Ancient Rome... The year 106 A.D.

After the mysterious death of the great and noble Emperor Trajan, the despotic Consular Arruntius ascended to the Imperial throne, heralding in an age of tyranny, perversity and destruction. Under Arruntius' maniacal rule, Rome has been turned into a city rife with vice and decadence. Declaring himself a god, Arruntius has banned the adoration of all other gods in favor of himself. In addition, Rome is to be leveled to make room for a new city to be built on the ruins of the old... Arruntium, named after the madman himself.

In celebration of his ascension to the throne and the founding of Arruntium, the new Emperor will stage the bloodiest gladiatorial event ever witnessed. Within the very streets of Rome, gladiators will butcher each other to appease the mobs of Roman citizens rapidly becoming as crazed as their new leader.

Yet there is one man who stands against the madness that has engulfed the city. One man willing to stand and fight against the newly emerging evils to restore Rome to its former glory under the rule of the once great and beloved Emperor Trajan. A man who's real name has long since been forgotten. Ripped from the arms of a mother he can no longer remember and sold into slavery, he emerged as the champion gladiator of a good and just Emperor... the Emperor who would have set him free.

Known simply as Invictus Thrax, this gladiator fought his way to the top, emerging undefeated and proclaimed the greatest gladiator in the history of the city. Now Thrax must face his inevitable fate. Even he cannot survive the onslaught brought upon him by Arruntius and the demon gods Phobos and Deimos.

But even in death there is freedom and with it comes vengeance. Ironically it's through death and his ascension into Elysium, the afterlife for heroes, that Thrax realizes his true purpose.

Upon his awakening in Elysium Thrax is greeted by Romulus and Remus, who explain to Thrax that he has been chosen by the gods to become their champion. Thrax also learns that his beloved Emperor Trajan was murdered at the hands Arruntius and Rome is entering a period of darkness and depravity from which it cannot return.

Arruntius is being aided by Phobos and Deimos, the gods of fear and terror... the errant children of Mars. Phobos and Deimos have drawn the life force of Rome from its cowering citizens. Intoxicated by its power, they have taken the life force energy deep within their own realms.

In order to stop the madness and return Rome to its former glory, Thrax is tasked with recovering Rome's life force by hunting down and destroying the evil gods Phobos and Deimos, along with the crazed ruler himself... Arruntius.

Source:

Acclaim's website

A Warrior Slave... Chosen by the Gods... To restore the glory of an Empire.

In the Year 106AD the Roman Empire is in terrible decline. After the untimely death of the much-liked Emperor Trajan, the despotic Emperor Arruntius has bled the once powerful Rome to its knees. Badly fought wars, famine and plague are rife in all corners of the Empire, whilst the Emperor and his elite enjoy every excess and vice that the emptying coffers can afford. As herald to this age of degradation, Arruntius has destroyed large portions of the city of Rome to create the battleground for the bloodiest gladiator event ever staged...

KEY FEATURES: * An epic cinematic adventure ranging from the streets of Rome to the paradise of Elysium.

• Intuitive 'in context' fighting style incorporating an advanced multiple-opponent combat system.

• Use specialized authentic weaponry for different situations.

• Combo attacks - produce spectacular sequences and gorier deaths. The more fantastic the kill, the higher the Blood Meter rises.

• Olympian talents - When the Blood Meter is full, increase your strength to Herculean proportions, raise the dead to fight alongside you, and unleash the power of the elements!

• Finish him! - When stunned, your enemy is open to a specialized and gory coup de grace.

• Gain experience through combat - the more you kill, the more abilities you learn.

• Huge variety of opponents - from brutal guardsmen to mythical creatures.

• Play to the crowd to become their hero!

Source:

Acclaim's Web Site

Press Reviews:

"Gladiator: Sword of Vengence managed to exceed all expectations."

Worth Playing (http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=15223)

"One of the most visceral experiences you can find in a X-Box game."

Digital Fan (http://www.digitalfan.com/xbox/reviews/review14/)

"...One of the premiere guilty pleasures of the holiday season. And we can't imagine a better weekend for videogame fans other than sitting down in front of the television set to give it a try."

8.0/10 - IGN (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/457/457808p1.html)

"Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance has solid gameplay, great graphics, and brings a little somethin' different to the beat-'em-up genre."

Gamespy (http://gamespy.com/reviews/november03/gladiatorxbox/)

Games Domain:

"A hefty armful of weapons at the ready, this unadulterated action festival is poised to cleave the competition in twain."

"It's all mayhem from start to finish. Bloody mayhem, at that."

"Thrax looks great, as do all the swirling magical and combo effects that go off like fireworks in combat."

"definitely worth a look."

• Full Review (http://www.gamesdomain.com/xbox/reviews/Gladiator_Sword_of_Vengeance.html)

Team Xbox:

"If you are looking for action combined with gallons of spilled blood, then Gladiator is surely to delight."

"(The) special attacks showcase some of the kick ass visuals that Gladiator has and do pack a punch."

"The amount of carnage that is displayed is astounding"

"The game is extremely vibrant which really makes it stand out over other games in the genre."

