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PS2 | Action | Shadow of Rome

Boxart for Shadow of Rome
Shadow of Rome 48 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.50
  • SOUND: 4.50
  • CONTROL: 4.50
  • FUN FACTOR 4.00
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.7
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.5

Hands-On: Shadow of Rome

Hands-On by MAJORMIKE | 10/28/2004 | 17:19:24 PM PST

Remarkably bloody, Shadow of Rome also has technique and even some stealth missions.

Shadow of Rome is a 3D action/adventure/fighting-hybrid take on the Roman Empire. Taking place in 44 B.C. (Before Capcom), the game puts you in the sandals of two different characters--Octavius and Agrippa--whose play styles couldn't be more different.

Octavius's sequences are strategy and stealth based, while Agrippa's adventures mostly consist of arena-based fighting. Shadow almost takes a page from the Gladiator screenplay: The powerful soldier Agrippa is forced into gladiator arena battles, while Octavius works behind the scenes to clear his name.

"Win the Crowd...."

The arena fights are something else--disarming an enemy literally means exactly that. There's plenty of diversity as matches include free for alls, one-on-one-bouts, teamwork, and chariot races. Weapons are never in short supply, and opponents can lose limbs that can then be used as melee or throwing weapons.

Combat goes beyond simplistic hack-n-slash mechanics with a plethora of intricate grappling moves and other special attacks. The crowd also plays a key role as they award Agrippa with health items or special weapons after he performs a splashy move or kills an opponent in a grisly fashion, and then punctuates the act with his own celebratory yell. Yes, this is a very violent game.

Unfortunately, the transitions to stealth sequences are too jarring in comparison to the carnage of the arena. Octavius's episodes involve lots of sneaking around and occasionally knocking out an enemy with a vase or solid object of some kind. It simply doesn't match the intensity of the combat.

"Are You Not Entertained?"

Producer Keiji Inafune is no stranger to violence in video games as he's the same man behind the Onimusha sword-and-sorcery epics. He also has a nice sense of period-piece visual flair--in the game, Rome is vibrant and atmospheric, and the architecture sports fine details. In the playable beta, Shadow was a blast, albeit with the occasional bug, and it already easily puts titles like Gladius and Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance to shame.


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