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. StevenP
    Jul 3, 2009
    0
    A beautiful addictive game with serious, Major AI flaws. No AI seaborne invasions? In an empire game? Pathfinding Issues, Factions building entire Milita Armies. I don't know why I'm surprised exact same issues were had with every other of their releases. Once again it will be left to the mods to fix. and for ruining the game with a Steam update I give 3/10 I'm off to play A beautiful addictive game with serious, Major AI flaws. No AI seaborne invasions? In an empire game? Pathfinding Issues, Factions building entire Milita Armies. I don't know why I'm surprised exact same issues were had with every other of their releases. Once again it will be left to the mods to fix. and for ruining the game with a Steam update I give 3/10 I'm off to play Catan again - forget this techology rubbish for a while.… Expand
  2. FrankE
    Jul 3, 2009
    0
    From the disappointing AI for land/sea battles to the flawed pathfinding and then the horrible crashes you experience, it just makes you want to toss the game into the dumpster and be done with it. The game is rampant of bugs and bad coding. I justify this with a zero
  3. DanN
    Jul 3, 2009
    0
    It takes so long to finally get a unique unit that it's not worth teching for it since you'll then waste your economy... even if you get them, they're not that much of a boost on the battlefield. it lacks the feel of all the previous titles (no animations for agents, the characters barely evolve over time whatever you do, can't change the government type for all you It takes so long to finally get a unique unit that it's not worth teching for it since you'll then waste your economy... even if you get them, they're not that much of a boost on the battlefield. it lacks the feel of all the previous titles (no animations for agents, the characters barely evolve over time whatever you do, can't change the government type for all you want unless you make a unrest on purpose.… Expand
  4. JessieT
    Jul 3, 2009
    1
    The zooming into the battle from the campaign map, governors, creating spies and diplomats (for god's sake I wait interminably for gentlemen to spawn when I have full blown modern universities and then they are greats like Daniel Defoe and Adam Smith and are given 3-star ratings). In sum, the ability of the player to have a hand in developing different aspects of the game is missing.The zooming into the battle from the campaign map, governors, creating spies and diplomats (for god's sake I wait interminably for gentlemen to spawn when I have full blown modern universities and then they are greats like Daniel Defoe and Adam Smith and are given 3-star ratings). In sum, the ability of the player to have a hand in developing different aspects of the game is missing. Re-equipping soldiers with the latest armour/sword upgrades meant you had to care a little more about your soldiers before they went into battle. Having very experienced soldiers meant they were more effective in battle and you could take them from battle to battle with pride knowing they were your soldiers and could win despite being outnumbered. The idea that you can regenerate soldiers without affecting the population or the experience level of the soldiers just contributes to the sense that soldiers are 'cannon fodder'. An accurate reflection of the times?… Expand
  5. HB
    Aug 18, 2009
    2
    A real step backwards in gameplay compared to Medieval II. The new features do not compensate for what was lost from the old game. However, most annoying is that you have to play from Internet/Steam especially when messages appear when you want to play "our servers are too busy". Bought the disk and still have to be connected and play (if their servers are not too busy) via Steam. I will A real step backwards in gameplay compared to Medieval II. The new features do not compensate for what was lost from the old game. However, most annoying is that you have to play from Internet/Steam especially when messages appear when you want to play "our servers are too busy". Bought the disk and still have to be connected and play (if their servers are not too busy) via Steam. I will never buy again a game from Sega if it only can be played via a server. Probably the sad end of the Total War series which used to be a delight.… Expand
  6. calbotten
    Aug 2, 2009
    0
    Whats with all the bugs? i loaded everything, downloaded the steam account like it said, downloaded all of the necessary updates. I have all of the system requirements, but when i got done installing everything, restarted the computer and tried to play total war, but all i got was a message saying "empire.exe has encountered a problem and had to close sorry for the inconvenience." I neverWhats with all the bugs? i loaded everything, downloaded the steam account like it said, downloaded all of the necessary updates. I have all of the system requirements, but when i got done installing everything, restarted the computer and tried to play total war, but all i got was a message saying "empire.exe has encountered a problem and had to close sorry for the inconvenience." I never even got to play the friggan game. I can't figure out how to fix this problem. is this problem fixable, and how? please help.… Expand
  7. JesseS.
    Aug 27, 2009
    3
    This game makes me furious. I've been waiting for a good 4 hours for it to install and it still says it will take another 5 hours. The most retarded thing i have seen out of any computer game !!! Just installing the game is a huge piss off ! I'm already disappointed with it, and I haven't even started playing it yet !
  8. JasonS
    Aug 28, 2009
    2
    If it is not broke, then don't fix it. I have been a fan of Total War since the Shogun days. I eagerly awaited the arrival of each new series, with great anticipation and for the most part receiving great satisfaction with each game. Now the arrival of Empire Total War. My anticipation has been satisfied but I am not satisfied with this game at all. 1. I do not expect to have to If it is not broke, then don't fix it. I have been a fan of Total War since the Shogun days. I eagerly awaited the arrival of each new series, with great anticipation and for the most part receiving great satisfaction with each game. Now the arrival of Empire Total War. My anticipation has been satisfied but I am not satisfied with this game at all. 1. I do not expect to have to purchase an entirely new computer to run a new game 2. I do not expect to have to deal with some on line server to make the game I purchased with two discs in my possession each time I want to play. 3. I do not want a server automatically updating my machine with a game patch without having the ability to inspect all the updates first before installing them on my computer. 4.I do not expect a game that as Medieval Total War II which runs exceptionally well to be destroyed by a new game which does not play well does not load well and does not represent the quality of game that I have come to expect from The Creative Assembly. Finally. In the old Medieval Total War days a group calling themselves the Lordz mad a mod for the old game which was called Napoleonic Total War. This game functions way better than the brand new and improved Empire Total War. To the members of the Creative Assembly. Please forget about meeting deadlines and the bottom line of how much more money you are going to make by delivering a game by the deadline. Give the gamers the kind of game they have come to expect from you in the past. A game that delivers everything and stands for quality in gaming. It is what we expect from you and what your honor and integrity demands.… Expand
  9. tsv
    Aug 3, 2009
    0