• Full Review (http://www.teamxbox.com/view_reviews.php?id=621)

Gamespot:

"Excellent production values and an intriguing plot"

"The overall art design is also really spectacular"

"Certain things that Gladiator: 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."

"You'll likely be pleased with what Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance has to offer."

• Full Review (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/igladiator/review.html)

"Gladiator lets you kickus maximus assus with brutal finishing moves."

"...it'll satisfy your raging blood lust."

"At your console's signal, unleash hell."

Maxim (4 out of 5)

Press Releases:

Heads To Roll On Nov. 4th When Acclaim Unleashes 'Gladiator Sword Of Vengeance' On Retail

Whoever said "the pen is mightier than the sword" never picked up a controller and played Acclaim's Gladiator Sword of Vengeance(TM). Shipping to retail outlets nationwide on Tuesday, November 4 for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, Gladiator Sword of Vengeance(TM) is an epic adventure set in ancient Rome, where the only justice comes in the form of cold sharp steel... (Full Story: http://www.acclaim.com/company/pressReleases/product/GladiatorShips.html)

Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. Unleashes Deadly Action And Adventure With 'Gladiator Sword of Vengeance'

Transporting players to an era when emperors reigned and warrior slaves battled savagely to their deaths, Acclaim unveiled Gladiator Sword of Vengeance for the next-generation consoles... (Full Story: http://www.acclaim.com/company/pressReleases/product/GladiatorSwordOfVengeance.html)

Source:

Acclaim US website - Press Section - PC/PS2/Xbox

A WARRIOR SLAVE

CHOSEN BY THE GODS TO RESTORE THE GLORY OF AN EMPIRE

EXECUTE YOUR ENEMIES WITH OVER 60 DIFFERENT DEATH BLOWS

AN EPIC STORY WHERE YOU INVOKE THE POWER OF THE GODS!

HIGH IMPACT COMBO ATTACKS

FIGHT MULTIPLE OPPONENTS SIMULTANEOUSLY TO IMPROVE YOUR ARSENAL

Source:

Back of Case - PS2

Hail gladiator! For the glory of the Empire, you must compete in the games... to the death

It is the year 106AD, and the Roman Empire is in terminal decline. With the death of Emperor Trajan, his despotic successor Emperor Arruntius is living it up in fine style (and taking the whole of Rome with him), destroying most of Rome to create the ultimate gladiatorial arena. Into this arena comes Invictus Thrax, a man born into slavery and raised to be a gladiator. But even Thrax, with his devastating arm-blades and his whirling combos, can't stand against the Emperor's men forever - and when he falls, he finds himself in the paradise fields of Elysium.

From here, Thrax is charged with bringing Arruntius' reign to an end by Romulus and Remus, themselves working on behalf of the gods. So Thrax returns to Earth, newly empowered with new combos and abilities, and the stage is set for a gory adventure beat 'em up.

The emphasis in Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance is on bloody action, speed and excitement, with Thrax hacking and slashing his way through an army of opponents. With combos relatively easy to pull off, and 'execution' moves available with a single button press, this will appeal to those of us who can't quite handle complicated beat 'em ups, but still crave the blood and gore that the likes of Mortal Kombat provided in the past.

• Quick, simple but gory combos
• The more you fight, the more powerful you become!
• Execution moves - finish your opponent in style

Source:

uk.playstation.com

The darkness of the Great War has passed and the lands of Gladius are peaceful once more. Now combat takes place only in the gladiator arenas... But be warned. Evil is on the rise again. So train well, for the dark must not prevail.

Source:

www.xbox.com

EIN KRIEGERSKLAVE,

VON DEN GÖTTERN ERWÄHLT,

UM DEN RUHM DES IMPERIUMS WIEDERHERZUSTELLEN

ECHT KINOATMOSPHÄRE DANK SPEKTAKULÄRER EFFEKTE & MUSIKUNTERMALUNG

LASS IN EINEM SPANNENDEN EPOS DIE MACHT DER GÖTTER WALTEN!

NIMM ES MIT MEHREREN GEGNER GLEICHZEITIG AUF, UM DEIN WAFFENARSENAL AUFZUSTOCKEN.

EFFEKTVOLLE KOMBO-ANGRIFFE

Source:

Back of Keep Case - Windows (Germany)

Reviews

“Dismember the past with Acclaim's gory sleeper surprise.”

8.0 – IGN

“The graphics and sound are of great quality”

7.1 – Gamespot

“Definitely worth a pickup from casual and hardcore action fans alike”

PSM

Über dieses Spiel

Im Jahre 106 A.D. erlebt das Römische Reich einen rapiden Zerfall. Nach dem frühzeitigen Tod des beliebten Kaisers Trajan hat der tyrannische Kaiser Arruntius das einst mächtige Rom an den Rand des Verderbens geführt. Ungeschickt geführte Kriege, Hungersnöte und Seuchen plagen das gesamte Kaiserreich, während der Kaiser und seine Eliten sich auf Kosten der schwindenden Staatskasse keine Ausschweifung und kein Laster verwehren. Arruntius, der Vorbote dieses Zeitalters des Verfalls, hat weite Teile Roms zerstört, um so das Schlachtfeld für die blutigsten Gladiatorenkämpfe aller Zeiten vorzubereiten …

Source:

store.steampowered.com (German)