Giantrobo

This game so cool! How come no one else is talking about this game?

SnoopDogg

I think cause we were scared off by all the bad reviews.

Lethal Nemesis

How are the controls? Many reviews complained about it.

Giantrobo

They're great once you get the hang of them. While in arcade(one player mode) you can switch between driver and warrior.

What I do is use the driver to get speed and manage tricky areas and then I switch to warrior when an enemy is near....the AI takes over and drives for you.

like anything it takes patience. Most of the Game Mag Geeks only have a short time to play then they gotta write some half assed review before publishing time so I can understand why they would complain.

But believe me folks...I SUCK at games but if I can get CM's controls down, so can you

Giantrobo

Yeah what-ever bossman...I read some of those "official" bad reviews then i read "READER REVIEWS" and the READERS seem to like this game a lot after thinking it would suck based on "official reviews".


I'm glad I don't go by review in mags. They problaby get payed under the table to "promote" certain games over others anyway.....

Gallant Pig

Games with learning curves that aren't in the mold of predefined genre (FPS or whatever) aren't usually given much of a chance (aka they don't get the time of day). The reviews are done under a sharp deadline and basically if a game is really deep or complex, they tend to snub it.

Spiderbite

I am hoping for a demo soon from OXM. My local rental places suck & normally do not have more than one copy of any game (if they have it at all), so it is impossible to rent anything.

Josh H

I think it sucks. My buddy with an X-box rented it. The graphics are pretty bland. It basically looks like a mediocre Dreamcast games. The controls are terrible in one player mode, as it's a nuisance to have to drive and fight. It's more fun in two player mode as one player can drive and the other fight.

EGM's review complained about the same things and was spot on in my opinion. It got a 1.5, 3.5, and 4.0 out of 10 from them.

BlazerBeliever

I think the game is great. The controls didn't seem very difficult in one-player mode. Left thumbstick steers. A-Button accelerates. B-Button and Y-Button attack. X-Button blocks - don't need until advanced level. The triggers are for sharp turns.

I also thought the graphics were pretty good. I did like two player better and I wish you could play the tournament with two players.

It is definately a keeper in my book.

spainlinx0

It's funny because Maxim gave it out a 4 out of 5 lol. Of course not a game magazine but there you go.

Goldberg74

I'm gonna let the cat out of the bag on this one... but don't quote me on it...

Encore bought the publishing rights to this from Kodiak, just months before Kodiak closed its doors on Dec 7th, 2001. I know. My friend was the designer of this game. He loved working on it, and they loved doing something new, exciting, and unique to the gaming world. But they knew it would be a tough sell.

The game that you have on the shelves was a forced "golden-master," there were many minor that needed fixed, and those took precedence over the big ones. The game is playable, and its true... loved by players, shunned by critics. If it had one more month of tweeking, it would be better. (But since I have a GC and not an Xbox, I can't say that I have played it, but I'm waiting until I get back to SLC for vacation, and then we are going to play it...)

Since my friend designed the game, I've been getting all the reviews forwarded to me... and I seemed to have deleted them... sorry.

One of the reviews (IGN's I think) was so bad... and it was the reviewer... it was clear she did not play the game for more than 10 minutes... give me a break... if I can get it from my friend I'll post it in here...

outer-edge

Of course some of the "BIG" publications are badmouthing the game. I am sure Encore does not have a whole lot of money to advertise with them. :P

Anyway, I for am a reviewer, and enjoying the game wuite a bit right now. I LOVE the idea of actually needing to focus on two tasks at once (driving and fighting) and think it was implemented very well. Sure, I sucked my first race, but have since learned to balance the controls and take charge of the field. Its sickening to know that this game will go down as a "bad game" because many sites/mags did not take the time to LEARN the controls and PLAY the game.

Judging from gamerankings.com, there are some other sites liking it as well. It looks like Gamespot put some effort into their review as well, as 6.2 is not TOO bad on their site. Just another reason to visit them and not IGN.

*By the way, what's everyone favorite setup? I like Amazon Chariot, Roman Horse, Talos as Warrior and no driver preference yet.

Giantrobo

I totally Agree!

Also, 10 minutes is NOT enough time to get this game down

The fun in this game is trying to balance driving with fighting!!!!! Sometimes you kick butt and other times your butt is kicked. The graphics are detailed and if yo disagree then look at the bodypaint and muscles onthe African warrior and driver.


I've got a 2 favorites

1. African setup

2. Roman set up

squidget

I played it, didn't like it. i got bored with it. the only thing that was cool was the multiplayer part. where i can drive/steer and my roommate can fight/whatever. but im slighty bais cause i don't play racin games. and the heart of this seems to be that.

about offical reviews: i don't buy most of them. the popular games they all love and i hate. seems too commerical. i like to do my own reviews

Goldberg74

Just got this from my friend (one of the designers of Circus Maximus):

Joe Schmoe

I hate to quote Michael Jackson, but you are not alone! I love this game too! Ever since it was announced, I was looking forward to this game. I wanted to play a game about gladiatorial combat/chariot racing ever since the movie "Gladiator" came out. Finally, someone made one!

I think the graphics of the people, chariots, and horses are great. The backgrounds could use more detail though. I like the music a lot, although I wish I could substitute my own music during the game (specifically, the battle score from "Gladiator"). I wish the majority of courses had a more Roman look to them instead of country hills or Egyptian themes. I also wish the game supported widescreen, but at least it's 5.1 Dolby Digital.

I like the fact that you have to drive and fight at the same time unless you leave the driving to the A.I. (Leaving the driving to the computer makes the races kind of dull.) I wish the crashes were more spectacular but less frequent (the collision detection seems too sensitive), and I wish there was more blood and gore. I also like that you can play it co-operatively with a buddy.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it an 8. One question though: why would anyone choose a horse that doesn't have both high speed and high stamina? (I think it's the last horse on the list that offers this.)

Goldberg74

Actually, my friend's company was trying to buy the licensing right to it, but they didn't have room in the budget in it. So they worked without it.

But it would be a guarranteed hit if it did have the "Gladiator" name attached! Shame...