Gaming Target - Xbox: Circus Maximus: Chariot Wars

Written by Patrick Geurs on February 07, 2002

First Impressions: Part racer, part Gladiator -- all fun.

What do you get when you take a racing tournament and add a little combat into the mix? Circus Maximus is what you get. Part racing and part trying to kick the crap out of all who oppose you just has to be fun, right? Let's take a closer dive.

At first glance, this game looks like something right out of the УGladiatorФ movie. Is Russell Crowe in this one? Possibly as a hidden character? Oh well, not all that important I suppose.

There will be four basic gameplay modes to choose from in Circus Maximus: Circus, Tournament, Empire, and Academy. Circus mode is basically like your Уquick-raceФ option you find in other racers. Just as in an arcade racer, you pick your character, your course, and then go race it up. Tournament is the actual УSeasonФ mode. In it, you play the part of a slave (here's where the Gladiator reference comes into play) who works his way up through the ranks to eventually buy his freedom. Empire is the multiplayer mode where up to four players can duke it out split-screen style. In taking a hint from Halo (although not literally), you can actually split up into teams of 2, where one is the driver, and the other rides chariot. Sure to be great for those trash talking sessions on the couch. Lastly, the Academy mode is just a fancy name for УtrainingФ. In this mode, you learn the basics of chariot racing under the instructions of Sallus. This might be highly recommended, as the single player game requires you to switch on the fly between the driver and the warrior, which will take a tad to get used to. Don't worry though, the computer AI will control whichever person you aren't at the time.

Once you are on the track, several obstacles await you. Not only do you have to worry about the other racers out to kick your ass, but you also have to worry about the track itself. Falling trees, natural obstacles, and other track nuisances try to test your skill as a warrior. In between keeping your eye on the road and killing things, you also have various power-ups to help you out. However, as with all things good, there is a catch. You can only have one power-up in your possession at any given time. This is sure to add a little strategy to the game -- do you keep the defense power-up, or do you drop it in favor of the strength boost? The choice is up to you, and at times it will decide the outcome of the race. How will you proceed? The choice is yours, warrior.