First WiiWare Title to Support MotionPlus is Rage of the Gladiator

Get ready to flail those arms with 100% accuracy to defeat mythical creatures of yore.

Ghostfire Games has revealed that its upcoming WiiWare action title Rage of the Gladiator will be the first downloadable game to support the Wii MotionPlus accessory. MotionPlus functionality was not initially planned, but Ghostfire Games CEO Ed Roman said that the community was asking for its inclusion, so Ghostfire decided to listen.

Rage of the Gladiator looks to be a Punch-Out!!-styled game dropped in a fantasy Rome setting. I've always been surprised that there haven't been more games that took Punch-Out!!'s formula and applied it to a different setting, or expanded on its basic gameplay. Rage of the Gladiator could do both if it pulls off its goals.

Players take on the role of Gracius as he defeats 10 bosses, which can then be replayed in a harder Challenge mode similar to the recent Wii Punch-Out!! remake. This is a pretty neat idea, though I hope that fighting these bosses will be on the same level of fun as going up against King Hippo and Mr. Sandman. I'm not exactly sure how much the MotionPlus will add to this style of game, but I always take a "wait and see" approach to any game in development. I'm glad to see that a developer is actually taking it upon itself to add MotionPlus control, as there really isn't as much support out there for the accessory as I'd like. With a total of 21 battles, 14 finishing moves, and even a skill point system that allows you to customize your character, there is certainly some potential here.