Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku

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SAMURAI JACK™: THE SHADOW OF AKU

Thrust into the future by the evil Aku, a lone Samurai warrior must quickly find the time portal to the past to rescue his defenseless people. Ancestors of the displaced Samurai call him "Jack" and help him through four enemy-filled realms with 24 interactive levels. Samurai Jack™ suffers various states of damage if he fails to dodge fireballs and sword strikes, but slow-motion attacks, devastating combo moves, and sushi snacks empower the hearty warrior. Through a burning village, the bustling Aku City, and on, Jack blasts through doors, finds hidden pathways, and frees caged locals, bringing him ever closer to fulfilling his great destiny - the defeat of Aku once and for all.

Features:
• Defeat enemies with signature combat moves, plus three elemental Swords, Throwing Stars, and a Bow and Arrow.
• Defeat enemies with Sakai Mode (slow-motion action).
• Fight against well-known Samurai Jack foes such as Aku, the Scotsman, Mad Jack, and other unique enemies.
• Select from three difficulty levels to match your gameplay style.
• Contributions from the cartoon series creator, artists, voice actors, and composers create an authentic Samurai Jack experience.



Contributed by Kartanym (9908) on Mar 20, 2006.

Zen and the art of samurai swordsmanship



Fight your way through the future to get to the present, and that's the fact, Jack.

In his Nintendo GameCube debut, Samurai Jack finds himself in a familiar mess. The evil wizard Aku has banished Jack, the only mortal who can defeat him, to the future. Just to make sure he can rule the world without worry, Aku has sent robot minions to defeat Jack. To rid the world of Aku, Jack must battle bravely through 24 action-packed levels in four worlds, freeing villagers as he goes.

Samurai Jack: The Shadow Of Aku's take on Bullet Time is Sakai Mode, in which combat slows down dramatically, but Samurai Jack doesn't slow down quite as much as his opponent. To go Sakai, make sure you have enough juice in your Zen Meter, then hold the R Button. Obtain Zen from fallen enemies or by finding Zen items in crates. Zen is in short supply, so reserve Sakai mode for your run-ins with bosses or swarms of enemies.

Jack's decidedly old-school weapons include a bow and arrows and throwing stars. However, his mainstay is his sword. Use it to deflect shots (press the L Button) and to execute combos. Jack will find scrolls that teach him to perform new combos. Deflecting shots feels a bit too easy.

The game's graphics are blocky, but Samurai Jack is square-jawed to begin with so, that's not too big of a deal. The movie sequences, however, feel rushed.

Features
• Collect Relics to power up Jack. For 100 Relics, you can beef up Jack's health capacity, Zen capacity, or swordsmanship
• Sakai Mode helps in tough battles, and looks great
• Weapons include sword, throwing stars and bow-and-arrows
• Three difficulty levels


Bottom Line

As stated in the intro of the game, "Nothing worth having is easily obtained." However, you can obtain Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku easily enough at your local retailer, and so find yourself immersed in easy-to-control, fun action.


Contributed by Evil Ryu (32201) on Jul 23, 2005.