How to survive Lord Vensor the 3rd in Challenge Mode? Rage of the Gladiator Battle!

Can you survive all his magic acts?

Coffee Beans
Magicians never reveal their secrets? Well, at least according to Lord Vensor the 3rd. Over the last 2 years, I have uploaded several boss battle videos from Rage of the Gladiator, and just last month a comment popped up on one of my older videos.

What was the comment? It was a request asking if I would upload a video of a battle against Lord Vensor the 3rd. For clarification on the question, I asked "From the 'Challenge Mode' or the first time you face him?", and Challenge Mode was the battle they were looking for. I checked some of my older video files from the game, and while I had a Lord Vensor the 3rd battle recorded, it was from the normal mode.

I fired up Rage of the Gladiator a few nights ago, and decided to pay Lord Vensor the 3rd another visit in the arena, and check out his assortment of illusions. How did the battle go, watch the video below for a full Lord Vensor the 3rd Challenge Mode battle to find out!


Are there any hints, or tips, I have to help you survive Lord Vensor the 3rd's assortment of illusions in Challenge Mode, perhaps a little more easily? Brew yourself some coffee, and read the hint/tip I have below with an image, that should give you help for learning how to more easily avoid his "magical" laser show.

June Brewed - Coffees Consumed, Games Played!

Coffee Beans
     Good morning! June marked the start of summer, and I think the temperatures outside confirm that it has officially arrived!  E3 2012 came and went. We now know a little bit more about the Wii U and some of the games for it; Sony showed off two new IPs at E3, and both seem interesting and a bit "different" if that's the word I'm looking for; and Microsoft showed off many of the core games and franchises the Xbox 360 I think has become known for.
     With June having wrapped up, here are a few posts from the month I enjoyed putting together, that you might have missed:
     Zombies Run Nintendo - Zombie Iwata & Zombie Reggie?
     Caffeinated Thoughts on the E3 Conferences - Microsoft's, Nintendo's, and Sony's
     God of War & Punch-Out!! Mixed = Rage of the Gladiator? Arena Hours Debut!
     MarioCare, or ObamaCare? Dr. Mario Online Rx's Reported Hours
     THIS is what the 3DS XL should have looked like.
     A TKO Father's Day Gift! Nintendo Selects: Punch-Out!!

     With July now upon us, what games did I play and coffees did I consume in June? Brew a pot of coffee, and read on!

Coffees Consumed
     June, like May, was pretty simple for the coffees I consumed. All the coffee blends brewed in June were Maxwell House, and the month started us off with the Maxwell House Dark Roast blend continued from May. After we ran out of the Dark Roast, Mrs. Coffee purchased us a container of the Maxwell House Gourmet Roast, and that lasted almost to the end of June. Then there was a coffee emergency, and we ran out of coffee!
     It was last week, I believe Thursday, that I got up and brewed the morning pot of coffee like normal. That afternoon, I brewed another pot like normal, and ended up using all of the remaining coffee for that pot. I brew Mrs. Coffee a cup each night before she leaves for work, but when I used it all that afternoon, it meant no more coffee for that night. It also meant there would be no coffee before I would left for work the next morning.

     What did I do? After getting the little Beans off to bed, I sped to Wal-Mart in a mad coffee purchase run. We fortunately live very close to a Wal-Mart, and I was able to make it back to the house and brew the nightly pot of coffee before Mrs. Coffee left. I ended up grabbing Maxwell House's French Roast in the coffee run.

Do you know what this image shows? I spend too much time on images!

Games Played
     Mario Kart Wii - I played this early in June, racing . While I didn't race but one or two races, our oldest Bean took notice of the game, and I decided to let him give it a try. He was pretty successful at driving backwards, and doing backwards circles, but rarely driving forward.

     PAYDAY: The Heist - I have enjoyed my short time with PAYDAY again, playing it just over an hour on my PC. I really like how Steam shows the amount of time played, and the last date the game was played, as well as any "Achievements" gained in the game. So far, I have 2/51 Achievements on my Steam copy of PAYDAY: The Heist with 75 minutes played.

     Red Steel 2 - I purchased Red Steel 2 in May from Game Stop, after I published the "Did Wii Owners Enjoy Red Steel 2? What Do the Hours Say?" post. I finished the game's story mode on Thursday, June 7. The reported average "Per person" was just under 10 hours, but my Nintendo Channel data was showing my play-time as just over 13 hours. While the game's setting and graphics were well done, and even the game-play was enjoyable, I just don't think the game should have had "Red Steel" in its title. It wasn't a perfect game, with the ending feeling kind of rushed, and I wish there was a way to go back into the main story mode to walk around and complete other missions, but considering I purchased and completed it within 2 weeks, I think shows I enjoyed it enough while it lasted.

