Shadow of Rome (PlayStation 2, 2005)

I have a friend who once told me that the game "Colosseum" was really fantastic. It mixed the Roman backgrounds with all of the fantasy of being one of the hallowed 'sports stars' in one of the most bloody "games" in all of history. COOL! Doesn't that sound cool??

Let me just say this about "Colosseum", though: it sucks. My favorite thing about it is how the camera is situated right in front of you the whole time so that you remarkably can't manage to see straight in front of you as people run up to stab you in the face. And not being able to leave the one dingy little forum that the game offers is really thrilling, too. But I digress...

Because of this, I was understandably wary about investing in "Shadow of Rome". But when I ordered it from Amazon, I had just finished watching the extended edition of "Gladiator" and I was in the mood for some more Holy Roman Empire-based fun.

I can honestly say that now, having played this game, I handed my copy to my aforementioned friend and told him, "trash 'Colosseum' and play this instead. But forget to give it back to me, and I'll do such horrible things to you that the gladiators in this game will envy me."

The plot goes like this: Julius Caesar has been murdered! I think I can pretty much safely say that that's not going to be a spoiler for anyone, unless you 1.) skipped all of your English classes in high school, or 2.) are an idiot who knows nothing about anything. But what is different about this approach is the clever retelling of the famous story through the eyes of a gladiator and a simple peasant boy. Agrippa is the son of one of Caesar's most trusted advisers, Vipsanius, and Octavianus is an orphan boy who was raised under Caesar's benevolent care. Despite their entirely different backgrounds, Agrippa and Octavianus have somehow forged a deep friendship (and considering their Roman heritage, I have to wonder if it doesn't go deeper than just friendship). I don't know how historically accurate Caesar adopting some random kid and taking him as a nephew is, but it's still kind of fun, and at least the characterization strives for a level of authenticity that many games wouldn't even bother with.

The peasant boy is named Octavianus, and he will serve as your "story" character. That is, his levels may be slow-paced, but if you have any romantic soul in you whatsoever and wish to know just what the PURPOSE behind this game you're playing is, you will enjoy the levels playing as Octavianus. The main reason he exists in a game that is primarily meant to attract aggressive, hormonal gamers is to explain the story playing behind all of the horrific bloodletting. His dedication to his best friend, Agrippa, is quite admirable, and his ability to extract information will depend on whether or not you can lie your way out of risky situations. That being said, he's a total wuss and will die with only one hit from a shield or sword or any other weapon. He's not exactly the human tank that his pal is, and to that end, he can get kind of aggravating to play (if you're good at talking your way out of things, though, you won't need to worry about this). Nevertheless, he's still an interesting character, and certainly deserves the same amount of respect as your other guy.

The other guy being, of course, Agrippa. Agrippa is your "action" character. He's a musclebound general with mad fighting skills and a chest that probably measures about six feet in diameter. I have to laugh wheneve