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Capcoms new splatter fest
Publisher: Capcom
Tue, 26 April 2005
by: Ando
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I loved the Ridley Scott Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator starring our homegrown (slightly New Zealand) Russell Crowe (I think I saw it 3 or 4 times at the movies). It had everything a growing boy needs – home grown heroes, incestuous villains, epic battles, terrible injustice and lots of old fashioned steel in ya gut violence. But it also had an historical context that could fascinate and inspire even the most cynical of imaginations. That historical context or backdrop if you like was the Roman Empire.
Shadow of Rome on PS2 definitely borrows a lot from Gladiator the movie, maybe even a little too much. There was always going to be a great deal of game fodder in the plot and action sequences, and it really is a bit of mystery why the movie license was never used. Shadow of Rome goes some way to remedying that: You will fight gruesome battles in grand arenas, uncover insidious plots to usurp Julius Ceaser, and battle larger than life villains to avenge the murder of your family members. It has a lot to offer those in the mood for some good old-fashioned brutality and gore and a little for those into stealth and intrigue.
 | | Monkey man here will tear you a new orifice |
Let me introduce you to the characters and context of Shadow of Rome. The main character you play is a battle hardened army general turned gladiator (sound familiar anyone?) Agrippa. A behemoth of a man that’s not too shabby with a steel implement and has the task of saving Rome on his shoulders. He is aided by Octavionous - a younger and slightly less intimidating figure who is laden with the task of unraveling the plot behind the murder of his uncle Julius Caesar. Along the journey they are supported by Claudia. Claudia is a female gladiator with a sensational set of SWORDS. She will give you a hand in a few tight situations and even provide a little romantic tension (surprise, surprise). She is also the sister of Sextus, a Gladiator manager that takes Agrippa in and gives him the opportunity to fight for justice (Insert clichéd rock ballad here).
 | | Me like stick big metal thing in you! |
The story begins as Agrippa returns from battle to find the great Caesar has been murdered, and his father is accused of the crime. His position within the army is soon undermined, and he finds himself battling to stay alive in the arenas of gladiatorial combat. Octavionous (Agrippa’s friend) takes on the task of determining if the accusations concerning Agrippa’s father are true. And with that they are set off on their very separate journeys. Both journeys have their own game play style and seldom do they intertwine. While Agrippa is performing glorious feats in the arenas, Octavanionous is in the halls of the senate and at the forum lurking in the shadows, gathering information in the hope of uncovering the truth about Caesar’s death.
Both characters are used in third person perspective with the dynamic camera controlled by the right analogue stick. This gives you some flexibility in terms of how you view the action. The game play mechanics are different depending on whom you are playing with. Agrippa’s system focuses on combat and Octavionous’ on stealth navigation. Although a strafe action would have been nice for both characters, things like stealth walking and wall hugging add a depth to the game play in the Octavionous sequences at least.
 | | Avon calling! |
Octavionous will spend most of his time walking in the shadows, hiding in the bushes and wearing the odd maid’s dress every now and again (As you do) to get past the check points that make up each level. Occasionally you’ll get to knock someone on the head with a pot or strangle someone with a rope (they strangely still wake up from the later), but for the most part the game play focuses on stealth not combat. Agrippa’s control system is very different in that respect. It focuses on combat and is quite rigid and limited at times. There are no real combos to speak of and it turns into a bit of a mash fest at times, but it can be quite satisfying for those prepared to use their environment and the crowd to achieve the results desired. The ability to hold and power up your swing can be a fun way to totally severe limbs or heads for that matter. The crowd loves that kind of gear and if you play your cards right they will reward you appropriately with some nasty arse weapons (weapons that would make Arnie blush). Some of the weapons are absolutely huge and will cut your opponents clean in half on occasions (and I dunno bout you but that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside). They range from daggers, maces and short swords to huge spears, swords and fireball chains. You can even appeal to the crowd for support at any time by using the square and x buttons together to do the ‘roman spotlight’ action. This makes Agrippa pose with his arms in the air while letting out a big scream. Often you will find the crowd is eager to help or even mock you by throwing weapons and on occasion Roses into the arena.
 | | Somebody call the R.S.P.C.A |
For every slice and chop, severe and spurt (of blood) you will be rewarded with Salvo points. These points give you a way of gauging your performance in the matches. On occasion you will need to gain a certain amount of Salvos to pass the level. The amount you are awarded is dependant on your fighting style and the variety of techniques used. Button mashes will struggle to pass without a little bit of experimentation. There are a few different forms of combat to speak of in the matches. There is every man for himself ‘Battle Royal’ matches. A variation on Capture the Flag is in there where you must destroy the opponents statues before the destroy yours. And then there are the ‘everyone against you’ events that always seem to leave you wondering how to get those stubborn stains and unsightly wear and tear out of your good draws. All said and done the gladiatorial combat is good fun and very satisfying at times but the replayability factor will be lacking due to the lack of complexity.
The whole game is brought to life in magnificent detail. The quality of the design in the characters and levels is high and a special mention must go to the character’s facial animations (some of the best I’ve seen). The art department has done a fantastic job in realising such a detailed depiction of this ancient culture. The voice acting is not so great, and the script is a little on the stinky side, but the core plot and progression of the story has a reasonably good pace. Length-wise it’s quite good (All up I spent 50+ hours to get to the end) and you unlock the gladiator matches as you finish them so there’s replayability there. But once you complete the story mode it’s pretty much on ya bike/sayonara. Aside from a few quirks like the AI - which is totally lacking and the chariot races which had severe issues with camera dynamics, the game play in Shadow of Rome is sound. I would go as far as to say that the combat game play is highly addictive. It really is 2 different games in one with neither really enough to carry a title on it’s own. But when you put them together and add up the key ingredients: the grandiose story of Rome, the addictive combat action and the beatifully detailed world it does add up to an immersive environment and an enjoyable experience.
by: Ando
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