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Shadow of Rome
- January 29, 2004 14:14 PM PST
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Venture back to ancient times and try your hand at gladiatorial combat with Capcom's beautiful -- and bloody -- new game.
While most of the games shown at Capcom?s 2004 Gamer?s Day event were expected, one was most definitely a surprise -- Shadow of Rome (working title). Set in ancient Rome, the game tells the story of Agrippa, a solider in the armies of Caesar during the later days of his rule.In order to save the Roman Empire from decline Caesar decides to implement sweeping reforms, however this met with resistance and the ruler of the most powerful empire on the planet is assassinated. Uesnius, Agrippa?s father and advisor to Caesar, is wrongly fingered as the culprit and set to be executed by the winner of the next gladiatorial tournament. With limited options Agrippa does the only thing he can -- enters the tournament in hopes of saving his father and discovering the identity of the real murderer.
On its surface, Shadow of Rome shares a lot of similarity to the numerous other gladiator games on the market, however if Capcom has its way those similarities will remain superficial as the developers have big plans for this title.
The main draw promises to be the strikingly realistic portrayal of gladiatorial combat, with no holds barred. Capcom's Production Studio 2 has striven for historical accuracy and the result is a game that looks both beautiful and grotesque at the same time. One moment the player might be admiring the beauty of the Roman Coliseum and another you might be watching a fellow gladiator get split in two.
Because of the violence portrayed Capcom is currently only planning on releasing the game in the U.S. and European markets. The Japanese market is very open to violence against fictional characters, such as the zombies in the Resident Evil series, however violence against people is not taken nearly as lightly. According to Keiji Inafune, the general manager of Production Studio 2, the limits have caused Capcom to temper some its other offerings as well. For example, the Japanese release of Onimusha 3 will be lacking one or two hyper-violent moves, such as splitting your opponent in two, whereas the U.S. release will have those intact.
In addition to the draw of arena combat, Shadow of Rome will also offer a number of sub-challenges such as chariot racing. Nearly a game in and of itself, the chariot racing segment will have players battling it out in high-stakes races where loosing can easily mean death. Another segment shown at the event had the player using catapults to break down walls before proceeding into the next area. According to a Capcom representative, the game is so detailed that it is possible to take the head of someone you've just killed and launch that from the catapult. Gruesome.
Combining both elements of action and adventure into its different scenarios, Capcom is promising an adaptive mission structure for Shadow of Rome that changes based on the player's style. For example, a gamer who excels at the combat segments, but has trouble with adventure segments will end up playing through action-heavy scenarios. The situation can also be reversed. Although the story remains the same either way, the ability to play a game tailored to a player's style is quite appealing.
In conjunction with the two different styles of gameplay, Shadows of Rome also offers two different characters for players to use. As the "brawn" behind the situation, the aforementioned Agrippa is a great choice for the action segments of the game, while Octavius, Agrippa's friend and compatriot, excels at the stealth and adventure segments. A third, female gladiator named Claudia will be present, but there is no word on if she will be playable or serve as a NPC.
Visually Shadow of Rome is already shaping up nicely. Even in its early state, the game as shown offers a number of highly detailed environments throughout the city of Rome. Some of the environments included are a bustling market place, vast forests, sea vessels, citadels and, of course, the Coliseum. The game audio will be encoded in Dolby Pro Logic II, so players with a full surround sound setup will have plenty to enjoy.
Currently set for a winter release, Shadow of Rome has just under a year left in development. If the developers can deliver on their promises the game has the potential to be quite compelling. Expect to hear more about this one around E3.