    As of right now this game sucks! it is unplayable! all i see when i try and open it is a big white screen! then after about 5 minutes a report comes up and says please tell microsoft about this problem! unlike some other people that actually can play it before it crashes. they can experiance it i CANT!there goes 50 bucks. i really did love all the other total war games except this 1. And As of right now this game sucks! it is unplayable! all i see when i try and open it is a big white screen! then after about 5 minutes a report comes up and says please tell microsoft about this problem! unlike some other people that actually can play it before it crashes. they can experiance it i CANT!there goes 50 bucks. i really did love all the other total war games except this 1. And im not sure if im gna buy another tw game when it comes out.… Expand
  10. dubidudubi
    Aug 5, 2009
    0
    DON'T BUY THIS GAME. It is FULL of bugs; some of them appear at the end of great campaign making you lose all the time you wasted on it. Absolutely disappointing that a so good game have so many unplayable bugs... I'm sure that all the development team have been fired after this.
  11. VonT
    Sep 10, 2009
    0
    Heaps of problems, fustrations, and no fun game if you can call it a game. Nul is what one french would say about this game. "I can fix it later, I have a deadline to meet" philosophy ends here. The time for irresponsibility is over. A game should be as entertaining as it can be. Something of historical value should not be devalued like this, even for a game of this level. A waste of my Heaps of problems, fustrations, and no fun game if you can call it a game. Nul is what one french would say about this game. "I can fix it later, I have a deadline to meet" philosophy ends here. The time for irresponsibility is over. A game should be as entertaining as it can be. Something of historical value should not be devalued like this, even for a game of this level. A waste of my time and yours as well as your money. Good day.… Expand
  12. WimpieM
    Sep 13, 2009
    3
    Empires unfortunately falls short of a complete product as too many bugs plague this once amazing title. However, without all the bugs, graphical glitches, AI problems and incessant crash to desktop issues this could have been the best strategy game to date. There might be too many issues to sort out with patch releases so let's hope Napoleon Totalwar can deliver what Empires should have.
  13. cl
    Jan 19, 2010
    0
    This game is not ready for public distribution. I am using a system that is far above the requirements for this game and it still will not work. I have reinstalled, upgraded, etc. and still nothing. This has been a waist of time and money on my part and has completely ruined my experience with Total War. I seriously doubt I will ever have thought of purchasing another. Laughably insulting This game is not ready for public distribution. I am using a system that is far above the requirements for this game and it still will not work. I have reinstalled, upgraded, etc. and still nothing. This has been a waist of time and money on my part and has completely ruined my experience with Total War. I seriously doubt I will ever have thought of purchasing another. Laughably insulting to the public is the best way to put it.… Expand
  14. S'JetK.
    Jan 28, 2010
    0
    One heap of filth coming from gamespy reviewer for that 100. This game ought to be scrapped and redone from scratch. This game was so badly coded it irks sickness all over. Why would you ask why does the dev selling you a game in such broken state? Ask instead why you omitted to check out the "Users ratings" and the forums before spending your hard earned C Bill. Here's a wise step One heap of filth coming from gamespy reviewer for that 100. This game ought to be scrapped and redone from scratch. This game was so badly coded it irks sickness all over. Why would you ask why does the dev selling you a game in such broken state? Ask instead why you omitted to check out the "Users ratings" and the forums before spending your hard earned C Bill. Here's a wise step for you. Support developers that sell high "users ratings" and you'll kill the bad competion ie. Creative Assembly and their partner in crime ie. Steam. Do we want to spend on broken games? Do we want to bail out failure? You decide.… Expand
  15. AlexanderM
    Nov 20, 2009
    0
    I feel slightly sad about this game it is like the childhood sweet heart you have not seen in years, only to find out she is 300lbs plus and just retird from a career in head butting walls. What happened to TW , All the main review sites and mags should hold their heads in total shame, at release ETW was ...wel broken and AI is still out to lunch after many patches for the over 500 bugs I feel slightly sad about this game it is like the childhood sweet heart you have not seen in years, only to find out she is 300lbs plus and just retird from a career in head butting walls. What happened to TW , All the main review sites and mags should hold their heads in total shame, at release ETW was ...wel broken and AI is still out to lunch after many patches for the over 500 bugs most blatantly game breaking. How could reviewers miss the massive amounts of CTD'S or the fact the AI would not do naval invasions or the weak battle AI all game breakers. This for me is my last CA game, such a shame but i suppose all things come to an end even old lost loves. I could breakdown a review about the many many incomplete or shockingly bad aspects of this game, but hey why break the trend i will do as the so called proffesional reviewers did only in a diametrical fashion..this game is one to aviod with a passion.… Expand
  16. MichaelR
    Dec 1, 2009
    0
    Spent days trying to install it and then it didn't work properly. Little to no support and married to Steam with no prospects for improvement. Don't buy it, don't buy from CA or SEGA and don't ever have anything to do with Steam. It's just another form of robbery.
  17. peterf
    Dec 22, 2009
    2
    Disappointing land battles no tactics needed whatsoever and if you crash one ship into another nothing really happened the AI tries to slow your ships down when it thinks your going to crash as well so where is the control !!!
  18. DominikE.
    Dec 24, 2009
    2
    It's the best game, I've ever played!
  19. JoeB
    Dec 3, 2009
    4
    This was an incredibly disappointing game. I'm a huge total war fan - loved Rome, Medieval 2, and was eagerly looking forward to this. The game is OKAY, but not great. WAY too many bugs, even after patches. The game runs choppy on a decked out computer. Naval battles are kinda neat, but tiresome after a while. All in all, it's okay, but to be honest I'd rather play Rome or This was an incredibly disappointing game. I'm a huge total war fan - loved Rome, Medieval 2, and was eagerly looking forward to this. The game is OKAY, but not great. WAY too many bugs, even after patches. The game runs choppy on a decked out computer. Naval battles are kinda neat, but tiresome after a while. All in all, it's okay, but to be honest I'd rather play Rome or M2. What I don't understand is why they continue to push the expansion pack for this game before fixing all the problems with it???? How does that make sense? No expansion for me, please.… Expand
  20. danh
    Dec 8, 2009
    3
    Purchased ETW special forces on release for £50 retail. Over 12months since release or so, the game still has epic gameplay issues and have not been fixed. Graphical glitches and crashes naming a few. I rate my personal computer as a high spec with upto date drivers. CA is also adding new content to the game which you have to purchase to play. Issues should be dealt with before Purchased ETW special forces on release for £50 retail. Over 12months since release or so, the game still has epic gameplay issues and have not been fixed. Graphical glitches and crashes naming a few. I rate my personal computer as a high spec with upto date drivers. CA is also adding new content to the game which you have to purchase to play. Issues should be dealt with before expansions get released. Support is also disapointing. 90 Meta score is majorly overrated. ETW is the worst total war franchise ever played dispite the fantastic concept, set within 17th and 18th century.… Expand
