LucasArts

Mike did his usual great job covering the nuts and bolts of Gladius, and I agree with most of his observations. However, there was one line of his that caught my attention: "While Gladius doesn't do anything to redefine the strategy RPG subgenre, it does do just enough things well to keep players interested for the duration."

Gladius is an ambitious title that attempts to take the arena-inspired games beyond hack-and-slash or chariot racing—by crafting a title that's a strategy role-playing game (RPG). Interestingly enough, for the most part the approach works. While Gladius doesn't do anything to redefine the strategy RPG subgenre, it does do just enough things well to keep players interested for the duration.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Comic Mischief, Violence

Game Description: In the fantasy world of the game, the darkness of the Great War has passed and the lands of Gladius are peaceful once more. Now combat takes place only in the gladiator arenas, where schools from around the world compete for the title of Imperial Champions. You will follow the grand saga of two young heroes, Ursula and Valens, as they recruit and train a team of warriors and compete in the gladiator games. Battle with deadly weapons and powerful magic as you learn vital combat tactics while you enhance and customize your own characters. Strategic possibilities are nearly endless, with 16 character classes and over 100 unique character types from which to choose.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Violence

As I watch my regular dose of television, I get bombarded with commercial after commercial. Of these, the most annoying are infomercials. They claim to do this or that in hopes to snare the watcher into running out to the local retail store or picking up the phone and dialing their 800 number.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence

While Starfighter succeeds in delivering accessible gameplay and superb technical elements, it ultimately lacks personality.

What kind of strange hold does Star Wars and LucasArts have over this industry? With every Star Wars game release, the video game industry salivates. It doesn't even matter that we get stinkers like Shadows Of The Empire, Jedi Power Battles and many of the other forgettable releases, the next announcement always brings more cheers from the press as if it were the first. It's no more evident than with Star Wars: Starfighter.

Game Description: Take back the Theed Royal Palace in this fast and furious lightsaber action game. You will have the power of the Force and your trusty Jedi saber to help you ward off legions of battle droids, destroyer droids, assassins, and other creatures from the Star Wars: Episode I worlds. Your connection to the Force grows with each battle, which adds much-needed power boosts, new moves, and enhanced Jedi abilities for your journeys within the various worlds. Choose to fight as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, or Jedi Council members Mace Windu, Plo Koon, or Adi Gallia.