Empire: Total War

 PC
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Mar 3, 2009
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3194 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,895 out of 3194
  2. Mixed: 545 out of 3194
  3. Negative: 754 out of 3194
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  1. daveh
    Mar 6, 2009
    4
    Great game,Steam is a load of poo.For this reason,I would recommend not buying it for that reason,had crashes like John R.Plus other games on steam simply dont work,such as MLB Manager,called steam and got no help.I assume no help will be forth comming on Empire's crashing.I am so disappointed,I got the special forces version,and assumed I can build my HMS victory,and of course I Great game,Steam is a load of poo.For this reason,I would recommend not buying it for that reason,had crashes like John R.Plus other games on steam simply dont work,such as MLB Manager,called steam and got no help.I assume no help will be forth comming on Empire's crashing.I am so disappointed,I got the special forces version,and assumed I can build my HMS victory,and of course I cant because steam messed up the download.Interface is nice but it is harder to switch citys and harder to click and build stuff.I am going back to Medieval 2 and the kingdoms expansion for my nation building playing time.… Expand
  2. MartijnS
    Mar 6, 2009
    4
    Being a very big fan of the TW serie this one is a TOTAL dissapointment. The sea battles are 1 big chaos, the campaign map(s) and interface are totally redone and not for the better.(Have been playing for 4 hours) There are only 3! scenario battles, which is just cheap compared to RTW and M2TW. The only thing that makes me not give this game a 1 or a 2 is that the land battles are Being a very big fan of the TW serie this one is a TOTAL dissapointment. The sea battles are 1 big chaos, the campaign map(s) and interface are totally redone and not for the better.(Have been playing for 4 hours) There are only 3! scenario battles, which is just cheap compared to RTW and M2TW. The only thing that makes me not give this game a 1 or a 2 is that the land battles are so-so(Most of the tactic is GONE when you play PvP) and the hope that will make DLC with extra scenario's. Next time I'll wont be buying the Total War games WITHOUT trying it for myself at a friends. Creative Assembly, this time you failed.....epic.… Expand
  3. DanW.
    Apr 9, 2009
    4
    Lots of potential here. Much more so than any other Total War title. But... Call me crazy, but all Total War titles seem the same to me. Basically, you play an alternate-history pseudo-Hitler in whatever time period the game is set in. Even on the hardest difficulty, you are given all the resources you need to conquer everyone and everything in your path until your empire is so large and Lots of potential here. Much more so than any other Total War title. But... Call me crazy, but all Total War titles seem the same to me. Basically, you play an alternate-history pseudo-Hitler in whatever time period the game is set in. Even on the hardest difficulty, you are given all the resources you need to conquer everyone and everything in your path until your empire is so large and the turns take so long to finish that you quit playing out of boredom with the terrible AI (in campaigns and battles) and you never touch the game again. At least that's been my experience with Rome, M2, and now Empire. Don't get me wrong, I had some great moments in the game. When you first start playing it's amazing because the game looks and feels so vast. Empire and particular has a dozen factions to choose from, so it initially seems as if the game will have excellent replayability. After one campaign though, a few things become clear. The first is that the AI will not conduct an oversea invasion. Ever. It is incapable of it. Have fun playing Britain in a game that is based on NAVAL WARFARE for Gods sake. The second is that any invasion you conduct will be met with minimal force, and the AI doesn't really understand sieges enough to counter-attack. Two allied nations will never coordinate their forces. Again, the AI is incapable. The third is that the AI simply doesn't behave like a human player should in countless circumstances. They don't make obvious improvements to their land, they send agents running around the world with no goal in mind, their navies sit next to your trade ships without ever attacking, and that's just on the campaign map. On the battle map, the AI sits idly in buildings that you're about to tear to the ground, crushing the entire unit. They NEVER withdraw, so you can lure an entire city garrison out of its fort if you attack a single unit outside the city. They almost never fight offensive battles (I swear i defended all of 3 cities in 2 full campagins) and when they do they seem to sometimes forget they're attacking and just sit there. Some other things- The way diplomacy works is ridiculously inefficient, aside from the ridiculous deals the AI asks for. It took me ages to figure out that I had to give everyone "gifts" in order to get them to like me. Trade is well done- a hell of a lot better than the half-finished merchant concept from Medieval 2. So there. I've just spent an entire review complaining about the faults of E:TW without even touching on the countless