The sound is great in its own right, despite some stumbles. There are some concessions for this last element, such as a shorter draw distance and plenty of film-grain, but it still impresses. Shadow of Rome boasts a stunning visual presentation which features detailed characters and environments, fluid animation during gameplay and cutscenes and a silky-smooth frame rate. These sorts of issues could certainly have been ironed out with a sequel, but sadly poor sales led to the cancellation of a proposed follow-up.īy the tail-end of the PS2’s lifecycle, Capcom were able to leverage fantastic visuals from Sony’s hit console. Strict battle objectives see you sent back to the beginning of scraps, bosses with gargantuan health meters require strategy and a dash of luck and lengthy segments with scarce save points can prove tedious to overcome. Combat is gritty fun, but can suffer from severe difficulty spikes in the latter part of the game. There are a few oddities with the stealth A.I., such as walking straight past them with a suspicious object and other times spotting you for doing less. That being said, both elements can suffer from issues which, while not ruining the game, do put up barriers of entry. Other tactics like hiding in giant vases, dragging bodies and perching around corners gives the stealth surprising legs to stand on an oddity considering how other games at the time would handle stealth. You can also don disguises, allowing you to often walk around without too much trouble – though running and actions deemed strange can cause detection. There’s a lot of room for creativity, including items which can often bore comical results such as honey slipping up guards.
#CAPCOM SHADOW OF ROME PC PS2#
It would send alarm bells to most, as a high number of PS2 action games with unwanted sneaking left gamers shell-shocked, but Shadow of Rome felt more thought out than most.
Due to his smaller stature and lack of experience in combat, stealth takes over.
Playing as Octavianus sees the pace begin to slow. This turns the melee sprees into a fun balancing act, as you have to balance efficient killing sprees with crowd pleasing theatrics.
They throw beneficial items, including healing items and even weaponry. As thousands spectate your fights, special actions including dismemberment, combos and ground attacks earn points which consequently allow you to taunt and stir up the crowd further. But this ties nicely into another key part of battle: salvos. While allowing you to choose a starter weapon, each has a set durability and repeated strikes will cause it to shatter. These include simple battles, team-focused flag destruction and siege assaults. Shadow of Rome sees you partaking in dozens of arena challenges using hack n’ slash gameplay to stave off competition. It manages to avoid stagnation without falling into a pattern and there’s also quite a sizeable incentive for return plays, including unlockable outfits and extra difficulty levels to tackle.Īgrippa, being a gladiatorial warrior, specialises in one thing and one thing only: bloody murder. Some other neat elements also rear their heads, including gruelling Chariot racing which rewards either speedy wins or ruthless murder. Before combat can become a chore, you find yourself sneaking and searching for intel and vice versa. Divided into four acts, there is a decent spread between each main type. This story also presents two distinct gameplay styles, as you switch back-and-forth between Agrippa and Octavianus. With a large number of well directed cut-scenes, intriguing twists and likeable characters, Shadow of Rome weaves a satisfying narrative that keeps you hooked for its 20-hour campaign. Octavianus opts for espionage, hoping to uncover the truth before it’s too late. Agrippa utilises his strength to become a gladiatorial fighter, hoping to intercept the grand prize of Vipsanius’ execution. Agrippa’s father is accused of the murder, and the duo set out to prevent his execution in different ways. Two friends, Roman centurion Agrippa and his friend Octavianus, become embroiled in the mystery of the ruler’s murder. While some stumbles stopped Shadow of Rome reaching its true potential, it is nonetheless a gruesomely gratifying action adventure that boasts brains along with its brawn.Ī story about the assassination of Julius Caesar wasn’t anything new, even in 2005, but Capcom would opt to take an original spin on the idea. But with Keiji Inafune serving as an executive producer, a handful of gameplay styles and an alternate take on the assassination of Julius Caesar, it proved there was a lot of creativity under the surface. Part of Capcom’s more experimental phase during the mid 2000s, Shadow of Rome seemed like a typical sword ‘n’ sandal slasher not unlike Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance.
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