Circus Maximus: Chariot Wars

"The best damn chariot racing game ever!"

When Circus Maximus was previewed in a magazine, I thought ''that looks cool''. It came out the same day as Jet Set Radio Future. Reviewers bashed Circus Maximus, so the choice for me was obvious. Now that the game has dropped to a crazy price of $22.50, I picked it up and have a review of it just for you!

To start off, the menus are horrible. There is no opening, the menu options are confusing and the game feels cheap.
Once you start playing though, you're treated to fresh new gameplay, under average graphics, and muffled sound. Here are the categories:

Control: 10/10
Once you start playing this game, you'll be confused with the controls. After 20 minutes, you get the hang of working with someone else, and after 10 or so more minutes, you're able to do it all by yourself. It's nowhere near as bad as other people say.

Fun Factor: 8/10
VERY fun to play! Wether it be with your friends or solo, crashing people into walls with your horses, whipping people with chains and knocking riders off bridges is very fun. It's a game that wasn't meant to be deep, but as a game to have a good time with.

Graphics: 6.5/10
The graphics are not good. Not XBOX quality at all. But they're not ugly, and you can see everything without a problem.

Gameplay: 10/10
Total fun. Covered in control really.

Multi Player: 10/10
The best multi player game I've played in a LONG time. 4 player multi is a blast, and you'll be playing for hours without knowing where the time went! THIS is where Circus Maximus shines.

Replay Value: (single player) 4/10 (multi player) 10/10
By yourself, you'll get bored of it. But there are things to unlock, and it's still a hoot to race chariots even after a few weeks. Multiplayer still reigns supreme, and I'm willing to put money on the fact that me and my friends will play this game whenever there are more than 3 of us in a group at once.

Sound: 4/10
Bad stuff. Bad music. Stupid voices. Just.. bad.

Overall: 55.5/70 (or a 7.9)
Circus Maximus is a very good game. It tries something new, and doesn't do a bad job at it! It wont be on the list of top 10 games of the year, but if someone want's a fun racing game, with a new twist on multiplayer co-op, this is the game for you!

Buy/Rent?
Rent it if you don't have anyone to play with, but for $22.50, the rental is almost 1/4 the total price! I'd say buy it!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/29/02, Updated 07/29/02