Afro Samurai
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I'm not certain that Afro Samurai was ever a very popular film; hidden in a sub-genre of a once niche market that is anime within western culture. With that, I can't imagine that the game based off this film was lucky enough to gain the same amount of exposure, but what do I know. In the end, I loved the anime. It was very well done, somewhat crass and over-the-top, but a great watch and the same goes for the game. It came out at a time when technology was there to back up the visual style and gameplay that best represented the film. And although I'm not sure it was every a very popular game at any point, it sure had the guts to be as it really was solid in-and-out.
Afro Samurai was a fairly great looking title, using an advanced cel-shading technique the game engine renders out the assets so they appear quite similar to their original 2D designs. And although I find cel-shading can feel like an overused gimmick at times, when it's well presented as it is in this game it seems as if any other choice would have been a very silly one.
It was also featured a brilliant score directed by RZA who worked on the original anime score. Though not directly composed by RZA due to time constraints it certainly holds up and has a nice unique feel separate of the movie's.
Afro Samurai is a solid, fun brawler that lets you control Afro who is the 'number 2' in the world and his revenge-filled fight to find and kill the 'number 1'. The story borrows mostly from the anime, but this is really one of those games where the story takes a step back because all you want to do is enjoy the brilliant sword combat. Before Metal Gear Rising did it, Afro Samurai introduced a slow-motion combat mechanic that allows you to control how you slice with your sword. Rotating a red line through your enemies can allow you to slice off specific limbs or cut them right in half at whatever angle you choose. There are also a few special combat moves that allow you do deflect bullets and even carve them in half, sending fragments towards nearby foes.
I loved Afro Samurai for it's visuals, score and it's super fun gameplay mechanics. It may not be the best game I've ever played, but it may be one of the finest game adaptations of an anime I've ever played.
I'm not certain that Afro Samurai was ever a very popular film; hidden in a sub-genre of a once niche market that is anime within western culture. With that, I can't imagine that the game based off this film was lucky enough to gain the same amount of exposure, but what do I know. In the end, I loved the anime. It was very well done, somewhat crass and over-the-top, but a great watch and the same goes for the game. It came out at a time when technology was there to back up the visual style and gameplay that best represented the film. And although I'm not sure it was every a very popular game at any point, it sure had the guts to be as it really was solid in-and-out.Afro Samurai was a fairly great looking title, using an advanced cel-shading technique the game engine renders out the assets so they appear quite similar to their original 2D designs. And although I find cel-shading can feel like an overused gimmick at times, when it's well presented as it is in this game it seems as if any other choice would have been a very silly one.
It was also featured a brilliant score directed by RZA who worked on the original anime score. Though not directly composed by RZA due to time constraints it certainly holds up and has a nice unique feel separate of the movie's.
Afro Samurai is a solid, fun brawler that lets you control Afro who is the 'number 2' in the world and his revenge-filled fight to find and kill the 'number 1'. The story borrows mostly from the anime, but this is really one of those games where the story takes a step back because all you want to do is enjoy the brilliant sword combat. Before Metal Gear Rising did it, Afro Samurai introduced a slow-motion combat mechanic that allows you to control how you slice with your sword. Rotating a red line through your enemies can allow you to slice off specific limbs or cut them right in half at whatever angle you choose. There are also a few special combat moves that allow you do deflect bullets and even carve them in half, sending fragments towards nearby foes.
I loved Afro Samurai for it's visuals, score and it's super fun gameplay mechanics. It may not be the best game I've ever played, but it may be one of the finest game adaptations of an anime I've ever played.
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