Hey, Afro!
It’s, by now, no mystery that I enjoy Beat ’em Ups as a genre. From the NES Ninja Gaidens to Streets of Rage, I’ve long loved smashing the faces of differently colored street punks and robot ninjas. It’s an art form really. To that end, Afro Samurai the video game exists (for 360 and PS3). The violence is downright artistic. It’s another title you’ll find in a bargain bin that provides hours of fun and an oddly fulfilling story (and fulfilling gaming experience in general).
The prospect of Samuel L. Jackson in anything titillates me like any other nerd. After I get over the initial intrinsic appeal of him dropping a few F-bombs (like no other), I move on though. It’s easy to forget that he’s a good actor and easier to become disappointed when he’s parodying his own trademark intensity.
Despite an interesting premise, the anime just sucked and Samuel L. Jackson’s involvement was mostly a gimmick that couldn’t carry it.
I was disappointed because I enjoy your classic revenge plots as the basis for an action story. I especially enjoy them when you deviate from the formula by adding a flawed protagonist of questionable sanity. Revenge plots often feature a guy who has been clearly wronged, getting back at people who deserve it. Afro is a bad man, doing bad things to both innocent and deserving alike. Add in two magical headbands that decide if you’re a bad enough dude to face the boss, and future-feudal-rap Japan and you have a great backdrop.
I was happy, felt vindicated even, when the game took that unique base (the one the anime squandered) and succeeded at building a coherent story with great voice acting (not just from Jackson, everyone involved)… oh and awesome action gameplay.
The story (revenge plot with cool setting) is told very well. Not just because the bar was set low by the original anime, but as a game in general. This sad, surreal tale actually evokes emotion between fits of awesome visceral combat. You’re on a sort of rollercoaster of awesome with three different Jackson’s in your head as the narrator. The gameplay (with the exception of one puzzle/platform level) is just damn solid; adequately varied with a good difficulty curve and a high “I’m a badass” factor.
The art is great too. Maps are beautifully rendered, cel shaded canvases and your katana is the paint brush splattering aesthetic gore all over.
I truly enjoyed this game. The ending fit, the love story is… honest, the soundtrack is unexpectedly good, and there’s a stage featuring falling, fighting, and rock music (again).