December 4^th, 2003 (12:00am) - The reception to the demo release of Stormcloud Creations’ latest upcoming offering, Coliseum, has been tremendous. Many forums, like those of Gone Gold, have been ablaze with discussion of the demo, which as a scaled down version of the full game provides a great peek into what the full game offers. Stormcloud Creations has taken all the feedback to heart, and with a desire to put out the very best possible product, have revamped several aspects of Coliseum.

Because of this Shrapnel Games and Stormcloud Creations have released a new demo version of the upcoming fantasy gladiator management simulation, Coliseum. This latest version, version 1.01, does more than simply fix a couple of bugs (such as the renaming bug and sporadic potion glitches), as it adds or modifies many features and addresses some perceived balance issues that were commented on in the various forums.

By far the most exciting change is the brand new ability that gives managers a more direct role in their fighters’ fights. You can now change combat strategies during a bout! If the fight isn’t going your way scream at your gladiators! Remind them that this is a battle where heads get busted, not some sort of social mixer! Make them more aggressive, or if they happen to be the ones getting their skulls cracked open, have them take a more defensive stance.

While being able to change battle tactics is a new feature there are many features that have simply been tweaked for a better gameplay experience. For instance, attendance levels of matches are now linked closer to a fighter’s records. Advertising revenue is now more varied. Training is now more expensive to prevent managers from maxing out their stable of gladiators early on. It is also now more effective, giving you more bang for your buck.

Fights have more bone-crunching sound effects, and the combat model has been tweaked to improve the flow of the match. Results conform closer to the stats being shown, although upsets are always possible. There are now text delay options to help make the sessions easier to read (or to speed it up if you just want to know if you’ve won or not).

The stat generation for beginning warriors has been completely overhauled. Now most fighters start off on fairly even terms in the beginning of the game, which brings the task of proper training to the forefront. This also has the additional effect of gambling being more like gambling, and not a sure thing, as many felt in the original demo release.

It should be noted that since the demo is an actual portion of the full game all the changes in the demo will be found in the full game. Set for release in just under two weeks, Coliseum is on track to meet the ship date. With interest levels already slathering into a frenzy be sure to pre-order so you can be the first kid on your block to have your very own champion killer!

The new demo can be downloaded from Shrapnel Games at http://www.shrapnelgames.com/stormcloud/coliseum/6.htm and for more information on Coliseum please go to http://www.shrapnelgames.com/stormcloud/coliseum/