Spartan: Total Warrior

Spartan: Total Warrior on läpikotaisen tyylikäs paketti ja ehdoton valinta toimintapelien ystävälle. Audiovisuaalinen vyörytys on jatkuvaa nautintoa, kun pelaajan pitää olla samaan aikaan kolmessa eri paikassa tappelemassa. Ares saakoon osansa - armoa ei anneta.

The first of its kind and hopefully the first of many, Spartan: Total Warrior is an exciting, brutal game of war. Most games lose their luster after you've killed the 999th warrior, but Total Warrior keeps things fresh throughout the journey. Part of the freshness comes from the variety of tasks that you have to complete along the way (quick tasks like setting fire to a bridge that burns to the ground in under 15 seconds). The other part of Total Warrior's undying freshness comes from its challenge because you never know what the enemy is going to do next.

There's no multiplayer component to Spartan: Total Warrior, but there is an Arena Challenge mode that sets you against increasingly difficult waves of foes to dispatch. There's also a Single Mission Replay mode for reliving specific encounters, and an Extras mode for unlockable bonuses like concept art. Aside from the odd mood breaker, somewhat sluggish load times between menus, and occasional repetitive gameplay, Spartan: Total Warrior manages to bridge the familiar RTS brand to the console world through its silky-smooth framerate, very respectable visuals, and deviously violent gameplay.

It's in those pieces that a picture of Spartan: Total Warrior begins to emerge. Great combat, solid upgrades, even a really nice "arena" mode that lets you setup battles between different armies and then join in, four major weapon styles to earn, respectable voiceovers, and a nice story: all are brought to their knees trying to hold up generic level/mission designs and ugly boss fights. Assembly made a very solid game, but far too often it feels like they were following a well-used copy of a third-person action game "handbook" instead of charting their own territory. I cannot put into words how close they were with Spartan: Total Warrior. If they play to their strengths next time, instead of shying away from their PC-heritage, they could knock our socks off with a sequel. For now rent this one.

Creative Assembly's first console effort is a satisfying, action-filled hack-and-slash. If you feel the urge to slaughter countless waves of enemies, it comes highly recommended, improving upon the formulas of similar games such as Koei's Dynasty Warriors or Capcom's Devil Kings. However, certain things could really be more polished and the exclusion of a few key options is a little sloppy. As a sort of counterpart to the developer's PC game, Rome: Total War, it'd be nice to see other console games from them in the future based upon their other titles, Medieval: Total War and Shogun: Total War.

Everything that makes Spartan: Total Warrior so enjoyable is exactly the opposite of what so many casual gamers are interested in. It’s not the prettiest game, it is intended for mature audiences, but it’s no bloodier than a typical fighting game except that you see blood thousands of times instead of a few dozen times. Regardless it’s a low key game that might not receive the attention it justly deserves. Yes, it’s very hard, and you may also need to pick up a new controller after throwing yours down in hissy fits of rage, but it’s definitely worthy of more than just a look.

To deal with the inevitable question, no, it's not as good as God of War. There's no shame in that, given that God of War is going to top a fair few sites' Game of the Year lists. However, luckily for Spartan, they're also such different games that direct comparisons don't reveal much. There's none of God of War's puzzling or platforming or combos or badly-rendered polygon bosoms here. Just a whole lot of slick, entertaining violence.

Spartan: Total Warrior does so many things right that it genuinely pains us to see the experience get bogged down by a handful of major annoyances. Creative Assembly crafted a marvelous game engine, too, one that affords spectacular encounters filled with more action, blood and “Holy crap did you see that!?” moments than we’d care to mention. It’s therefore unfortunate that the unrefined targeting system, cheap boss battles and generally unhelpful friendly AI make the experience a mixed bag of exhilarating and exasperating moments. Still, Total Warrior is a good (almost great) action game that fans of the genre should definitely considering purchasing.

Spartan: Total Warrior does so many things right that it genuinely pains us to see the experience get bogged down by a handful of major annoyances. Creative Assembly crafted a marvelous game engine, too, one that affords spectacular encounters filled with more action, blood and “Holy crap did you see that!?” moments than we’d care to mention. It’s therefore unfortunate that the unrefined targeting system, cheap boss battles and generally unhelpful friendly AI make the experience a mixed bag of exhilarating and exasperating moments. Still, Total Warrior is a good (almost great) action game that fans of the genre should definitely considering purchasing.

