An interview The Wiire had with Scott Merriam, the Director of Marketing and Creative Design from Ghostfire Games about Rage of the Gladiator, a first-person fighting game for WiiWare, shows similarities to Punch-Out!!:
"We spent many months debating internally which control scheme to use, and heavily tested each option. In the end, we made the decision not to use the motion controls. To play the game, you hold the Wii-remote sideways (like Punch Out). Punch Out fans have proven that is the most accurate way to play a fast-paced game. As the game has a very retro feel, we also felt as though using the controller like an old-school Nintendo game would be the most fun way to play."
Rage of the Gladiator has you beating Greek mythology foes in sort of a Punch-Out style, except with magic.
NWR - "Rage of the Gladiator was one of the best hidden gems from WiiWare. A Punch-Out style fighter with various characters influenced by Roman mythology sounds like a match made in Heaven, and thankfully, it was! Now after three years, the game finally makes its way to the 3DS. While I do miss the really cool MotionPlus controls from the original release, the game still manages to be fun and charming in its own right."
oprainfall writes:
"When I decided to take a chance and review Rage of the Gladiator, I truly had no idea what to expect. A lot of interesting games hit the eShop, and it is often difficult to tell from just a cursory glance whether or not they are worth your money. Upon booting up the game, I was pleasantly surprised to find it to be very similar to the classic Punch-Out!!, except with medieval monstrosities as foes, and a pronounced focus on Greek mythology. Developed and published by Gamelion Studios and Ghostfire Games, it was originally released back in 2010 for the Wii Virtual Console to high acclaim. Now available three years later for iOS, Android and 3DS, was it worth reviving or should it have died in the arena?"