technical issues that plague the initial release. I have faith that those will be fixed- it will not save the game unless the AI is improved DRASTICALLY. Here is an idea I want to put forward to the folks at CA and Sega: a game with 12 playable factions is not a single-player game. Face it. No one has the time to play a campaign as even 3 of the factions available, especially when the game starts crashing left and right once you conquer x amount of territory. This game looks and feels like a game that should be played online like some sort of uber-risk. I will note that the ranked multiplayer matches in the game are great fun, but TW has always been about more than just the battles. If the AI really cannot be improved (yeah right) then move the Total War series to the next level and give us a multiplayer campaign mode. tl;dr- HUGE potential, but terrible AI in a single-player game just doesn't work. Also crashes.… Expand
  4. DanS
    May 30, 2009
    4
    This game is very poor stability-wise. If you can handle the (overlong) loading times, and random decisions to crash, go for it. Hope you have a beefy computer because once again, the poor coding has resulted in a power hungry game.
  5. ChongL
    Jun 20, 2009
    4
    Game is unplayable at later stage. Your navy becomes useless since tring to use them will crash the game.
  6. BB
    Jul 26, 2009
    4
    I used to love, and still do play Rome: Total War, and when i heard of this game of musket fire i was thrilled, but now that i seen it in action I'm disappointed. There are many things that could have been done better, like: uniforms of soldiers are, especially of line infantry, are almost the same by all factions; not enough unique units; a lot of bugs (i especially hate that one I used to love, and still do play Rome: Total War, and when i heard of this game of musket fire i was thrilled, but now that i seen it in action I'm disappointed. There are many things that could have been done better, like: uniforms of soldiers are, especially of line infantry, are almost the same by all factions; not enough unique units; a lot of bugs (i especially hate that one when you fight an opponent who has reinforcements coming and they "stall" and do not come into the battlefield from the outset, being stuck on buildings and stuff like that); the cannon fire could have been improved; when you made the game so that you don't have to lay siege and you can attack instantly, i think you should have reduced the turns from 6 months to like 2, i think that would have been better considering that the pace of the game is faster; one of the largest disappointments is that the rivaling factions do not fight and expand, the only fighting seen by the NPC factions is between Russia and Sweden (where they exchange 1 or 2 regions) and between Austria and Ottoman Empire (that's how all the other factions should act like); i really miss the whole Russian empire (the Asian part) and other parts of the world like Japan (making that with samurais and eastern architecture would have been great), China, Australia, Africa, in simple terms the whole world; that combined with some bugs make this game average, in the price count of not 50 euros but rather 20. Now i can start talking about the good parts: sea battles are a step in the right direction; good graphics; doesn't chrash alot; the campain map is very diverse; i like some details (the trading ships, better NPC relations/diplomacy options). I thought that this game would be multiplayer capable (not just battles. but the campain map). I really wanted to give the game a great rating, but this really is a step down from medi II and rome TW.… Expand
  7. AlexCannon
    Jul 2, 2009
    4
    I gave this game 4 because of the following reasons 1.wtf this is so boring this isnt entertaning its stupid 2.Price Dont know why but i paid 69.99 for it and it sucks balls want that 70 dollars back thanks for taking my money for a horrible game
  8. samt
    Oct 15, 2009
    4
    I started with shogun total war, which i loved when it came out. Then i jumped on rome total war which i also liked and played alot. This one ETW was hyped up and was suppose to be this great new total war game. Well lets just say i think im done with the total war series after this one. I gave it a 4 cause of its graphics and new battle play with ships which i like, but other then that I started with shogun total war, which i loved when it came out. Then i jumped on rome total war which i also liked and played alot. This one ETW was hyped up and was suppose to be this great new total war game. Well lets just say i think im done with the total war series after this one. I gave it a 4 cause of its graphics and new battle play with ships which i like, but other then that it hasent changed. The multi play is exactly the same which really should be changed, and the AI sucked. It is in the end simply boring!… Expand
  9. LinB
    Mar 12, 2009
    4
    If I could get this game actually installed on my computer it might be as good as the other Total War Games I have . I have been trying to install this through steam for the last 24 hours trying several times per hour to install it ,am extreemly let down having paid my hard earned money to purchase this game $110 AU and being excited by its release has now been replaced with disappointment.
