Barbarian is a 3D fighting video game developed by Saffire, published by Titus Interactive and distributed in Europe by Avalon Interactive. The game was released in North America in 2002, and in Europe in December 2003. The Japanese title is Warrior Blade: Rastan vs. Barbarian.
| Barbarian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Saffire |
| Publisher(s) | Titus Interactive |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox |
| Release | PlayStation 2GameCube
|
| Genre(s) | Fighting game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gameplay
editThe game features 11 different fighters, each with different weapons and abilities. The player may freely destroy the environment, and use destroyed objects as weapons against their opponents. The characters each have alternate costumes, which, depending on which the player chooses, may change their default weapon. However, it does not affect the weapon's damage capabilities or uses.
The game plays much like Power Stone with its arena-style gameplay.
Release
editThe GameCube version was originally planned for a U.S. release in late 2002 and in Europe in 2004, but was canceled while it was released in Japan in 2003.
A scaled-down version of Barbarian was originally planned for release on the Game Boy Advance, but was later canceled.[citation needed]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| GC | PS2 | Xbox | |
| Metacritic | 52/100[17] | 63/100[18] | 71/100[19] |
| Publication | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| GC | PS2 | Xbox | |
| AllGame | N/A |    [2] | N/A |
| Edge | N/A | 6/10[3] | N/A |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | N/A | 4/10[4] | N/A |
| Game Informer | N/A | 6/10[5] | 7.25/10[6] |
| GamePro | N/A | [7] | N/A |
| GameSpot | N/A | 5.9/10[8] | N/A |
| GameSpy | N/A | 61%[9] | N/A |
| GameZone | N/A | 5.9/10[10] | N/A |
| IGN | N/A | 7.8/10[11] | 7.4/10[12] |
| Nintendo Power | 3/5[13] | N/A | N/A |
| Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | N/A | [14] | N/A |
| Official Xbox Magazine (US) | N/A | N/A | 7/10[15] |
| Maxim | N/A | 8/10[16] | N/A |
The game received "mixed reviews" on all platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[17][18][19] Many video game websites and publications gave earlier reviews and average scores on the GameCube and Xbox versions in late 2002, months before the release dates for both of those versions were canceled in the U.S. due to mediocre reception for the PS2 version.[6][12][13][15]
References
edit- ^ "Titus Interactive announces Barbarian on PlayStation 2 in the U.S". titusgames.com. June 26, 2002. Archived from the original on January 9, 2003. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Barbarian (PS2) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ Edge staff (August 2002). "Barbarian (PS2)". Edge. No. 113.
- ^ EGM staff (July 2002). "Barbarian (PS2)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 156. p. 115.
- ^ Barber, Chet (August 2002). "Barbarian (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 112. p. 79. Archived from the original on July 30, 2009. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ a b "Barbarian (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 115. November 2002. p. 144.
- ^ Four-Eyed Dragon (July 2002). "Barbarian Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. p. 76. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
- ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (July 3, 2002). "Barbarian Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ Suciu, Peter (July 26, 2002). "Barbarian". PlanetPS2. Archived from the original on August 2, 2002. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ Valentino, Nick (July 15, 2002). "Barbarian Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
- ^ Dunham, Jeremy (June 28, 2002). "Barbarian (PS2)". IGN. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Simmons, Todd (July 31, 2002). "Barbarian Review (Xbox)". IGN. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ a b "Barbarian". Nintendo Power. Vol. 160. September 2002. p. 164.
- ^ "Barbarian". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. June 2002. p. 97.
- ^ a b "Barbarian". Official Xbox Magazine. December 2002. p. 155.
- ^ Porter, Alex (July 3, 2002). "Barbarian (PS2)". Maxim. Archived from the original on July 19, 2002. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ a b "Barbarian for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ a b "Barbarian for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ a b "Barbarian (xbx: 2003): Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved November 25, 2015.