Gladiator Begins (Review) Sony PSP

The fascination with gladiators didn’t reach a fever pitch until Russell Crowe made his appearance as one on the silver screen back in 2000. It gave the viewer a glimpse into the lifestyle, its hardships, and possible pitfalls. Gladiator Begins by Aksys places the player in a similar scenario. You are imprisoned and then sold to a wealthy man named Magerius, who makes his money from these fighters.

Before the game begins, you are sent to a character creation screen. You can choose your gladiator’s sex, facial features, and physical attributes. Skin tone can be adjusted from light to dark, the head type can be changed from 15 variations, 15 different hairstyles can be selected along with color, and you can choose your home origin. The home origin allows you to choose where your Gladiator originally came from (the choices range from Greece to Rome). Once character creation is complete, you are given 20 stat points to enhance your gladiator’s vitality, endurance, and strength.

Once finished, you are immediately sent to a gladiator training camp. This half of the game is a basic tutorial that explains combat, in-game controls, weapon use, and the purpose of skills. Your gladiator will level during combat and will gain attack skills along the way. This training exercise will teach you the fundamentals, so it’s very important to pay attention to what your trainer says.

The training sessions start off with simple objectives. Some may require you to move your character via the analog stick, punch or kick, and / or attack with certain weapons. Luckily, the training sessions are broken down into segments, and your gladiator will see real combat just after a small handful of training exercises. This process repeats a couple of times before the training ends. Once over, you can repeat the training if you need a refresher course.

GB allows you to customize your fighter’s armor and weapons before each fight.  A merchant is readily available; armor (fitted for both legs and arms), helmets, shields, and weapons can be purchased with the money made from each fight. There is also an option to refine your equipment. This ability allows you to take items from fallen gladiators from the arena and fuse them together with your favorite weapons. Similar to MMOs like World of Warcraft, special weapons are designated by their color. Depending on which weapons you fuse together, the weapon’s name may turn a dark blue, indicating a special attribute like increased attack power. The refine system allows for much flexibility in that weapons of all of kinds can be upgraded for combat. Unusable Items you recover from fallen foes can also be sold to the merchant for additional money.

Depending on the game you choose to participate in (and the choice broadens as you progress), you may find yourself facing multiple opponents at once. The most common game is survival. This variation of combat pits you against 3 other opponents in a free-for-all to the death. The arena enviornment is small and feels a bit cramped when more than 2 opponents are involved, but this forces you to work out strategies to survive.

The analog control is smooth and very fluid. The right shoulder button, when held, is used to block incoming blows. If you stand still while blocking, your gladiator will automatically dodge attacks. Using the analog stick in succession with the block button will allow your gladiator to walk a full 360 degrees around the arena. The directional pad and attack buttons both act as your body, and this takes some getting used to. For example, pressing the square button will make your character attack with his left hand. If that hand is equipped with a shield, this is the item he will attack with. The circle button is your right hand, and whatever is being held in that hand will be used.  You can also attack low by pressing the X button. This usually makes the opponent stumble backwards, making them vulnerable to further attack. Triangle is a standard overhead blow to the head, which can also stun your opponent.

It is best to disarm your opponents. Performing an overhead swing – by pressing the triangle button – will remove the opposition’s helmet if he/she is wearing one. This method must be done repeatedly until the piece of armor is removed. The same can be done against pieces of armor and also weapons, but this is difficult to achieve when more than one enemy is attacking you.

Your gladiator can be disarmed quite easily during combat. Expensive armor that was purchased prior to combat can also be ripped from limbs, causing your defense to drop and the damage you receive to increase. The directional pad can be used to re-equip lost equipment, but be careful; if your right hand was used to wield a pike – and then the left directional is used to pick it up (indicating your left hand) – its use and how your gladiator will attack with it will completely change. I’ve had a few blunders by picking up pieces of armor thinking they were weapons. There were a few enemies that met the business end of my shin guard, and quite surprisingly, I have won a few matches this way. This just goes to show that Gladiator’s combat system is a fully realized system with plenty of flexibility.

The purpose of GB is to win back your freedom. Since the crowd is your critic, you must give them the best show possible. Being capable of dodging attacks, besting foes within record time, and earning a name for yourself is the only way to achieve this. Along the way, you may even catch the eye of a few nobles that will help fund your climb to the top. Politics also play a role in your survival. At certain times, admirers may call upon you for favors. Not honoring these favors could have dire consequences. How you choose to deal with these situations will affect the ultimate outcome of your gladiator.

Gladiator Begins has so much to offer the PSP gamer. Not only does it offer countless features, but the fighting is rock-solid. Just when we thought we’ve seen everything our little handle can do, Aksys / Aquire Corp comes along and proves us wrong.

Mike ‘STGuy1040′ Pittaro

Platform: Sony PSP
Developer / Publisher: Aksys Games
Release date: 9/14
Gladiator Begins Official Website

Review Score
Graphics
The graphics are beautiful. Impressive 3D models and colorful environments bring the world of Gladiator Begins to life.
Sound
Nothing beats the cheering of the crowd as you slay yet another opponent.
Gameplay
A multitude of customizable features round-out the gameplay. The fighting system is rock-solid and feels very smooth.

Overall
Gladiator Begins is addicting, fun, and downright brutal.