Why I ❤ Rome II: Total War
The Total War Series has always deliver in terms of real-time warfare, scale & tactics (rivaling that of the Supreme Commander games) and detail as well as historic accuracy, so why does this sequel to the first Rome: total war better from its ancestors?….
It has Elephants in it!(at my command). Following my return to the Total War Franchise, there are many reasons that one should love/adore the latest Total War game; due to many reasons including its enormous scale and scope of choices that can be made by you.
This turn-based, role playing strategy game takes place during 300 B.C, indulging in the very gruesome, very gory years of conflict before the birth of Jesus ‘Anno Domini’. During which time the developers of the game, allow you to re-imagine history to what seems fit to you. You want to attack a town and enslave a population…so be it. You want to become a neutral nation and export fish…do as you like. It is clear to see that the the dev’s have focused on making the game packed with a magnitude of different possibilities to customize your empire that make each player’s game experience very unique. However this is not to excuse some of the repetitious gameplay that I faced, however that will be discussed at another time.
On the Campaign map there is a lot of content and at times the AI factions appear very realistic and unpredictable that ‘end turn’ phase has me at the edge of my seat in suspense of what could happen next. Yet, when foolish enemies who dare assault me armies then the slow paced campaign board-gamesque map immerses me into a real-time battlefield.
During these battles, the audio is music to my ears, as I can witness sounds of sandstorms and other environments, the screams of dying archers trampled by my Elephants (Lol) or the bark of war dogs or even the quietest idle chatter amongst the men as they wait for an unseen enemy- its brilliant. The battles offer a great chance to show off your on tactical skills, from the starting deployment phase offering a range of options to gain the upper hand over your enemies…without holding your hand every step of the way (*cough cough* Crysis 2). From this stage I feel power and gravity- like i am Julius Caesar himself. The blood is realistic and when panning in you can see each individual scene broken down.
At an aesthetic approach the battles are beautiful visually too. the lighting of the sun rays breaking through passing clouds or the horizon of a elevated temple overlooking a the great Cathago as my fleet lay siege to it- it’s art guys plain and simple. Yet my favorite moments during these immersive is watching a charge from the soldier’s point of view/ unit cam. This gives me a truly breath taking portrayal of the savagery that took place 2000 years ago.
Although, no game is not without its fault and i did encounter a few minor issues whilst playing. firstly if your graphics card isn’t top notch (Geforce etc) then I’m afraid you will not get the same jaw dropping eye tearing feel of gamplay that others do (its like getting Picasso’s ‘Nudes’ in exchange for the ‘Mona Lisa’- its not really value for money). However, games have proved that graphics do not make a game (e.g ‘Journey’ and ‘Hotline Miami’)
Secondly I also notice during gameplay some of the graphics on characters is sketchy, what is more the AI can be in cases ‘dumb’ and it can be a aggravating task to play properly when they run in random circles for 15 minutes before attacking (for instance… *sigh*)
Taking all of these in mind, Still I am very pleased with hat I’ve been playing with for the past 4 weeks. yes it prefers High end systems- however graphics aren’t everything and no game isn’t without its glitches. Through the big picture I get what I pay for- running at a Steam price of £29.99. Since I’m not particualry picky with my games, but i look for a game that I can play for a long time and which will also leave lasting memories, Rome 2 certainly fits the bill. Hitting most genre’s of PC gaming (except fps), I think its definitely a step up from its original and the other total war titles- Keep up the good work Creative Assembly and I look forward to your next title. 8.5 out of 10
This was just my opinion, if you disagree or wish to challenge leave a comment below or on my page- all is welcome.
Thank you for reading
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Written by Denzil Forde
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