     Rage of the Gladiator - I played a few more battles in Rage of the Gladiator during June, using the Wii MotionPlus controls in the game. I created a new file, and am working my way through it using only the Wii MotionPlus controls to see how it goes. So far, I'm enjoying the Wii MotionPlus controls in the game, and appreciate the efforts with the new Wii MotionPlus attack animations put in by the developers. It wasn't something they had to do, but they took the time and made it an option, which I think is great.

     Super Mario Bros. 3 - What happens when I didn't want our oldest Bean playing Mario Kart Wii, because of mainly being paranoid about the game running our system's disc drive? He quickly becomes an expert at navigating the Wii menu, and discovering WiiWare and Virtual Console games, and of course recognizes Mario. So, he fired up Super Mario Bros. 3, and while he can't advance very far in the levels on his own, it has been a BLAST playing through the game with him watching/participating. He instructs me well, and has repeat requests for me to go to the "Dark Castle" and "Castle" in general. He identifies the enemies in the game pretty well, but the default "Castle" boss enemies are all "Koopas", because of the Mario cartoon series on Netflix. So far, we have made it to World 4.

     Groovin' Blocks - This is referred to as "The puzzle game.", by the oldest Bean. I played a few rounds of it, and beat one or two of my older high scores, but I'm not very good with keeping the beats in the game, and getting the "points multiplier" to go/stay higher.

     Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - This was a game Keith, of the now semi-retired RespawnAction.com, gifted me. I had played through I believe the first six chapters in the game last year, and wasn't sure how much more I had to go. I randomly decided to give it another go in June, and not only stuck with it, but finished the game on June 20th. If you have a PS3 system, or are looking at getting a PS3 system, I would highly suggest picking up Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. I have now added the sequels of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune to my "Video Games Wish List". I watched the credits all the way through the night/morning I completed the game, and was very surprised to re-learn the game was originally released in 2007. I guess because I didn't get my PlayStation 3 until 2009, I didn't really pay attention to when it was originally released before, but was very impressed with the game considering it was released that early in the PS3's "life".

     Punch-Out!! - This was one of my Father's Day gifts this year, and I have been enjoying my time with the game. I actually won the belts from the Minor, Major, & World Circuits in June, completing the World Circuit on June 30th. My reported time for the game was showing up as 5 Hours 32 Minutes, but that was without starting the Title Defense mode, and only completing two Challenges against Glass Joe in the game's Exhibition mode. You can see me box against Glass Joe in the game's Exhibition mode, in a video from the June post on the game. I have started the game's Title Defense mode now, and getting laughed at by Glass Joe is absolutely hilarious, and almost humbling!

     Bit.Trip Runner - If there is a case for free demos helping "sell" a game, this could possibly be one. I had downloaded the Bit.Trip Runner WiiWare demo last year, but never really gave it a chance. After our oldest and I started our SMB3 adventure, I thought, "I wonder if he only had to push a button to jump, and not concentrate on running also, it would be easier for him?", and that's how I ended up giving Bit.Trip Runner another try. Our oldest knows the name, and now recognizes the menu screen, for Bit.Trip Runner, and Commander Video is known as a "ninja" in our house. While I have not downloaded the FULL version of Bit.Trip Runner, I did look it up on Steam, and I also have been thinking about just adding the entire collection on the Wii, Bit.Trip Complete, to my "Video Games Wish List". Our oldest Bean has given the game a few tries, and can hop over at least the first obstacle, though not every time.

Questions/Thoughts
     What video games did you play in June, and did you perhaps try any new coffee blends/roasts in June (like our French Roasts blend), or just stick with the regular coffee blends? Out of the games you played, would any of them come highly recommended from you, like I would definitely recommend at least Uncharted: Drake's Fortune?
     With me writing out more thoughts on the games I played during the previous month, and the ones I have completed, I may start breaking these posts up into a "Coffees Consumed" and a separate "Games Played" post, so there isn't as much of a WALL-O-TEXT. Also, if anybody has any questions about the games I played in June, or even the coffees I consumed, feel free to leave a comment below or contact me by emailing me at, Scott(@)CoffeeWithGames.com.

God of War & Punch-Out!! Mixed = Rage of the Gladiator? Arena Hours Debut!

