D.I.C.E. '08: Afro Samurai Updated Impressions
Namco pulls out a surprise look at this anime-inspired, hip hop-injected swordplay game and we've got the details.
LAS VEGAS--While the D.I.C.E. summit isn't necessarily known for breaking brand new game news, sometimes surprises happen. For example, at today's conference, Namco Bandai's Roger Hector capped off his session talk--which focused on the creation of successful game characters--with the first extended footage of Namco's upcoming video game based on the popular Japanese manga-turned anime series starring Samuel L. Jackson. The game was announced back in 2007 (where we got a total of about three seconds of gameplay), and based on today's footage, it's looking absolutely brutal (in a good way).
Because Hector's discussion revolved around the creation of characters, he spent a few minutes talking about the main characters that have been part of the manga series and will be making an appearance in the game. The characters that were shown included Ninja Ninja, the imaginary alter ego of Afro who will also act as the game's narrator, and Afro's nemesis Kuma, a swordsman who, for reasons that will undoubtedly be explained to players, wears a giant teddy bear mask when he fights.
Then, of course, there is Afro himself. Hector showed a couple of different iterations of the transformation of Afro from the line drawing version in the manga to the final game character that will be playable in the game. While the big notes of the character are all in place--big afro, baggy hip-hop clothes, and, as Hector put it, "exaggerated ethnicity"--the character shown in the footage has a look and feel all its own. The art style used to render Afro has a definite line-art feel to it, with the pencil-like shadings moving dynamically as the character moves in relationship to the light.
The minute or so of gameplay footage shown during the conference focused almost completely on Afro's combat moves that look to be impressive indeed. Multiple shots showed Afro running across bridges or over walkways with his sword drawn and his other hand wielding the scabbard. The footage also showed Afro jumping between buildings, and he'll apparently take that same agility to combat. Plenty of the footage showed Afro leaping and flipping over his opponents in highly stylized combat that fit very well with the hip-hop soundtrack that was playing as accompaniment. While the music being played was merely representative of the kind of tunes that will be present in the game, it got our hopes up for a great game soundtrack to go with those cool moves.
Make no mistake: Afro Samurai is going to be bloody. Sure, his combat moves are stylish, but they're also deadly. We saw bodies getting hacked in half, as well as foes getting decapitated left and right. In addition, we got a sneak peek at a couple of different enemy types, from typical sword-fodder to what looked to be magical creatures appearing from thin air--and one especially menacing-looking giant boss enemy who wielded a massive bo staff.
In all, Hector's unveiling of new Afro Samurai footage was a pleasant cap to an already enjoyable conference session. The hip-hop/swordplay thing is a bit reminiscent of Samurai Champloo, albeit with a darker and certainly bloodier edge. There's no official release date for Afro Samurai yet, but we look forward to seeing how this game develops over the coming months.
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