TGS 2008: Afro Samurai Updated Impressions and Interview With Creator Hakashi Okazaki

When we last checked out Afro Samurai, the stylish, brutal beat-'em-up from Namco Bandai Games, we told you what it was like to carve our way across feudal Japan in our hands-on impression. During a recent visit to Namco Bandai's Japanese headquarters, we saw a newer build of Afro Samurai that featured a revamped control system. Though we weren't able to get our hands on the new controls, we were treated to another brutal demo of Afro's blade-brandishing ballet. The cel-shaded game continues to visually impress, and the innards of freshly hewn enemies glistened and oozed, much to our morbid delight. If that sort of thing tickles your fancy, you'll definitely want to watch the following video. It contains the full demo (complete with an informative voice-over interview) and features Afro battling his way across a narrow bridge en route to confront one of his many nemeses.

Any Afro aficionados will be doubly pleased by our second video offering, an interview with the creator of Afro Samurai himself, Takashi Okazaki. We talked to Okazaki-san about how Afro Samurai evolved from manga to anime to video game, and how the game interweaves the unique visual styles from both of Afro's previous incarnations. Okazaki also shared some intriguing information about the storyline of the game, which will introduce new plot lines in addition to revisiting familiar territory. With both a new manga and a new anime series slated to come out next year, things are looking quite good for both Afro and Okazaki. Be sure to get the entire scoop by watching our full interview, and we'll keep you posted with the latest updates as Afro Samurai's January 27th release date approaches.