  21. leejackson
    Jun 25, 2009
    4
    Havering played all the other total war games and owning them i was disappointed by this title, compared to the other titles the game was over simplified for i guess people who don't like learning curve, the ai is terrible at empire management and in battles and will refuse almost all your diplomacy requests
  22. MikeD.
    Jul 11, 2009
    0
    Well I see the problem right now simply as I bought my game and i cannot play it. I don't like the fact that I HAVE TO play online. Medieval Total War was not like that. I just want to play a campaign and the servers are too busy. What a buy. I think that MAKING me play online is lame. I'm an older gamer and I like the good new strategy games but I don't play online. I paid Well I see the problem right now simply as I bought my game and i cannot play it. I don't like the fact that I HAVE TO play online. Medieval Total War was not like that. I just want to play a campaign and the servers are too busy. What a buy. I think that MAKING me play online is lame. I'm an older gamer and I like the good new strategy games but I don't play online. I paid $60.00 for this game and it's too busy for me...amazing.… Expand
  23. SteveL.
    Jul 19, 2009
    0
    The AI in this game is horrible. Even after several patches, the AI cannot execute basic functions like launch an assault from sea. If you play as England, you don't need to defend your island nation, because the AI will NEVER attack you. This was never a problem in Rome Total War or M2TW. This is pathetic & makes the game extremely boring and dumbed down. I don't understand why The AI in this game is horrible. Even after several patches, the AI cannot execute basic functions like launch an assault from sea. If you play as England, you don't need to defend your island nation, because the AI will NEVER attack you. This was never a problem in Rome Total War or M2TW. This is pathetic & makes the game extremely boring and dumbed down. I don't understand why the AI is so horrible. I also don't understand why this games received such high "proffesional" review scores. I will not buy another TW game unless they do a 180, and I will NEVER let "professional" reviews influence my decision to purchase a game again.… Expand
  24. BOBB
    Jul 19, 2009
    0
    I may change this review later, but for now, it deserves a solid 0, for being literally unplayable. First off, since you need steam to play the game, you get all of the inconvienence of steam and virtually no benefits, especially if you want to play the campaign, which is the mainstay of all total war games. Because of steam, it cannot run on my computer due to an error opening the game, I may change this review later, but for now, it deserves a solid 0, for being literally unplayable. First off, since you need steam to play the game, you get all of the inconvienence of steam and virtually no benefits, especially if you want to play the campaign, which is the mainstay of all total war games. Because of steam, it cannot run on my computer due to an error opening the game, and it cannot be installed on another computer because of steam too. $50 down the drain.… Expand
  25. Aurelio
    Jul 23, 2009
    4
    The game isn't a significant improvement over its predecessors, but what really brings the score down is the unacceptable number of bugs present even after the third patch. Some of these glitches actually crash the game at the worst possible moment (for example at the end of a long victorious battle). This would be unexcusable in any game, but the more so in the fifth instalment of a The game isn't a significant improvement over its predecessors, but what really brings the score down is the unacceptable number of bugs present even after the third patch. Some of these glitches actually crash the game at the worst possible moment (for example at the end of a long victorious battle). This would be unexcusable in any game, but the more so in the fifth instalment of a long-running high-quality series. In fact Creative Assembly managed to kil the hen with the Golden Eggs because of a hasty release that should never have happened. Even when the game manages to run (or to be precise crawl, even on a high-spec Quad-Core PC like the one I use) the gameplay fails to impress as there is little new aside the naval battles. AI is worse than ever and this is another major disappointment. How did the critics in the mags dare awarding this game such high marks? Have they ever played it? I used to love this series. The key word is USED TO. 4/10 and only out of nostalgy for the good times.… Expand
  26. SteveC
    Aug 11, 2009
    4
    I would be happy to give this game an 8 or 9 if it wasn't so buggy. I have never had issues like I do with this game. I will say I have been using Steam for quite a while and have been satisfied with it. The problems with this bug filled piece of software belong to Creative Arts and SEGA. Fix this darn game and make it a good edition to a great family of games.
  27. Jeff
    Aug 29, 2009
    3
    Almost the perfect total war game. The size of the map, the naval battles, the new tech tree and the detail are superb. Just watching bayonet duals can be very engrossing. But there is a is a VERY big downside to this game. The fact that you have to load and run STEAM, a 3rd party software is a bit of a nuisance, but even worse is the client stability, or rather lack there of. Even with a Almost the perfect total war game. The size of the map, the naval battles, the new tech tree and the detail are superb. Just watching bayonet duals can be very engrossing. But there is a is a VERY big downside to this game. The fact that you have to load and run STEAM, a 3rd party software is a bit of a nuisance, but even worse is the client stability, or rather lack there of. Even with a computer twice as powerful as the box says is required the game still crashes constantly. In my current campaign I have had to repeat the same year over and over for the last two days because of client crashes. These problems are expected in a beta, but not half a year after release. for this reason alone I am dropping the rating from a 9 to a 3.… Expand
  28. PeteS
    Sep 12, 2009
    1
    Truly a good looking pc game turning ugly. We all know that in every game there are bugs, but ETW tops the cake. It is virtually unplayable without the few patches that have been available. But even with them, there are so many still! CA promised us naval battles, but the ship battles act up more like bumping karts with cannons. The formations are virtually useless. In addition, the Truly a good looking pc game turning ugly. We all know that in every game there are bugs, but ETW tops the cake. It is virtually unplayable without the few patches that have been available. But even with them, there are so many still! CA promised us naval battles, but the ship battles act up more like bumping karts with cannons. The formations are virtually useless. In addition, the diplomacy is so broken. The AI seems to think it's a fair trade exchanging your ferrari for say a lemon car; makes me look like total idiot trying to trade at all. Adding insult to injury, I have to have internet and something called Steam to register in order to play ETW??! What if I don't have internet access? I give this "game" a solid 1 and I'm being fair. ETW ought to be renamed Bugs Empire Total Disaster.… Expand
  29. Mango_Fandango
    Dec 19, 2010
    4
    After playing 300 odd hours I can honestly say that this is by far the weakest title in the Total War series.

