I am a huge Afro Samurai fan. If Afro was a real live person, I’d be one those fans they always show on TV crying and freaking out because they got to stand close to their hero. I was majorly hyped for the release of Afro Samurai the game, but my spirits were quickly crushed by the beat down (64 on Metacritic) given to the game by the critics. I had to see for myself just how bad Afro Samurai really was…I just did not want to pay money to do it.

Forget what you’ve heard and check out my impressions of Afro Samurai after the jump!

Thankfully a number of friends picked it up, for the simple fact they are even bigger Afro fans than myself, so I managed to get a fair amount of hands on time (PS3).

If your an Afro Samurai fan than you MUST own this game. There really is no other way to say it. I’m buying it myself tomorrow. If your not familiar with the Afro Samurai Manga, film or TV show (in which case GET FAMILIAR), the games flaws will probably put you off.

Afro Samurai is a beautiful looking game and the obvious Manga influence on the graphics really makes the title “feel” the way you’d expect. RZA created an incredible hip-hop soundtrack that has just a hint of Asian melody throughout. On top of that you have the voice work of Samuel L. Jackson, which is dead on wicked in this game.

Ninja Ninja serves as the comic relief as Afro Samurai (the owner of the number two headband) searches for the owner of the number one headband (the man who killed his father). As the story goes, the number one headband bestows power upon whoever wears it, but Afro is after vengeance, not power. Of course, since only the person wearing the number two headband can challenge the number one, a lot of very unsavory characters are looking to slice Afro’s dome for the chance at power (or their own revenge).

The game is as bloody and ultra violent as everything else bearing the Afro Samurai name. A nice dust up will paint the whole room red, literally. You’ve got your heavy and light attacks plus a few kicks to use in combat. The combat gameplay is decent, control wise, but insanely fun most of the time, just don’t expect it to compare to a title like Ninja Gaiden.

The brutal combat is really the best part about the game, especially once you string a few combos together and enter focus mode. Time slows down and you can hack off limbs in spectacularly bloody ways. You can get into focus mode pretty easily and it keeps you from getting bored from button mashing all the time.

Of course the game does have a number of undeniable flaws. A problematic camera (that can’t be customized) and frame rate stutters don’t do the game any favors. The platforming passed the class with a C-.  There are a few levels where you spend WAY too much time just running around not fighting and a few others levels where you fight WAY too many generic enemies in the same spot.

It really comes down to whether or not your a fan of Afro Samurai. If you are, than it’s a pretty safe bet you’ll really enjoy this game and feel proud to add it to your Afro media collection. If your not familiar with Afro, I highly recommend watching the show, or the film, or reading the Manga before playing the game. If your just not a fan, the games faults will win out and your better off going elsewhere for your gaming fix.

Did I mention you fight a whole bunch of super hot bare breasted ninja girls?

“Nothing personal, it’s just revenge.” – Afro Samurai

Source: AfroSamurai.com & BloodIsBeautiful.com

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