Afro Samurai couldn't hold my attention no matter how much it tried. The gameplay was representative and got boring fast. Enemy types didn't vary beyond color changes. Even the topless female ninjas couldn't hold my attention beyond the initial "ooh boobies!"
Controls were standard button mash dungeon crawler where you string combos together at random. The camera was incredibly annoying with zero auto focus. On occasion the screen would split to show a new enemy approaching the fight it would often block your view of the action you're in. There was even one occasion that the screen was split in three with two enemies left and right with your character only showing about a half inch in the center. While it didn't happen often, it did happen often enough for me to be annoyed by it.
The only redeeming qualities this game had were the humor that came from Sam Jacksons character, the graphics, and the music. Sam Jackson was hilarious with his random comments and Body Part Poker. It was a pretty game, one of the few who has managed to pull off cell shading in a way that enhances the game. While the enemies were horribly bland mechanically, they were pretty to look at.
There is a balancing act in the industry that's talked about occasionally. Balancing the ambitions of the programmers and the artists so that neither one outshines the other. This game was one of those that had potential but in the long run the artists won while the programmers lost by a long shot. It's only 5 hours or so long, six if you get yourself killed and I honestly couldn't bring myself to finish it.
This is one of those niche games that Some people love and others hate. I'm definitely not on the "love" side of the fence for this one. At the same time I can see why some could love it. If you're a fan of the show give it a run through. If you've never heard of it, you may be better off keeping it that way.
5 out of 10
Next game up: Alan Wake
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