    Pros: - multiplayer campaign (it's a beta and unsupported) - the period - the naval battles (not perfect but manageable) - diplomacy is reminiscent of Europa Universalis III - CIv IV influences are present making the campaign less cluttered Cons: - multiplayer campaign (it's a    After playing 300 odd hours I can honestly say that this is by far the weakest title in the Total War series.

    Pros:
    - multiplayer campaign (it's a beta and unsupported)
    - the period
    - the naval battles (not perfect but manageable)
    - diplomacy is reminiscent of Europa Universalis III
    - CIv IV influences are present making the campaign less cluttered

    Cons:
    - multiplayer campaign (it's a beta and unsupported)
    - bugfest
    - random crashes
    - random freezes
    - totally unstable
    - steam achievements are either broken or they don't follow the description
    - piss easy AI even on Very Hard/VH. - DLC heavily favour western factions whilst Russia, Poland and Sweden are practically abandoned
    - Maratha are ridiculously overpowered. they have line-infantry on par with western European powers and they possess the best artillery (on par with Ottomans but also possess the puckle gun)    … Expand
  30. gandalfthegray
    Dec 26, 2010
    0
    Absolute piece of junk. Total waste of money. Took 4 hours to install and update. Graphics come up incorrectly so you cannot make any adjustments to the game to even get it started. Takes over 10 minutes to actually load and start. Total waste, don't buy this game, it sucks.
  31. stoneysilence
    Mar 27, 2012
    3
    The graphics are beautiful, there is no doubting that. However everything else was a huge step backwards from TW:M2.

    Rather than going to one place in every region now you have to click on a bunch of different areas. Haven't been able to figure out how to speed up the enemy or my own troop movement on the world map. In general I just can't stand this new version.
  32. wellington
    Jan 21, 2011
    4
    Positive features: definitely a good concept, excellent graphics. I would say the graphics are (almost) good enough for movie producers to use for computer-generated battle animations. I have in fact seen amateur productions on YouTube in which people use Empire Total War to re-create or reenact historical battles.

