Afro Samurai Review
Afro Samurai is the video game based on the story from the Anime that was shown on Spike TV a while back. You'll have your chance to assume the role of Afro as you fight your way to Justice, to avenge your father, and to obtain the number 1 headband. You'll get to peer into Afro's past, and you'll have to cut down anyone who stands in your way.
Graphically this game feels like what I pictured an Afro Samurai game to look like. It really feels like the show. The one problem I have with the graphics is how they render hair, in general. Most of the time it looks like a lot of down feathers or smoke billowing in the wind. The other thing is that there is no collision detection on hair so some beards disappear through bodies, other times hair will have no problem sticking through objects. The fight animations, when not using the slowdown mechanism look choppy, it isn't until you use the slow down mechanism that it looks more fluid, like the series.
The music is on par with what you've come to expect, thanks to the series. Some of the levels I kind of left Afro standing there so that I could listen to the music. The sounds aren't that bad either, yes there is some recycling when it comes to killing enemies, but that happens in almost every game. Samuel Jackson's voice-overs are really hit and miss for me. There are times where I find the humor, and then there are times when I wish he'd just stop and let me focus on the game.
The controls in the game get utilized, lets put it that way. You're definitely going to need to learn how to block, how to utilize the slow down mechanism to use attacks, and learn new moves as they come along. My one problem is the default on how the camera works in the game, to me the control of the right analog feels reversed.
So the game play is the one thing that I was dying to really delve into. I wanted to have those sweet moves that Afro had on the show. I wanted to slice and dice all that stood in my way, and I wanted to get that number 1 headband. Overall I think this game was headed in the right place, but I left feeling like there was just so much repetition to each level. You get to move a bit and then 1 or 2 waves of enemies will come at you, and then you get to move a bit. There were times where there would be invisible walls outside of combat which really didn't make sense. There were also certain railings or obstacles that you could easily jump over, while a different situation you'd find yourself stopped by an invisible wall. I really didn't understand the load screens. You would just start hearing some characters talk and then... you're starting a level without hearing all that was going to be said. One thing that I thought would be a must in video games now is the ability to skip a cutscene, but this game does not have that option, so you're left button mashing until you can actually move.
In closing this game had great potential, but I don't think the transition of allowing people to play Afro went well. You're going to be left with a button mashing, hack and slash game that could have felt better. If you're dying to play this game, I recommend renting it first to see if you can get through the problems that I had. Afro Samurai gets a 6.1 out of 10.
