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Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance
Score: 6.7 / 10
After seeing the blockbuster movie
Gladiator for the first time, I jumped to the conclusion that there
would be dozens of Gladiator-like games sitting on store shelves.
Unfortunately nothing was really available at the time, the closest
thing available was the Xbox disaster Circus Maximus, a chariot-racing
game. Now, more than three years after the movie, comes the first title
bearing the name Gladiator (although, it's not based on the movie).
The first level of Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance is one of the finest
I’ve seen in quite a while, setting a quick and up-tempo pace. You play
Invictus Thrax, a Thracian slave who went on to become the greatest
Gladiator of the era, and is currently fighting in a tournament. Though
his life is fine for the moment, the future of the Roman Empire is in
jeopardy because it's a time of famine, plague, and badly
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fought wars brought to the people of Rome
by their new emperor, Arruntius. As Thrax works his way into the
Colosseum, he realizes he has been set up by the Emperor to take a fall
(i.e. be slaughtered). In a blinking moment the screen goes white, and
he is found in the blissful heaven, Elysium.
Without giving away too much of the story, Thrax is thereafter forced to
set out and kill Arruntius, |
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using the power of the Gods. Ultimately, the story is much like the
film, with the same art direction and idea of deceit. What’s different
though is the amount of mythology used to add depth. Instead of fighting
through rows of humans, Gladiator showcases a number of mythic enemies
of all sizes and power.
The initial power you are given by the Gods is the power of Hercules.
Much like the name implies, this power gives Thrax incredible strength.
In order to gain this ability, he must first kill a certain amount of
enemies. When this is done, a meter located on the bottom of the screen
will fill up granting you the ability to use this power whenever you
like.
Other powers given to you in time are the Power of Pluto, in which the
Wraith Knights aid you in killing your enemies; and the Power of
Jupiter, which casts spirits to fight alongside of you in battle. Though
both of these powers prove useful to winning key battles, they most
certainly aren’t required.
With the powers and magic understood, it’s time to check out the weapons
of Gladiator. The initial weapon you start with is a pair of
double-bladed gauntlets but Thrax quickly acquires a major arsenal of
bladed death, including two-handed axes (slow but powerful), although
you'll probably spend the majority of time with the basic sword (good
speed and stopping power). Each offers varying power and reach. It comes
down to the old adage: "The right tool for the right job."
The graphics of Gladiator showcase some great lighting and shadow
effects but little else. The detail on the settings and characters is at
best mediocre, with the word “standard” written all over the place. The
Colosseum is the one place where the graphics look decent. The huge size
of the Colosseum is truly felt, while other areas feel dry and
uninspired. Invictus Thrax himself has little detail in him, barely
setting him apart from other human characters in the game.
Gladiator was on its way to becoming the sleeper hit of 2003… then the
gameplay threw it into the bargain bin. Fortunately, I can sum up the
listless gameplay with one word: superficial, with a capital "S". sure
the gameplay is fun for the first thirty minutes, but the lack of depth
in a promising system causes everything else to crumble. The most
disappointing of features has to be the combo system. The game stresses
multiple combos and distinct moves, so how come they all look exactly
the same? During a battle you’ll be smashing the two primary action
buttons (A and X) constantly, knowing that a strategic order of actions
will make no more of a difference than randomly hitting buttons. The
battles become extremely easy and, most important, boring. Not even the
mythic powers or gory action makes the gameplay any less repetitive.
Thank God for great music, or else I would had a much more difficult
time getting through the long cut scenes or prolonged stages of running
around. Gladiator offers a superb soundtrack, sporting the same quality
from the film (that’s a first). Voice acting was decent throughout,
although in some instances it did seem a bit over the top. As for action
sequences, the sounds of metal clashing is accurate and clean, but like
the gameplay, quickly dismissed. The soundtrack offers great quality and
deserves recognition; nothing else in the sound department deserves
mention.
If we were still living in 106 A.D, Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance would
get the thumb-down and be swiftly executed (and thereby avoid any
problems with space-time continuum). But since we live in a much more
civilized age, it’s best to rent this game. If you need to quench your
thirst for some mythological beat-em-up action, then Gladiator is your
only choice.
- Eric Lahiji
(January 2, 2003) |