    The game actually seems to combine some of the better ideas from the    Positive features: definitely a good concept, excellent graphics. I would say the graphics are (almost) good enough for movie producers to use for computer-generated battle animations. I have in fact seen amateur productions on YouTube in which people use Empire Total War to re-create or reenact historical battles.

    The game actually seems to combine some of the better ideas from the Europa Universalis historical simulation game (diplomacy, missionaries, advisors/ministers) and the Cossacks series from Strategy First. The sea combats involve realistic considerations such as wind direction.

    Negative features:
    (1) Neither I nor any other user is interested in connecting to the Steam network (a security issue because I have to lower my hardware firewall security to "low" to do this) every time we want to play the game, logging on, or waiting for Steam to update. I understand that an offline mode is available but it does not work reliably. This by itself means I am unlikely to buy any other game in this series, or any other game that involves Steam.

    (2) The "path blocked" alert that comes up whenever two armies or characters tries to use the same route is a game ruiner. There is no reason why the software should not be able to auto-manage non-hostile units that are on the same road or sea route. E.g. two Rakes or Gentlemen should simply be able to pass or sidestep each other instead of requiring the player to act to resolve the traffic jam. This annoyance comes up all the time but, even worse, it is sometimes impossible to play a game to completion because (apparently) a large number computer-managed armies get into traffic jams and the game simply freezes up as if it is in an endless loop. The only way to get out of it is in fact to shut it down in Task Manager ==> not quite ready for prime time.

    (3) In battles that involve rain, the rain is often so realistic that you cannot see your units or those of the enemy. This makes it very difficult to manage the battles. It should be adequate to indicate that rain is present and will make misfires and so on more likely. This by itself is however a minor issue.    … Expand
  33. lostintime
    Dec 17, 2011
    0
    I would have given this game a 10, but when I play a grand campaign it will after a period of time crash to desktop. I could handle this, unfortunately it gets worse. When I load the game back up and try to load my last saved game, it crashes again! I can't continue my game from the initial crash. Every saved game crashes. I have tried every fix I could find on internet forums to no avail.I would have given this game a 10, but when I play a grand campaign it will after a period of time crash to desktop. I could handle this, unfortunately it gets worse. When I load the game back up and try to load my last saved game, it crashes again! I can't continue my game from the initial crash. Every saved game crashes. I have tried every fix I could find on internet forums to no avail.

    Really, what a pile of crap game. I am glad I only grabbed it from steam really cheap because if I paid a fair sum I would be really pissed off. Still what a rip off! Years after its release and it still doesn't work.    … Expand
  34. CivforBrains
    Jun 4, 2011
    2
    Incredibly bad, nearly non existent AI ensures this game will get a very low score from me.
    The "professional" reviewers should truly be ashamed of themselves. Likely, they are $miling all the way to the bank though.
  35. p360assassin
    Mar 22, 2012
    0
    Now before i write this review, i must say that i, like many pc users, pirated this game so i could try it before i buy, so i have no bias from steam, even tho i have heard u need ot download the game off steam just to play, using steam isent bad, and the servers are almost always up, the **** about them constantly down is ****.

    Anyways... this game is horrible. The idea of guns sounds    Now before i write this review, i must say that i, like many pc users, pirated this game so i could try it before i buy, so i have no bias from steam, even tho i have heard u need ot download the game off steam just to play, using steam isent bad, and the servers are almost always up, the **** about them constantly down is ****.

    Anyways... this game is horrible. The idea of guns sounds good, but the realistic shooting is INCREDIBLY annoying, the soldiers have to line up just to shoot and then take 1 million years to miss and reload, AND THATS THE BEST SOLDIERS.
    You can no longer edit map in custom battles (choose settlement size and other things).
    The soldiers are useless, the first battle in road to independence was horrible since it shows that the guys using swords and arrows are more powerful then the guys using guns.

    The game doesent crash NEARLY as much as people say, if the game isent starting, its because ur computer cant handle the graphics which btw is way higher then specified. Graphics look great even tho my pc lags if i zoom in.

    AI is the worst in the series, soldiers dont do a dam thing i say.

