GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums
Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku cube Game Reviews
Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku
Critic Score
Metascore: 59 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.0 out of 10
based on 17 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 2 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

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 undress 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. 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. [Sega]

PUBLISHER: Sega
DEVELOPER: Amaze
GENRE(S): Third-Person Action, Adventure
PLAYERS: 1
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE: March 23, 2004

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

80
Yahoo! Games
Ultimately, The Shadow of Aku's excellent controls, just-right fighting action, humor, and easy-on-the-eyes visuals do the Samurai Jack license proud.
Read Full Review
76
Nintendo Power
Flashy moves, stylized art and cool characters make Samurai Jack's GCN turn every bit as entertaining as his animated series. [May 2004, p.121]
75
Play Magazine
Exactly the game I wanted, delivered right when I needed it most...a great time with a great character in a great genre - plug and play, instant fun. [Apr 2004, p.56]
75
Warcry
It needed more content and more effort. The mechanics of the game are good (for the most part) but the most impressive engine and artwork in the world can’t make a game excellent without any substantial content.
Read Full Review
70
GameZone
Where Jack fails to succeed is an issue that will never be fully resolved in gaming: repetition. Samurai Jack is the same thing over and over. It never changes, never evolves.
Read Full Review
62
Electronic Gaming Monthly
A Zelda: Wind Waker–esque cartoony graphics style would have been perfect for Jack, who, now that he's 3D, looks kind of like Jay Leno or John Kerry what with his freakishly long chin. And the cut-scenes—often the only good part of a licensed game like this—are embarrassing.
Read Full Review
61
TotalGames.net
It simply doesn't live up to the show's reputation. It's not funny, the style of the graphics aren't the same and, even though Samurai Jack has some totally kick-ass moves, the game lacks enough 'wow!' factor to keep you coming back for more.
Read Full Review
60
Game Informer
An amazingly generic action title. It's a shame, as Samurai Jack is easily one of the most unique cartoons on the air today, so this could have been so much more. [May 2004, p.93]
Read Full Review
60
GMR Magazine
The game hits the mark in terms of Samurai Jack authenticity. As he battles his archnemesis Aku, Jack acts and sounds like you'd expect Jack to act and sound. Only cel shading, rather than 3D RenderWare-ing, would have taken this over the top.
Read Full Review
60
GameSpy
The game's lack of personality is underscored by its lack of difficulty. Playing through Samurai Jack is about as challenging as watching an episode of Samurai Jack.
Read Full Review
55
Kombo
Made for the hardcore fans. Everyone else is going to find a hard time enjoying its clunky gameplay and bland graphics.
Read Full Review
52
IGN
I could forgive a lack of story, or even a resemblance to the show's fantastic sense of style. But, the fact that the game is extremely easy, boring, and annoying is beyond forgiveness.
Read Full Review
52
GameSpot
A thoroughly generic combination of beat-'em-up and platforming gameplay that draws upon only the most rudimentary elements of both genres and does nothing particularly interesting with either of them. Both exceedingly trite and exceedingly brief, Shadow of Aku is pure mediocrity from beginning to end.
Read Full Review
50
Adrenaline Vault
Neither the graphics, sound nor gameplay are categorically bad, but each is consistently below average.
Read Full Review
50
GameCube Europe
Overall, you could complete this game in around five hours first time, plus maybe another hour if you want to bother collecting 100% items.
Read Full Review
50
Sydney Morning Herald
While Samurai Jack is an enjoyable adventure for youngsters, it is also wearingly generic and disappointingly brief.
Read Full Review
40
Times Online
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.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Kevin N. gave it a10:
It`s just amazing! so many great moves and combos,when I was sick playing my old games poof! I saw it out of no where.It is a challenging game too. It is definitely the best game I ever played!

[Anonymous] gave it a 4:
This game is boring. It is easy and repetitive. It is such a disappointment (especially from Sega) .

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: MLB | Spore | iPhone 3G | Paris Hilton | Antivirus Software | GPS | Recipes | Shwayze | NFL

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use