Afro Samurai

by Namco

Product Features

• Follow the exploits of the original series, with all new material and background for fans to enjoy
• Strikingly beautiful art style and texturing, with smooth balletic moves for amazing visuals and action
• Hip-hop inspired soundtrack created by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan actually affects the enemy AI's movements
• Star-studded cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Pearlman and Kelly Hu in their series roles
• Without pre-rendered enemies, attack scenes are unending in their possible combinations

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0014G26WO
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: January 27, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,764 in Video Games (See Bestsellers in Video Games)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #32 in

  Video Games > PlayStation 3 > Adventure

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: PLAYSTATION 3

Amazon.com Product Description

The only thing better than watching stylized samurai battles with Samuel L. Jackson's voice booming in your ear is controlling the character as it all happens. And now you can, with Afro Samurai for the PlayStation 3. Based on the popular anime series, Afro Samurai will finally let gamers control their favorite samurai as he violently slashes through an eclectic lineup of assassins, ninjas, and robotic thugs.

The voice acting is done by Samuel L. Jackson, who brings along his usual flair. View larger.

The Focus maneuver lets you low down time and perform precision hits.View larger.

The Story Unfolds
Set in a futuristic, yet feudal Japan, this story follows a samurai named Afro after his hair. Afro has set out to try and avenge his father's murder by a man named Justice. Justice murdered Afro's father to claim the 'Number One' headband, giving himself the chance to rule the world

Afro Samurai is based on the popular and stylistic anime of the same name. View larger.

with powers akin to a god. The only one allowed to challenge Number One is the person with the 'Number Two' headband, but unfortunately for Afro, the current owner of the headband, anybody and everybody can, and does, challenge Number Two. But never fear, as this new title includes brand new material and background for fans of the series and newcomers alike to enjoy.

Loads of Stylized Action
Afro Samurai brings gamers a balanced experienced, with stylistic combat and acrobatic platforming combined with the ability to dynamically slice and dismember enemies in unending ways. While gamers can hack and slash their way through many foes by combining heavy and light attacks with just two buttons, accomplished players will master moves like the Deep Throat Killer, where they pierce their opponent's neck and rip everything loose in a crimson splash.

Players will also need to learn the Focus maneuver with its bullet-time effect. This allows the user to slow down time and designate a specific strike zone, which with the right timing and skill can allow Afro to cleave an enemy in two or slice a limb completely off. And since characters are not pre-rendered you don't just get a canned scene when you cut through your enemy, giving you endless ways and means to cut your enemies down to size. This ethos is applied game-wide, as Afro is allowed to interact with anything and everything in his environment to help him on his journey.

Star-Studded Supporting Cast
Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as both Afro and Ninja in the game, and the same striking art style that made the anime series so popular provides the unique look and feel across beautifully animated open environments. And for those of you who are wondering, developers Namco Bandai let Jackson ad-lib a lot, so be prepared for his branded vulgarity and the M rating it helps the game earn.

Meanwhile, Ron Pearlman and Kelly Hu continue on in their roles as Justice and Okiku, while RZA of Wu-Tang Clan fame has created all new tracks for the hip-hop inspired soundtrack. And thanks to an innovative gameplay system, the enemy AI and tone of the game are affected by the beat of the musical score, for a truly immersing experience.

With its visual stunning graphics, and fluid and graceful movements, Afro Samurai will provide hours of entertaining, balletic action. Add to this ground-breaking elements like health that is represented by the blood on your clothes, or your enemies', and you have a game that simply can not be passed up.

Slice and dice your enemies in a glorious number of different ways.

Product Description

He who possesses the #1 Headband, will rule the world! Afro Samurai is the cutting edge game that delivers a new kind of cinematic game experience, a living episode that offers addictive, immersive and compelling gameplay that's literally dripping in style. Join Afro in his epic hunt for revenge to avenge the murder of his father by the current owner of the #1 Headband. Afro Samurai blends traditional Japanese culture, funky technology and hip hop to create a brutally fresh interactive experience. The hit, animated TV series now comes to life!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A suprisingly well made franchise game, that gets better the more you play, November 6, 2009

By	M. Herzog (chicago) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

I generally hate franchise games. Not because they fall short of classic status, but because they fall short of decent. Any superman game comes into mind. These atrocious games have made me largely ignore franchise games. But every once in a while, I'll see something on sale, or getting decent reviews and cave in and get one. Though usually the case, Afro Samurai was a surprisingly great game. The action, while repetitive has surprising depth. Timing your slow motion attack is tricky but once you get the hang of it, a lot of fun. If you really work at it and learn the moves, you'll feel like a supreme bad@$$, being able to take down dozens of bad guys with relative ease. It makes me feel like Afro, and therefore is a success.

There are flaws. They change the story in parts from the show, and the frame rate drops sometimes. Also, the boss fights range from awesome to frustrating, with very few in between. But like I said, a franchise game doesn't need to be halo to be fun, it just has to emulate the experience of the franchise. In that, Afro Samurai is a really good game. It's got the style, the game play, and is most importantly, a lot of fun. Recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Woah! This game is something, February 24, 2009

By	mfx3 (Virginia) - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

I have to admit that this game was a bit of a shocker-- it hits hard and fast. There, I confessed. Love the graphics, the story, the content is hilarious, I never expected this thing to work but it's probably going to be one of the must-have-yet-flying-under-the-radar games of the year. I haven't seen it featured in any of the popular gaming mags, probably because it's based on a show and was considered to be a way of cashing in on an existing brand. Oh well, their mistake. Instant cult classic, and yes the gameplay suffers somewhat because of the tripped out camera; however, this is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Games like Tomb Raider Underworld have shown us just how bad whacked-out camera controls really can be, and this game doesn't come anywhere close to being that bad. This game, in a word, is FUN.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A fun, but flawed, bloody action brawl, February 4, 2009

By	N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Because being a fun, ultraviolent anime blast wasn't enough, Afro Samurai makes the splash into the video game world courtesy of Namco Bandai. Samuel L. Jackson returns to lend his voice to the revenge-driven Afro as well as his foul-mouthed sidekick Ninja Ninja, in a storyline that more or less follows the plot of the first Afro Samurai flick, as you take on hordes of enemies and dish out bloody punishment. The fighting is mostly fun, as are the boss battles which are orchestrated wonderfully, but the best part of the game is undoubtedly the graphics and art design. Afro Samurai looks and moves fluidly and beautifully (although there is some noticable frame-rate issues here on the PS3 version of the game), and the game's soundtrack and voice acting are excellent as well. What really hurts the game however lie mostly in its controls and platforming. You can't really string together attacks, and the game's platforming elements are disappointingly clumsy. The game's schizy camera doesn't help matters either, and the fact that you can adjust the Y-axis but not the X-axis is mind-boggling. Still, there's a lot to admire with what you get here in Afro Samurai, but it's just a shame that a little more polish wasn't put on here, otherwise we could have had something really great. Still, the game is worth a look despite its flaws, and if you're a fan of the anime, you'll definitely want to check this out.

2115|R3CPCWR0QR799A;2115|R3SANA7P4XIUB9;2115|R27Z7HOOAYD4Y5;