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Strengths: Gameplay, Length, variety of items
Weaknesses: Bad glitches, graphics
Summary: Gladius is a rarity. It is a western produced, turn based strategy game, set in a Romanesque environment, only for consoles. Not the usual game seen from Lucasarts Gladius is about gladiatorial combat in arenas. Hopefully more people grab this sleeper. Gladius' graphics and sound range from good to adequate. Some areas are nice to look at and at other times you will wish that they had spent more time on visual flash. Sound tends to fare slightly better as voice and weapon effects do the job nicely. It should also be mentioned that the cut scenes are very effective. Eschewing the typical prerendered fmv for animated paintings, and the occasional in-game scripted moment. More games could stand to try something more daring like Gladius. Control of your gladiators is comprised of moving and choosing an attack for them. Once this has been done, you can let the computer control your attack, or you can use a combination of buttons, timed presses and rapid mashing to execute moves. Manual attacks are often harder to pull off, but critical bonuses are given to manual attacks, and more satisfying. This added layer of interactivity makes the game more captivating and engrossing as opposed to a computer probability. Each and every character class has advantages and disadvantages ranging from moves that can be performed to recuperation ability. The game has many different gladiators of all shapes and species: Centurions, Barbarians, minotaurs, Ogres, Wolves, bears, satyrs, and many more. Fights occur in varied arenas and contain anywhere from two to twenty or so combatants. Arena topography and quirks can make or break a fight, i.e. The high ground and canyons can be used to your advantage. Gladius features hundreds of weapons and defensive items, all affecting your various gladiators abilities. Class size is also an important factor in battles, Heavy characters have an advantage vs. medium fighters, Medium vs. Small, and Small vs. Large. The character classes themselves, of which there are several, are also of great importance. Many characters have range attack and movement bonuses that others don't. The main object of the game is to collect a school of gladiators and take them from amateur ranks to the world professional champions, whilst saving the world along the way. The addition of multiplayer that allows your friends to play cooperatively as well as competitively is good fun. The game has a deep and interesting battle model and a good depth and breadth of things to do. This game is a real gem in the rough, a sleeper. It does have some real rough patches when it comes to bugs, the occasional lock up, long load times, and sound drops. But the good does manage to overshadow this, and Gladius is actually a pretty good game. If the game had been little more glitzy it might have been a classic. This is a game deserving of a sequel, hopefully Lucasarts makes it happen. Or, failing that, makes another game using the excellent interface and design made for Gladius. A great pick up for strategy fans.
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