Rage of the Gladiator rages on WiiWare
by JC Fletcher 
{ Aug 3rd 2009 at 3:30PM }
The game takes place in a city called Avalance, in which some kind of political betrayal has forced the prince into arena combat, where he must face a bunch of mythical creatures, like minotaurs, dragons, and demons. The prince is armed with a warhammer and a shield, along with some rather intimidating magical skills that manifest as "finishing moves" -- for example, one finisher lets the prince "darken the skies with a solar eclipse, sending a beam of light to fry your enemy."
First-person fighting is a rarity, as is a WiiWare game with 3D visuals this nice. Rage of the Gladiators is due out later this year. Check out a trailer after the break.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Adv2k1 @ Aug 3rd 2009 3:40PM
It needs Wii Motion Plus support or else it will be lame .
Email this guy :
ed@ghostfiregames.com
bug him to add wii motion plus support or no buy.
...Jan... @ Aug 3rd 2009 3:46PM
@ 0:11, I thought those square armor plates were...um...pixelated censors at first.
ed @ Aug 3rd 2009 3:51PM
I'm that guy :)
We won't be supporting the Wii Motion Plus. You hold the Wii-remote sideways (like Punch Out). Punch Out fans have proven that is the most accurate way to play a fast-paced game.
-Ed
MRLN @ Aug 3rd 2009 4:10PM
Yes. Punch-Out!! fans know best. :D
Arikado @ Aug 3rd 2009 4:23PM
Correct, punchout fans do know best - which is why you better offer a "classic control" scheme (or the game will suck) because the motion controls in punchout were unusable compared to the quick response time of the "classic scheme".
CJLopez @ Aug 4th 2009 11:58AM
Arikado, the man said there won't be any motion control, less motion pluss, it will be old school punch out style!!!
But yeah, adding classic control and gamecube control scheme wouldn't hurt pal
ed @ Aug 3rd 2009 4:42PM
By the way.. I'm the producer for the game, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you guys have. Feel free to post!
Also, if you guys want more information, definately check us out at http://www.ghostfiregames.com
On that site you can subscribe to our newsletter and we'll update you to new cool stuff, like free downloadable MP3 music from the game, new videos, etc.
ChromeAlchemist @ Aug 3rd 2009 5:21PM
@0:25...Is that a Ninja? A f*cking Ninja? Hm.
Yeah, this kind of reminds me of Punch-Out!!! To be honest, but it looks promising. I'll keep my eye on it.
It also makes me think that HVS need to add motion plus to Gladator A.D. Fully functional motion plus support, not an afterthought. That game was made for it (or in this case, not).
ed @ Aug 3rd 2009 5:36PM
Yup, that's a ninja. We've got 2 martial artists in our game, actually. They are woven into the storyline in an interesting way that I can't reveal right now, but you'll see when you fight them :)
Dv8thwonder @ Aug 3rd 2009 6:31PM
Can't have ninjas without there being samurai.
CJLopez @ Aug 4th 2009 11:59AM
Loooool, and just yesterday, i apointed @ gonintendo how there were kingths on the art of the game instead of gladiators. Now we get Ninja's!!!!
Gotta keep an eye on it
michaeljones161 @ Aug 4th 2009 6:59PM
I was very excited when I saw the trailer for this game - but my enthusiasm was swiftly knocked back when I discovered there will be no Wiimote motion control. I find the decision bizarre as Wii Sports Resort has surely shown that Wii Motion Plus control can work exceptionally well.
I won't be buying this game if I just have to bash the buttons as if my Wiimote were a stunted PS2 controller. That's not why I bought a Wii.
michaeljones161 @ Aug 5th 2009 7:18AM
Just adding a few points to my previous post:
Reviews of Punch-Out! Wii generally praise the motion controls with comments ranging from "they work fine" to "excellent". Admittedly, many say that the Classic Controller option is better for "purists", but none intimate that the motion controls should not have been included or were a waste of the programmers' time.
Helix has previously been quite innovative in the application of motion controls (ie dual remote control in Helix) but here seems to be taking a retrogade step (and no - retrogade is not always a good thing).
I am very surprised and disappointed that motion control is not being offered as an option - with or without Motion Plus support. I believe that Helix is limiting it's customer base to "retro" and "old school" players. The vast majority of Wii owners, like it or not, didn't buy the Wii to push buttons.
A major part of the attraction of the Wii is that it can appeal to so-called "hardcore" players and "casual" players - with the same game.
Perhaps Helix could explain why it chose to produce this game on the Wii at all - when either of the other consoles would be more suitable - better graphics, more memory and more buttons to press. Helix has already had to compromise it's vision by working within the limitations of the Wiimote sans motion. The wrong type of buttons..
I must say that, motion controls apart, this game looks amazing and I do applaud Helix for what it's trying to do. If I had been allowed to wave a Wiimote about I would have bought this game without hesitation - in fact I would have bought three copies as I have two Wiis and I often buy games for my son-in-law.
It's a shame that Helix has dropped the ball on this one and side-stepped the chance to really create something new. It's previous effort was truly innovative. This is just a button masher.