Developer: Surge
Publisher: Surge
Available on: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Reviewed on: Xbox 360
With a lone warrior slicing and dicing his way through the hordes of bad guys who stand between him and the man who killed his father, and all the action taking place in a cyberpunk version of feudal Japan, the anime "Afro Samurai" seemed like it was itching to be turned into a video game. But while the obvious question may be, "What took so long?"—the original aired so long ago that they’ve already made a sequel, “Afro Samurai: Resurrection,” which airs this month on Spike TV—what fans of the toon may end up wondering instead is, “How long do we have to wait for the next one?”
"Afro," which expands upon the anime’s story, shares a lot with such hack n' slash actioners as the "Onimusha" series and the recent "Ninja Gaiden" games. But there’s more to it than just mashing buttons furiously. Besides the usual compliment of button combo moves, Afro can do special attacks when he concentrates really hard, such as cutting his enemies in half or kicking their legs out from under them. And when he’s surrounded (and hasn’t used it in a while), he can go into Overfocus, which lets him quickly dispatch multiple baddies before they have time to introduce themselves.
"Afro" also employs many of the tenets of other ninja and samurai games, such as letting our hero run up walls to get to those hard to reach places. And while the fighting isn’t as bloody as it was in "Ninja Gaiden 2," it is as fast and furious, and thus just as viscerally satisfying.
Still, anyone looking for the next "Onimusha" or "God of War" won’t find it here. It’s neither as deep as a "Ninja Gaiden" game, nor as flawlessly fluid as any "God of War" entry. Camera controls are also so loose that it sometimes becomes an impediment. Even the game’s cel-shaped graphics, while cool, have been executed better in other games, most notably the recent "Prince of Persia."
Fans of the anime, however, should feel this is a great translation of the series, one that really makes you feel like you’re Afro as you walk the Earth—no, wait, wrong guy—as you battle Kuma, the Empty Seven Clan and your own metallic doppelganger.
Bottom Line: Revenge is a dish best served with an X X Y combo.
What other people are saying...
Aeger from hood - February 02, 2009 at 11:24 AM
or a Sqaure, Triangle, Triangle combo as well :)
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