So... the US finally has a fighting game for WiiWare?

EDIT: Was that Chris Sabat voicing Vensors?!

Lol. The game looks so awesome!

I hope there's classic controller support.. Or at least sideways wiimore support. Similar to punchout.

Love the Punch-out-in-Rome style. Like battling Great Tiger but even more over the top.

I watched this 2 weeks ago on IGN. Your a little late Nintendo Life but thats okay
Anyway this game doesn't interest me the slightest unless its really cheap then I'll consider it.

Hey all, Scott here. I'm one of the developers at Ghostfire Games.

We are very happy to see the support this game is getting, and yes we will be supporting a sideways control.

This is a brand new video, released today for the first time to anyone. Nintendoliife is always on-top on the latest news.

If anyone has any questions, or wants to talk about any part of this video I'm all ears.

Looks interesting, though the voice is REALLY over the top (I get the impression that was the intent, however).

Sure Corbie.

On the right hand side of the heads-up display, there is a bar that shows you how much energy you have in your meter.

The energy meter goes up and down based on how much you hit your opponent, how much energy you use and how much you yourself are hit.

Also, there is a skill in the magic tree called "Mystical Generation"
See: http://www.ghostfiregames.com/gladiator/rage-of-the-gladiator/skills/

This gives you a passive 4% energy every 20 seconds if you have the skill maxed 4/4.

Most annoying voice acting ever... but the game looks great nonetheless!

Not only can you fight them again, but they have a whole new set of powers.

We saved some of the coolest stuff till the very end.

I like the voice acting personally. It's meant to be a little ridiculous. I have some questions: Is the game 2 player or anything? How does the skill system work? What time frame are you aiming for? As a developer, what are your thoughts, if any, on DSiware?

Brandon --

Thank you. We also like Vensor's personality a lot.

There is no multi-player for this game, but perhaps for a future title if this game does well. We focused on making a very strong and fun one player experience. Figuring out how to beat each boss is really challenging, and that may require more than one player, to figure out the puzzle.

After defeating an enemy, you will be given skill points to use as you wish. As in similar tech-tree systems, you need a minimum amount of points spent in each tier before moving to a higher one.

We expect the game to be released later in the year.

As far as other platforms go, I think thats usually Ed's domain (our CEO), but I believe we are open to most any platform as a project in the future.

Are there different weapons to use, this one seems so fast that you cant even see it move, though I dont think its much of a problem

This game is definitely on my radar. Thanks for your honest answers. A lot of devs blow smoke when they say things like going bigger and better with their next project. You guys seem to be approaching that goal nicely. Keep up the good work.

Gabe --

With this game, you wield one weapon, a mighty warhammer that is so epic that you can bash your opponents face, or do other cool stuff like summoning a tornado.

Wow, is there anywhere I can buy a warhammer that can bash people in the face, and summon a tornado, because I like the sound of that!

FPF that's new! First person fighter... do not want

Gladiator punchout? looks pretty good. Will have to wait for a review, though.

Voice acting was lulz worthy. Not bad, but still got a few laughs from me.

This is a must-buy for me!
Is there a Time Attack Mode in this game?

SuperSonic --

Do you mean a move that can slow down and/or manipulate time?

Nope

So this game only consists of boss fights? Is there at least an approach towards a story mode? When I first heard of this game I thought of "Shadow of the Colossus" for the PS2. It basically consists of boss fights, too. But it also manages to bring some Story with it and even has a bit of a Zelda-feeling to it.

This is looking seriously good. We should be getting behind studios like Ghostfire - doing this kind of epic project on WiiWare requires balls of steel.

If they can pull it off, this could be another World of Goo.

When he neels to use the lazer spell can I bash him after a jump? It look like a good opertuneity for a cheap hit.
I think Supersonic meant a mode whear you fight boss after boss trying to get the best time.

@Damo: I'd have gone with Toki Tori instead of World of Goo.

