The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, and becomes nothing.He may avoid suffering a...
The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, and becomes nothing.He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.
~ Leo Buscalia
Member since:30.03.2003
Reviews:26
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Do you remember Shogun: Total War? What about Medieval: Total War? If you had the opportunity to play both this games then you will find Rome: Total War as a fantastic continuation of the same game play. Shogun was great, Medieval added a few things that made the game play interested and now Rome has improved vastly in graphics and in the technical department and made the playing experience a really enjoyable one.
PLAYING THE GAME
The game play is separated in two areas. One, in which you can expand your empire in the world map, use of the resources of your states so to have financial and military growth and also to make allies and invade the areas of the enemies. The other is, every time you have to battle to expand your empire or defend it, the action is moved in the battle field and you have to define your tactical mode in real-time.
You are around the Mediterranean and the coast of North Africa and West Asia. You are having under your control one of the 3 Roman families (Julii, Bruti, Scipii) and your aim is (the others families are doing the same) to influence the Councillors, to gain the throne and rule this big empire. The three families are allies at the beginning, they have the same military power and they have different responsibilities. The first family is defending the empire from the Galatians and the German barbarian tribes. The second family fights the remaining of the Greek city-states and the third tries hard to defeat the Carthaginians.
Later the fight for power and authority in the midst of the Councillors, it will lead in
a civil war and there you have the opportunity to rule of the rest of the Roman families that they have the same target. I hope I am not making sound complicating as it is really straight forward!
In single-player mode the campaign lasts something like 270 years and it covers the period from the beginning of the Roman empire! What you have to do during that period, is to obey the orders of the Councillors. Some of the assignments I have taken on is to take a city, to make business with a next door country, to destroy the business relationships of the enemies etc. You have the choice to obey the councillors or to disobey. But if you obey and succeed, then you enjoy many privileges. Your family wins money or a special army unit and the most important the influence of the Councillors as they start liking you!!
ABOUT THE FAMILY The family you control is a very important part of the game. All men and women are connected between them in various levels as relatives (uncles, aunties, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters etc) Every member has its own unique characteristics such as good leadership-so he is good for the army or management skills –so he will be good to be in a city to help and control the economy etc) The members of the family are grown in numbers due to marriages and births and reduce due to death. Every city that is under the occupation of your family, needs a governor otherwise you can’t control the growth of the city in military or financial level. Practically that means that there will be a growth but you can’t control it as you don’t have a governor who will take your decisions about your needs in training army, buildings etc. I tried hard without a governor and I didn’t have the growth that I had after I put a governor on. So put a governor!
In addition to that I have to mention that the each member of the family has some helpers who offer different services to them and all can be controlled by you! The first time I played it I thought it was strange and I couldn’t see how they help but they do. And that is what I like in this game in comparison with other strategy games. It allows you to be involved in the everyday life of a household lets say and you look after specific members of the family and you can see what contributes to their growth. Also every member of the family has a photo - appears when you click on them. As the years are passing, the picture shows them older! The first time I noticed it, I was amazed! What a detail!
Also your family can employ murderers, diplomats and spies. The murderers can kill members of the other families that want to take the power, the diplomats can create hidden and open alignments with other countries or Roman families and the spies can go undercover-of course!- in opposed cities to the check their numbers and open the gates so you can get in when you have the city under siege! Cool hey?
Except the single player campaign, it has multiplayer capability in LAN and over the Internet. Up to six players can battle with common target or against each other in random maps.
GRAPHICS The graphics are impressive. The soldiers have amazing details and they move harmoniously despite the fact that they are so many on the screen! Some other details like the dust of the road as they walking and also lighting και shading effects create a realistic environment!
The campaign is taking place in a realistic and “live” map of the Mediterranean which is much much better that the plain maps of the Shogun and Medieval. The 3D map is divided in counties and every county has a capital. If you win the capital that means the county belongs to you.
Something I really liked in the graphics, are the clear details of the ground, the sea and ships, the life at the ports. During the winters the snow covers the bigger part of Europe so the movement to the northern Europe and the battles there are almost impossible. Its funny to see the soldiers struggle! Also you can put army in the forest so to have sudden attacks in places. The way they disappear in the forest is just fantastic!
Also the details in the battles are absolutely amazing. So clever! You have to see it to understand what I mean. Especially, the battles outside the walls of a city!
MUSIC The music is really good. Its epic music mainly and accompanies the action on the screen very nicely. While you are on the main map though, the music is repetitive as you stay there longer. Maybe they could add some other music just to have variety and not get bored of the tune.
The sound effects are really good as well. The sound of the steps of the army as they attack makes the place to tremble and the shouts on the time of the attack cover every other sound. Scary!
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE You are in the Mediterranean sea and the sea battles are commencing but you can do nothing about it, you can’t control them, they happen automatically and you know if you win or loose from the way your ships look! That is really bad as generals and army units are moving around with ships or the Governors and you can’t do anything to protect them. Only to send many ships together and pray that everything will go ok otherwise its catastrophic as you have to start all over again. The first time that happened to me, I wasn’t happy.
Also another weak point I found in the World map. In a couple of cases as I was attacking the capital of a county, the enemies were doing nothing to stop me!! When I was attacking their ports they don’t stop me as well! And also, I haven’t seen an enemy attacking my ports yet! Am I doing something wrong!!??
PRICE £17.99 MX2.co.uk with free delivery. BARGAIN!!
MY OVERALL OPINION
Rome: Total War is a great game. I will recommend it to everyone. If you like strategy games this is one for your collection. The available information that I have as user in this game and also they interesting strategies I can develop in a map and field of battle, makes it really enjoyable to play. You can be on it for ages without being boring at all which is great when you need time for yourself to just crush in front of the computer and play play play until you drop!
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i have this as well but haven't really played it yet. but i now it's good so i'l have to give it a blast.
Collingwood21 13.01.2008 19:20
This sounds like my type of game. I had never played any of the "Total War" series, but this might be good for me - will just have to finish off half a dozen other ones I've got on the go first!
With the glory days of the real-time strategy game now nothing but a distant memory, ... more
ActivisionsTotal Warseries has come to totally dominate the strategy market andRomeis such a huge leap above the already impressiveMedievalandShoguntitles that the ser...
Postage & Packaging: £1.93 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Brilliant gameplay, huge battles, seriously addictive. Disadvantages: Seriously adictive, occasionally dodgy AI, has been superseded by Medieval II
Oodlenoodle9 20.10.2007 (20.10.2007)
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