PlayStation 2

Shadow of Rome

Shadow of Rome offers some of the best hack-and-slash combat out there and wraps it up in an interesting story that puts an original spin on the whole Julius Caesar-getting-murdered thing. It's also got plenty of gameplay variety to keep you motivated from start to finish, and it's always pretty to look at. Some say that video game shelves are flooded with sequels that are too short and too easy these days. If that's you, then Shadow of Rome is definitely your game.

Mensch, selten ist mir ein so vor rotem Lebenssaft triefendes Spiel untergekommen wie "Shadow of Rome". Und das Beste daran: Die Gladiatorenkämpfe machen einen Heidenspaß! Die Entwickler haben die Atmosphäre des brutalen Freizeitvergnügens perfekt eingefangen. Wären da nur nicht die Stealth-Abschnitte: Sie bremsen das Spiel immer wieder aus, da sie nicht ganz mit den spannenden Schlachten mithalten können. Trotzdem: "Shadow of Rome" ist ein Geheimtipp für Freunde von "Ben Hur" und "Gladiator" und durchweg empfehlenswert!

Beware the ides of March, for this day may be your last. Julius Caesar was a man of great power, respect, and dignity. Historically, Julius Caesar was the idealized personality of Rome way, way, way back. Having been hailed as a paramount leader both politically and strategically on the battlefield, Julius Caesar had led an exemplary life and carried the love of Rome on his side. All until the betrayal from his trusted counsel members of course, whom conspired in secret to seek the fall of the once precious Julius Caesar. Going along with that, Roman times as some of whom may or may not be up to the minute with, is really one of the more hot commodities that in recent years is undergoing various forms of game and move makings.

"Shadow of Rome" acabou não recebendo tanta atenção durante sua produção, mas se mostrou uma grata surpresa, com uma mecânica de jogo consistente, e lutas dignas do pedigree do produtor de "Onimusha".

The bloody fighter is Agrippa, just returned to Rome to find his father accused of Caesar's murder. Dad is scheduled to be executed for the crime, and without oversimplifying, it's safe to say that Agrippa decides to carve a path to his gallows. He's aided by Octavius, an old friend who can't fight for beans, but knows how to sneak like a primitive Clancy op. The game is evenly divided between the two, as Octavius searches for information which is then acted upon in brutal fashion by the warrior.

Shadow of Rome is a maddening game to play in that it's almost assassinated by its own good intentions. On one hand, the arena combat scenes are exciting and thrilling to play, but Metal Gear Solidknockoff stealth stages break up those sequences and bring the game to a grinding halt.

Shadow of Rome is split in half between two characters, Agrippa and Octavianus, two characters caught up in the aftermath of Caesar's assassination. Agrippa's father is blamed for the murder and it's up to him and Octavianus to clear his name. Well, it's really up to Octavianus to sneak around parts of Rome to piece together the clues as to who was really behind the murder. He can't fight anyone and so his role is to be as stealthy as possible to figure things out.

Shadow Of Rome doit composer avec ses défauts et ses qualités mais ce qui ressort au final est une production bien rodée et particulièrement excitante. Il est regrettable que la difficulté soit mal dosée et que les phases d'infiltration n'apportent pas grand chose mais malgré ces errements, le titre de Capcom est un modèle de bestialité qui nous fera plonger dans l'enfer d'une Rome dominée par la violence d'un spectacle barbare. Terriblement violent, terriblement impressionnant, terriblement prenant.

Despite these frequent criticisms, millions of people lined up to see Russell Crowe slaughter a few dozen gladiators on the big screen. The History Channel has aired countless specials on the ferocious coliseum battles. Hundreds, if not thousands of books have been written about what went on before, during and after Caesar's reign.

Ambition is a cruel mistress and Shadows of Rome feels like it was shortchanged and -- in some ways -- rushed. During the development of the game, the team must have had to cut back on countless ideas originally on the drawing board. If the game had stuck to a straightforward gladiator format, Shadows of Rome would have made one of the standout titles of its type. As it is, however, this adventure simply bit off way more than it could chew with the stealth sections. The end result is certainly a thumbs up -- but only just.

Shadow of Rome seeks to rectify that somewhat with a fairly accurate recreation of ancient Rome, and a different take on Julius Caesar's murder. Many of the characters in the game are drawn from real-life people and the events are all mostly faithful to what we know about Roman history. The level of realism doesn't stop at the setting or the people, with much of the action that of ordinary folk. No spells or fantasy characters appear, with the bulk of the opponents being ordinary soldiers or fighters.

We're whisked away back to ancient Rome and introduced to the game's two main characters. Agrippa is an honorable centurion in the Roman army who is currently defending Rome's borders from the encroaching Germanic savages. Octavianus is Agrippa's best friend and also nephew to the late Caesar. While leading quite separate lives, the brutal murder of Caesar stands to bring them both together as they work their own unique style of gameplay to ultimately uncover the truth and supplant the darkness from power over the nation.

Graphically, Shadow of Rome's graphics are first-rate, with the most realistic faces and facial expressions I've ever seen in a video game. The well-crafted scenery features convincing stone textures and shiny marble floors. As a bonus, there's a mega-hottie named Claudia with a truly devastating figure (holy cow!). Shadow of Rome's dialogue quality is generally good, and a dramatic orchestrated soundtrack gives the game a cinematic quality. The skill level is fair and it never took me more than a few attempts to clear any stage. I wasn't a fan of the stealth stages, but I found the gory battles very satisfying. If you enjoy history and appreciate games with some variety, Shadow of Rome will not disappoint.

Despite its grandiose subject matter, Shadow of Rome is merely a bad stealth game chained to a limited action game. While mauling people as Agrippa is fun when you get the chance to do it, the combat system isn’t revolutionary or deep enough to warrant the effort of dealing with the crummy Octavianus bits. History would do best to forget this one.