  10. KorbinN
    Mar 9, 2009
    4
    I have played alot of games and most of them i bought day of or a couple days after their launch, and i have to say THIS HAS BEEN THE WORST GAME LAUNCH I HAVE EVER SEEN. I have played many Total War games (including my personal favorite Rome: Total War) and was extatic to hear about ETW, but haven even played it now and had it for 48+ hours. The Tech Support forums are jam packed and it I have played alot of games and most of them i bought day of or a couple days after their launch, and i have to say THIS HAS BEEN THE WORST GAME LAUNCH I HAVE EVER SEEN. I have played many Total War games (including my personal favorite Rome: Total War) and was extatic to hear about ETW, but haven even played it now and had it for 48+ hours. The Tech Support forums are jam packed and it seems that hundreds are complaining about gliches, bugs, crashes, freezes, and more. there is a 7 page thread about the problem i am having and countess others. The developers claim to " Have a patch in the works that will be out by the end of the week", but they have not commented on a single beg for advice, help, anything that we could do to fix minor problems. Honestly i would have rather waited an extra week for the release than have the game sitting infront of me calling my name and rereading the manual over and over again. I think this whole thing is a combination of poor customer support and a lapse of judgement on the developers part for releasing it to early.… Expand
  11. AndrewHaeberlin
    Apr 1, 2009
    4
    This would have been a great game . . . if they'd finished developing it. Buggy, crash prone, and utterly unplayable. Don't buy it for at least a few months - the fact that they're apparently using fans of the series to do play testing rather than doing it themselves is frustrating, to say the least.
  12. RLT
    Apr 12, 2009
    4
    Money is a bit too tight. Units a bit AI dumb. Ships difficult to control. Too few countries to play. The nation building process is kinda... bland? Too difficult to get nations to trade with you, let alone be allies. There could have / should have been alot more to this game.
  13. MacM
    Apr 12, 2009
    4
    I bought this game on release day. To date (12th Apr 09) I think I have accrued something like 3-4 hours of play. Potentially, the game is astounding and complex, but in reality it is so bugged that it is unplayable at most times. I cannot give an in depth review of the game as every time I play it, it crashes randomly in all types of different areas of the game. The developers keep I bought this game on release day. To date (12th Apr 09) I think I have accrued something like 3-4 hours of play. Potentially, the game is astounding and complex, but in reality it is so bugged that it is unplayable at most times. I cannot give an in depth review of the game as every time I play it, it crashes randomly in all types of different areas of the game. The developers keep informing us in the official forums that they are working on fixes and they also claim that recent patches via steam have fixed some of the crash issues. I disagree, it still crashes when it feels like it. I have a decent gaming rig, and for the past 12 months or so I have bought lots of games. ETW is just another game in the string of failures that is plaguing PC gaming of late. This being that we are suffering from releases that are either just not ready, or are console ports that are badly optimized. Occasionally, there are games that suprise me and require little or no searching of website and forums in the hope of finding user created fixes, but ETW is not one of them. The steam forums, and elsewhere are full of people who still cannot play this game without it failing, and for me, CA and Sega need to address the issue with this game.… Expand
  14. RussellLamb
    Apr 2, 2009
    4
    Excellent series but the latest is chock full of bugs. This game and Fable 2 just goes to show what rushing an unfinished game to the retail shelf looks like. All the game critics who gave this game higher than 70 should be beat down like the financial anlysts that said the economy was going to be just fine in 2008.