I very much doubt this will be a 9 or 10 game, probably 7 or 8 at best. Still looks like a lot of fun but the style of game in not to my liking. Good luck though GhostfireScott.

I do love me some Punch-Out!! So this definately has my interest... it's lookin good, really hope it turns out to be alot of fun!

Also, anyone else see that Hadoken Vensors threw there?

Looking very good indeed, in lots of ways from graphics and sound to controls and gameplay, based on what the dev team has revealed so far.

I actually really like the guys voice in this video because it reminds me of Dracula from Castlevania Symphony of the Night.

This game reminds me of a combination of Punch Out but set in a gladiator arena, Castlevania because of the voice acting, old Capcom arcade classics like Magic Sword because of the art style, and the best of the N64 era with simple clear and bold 3D graphics that are really easy to read and that actually look really nice.

A couple of suggestions based on this latest video:

1. Please add in some realtime lighting to all the flame/fire/magic attacks (just so it lights up the immediate world/characters a little bit), just because it will round out the whole graphics and look really cool imo. I mentioned this before and I still think it's the one area of the graphics that with this little addition could just make the whole game look even more impressive and well rounded if it's added in.

2. Maybe make the camera bob/sway just a little bit when the player is standing still so that is looks a bit more connected to his hands bobbing. Not so much as to affect the control/gameplay in any way but just enough to give it a little bit of life and connect. I think that will be a nice subtle touch.

All in all it's looking great so far and I'm really looking forward to it.

Note: I really do wish Nintendo allowed demos however because I like to try before I buy (game previews/reviews and gameplay movies are simply not good enough to get a proper feel for how good a videogame is for me personally) and this is the one thing that might stop me getting any more games on WiiWare because so far I have been pretty disappointed with the five or so games I decided to buy based on good previews/reviews.

The tactics-over-mindless-bitch-slapping is certainly a bonus, and the reason I find this title endearing. Not being a traditional fan of fighters, this seems to add a unique (and overdue) spin on the genre.

You may have mentioned this elsewhere or previously, but are there any sort of unlockable extras? I understand there is a challenge mode, but will there be any other extras to extend the longevity of the game?

Definitely keeping an eye on this one, bonus extras or not

Following a suggestion I made in the last Rage of the Gladiator video post, where I suggested allowing the camera to move/rotate a bit around the arena whilst still being locked onto the player/opponent as they move around and attack, I just thought I would link this youtube video for Punch Out Arcade: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gumlCZPmNzA

You can see a simple but good example of the camera moving when either the opponents move across the ring (as they sidestep in either direction) or the player attacks them with hooks (knocking them in either direction), and it shows that it is possible to have the camera both locked onto the player/opponent at all times, so as not to affect the gameplay, yet also allow it to move around the arena a bit too to show off some more of the lovely 3D scene.

I'm absolutely sure the same basic idea could be applied to Rage of the Gladiator allowing the camera to track the opponent/player in a slightly circular motion and well as the sideways motions which would mean it would be possible to show off a bit more of the arena and make it less likely the player will end up looking at the same part of the scenery over and over, without breaking the gameplay in any way at all.

Now that I have seen how it works in Punch Out Arcade I just thought I would mention it again because I really think using something similar in Rage of the Gladiator would add just that little bit of extra dimension and presentation flair that would look really cool and I don't think it would break the game in any way since the current camera already sways/bobs a bit during the various attacks and dodges as it is and it would just be an extension of this.

Just thought I would put that out there again and even if you can't add it into this game I think it would be something definitely worth considering for a sequel.

By the way, as a former 3D animator, I'm really impressed with the animation in this game from all the basic character movement to the secondary things like Lord Vensors flowing cloak and swinging necklace and even things like the flags flapping in the background. The animated/moving sky is also nice simply because a lot of full budget Wii titles let alone WiiWare games would simply skip little details and touches like this that really add to the overall sense of believability in the world and the players immersion into it.

