American Gladiators (NES) Playthrough

A playthrough of GameTek’s 1991 license-based action game for the NES, American Gladiators. American Gladiators was a staple of cheesy, quintessentially American television programming in the early 90s, and just as you’d expect from a show that married patriotic violence with the promise of big prizes, it was fantastic. At least, I thought so as an impressionable elementary schooler. It was like Double Dare, but for adults! Each episode pitted contestants against the Gladiators in a series of physical challenges, and those that proved themselves worthy would ultimately take on “The Eliminator,“ an obstacle course that resembled an overgrown SoloFlex machine. The show was perfect video game fodder, and I remember being really pleasantly surprised by this NES cart back when it was new. The kid who lived next door had the game, and he and I poured so many hours into it. There are four rounds, and each round is made up of five events: Joust: You swing a giant Q-tip (pugil stick, if you prefer) at the Gladiator in an attempt to knock him off of a raised platform. You get three different attacks and a block, and the general idea is to figure out the Gladiator’s attack pattern so you can counter with the right move at the right time. Human Cannonball: You launch yourself from a swinging rope into the Gladiator in hopes of knocking him off of his platform. Timing is important - go for the legs! Powerball: You grab a ball and drop it into one of the containers before the Gladiators can knock it out of your hands. If you can put a ball in all five containers, you’ll be rewarded with a 1-up. The Wall: You scramble to the top of the wall while avoiding the Gladiators. Pay careful attention to where you place your hands - if there isn’t anything to grab hold of, you’re in for a long fall. (It’s essentially a clone of Crazy Climber.) Assault: You run from structure to structure, taking cover as you fire missiles at the Gladiator flying around at the top of the screen. Once you’ve completed all five events, you move onto the next level where you’ll play the same events at a higher difficulty level. Clearing the fourth level gives you a shot at The Eliminator, and if you can conquer it, you win the game. American Gladiators reminds me of Track & Field in how simple the games are, but instead of mashing buttons until your hands are raw, these events focus on careful timing. There is a sure-fire strategy for every game, and thankfully, the stiff controls are dependable. (Big tip: read the manual!) The gameplay is pretty fun overall, but the thing that really sells American Gladiators is its presentation. The graphics do a nice job of capturing the spirit of the show - the pictures of the Gladiators at the beginning of each event were an especially nice touch - and the audio is excellent. The theme from the TV show is missing, but most of the bass-heavy, sample-laden tunes are real toe-tappers. And the screams! They’re easily my favorite part. During the Joust and Human Cannonball events, anyone that falls lets out a blood-curdling digitized scream, and the scream sample changes pitch to make it sound different from person to person. How awesome is that? I’m a real fan of this cart. It’s not a popular pick on the NES, but I’ve always had fun with it - certainly more than I ever did with the SNES and Genesis versions. _____________ No cheats were used during the recording of this video. NintendoComplete () punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!