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Third Eye
11-06-2003, 10:08 AM
Is it worth getting? Also is it turn based like Final fantasy tactics? I must know , heh

thrAsher
11-06-2003, 10:54 AM
I'm curious also. Maybe I should check out some reviews out there. I keep forgetting Gladius is out, and it seems interesting w/ some rather deep RPG elements. I'll post any info I find here.

:cheers:

IGN's Review of Gladius (http://xbox.ign.com/articles/457/457087p1.html)

A snippet on combat in Gladius....

Combat isn't what you'd expect and it's where you'll find the real genius of Gladius. Although it's a turned based RPG, the combat system is a lot more interactive than traditional strategy games like Tactics Ogres or Final Fantasy Tactics. Your movement is still limited to a certain radius, you can't queue orders, you can only target enemies within a certain range, and powerful attacks blows require points to use, but the combat doesn't feel rigid. Your gladiators are able to move during their idle phase -- up to an extra turn's worth of movement, which makes the game less static. This also expands your tactical options because you can move your gladiator farther distances, but you risk missing an opportunity to strike if your target moves in a different direction.

It's not just a game of who can out maneuver whom. Depth is added by several advantage effects. The three different gladiator classes, light, medium, and heavy, share a classic 'rock, paper, scissors' relationship. Medium warriors are more likely to punish light gladiators, heavy can crush medium, and the light guys can topple the hefty ones. While you aren't guaranteed to win if you follow this formula, your attacks cause more damage. Other tricks, like facing and ground height, affect your gladiator's performance. If you manage to hit a gladiator in the back, you'll deal more damage. If you're on an elevated object like a rock or box, you'll have an advantage over those below you. While these mechanics seem simple, they add a lot tactically to Gladius -- even if it is somewhat silly to climb on top of a box in the midst of battle.

While you'll spend a lot of time figuring out who to attack and where to stand, figuring out how to attack is equally important. Fortunately, a thorough tutorial mode walks you through your first couple battles. It teaches you the ropes, which if it wasn't there, you probably wouldn't stick around to learn.

All of your gladiators can learn new skills as they gain experience. Your basic attack is free of charge, but more complex moves require you to spend combat points -- such as combos, powerful kicks, the ability to morph into beasts, and power ups. Your gladiator is awarded combat points at the end of each turn. This intuitive points system, similar to spell casting mana requirements, prevents you from relying solely on your powerful attacks as well as teaches budgeting skills.

Duke
11-06-2003, 10:58 AM
Reviews are good. Demo, was not impressed with.

Maybe not my cup o' tea.

Third Eye
11-06-2003, 11:02 AM
Thx for the review, guess i should have looked it up there myself before posting this. So they gave it an 8.3, I saw just now gameinformer gave it a 9.25. Also is it more then one player for the story mode? I noticed it said co-op exhibition 1-4 players, so maybe it has a co-op for the main story. Someone has to have this game! Tell me, heh.

MeDjai-XBC
11-06-2003, 03:58 PM
k

kenji
11-06-2003, 05:02 PM
Originally posted by MeDjai-XBC
k Mmmmm. You must be a man of few letters. That is the second post I've seen with one letter. I think that it is intresting.

Oh, by the way, welcome to XBA.:cheers:

thrAsher
11-14-2003, 10:32 AM
Alright, I've been eyeing a bunch of games, and Gladius has just stuck in my mind. So, I picked it up last night and I must say....it's pretty daunting at first, but once you get the hang of the games rather simple, intuitive gameplay concepts, it starts getting interesting.

To cut to the chase, I started playing around 6pm and it took a good hour just to get through all the tutorials (which you CAN skip, if you want). By the time I got to my first, real match, I was pretty keen to the basics: turn based strategy, swing-meters, affinity attacks and defenses, etc. At first it seems like a ton of information, but when you realize the affinities are basically elemental powers, and that you can have both defensive and/or offensive attributes, it starts to make sense.

Now, a couple of things to note: graphics are decent, but nothing to write home about. Animations on the animals look great, and the sound effects are adequate. What makes the game shine, in my eyes, are the different character types, as well as the numerous different weapons and abilitities. There is truly a big enough system set up to have some very, very different characters, making two barbarians who start out the exact same become absolutely unique warriors, each fit for certain encounters. The versatility and range of characters you can recruit into your school from the very beginning (got a wolf off the bat 'cuz I HAD to) makes recruiting difficult in that you want them ALL! But, as your school begins at an amateur ranking, you can only have up to 8 gladiators in your school at any one time. So far, I've seen no reason in the first region to have more than 5 or 6. Most battles require only 2 or 3 of your gladiators, while others might call for as many as 4.

The gameplay is pretty sweet. If you're looking for fast-paced action, then keep looking. If you're looking for a brainy strategy game w/ rather meaty RPG elements, then Gladius might just be your game.

Let me put it like this, I started playing at 6pm, and just as I was getting into the swing of things and starting to see the fruits of my labors, I looked over and it was 11:30. And I'd only earned 1 badge outta 9 in the first region!!!!

It's gonna be a long day at work..... :(

I know I kinda rambled on, and most of this will eventually make it into a review, but if anybody contemplating buying this game has questions, post 'em here or PM me.

:cheers:

Third Eye
11-14-2003, 10:45 AM
I must get this game....I've been wanting to get it for awhile now. Thanks for the info, I'm sure it will be my next perchased game.

Highlite23
11-14-2003, 10:50 AM
I'll be posting my official review of Gladius tonight, but yes the game is much more than it seems.

I'm not a turn-base fan, but this turn-base system was alot of fun to use.

Keep an eye on the front page for the review. ;)

thrAsher
11-14-2003, 11:57 AM
Alright! I'd love to see what your thoughts were, highlite. :cheers:

I'm not a fan of turn based games, either, but I've had a lot of fun w/ this one so far. It's nice to have the time to think out every move. I kept finding myself thinking of it sort of like a game of chess, really. Reminded me of games like Archon from the way back. I feel like it would be even better if they'd based it on hexes vx. squares, but any which way, a nice change from the usual.

And a quick gripe: why do I keep hearing that the story is slim? I've found the story rather interesting and pretty funny at points. I'm playing the barbarian hottie, Ursula, so can't really say if Valens' story is weak or not....just a mini-rant.

Highlite23
11-14-2003, 03:38 PM
I kept finding myself thinking of it sort of like a game of chess, really.

Funny you should say that, in my review i called it a "real" chess match, as far as video charecters that is.:D

Cyber_Ryuu
11-14-2003, 03:47 PM
I was actually pretty impressed with the game myself, I rented it and played it for about 8-10 hours. The combat was cool, and there are a lot of spells, attacks, modifiers to choose from in the game. There are a TON of weapons and armor to choose from in this game and you can set up the people in your school, which is basically a party, however you like. I think it's cool to make team colors on that game and other fun little things like that make this game pretty darn awesome. I might just have to buy it since I played it so much when I first rented it. I must say, rent it first, see if you like it, then buy. Do that with almost every game kids!

thrAsher
11-21-2003, 12:30 PM
Originally posted by highlite23-XBA


Funny you should say that, in my review i called it a "real" chess match, as far as video charecters that is.:D

Great review, highlite. I've been waiting to see it on the front page, and finally decided to go check out what info XBA had on Gladius...and there it was! You pretty much summed up my feelings on the game, and gave it a very fair score. Great job. Now, if I can just get my roommate off of my damn Xbox! He's logged twice as many hours w/ Gladius as I have, and he doesn't even like video games!!!! :rofl: :cry: