Xbox

Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance

Die Programmierer von Acclaim haben die simple Spielmechanik von Gladiator durch einige sinnvolle Features (Schwert-Meter, Komboattacken, Mehrfachangriffe) ordentlich aufgewertet. Auch die schnell erlernbare Steuerung und die großartige Technik des Spiels mit ihren hübschen Lichteffekten stechen hervor. Dass man die Fähigkeiten seines Helden ständig aufrüsten kann, schafft zusätzlich Motivation. Einzig die Adventure-Elemente sind bei Gladiator etwas zu kurz gekommen und sorgen nicht für genügend Abwechslung, um einen Hit-Stempel abzustauben. Wer allerdings sowieso lieber auf Rätsel verzichtet und reine Nonstop-Action will, für den wird Gladiator DAS Spiel überhaupt sein. Wer das 18. Lebensjahr vollendet hat und kein Problem mit viel Blut hat, sollte sich die englische PAL-Version ansehen, die ebenfalls in Deutschland auf den Markt kommt.

If there’s a major complaint it’s that the game really doesn’t innovate in any way, but it sure is a hell of a lot more fun than Gladius in terms of all-out action. There’s also no two-player mode, but then again, the nature of the gameplay doesn’t actually allow for a fighting game when you think about it. I doubt Acclaim Manchester will do a direct sequel, but if they do use the character or time period again, the next Gladiator game will definitely be something to look out for. These guys have some great talent on hand- I’m certainly looking forward to whatever comes next for them…

There are few moments in the videogame world that are as satisfying as finding something that exceeds expectations. And that's exactly what happened when we sat down to give Acclaim's Sword of Vengeance a thorough playthrough. Far from being perfect and definitely open to improvement, Gladiator isn't going to win any awards or change the way we look at videogames. What it will do, however, is help pass the time away for nine to twelve hours with its mindless but ultimately fun approach to the genre.

But the question will remain; can Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance hold up in a crowded shelf of sports games and other marquee titles? Keep this in mind. There aren't a whole lot of games out there that you can just throw into your PS2 or Xbox and start hacking away at things. Hunter: The Reckoning is one, but how many other can truly "get medevil" on your ass? Looks like just one. But that is also something that can get old quickly. I would say Gladiator is a great weekend rental. You might want to hang onto it. Not at all a bad game.

It's unfortunate that the game's flaws take a lot of the fun out of this title, because it had the potential to be truly great. As it stands, it's still a fantastically well-produced game that generally does justice to the movies and games it "borrows" from. It's just a fantastically well-produced game whose gameplay isn't particularly deep or fulfilling.

Sword of Vengeance does well, it does very well. The graphics and sound are of great quality, and the story that Acclaim Studios Manchester has created for Invictus Thrax is an entertaining one that most any action game fan should find intriguing, if not captivating. It's unfortunate that the gameplay isn't nearly as interesting or well-put-together as the rest of the game, and it's equally unfortunate that there isn't any sort of multiplayer component to go along with the story mode, which leaves you with nothing to do in the game once the story mode is complete. Ultimately, however, if you can look past some of the game's mechanical shortcomings, you'll likely be pleased with what Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance has to offer.

This is the type of game that has some appeal, and it certainly has a lot of action, even if locked into a mixed bag of mythical overlays, and linear paths through the world. The graphical elements also vary from the very good to the average. Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance may be a little frustrating at times with its control elements, but is a mildly pleasant diversion.

Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance has solid gameplay, great graphics, and brings a little somethin' different to the beat-'em-up genre. The $50 MSRP is ten bucks too high, but hey, that's why God invented rentals.

The famous shadow work in Splinter Cell now has a graphical rival. This may sound completely crazy, but the fields of grass exhibited in Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance are a visual tour de force. Yes, it is just grass, but I guarantee that it’ll take your breath away. The entire game, for that matter, is loaded with eye candy. Instead of creating large vistas, Acclaim focused its processing power on small arenas and the little details within. Unfortunately, while the dwarfish nature of the worlds enhanced the graphics, it proved to be detrimental to gameplay.

Chronique d'une déchéance. Voici ce que pourrait être le sous-titre de "Gladiator : Sword Of Vengeance. Doté de quinze premières minutes sincèrement époustouflantes, il se voit misérablement tombé en déliquescence pendant les six cents restantes. Pataugeant au sein d'une ambiance mythique et onirique, votre fidèle Thrax, perd sa voie vers l'affranchissement définitif. Son horizon masqué par les affres de la technique. Le pouce ne se baissera pas. Le gladiateur n'est pas rentré dans l'arène.

Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance is one of those games that gives you the illusion your enjoying it. For a while you will think you are actually having quality fun. Then the game gets to the point where you realize staring at a blank screen while randomly bashing your controller would please you just as much. The game isn’t unbearably horrible but it certainly gives the term a run for its money. What it comes down to is the very limited array of attacks available to Thrax becomes too repetitive too quickly. And even if you push through the anger you’ll find no reason to keep playing once you beat the game. One could argue that the first half hour or so is worth a small fee to rent, but after that its really isn’t worth your well-earned money.

Gladiator är ett spel i mängden, med litervis av röd kroppsvätska som främsta försäljningsargument.

Unless the gratuitous decapitations, dismemberments, and full-on disembowelments alone raisin your nut bran, all Gladiator offers is a mentally vacuous button mashing romp where you slaughter interminably repeating waves of skeletons, titan creeps, and one-eyed mutant ogres with occasional jug-smashing and lever-pulling breaks thrown in for good measure. No, every game does not have to be the equivalent of Dostoyevsky, but implementation of some rudimentary mechanics, such as more save points, a better combo system, and some sort of camera control, would have rendered the mind-numbing repetition more tolerable; at least weapon upgrades and sorcery help end fights faster.