Coffee Beans
What do you get when you mix a mythological game setting like the God of War series has, with game-play from the Punch-Out!! series? Well, I think the results would be Rage of the Gladiator.

Rage of the Gladiator was released on March 15, 2010 through Nintendo's WiiWare service, and has a price point of 1,000 Wii Points, which is $10. The game was developed and published by Ghostfire Games, and it received an ESRB rating of "Teen" with "Alcohol Reference, Animated Blood, Violence" listed as content for gamers and parents to be aware of.


Rage of the Gladiator's game-play hours just arrived on the Nintendo Channel this week, and how many hours have U.S. Wii owners spent battling bosses in the arena? Brew some coffee, and let's take a look! Boss battle included!

May Brewed - Coffees Consumed, Games Played!

Coffee Beans
     So, May marked a "return" of sorts to a more normal posting schedule here on CoffeeWithGames, since the beginning of the year! What games did I play, and coffees did I consume in May? Let's take a look!

Coffees Consumed
     May was pretty simple as for the coffees. All the blends we had were Maxwell House, which Mrs. Coffee buys quite often. First up was the Maxwell House Master Blend. It is a nice mild coffee blend, which they say is "perfect for every morning.", but I can testify it's pretty good throughout the entire day as well.
     Second, we had a big container of the Maxwell House Gourmet Roast and its flavor description says it is "Deliciously Smooth". I prefer my coffee black, and RARELY (about as rare as the Bigfoot sightings, maybe more-so) put cream and/or sugar in my coffee, but I think I have reached a point now where if a coffee is "mild", I don't notice much of a flavor difference. It's definitely not a bad thing, and perhaps it's a reflection that I'm drinking coffee to help me to stay awake, more than just to enjoy...though I do both.
    The last blend in the Coffee House for May was Maxwell House Dark Roast. Its description reads, "Rich & Full Bodied", and I do think this one has the "Dark Roast" part down very well. It's definitely noticeable as a dark roast coffee, but not so much that it tastes burnt. Being that I enjoy "strong" coffee flavors, I enjoy this blend a good deal, and have a cup of it right now, with another cup in the pot.

Can you name them all?

Games Played
     Jett Rocket - I downloaded this WiiWare demo last year, and have played through it twice now, enjoying it both times. As I was preparing the above image, our oldest Bean saw Jett Rocket and asked, "Who's that!?", which then ended up with me finding a few YouTube videos for him to watch while I was piecing it together. I haven't downloaded a WiiWare game in a long-time, but I'm hoping that Nintendo will confirm next week that all WiiWare/Virtual Console purchases already made will transfer to the Wii U, without any major issue(s). If they can finally announce that, I might just perhaps download Jett Rocket and give the full game a try. If you missed the WiiWare Wednesday post on Jett Rocket's reported game-play hours, you can read the full report HERE.
     Sanctum - Sanctum is the very first demo I downloaded after I started my Steam account. I had attempted it last year I believe, and it ran pretty rough due to my GPU at the time. In January, I upgraded my PSU and GPU, and then at the beginning of May I finally gave the Sanctum demo another try, and completed the full demo. Sanctum is a "tower defense" type game with a FPS view, and it does have weapons to shoot at the enemies (not sure how this is compared to other tower defense games). It was the first tower defense game I can recall playing, and the more time I spent in the demo, it started to remind me of chess games. It really does seem to require a good strategy to setup the defenses around the level, and try to be planning ahead for the next waves of enemies that will be coming, even though you aren't sure what those may be.
     Rayman Origins - I started playing Rayman Origins, again, from the beginning on May 18, and finished the campaign yesterday afternoon. According to the Nintendo Channel data, I put just over 27 hours into the game, in 2 weeks! Now, I do know some of that time was the game being left on, as I was going to check on the little Beans at night, and I also recorded some footage one night for the data report on the game, but I would suspect most people should get a good 20 hours out of it easily. Which makes me wonder how/why the reported game-play hours for it are barely over 10 Hours "Per person", as I showed in my "Platforming Awesomeness! Rayman Origins Hours Report" post.
     Red Steel 2 - What happens when you reserve a game with $5 down on it about a month before the game releases, but fail to purchase the game? Then skip 2+ years into the future? Well, you can't remember if the $5 credit is still on the game, if you already used it on another game, or if the wonderful corporation that is Game Stop made it magically disappear. I reported on Red Steel 2's reported game-play hours over the last 2 years in May, and the same day I left the house and decided to stop by Game Stop to see if my $5 credit was still on the game. While the credit wasn't anywhere to be found, I did end up purchasing Red Steel 2, and so far I have played it just under 30 minutes. I'm enjoying the art style, but still getting used to the controls and I'll try to share more thoughts on the game when I either finish it, or perhaps as I progress through it more.
     Rage of the Gladiator - I decided to battle the first boss in Rage of the Gladiator using the game's Wii MotionPlus control settings before I started playing Red Steel 2. While I did defeat the first boss, I failed to defeat him perfectly! One hit too many. If you haven't played Rage of the Gladiator, you can find the WiiWare demo for it on the Nintendo Shop Channel.
     PAYDAY: The Heist - What happens when you go to Game Stop, and spend cash on a game? Well, you come home and find an incredible sale on a PC game, that you can't believe! Amazon.com had PAYDAY: The Heist on sale in May for only $5! I own the PS3 version, but was curious as to how/if my PC could run the game. For $5 bucks, I figured it was worth a try, and sure enough, the game runs pretty well, and I already completed the first "heist" in the game. When I was purchasing it from Amazon.com, I didn't realize the game was actually going to run through Steam, but that's what it does. Fortunately, I already had the Steam account, so that wasn't an issue for me.