The more I watch the two videos released so far the more I see a lot of stuff that I'm really impressed with and not just for a WiiWare game but even when compared to most full Wii releases.

This takes me back to the likes of the SNES 16bit era of gaming where games were usually a lot more simple and focused in design and scope than they are today and because of this every element of those games usually received a lot more attention to detail and polish and especially when it came to those little touches that really make a difference. I mean even the controls, based on what has been detailed and what I have seen so far, seem to be really well honed and polished to just be really tight and intuitive and everything about this game just screams pure unadulterated fun.

It's kinda cool when I see a game that makes me feel excited the same way I did when I first started gaming all those years ago.

Thank You

I am just not interested in this game. Graphics are nice though.

@Ghostfire-Actually, I meant a mode where you can try to beat all bosses in the fastest time. Or should I call it a Boss Rush mode?

Omega -- Yes, the game does consist of only boss fights, but we did it that way because we think boss fights are the most fun part about the game. We have created a wonderful story as well, and a very compelling one at that. Discovering the storyline and learning what happens next is one of the main reasons to play the game.

Malnin - If you do succesfully dodge his lasers, there should be a brief moment afterwards where he is vulnerable for a hit. If you connect with your hit, you will stun him and then you can really bash his face in.

As far as a supersonic mode, or a time racing mode, we currently do not have that feature in the game, but it is something we considered at one point.

Kirk --

Thanks for the feedback. As far as the points you made, I'd like to respond.

We are considering using real-time lightning, and that is something our development team may work into the final project.

As far as camera sway, we also had the same thought initially, however when we added more camera sway the user got a sense of motion sickness due to the sheer speed of the attacks, rocking back and forth. However, this is something we are also looking into as well.

Matt -- Thanks for the feedback . As far as extras go, beyond the fact that you get to fight all the bosses again with new powers, and fight a final boss only available in challenge mode, at the moment we have not included that you can 'unlock' per-say. However, one thing that is nice is that you can design your character lots of different ways using the tech-tree, and that way you can experience all the different powers available.

Kirk - Thank you. We are very proud of the animation in our game, and we have a very strong animation team over here at Ghostfire that does a heck of a job for us.

My pleasure GhostfireScott and kudos to all the team at Ghostfire.

No worries, Ghostfire The tech-tree sounds like it adds a lot of diversity/challenge to the game. A depth that many fighters lack.

I'll look forward to supporting this on release. If it plays half as good as it looks then you're on to a winner

Yo Scott, what job do you do at Ghostfire Studios? Also, since it seems you guys are pretty good at First person graphics....maybe we can see a sweet fps on wiiware from you guys! Or maybe even a retail oblivion type game if you want to keep the first person weapon wielding genre instead!

Dadun -

I design the special effects, and do the marketing work as well getting Ed his coffee.

You must be a real professional then! It takes great skill to bring Ed his coffee!
Just joking. So how many bosses do you plan to have in the game! And how do they range in difficulty!

There are 11 bosses in the game. You fight 10 in normal mode, then the same 10 plus a final boss in challenge mode, for 21 total boss fights.

As far as difficulty ranges, the game is easy to learn, but hard to master!

Is Ed picky about hs coffee?

Folgers in your cup.

I suppose this does not support WM+. Then you could bash your opponent´s face more accurately

Anything worth mentioning about controls in general?

Sure.

Controls are as follows:

Control scheme is indeed D-pad, 1, 2, and A. The mapping is:
1 = swing left
2 = swing right
down+1 = kick left
down+2 = kick right
A = block with shield. A can also shield bash if the boss is stunned. Shield bashing starts a combo. The combo system performs your magical spells/finishers. The combo system is inspired by games such as God of War in that it begins a series of Quick-Timed Events (icons appear on-screen that you need to react to and press quickly).
Plus button = Menu
Minus button = Cycles through your unlocked combo spells [this is the only button mapping that we don't like since the Minus button is so small, but there's no choice]
up = jump
These mappings took us a LONG time to get right. For the longest time we tried using the Nunchuk+WiiRemote and we eventually realized that simpler is better. It feels really good when you play it. If you hold your Wii-Remote sideways and look at the character in our video:
The A button is on the left-hand side of the controller, which controls your shield. Your shield is on the left-hand side of the screen as well, so it makes intuitive sense.
The 1 and 2 buttons are on the right-hand side of the controller, which controls your weapon. Your weapon is on the right-hand side of the screen, so it makes intuitive sense.

thanks. and bash on.

will have this on my radar. looks very promising.

