Circus Maximus

We've finally gotten our hands on a previewable build of Circus Maximus and spent some time racing and hacking through its various modes. Developed by Kodiak Interactive, CM offers some twists to the racing/combat genre with its Roman setting and use of chariots. Offering detailed graphics, a solid single-player mode, and an engaging multiplayer mode, CM continues to look promising.

The game has four modes: circus, empire, tournament, and academy. Circus is a quick arcade-style race that you can hop into after a few button presses. Empire is the game's multiplayer mode, which supports a variety of configurations for up to four players via split-screen. You'll also be able to split up into two teams of two, with one player taking the role of driver and the other acting as warrior. Tournament is the game's career mode. In it, you'll assume the role of a slave and work your way up through the ranks, earning cash and the right to participate in other competitions in the hopes of eventually earning enough cash to buy your freedom. Academy is the game's training mode, in which you'll familiarize yourself with the game's control and play mechanics under the tutelage of the gruff Sallus. You'll also be able to check on your performance in the "hall of heroes," which keeps track of high scores in the game.

Gameplay in CM is straightforward--you hack at your enemies as you race through tracks set in one of seven environments. While you'll want to come in first at the end of the race, you'll also want to inflict as much damage on your opponents as possible. Any component of an opposing team is fair game for an attack--in addition to being able to attack your foe's warrior, you'll be able to attack their horses and driver, each of which takes varying degrees of damage. To help you in your maiming quest for glory, you'll be able to collect different power-ups that are spread along the tracks. You'll have to make some hard choices during a race, as you'll be able to hold only one power-up at a time. Deciding whether to keep the defense power-up that makes you temporarily invincible in favor of the attack power boost can sometimes be the difference between victory and defeat. In addition, your quest for victory will be aided or hindered by the choices you make before a race. You'll be able to customize your racing team quite a bit before hitting the track. You'll be able to select the type of chariot, horses, driver, and warrior prior to a race. Onscreen information gives you some insight into the characteristics of each, allowing you to pick up the set that agrees the most with your playing style.

Once in a race, you'll face a variety of obstacles. In addition to your opponents, you'll have to contend with the track's environment, as well as hazards that come out of it, like falling trees or sadistic track design. You'll also have to contend with your own chariot driving skills--or lack thereof. Fortunately, CM is aiming to appeal to a wide variety of gamers. To create that accessibility, Kodiak has provided a versatile control setup. In single-player games, you'll be able to toggle between controlling the driver or warrior, with the game's AI filling in for either while you toggle through the setup. An onscreen HUD displays pertinent information on your race. You'll be able to keep tabs on your chariot's "health" and the pace of the horses, as well as lap information, including elapsed time, your place, the number of laps, and track layout. In addition, you'll be able to see which power-up you've collected and determine if you're controlling the driver or warrior.

Control in the game takes a bit of getting used to. Once you have it down, multitasking driver and warrior control works fairly well, but you'll have to spend some time with the game. Fortunately, the game's inclusion of a training mode should help you get the hang of the control, as you'll use every button on the Xbox controller. The left analog stick will perform several tasks during a game--its main function is to steer your chariot, but pushing it in like a button will cause your warrior to taunt and pulling back on it will cause him to duck. The D-pad will let you switch between controlling your driver or warrior by pressing up and will let you see what's behind you by pressing down. The R- and L-triggers will help you make hard left and right turns when pressed individually, and when pressed together, they'll let you slow your horses. The right analog stick serves two purposes--you'll be able to make your warrior lean to help during turns, while pressing it in like a button will whip your horses to build up their speed. The X button will block, B executes a basic attack, Y triggers a double attack, the white face button triggers a power-up attack, the black button executes a high attack, and A will slowly accelerate you. It's a bit unwieldy at first, so spending time training with Sallus is a must. After a bit of time, though, you'll get the hang of it.

Graphically, CM is solid, featuring detailed and clean graphics. Characters are well modeled and shaded, although they animate a bit stiffly and look a bit too clean, lacking the dirt, grime, and blood you'd expect to see after a few laps of maiming. The chariots and horses look good and sport little touches like particles effects when clashing with your opponent's ride or just kicking up dirt. The various tracks are also clean, featuring a variety of climates to race through on your quest for glory. The Xbox handles the graphical load well, maintaining a high frame rate amidst all the onscreen mayhem.

So far, Circus Maximus is shaping up to be a distinctive entry in the Xbox lineup and will definitely offer gamers something different when it is released early next year.