Question
     What games did you play in May, and did any coffee blends help you survive the month?
     Also, if you have any questions about the games I played in May, or the coffees I consumed, feel free to ask in the comments below or by contacting me directly.

WiiWare Wednesday - A Rage of the Gladiator Gargadan Battle

Coffee Beans:
     WiiWare Wednesday?  You read that right!  WiiWare Wednesday is a new feature for CoffeeWithGames, where I will talk about WiiWare games on Wednesdays.  It will not be a weekly feature, but will more than likely be a bi-weekly feature.
     For each WiiWare Wednesday post, I will either do a data story on some WiiWare game, or will do a game-play video of some of the WiiWare games that I own.
     For my first WiiWare Wednesday, I have put together a video of a Rage of the Gladiator battle against the creature Gargadan, from the game's Challenge Mode.  You can watch the video and battle below!

Amit the Charmer - Challenge Mode Battle Rank A

Coffee Beans:
     It's been a while since I have posted any video from Rage of the Gladiator, but earlier this week I received a comment on one of my YouTube videos, and the comment said, "I was wondering if you have an Amit the Charmer Challenge Mode video?  Or do you have any hints on beating him...?"
     Well, I had already uploaded several videos from Rage of the Gladiator, but none were a full battle against Amit the Charmer.  So, I sat down last night and recorded some matches against him.

     Amit the Charmer's description in Rage of the Gladiator reads, "Amit is a dirty vagabond who roams the streets of Avalance.  He's a well-known con-artist that's always looking for handouts.  Rumor has it that if you don't pay him off, he'll charm you with his flute, and then order his snakes to devour you."

     SPOILER ALERT: The video below is of a full battle against Amit the Charmer, in Rage of the Gladiator's Challenge Mode.  If you don't want to see a full battle against him, you shouldn't watch the video, but if you're stuck on him, or trying to achieve a higher Rank, the video may be of some help to you.


Filtered Thoughts:
     I was using the "Horizontal" controls in the match, which are the controls using just the Wii Remote.  One big piece of advice I have when playing against Amit the Charmer in Challenge Mode, and just trying to beat him, is to never skip any in match animations/cut-scenes.  What I mean by this, is never press the button that skips the animations of you getting up from the ground if you get knocked down, and don't skip the animations/cut-scene in between rounds when you knock him down...just let the animations play out.
     There are a few boss battles in Rage of the Gladiator that will sometimes have the attack timing thrown off briefly if you skip the animations during the match, and Amit the Charmer is one of those bosses, so it's best to just let them play out.
     As I stated in the video, if you're interested in Rage of the Gladiator you can currently download a free demo for the game on the Wii's Shop Channel, and play through the game's first three boss battles.  I highly suggest giving the game a try, especially if you were ever interested in the Punch-Out games, but perhaps never gave them a chance.

Questions:
     Have any of you downloaded the demo for Rage of the Gladiator, and if so, what do you think of what you have played?
     If you already own the full WiiWare version of Rage of the Gladiator are there any boss battles you would like to see footage of?

If anybody is interested in Rage of the Gladiator, the full WiiWare version is available to download for just 1000 Wii Points, or $10.  You can use a Wii Points card, or you can use a credit card, to purchase it from the Wii's Shop Channel.
 

