Gladius

by LucasArts

Product Features

• Following a great war, combat is relegated to the gladiator arenas. Schools from around the world compete for the title of Imperial Champions. Guide two young warriors, Ursula and Valens, as they gather warriors to earn that title in the arena!
• This amazing combination of combat and role-playing will allow you to choose from 16 character types and 100 different classes -- then put them to the test as they battle for glory & survival
• Battle with hundreds of unique weapons taken straight from the gladiator arenas of old -- and draw from the powers of magic to enhance your prowess on the field of honor
• Learn vital combat tactics and apply them on the battlefield -- and manage your pupils as they improve their skills
• Prepare to face the deadliest foe you can imagine as you prove yourself worthy of being Imperial Champion!

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00007UHL5
• Item Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 3, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,454 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Platform: GameCube

Amazon.com Product Description

An epic gladiatorial saga comes to life in this combat/role-playing game with a sweeping narrative, stunning environments, and insanely detailed graphics. In the fantasy world of the game, the darkness of the Great War has passed and the lands of Gladius are peaceful once more. Now combat takes place only in the gladiator arenas, where schools from around the world compete for the title of Imperial Champions. You will follow the grand saga of two young heroes, Ursula and Valens, as they recruit and train a team of warriors and compete in the gladiator games. Battle with deadly weapons and powerful magic as you learn vital combat tactics while you enhance and customize your own characters. Strategic possibilities are nearly endless, with 16 character classes and over 100 unique character types from which to choose.

Product Description

Gladius follows the amazing adventures of two young heroes who turn the gladiator arena into the stuff of legends!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great sword-swinging fun!, January 25, 2004

By 

Ben - See all my reviews

This review is from: GLADIUS (Video Game)

Gladius is a turn-based tactical strategy game. That is, your gladiators and your enemies each take turns moving and attacking in a grid-based arena. Gladius is very deep and can be complex if one does not take the time to learn how to really play it. I had this game for a month before I really discovered how great a game this is. I would reccomend the strategy guide as well, to help you spend your gladiator's earned Skill Points more effectively.
There is so much customization and character development - it is great! The gold you earn from battles is spent on better Weapons, Shields, Armor, Helmets, and Accessories. The graphics are very good, and the "paper doll" representation of your character looks great as you try on all the different equipment. Just like in Japanese RPG's, your character stats change colors, red or green, to indicate if the equipment will help or hinder your chance of success in the arena. You can also customize the color of your character's hair, skin color, armor, and clothes. They also have four different styles of outfits you can choose from for each character - you can make all your gladiators the same color (i.e. team colors) or just make them all individually completely different. It's really cool.

As you earn more Experience, your Level or stats goes up - Hit Points(HP), Defense(DEF), Power(PWR), Damage(DAM), Accuracy(ACC), Initiative(INI), Constitution(CON), and Move Rate(MOV). As these abilities go up, the better your gladiator will perform in the arena. Different equipment will also change these a bit. For instance, a certain sword might increase your DAM by 2, but reduce your DEF by 1 which might be good for your offensive-heavy Samnite, whereas your Archer might prefer a weapon that increases ACC but decreases MOV, or whatever. That's just two examples, but the customization is limitless.

Your gladiators are divided into 5 classes - Light, Medium, Heavy, Support, and Arcane . Combat works on a paper-scissors-rock style. Light beats Heavy, Heavy beats Medium, Medium beats Light. Support and Arcane classes are best used from a distance (arrows and lightning bolts, obviously.) As you go up in Level, you also earn Skill Points. These are used to customize your fighters even more! Each character has dozens of different Skills to potentially learn, but you will never earn enough Skill Points to learn them all, so you must select few that complement the gladiator to your liking the most. Once again, I recommend the Gladius strategy guide to help you choose the best Skills for each Class - there are so many branches to develop your character, it can get daunting and hard-earned Skill Points unwisely spent.

