Spartan: Total Warrior

Mindless hack-and-whack style gameplay stays hot thanks to interesting objectives. Spartan is constantly throwing new gameplay elements at you.

Mythological hack and slash epic. [Jan 2007, p.106]

What Spartan lacks in depth is made good by some top-drawer visuals and satisfying combat. A corking console debut for Creative Assembly. [PSM2]

A very good beat 'em up adventure with hundreds of simultaneous enemies. Too bad the awful Athens-level is a major pain in the backside. [Oct 2005]

Most games lose their luster after you've killed the 999th warrior, but Total Warrior keeps things fresh throughout the journey.

While not the super-strategic romp some of you were expecting, Spartan: Total Warrior delivers the goods if you’re looking for a solid chunk of challenging action from start to finish.

It's one of the most polished games I've played since "The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction." [Nov 2005, p.138]

Aside from the odd mood breaker, somewhat sluggish load times between menus, and occasional repetitive gameplay, Spartan: Total Warrior manages to bridge the familiar RTS brand to the console world through its silky-smooth framerate, very respectable visuals, and deviously violent gameplay.

Tough but ultimately superb gameplay. Only a hero and story are the game's Achilles' heel. [Nov 2005, p.116]

This is a game about hitting people. It's pretty damn good.

With its simple gameplay and involving story, Spartan: Total Warrior is a perfect blend of strategy game and hack’n’slash romp.

The combat is satisfying, the setting is grand and the amount of troops on screen is amazing - this is war on a scale rarely seen in games and it puts the likes of "Dynasty Warriors" to shame for its combination of sheer numbers and exceptional graphics, with an outstanding soundtrack that completes the atmosphere of this historical adventure.

For an action packed take on the ever popular Roman hack and slash genre, Spartan is the most spectacular example yet. [PSW]

If you're up for a challange and don't mind taking on the entire Roman empire yourself, Spartan: Total Warrior is waiting.

Spartan is one of those games that may not appeal to everyone, but for those who enjoy the ancient Roman time period and like just hacking and slashing, then Spartan: Total Warrior is a great game.

Creative Assembly's first console effort is a satisfying, action-filled hack-and-slash.

It's unfortunate that the unrefined targeting system, cheap boss battles and generally unhelpful friendly AI make the experience a mixed bag of exhilarating and exasperating moments.

The boss fights are frustrating to the point of idiocy, and are made worse by the annoying checkpoint system... It sure beats the hell out of another "Dynasty Warriors" retreat, though. [Oct 2005, p.119]

It tends to shift between greatness and mediocrity with the frequency of your average rollercoaster ride, but the great parts are easily worth a look by anyone who enjoys beat-'em-ups.

An accomplished and well-crafted battle-axe wielding warrior of a game. Just don't expect anything classic, historically speaking.

We weren’t particularly bothered that we had to wait while our health/power gauge increased slowly, but what we didn’t like was the fact that Spartan couldn’t protect himself at all when praying at the statues.

For the most part, Spartan: Total Warrior is a pretty good action effort. Unfortunately, the high production values and engaging gameplay of the Total War games are nowhere to be found here.

The problem with the game, though, is being the only soldier in an army of thousands who's able to do the most basic things - open doors, light fuses, fire arrows. It gets old extremely fast. [Nov 2005, p.76]

It only betrays itself completely once – in a dismally conventional boss battle around halfway through – though at times Spartan threatens to become routine, it never does, thanks to its strong character, handsome looks and sheer, irrepressible verve. [Nov 2005, p.96]

Though it can be an intense experience, Spartan does have a tendency to become quite repetitive at times. Having said that there is a solid combat system and enough variety that will please action fans.

If "God Of War" never happened, Spartan: Total Warrior would have been a great example of a simple, gratuitous action game. As it is, it’s merely a good one. [Nov 2005, p.124]

If you are looking for an epic battle game that takes place in the ancient world, go get yourself a copy of "Rome Total War," if you want an awesome battle game where you are one soldier against many foes then go get yourself a copy of "God of War."

It’s got some fun gameplay elements and a cool setting, but it fails as a superb action game that a lot of people were definitely expecting it to be.

But when the balance shifts from "I'm going to keep trying because I know I can get better" to "I'm going to keep trying to justify the $50 I just spent," then there's a problem.

While the production values are pretty good, the gameplay is pretty shallow. If you’re into action games, this is worth playing once.

After such an uneven effort, there can be no other assessment made: the game gods must be displeased.