Rage of the Gladiator: News and Nagano Battle

I wonder if he uses those to stir his coffee?

Coffee Beans:
     First, the news!  I contacted Ed Roman, the CEO of Ghostfire Games, last week, and asked if Rage of the Gladiator was going to be getting a WiiWare demo.  Ed replied they had just submitted the Rage of the Gladiator demo to Nintendo for approval, and it should be out, "in the next couple of months".
     Ed said the WiiWare demo will feature the first three bosses from Rage of the Gladiator(Tagon, Horlan the Crusher, and the Sea Witch), and I'm assuming they will be from the game's normal mode.  When I asked if any offense/defense/magic attacks would be unlocked for players to try, Ed replied, "Users will be able to use the tech tree up until that point."
     I think this will give players interested in the game, a very good idea of what they can expect and look forward to with the full version of Rage of the Gladiator.  If the demo plays like the regular version, players should be able to access at least fifteen different "skills" with a few play-throughs, including five "special attacks".

     Nagano - I've recorded and uploaded several videos of boss battles from Rage of the Gladiator, even one trailer that shows all the bosses in the game very briefly.  However, I have not shown a full battle against Nagano, until today!  Nagano is a masked mercenary, trained in martial arts.  He brings several varying attacks to the arena, and like the other bosses in Rage of the Gladiator, you must be quick on your toes(coffee helps!) when fighting him.
     Here's a video of me battling Nagano in Rage of the Gladiator's "Normal mode" using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls...SPOILER Warning - This is a FULL battle against Nagano with special attacks, if you don't want to see an entire battle from Rage of the Gladiator, don't watch the full video!


     If you are interested in Rage of the Gladiator, you can purchase it directly off the Wii's Shop Channel, or by purchasing and using points off of a Nintendo Wii/DSi Points Card(shown below):
 

Rage againstof the Gladiator - Horlan the Crusher in Challenge Mode

Brewed Info:

     If you have been following my blog for a while, you probably know from all of my Rage of the Gladiator videos I have posted, that I enjoy the game.

     After playing through the game several times, I think the word "Rage" in the game's title, fits it very well.

     There are several definitions for "rage", but I think the best description of rage, that applies to Rage of the Gladiator, is one provided by Wikipedia, "When a person experiences rage it usually lasts until a threat is removed or the person under rage is incapacitated."

     In Rage of the Gladiator, you must knock down each boss three times to defeat them, or they may knock you down three times and you have to fight them all over again.

     While that description of rage may apply to the game-play aspect of Rage of the Gladiator, if you are prone to throwing controllers in fits of rage if you get frustrated at video games, make sure you wear the Wii Remote wrist strap while playing Rage of the Gladiator.

     Whenever I did one of my first "previews" on Rage of the Gladiator back in April(you can read it HERE), I mentioned how the game gives our four different "Ranks", or grades, depending on how you do in the fights.

     The four letter ranks you can achieve in Rage of the Gladiator are:

• Rank: S - received if you complete a match without getting knocked down, and if you complete the match without getting hit; basically a perfect match
• Rank: A - received if you aren't knocked down, but do get hit by the boss
• Rank: B - received if you are knocked down once in the match
• Rank: C - received if you are knocked down twice in a match

     Trying to achieve a "Rank: S" in each battle, can be extremely frustrating; especially in Challenge Mode!  Here is a new video from a battle I did in Rage of the Gladiator, against Horlan the Crusher in Challenge Mode; demonstrating how frustrating it may be to get a "Rank: S" in a battle:

     Like I said above, if you are prone to throwing controllers in fits of rage when playing video games, Rage of the Gladiator is a game that the Wii Remote wrist strap should be worn at all times while playing; and I think the video above is a good example of how it may cause a wide range of emotions during a match when attempting to get a "Rank: S" in the fights.

     While it can be frustrating to not get a Rank: S in the battles, it is extremely satisfying when you do defeat a boss perfectly and receive the Rank: S for it.  Rage of the Gladiator is a game that offers a lot of replay value because of the ranking system, and there is even a special attack that is unlocked after receiving a certain Rank in each battle.

Questions:

     Has anybody purchased Rage of the Gladiator, but not finished Challenge Mode yet?  If so, which boss fight are you on?  If anybody has finished Rage of the Gladiator's Challenge Mode, what were the highest "ranks" you received in the fights?

     Are there any games that you have played, that have made you want to throw the controller(and perhaps you did), because of the frustration it caused?

