Colosseum: Road to Freedom goes for gold

Koei today announced that its upcoming PlayStation 2 gladiatorial combat game Colosseum: Road to Freedom has gone gold and will ship to retailers July 19. In the well-worn tradition of Hollywood gladiator movies, Colosseum puts players in the sandals of a lowly slave forced to earn his freedom by slaughtering both man and beast in mortal combat.

In addition to simply partaking in wanton violence as a spectacle for the masses, players will also have to prepare for it by mastering a variety of fighting styles and increasing their abilities through a rigorous training regimen.

Colosseum is the maiden voyage for Japanese developer Goshow, but members of the team have plenty of industry experience, including credits on Ehrgeiz, The Bouncer, and Ultimate Fighting Championship: Tapout.

Aside from announcing Colosseum's impending release, Koei today also announced the launch of the game's official minisite. Colosseum is rated M and will retail for $39.99. For more details on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.