Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style

"Clan in da front, let ya feet stomp"

Do you think your Wu-Tang sword can defeat me?

Who wouldn't wanna play a game consisting of nine of their favorite musicians? I know, nobody. The legendary Wu-Tang clan put this game out at the peak of their success(basically milking out their product), when the Wu was on top of the rap game. And you better pay attention cause this game bombs atomically, socrates philosophies and hypothesis cant define how dope this game is.

What may seem to be a very basic game when you first pop it in, its actually very in depth. If you have read the Wu Manual written by The Rza himself, you would learn alot about Wu-Tang, the Wu-Tang sword, and the 36 chambers. The Wu Tang sword style is the best there is. And there are 36 chambers to achieve before you master the sword. Originally, in the Wu Tang, there were only 35 chambers, but one man went a little further creating the 36th chamber making him practically invincible to any man. The game implements this idea well, making you complete some sort of task to get a chamber. Once you complete a set of chambers, you unlock some new stuff. and with 9 members of the clan...you will be taking alot of time unlocking the chambers for each member to see all the secret stuff or get some new moves. The game also has some CGI or FMV sequences (i don't know or care about the difference) which are done well, and have voice overs from the clan members themselves (ODB's and methods sound BAD though, like ass, but the rest are great...remember, this is Playstation guys!). The FMV's help explain the story well, showing how the Wu leader guy was abducted from Staten, and how the Wu members must go and get him back. Its cool. All the characters look great, except for U-God, who looks like someone gave him Raidens costume from Mortal Kombat. I love watching the fatalities though....seeing Rza throw knives through a guys head is priceless.

The gameplay in Wu Tang: Shaolin Style is very fun and strategic. You cannot just hack away and expect to get anywhere, even very early on, you will see that is just not the case. You will be forced to learn combos, when to block, etc. or you wont get anywhere at all. In fact, this game is pretty difficult, it takes time to get used to it, and to improve. In addition to combos, you can see some nice fatality animations when you finish your opponent (yeah, they really ripped that idea off,but who are you to question the Wu Tang?) in dramatic fashion. Sometimes in story mode you will be faced against two or more opponents, which can get tough, but is very doable. Sometimes even your clan brothers will come help you during some fights. They arent much of a help really, but its nice to have someone by your side. Speaking of the clan brothers, each member has his own unique fighting style. ODB(RIP) has a drunken fighting style representing how cracked out he was all his life while U-God aka golden arms well, has golden arms to beat your ass with. My personal favorite to use is the Rza, cause he got those two swords that are thick like plaster, they bust ya, slash ya. Masta Killa is also a favorite of mine, mainly cause of his mysterious appearance and his own slashing knife. With all the variety you can get from the Wu (theres 9 completely unique members!) and other secret unlockable characters, this game will have you captivated for a while. Before you get into all that fighting, the game gives you a choice of which area you want to go fight first. Of course early on your choices will be limited. You end up going to a bunch of places from china town to the slums of Shaolin!

Music- The music in the game is great. Soon as you turn it on, you hear U God rhyming. Rza also made an exclusive beat just for this game! Rza himself is a musically genius, he did the entire musical score for "Kill Bill" as well as countless other movies. He is also the main producer of the Wu-Tang Clan, and its an extremely high price to pay if you want a Rza beat. If your a hardcore rock fan, then......this music just isnt for you, and the game probably isn't either, so stop bugging me. The Wu Tang have produced countless of classic albums, so if anybody doesn't think the music is a 10/10, you best protect ya neck...best believe that.

Overall, this game is what every Wu fan has been looking for. An intriguing story, some kung fu type fighting, and Wu music playing in the background. And if you dont believe what im saying, just ask any Wu fan.....
Wu Tang Clan Aint Nuthin to F With!!!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/19/05