Description
Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance is an epic action packed game that takes place in the times of the Roman empire. You take control of Invictus Thrax a Roman slave, who ascended through the ranks to become champion of all gladiators. Favored by the emperor, Invictus was to be granted his freedom. Mysteriously though the emperor was killed and replaced by a crazy man named Arruntius. Arruntius, so full of himself, has decided to destroy Rome and replace it with a city named Arruntium. As the game begins, a epic event is stage with Invictus as the gladiator. Invictus fights bravely, but he is killed by a unknown and possibly un-human creature. In the afterlife, Invictus meets the sons of Jupiter. They inform him of how Arruntius' power came from help of the gods of terror. The charge him with the task of eliminating Arruntius and restoring Rome to glory.
Gladiator is essentially an 3d action/combat game which features hand to hand combat with weapons, combos and magic. The action consists of also maneuvering around from gliding down ropes to jumping traps. Challenges are scattered around the game world, which when defeated, unlock magical powers. You get powers such as from Pluto which raises spirits from the dead to help you in battle.
Another unique feature to the game is the execution maneuver. Upon the near death of certain enemies, you can execute this maneuver which will result in a cinematic random brutal execution by Thrax.
Gladiator features some high quality graphics with detailed and vibrant textures, colors and settings to create a psyche from gladiator films like Ben-Hur. A wide range of characters are featured from opposing gladiators to mythical enemies like cyclopes, demons, skeleton warriors. The Audio features a intriguing blend of soft to hectic tunes and voice over acting.
Alternate Titles
- "Месть гладиатора" -- Russian title
- "I, Gladiator" -- Development Title
- "Gladiator: Schwert der Rache" -- German Title
Part of the Following Group
User Reviews
The Press Says
| Digital Entertainment News (den) |
Xbox |
Jan 13, 2004 |
7.8 out of 10 |
78 |
| PC Gameplay (Benelux) |
Windows |
Feb, 2004 |
72 out of 100 |
72 |
| PC Action |
Windows |
Nov 27, 2003 |
72 out of 100 |
72 |
| GameSpot |
Xbox |
Nov 01, 2003 |
7.1 out of 10 |
71 |
| PC Games (Germany) |
Windows |
Oct 31, 2003 |
64 out of 100 |
64 |
| Game Informer Magazine |
PlayStation 2 |
Nov, 2003 |
5.75 out of 10 |
58 |
| Game Informer Magazine |
Xbox |
Nov, 2003 |
5.75 out of 10 |
58 |
| Jeuxvideo.com |
PlayStation 2 |
Dec 04, 2003 |
11 out of 20 |
55 |
| Jeuxvideo.com |
Windows |
Dec 12, 2003 |
10 out of 20 |
50 |
| GamePro |
Xbox |
Nov 05, 2003 |
2 out of 5 |
40 |
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Trivia
In this game, Romulus and Remus are presented as the children of Jupiter. In traditional mythology, they are identified as the children of Mars and are responsible for founding Rome. Romulus is said to have killed Remus, so we can guess who's wearing the comedy mask and who's wearing the tragedy mask in the game.
The Dark Gods of the game, Phobos and Deimos, are called the "errant children of Mars." Errant maybe, but they belong to the Greek mythic tradition which places them as the children of Ares. They represent the aspects of Fear and Terror. Interestingly, Acclaim has much of this information on their web site.
Historically, Emperor Trajan reigned from 98-117 AD (or CE). This game is set in 106 AD/CE but the story allows for any discrepancies. Trajan's achievements were set in stone, the famous Trajan Column, and he was followed by Hadrian, famous for the Hadrian Wall.
