can become really difficult depending on the type of enemy, and may cause some frustration to some.

Afro Samurai has everything going for it; a good brand name, some big hitting voice actors, a great soundtrack and beautiful visual style. It is a shame that it is plagued by minor annoyances, glaring and frustrating difficulty changes, and some poor game mechanics. If you are a fan of action-type games, definitely check this one out. If you are a waffler looking for a couple hundred gamerscore, want a really enjoyable experience, and have a weekend or so to devote to it, I would give it a rental. If you're a completionist looking for a 1K, you may get frustrated and loose a controller or two in the process. I give Afro Samurai a 6 out of 10: Namco Bandai gave us a good game, but with some more testing, more attention to gameplay details, and a new camera, it could have been amazing.
Attachments
Afro_3.jpg15084
Afro_4.jpg150127
Afro_5.jpg15085
Re: Slashing To The Beat: Afro Samurai
Competition Pro
Competition Pro

This user has won three or more gamerscore competitions.

Xbox America Staff
Xbox America Staff

This is a staff member of Xbox America

Xbox America Friend
Xbox America Friend

This user has donated $1+ to Xbox America.

Xbox America Sponsor
Xbox America Sponsor

This user has donated $15+ to Xbox America.

Xbox America Benefactor
Xbox America Benefactor

This user has donated $50+ to Xbox America.

Burnt Waffle
Burnt Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 25,000 or higher.

Bronze Waffle
Bronze Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 50,000 or higher.

Silver Waffle
Silver Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 100,000 or higher.

Golden Waffle
Golden Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 150,000 or higher.

3 Year Login Streak
3 Year Login Streak

This user has logged in to Xbox America every day for the past three years.

1,000 Posts
1,000 Posts

This user has written over 1,000 posts. Rock on!

Head of State
Head of State

This user has one of the highest gamerscores in his or her region.

Community Spotlight
Community Spotlight

This Xbox America member has been featured in the Monthly Community Spotlight.

360Voice Group
360Voice Group

This user is a member of Xbox America's group on 360Voice.com.

Waffle Philanthropist
Waffle Philanthropist

This user has donated three or more games to the Waffle Order thread.

Barterer
Barterer

This user has completed 3 or more game trades and is in good trading standing.

Ron Burgundy
Ron Burgundy

This user has written 10+ published Xbox America news articles.

Discussion Sparker
Discussion Sparker

This user created a thread which attracted 150 or more replies.

Brain Stormer
Brain Stormer

This user thought of an idea for a new site feature which was later implemented.

Marketer
Marketer

This user has referred five users to Xbox America.

Representin'
Representin'

This user has given Xbox America some love in his Xbox Live motto.

It Defines Me
It Defines Me

This user mentioned Xbox America in his Xbox Live biography.

Sociable
Sociable

This user introduced himself or herself in the Introduce Yourself forum.

Googler
Googler

This user used the Xbox America search bar.

Gamercard Lover
Gamercard Lover

This user has posted one of his or her official Xbox America gamercards on another website.

Nice review Hektic :D
Re: Slashing To The Beat: Afro Samurai
Burnt Waffle
Burnt Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 25,000 or higher.

Gamercard Lover
Gamercard Lover

This user has posted one of his or her official Xbox America gamercards on another website.

Awesome review Hektic made some points that I can 100% agree on.

Deleted User

amsat

amsat

Canada

Carebear

yeah its a nice review!
Todd D.

http://www.newstin.com/tag/us/128621216
Re: Slashing To The Beat: Afro Samurai
Competition Pro
Competition Pro

This user has won three or more gamerscore competitions.

Xbox America Staff
Xbox America Staff

This is a staff member of Xbox America

Xbox America Friend
Xbox America Friend

This user has donated $1+ to Xbox America.

Burnt Waffle
Burnt Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 25,000 or higher.

Bronze Waffle
Bronze Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 50,000 or higher.

Silver Waffle
Silver Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 100,000 or higher.

Golden Waffle
Golden Waffle

This user has achieved a gamerscore of 150,000 or higher.

3 Year Login Streak
3 Year Login Streak

This user has logged in to Xbox America every day for the past three years.

1,000 Posts
1,000 Posts

This user has written over 1,000 posts. Rock on!

Community Spotlight
Community Spotlight

This Xbox America member has been featured in the Monthly Community Spotlight.

360Voice Group
360Voice Group

This user is a member of Xbox America's group on 360Voice.com.

Waffle Philanthropist
Waffle Philanthropist

This user has donated three or more games to the Waffle Order thread.

Barterer
Barterer

This user has completed 3 or more game trades and is in good trading standing.

Ron Burgundy
Ron Burgundy

This user has written 10+ published Xbox America news articles.

Discussion Sparker
Discussion Sparker

This user created a thread which attracted 150 or more replies.

Brain Stormer
Brain Stormer

This user thought of an idea for a new site feature which was later implemented.

Marketer
Marketer

This user has referred five users to Xbox America.

Master Marketer
Master Marketer

This user has referred ten users to Xbox America.

Sociable
Sociable

This user introduced himself or herself in the Introduce Yourself forum.

Googler
Googler

This user used the Xbox America search bar.

Gamercard Lover
Gamercard Lover

This user has posted one of his or her official Xbox America gamercards on another website.

Community Player
Community Player

This gamer participated in Xbox America's Xbox.com Community Playdate.

Miscellaneous Service
Miscellaneous Service

This user has performed some sort of miscellaneous service for Xbox America that deserves to be recognized.

i played the demo and it was terrible just like Epic Lou said... el terriblay
1 7023
This thread has been archived. When a thread has been inactive for an extended period of time, it becomes "archived." These threads may be viewed but may not receive new posts. If you have something to post relevant to the topic, try searching for a more recent thread or create a new thread.