Spartan: Total Warrior Preview

Those PC gamers that have sunk their teeth into the massive battles of Rome: Total War can tell you that the massive battles are quite an addictive joy so when word got around that the makers of the game were designing an action-packed hack and slash game you can bet we just had to take a closer look. 

Total Warrior puts you in the sandaled feet of a Roman Era Spartan soldier that goes up against massive armies without even batting an eye.  The first level we got to preview has our armor-less Spartan charging across a battlefield filled with lightly armored yet well-armed Centurions.  One of the game’s most noticeable and distinguishing features is the fact that there’s up to 190 soldiers on screen at once.  That’s including soldiers fighting on your side as well as the armies of the enemy.  The other good news is that despite the number of people battling on screen the framerate seems to stay at a steady 60 fps. 

Much like Dynasty Warriors, the gameplay is pure hack and slash action with combo moves and you can also power up your thrust by holding the attack button and unleashing a massive blow to multiple enemies.  Aside from the fact that you can impale a soldier you just knocked down, the Spartan can jump and block blows with his shield.  Meanwhile all around you soldiers battle all around you.  If you’re worried about dozens of bodies piling up on the battlefield don’t be because there’s no unnecessary clutter. The game showed off the fact that there are catapult attacks and the armies can let loose a shower of arrows. 

So far Total Warrior’s action feels challenging enough but with sparsely detailed graphics, okay voice work and the fact that it has the all too familiar feel of Dynasty Warriors are some of the things that might turn off gamers that aren’t into this genre.  Then again, with an impressive recreation of armies knee-deep in bloody battles, Total Warrior might just renew our love for some hack and slash fun. 

We can expect Spartan: Total Warrior this fall.  It will also be released on the PS2 and GameCube.

For All E3 2005 Previews