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Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku

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Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku
US box art for PS2 version of Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku
US box art for PS2 version
Developer(s)Adrenium Games
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)
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s)
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

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. It is the second game based on the series after Samurai Jack: The Amulet of Time on the Game Boy Advance a year prior. 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,[4] but never released, even though it was included on the official Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility list.[5]

It received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[6] With Shadow of Aku being unreleased on the Xbox, the next licensed Samurai Jack game, Battle Through Time, was released on August 21, 2020, becoming the first Samurai Jack game available on Microsoft platforms.

Gameplay

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The game features an original story interconnected throughout 18 levels in 4 areas (Village: 5 levels, Forest: 4 levels, Underground: 4 levels, and Aku City: 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 three 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

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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."[16] 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."[11] Both critics did, however, compliment the game on its sound.[16][11]

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."[21] 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."[22]

References

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  1. ^ "What's New?". Eurogamer.net. 2004-06-25. Archived from the original on 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  2. ^ "SEGA SHIPS SAMURAI JACK: THE SHADOW OF AKU". Sega.com. Sega of America. March 23, 2004. Archived from the original on June 14, 2004. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  3. ^ "2004 Release Dates". EuroGamer.net. July 23, 2004. Archived from the original on 2004-07-23. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  4. ^ "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". San Francisco: Business Wire. January 27, 2004. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved 2012-11-30 – via The Free Library.
  5. ^ "Play Original Xbox Games on an Xbox 360 Console". Support.Xbox.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
  6. ^ a b "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku (xbx: 2004): Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
  7. ^ EGM Staff (May 2004). "Samurai Jack: the Shadow of Aku". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 178. p. 89. Archived from the original on 2004-04-06. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  8. ^ "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku". Game Informer. No. 133. May 2004. p. 93. Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  9. ^ Bro Buzz (May 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku Review for PlayStation 2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. p. 70. Archived from the original on 2004-06-03. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  10. ^ Gee, Brian (April 9, 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku Review (PS2)". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  11. ^ a b c Navarro, Alex (March 19, 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ a b c Irwin, Mary Jane (March 23, 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku - PS2". IGN. Archived from the original on 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  17. ^ Bowskill, Thomas (January 2, 2006). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku (GameCube) Review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  18. ^ "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku". Nintendo Power. Vol. 179. May 2004. p. 121 – via Internet Archive.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku". Official Xbox Magazine. May 2004. p. 84.
  21. ^ a b Hill, Jason (September 9, 2004). "Disappointingly Brief". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on January 12, 2006. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  22. ^ a b c McNamara, John (August 7, 2004). "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku". The Times. Archived from the original on 2022-08-21. Retrieved 2017-04-16.(subscription required)
  23. ^ "Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2013-04-27. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  24. ^ "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.
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