     Rage of the Gladiator is available to download from Nintendo's WiiWare service, for 1000 Wii Points.  You can either purchase a Wii Points card(pictured below), or use a credit/debit card directly on the Wii's Shop Channel to download the game for $10.

Rage of the Gladiator - The Sea Witch Battle Rank S

Quick Brew Info:
     This is a video of a battle against The Sea Witch in Rage of the Gladiator, on Challenge Mode.  I was using the Wii Remote control, and I was able to achieve a Rank S without using any offensive, defensive, or magic special attacks.
     Spoiler Warning - Again, the following video is an entire battle against The Sea Witch in Rage of the Gladiator's Challenge Mode.


Thoughts:
     If there are any other full length boss battles from Rage of the Gladiator you would like to see, let me know either in the comments; or by sending me an email to, Scott@CoffeewithGames.com.
     If you aren't sure what all the bosses are like in Rage of the Gladiator, you can watch them briefly at the video on my post, Rage of the Gladiator - All Bosses Briefly Shown.

Rage of the Gladiator - The Sea Witch in Challenge Mode

Quick Brew Info:
     After I posted the last video showing all of the bosses in Rage of the Gladiator, a user from another site's message board, Vaynard, said, "I wouldn't mind having a video of her in Challenge Mode."
     The "her" reference was for the Sea Witch in Rage of the Gladiator.
     Here's a video of an entire battle against the Sea Witch (Medusa?), from Rage of the Gladiator's Challenge Mode.


Thoughts:
     Vaynard mentioned using the Wii Remote control style, so that is what I used in this video.  I also used the Charge Attack, which is the most basic offensive attack in Rage of the Gladiator.

     If anybody has any other battles they would like to see from Rage of the Gladiator, or questions about the game; just leave a comment letting me know, or contact me at Scott@CoffeewithGames.com.

     If you are interested in Rage of the Gladiator, you can purchase it directly off the Wii's Shop Channel, or by purchasing and using points off of Nintendo Wii/DSi Points Card...

Rage of the Gladiator - All Bosses Briefly Shown

Quick Brew Info:
     In this video, I briefly show ALL the bosses from Rage of the Gladiator.  If you do not want to see/know what all the bosses are like in Rage of the Gladiator, DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO.  If you are curious about the game, the video will show you the cast of characters, but not spoil many attacks/moves in the game:


Thoughts:
     If anybody is stuck on a boss battle, in Normal or Challenge Mode; or you would just like another video of an entire battle, let me know and I'll see if I can put one together for you.

Battling a Giant: Rage of the Gladiator's Tagon in Challenge Mode

Quick Brew Info:
A few days ago, on July 2, I had a comment from an "Anonymous" reader on my Rage of the Gladiator's Ixthid: Rank S in Challenge Mode post.
It said, "Nice video.  Now howd u get to Ixthid... I cant beat Tagon on challenge mode..."

I replied back that I would see about making a video of a Tagon battle in Challenge Mode, and here it is!

WARNING!  If you do not want to see an entire battle against Tagon in Challenge Mode, from Rage of the Gladiator, do no watch this video:


Thoughts:
In this battle against Tagon on Challenge Mode, I was using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls; and I only used the most basic combo, the Charge Attack.  In the match shown, I attained a "Rank: S".

(Wii Remote & Nunchuk Game Controls)

(Charge Attack combo)

If you are interested in Rage of the Gladiator, the game is available for download the Wii's Shop Channel for 1,000 Wii Points.

If you are interested in downloading Rage of the Gladiator, you can purchase the directly off the Shop Channel with a credit/debit card, or purchase a Nintendo Points Card and use 1,000 Points($10) to download it.

Questions:

If you have played Rage of the Gladiator, have you completed Challenge Mode with a "Rank: S" in each battle?  If not, how far have you made it in the game?

Rage of the Gladiator's Ixthid: Rank S in Challenge Mode

Quick Brew Info:
A battle against Ixthid on Challenge Mode, in Rage of the Gladiator.
I used the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls for this battle.
I achieved a Rank S in the match, with using only the most basic special attack to help defeat him.

Warning: If you do not want to see an entire battle against Ixthid on Challenge Mode, from Rage of the Gladiator, do not watch this video:



Question:
If you own Rage of the Gladiator is there any particular boss battle you would like me to try and record achieving a Rank S during?