    Dont buy this game, thank god i pirated before i bought or id of been scamed by ****. Also people insulting game, dont say its bad just because it needs steam to play, steam aint that bad and ive never had a game that i couldent install from disk that required steam, it just still needs to patchs, although i dont know if ur arguement on that is valid.    … Expand
  36. SWiToNeZz
    Oct 23, 2012
    2
    It didn't starts anyway i try to. When it starts then it crashes many times. So i give two points for at least the graphic and those few minutes i could play it .
  37. shadow2000m
    Aug 14, 2020
    2
    This game is initially an ambitious and innovative game ... On arrival, however, it is a nameless cloth. Bugged as it is not allowed, we play more to suffer and rage than to have fun.
    The premise is good but nothing is right .. Messed up diplomacy, i messed up, messed up morale, town and strong messed up balancing between messed up faction and little that catches up with the title.
  38. TomL.
    Mar 23, 2009
    3
    At this time the game is generally unplayable because of a memory leak that causes the game to crash randomly. Many people have experianced this so far. Check the community forums for more details. If the game didn't crash it would be around the 9/10 mark.
  39. AndrewB
    Mar 30, 2009
    3
    As per everyone else here, the game looks great, but its six months too early (Campaign AI & Bugs), DONT buy this game yet, wait for a sale in around six months and you will hopefully love every minute of it.
  40. 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
  41. PB
    Apr 1, 2009
    3
    CTD every time a seige of a regional capital ends with change of ruling nation or faction. EVERY time. I win the battle, manual or auto, victory screen pops up then game will CTD black screen then white screen then to ' MS windows report an error' dialogue box. Port take overs seem fine, as do other towns and facilities. AI changes regional ruling power fine. Didn't happen CTD every time a seige of a regional capital ends with change of ruling nation or faction. EVERY time. I win the battle, manual or auto, victory screen pops up then game will CTD black screen then white screen then to ' MS windows report an error' dialogue box. Port take overs seem fine, as do other towns and facilities. AI changes regional ruling power fine. Didn't happen before the large recent patches 25th/26th, last patch dated 30th MARCH hasn't fixed the problem. However, a new twist is that the campaign map moves at warp speed now, the ships zip from one location to another and the year end AI ground forces moves are also super fast. looks very odd. Note that this is with all sound turned off as recommended a while back. Other battles are fine, sound on or not, defeated seige attempts are fine too. Since taking over regions is THE major game mechanic towards victory and growth the game isnt playable now. All was fine out out of the box in this regional take-over area anyway, although I still have cannon stuck in Cartegena that any attempt to move will crash the system as above, patches did fix that for other units since. Sometimes merging fleets in or near docks causes a crash, I just quick save before doing anything with merge or embark in a dock location and I get by. NEVER had any real issues with TW games before, nothing like this anyway!… Expand
  42. robosoftrob
    Apr 7, 2009
    2
    I rate this good game so low because i always get stuck in the middle of a campaign when the game crashes at a certain point. i can´t continue and would have to start a new campaign - this does not make sense. i will return the game to the shop, where i bought it. sorry, could be a good game.
  43. johnm
    Jun 5, 2009
    1
    Played campaign through once.Total. Waiting for patches to make this worth playing. (fixes to the ai) This has to be the most crashiest and buggy game i have played since 1997 with an absolutely atrocious opponent AI. Its a disgrace that this gets the ridiculous review scores it gets in magazines. I use an up to date system fully updated with no problems with any new game that come out. Played campaign through once.Total. Waiting for patches to make this worth playing. (fixes to the ai) This has to be the most crashiest and buggy game i have played since 1997 with an absolutely atrocious opponent AI. Its a disgrace that this gets the ridiculous review scores it gets in magazines. I use an up to date system fully updated with no problems with any new game that come out. Gaming is my passion and I make sure that I can play anything. For an idea about the constant fixes that their doing to this game type in "daily update empire" into google to see the daily updated forum on the work their doing to make this game playable. For example making the ai actually invade, its just ridiculous seeing the fixes there making now that should have been done before release. Their obvious campaign to rubbish the public complaints about this game in various forums has also sullied their reputation massively in the eyes of the gaming public. It boggles my mind.… Expand
  44. AnonymousMC
    Aug 30, 2009
    1
    Yeah just another Total War waste of time. Every Total War Game except Shogun has crashed on me, leaving me with no possibility of moving further on in my campaign. Here I have invested who knows how many hours on my campaign and the game refuses to let me attack anyone or anything without crashing. 159 Turns in the game and now it decides to totally shut down. Total War is a Total WasteYeah just another Total War waste of time. Every Total War Game except Shogun has crashed on me, leaving me with no possibility of moving further on in my campaign. Here I have invested who knows how many hours on my campaign and the game refuses to let me attack anyone or anything without crashing. 159 Turns in the game and now it decides to totally shut down. Total War is a Total Waste as usual. I won't hold my breat for Napoleom Total War.… Expand
  45. RD
    Oct 10, 2009
    0
    This idiotic STEAM REQUIREMENT makes this thing a pain. I want to play the game. Not be forced into downloads which wont stop even when you tell them to do so. You're locked out of playing until it's finished doing whatever it wants to do. I'll never purchase any game again from these people.
  46. JohnSmith
    Oct 15, 2009
    0
    The game was unplayable at release, now it is just playable but still it have many flaws. All the faction are the same but with different colours, and if you want some variation you have to pay for it on top of what you already paid in the fisrt place. The game could have been great but it seems to have been rushed too quickly and have left many features out, leaving things done in a rush,The game was unplayable at release, now it is just playable but still it have many flaws. All the faction are the same but with different colours, and if you want some variation you have to pay for it on top of what you already paid in the fisrt place. The game could have been great but it seems to have been rushed too quickly and have left many features out, leaving things done in a rush, like sieges, which are the worse in all the total war series.… Expand
  47. Alexandr
    Oct 3, 2009
    1
    Absolutely awful state at release. It was almost unplayable gameplay wise. And then with a patch they made the game technically unplayable until the following patch. Absolutely disgusting work from CA.
  48. StevenS.
    Oct 6, 2009
    0
    Buggy game that went from broken AI, missing features (naval invaision AI) to a game that has saved games that corrupt, or won't start up now in the latest patch. Good for maybe 3 hours before you realize how horribly broken the game is, or if the game "helps" you to that realization by crashing.
  49. MortisN.
    Oct 7, 2009
    3
    Empire is like a Ferrari without an engine, beautiful, sleek, a marvel of design in every other regard... yet it's still not going anywhere. I have the feeling most of the critics were attempting to future proof their reviews for the eventuality when Creative Assembly would fix the glaring bugs. In which case E:TW would be an amazing game, but unfortunately CA decided to pull a Empire is like a Ferrari without an engine, beautiful, sleek, a marvel of design in every other regard... yet it's still not going anywhere. I have the feeling most of the critics were attempting to future proof their reviews for the eventuality when Creative Assembly would fix the glaring bugs. In which case E:TW would be an amazing game, but unfortunately CA decided to pull a Valve, why fix bugs when you people will pay you $50 for this game, and another $50 for a sequil of the exact same engine, with all the bug fixes! Creative Assembly lost my respect with this title.… Expand
  50. AdamWilson
    Oct 8, 2009
    0
    I cant play the single player because it CTDs after every handful of turns.

