As a longtime PC gamer, I recently found myself becoming sick and tired of the real-time strategy genre. The gaming market has brought us a few games with innovative additions to this popular strategy genre, but for the most part, if you played the Age of Empires series, that was probably the pinnacle of the real-time strategy genre because many games since then have just been retreads of previous ideas. Another annoyance I've had with this genre is that multiplayer (and offline play) doesn't always feel tactical, but rather, a competition to build and blitz as fast as possible. All of this changed, however, when I discovered the Total War series. THIS is how all battles should be conducted in real-time strategy games! THIS is what is missing in a game such as Civilization! THIS is the essential game for anyone who has ever loved history and strategy games!
Rome: Total War is another addition in the wonderful series that also brought gamers Shogun: Total War and Medieval: Total War. The civilization covered in this game is of course the ancient Roman Empire and if you've ever had any interest in it, this is a must play. If you're familiar with the Total War engine, you probably won't enjoy this game as much as others who are completely new to the Total War series, but it's still a worthy addition to your collection because, in my opinion, it is the best Total War offering to date. This game improves the empire management (I still wish they would add more to it), graphics, and sound to a level never seen before.
If you're new to the Total War games, but you've played the popular strategy series, Civilization, then you already have an idea of how this game plays out. Rome: Total War is organized into two major areas: the turn-based campaign management screen, and the real-time strategy battle arena. Your empire and its day-to-day management, such as finances, city building, and diplomacy, is conducted on a map of the known world during Roman times, and is played out in turns. Whenever a battle occurs, you are automatically zoomed into the battle (including the realistic terrain of the area) which allows you to set up the formations and starting points of your forces and then watch it played out in a real-time format.
Battles in Rome: Total War are an experience and a half! This is not your typical real-time strategy game. This game rewards smart tacticians. Cavalry can't charge spearmen and expect to live long. Cleverly placed archers can mow down troops but will be slaughtered in hand-to-hand combat. Losing your general can terrify your troops into retreat. There are several possibilities and this game rewards cautious war time leaders who play conservatively, over the anxious war-mongers. Besieging a city is also a thrilling experience as the enemy attempts a number of well-placed skirmishes while you try to ready your siege equipment.
The game begins with your choice of three Roman factions. The Julii faction starts in what is modern-day northern Italy. Their goal is to defend Rome from the barbarian tribes in Central Europe. The Bruti are based closer to central Italy and must handle the remaining powers in the Greek Empire. The Scipii family is based in southern Italy and is a naval power that must subdue Carthage and beyond. All three factions offer different experiences and with all three, your ultimate goal is to conquer as much of the known world as possible and then take over the Senate and be the master of Rome. The Senate will assign missions and your family's wealth and power will change as you please or displease the powers that be in Rome.
Of particular interest is the family tree that develops, and your choice of heir, faction heir, and governors. Family members add perks to your military or city development, and you must choose wisely where you place them as some of the more talented family members are rare additions. Losing a family member who is an experienced warrior can greatly affect your chances for future conquest. As you win games with the Roman factions, other civilizations are unlocked and you can play as the Carthaginians, Britons, Egyptians, Germans, Greeks, and more!
Rome: Total War also offers an online game. While this doesn't have the same in-depth approach as the regular offline game, it can be fun, especially siege mode which matches you against another opponent as one of you attempts to besiege the other's city.
The graphics in this game are top notch for a strategy game. You can zoom in and out at different angles and pick which unit you would like to view the battle from. It truly is a spectacular sight to zoom in on an armada of troops as they march on. The sound is also a selling point of this game. Having nice speakers will enhance the tension in battle because troop marching noises, swords clashing, and other common battle noises are nicely done. The game also features a professional soundtrack which sounds like the theme music in the movie Gladiator. Rome: Total War is not a system hog, but I would recommend at least a 1.5 GHz processor and 512MB RAM if you would like a smooth gaming performance.
Rome: Total War has managed to maintain its value longer than most PC games. It was released almost a year ago and it's still hard to find this game for less than forty dollars brand new. An expansion is also planned soon which will probably keep the value and demand for this game high. If you're a patient gamer, you may want to wait a few more months and hope that the publisher releases a combo pack with both the game and expansion soon. Unfortunately, it's not available from many gamers at GTZ, but demanded by many. You can find good deals for it used on Ebay or the occasional gamer who sells it in the forums.
Whatever you end up giving up for this game, you won't be sorry. It may be one of the top historical strategy games ever released on the PC, and that's saying a lot because the PC has always been the strongest system for these types of games.
