Shadow of Rome [PS2]

Turn the clock back to 48 B.C., a fashionable and tragic year for Rome. Things seemed to be going so well. Rome had expanded like a vigorous garden (or like cancer, depending on your point of view) and invented a lot of modern infrastructure in the process. But things were getting unruly, and Julius Caesar, that paragon of leaders, advocated sweeping reform. His opponents, rather than simply disagreeing, stuck a knife in the old boy, and that's where Capcom's ultra-violent Shadow of Rome picks up. The game sandwiches limb-rending gladiatorial combat with quiet stealth sequences, and if the mix isn't perfect, the combat is very close.

The bloody fighter is Agrippa, just returned to Rome to find his father accused of Caesar's murder. Dad is scheduled to be executed for the crime, and without oversimplifying, it's safe to say that Agrippa decides to carve a path to his gallows. He's aided by Octavius, an old friend who can't fight for beans, but knows how to sneak like a primitive Clancy op. The game is evenly divided between the two, as Octavius searches for information which is then acted upon in brutal fashion by the warrior.

To our dismay, the blend between play styles is hardly seamless. Envision a Simpsons episode with concurrent storylines. Homer's plot is packed with gags, and moves like a finely-tuned car; Lisa's is ponderous and touchy-feely. You want more Homer, especially since Lisa's primary purpose seems to be setting a pace. At the same time, after what seems an interminable wait, the jokes are all the more sweet. It's an uneasy balance.

The same dynamic sets the tone for Shadow of Rome, though we're dealing with decapitations instead of one-liners. Agrippa is a violent powerhouse. He's tons of fun to play, and not even a guilty pleasure since his blood thirst is tempered by noble intent, and, more important, smart design. If Sony's upcoming God of War didn't promise equal satisfaction, we'd be tempted to call Agrippa the key PS2 action hero of 2005.

Octavius is a different matter. This isn't the same disappointment a stereotypical father feels when his son becomes a dancer instead of a football player. As a stealth hero, the guy has potential, and is actually fairly likeable. But his scenes feature significantly less development and polish than those featuring Agrippa. Truly doing stealth well seems to require the dedication of a full game, and Rome's flirtation with the shadows never fully clicks, despite the fun disguises and occasional flashes of inspiration with respect to level layout and non-combat.

The reason is that, as Agrippa, you can seemingly do anything related to combat. Any weapon can be used or thrown, and the interactions between blade and body are shockingly gruesome. Not only can you raggedly tear off an arm or sever legs -- those limbs can then be used to beat up other adversaries. It's like watching an organ donor program being born.

The combos are extensive, and for most of the game Agrippa will continually be learning the nearly 200 skills, called "Salvos." These often amount to some middle ground between attack move and coup de grace, and all take advantage of an unshrinking attitude towards human destruction. Opponents wet themselves, cry for mercy, and are simply cleaved in two. The controls aren't always fluid, but they seem to acceptably capture the mixture of speed and sloth that one would experience when moving from sword to boulder as the weapon of choice. The occasional example of poor collision detection left us slightly more peevish, but that didn't stop each new killing spree when the time came.

So it shouldn't be difficult to understand why switching to stealth mode becomes trying. There should be a balance to all the gore, even when it's presented with tongue-halfway-in-cheek. But Octavius simply seems more limited as he crawls passageways, ducks around corners, and hides in vases. Conversation with NPCs is often a matter of repeatedly trying different approaches until you're allowed to pass, and the challenges aren't as rewarding as Agrippa's.

Fortunately, no matter the venue, the production quality is consistently high. The art style is a bit odd at first, being a Japanese take on Rome, but it quickly feels natural. The great level of character detail doesn't hurt, especially when you can see every individual strap in a foe's armor, and every tendon in his newly shorn neck. The game sounds excellent, too, and even better: it features a story that's compelling enough to push players through the often soft stealth and back into the ring. More balance and subtler sneaking would have made Shadow of Rome an unrivaled champion; as is, there are few action contenders this strong.