Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku
Samurai Jack takes on his biggest challenge yet: starring in a crappy game.
Tags: Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku Categories: PS2 Reviews, Reviews
Posted by David Hinkle on May 19th, 2004
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku (title page) | |||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
 |
In 2001, Cartoon network premiered a little show called Samurai Jack. Created by Genndy Tartakovsky(Dexter’s Laboratory), this show chronicled the journey of Jack, a samurai on a quest to destroy an evil wizard named Aku. In the shows first episode, we see Aku destroying a young Jack’s hometown. Sailing from his hometown with his mother, we see him travel the world and learn each country’s combatitive arts: Wrestling in Greece, archery in England, and so forth and so on. Once his training is complete, he is given a magical sword (which apparently defeated Aku before) and travels back to his hometown, freeing his people. Then in a long and climactic battle with the wizard, Jack has him on the verge of defeat when suddenly Aku opens a portal to the future and flings Jack through. What awaits him on the other side is a future where Aku rules all and exacts his revenge maliciously on any who would see to defy him. The game story opens in an indeterminate amount of time later, with Jack searching for a portal back to his time. Traveling from village to village, in search of this portal, Jack helps free the inhabitants from Aku’s iron grip.
 |
This is exactly how this very short and mundane game operates. Stumble upon village, perform objective A, B, and maybe C, have an incredibly easy (this term pretty much defines the game…easy) boss-fight, then rinse and repeat. I cannot stress how mediocre this title is to you. Taking a whopping 5 and 1/2 hours for me to complete, I would have been provoked to write letters of complaint to Sega, Adrenium, and Cartoon Network had I rented this game(don’t even get me started on the ‘had I bought it’ angle). I kid you not on how unbelievably short this game is, I mean we’re talking Squaresoft’s The Bouncer here. This game falls flat on every aspect of the show that makes it so enjoyable and would of made for a successful transition to the PS2 (except for the sound).
 |
The graphics in this game aren’t too bad on the eyes. Accurate character models and semi-cel-shaded backgrounds make for a distinguishing visual style (though not Jack’s style). As far as the enemy models go, they look as zany and imaginative as in the show. Aku’s armies are made entirely of robots, so you’ll see some projectile class, small mellee class, and berserking hulk class enemies most of the game. While these are all things in the plus department, they induce insane slowdown. If you are going to be taking Jack through any areas of movement (i.e. near a flowing river of lava, a massive waterfall etc…), know that your trek will be one marred with drastic frame rate issues as thick as grass. The cutscenes you’ll see do have the original cast member doing the dialogue (Phil LaMarr as Jack, Mako as Aku, and John DiMaggio as the Scotsman), but the cutscenes in the game are pretty much short and uninteresting. They do nothing to capture the weird, off-beat humor of the show.
 |
The control in this game is pretty much spot on. You’ll move Jack around (through third-person) with the left analog stick, while controlling the camera with the right. You’ll have strong and weak slash attacks that you can string together for some cool looking combos. Jack will over the levels learn new combos and Zen abilities by purchasing them from small hubs in each village (money is small artifacts strewn liberally around each of the levels). Zen is basically your meter for special abilities in Samurai Jack. Abilities like Bullet Tim…er, I mean controlling the Matri…no wait, I mean Sakai Attack Mode. Also, this meter is used to power the different sword powers you get (imbues your sword with powers of fire, ice, lightning etc… These are utterly useless since they do basically no extra damage compared to your regular attack).
The only thing that is somewhat done correctly in this game is the game’s sound effects and musical score. The clangs and grunts are spot on, with a hypnotic trance beat and string composition heralding your passage through the game. While I wish there was a more diverse array of background music, what is there gets the job done.
 |
I can honestly say this is one of the most bland and easily beaten games I have ever played. This game is another boring entry into an already oversaturated genre and I wouldn’t reccommend it to anyone (even your 6 year old can destroy this game). If you still wish to procure a copy of this game even after reading this, then a hearty I told you so is in order, and you of course now realize I can’t be your friend anymore.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
| Graphics are par | 4.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
Frame rate Too short Incredibly easy Not fun at all |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| This game would be better used as a frisbee...or maybe a coaster. | |
[ Post the first comment | View related posts ]
Tags: Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku
Posted by David Hinkle on May 19th, 2004 and is filed under PS2 Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