  15. PoorFool
    May 12, 2009
    4
    Game looks like it might be cool but i cant get past steam yet to play it... its crashed on me twice and when it finally started working it said i have to download a crapload of patches before it will 'allow' me to play(guess the game was so crappy they dont want you to see how it was when they released it, lol). Yeah, thats a good way to keep me interested Creative Assembly. Game looks like it might be cool but i cant get past steam yet to play it... its crashed on me twice and when it finally started working it said i have to download a crapload of patches before it will 'allow' me to play(guess the game was so crappy they dont want you to see how it was when they released it, lol). Yeah, thats a good way to keep me interested Creative Assembly. not to mention i wont be able to play this at my friends house who doesnt have i-net.… Expand
  16. BartR
    May 31, 2009
    4
    Running on a total water-cooled i7 at 3.8 stable gigs , 2 15000 rpm SCSI's Raid 0 stripe , 2 XFX 9800GTX+ Sli , 1200 watt PSU and 6 gigs Ram and still crashes . Great game but no way it should have all these crashes . My best solution has been frequent quick saves and return but don't repeat last move before crash . Would give the game a ten otherwise .
  17. MikeF
    May 3, 2009
    4
    First off, what I liked about the game. I like how the Campaign has been changed from previous games. Where in METW2 you could only create 3 units per city and only one city per region the way recruitment and city building has been improved tremendously. Politics and Diplomacy are no longer a headache now either, rather than sending an Emissary across a continent only to have him First off, what I liked about the game. I like how the Campaign has been changed from previous games. Where in METW2 you could only create 3 units per city and only one city per region the way recruitment and city building has been improved tremendously. Politics and Diplomacy are no longer a headache now either, rather than sending an Emissary across a continent only to have him assassinated or unsuccesful the one click to the faction diplomacy screen is welcomed. The Campaign map is huge and the game does look very nice indeed. But and this is a big but, everything I've praised seems to result in problems. Mainly crashes to desktop. At first I could only get an hour of playing in, then after a few patches I had no problems. But then when I made it to the year 1780, I crashed every single time I pressed End Turn. People may say "That's because your system can't handle this game". To which I say WRONG. Between the CTD's I get a solid 60FPS. I have had no overheating problems and keep my computer up to date entirely. This game needs alot more polish, the latest patch addresses alot of crash issues but really because this has taking so long to fix, I have lost all interest in this game and Creative Assembly. It has really been a big dissapointment. At first I kept thinking that it's early stages for the game to be released, they'll realise that there are problems and they will release a patch as soon as they can. But now, really is this what companies are going to do in the future? Release bug ridden games to the public? Once more, games that can't be returned after installing because of having to register them? If you buy this game, just know that it has been a very rocky road and still is. I've been a TW fan since METW and this game just isn't up to standards with their previous titles. All in all, the gameplay is good, graphics are brilliant and it's just such a shame that it's just full of game breaking bugs.… Expand
  18. nikkolih
    Jul 16, 2009
    4
    I have played alot of pc games and i would have to say that this game is the most crash prone waste of money i have ever brought its a complete farce.after 3 so called fix it patches lol the game still does not work.crashes due to memory leaks are regular computer ai is appalling god fobid there's a different face on your soldiers its just awful and a real shame cos the total warI have played alot of pc games and i would have to say that this game is the most crash prone waste of money i have ever brought its a complete farce.after 3 so called fix it patches lol the game still does not work.crashes due to memory leaks are regular computer ai is appalling god fobid there's a different face on your soldiers its just awful and a real shame cos the total war series is great apart from this one.im god smacked they released a game in this condition did they even test it at all?how can review sites give this game a unfinished game a 9 with all the bugs and crashes.in the near future i will be avoiding all games with creative assemble and sega attached to it.sega stick to sonic the hedgehog i ask you follow people here if blizzard made this game would it have been a bugged crash pone nightmare???i don't think so.… Expand
  19. OysteinA
    Jul 10, 2009
    4
