Afro Samurai: Resurrection (It's a game, it's a movie)

The end of January is providing a flood of riches for fans of Samuel L. Jackson and Afro Samurai: a two hour movie AND a game for XBox 360 and Playstation 3. The movie, alas, premiered on Spike TV last night (Jan. 25, 2009), so you're too late for that. But still ahead is the game's debut on Tuesday, January 27th, and the DVD release of the movie on February 3rd. Jackson once again lends his distinctive voice to Afro, the haunted, nearly mute samurai, and to Afro's talkative alter ego Ninja Ninja.

The Movie:
Of all the movies Jackson appeared in last year (there were six, but who's counting?), Afro Samurai: Resurrection has by his own admission a special place in his heart. The story line is what you would expect from a comic book melodrama: Afro walks a shattered, post-apocalyptic earth, avenging the desecration of his father's grave by the sadistic mastermind Sio (voiced by Lucy Liu). The important thing is that he looks and sounds really good doing it. And thanks to the stylized vision of Manga artist Takashi Okazaki, combined with the music of Wu-Tang Clan alum RZA, he does. Through every lightning crack, sword slash, and gush of blood.

The Game:
Is the game a movie, or is the movie a game? Well, either way it all fits. With a story based on a character thirsting for vengeance, you know there's going to be a whole lot of bad guys to chop up. And OK, sure, you've encountered that before. But once again, it's about the look, the design, the movement. The use of dynamic cross-hatching visuals give a captivating pen and ink hand-drawn feel to the environments you explore, and the characters you meet. These work seamlessly with an innovative combat system that enable you to execute your foes with fluid yet elegantly precise fighting moves (imagine that!). Raw, irreverent dialogue and RZA's hip-hop score complete the experience. If you ever wanted to inhabit Afro's world, Publisher Namco Bandai Games America Inc. has delivered.