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Gladius
by Hector Cortez
Monday, April 14 2003
All those who loved the movie Gladiator now have a gaming avenue with which to get their combat fix.
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Title:
Gladius
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Platform:
Xbox
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Publisher:
LucasArts |
Developer:
LucasArts |
#
of Players: 1 |
Genre:
RPG
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Origin:
United States
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Expected
Release:
August 2003 |
Grapevine:
Along the way your character will evolve, much like classic RPGs , your character will gain experience depending on how much you compete and how many time you win, etc. |
Leave it to LucasArts to come up with a new unique twist of genres and come up with a great game like Gladius. Gladius is a combat RPG that will be available in Spring 2003 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube.
In Gladius you choose to play as one of two young heroes, Ursula or Valens as you recruit and train a team of fighting warriors to compete in the gladiator games for a chance to be Imperial Champions!
Valens:
Growing up in Imperia with prominent parents allowed Valens to become a well-rounded young man. He is educated in literature and the arts, and he is also a very talented warrior. But when his father, the greatest gladiator in Imperia, is murdered, his father?s famous school is sent into disarray. Valens, along with his childhood friend Ludo, vows to return the school to its former greatness. But along the way he finds that following in his father?s footsteps requires much more than just running a successful gladiator school.
Ursula:
The daughter of the barbarian king of Nordagh, Ursula possesses mysterious magical powers that nobody in her family can explain. Because of this her father has kept Ursula sheltered in his castle most of her young life. But she is a free spirit who longs to see the world. This, along with her strong desire to prove herself to her over-protective brother Urlan, is what drives Ursula to compete in the gladiator games. But her destiny will pull her towards something much greater.
Through out the game you will gain access to many weapons and learn powerful magic attacks to help you on your way to becoming a champion. Along the way your character will evolve, much like classic RPGs , your character will gain experience depending on how much you compete and how many time you win, etc. In total there are 16 character classes and over 100 unique character types to choose from!
Players can buy items such as specialized weapons, armor and shields for each of their warriors. They can give nicknames and even choose individual color sets for their characters. Additionally, as warriors fight they gain experience points that can be traded in for new skills. Players can create immense variety in their schools based on which of the over 1,000 skills they assign to their gladiators.
A cool feature in Gladius will be the involvement of the crowd in arena battles! A meter will be used to represent the crowd's excitement level and show which gladiator school it favors. If you win th crowd's cheers then your potency will increase. But if you lose the crowd's cheers, your school will lose popularity and maybe even the battle!
There are 16 historically based gladiator classes to choose from. You can have a school with a combination of traditional gladiator classes, spell-casters, wild beasts and even mythical monsters.
The game takes place in four distinct regions, each with multiple arenas. The look of the regions will be based on where the region is located (what surrounds it) and the history of the town. For example, in Imperia, arenas range from the enormous Coliseum in the capital city which seats 30,000 spectators, to the small open arena in the town of Pirgos.
The storyline is pretty much linear. You must compete in different leagues in order to gain access to certain teammates, abilities, locations, etc. but you have the option to choose which tasks you will do first.
The combat is turn-based, however, LucasArts has added a new twist to the genre by adding real-time swing meters. With careful timing, the player can execute amazing and grueling attacks and spells!
With so many unique features, Gladius is already shaping up to be one of 2003's best games. Lets hope that it only gets better from here!
--- Hector Cortez
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