The Swing Meter is what keeps the combat from getting boring and static. Just like in golfing games, it's a meter at the bottom of the screen. You have a normal hit(yellow), critical hit(red), and miss zone(blue). It's not too terribly difficult to score critical hits on a semi-regular basis, but it makes you pay attention and be involved in how your fighters do in battle. Enemy A.I. is actually pretty good. During the fights where the object is something other than all-out combat, (i.e. Points Battle, Barrel Break, Defend the Statue, or King of the Hill) the computer will do some dumb things, but during true battle the computer will stomp you if you don't employ the right tactics and appropriate gladiators (luckily, you can preview who your opponents will be beforehand, so that you may assemble your team with the best advantage.) You are the leader of a gladitorial School, so you are able to recruit a large variety of fighters to choose from.

This game is HUGE. It will take a long time to go all the way through it. You must travel with your School through 4 different lands and compete in numerous Leagues and Tournaments, with the ultimate goal of being able to take on the best Schools in the High Tournament in Caltha.
Each land you travel through (Nordagh, Imperia, Windward Steppes, and Southern Expanse) all have an average of 3 to 7 towns. In each town, there are numerous Leagues and Tournaments to compete in.

Please give this game a try. If you enjoy deep and involved games that can quickly consume hours of your free time, this is a game for you. I hope this game does well, so that we might be able to look forward to Gladius II.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So much fun and worth the money!!!, May 12, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: GLADIUS (Video Game)

Wow. Anyone who likes roleplaying games such as Baldur's Gate or hack n slash such as Hunter: The Reckoning will like Gladius! Only difference is that it is turn based, so you will need to think ahead and figure out how to place your fighters vis a vis the enemy (part of the fun!). I have owned this game for a month and a half and have been ADDICTED. Its a very involved game- you will need to constantly change your character's weapons, armor, etc as they gain levels as well as know how to balance each character's skills and affinities in the school. You don't want too many water affinitiy gladiators, for example. You will also need to keep an eye on your school's money as you buy stuff, enter into battles with entry fees, or recruit new gladiators. Great thing is you can sell your old equipment. The side quests also enrich the gaming experience (gain exotic gladiators or powerful weapons otherwise unavailable). There are different types of battles you face. Some are treasure hunts, others are limited to certain gladiator types, while others are good old melee fun.
But you will need a little patience in the beginning to learn all the nuances of the game. Lucasarts almost always makes great games anyway!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!

For the reviewer "the scent from texass", I don't know what platform you're playing on- mine is a gamecube- because 1) tutorials DO NOT last for 3 hours; 2) loading times were NOT AS LONG as other games, and I've played many.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gladius: RPG gladiatorial school management/combat, November 18, 2003

By 

I LOVE NICOLE!!! (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: GLADIUS (Video Game)

Any and all fans of the RPG genre stand up and take note, this is one of the best. This game packs as much depth and genuine fun as any of the final fantasy series ever thought of. The combat is much more than some would have it seem. The combat requires real skill and timing (which can be learned your first time ever playing it). The only thing I would suggest to maximize your fun from this title: don't expect a stereotypical hack and slash, hard charging gladiator game. This game is deep in RPG elements as well as strategy on and off of the battlegrounds. The ability to customize the gladiators in your school is also a very welcome add-on, as far as clothing goes...you can pretty much have a school of black-clad vampire look a likes (complete with the complection, and no disrespect to vamp fans out there..i myself am one so jus relax folks) or you can have a school decked out with the traditional gold and silver armor of Roman times. lol, this is definitely one game that REALLY takes alot of time to develop and work with if you're going for the full experience. on the other hand most of the time it is pretty simple to be playing at your best while still talking on a phone,lol. aight..conclusion: great game, and requires PATIENCE!!! ...and one final thought, some of the attacks and combos in the game translate into descent actual sword/weapon techniques could give you a few ideas for your own training, should you happen to do that sort of thing.

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