Shadow of Rome

Worth Playing

I figure in about five years, Shadow of Rome will start showing up in magazine articles about “cult” games, or the best-kept secrets on the PS2.

Play Magazine

A game that reaches into your primal thirst for violence with no restraint... A bold, fantastic experiment. [Feb 2005, p.60]

The New York Times

Shadow of Rome's gameplay glistens, but its presentation is somewhat lackluster.

GameCritics

Playing Shadow of Rome has made me more sympathetic to people who argue that killing fake people can lead to killing real ones. I came to accept Shadow of Rome's violence fully.

Game Informer

It's a blast, and the combat is a great balance between a wrestling and a fighting game, but I felt like a terrible human being. I guess that's the price you pay for being a gladiator. [Feb 2005, p.116]

BonusStage

Every time the action has you hooked, the intertwined, mediocre-at-best stealth missions suck away a lot of the fun and detract from what could have been one of the best action adventure titles of this year.

Weekly Famitsu

8 / 8 / 9 / 8 - gold [Vol 848]

Gaming Age

The meaty parts make it worth getting through the leaner parts, and for fans with interest in the period or graphic action, it's a keeper.

TotalGames.net

Not only is the atmosphere of this one second to none, the game that it surrounds is massively rewarding and challenging in equal measures.

GameSpot

Packs some of the most brutal hand-to-hand combat ever, and there's plenty of story and intrigue to conveniently justify all the gory violence.

Gaming Target

As these concepts are nothing new and have been integrated better (way better) with bigger games already (e.g., the Metal Gear Solid series), and with a singular character to boot, Shadow of Rome isn't nearly as great as some other big guns it may be trying to imitate.

AceGamez

The storyline genuinely is an absolute cracker and I'd love to give away the ending but it truly would spoil a great finale to a dark horse of a game.

DarkStation

The game only makes a good purchase if you are a diehard Gladiator fan; otherwise the game is a perfect rental title.

GameBiz

Brings a unique blend of innovative - if slightly mediocre at times - stealth adventuring with exciting gladiatorial battles that utilise one of the most enjoyable fighting systems yet.

Boomtown

Fun. Frustrating. Gory. Cerebral. Engaging. Off-putting. Brutal and civilised. A thing of uneasily juxtaposed opposites, much like the Empire it's set in.

G4 TV

The boss fights are supremely challenging and satisfying, and you’ll earn totally bitchin’ sets of armor as you accumulate bloody victories. There’s even a very enjoyable chariot race section.

Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK

A historic blend of bloody action and stealth set in Roman times. [Jan 2007, p.106]

Stuff

The stealth levels are the only other chink in the game's chain mail. Just when you finish turning arenas into butcher shops, who's in the mood for a little Metal Gear-style stealth? Answer: not us.

Gamer.tv

There is an awful lot of game here... Another schizophrenic winner from the Japanese masters of action/adventure.

PALGN

While the idea of mixing weapons based brutality with careful tiptoeing stealth may have been the result of having one too many at the pub, it certainly comes off much better than expected. Well worth a look.

GamerFeed

It efficiently captures the mood and spirit of ancient Rome through bloody battles, exhilarating chariot races, and a few minor stealth sequences, all intertwined with a good moving story and impressive (for the most part) gameplay.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

It's sad that some of the best pure action on the PS2 is paired with such amateurish stealth. [Feb 2005, p.85]

GMR Magazine

There really isn't another game like Shadow of Rome, let alone one of similar quality and polish. [Feb 2005, p.102]

GamePro

The combat sequences are the undisputed highlight, and much of the game puts on a great show...just be prepared for stretches of frustration while sneaking around. [Feb 2005, p.74]

Cheat Code Central

It doesn't require superhuman skill but it will pose a challenge to all that play. Above all else, it's fun and there's nothing that beats that.

Gamers' Temple

You’ll almost be able to smell the sweat and blood. Too bad the stealth side of the game is so weak in comparison.

IGN

The equivalent of a summer action flick with a decent plot. It won't make you think too hard and the slow parts can get a little boring and clumsy, but the action is fun enough to redeem it.

GameZone

Has its share of repetition, clunky controls, and a boring palette of polygons, but its high points - gory battles and an open-ended weapon system - make it a must-rent.

1UP

The game simply bit off way more than it could chew with the stealth sections. The end result is certainly a thumbs up -- but only just.