    The multiplayer is in the stone age is well behind the standard of other multiplayer games.

    The way the battles play out are very unrealistic and riflemen fire like modern day snipers.

    Avoid this game and future ones released by CA/ Total War.
  51. JamesF.
    Mar 20, 2009
    1
    Dissapointing! Unfinished! Broken! Steam! They (CA) have been making Total War games for ages now, you would expect them to get it right at this point, not worse. Steam is a pain, my problem isnt DRM as it doesnt work anyway. My problem is the whole steam program and its irritating function/ lack of function, its adverts and forced updates (it says it has an option to prevent auto updates Dissapointing! Unfinished! Broken! Steam! They (CA) have been making Total War games for ages now, you would expect them to get it right at this point, not worse. Steam is a pain, my problem isnt DRM as it doesnt work anyway. My problem is the whole steam program and its irritating function/ lack of function, its adverts and forced updates (it says it has an option to prevent auto updates but it doesnt work) although this game needs enough patches to make a whole new game! Won't be buying anymore steam or creative assembly games and the totalwar series is finished for me! If this game is patched it may be playable without headaches but for me wouldnt be overly special, the improvements are minor from previous editions and are only to be expected, professional reviews are clearly hype. I would also like to make clear I am a fan of this era for strategy and strategy games and was very interested in this games progress. I guess I shall return to other more worthy efforts, not least the mod community and rome tw. By the way I have a top spec PC, stable overclocked quadcore, duel GPU and enough ram memory to hold all of history for processing.… Expand
  52. NemY
    Mar 6, 2009
    1
    This game shoud never have been released as is, steam is a load of crap. Games like this should have the option of playing online is the user wishes to do so. It took me forever to get the game loaded up and updated through steam. I have been a strong supporter of the Total War series from the very first Shogun Total War, but if Creative Assembly and SEGA insist on using steam for other This game shoud never have been released as is, steam is a load of crap. Games like this should have the option of playing online is the user wishes to do so. It took me forever to get the game loaded up and updated through steam. I have been a strong supporter of the Total War series from the very first Shogun Total War, but if Creative Assembly and SEGA insist on using steam for other releases, I'm staying away from your prducts, and from what I've read and heard, alot of people will aswell.… Expand
  53. 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
  54. AJ
    Apr 12, 2009
    2
    The 2 is for creating the greatest strategy game ever made. Then knowing its incompleat and unfinished selling it to thousands of people expecting a finished game. Why would anyone ever assume that someone would want a game that isn't ready? As far as I'm concerned these pricks stole from me. The Total War games was something that if you liked strategy games you knew your 60 The 2 is for creating the greatest strategy game ever made. Then knowing its incompleat and unfinished selling it to thousands of people expecting a finished game. Why would anyone ever assume that someone would want a game that isn't ready? As far as I'm concerned these pricks stole from me. The Total War games was something that if you liked strategy games you knew your 60 bucks were well spent. Now their name means nothing. Imagine if you bought a 2000 computer, brought it home and it worked for 2 days then wouldn't start again... Then they told you that it's buggy and there is a patch that will come out in 6 months so you can use your new $2000 computer. That computer store would be sued and bombed. This is what Creative Assembly has done. Sold a product that wasn't finished and after you have spent your hard earned money then you have to wait till they get around to compleating it over the next while(if they do). It's a slap in the face. If I spend 70 bucks on an x box or playstaion game at least I know it will work. If they sold games that didn't work they would go out of business. I hope everyone that bought this game holds the creative assembly responisble for there theft of our money and never buys another product from them again... Theres a big market out there for good strategy games and someone will take there place once there banko. We have to show these guys and other game makers this is unacceptable!!!!!!!!!!!… Expand
  55. PerryR
    Apr 17, 2009
    2
    Unbelievable....and totally unacceptable. I have been an avid Total War fan since its inception and been looking forward to playing Empire for many a long month. I am fed up with the game crashing and am totally bemused with the link up with Steam, what an awful partner to share such a great title product. I have shelved the game on a number of occasions but my love of its predecessors Unbelievable....and totally unacceptable. I have been an avid Total War fan since its inception and been looking forward to playing Empire for many a long month. I am fed up with the game crashing and am totally bemused with the link up with Steam, what an awful partner to share such a great title product. I have shelved the game on a number of occasions but my love of its predecessors has always brought me back but only to disappoint time after time. The final product is not fit for purpose, the two is given out of loyalty, my advice, BEWARE this product is below the quality of its fore fathers. My message to the magazine critics, 'shame on you', rate the gameplay, not the concept. To CA/SEGA - give me back my money, and I went for the Special Forces Edition.… Expand
  56. 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
  57. AurelioM.
    Apr 9, 2009
    3
