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Afro Samurai xbox360 Game Reviews
Afro Samurai
Critic Score
Metascore: 65 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.5 out of 10
based on 20 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 17 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Follow Afro Samurai as he fights to become the number one warrior, a title currently held by Justice, the man who killed Afro’s father when he was a child. The game follows the plot of the original series with added material and background for fans and new comers alike. Blood is beautiful in this hip hop infused action adventure as Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as Afro and Ninja Ninja. A striking art style gives Afro Samurai a unique look and feel across animated open environments as he wages war against his adversaries to become number one. Using an innovative gameplay system, enemy AI is affected by the beat of the musical score produced by RZA of Wu-Tang Clan fame. These dynamic battles ensure stylized encounters throughout the game that affect the overall tone of gameplay. Slice and dismember opponents as Afro acrobatically leaps from one location to the next, interacting with anything and everything in the environment to help him on his journey. [Namco Bandai Games]

PUBLISHER: Namco Bandai Games
DEVELOPER: Namco Bandai Games
GENRE(S): Third-Person Action
PLAYERS: 1
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: January 27, 2009

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

87
AtomicGamer
If you enjoy wicked style and simple, yet satisfying combat, mature content that’s more than a script full of unnecessary F-bombs, and more gore than you’ll see in all five Saw films combined, then Afro deserves a spot in your game library.
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80
Cheat Code Central
The simple action may get tiresome for those that don't put the time into learning the controls. Also, the game is quite short. Nevertheless, I had a blast cutting my way through, and have made this game part of my personal collection!
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78
Game Informer
With the remarkable hip-hop infused soundtrack and strong voice acting from all the lead actors of the show, the game is worth it for action fans willing to tackle this bloody exploration into the nature of vengeance.
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75
Official Xbox Magazine
Afro Samurai persisted in mesmerizing us. And really, with Sam Jackson spouting lines like “That girl puts the two ‘asses’ in ‘assassin’” in feudal Japan, how can we resist?
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73
Team Xbox
While skin-deep beauty may work for the video medium, the word “game” in “video game” means that software needs to be more substantial in order to entertain the majority of its audience. With that said, the stylized souls—perhaps those that can look past the dysfunctional side of haute couture—will have a hard time disliking Afro Samurai.
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70
GameSpot
This gory, gorgeous action game has plenty of flaws, but it will still satisfy your thirst for blood.
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70
GameDaily
The luscious graphics do bring out the finer qualities of the anime, complete with striking water-brushed backdrops and fluid animation. It's a shame the camera constantly needs to be adjusted, though.
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70
GameTrailers
It has a unique combat system and unrelenting violence that many will love. And for a licensed game, Afro Samurai doesn’t necessarily fail at what it aims to do. Like the many others before it, simple mistakes and a general lack of polish prevent it from passing the threshold to Butcher Bay territory.
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70
GameZone
Afro Samurai is a good game that could have been a lot more. What this game needed was another month or two in order to squish all of the bugs, poor interior camera control, and weak bosses. If this was done, this game would have been one of the first "must have" games" of the New Year.
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70
Gamervision
It’s close to being amazing, and there are times when it is, but there are too many times where it just simply isn’t up to par with the current generation’s standards. The camera is too jumpy, the bosses are too frustrating, and the platforming just isn’t any fun.
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70
GamePro
Far from perfect but still an incredibly entertaining play, Afro Samurai captures all of the style and substance from the hit TV show with amazingly innovative combat and absolutely stunning visuals.
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67
GameShark
I could further bemoan the lack of character customization, the mash-a-licious combat system, and the (mostly) fluid yet barebones platforming, but sometimes we all need a little simplicity. Like a Jason Statham action flick, Afro Samurai won’t change your life in any meaningful way, but it’s perfect for those days when you want to sink into the couch, turn off your brain, and watch some bloody entertainment.
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66
IGN
Falling through the air while brawling with Afro Droid while rocking out to some fat beats is an amazing experience, but when you couple that with a piss-poor camera, terrible platforming sections, and cheap/mentally challenged bosses, the end product suffers.
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65
Planet Xbox 360
It’s gruesome, it’s vibrant with style and has Samuel L. Jackson providing VO’s; it’s a formula for success. But, as always with hack-n-slash titles, the replay value is limited and the action becomes droning within a few hours.
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60
G4 TV
Fans of the anime will love the look, but the game just retreads the plot. Aside from the fantastic dismemberment, Afro Samurai doesn't manage to be anything loftier than essentially the same beat 'em up that we've been playing since Double Dragon. On the other hand, it is fun in short doses, looks great, and can be hilarious.
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60
Giant Bomb
Afro Samurai achieves a decent balance, providing enough style and combat to work more often than it doesn't. But considering how short it is, and how annoying parts of it can be, you'll want to approach this game with some caution, especially while it's being sold for full price.
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50
Games Radar
It’s really too bad that Afro Samurai is bogged down by nagging annoyances, because the core game is actually decent, if not spectacular. If it had a healthy dose of polish it would be a solid rental (but not full-price purchase).
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45
Destructoid
Mundane boss confrontations don’t allow you to exhibit your fighting prowess. Awkward platforming segments slow the flow of the game to a crawl. Weird clipping issues and dangerous framerate drops deter the action of the rather short (five to eight hours) span of play. I wish there was more to Afro Samurai, but there isn’t much to sink your teeth into. The game feels 75% complete.
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42
1UP
Ultimately, Afro falls into the same pitfalls as almost every other game based on a movie/television license: It presents an edited down version of a story that's familiar to fans but indecipherable to newcomers, wrapped up in a generic game housing. It looks great. It sounds great. But, otherwise, it's a mashup of characters and situations that makes little sense.
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40
GameSpy
Afro Samurai is a mess of a game. It's such a shame to see such a beautifully rendered and stylish world ground into the dust by such staggering gameplay foibles and technical glitches.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

