Colosseum: Road to Freedom

Short description: 2005 video game

Colosseum: Road to Freedom

North American cover art

Developer(s)| Goshow[1]
Publisher(s)| Koei
Director(s)| Masafumi Horiuchi
Platform(s)| PlayStation 2
Release|

* JP: February 17, 2005
* NA: July 19, 2005[2]
* EU: September 9, 2005

Genre(s)| Fighting, role-playing
Mode(s)| Single-player

Colosseum: Road to Freedom (originally Gladiator: Road to Freedom in Japan) is a 2005 video game published by Koei for the PlayStation 2. It is a hybrid fighting role-playing video game loosely based on the Roman Empire around the time of the Emperor Commodus.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay and story
* 2 Reception
* 3 Sequels
* 4 References
* 5 External links
* 6 Features
* 7 History
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 External links

## Gameplay and story

Colosseum: Road to Freedom has the player take on the role of a slave that must partake in gladiatorial games in order to earn enough money to purchase his freedom. The majority of the game is spent training the player's character and fighting in arena battles. The story in Colosseum takes a backseat in order to allow a higher degree of open-ended gameplay. Players have the freedom to tailor their game avatar to their liking depending on how they answer questions prior to gameplay. Before entering the arena, players can participate in training sessions, allowing them to improve their skills.[3]

Depending on the player's performance, it is possible to pay off the character's debts and still remain a freeman gladiator. The game allows for multiple endings depending on the player's performance over its course.

## Reception

Reception

| Aggregate score

Aggregator| Score
Metacritic| 56/100[4]
Review scores
Publication| Score
EGM| 5.5/10[5]
Eurogamer| 4/10[6]
Famitsu| 31/40[7]
Game Informer| 7.25/10[8]
GamePro| [9]
GameRevolution| D[10]
GameSpot| 6/10[11]
GameSpy| [12]
GameZone| 6.2/10[13]
IGN| 6/10[14]
OPM (US)| [15]
CiN Weekly| 60%[16]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[4] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one nine, one eight, and two sevens, for a total of 31 out of 40.[7]

On September 1, 2005, Ertain and Koei released Gladiator: Road to Freedom Remix which contains a few updates to the game.

## Sequels

A sequel called Gladiator Begins was released in 2010, and a second one called Clan of Champions was released in late 2011.

## References

1. ↑ "Colosseum: Road To Freedom™ Website Launch". July 19, 2005. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/colosseum-road-to-freedom-website-launch.
2. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (July 11, 2005). "Colosseum: Road to Freedom goes for gold" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/colosseum-road-to-freedom-goes-for-gold/1100-6128860/.
3. ↑ "Colosseum: Road to Freedom - IGN". 19 July 2005. http://uk.ign.com/articles/2005/07/19/colosseum-road-to-freedom.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Colosseum: Road to Freedom for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/colosseum-road-to-freedom/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
5. ↑ EGM staff (August 2005). "Colosseum: Road to Freedom". Electronic Gaming Monthly (194): 113.
6. ↑ Gillen, Kieron (September 26, 2005). "Colosseum: Road to Freedom". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_colosseumrtf_ps2. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "New Famitsu scores". NeoGAF. February 8, 2005. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34944. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
8. ↑ Miller, Matt (July 2005). "Colosseum: Road to Freedom". Game Informer (147): 119. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/B120721D-0119-4E5B-AD09-1520D2CEA56A.htm. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
9. ↑ Manny LaMancha (August 2005). "Colosseum: Road to Freedom Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro: 77. Archived from the original on March 19, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060319083934/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/46748.shtml. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
10. ↑ Silverman, Ben (August 18, 2005). "Colosseum: Road to Freedom Review". Game Revolution. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/colosseum-road-to-freedom. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
11. ↑ Mueller, Greg (July 28, 2005). "Colosseum: Road to Freedom Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/colosseum-road-to-freedom-review/1900-6129957/. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
12. ↑ Leeper, Justin (July 20, 2005). "GameSpy: Colosseum: Road to Freedom". GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 17, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20051217073651/http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/gladiator-road-to-freedom/635255p1.html. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
13. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (July 11, 2005). "Colosseum: Road to Freedom - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081005041105/http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r26173.htm. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
14. ↑ Lewis, Ed (July 19, 2005). "Colosseum: Road to Freedom". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/07/19/colosseum-road-to-freedom. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
15. ↑ "Colosseum: Road to Freedom". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 83. August 2005.
16. ↑ Hruschak, PJ (August 31, 2005). "Colosseum: Road to Freedom". CiN Weekly. Archived from the original on December 1, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20051201045535/http://www.cinweekly.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050831/ENT09/508310301/1063. Retrieved February 12, 2016.

## External links

* KOEI's Official Website (English)
* Rotten Tomatoes' Assessments
* MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

## Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

## History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

## See also

* IGDB - game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/.
2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/.
3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1.
4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521.
8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media.
9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned.
10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner.
11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames.
12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games.
13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/.
14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/.
15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/.
16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/.
17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames.

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