Great for what it is, but what it is isn't great.
Afro Samurai is based on the popular anime series of the same title, and if you're not already a fan of the series, just stop reading now and avoid this title altogether, because fans of the anime are the only ones who will find anything worth thier time with the game.
Its not that Afro Samurai is necessarily bad, its just that it falls into too many familiar trappings of its genre; the level design isn't very interesting, and too quickly the game boils down to a repetative button mashing experience short on gameplay. There is a list of moves that at first glance seems impressive, except that 90% of the manuevers look the same, and the various combos aren't difficult or interesting to pull off. Its just a matter of hitting single button presses in different orders. There is also very little jumpng or climbing that matters. The game boils down to just running to the next area, killing a bunch of the same enemy over and over again at nausiating rate, and button mashing until they're gone.
The negatives of the generic action elements aside, the game really shines in the production values department. The artwork, graphics, sound and voicework are absolutely fantastic, with Samuel L Jackson lending his voice, the RZA throwing down a phenomenal soundtrack, and some well written laughts to boot. Visually, the game looks and sounds exactly as it should to do the subject matter justice......
.......but therein lies the problem; the only applaudable aspects of the game relate only to those aspects that would appeal to someone who loves the anime. Everyone else will be bored to tears and wondering why the game was even made, as artwork aside, there is very little to recommend.
If you're already a fan of the series, its an adequate but unspectacular hack'n'slash experience.
If you're not already an Afro Samurai fan, you'll find little to enjoy here.