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Cool turn based gladiator team battles!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: June 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

After playing the 3 Level demo featured on the Official XBOX Magazine, this game shows some excellent promise for a genre in need of a massive infusion. I really enjoy turn based RPG's and Gladius is blending that with some real-time elements that create a fresh sense of combat strategy. The player gets to pick a custom team of Gladiators with a mass of different abilities from weapons, to melee, to magic skills. As with any turn based RPG, strategy and planning is of the utmost importance which can take the brain power of a chess player to master.

Hopefully, the final game will be well balanced to accomodate players who aren't that skillful and still step up the challenge to give the most mindful player a run for their money. This game so far is fun, engrossing and could very well take many days of your life....

Such potential, but it falls short

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 11
Date: June 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Gladius won't be released until August 2003, but here's a review of the demo they've recently released in gaming magazines.

First, the premise. After years of warfare, the lands are peaceful. The only combat remaining is in the gladiator rings. Your brother-sister team, Ursula and Valens, bring together a small team of fighters to gain glory on that field.

In essence you're playing a turn based combat strategy game, a la Final Fantasy Tactics. The graphics are reasonably good, with the cut scenes showing far more polish than the actual gameplay. I would have thought a brand new XBox game would have better in-game graphics, but the graphics reminded me of an old Playstation Final Fantasy, with little bursts of blood-mist when someone hits, and non-exciting backgrounds.

You have nice arrows indicating how far a character can move during a given turn, on a large arena which easily exceeds your screen width. You can sneak around an opponent and hit them from behind, giving you a bonus. You have options of various attack styles and learn skills as you go.

Unfortunately it's exceedingly easy to mis-click and there's no going back when you do. It's easy to loose track of where people and opponents are with them being off-screen from each other, and when it's someone's turn the focus does not move to them, so you have to scroll around to hunt them down.

Usually music and sound don't bother me one way or another, but I have to say the background music for this game was REALLY annoying to me, and began to wear on me quickly. This is really quite unusual, because I happen to *love* the Gladiator soundtrack, have it on CD and play it constantly. So if anything, I should be a person who could play Gladiator-themed music 24 hours a day. To have this music drive me completely insane so quickly was quite a feat.

In general, we weren't very impressed with this. It was so awkward to move around and get through a battle that by the end, when the trio of judges gave their mild polite clapping as your "winning moment", we were really just happy to have it over with.

It might get much better as they finish off the game for its true release, I guess we'll see! Being a huge strategy fan and a lover of the Gladiator genre, I would REALLY like this to end up a wonderful game.

Based on Demo

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: July 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Like the others, I have only played the demo so far. Nonetheless, I see this game as having great potential. It is based upon this that I am rating it. The gameplay shows an insightful process for combat and character progression. Assumption: the rest of the game will complete and round out the demo.

In the final version, I look forward to building a "school" of talented warriors and advancing my characters' ability, storyline, and wealth. The demo does not include shops to buy new equipment, which will also add value to the completed game. The goal of the demo is only to complete a few gladiatorial combats, but the game will have a full scheme of advancement with multiple and, I assume, sometimes divergent goals.

Wasted potential

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 28
Date: July 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

before i played the demo of this game,i thought it would be awesome,like a better version of rune from the ps2,but alas,i was sorely disapointed.I was looking forward to the fast paced action that made the movie gladiator exciting to watch but this game is turn based.Turn based!what were they thinking.I know there arent that many turn based games around so its a change of pace from the norm,but why on such a cool looking game?i was sorely disapointed.

Mediocre at Best

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: October 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The graphics are very good, there's no doubting that. However, you do the same think over and over and over. There is no real plot until much later in the game. It gets boring after an hour or two of playing. You march from arena to arena fighting the same fights (very little variance). It is misleading to think you can create your character. You cannot. You must choose one of two preselected characters and recruit various different people/creatures.

pure goodness

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: November 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

this is a great game in the tradition of oger battle and final fantasy tactics but a step up from these games. Gladius is a blast to play and is not the same boring thing over and over again. there are several kinds of matches from a regular kill em all type match to king of the hill. The depth of this game is another great factor. If you enjoy a thinking mans game this is the one for you.

A Huge Disappointment!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 13
Date: November 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This being one of those more anticpated titles, I must say I probably had too high hopes for this one. Alas, they were more than crushed when I actually started playing...

First of all, the storyline/acting bits are ridiculous. Imperia? Come on, real historical names/places would have made it 100 times more enjoyable.

Second, and most important, the fighting is TURN BASED! What a stupid idea; your character stands there and basically does the same move, then stands there and takes a shot from the other guy. Then it has this whole complicated movement system that is totally unbelieveable and even more un-fun.

Don't waste your time with this one; I gave up after about 45 minutes and popped Madden back in the console. Good thing is was only a rental!

Good game, not best but good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a pretty good game, and the accusations made by some are not well carried.

First off, turn-based games are not BAD, its a system you either like or don't like, and if you don't like it don't buy the game.

Second, the "historical" aspect has nothing to do with it. History would make it limited and if they had fooled with it some how it would annoy the history fanboys out there. Imagine if Julius Caesar had come out and fought your character...then Alexander the Great came out and put the smack down on Caesar...then Rainbow Brite and Pikachu came out and tag-teamed Alexander, then...

The only thing I don't like is the leveling system. It makes it some what cheap, and I think they could have made a better excuse.

Overall, a pretty fun game. If you liked Finaly Fantasy Tactics, you will like this game. It does take some patience at the beginning, but once you get into it it is very rewarding. If you have a short attention span (45 minutes) do not play this game.

Outstanding Strategy RPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: November 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

My first thoughts playing this game were how repetitive it seemed. Admittedly, you will spend you first couple hours getting to know the combat system, and learning how best to use your main characters. If you can get beyond the training battles and allow the variety of the world to work its magic, you will find this game to be a wonderful diversion.

I highly recommend this game to anyone that enjoys strategy over a fast pace. Combat is turn-based and actual attacks are carried out through timed button presses. At first this seems daunting, but the timing can be learned quickly. Any variants upon this routine are fully explained as they arise.

The battles themselves can range anywhere from straight head-to-head all the way to points battles to king of the hill. This variety, coupled with the enormous array of fighters and styles lends a ton of playability. Learning the strengths and weaknesses of your warriors and those of your opponents is a never ending struggle. Just when you think you know how to handle them, they pull out a new skill that changes everything.

Overall, Gladius is a well rounded way to burn away hours and hours of your day. If turn-based strategy RPGs are your thing, this is definitely for you. If not, then definitely stay away from this great game.

Disappointing

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 7
Date: November 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

When I heard that the folks who put out KOTOR were doing a turn-based strategy, I was ecstatic. Unfortunately, Gladius falls way short.

There really isn't much to the strategy aspect. There are 3 classes of player size, and 4 classes of magic that apply to weapons and armor. You use these in deathmatch, king of the hill, capture the flag, and damage contests.

Game play during combat is just like every other game where you swing something. Watch the little bar at the bottom of the screen and try to hit the button at the right time.

Other than that, the graphics are good, but the music is repetitive. That's about all I can say.

I gave it 3 stars because I did get about 7 hours play out of this, but most of that time was spent hoping it would get more interesting. Wish I had rented it first.

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