PlayStation 2

Gladius

Before all the sugar completely eats away at your tooth enamel, let me point out, that despite all it's strengths as a strategy game, Gladius remains a very niche, subjective gaming choice; if you don't like strategy, it's appeal will be very limited, and with the highly demanding learning curve that it throws at you, it's presence on your shelf may indeed be very short-lived. If you do like what it's all about, however, that same shelf of yours may never see a more welcome and permanent visitor. May yet another force be with you.

Thank Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe for re-awakening interest in Rome and gladiatorial combat. You have to admit that the action sequences of the movie stirred something primal in the minds of the viewer: a thirst for blood at watching athletic warriors fighting to the death. Dusty arenas echoing the screams of the wounded and the cheers of the crowd. The clang of weapons and the clatter of shields. These scenes revived the three C’s of sport: contest, conflict, and celebrity. Capitalizing upon this reawakened interest in mortal combat, LucasArts delivers one of the year’s most detailed RPGs with Gladius, a startling yet impressive departure from their Star Wars franchises.

Some aspects of the game could have used some more polish, but these shouldn't deter anyone who's looking for a deep, involved, great-looking, and memorable RPG from getting Gladius.

This is a game that is immersive and very entertaining. It is also a mental challenge, not a reflexive one. This game does have a bevy of cutscenes, and takes a long time to explain a lot of the game play through pop-up text windows, but if you have the time to weed through all of it, you will find yourself pulled into a terrific adventure.

Slaves, criminals, and foreigners were forced to fight for their lives on the hard packed dirt of an arena. Throngs of commoners and aristocrats perched on the edge of the tiered seating, staring down at the combatants. With each drop of blood that spilled onto the earth, the throng's clamor rose. While not directly impacting the skill of a gladiator, their support, or lack thereof, can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Sometimes, the arenas held beasts, hidden obstacles, or naval battles. The odds might be horribly stacked against a fighter if the manger was trying to recreate a historic battle or mythical event. Despite the variations in an arena's theme or the mood of the crowd -- gladiators ultimately lived or died by the Gladius.

Gladius is a strategy/RPG with a very unusual trait: it was designed and programmed in America. I salute the suits at LucasArts for having the guts to enter a console genre dominated by Japanese developers, and the skill to deliver a game that competes with the best in the category. Would that more American game companies, with a lot less to lose than LucasArts, were as willing to experiment with their creative power.

Les RPG tactiques ne sont pas légion sur consoles de salon, et celui-ci a en plus comme originalité de se dérouler dans une ambiance qui ravira les amateurs de péplums. Gladius est un titre efficace et riche dans son système de jeu, qui séduira les amateurs du genre mais rebutera les allergiques du jeu au tour par tour.

The battlefields of the Great War between Nordaugh and Imperia were so choked with blood and bodies that they gave rise to a horrible Dark God that threatened to destroy the land. It was only the self-sacrifice of the legendary Valkyries that was able to banish the Dark God.

I took two years of Latin in high school only to hear the stories about how Romans lived and what they believed in, from the eruption of the Vesuvius in Pompei to the myths about gods and generals and the underworld, with as most memorable creature Cerberus, the three-headed hell dog. I already got the shivers while seeing and hearing the intro of Gladius which describes the rise and meaning of the gladiators and it was the clear that the right sphere was set.

Creating an epic role-playing game based on the bloody exploits of angered gladiators seems like an oxymoron. How can you weave a compelling story into the fine craft of disemboweling hordes of beastly warriors? Gladius claims it offers this and more, but after a few swings with this hefty sword, it's clear that this game suffers the humdrums of a not-so-great role-playing game.