    Looked fantastic in the first 30 minutes, then problem after problem started rearing its ugly head. This unfortunately makes it next to unplayable, as well as utterly predictable (AI is at best poor, at worst completely absent). Factions are also straight up carbon copies of each other, so very very little work went into that. What could have been a fantastic game is (this far) the most Looked fantastic in the first 30 minutes, then problem after problem started rearing its ugly head. This unfortunately makes it next to unplayable, as well as utterly predictable (AI is at best poor, at worst completely absent). Factions are also straight up carbon copies of each other, so very very little work went into that. What could have been a fantastic game is (this far) the most unplayable game of the year in my opinion.… Expand
  20. Kampfkeks2212
    Jul 4, 2009
    4
    I was so disappointed when i play the game the first time! The other games of Total War were very fantastic, the gameplay was the best and you don't have to have the best PC of the world for playing them! And now Empire... Crash down after some minutes and you have to have the best Pc for choosing the highest graphic... Then there were the siege... horrible.. there isn't a city I was so disappointed when i play the game the first time! The other games of Total War were very fantastic, the gameplay was the best and you don't have to have the best PC of the world for playing them! And now Empire... Crash down after some minutes and you have to have the best Pc for choosing the highest graphic... Then there were the siege... horrible.. there isn't a city only a fort with undestroyable walls and your cannons shots have a stupid white stripe behind the cannonballs.. The maps aren't well designed and the campaign is very easy.. If I try to use my navy my pc crash down. At last every unit is the same.. there aren't very special units! I'm here very disappointed.… Expand
  21. KarlH
    Aug 16, 2009
    4
    Game is not working like promised from the publishers. Multiplaying community lags very because of limited chatting abilities like public places beyond steams friends and groups. Game is still buggy and not all stable after many month of release. multicore support was even given with a patch... a fact that shows how we are treated: beta testers... anyway this game would have 10 if there Game is not working like promised from the publishers. Multiplaying community lags very because of limited chatting abilities like public places beyond steams friends and groups. Game is still buggy and not all stable after many month of release. multicore support was even given with a patch... a fact that shows how we are treated: beta testers... anyway this game would have 10 if there would be following: chat lobby for making clans satisfied fixing all bugs and introduce steams anti cheat functionalities more flexible games and more maps! theres no 3v3 maps at all like in rome or mtw2 sieges can be only fought 1v1 what a shame! more different and more balanced factions a ranking system that is not just there but fair and working and dont suffer people for game crashes! i dont give a s... on meta score they are all proven untrue. i wont buy a total war game until the community have prooved it being fine.… Expand
  22. MarkF.
    Sep 7, 2009
    4
    Great concept and graphics but poor delivery. You cant play the game for more than 15 minutes without it crashing. Most features are bugged beyond playability and its just plain irritating to play. I have been a Total war fan since shogun and I must say I' m disappointed with the latest game in the series. I resent paying $69.99 for a game I can barely play even though my system is Great concept and graphics but poor delivery. You cant play the game for more than 15 minutes without it crashing. Most features are bugged beyond playability and its just plain irritating to play. I have been a Total war fan since shogun and I must say I' m disappointed with the latest game in the series. I resent paying $69.99 for a game I can barely play even though my system is well above the requirements.… Expand
  23. yoyo
    Oct 13, 2009
    4
    It is a great game... When it is actually working and not finding new ways to crash with it's infestation of bugs.
  24. HelgIvanov
    Oct 6, 2009
    4
    ...posle patcha 1,5 mne stalo yasno chto eta komanda shabashnikov i halturthikov.Ves etot proekt sploshnoy bag.
    Nitchego putnova eta komanda zdelat ne mojet, vmesto gramotnyh programistov nabrali horoshih piarthikov, poetomu sleduthi ih proekt NTW pokupat ne budu tak kak bolee them za 2 goda ne smogli zdelat ETW, a za 6 mesiacev oni sobirautsia zdelat Napolejna.
    RTW the BEST!
  25. SBellows
    Mar 12, 2009
    4
    In my opinion the game in it's current state is barely acceptable for human consumption. The overboard copyright system is the first travesty (steam) followed up with random crashes, rediculious hardware demads and feeble pathfinding. With alot of patching it might be worth something by the time it becomes abandonware.