PSM Magazine

The violence is so over the top that it becomes funny...It's an uneven game that keeps speeding up, then slowing down, and as a result, it never really manages to keep your pulse racing for very long. [Jan 2005, p.64]

Detroit Free Press

There are many fewer stealth levels with Octavious, and they're not as well-polished as the fighting. But they're a nice break from the arena action, and none of them are very long.

Australian GamePro

Inspired Beat 'em Up action with some quality stealth mixed in to boot, just a shame that it lacks the polish to extrapolate its full potential.

IC-Games

There is nothing like disembowelling some poor defenceless slave to help calm the nerves after a hard day at the office.

RealGamer

Shadow of Rome unfortunately doesn’t quite manage to pull it off with an excellent fighting engine for Agrippa but poorly designed stealth missions for Octavianus which you cant help but wonder why they tried to implement it in the first place.

eToychest

The recreation of Rome, while not completely accurate, feels like Rome, and the wilderness sections are likewise done well. The enemies, however, do tend to be a bit bland, and it doesn’t take long until it feels like the same enemy has been killed numerous times.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

It's compelling enough to keep you retrying the more frustrating match types, plus put up with the stealth missions. Sure beats watching the History Channel. [March 2005, p.119]

RewiredMind

The combat system is as well done as anyone could ask for and is enough to make you play again and again. Unfortunately, the sections involving Octavianus’ are only punctuated with such pleasures, generally coming across as uninspired and fairly clumsy.

Edge Magazine

It's almost as if Capcom has distilled its Onimusha series, extracting the two core components of the franchise ' epic, fierce confrontations, and puzzle-pocked exploration of lavish settings ' and given each more room to breathe, with their own character, style, atmosphere and pace... Fresher, but not better. [Jan 2005, p.82]

games(TM)

The brutality of the battles is Shadow Of Rome’s saviour, ensuring the joys of arena battles outshine the gloom of the needless padding and provide guilty thrills that little else can offer. [Feb 2005, p.95]

Sydney Morning Herald

There are a large range of weapons and opponents are smart. Unfortunately, the lengthy espionage sorties are often not as gripping and the change of pace is jarring.

GameSpy

It's regrettably hindered by below-average stealth elements. The result is a game that oozes potential but ultimately fails to deliver greatness.

PSX Nation

Too bad the game’s bloody battles (starring Agrippa) far outpace its stealth segments (featuring Octavianus), resulting in an uneven experience that makes players anticipate half the game and loathe the other.

Adrenaline Vault

With the atmosphere and mood so sensationally presented, Shadow of Rome exceeded my expectations, which might have been questionable since I am avidly interested in the history of Greece and Rome.

NTSC-uk

An undoubtedly flawed, but fun experience - Agrippa’s combat is enjoyable, engaging, and exhilarating, whereas Octavianus’ stealth sections offer nothing new and are fairly limited.

TotalPlayStation

Simplistic combat, trial and error stealth levels and a climax that seems to hit a bit too late all add up to an experience that falls a bit flat. Experience Rome as a solid rental, but all but the most patient will likely feel cheated for a full-price entry.

Times Online

While serving up some more cerebral fare with the violent action is laudable, and the graphics are very good, by extending its sights, Shadow of Rome just fails to conquer.

Total Video Games

Playing as the Centurion turned gladiator Agrippa is quite fun at first but very quickly becomes repetitive, whilst the sections of the game where you play as Octavianus are just plain dull to begin with.

Eurogamer

Once the combat stops being a one-button-win it builds into a genuinely captivating series of varied events and manages to present the futile bloodlust in an unsympathetic light, yet making the process of limb removal, beheading or carving someone's torso straight down the middle a thrilling experience.

Game Revolution

Merely a bad stealth game chained to a limited action game. While mauling people as Agrippa is fun when you get the chance to do it, the combat system isn’t revolutionary or deep enough to warrant the effort of dealing with the crummy Octavianus bits.

Thunderbolt

We’re just left with one more game that relies on frustrating elements to make a short game seem longer, and one more game that settles at just average.

netjak

One half of Shadow of Rome is a solid, if mildly frustrating, bloodbath that will please anyone looking for a chance to let off some steam. The other half of Shadow of Rome is an annoying slog through a weak knock-off of Metal Gear Solid’s sneaky parts.

AltGaming

The banality of the stealth sections and the laboured story telling are not worth the fun of the combat. The idea to blend together the two distinct, yet very successful in their own right, styles was interesting - but here the sum of the parts is much less than the total, and that’s your irony.