Following my recent critique of Suda51's Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked, it's good to see someone else probing the game from alternate perspectives - The New Gamer has a mini-article musing on the title with some aplomb.

G. Turner makes some film comparisons, suggesting the game "...has a strong director, the increasingly notorious Suda 51 (whom is most recognizable from last year's stylish & divisive Killer7), who wildly compensates for an unremarkable hack-'n-slash adaptation involving two samurais, plucked from the titular anime, whom find themselves embroiled in a land-war and end up fighting for their lives. How does he do this? By painting over the game with abrasive aural and visual elements; essentially scribbling all over the standards that come with an adaptation."

His conclusion? Though the game isn't THAT great: "Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked represents a rarity in current video games: a brash-but-cohesive audio/visual that's the director's vision. " Agreed!

[Oh, and while we're here, a Drunksaling garage sale update has also been posted at The New Gamer, containing a few gems, as per usual: "Ahh Chessmaster. Although I remember Chessmaster 2000, not his hyperactive brother Chessmaster 4000 Turbo."]