Spartan Total Warrior

Spartan: Total Warrior is a Spin-Off action game of the Total War series, developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Sega. No, you will not be controlling entire Spartan armies while battling Athenians in the Peloponnesian War. Whereas the Total War games traditionally focus upon historical and legendary scenarios with each installment, this game takes on a much more liberal approach to history, by having the Romans invade Sparta several hundred years before they did in Real Life, with Tiberius as Emperor and Crassus as a well-known military commander. Drawing elements from the Greek and Roman mythology, Spartan: Total Warrior shares a lot in common with God of War, while giving a fairly fresh take on the gameplay.

You take control of a lone, nameless Spartan warrior, fighting alongside his Greek allies against the Roman Empire, while being guided by Ares. The story is told using a five-act, three-scene structure made popular by Ancient Greek plays. The gameplay itself features fast-paced hack and slash combat, and you're able to switch between attacking one enemy, to damaging several groups of enemies over a large area around. The former is fast and causes the most amount of damage, whereas the latter attack is slower, but damages multiple enemies at a time with a moderate power. Combat is focused on large battles with over a hundred combatants, with the player taking on volumes of opponents at once, with you often completely surrounded and outnumbered. In the midst of battle, a small flash is placed on an attacking enemy's weapon to indicate the danger of an impending strike. Care must be taken to block incoming attacks in between offensive blows, balancing offense and defense to avoid taking damage. The player's shield can also be used to shove enemies back and maintain control of the flow of combat in crowded scenarios.

As the player progresses through the game, the Spartan will unlock new weapons, including a basic sword and shield, a basic bow, an upgraded sword and shield (medusa shield), dual swords (blades of Athena), an upgraded bow, a hammer (Death-Biter) and a spear (Spear of Achilles).

Tropes present within the game:
"Pollux: "Hey, Sejanus! Your mother's even uglier than you!""
 * Anachronism Stew: Where do we start? The army of Sparta led by Leonidas fighting the armies of the Roman emperor Tiberius?
 * Authority Equals Asskicking
 * Automatic Crossbows: The Ballista. Even if repeating ballista existed in that time, they probably did not function like machineguns as in this game.
 * Back From the Dead: Sejanus.
 * Big Bad: is ultimately the one behind everything.
 * Big Good: Leonidas, King of Sparta.
 * Later on, after his home country is sacked, The Spartan takes up the role.
 * The Caligula: Tiberius.
 * Co-Dragons: Implied to be the case with Crassus and Sejanus, to Tiberius.
 * Color Coded for Your Convenience: Spartans are blue, normal Roman soldiers are red and the Praettorian Guard are Purple.
 * Dem Bones: One of the many mook types.
 * Doppelganger Attack: In the final boss battle,, can split himself in three. The difference between the original and the two copies is that the copies get killed with one hit.
 * Dragon-in-Chief: Aelius Sejanus, ringleader of the Praetorian Guard, is far more competent than his emperor, Tiberius.
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The Spartan. Then again, he doesn't actually have any other name for people to call him.
 * Elite Mook: The Praetorian Guard, but especially the Crucifixes.
 * Evil Counterpart: The Doppelganger.
 * Five-Man Band:
 * The Hero: The Spartan.
 * The Lancer: Castor
 * The Big Guy: Pollux.
 * The Smart Guy: Archimedes.
 * The Chick: Electra, the Amazon.
 * Just Following Orders: Emperor Tiberius pulls this card near the end of the final level.
 * Kill Sat: Cassius' Medusa weapon functions in much the same way, forcing the player to avoid petrifying laser beams throughout the whole stage and ultimately the boss fight with Cassius.
 * Large and In Charge: The taller the Roman, the stronger he is, usually with better weapons and armor to back it up.
 * Necromancer: Sejanus, curiously enough.
 * Ring of Fire: The first fight of the Beowulf stage has
 * Spell My Name With a "The": The Spartan.
 * Taken for Granite: The Medusa shield's area attack turns everyone around The Spartan to stone. The boss fight with Cassius (and the stage leading up to it) has Medusa herself hooked up to a giant machine to weaponize her gaze, causing the player to have to avoid it or suffer a One-Hit Kill.
 * Teleport Spam: Sejanus is very fond of these.
 * Treacherous Advisor:.
 * Your Mom: In Act 3 Chapter 2, Pollux says upon seeing Sejanus riding the undead dragon, Ladon.