Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku

Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku is an action-adventure video game released in 2004 by Adrenium Games and published by Sega and based on the Samurai Jack animated television series on Cartoon Network. The series' original voice actors, including Phil LaMarr, Mako Iwamatsu, Jeff Bennett, John DiMaggio, and Jennifer Hale, reprised their respective roles for the game. The game was released for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. An Xbox version of the game was planned,[1] but never released, even though it received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2] With Shadow of Aku being unreleased on the Xbox, the next licensed Samurai Jack game, Battle Through Time, was released on August 21, 2020, become the first Samurai Jack game available on Microsoft platforms.

Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku
US box art for PS2 version
Developer(s)Adrenium Games
Amaze Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Dominick Meissner
Producer(s)Alex Pantelias
Designer(s)Geoff Card
Programmer(s)Dave LeCompte
Artist(s)Jason Zayas
Composer(s)James L. Venable
Paul Dinletir
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
GameCube
Release
  • NA: March 24, 2004
  • PAL: August 6, 2004
Genre(s)Action-adventure
science fantasy
Platformer
Mode(s)Single-player
multiplayer

Gameplay

The game features an original story interconnected throughout 18 levels in 4 worlds (1st world: 5 levels, 2nd world: 4 levels, 3rd world: 4 levels, and 4th world: 5 levels). The player takes control of Jack, the series' protagonist and main character, as he rescues villagers, battles Aku's minions, and ultimately searches for the time portal to take him back to his own time. Jack's move set contains 25 moves and combo attacks, and his weapons include four elemental swords, shurikens, and a bow and arrow. The player can also fill Jack's "Zen meter", which allows him to enter a special slow-motion attack mode called "Sakai mode", among other things. The game ends in a final battle with Jack's nemesis, Aku. Other bosses include Mad Jack and the Scotsman.

Reception

Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku received mixed reviews from critics. Mary Jane Irwin of IGN criticized the game for its annoying combat system, "uninteresting" story, and lack of challenge in boss battles. She also heavily criticized the game's visuals, saying, "Everything is incredibly angular and the only way to describe it is awful. It's just sad that in no way was the show's incredible presentation translated into the videogame."[14] GameSpot's Alex Navarro called it "utterly forgettable" and said, "its lack of depth, style, or technical polish essentially ruins whatever chance it ever could have had to appeal to anyone outside of the most diehard of Samurai Jack fans."[9] Both critics did, however, compliment the game on its sound.[14][9]

The Sydney Morning Herald gave it a score of two-and-a-half stars out of five and stated that "While [the game] is an enjoyable adventure for youngsters, it is also wearingly generic and disappointingly brief."[18] The Times gave it only two stars out of five and said, "The trouble is that once you have got the hang of the swordplay, throwing stars and bow and arrow, it all becomes a bit repetitive, while the problem-solving element to the game provides little challenge."[19]

References
  1. "SEGA Partners with Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to Publish Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube". Business Wire. January 27, 2004. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
  3. "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2013-04-27. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  4. "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  5. EGM Staff (May 2004). "Samurai Jack: the Shadow of Aku". Electronic Gaming Monthly (178): 89. Archived from the original on 2004-04-06. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  6. "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku". Game Informer (133): 93. May 2004. Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  7. Bro Buzz (May 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku Review for PlayStation 2 on GamePro.com". GamePro: 70. Archived from the original on 2004-06-03. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  8. Gee, Brian (April 9, 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku Review (PS2)". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  9. Navarro, Alex (March 19, 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  10. Stratton, Bryan (March 25, 2004). "GameSpy: Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2006-01-08. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  11. Bedigian, Louis (March 28, 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  12. Surette, Tim (April 11, 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2008-02-26. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  13. Irwin, Mary Jane (March 23, 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku - GameCube". IGN. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  14. Irwin, Mary Jane (March 23, 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku - PS2". IGN. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  15. Bowskill, Thomas (January 2, 2006). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku (GameCube) Review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  16. "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku". Nintendo Power. 179: 121. May 2004.
  17. Davison, John (May 2004). "Samurai Jack: the Shadow of Aku". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Archived from the original on 2004-04-15. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  18. Hill, Jason (September 9, 2004). "Disappointingly brief". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on January 12, 2006. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  19. McNamara, John (August 7, 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku". The Times. Retrieved 2017-04-16.(subscription required)
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