Spartan: Total Warrior speaks to the inner badass lurking in all of us; that hardcore, relentless killing machine pining to rip through wave after wave of Nazis, alien invaders or whatever the case may be. Total Warrior makes a valiant effort to give us the tools and abilities to live that fantasy, if only for a while and if only while sitting in our living. It recognizes we, as gamers, just need to kill things sometimes. And if we can kill things and look cool while doing it, that's even better. On top of that, if we can butcher people while looking cool and even feel noble about it, well, that's just divine.

These flaws, along with the fact that the fighting never really changes despite some new weapons and enemies, are enough to bring Spartan down out of the "great" category. It sure beats the hell out another Dynasty Warriors retread, though.

These flaws, along with the fact that the fighting never really changes despite some new weapons and enemies, are enough to bring Spartan down out of the "great" category. It sure beats the hell out another Dynasty Warriors retread, though.

These flaws, along with the fact that the fighting never really changes despite some new weapons and enemies, are enough to bring Spartan down out of the "great" category. It sure beats the hell out another Dynasty Warriors retread, though.

If you're looking for a great way to knock some heads, you could honestly do a heck of a lot worse than Spartan: Total Warrior. It tends to shift between greatness and mediocrity with the frequency of your average rollercoaster ride, but the great parts are easily worth a look by anyone who enjoys beat-'em-ups. This stands side-by-side with Genji as Rental of the Year, but due to the Arena Mode, as well as the thrill of playing through older missions with newfound skills, buying it's not a bad idea, either.

The numerous weapons and spells add some dimensions to the combat, but this is no God of War. Heck, Kratos wouldn't even waste his time slaughtering Spartan's poser protagonist named - wait for it - the Spartan. Clever.

The numerous weapons and spells add some dimensions to the combat, but this is no God of War. Heck, Kratos wouldn't even waste his time slaughtering Spartan's poser protagonist named - wait for it - the Spartan. Clever.

The numerous weapons and spells add some dimensions to the combat, but this is no God of War. Heck, Kratos wouldn't even waste his time slaughtering Spartan's poser protagonist named - wait for it - the Spartan. Clever.

Spartan: Total Warrior is a straightforward action game from Sega and developer Creative Assembly. As you might guess from the title, the game is set during the conflict between the Spartans and the massive Roman Empire. This is pretty familiar territory for Creative Assembly, the team behind last year's PC strategy game Rome: Total War. However, the game itself is a massive departure for a studio best known for its historically authentic and complex strategy games. For the most part, Spartan: Total Warrior is a pretty good action effort. Unfortunately, the high production values and engaging gameplay of the Total War games are nowhere to be found here.

Spartan: Total Warrior is a straightforward action game from Sega and developer Creative Assembly. As you might guess from the title, the game is set during the conflict between the Spartans and the massive Roman Empire. This is pretty familiar territory for Creative Assembly, the team behind last year's PC strategy game Rome: Total War. However, the game itself is a massive departure for a studio best known for its historically authentic and complex strategy games. For the most part, Spartan: Total Warrior is a pretty good action effort. Unfortunately, the high production values and engaging gameplay of the Total War games are nowhere to be found here.

Spartan: Total Warrior is a straightforward action game from Sega and developer Creative Assembly. As you might guess from the title, the game is set during the conflict between the Spartans and the massive Roman Empire. This is pretty familiar territory for Creative Assembly, the team behind last year's PC strategy game Rome: Total War. However, the game itself is a massive departure for a studio best known for its historically authentic and complex strategy games. For the most part, Spartan: Total Warrior is a pretty good action effort. Unfortunately, the high production values and engaging gameplay of the Total War games are nowhere to be found here.

Mêlant histoire et légendes gréco-romaines, Spartan possède un background particulièrement accrocheur, laissant libre cours à des interprétations fantaisistes mais s'incrustant assez bien dans la trame générale. Epique, très accessible et dynamique, le titre de Sega pèche néanmoins dans les domaines graphiques et techniques. Avec un peu plus d'imagination et des schémas de jeu plus développés, Spartan aurait pu faire bien plus de chemin. Espérons qu'un prochain volet aille au bout de cette quête homérique.

