Gladius Xbox

In the tradition of films like Gladiator and Spartacus comes Gladius, an action RPG taking place in the world of gladiatorial combat. As one of two principal characters, Ursula and Valens, players must train and lead a team of warriors to compete in the 20 coliseums and arenas found in four regions around the world. As a gladiator team trains and fights, warriors become more experienced and will eventually develop new abilities.

Each battle is fought using a combination of steel, magic, and projectiles as players recruit from a pool of 16 distinct fighter classes, including Imperial Legionaries, Galdr witches, and javelin-throwing Peltasts. Over 400 pieces of equipment can be used in combat, and Gladius offers over 100 customizable characters as players win the certificates required to enter new regions through successful battles.

Ursula and Valens both feature separate story lines, each of which offers an estimated 36 hours of play. In addition to the story mode, which ultimately has players preventing a dark god's ascent to power, a number of exhibition battles can be fought against computer opponents with support for up to four players in cooperative mode. Once the story mode is complete, players can revisit tournaments to build their characters' stats for use in multiplayer combat. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide