Rick Charbs
Gladius 2 is a browser based MMORPG that has been newly introduced to ONRPG. It features “action packed battles” in historical arenas. The game is a 2D/3D mix with various maps and environments to battle in. You may chose from one of three gladiators to bring with you in the ring, and you have a fair choice of weapons to use. If you pay for a premium user account, you will even be given the option to use the arena editor feature. This feature allows you to create and customize your very own arenas for you and your friends to battle in! This game is one of the very few browser based MMORPGS based in flash that allows full screen expansion. This way you can really get immersed in the game.
My time in this game was rather short and sweet. I am personally a big fan of classical history; therefore I understood the concepts and lore very well. It’s great to see an original theme for MMO’s developed like this, with plenty of details to the old Roman world. There is no way of making your character unique, you can only pick from three cookie cutter characters. Once I had picked my character and logged in, I couldn’t tell if I was the only gladiator in the arena. Whether they were NPCS or players did not cross my mind, however I did not enjoy the fighting experience. The combat was extremely slow and somewhat uneventful, and the game’s sounds are not pleasant at all. The missions were quite amusing though. They consist in fighting animals or completing certain tasks in the arena. The graphics were bland and very colorless. I found it more or less difficult to use the controls and navigate through the menus (that were beautiful mind you). It was enjoyable enough for a mini-game though, and it –was- browser based, so there is nothing holding you back from pressing the big red X button. Gladius 2 is only in testing, so I suggest you give them some feedback if you decide to give it a shot.
There you have it, a Roman themed browser based MMORPG featuring gladiator arena fights with real time combat! Something finally unique on the horizon for browser based games. The system matches you up with player opponents quickly preventing any wait time, so you can get in the action right away. There are many players online, roughly 1.5k at a time, and lots of battles to be won. Enjoy!
