At E3 2009, we sat down with High Voltage Software and had a chance to get a first glance at Gladiator A.D., a unique fighting game that looked to bring the brutal gladiator arenas to gaming unlike ever before. Now, just half a year later, they've pulled the plug on the project, instead re-purposing the title to be a more accessible, over the top experience that more accurately addresses the Wii's strengths and, more importantly, audience. Fighting under the name Tournament of Legends, the game takes an entirely different approach to the arena, replacing the different archetypal fighters of Rome with, as the name suggests, legends. There's no argument that fighting battles as Medusa, a Minotaur, or the King of Gods is more interesting than generic combatants, but the question remains: was the change for the better?

It's hard to say. The community is going to want to jump all over High Voltage because of the change. The old style's gritty nature appealed to "hardcore" Wii users, but it's there's really no argument that the Wii's sales haven't justified any developer making M-Rated games on the system. Either way, something Art Director Matt Corso said during our meeting made sense, "What do we have to gain by making the game M-rated?" He's right. ESRB guidelines let them have blood, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe proved that, meaning the only thing they're losing is decapitations and dismemberment. In the original iteration of the game, smashing someone's skull of slicing off an arm came after the battle, so cutting that to make the game more accessible isn't a bad thing.

Problem is, the lack of or inclusion of "mature" content isn't important if the gameplay isn't strong, and so far, the gameplay simply doesn't feel too strong.

I'm not ready to say that Tournament of Legends isn't worth paying attention to, because it is. It feels as though High Voltage is doing a lot of things right. It brings with it a different take on the 3D fighter, adding in new mechanics that, if the game is a success, could the help the genre in a big way. Range rings, for instance, encircle characters, showing the range of attacks, as the name suggests. It might seem unnecessary, but for a realistic, 3D fighting game, knowing the range weapons can reach is extremely important, and helps the gameplay. The same can be said about the camera, which has one character in the foreground and another in the back, instead of forcing a 2D view. After a powerful blow from the background character the battle shifts, seemingly putting that character on the offensive. It also does a good job at taking from other games without feeling like a rip-off, borrowing the weapon system from Bushido Blade and the healing/repairing system from the in-between rounds sections of Fight Night. The ability to knock off armor, too, feels heavily inspired by Soul Calibur IV, but nothing about the game feels as though it was carelessly grabbed from contemporaries.

Though, after playing, I wasn't really gripped by the combat. High Voltage's move to remove MotionPlus support wasn't for the better, and it really just feels like a lot of waggle. Being able to swing vertically and horizontally with the remote (or with the off-hand using the nunchuck) isn't as precise as intended, and there's just a lot of... mindless swinging. It might be better with the classic controller, which is an available option, but at that point there's really no reason to play it in the first place. The graphics are good for a Wii game, but don't really extend past that, and with all of the polished fighting experiences offered on other systems there needs to be something unique to justify playing a Wii title, especially one without online play or precise motion controls. While each character has a number of unique moves, none feel all that... unique. I really have no idea why the Minotaur's special move is creating a giant tree. It feels random, and it's hard to shake the feeling that the old game was better, even if, well, it wasn't.

There's a lot of promise in Tournament of Legends. The new elements are smart, the environments are varied, and the characters appear to be pretty interesting. Sadly, when it came down to playing, it felt shallow, something which may turn out to be either completely untrue, or crippling when the final version releases. Only more time will tell.