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[Matlock]

Yes, renamed from Slash Through. PR and screens follow.

"Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked(TM)" for the PlayStation 2 goes beyond the hack-and-slash action genre and offers a new way to swing a finely-honed samurai blade. Set in Japan with the hip hop feel of the hit TV series of the same name, this title allows gamers to breathe life into a "lost episode" as one of three playable characters - Mugen, a reckless samurai with break-dancing fighting style, calculated Jin who abides by the decorum of Bushido, and a mysterious new character exclusive to the video game.

Stranded in the northern land of Ezo (current day Hokkaido) in search of "the samurai who smells of sunflowers," the player must face foreign mercenaries, master swordsmen, diabolical assassins, mythical beasts, and gangster monkeys.

The core of the game's unique combat system lies in the innovative integration of music and linked attacks. The players can choose an array of combos based on the different hip hop grooves that they can swap at will. Music tracks become collectible, opening an extensive assortment of linked attacks that can be implemented tactically during combat.

Two additional fighting modes accompany the music-combo combat system; the visually arresting "Tate" and "Trance" modes. When the tension gauge (fueled by a series of successful combos) is filled, the gamer will enter "Tate" mode where the samurai is faced with a lone opponent artfully staged in front of a vibrant Japanese screen. After initiating a combination of buttons to stay in "Tate," the gamer can fulfill a hit meter to enter into "Trance." At this point, the background changes to silhouettes and an unrelenting number of enemies will attack the player. The player must survive and cut down opponents without taking a number of hits until the music ends. If the player survives, he is rewarded with a new item or weapon. With these innovative modes, "Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked(TM)" is an original action title that melds hip hop attitude with the lyricism of the samurai warrior.

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

....

 

[warhead]

Style looks really cool. Too bad the graphics make this look like a DS title.

 

[DCharlie]

the anime is really stylish and has awesome music...

not sure what this has! perhaps it looks better in motion?

 

[atomsk]

ps2? you sure?

 

[Red Blaster]

I hate this.

 

[Oblivion]

the anime is really stylish and has 90% mediocre music...

Fixed.

 

[Mook1e]

Aweful. They couldn't make this look as good as Naruto w/ the Samurai Champloo style?

 

[TRU]

Would be better on the revilution..

 

[Jive Turkey]

Oh man...Looking as shitty as ever it seems!

 

[Fusebox]

Jesus, I want a game for this franchise but why are they making a DS version first?!?!

 

[the year 20XX]

Holy shit is that game terrible looking, but I'll still pick it up if the gameplay gimmick is as interesting as it looks. Which I doubt it will be.

 

[∀ Narayan]

Fixed.

The other 10% belongs to the credits song.

 

[ghibli99]

:lol Ouch.

Bandai should be giving all of their anime licensed games like this to CyberConnect2, who have handled the surprisingly good Naruto Narultimate Hero games.

Those look horrible... like a Bandai PS1 game running on Bleem.

 

[Shaheed79]

Fixed.

No accounting for taste.

 

[Father_Brain]

OH GOD, MY EYES!

 

[Bebpo]

OH GOD, MY EYES!

So true sadly :\

 

[Zeenbor]

I'm a HUGE fan of Samurai Champloo... But... my eyes are BLEEDING.

 

[Flynn]

Did the Bandai Cowboy Bebop game ever come out?

Maybe Bandai/Namco will handle these properties with a little more care.

 

[Matlock]

Did the Bandai Cowboy Bebop game ever come out?

Not here, no. Sometime this spring, I think.

 

[Flynn]

Not here, no. Sometime this spring, I think.

Heard any opinions of the game from Japan? It seemed like a pretty shallow beat-em up at E3 a couple years ago. It's a shame, really. The show was about much more than fighting.

 

[belgurdo]

wtf is this? Samurai Manager 2006?

 

[BudokaiMR2]

I saw some people playing it at TGS, and while the gameplay did look somewhat promising.....

OMG, my eyes hurt. They really coulda put more effort into it. Cel Shading or something.. I dunno...damn..

 

[monoRAIL]

There's debug text on those screenshots. They're obviously from a very early version of the game.

Cartoon's great tho.

 

[ghibli99]

There's debug text on those screenshots. They're obviously from a very early version of the game.

Not necessarily... debug information can be in a game days before submitting to a first party manufacturer. While I don't think these screens are final, I doubt we're going to see a night-and-day difference between them and the version that ends up in store shelves (although I do hope they're better ).

 

[DaCocoBrova]

Style looks really cool. Too bad the graphics make this look like a DS title.

You mean, it's not?

What's with the DS-esque aspect ratio?