  26. DonnieDarko
    Mar 14, 2009
    4
    Well, I'm a big fan of the Total War series, I just see so much potential in this series. Sadly, that potential was to a great extent lost in this game. First of all it feels unfinished and unpolished. Seems like it was rushed out the door with a lot of bugs and performance issues. It doesn't even look all that great but it sure hogs a lot of performance. Other than that Well, I'm a big fan of the Total War series, I just see so much potential in this series. Sadly, that potential was to a great extent lost in this game. First of all it feels unfinished and unpolished. Seems like it was rushed out the door with a lot of bugs and performance issues. It doesn't even look all that great but it sure hogs a lot of performance. Other than that it's a rather bland experience. Sea battles look great but handle terribly bad, there's simply too much micro-management. The AI is horrible and acts just like what it is, an AI. When are developers going to start realizing that they're supposed to simulate human behaviour. They can start by limiting the AI-s ability to control all units at once. There's not a lot of diversity in the units and they act pretty much the same. So to sum things up I'd say... a dissapointment... and.... gets boring quickly.… Expand
  27. JohnnyD.
    Mar 22, 2009
    4
    How this game got a metacritic of 91 is unbelievable. It's really not that good, not even compared to previous Total War games. All the issues, lag, crashes, memory leaks aside, it still has major gameplay flaws. And what is up with clone soldiers etc. Sure if you have a gfx card with a lot of memory you get different face textures, but that's an idiotic thing to optimize. It How this game got a metacritic of 91 is unbelievable. It's really not that good, not even compared to previous Total War games. All the issues, lag, crashes, memory leaks aside, it still has major gameplay flaws. And what is up with clone soldiers etc. Sure if you have a gfx card with a lot of memory you get different face textures, but that's an idiotic thing to optimize. It should be the very last thing that's optimized away when a gfx card can't fit the game into memory. Hell I can take lower foliage textures or whatever, but don't touch the unit faces. Morons... And what's the deal with BORING and IDIOTIC computer AI. It's first and foremost a singleplayer game and I'd say that's a pretty f***ing important feature to work on. And then there's the sounds....simply horrible...and buggy... All the older games had better battle sounds than this. How no reviewer can see and point out these glaring flaws are beyond me. Stay away people, buy any other Total War game, but not this.… Expand
  28. AdamL.
    Mar 23, 2009
    4
    This game is super buggy and has incredibly long load times, even on a pretty much state of the art computer. The AI is a complete joke, wait until it gets patched a few times before you buy it.
  29. CarlB
    Mar 25, 2009
    4
    I have been a big fan of the total war series but this one is not good, bugs galore, memory issues crashing and slow response times to mention a few . I feel that this game could have been so much more, the forts don
  30. PaulT
    Mar 27, 2009
    4
    Constant crashes, weak opponents, bad AI, units don't respond, no continuity or real strategy, in reading other comments I have to agree, does not live up to the promises. I am not impressed with Steam but I do get updates right away which hopefully improves performance soon.
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best PC Game of 2009
3
#3 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009
6
#6 Most Shared PC Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 62 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 62
  3. Negative: 0 out of 62
  1. PC Gamer UK
    94
    Astonishing...Immense... A strategy masterwork. [Mar 2009, p.54]
    Read full review
  2. Eurogamer
    90
    In some ways, it's the closest we've come to the enormous social novel from the period after that which Empire chronicles: it's a Tolstoy-esque War and Peace of a game. Its problems may be the inevitable problems of trying something with such sheer scope. As such, if you want the breathtaking vision of the game, you have to accept the flaws in the details - for now, at least.
    Read full review
  3. InsideGamer.nl
    93
    This is the best Total War game thanks to all the little tweaks. Sometimes little differences make a good game great. The battles ask of you that you think more about your actions and managing your empire never was easier. The sea battles are fun to watch, but are a little hard to control. Nevertheless, Empire: Total War is a game that can make you forget about the time.
    Read full review
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