Mêlant histoire et légendes gréco-romaines, Spartan possède un background particulièrement accrocheur, laissant libre cours à des interprétations fantaisistes mais s'incrustant assez bien dans la trame générale. Epique, très accessible et dynamique, le titre de Sega pèche néanmoins dans les domaines graphiques et techniques. Avec un peu plus d'imagination et des schémas de jeu plus développés, Spartan aurait pu faire bien plus de chemin. Espérons qu'un prochain volet aille au bout de cette quête homérique.

Mêlant histoire et légendes gréco-romaines, Spartan possède un background particulièrement accrocheur, laissant libre cours à des interprétations fantaisistes mais s'incrustant assez bien dans la trame générale. Epique, très accessible et dynamique, le titre de Sega pèche néanmoins dans les domaines graphiques et techniques. Avec un peu plus d'imagination et des schémas de jeu plus développés, Spartan aurait pu faire bien plus de chemin. Espérons qu'un prochain volet aille au bout de cette quête homérique.

"Spartan: Total Warrior" from developer Creative Assembly is somehow a mix between an action-adventure game with a little bit strategy. If doesn't fit the genre "Total Warrior" or epic since like I said before, the epic situations are mostly unaccurate and well it just isn't as good as 'Rome: Total Warrior'. The console version feels a bit limited but plays well. If you're looking for the same value like 'Rome: Total Warrior' but then on console, you'll have to look elsewhere. "Spartan: Total Warrior" is a decent action-adventure game, puts you with the Spartans with a few epic situations and the game is mostly all hack 'n slash. If that's what you're after, then this game is definitely made for you.

Will man also in die griechische Mythologie abtauchen und dabei noch massig Gegner zu Hackfleisch verarbeiten, sind die beiden God of War Teile die erste Wahl. Hat man danach immer noch Lust, kann man sich Spartan: Total Warrior ansehen, allerdings eben nicht mit all zu hohen Erwartungen.

Spartan: Total Warrior isn't a classic and many people will bemoan the relentless action and uncomplicated combat, but they're the game's two best features. This isn't a game for elitists who turn their noses up at anyone who can't beat Ninja Gaiden - it's for everyone else. It's a fun, simplistic hack 'n' slash that offers a lot of enjoyment, tarnished by the odd bad design choice.

My favorite moments were during the chaotic, hundred-men battles, especially after acquiring two swords. I barely used the rest of the weapons I collected in the game, so I felt there wasn't much value as the game went on. I didn't have much desire to play through the game again as there are barely any unlockables. Seemingly, the only replay value is in the survival-like game mode. Nevertheless, Spartan: Total Warrior is ultimately an accomplished action game that fans of God of War, Dynasty Warriors and EA's The Lord of the Rings console games will enjoy.

Spartan: Total Warrior isn't a classic and many people will bemoan the relentless action and uncomplicated combat, but they're the game's two best features. This isn't a game for elitists who turn their noses up at anyone who can't beat Ninja Gaiden - it's for everyone else. It's a fun, simplistic hack 'n' slash that offers a lot of enjoyment, tarnished by the odd bad design choice.

Maybe I was just expecting too much from this game, since I absolutely loved the Total War games, I wanted the same awesome level of detail and epic scale battles that I had in those titles, but it was just not meant to be. If you are looking for an epic battle game that takes place in the ancient world, go get yourself a copy of Rome Total War, if you want an awesome battle game where you are one soldier against many foes then go get yourself a copy of God of War. This might be a fun game to rent, but unless you fall in love with it then, I would not recommend slapping down 50 bucks for it.

It's tempting to be lenient with Total Warrior's flaws, because even though "difficulty" seems like a simple concept, it's actually a very, very delicate thing to balance. And at the base, the game is very likeable idea, controls brilliantly and does a lot of stuff right. But when the balance shifts from "I'm going to keep trying because I know I can get better" to "I'm going to keep trying to justify the $50 I just spent," then there's a problem.

Again, that's what Total Warrior does best. If you don't mind getting only half of a game and want something a little more adult (more bloodshed than you can imagine), this is the one you're looking for. Its battles are as epic as they can be, and until you make it to "that" part of the game, you'll have a blast. Anything after that leads to cries of depression because of what Spartan Total Warrior could have become.

The Total Warrior meets absolute mediocrity in Sega's new Dynasty Warriors-style brawler. As an anonymous but god-blessed Greek warrior, players get to cut through hordes of Roman soldiers, none of whom is half as bothersome as Spartan: Total Warrior's many, and debilitating, hiccups.