Great stuff here man! Yes, challenge mode is just that, a challenge. I've beaten Targon finally after around 8 tries. Much, much, much tougher 2nd time around. I've let it rest the last couple of days, but plan on getting back to it and whoppin' me some more tail soon!

Oh, and one last thing. I've zero "S" either. I was only hit 3x in one match before winning and still got an "A". So, I'm thinking you need to be at full health and zero knockdowns to get the "S" mark.

That is correct grayelephant.
One hit and you will get a A rank.
The opponent can't hit you at all for a S rank so that also implies full health.

So none of the Defence skills help that much.
The Magic is good towards the end of the round if you got a full bar of magic.
You can then use one of the super magic attacks to kill them once they are at half life.
However, if you were good enough to avoid them though the rest of the round Offence skills are still the best.

Some of the attacks are undodgable and require the shield, plus some attacks like Gargadan's basic slash are so fast that the shield is more reliable than dodging. I'll also find a lot of use for Shield Block Mastery, and Last Stand and Divine Light look very promising.

S Ranks give you no in-game benefit. They're purely for bragging rights. Hardly anybody gets any S Ranks in Challenge Mode or the later levels of Normal Mode, anyway.

I wonder if you can get an S Rank if you lose some health but get it restored. Anybody know?

I agree Bulbasaurus Rex that some attacks do require the use of the shield but most can be dodged or attacked first.
I remember needing the shield for
The Sea Witch's eye attack
Amit the Charmers - Snake form spit
Gargadan's - the dragon's fire attack
Ixthid’s "You will Die" attack
Naginata's fast kick

What I was meaning is that I try to dodge most attacks and fight back rather than trying to shield block them.
So yes the shield is useful but I don't use it as much as the hammer, or use it for mostly for shield bashing.

I've beaten the first 5 opponents so far, and in addition to the first 3 attacks you listed, I also use the shield for Gargadan's basic slash (too fast for me to reliably dodge) and Gargadan's charging triple attack (the first one, not the super one that can only be stopped by counterattacking right before he reaches you; too hard to time the dodge reliably). Of course, you should dodge as much as you can, since you get to attack after a successful dodge but not after a successful block, but if I'm getting hurt a lot of the time when I try to dodge a certain attack, it's better to block.

Anyone know why the ninja is called Naginata in Ghostfire's trailer but Nagano (or something like that) in the game?

I think once I beat the game it'll be fun to play again and boost up magic and defence. See how I fair then?

I'm starting two new files to focus on Magic and Offense, and I'll see at which one I do the best. Sometimes it's a good thing to be the only one in my family interested in the huge majority of my video games.

Shield blocking is also good if you decide to buy the skill which has a chance of boosting your energy bar with a successful block, though given many attacks from latter opponents cannot be blocked with the shield that doesn't get as much use.

I went for a mix in my skill tree, but mostly focused on increasing basic damage, maxing out the shield combo and increasing the chance to score a critical. My defense choices were health regen and chance to increase energy when shield blocking.

I went with the health regen also. Felt it was too good and cheap to pass up.

Yeah, the only trick is to last long enough to have it work! It did save my bacon a few times, that's for sure!

Just found out I won a copy from Ghostfire games through their Twitter contest! Can't wait to try it out. It's so nice since I never win anything. Really cool thing for them to do. They are doing a European version of the giveaway, also, for those in the EU.

@Rowdy: Congrates! I posted mine today before they posted that you had won, so I hope they dont overlook me.

Well, it took a while, but I've now beaten Vensor and Challenge Mode Tagon, using the MotionPlus control scheme the whole time. Anyone else manage to get that far without the NES style control scheme?

By the way, I highly recommend 40% MotionPlus Sensitivity. Any lower and it won't read some of your intended attacks (40% reads all but the most gentle intended blows). Any higher and it will read most of your quick strikes from the opposite direction of what you intend (a big problem when facing Ixthid).

After playing my prize copy (thanks again, Scott- that was awesome of you guys), I feel like I need to send them a check for the 10 bucks. It's a crime to get this game for free. I know I'll probably be alone in this statement, but up until now I thought Cave Story was the best game on WiiWare, Rage of the Gladiator tops it in my book (the fact that Punch Out!! has always been my favorite game series doesn't hurt). If anyone is on the fence about it or not sure if it's your cup of tea, just download it with one caveat, it's an old school, memorize patterns, experiment and it ain't holding your hand type of game.

An absolutely fantastic effort by Ghostfire Games that is not only one of the best WiiWare games I've played, but one of the best games I've played in years. As a matter of fact, I'm now going to download Helix if for no other reason than to show support for the folks at Ghostfire and as long as their upcoming games are available on either the Wii or 360, they will be day one purchases.

Speaking of the contest, what happened to it? It doesn't end till tomorrow but it's been dead for the last two days. I hope nothing bad has happened. ='(

EDIT: Never mind, he just updated it right after I made this post. =P

So, who's going to buy Rage of the Gladiator this Friday in Europe?

i' m 50-50 for this.

For people on the fence, I felt the same way before playing the game for a few rounds... but Rage of the Gladiator totally surpassed my expectations and was a LOT of fun. Worth every point it cost IMO.

It's still a niche title though, so if you hate games like Punch-Out!! you might want to think twice here too.

I definitly going to buy it tomorrow!

I still can't recommend this game enough. @L.F. You're in for a treat it's a really great game. Here's a tip though, work on the side to side movement and keep an eye on what's going on around the opponent.