Rome II is the game that just keeps on giving, though admittedly a stream of updates was to be expected following the initial launch which was greeted with shouts of anger and frustration about bugs and poor balancing. Things have certainly come a long way with five major patches having been delivered thus far and more certainly on the way.
We haven’t only seen patches though as the game has been changing with more than just bug fixes.
I have fond memories of the Total War series, I spent many an hour playing the original Rome and the two Medieval titles. Empire was interesting, but I was never able to sink my teeth into it like I would have liked. The Shogun title meanwhile never really stuck with me, I just don’t have the interest in the history or the understanding of the culture to really invest. Rome II then is a welcome return to the time periods which initially got my attention.
With a gentle whisper the embargo for coverage of Total War: Rome II has lifted and I would assume that many sites are going live with their reviews. We here at The Reticule are in no rush to deliver our Verdict’s right away, and thanks to my flat moving and two job shenanigans I’ve only managed to play about 8 hours of the game so far. In a game of this size, that really isn’t enough time to really dig into everything. What I have done though is gather some brief early thoughts together, which you can read after the break.
Welcome to The Reticule’s definitive roundup of gaming releases throughout September 2013. All release dates stated are for the EU, across all currently available platforms.
While Nick was busy actually playing Rome II, I wimped out. I’ve never been one to get stuck in the nitty gritty of the real-time battles in the Total War series and the fear of getting obliterated caused me to sit back and let Nick get involved. Of course, Nick got a bit blown away too. The key difference, rather than being wiped out by the army with a clear strategic advantage, had I played, I would have taken that advantage and squandered it.
Sun Tzu has very little to say about attacking an entrenched force that holds high ground, consists of greater numerical superiority and contains elephants, chariots and what can only be described as ‘great balls of fire.’ What he does say about the matter basically boils down to ‘don’t bother.’
This post is spurred by the recent comment in ‘What Next for Total War?‘ by Spiral Architect, who raises a very valid point of the startling moral conundrum of verisimilitude (or realism for everyone not doing a literature degree) in the next Total War game, which could very well deal with the 20th or even 21st century. Before I start out I’m going to throw the blanket of safety over myself by saying that all within here is merely speculation,…
The Total War games are ones that have come to define PC gaming, since the release of Shogun in 2000, this series has interwoven both grand turn-based strategy and awe inspiring real-time fights in majestic fashion. The next instalment in the series; Empire: Total War (due for release in March) promises to do the same, but what can we expect to see after this? Will developers The Creative Assembly revisit an earlier game, perhaps a new Shogun or Rome? I…