You can download Rage of the Gladiator for 1000 Wii Points from the Wii's Shop Channel, using either a credit/debit card on the Shop Channel; or, by purchasing a Wii Points Card:

Rage of the Gladiator's Ixthid

On March 15, 2010, Rage of the Gladiator was released on Nintendo's WiiWare service.

On March 17, 2010, Nintendo-Okie.com's Tony Miller posted a review for Rage of the Gladiator.

In one of the bullet points, Tony said, "Played through campaign once, completed 8 fights in Challenge Mode."

In the comments section of the review on March 19, I asked Tony, "Have you completed Challenge Mode yet?  If not, what character are you on?"  I went on to say, "The enemies are destroying me left and right in Challenge Mode, but I've survived four of them now."

Tony replied to my questions, "I'm stuck on Ixthid in Challenge Mode.  I haven't played in the last couple of days since the review.  I've been working on some other stuff.  It's my plan to finish Challenge Mode over the weekend."  Tony's reply was on March 19.

Fast-forward to May 18, 2010.(you hear the fast-forward noise of a VHS tape in a VCR!)

Nintendo-Okie.com posted a review for Bit.Trip Runner.

Tony wrote the review for Bit.Trip Runner as well, and one of his bullet points was: 

"Played through the game in its entirety."

I commented on the Bit.Trip Runner review the same day, and after I quoted the bullet point, I said, "Rage of the Gladiator says hello."

Tony replied about not living it down(finishing Rage of the Gladiator), and he said, "I'll get that finished.  I promise.  It might be 10 years from now, but I will succeed in beating that stupid alien tentacle monster Ixthid.  He's become the bane of my existence."

During one conversation, Tony said, "I keep meaning to go back and finish it, but I never do.  I just need continual prodding and I'll get back to it."

So, I recorded a battle against Ixthid in Challenge Mode, and perhaps it will be the "prodding" or encouragement Tony needs to continue!  Also, perhaps the video will help others playing the game, if they are stuck on Ixthid like Tony.

WARNING!  If you do not want to see a full battle against Ixthid, do not watch this video!

Questions/Thoughts:

I was using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls during the fight, and kept the attacks simple, using the most basic "special" attack.

If you have any questions about what to specifically look for during the match, leave a comment or send me an email to CoffeewithGames@gmail.com.

If you have played Rage of the Gladiator, have you completed Challenge Mode yet with a "Rank: A" in each fight?

If not, which character is giving you the most trouble?

If you have not played Rage of the Gladiator, what do you think of the videos I have posted of the game?

Rage of the Gladiator's Master Yee

Thoughts:
This was a battle against Master Yee in Challenge Mode, from Rage of the Gladiator.
I was using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls during the match.  I had both the Wii Remote's and the Nunchuk's sensitivity set to 80% in the match.

(Wii Remote and Nunchuk control setup in Rage of the Gladiator)

Questions:
Have any of you played Rage of the Gladiator yet?
If so, what do you think of the game?
If not, do you have any questions about it, that I may be able to answer for you?

Battling a Giant: Rage of the Gladiator's Tagon

Video:  Battle against Tagon, from the WiiWare title, Rage of the Gladiator.

The Video Brew:

In this video though, I battled Tagon using the game's "Vertical" controls.

Several reviewers said the motion controls in Rage of the Gladiator functioned, but were not accurate enough for them.  I am playing through Rage of the Gladiator, using the game's "Vertical" control option to see how well they function.

Rage of the Gladiator's vertical controls consist of using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck.

(Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls breakdown)

I was able to attain a "Rank: S", battling against Tagon while using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.

(Tagon still wants mead, I think he should stick to coffee though!)

So far, the controls using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk seem to be functioning well.

I plan on trying to achieve a "Rank: S" in each fight, using Rage of the Gladiator's "Vertical" controls.

If attaining a "Rank: S" with the motion controls is possible in each fight, I would think that means the reviewers did not take the time to learn the motion controls, before passing judgement on them.

Questions:

Have you played Rage of the Gladiator?  If so, how far have you made it in the game?

If you haven't played Rage of the Gladiator, and you have any questions about it, please ask any question in the comments or send me an email!

If you are interested in purchasing Rage of the Gladiator, you can download it off the Wii's Shop Channel for 1000 Wii Points.

Rage of the Gladiator: Horlan the Crusher

The Video Brew:

The video above shows a fight in Rage of the Gladiator, against Horlan the Crusher.

(He looks hungry!)

In the match, I used two special attacks:

1)  The "Aerial Assault", which the game describes as, "An insane combo that unleashes your rage by doing a series of jumping attacks."