David C gave it a3:
The game looks ok, but nothing great by today's standards. It offers nothing new and was a HUGE disappointment to me as a big fan of Afro Samurai. I hope if they do a sequel, they'll spend a little more time on making a coherent game with combat that can at least resemble the show.

Fred B. gave it a7:
Pretty game, frustrating camera and controls. On the plus side; the story and graphics were amazing. The graphics were particularily detailed and unique. The chopping enemy in half mechanic truly satifying. The voice acting was actually funny and well done featuring Samuel Jackson, Ron Perlman and Lucy Lu. This game is not for the young ones- alot of cursing, sexual innuendo, naked female zombie strippers, etc. The game felt alot like an "R" rated mix of Tomb raider, XII, and Ninja Gaiden. Now onto the negatives; The left-right axis on the camera is inverted and can't be changed. The dash button hurts your thumb becuase you have to click the left thumbstick- the same button that you move with- If you ever played Monster Madness, then you know the drill. That game got horrible reviews in part due to the button layout. This would be fine if you didn't have to use dash, however, becuase you don't have a throwing weapon and bosses often do, you have to dash to get close enough to hit them, or dodge attacks. At times I would have to hold the dash in during a whole boss fight, which is painful, I guess that thumbs (at least mine) weren't designed to push down and move at the same time. There are also some cheap bosses, made more complicated by the camera and control struggles. In any event, something about this game kept me going, I wanted to get to the next level to see what happends next, and what set piece would be used. This is quite a feat considering that I personally have never seen the cartoon.

ROBBMAC ROBBMAC gave it an8:
This game is great fan service to fans of the anime. It's easy to get into yet deep enough for anyone that takes time to learn the moves. The art style is re-imagined for this game perfectly and has surpassed my expectations greatly. The screenshots and videos don't do it justice. The game plays a lot like Ninja Gaiden II but with a slower pace, the ability to slow down time (but not gimmicky) and for those that take the time to learn... you can aim your attacks pretty easily. The music thumps during the gameplay and if your a fan of asian infused hip-hop you'll love the score here. Ninja Ninja has some classic one liners when you press what I will dubb "The Sam Jackson Button". This game is sure to be a sleeper hit and I can't wait to see what reviewers thing. I would tell fans of the anime to run out and pick it up and everyone else to at least give it a rental. 8.5

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