Spartan: Total Warrior

Spartan Total Warrior made great use of their voice actors.

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

A high watermark for where epic hack'n'slash games should be at this stage of the Xbox's lifecycle.

Repetitive, sure, but when the combat is in big 'n' bold mode, it's fun and unique enough that you don't really care that you've just killed "guy with shield" # 4728. 'Tis an epic ode to chaos and confusion. [Dec 2005, p.102]

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]

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.

A different take on the action genre and it succeeds in bringing a chaotic, evolving level-by-level button-masher to glory in a very graphically compelling way.

Sure, the story isn't that deep or developed that well. Yeah, the graphics are not stellar. True, the audio is pretty much a disappointment. But oh that engine. Spartan controls with ease.

Visually the game is certainly impressive when you take into consideration the number of characters onscreen at one time - with only very infrequent episodes of slowdown - and the draw distance.

Spartan is great fun, but we can't help but feel a little disappointed that the mighty Assembly's console debut isn't much more than a pretty-looking "Dynasty Warriors." [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It provides intoxicating gaming on a tremendously large scale rarely seen before in the hack and slash war genre.

I would have personally loved to see co-op multiplayer. It didn't detract from the game, but co-op in a game like Spartan is always a nice little touch.

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

It's therefore 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.