I just finished Gladiator Begins for PSP after what... 3 years? Like many Acquire games, the regular story is only about 4 hours long, but it's filled with brutal swordplay and people grunting in lieu of real voice acting. Gladiator Begins is a semi-sequel to the old PS2 game Colosseum: Road to Freedom, cutting out all of the awkward sim BS/poor controls and getting straight to the head-smashing / weapon & armor collecting. There are still a few different routes to take (cozy up to certain patrons and become their personal Gladiator, work towards buying your freedom and becoming the top Gladiator, get caught in political intrigue of the Imperials, etc.)
The combat is very deep, requiring you to use a combination of:
-dodging (automatic while holding R, but if you hit a wall or an item, you'll trip, opening yourself up to combos)
-parrying (any quick move can be parried, but strong (charge) attacks will break your parry, mix up strong and quick to break the opponent's rhythm)
-disarmament (like Urban Reign, you can target specific body parts, but specifically to disarm the weapons and armor)
-special skills (set up to 4 skills if multiple fighting/weapon styles to launch combos on your opponent, or to employ specific defensive strategies)
If you use your skills well and put on a good show (big finishing blows, skillful dodging, good counters), the crowd will be pleased and you'll rise through the ranks. Anyone looking for a deep combat game (in the vein of Def Jam: FFNY) on the PSP should jump all over this one.
I should also mention that the infamous 'Vampire Stripping Game', Akiba's Trip, uses Gladiator Begin's fighting engine, though it suffers a bit of slowdown due to more detailed environments. Akiba's Trip will be getting a revamped edition within the next few months that includes better character models, updated environments, and *brace yourself* full voice acting. VA in an Acquire game?!!?! Grunt if you approve!
The combat is very deep, requiring you to use a combination of:
-dodging (automatic while holding R, but if you hit a wall or an item, you'll trip, opening yourself up to combos)
-parrying (any quick move can be parried, but strong (charge) attacks will break your parry, mix up strong and quick to break the opponent's rhythm)
-disarmament (like Urban Reign, you can target specific body parts, but specifically to disarm the weapons and armor)
-special skills (set up to 4 skills if multiple fighting/weapon styles to launch combos on your opponent, or to employ specific defensive strategies)
If you use your skills well and put on a good show (big finishing blows, skillful dodging, good counters), the crowd will be pleased and you'll rise through the ranks. Anyone looking for a deep combat game (in the vein of Def Jam: FFNY) on the PSP should jump all over this one.
I should also mention that the infamous 'Vampire Stripping Game', Akiba's Trip, uses Gladiator Begin's fighting engine, though it suffers a bit of slowdown due to more detailed environments. Akiba's Trip will be getting a revamped edition within the next few months that includes better character models, updated environments, and *brace yourself* full voice acting. VA in an Acquire game?!!?! Grunt if you approve!