This looks fun! I'll be getting it for sure.

Scott,

Thanks for your comments. If someones willing to put that much effort into coming on the boards to give answers tells me you guys are top notche.

Keep up the good work.

Thank you, we appreciate all the support we've been getting.

@GhostfireScott - Kirk has some good ideas like the lighting, but good call not to use camera sway. in real life though your body moves a bit, your vision doesn't sway like a bad dream sequence to make one motion sick. I think how you did the camera is perfect with the jumps, turning side to side & falling.
I LOVE the humor, style of the animated contact & especially the facial expressions. why can't more games have more humor in it? that wouldn't mean it still doesn't require skill & strategy. why most games so deadly serious? when you screw up, you might curse or stress out a lot less.

Not looking for an official answer, but how much do you think this game will cost? Im thinking 1500 points, there is just too much to this game! Almost as big as Punch Out!! But what price point do you expect. Im completely interested, and Im looking forward! I dont think I made that clear yet

Have you considered using the B button for switching powers? I noticed when I hold my Wii-mote like an NES pad, my middle finger is resting right against the B-Button, so it wouldn't be hard to press it as needed. Just a suggestion, I know there are also down sides to that as well, since it could easily be pressed accidently in the heat of battle.

Hey Scott after reading your controller layout I went from not interested to interested. Now you got what looks like a solid controller layout with what looks to be great graphics. Keep us updated friend as its nice to see developers communicating with perspective fans/customers of Wii Ware.

Cant wait to get this looks very good!!

Looks like an interesting title. Consider me a potential buyer. I'm with Hobbes on this one with the B-button. Perhaps in an options menu you can give people the option to use the B-button OR the minus button for spell selection (and/or classic controller support)? Seems that using the minus button will really slow things down, especially if you have certain third-party skins on your Wiimote.

Anyways, hope you're considering a FPS down the line as well. If it's of the same quality as this game appears to be, it'd be welcomed!

The more I see of this game, the more I like it. It's going to be one of those rare console downloads that I will have to get. Not because I want to, but because of the principle of the matter.

Yes, the game play looks fun, but the over all concept and manner in which that game play appears to be presented.... Yeah, have to show my support in hopes of a disc-based or episodic download sequel release in the form of a first-person action RPG. Emphasis on the action.

hobbes -- We have considered using the B button to switch powers, but we ultimately chose the minus button. That being said, we are taking all feedback into consideration as we finish polishing the game.

gabe -- To be honest, I have no idea how much its going to cost, your guess is as good as mine! Its 100% out of my hands, so I don't even bother trying to guess

This game looks like a 3D version of the 80s arcade game Hippodrome. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcsJm_QbyFU&feature=channel). Even some of the characters are similar (dragon, medusa, wizard, etc.). This is not a bad thing, as that game was great. GhostfireScott, was RotG at all inspired by Hippodrome?

Techrat -- To be honest, I don't think so. I know that I've never played the game, but Ed might have, so I guess its possible.

@GhostfireScott - Hey I was wondering what other games your company has made in the past. After seeing all the control options I am pretty interested and was wondering if you guys have any past WiiWare games or anything.

Acpolcalypse -- Thank you for asking! We made another game for WiiWare last year called "Helix"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helix_(video_game)

Ghostfire Scott, does this game have an actual punch out style motion control option?

I second that, Legend Marioid, as an alternate control even also add an easy mode with it.