Screams of soldiers' broken spirits whittle the battlefield… arrows
pierce through the skies above and hitting with deadly accuracy.
Cavalry ploughs through your broken lines of soldiers. This is Total
War and it's never been so much fun.
Creative Assembly is back with another Total War game that focuses on
the trails and tribulations of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire,
and this game is perhaps their best effort yet.
Rome: Total War is split into two main gameplay components. A campaign
map which allows you to control the movements of your armies, the
management of your cities and the creation of new units. The second
element of the game is 3D battles where you play out battles with
hundreds of soldiers fighting one another on a detailed landscape while
you manage the advancement of your units. The tactical element to the
game is omnipresent as you think about your movements: you do not want
to run cavalry into a line of spearman do you?
The game has all the modes you would expect: single player campaign,
multiplayer battles, and a prologue campaign for beginners. This is a
short campaign that introduces you to the basics of the game. The game
differs with past Total War games, so it is not only focused for
beginners, but for veterans of the series so the transition to the
Imperial Campaign is a whole lot smoother.
You start the Imperial Campaign with the choice of three Roman
factions: the Julii, Brutii and Scipii. The additional factions are
unlocked for play when you defeat them in the campaign, or just by
completing the campaign. Each of the Roman factions are situated in
different areas of the Italian peninsula. Each faction therefore has
the responsibility of dealing with different factions. The Julii must
contend with the hordes of Gauls, Britons and Spaniards. The Scipii
will spend most of their time sweating it out in Africa facing the
Egyptians and Carthaginians while the Brutii are faced with the
challenge of facing the phalanx loving Greeks and Macedonians.
Your primary goal is to expand Rome's glorious empire across the
uncivilised world by force or diplomacy. The Senate and Rome itself is
a AI-controlled faction that will give you periodic missions like
blocking a port or seeking out trade rights. In return for completing
these tasks, you will be rewarded with things like cash or units. You
position with the Senate and Rome will also increase and as you become
more popular with the people the campaign takes a dramatic twist.
Once popularity is gained, you have the opportunity to take Rome and
become the Emperor of Rome. This is not an easy step to take, however.
Your rival Roman factions are also vying for the prestige of Emperor
and will fight you to get there. Managing all your cities, while
overcoming relentless sieges and attacks is tough, but is the cost you
must pay to become victorious.
The new campaign map has drastically changed from previous games'. The
new map contains beautifully towering mountains, lush forests and
detailed rivers and streams. The map's little details like trade carts
journeying down roads and wild animals scattered around also makes the
map impressively detailed. Another excellent feature Creative Assembly
has added is the ability to engage and enemy on the campaign map, only
to see the same terrain in the right places on the 3D battle map. The
little details like this is what makes Rome: Total War a winner.
Another notable difference to the campaign map is the removal of the
"game board pieces" that represented your armies in the previous Total
War games. Your armies are represented by soldier icons which are
immensely detailed.
The game has also embraced a watered down RPG-type system in relation
to your Generals, Governors and family members. Your named characters
will gain different traits, both positive and negative. Creative
Assembly also added in a few humorous traits that'll make you smile.
These traits can be gained through different situations, for example,
your General may gain the Confident Commander trait by winning a
certain number of battles making him a more prolific commander
The sound quality of the game is also fantastic. The musical score in
the campaign is excellent, so good in fact that I soon ran out and got
the game's soundtrack. The music stays true to the time period - you
won't find any Aerosmith in this game. The sound effects in battle are
also perfectly conducted and everything sounds as it should from the
clanging of metal to your General's scream of morale boosting wisdom.
For newbies of the series, the game allows the player to assign a whole
lot of the gameplay to the AI. If you don't want to manage the economy
of all your cities, you can chose to have them auto-managed. Battles
also have the option to be automatically resolved which can be helpful
if it is a battle you don't particularly fancy playing.
The only thing that stops Rome: Total War from being perfect is a few
bugs and minor peeves. Sometimes you may find soldiers in a group
facing the wrong way, or clashing units merging for a second. It's
nothing a patch can't fix but shouldn't be happening in the first
place. While navies have taken a more dominant presence in the game,
naval warfare is still automatically resolved, something that is to be
changed in the next Total War game.
Despite the tiny flaws Rome: Total War is a must buy for anybody
looking for a fresh look at a RTS game. Creative Assembly have created
a remarkable game stuffed full of replay value and the ultimate Roman
experience.