2)  The "Eclipse", which the game describes as, "A devastating combo that darkens the skies with a total solar eclipse.  The sun's corona creates a focused beam of light that fries your opponent to a crisp."

Both the "Aerial Assault" and the "Eclipse" special attacks, fall in the middle column, of the "Offense" branch on the Skill Tree.

(Skill Tree in Rage of the Gladiator)

I fought in this match using the NES-style controls in the game, and completed the match with a "Rank: S".

Questions:

If you have downloaded Rage of the Gladiator and played it, have you completed the "Challenge Mode" in the game?

If you are interested in downloading Rage of the Gladiator, you can buy a Nintendo Wii Points card from Amazon.com below, or from your local game stores.

Rage of the Gladiator: A Perfect Fight

The Brew:

This isn't a review of the game, just some thoughts on the game and a video showing some game-play.

Rage of the Gladiator was released on March 15, 2010, through Nintendo's WiiWare service.

The game can be purchased for only 1000 Wii points, which equals $10.

I first, would like to say, that most of the "reviewers" that have "reviewed" Rage of the Gladiator, didn't even finish playing the game's Challenge Mode, before they writing reviews for it.

If you're reading reviews for Rage of the Gladiator, please be aware that many of them contain incorrect information about the game.

(He wants mead!  I want coffee!)

Rage of the Gladiator features three control methods when playing the game:

• NES-style holding the Wii Remote horizontal, like the Punch-Out games
• Wii Remote & Nunchuk
• Wii Remote w/ Wii MotionPlus & Nunchuk

When playing with the motion controls, you can go under the "Options" and change the Wii Remote & Nunchuk sensitivity settings.

If you have enjoyed Punch-Out games, old or new, you should enjoy Rage of the Gladiator.

A Few Video Details:

The video below is me fighting Tagon, in the game's normal mode.  

The story says that Tagon is fighting in the arena, to acquire more mead.  I would not fight for mead, but coffee perhaps!

I was using the NES-style controls when fighting him in the video.  

In the video, I use two special attacks during the match.

Rage of the Gladiator features a skill tree, that consists of three branches:

• Offense
• Defense
• Magic

(Skill Tree, are you skilled enough to fill it?)

The first special attack I use happens around the :35 mark into the video.  

It is known as the Aerial Assault.  A portion of the game's description reads, "An insane combo that unleashes your rage by doing a series of jumping attacks."  The Aerial Assualt can be upgraded three times and it falls under the "Offense" branch of the skill tree.

The second special attack starts around 1:40 into the video.

It is known as the Ancient Tornado, and the description reads, "A mystical combo that conjures a raging Tornado which lays waste to your opponent."  The Ancient Tornado falls under the "Magic" branch of the skill tree.

Did You Notice?

You may not have noticed in the video, but the different special attacks actually do different amounts of damage to Tagon.

The further down the skill tree the attack is, the more damage it will do.

The Ancient Tornado is the third level down in the Magic branch, while the Aerial Assualt is on the first level of the Offense branch.

Also, at the end of the match, you can see the "Fight Stats" the game shows when you complete each match.

(I think I passed!)

You can see in the picture above, "Hits Taken: 0", so I was given "Rank: S".

Rage of the Gladiator gives out four different ranks:

• "Rank: C" is given if the player is knocked down twice in a match
• "Rank: B" is given if the player is knocked down once in a match
• "Rank: A" is given if the player isn't knocked down, but does get hit by the boss
• "Rank: S" is given if the player completes a match without getting knocked down, and if the player doesn't have any "Hits Taken", by the boss.

It is absolutely possible to complete the game with a "Rank: S" on each boss fight.  So far, I've completed the game with a "Rank: S" in each fight, using the NES-style controls.  I'm currently replaying the game, using the Wii Remote & Nunchuk controls, attempting to get a "Rank: S".

All attacks in the game can either be dodged, blocked, or counter attacked to prevent from being hit.

Questions:

If you've been playing Rage of the Gladiator, what control method are you playing with?

Have you completed the "Challenge Mode" within the game as well?

If anybody has any questions about Rage of the Gladiator, please send an email to CoffeewithGames@gmail.com and I'll try to answer any question you may have about the game.

If you haven't purchased Rage of the Gladiator, you can purchase a Wii Points card from your local store, or even Amazon.com.  Or, you can go directly to the Shop Channel and purchase 1000 Wii Points on the system directly.