    I have been a fan of the Total War series since the first title and I believe each new game did manage to improve on the previous one ... until now. I am deeply disappointed by "Empire" and I find unacceptable that the game isn't currently playable as it crashes after every single battle without possiblility to save. Load times are also dreadful. This smells of hastily released code. I have been a fan of the Total War series since the first title and I believe each new game did manage to improve on the previous one ... until now. I am deeply disappointed by "Empire" and I find unacceptable that the game isn't currently playable as it crashes after every single battle without possiblility to save. Load times are also dreadful. This smells of hastily released code. Shame on you Creative Assembly for such a mess after all the good work done so far! I also wonder how the game was awarded raving reviews in the press when it simply doesn't work (and it's not an isolated problem, the forums seem to be teeming with grieving players).… Expand
  58. RodneyG
    May 10, 2009
    0
    Steam is no good at all I can never load the game without error messages such as steam is to busy to load now ? try later.
  59. 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.
  60. BryanK
    May 5, 2009
    3
    Since my one month old rig (with latest drivers etc) can't run this game without frequent random crashes I will have to give this game a very low score. The game is good when it works (7+) but when you can't play it due to massive instability issues, then there is no point in even having purchased it. I still have a little hope that CA will eventually make the game stable, but I Since my one month old rig (with latest drivers etc) can't run this game without frequent random crashes I will have to give this game a very low score. The game is good when it works (7+) but when you can't play it due to massive instability issues, then there is no point in even having purchased it. I still have a little hope that CA will eventually make the game stable, but I think it will be several months before that happens.… Expand
  61. JonC
    May 7, 2009
    3
    I waited for nearly 2 months before buying my once per year game. Paying £35 for the deluxe edition. The huge number of updates ruined the first game, the last one has left the game despite re-installations and technical support, literally unplayable after 10 turns, the beautifully presented and deeply playable game (when it works) just crashes and dies. When it worked, it was I waited for nearly 2 months before buying my once per year game. Paying £35 for the deluxe edition. The huge number of updates ruined the first game, the last one has left the game despite re-installations and technical support, literally unplayable after 10 turns, the beautifully presented and deeply playable game (when it works) just crashes and dies. When it worked, it was fabulous, the battles are fantastic, truly like nothing I have ever seen, but the campaign strategy game is simply awful. The look and feel is great but the AI is mad and inconsistent, utterly random and the economics seem to change unpredictably, you never know what's going on. Just as it all starts to get really involving the troops enter a city (not all cities, just regional capitals, the key to ownership) and bang, down it goes, goodbye game. I really do think Creative Assembly and Sega were insane to ruin this brand with a totally commercially unviable product that is leaving thousands seething. They simply cannot work hard or fast enough to put it right, if it ever can be.… Expand
  62. RyanH
    May 7, 2009
    0
    Voting a 0 because I feel that several who scored it a 9 or above either work for STEAM, Sega, CA and its affiliates or don't have any idea what a POS this "game" if I can call it so, is. AVOID AT ALL COST. Look for another game for fun. This is frustration in the making and I call it BUGS EMPIRE TOTAL SHIT and steaming horribly.
  63. ChongL
    Jun 20, 2009
    4
    Game is unplayable at later stage. Your navy becomes useless since tring to use them will crash the game.
  64. FredL
    Jun 6, 2009
    0
    CA must have given lots of thoughts into the graphics of this game to give it first appeal. Sadly, everything else sink like the titanic did. From the disappointing AI for land/sea battles to the flawed pathfinding and then the horrible crashes you experience, it just makes you want to toss the game into the dumpster and be done with it. The game is rampant of bugs and bad coding. I CA must have given lots of thoughts into the graphics of this game to give it first appeal. Sadly, everything else sink like the titanic did. From the disappointing AI for land/sea battles to the flawed pathfinding and then the horrible crashes you experience, it just makes you want to toss the game into the dumpster and be done with it. The game is rampant of bugs and bad coding. I justify this with a zero because it fails as a game tha is supposed to satisfy your craving for entertainment, but instead you get only frustration.… Expand
  65. MickN
    Oct 1, 2009
    2
    I decided to hold off on reviewing Empire even though I bought it off Steam on release day. It was broken and nearly unplayable on release due to the near total absence of AI opposition. The AI was so bad that it couldn't even land armies off ships. In short, this meant that island nations like the UK were unbeatable when played by the gamer, and worthless when acting as an AII decided to hold off on reviewing Empire even though I bought it off Steam on release day. It was broken and nearly unplayable on release due to the near total absence of AI opposition. The AI was so bad that it couldn't even land armies off ships. In short, this meant that island nations like the UK were unbeatable when played by the gamer, and worthless when acting as an AI opponent.

    Patch 1.4 FINALLY came out after six months, promising to fix the AI. Well, it's still crap. Not as crap on release, but still so utterly useless that it robs any enjoyment the player might have had were the AI even remotely competent.
    It's a slap in the face to the consumer that the game was shipped in such a terrible state, a further slap in the face that the slowly released patches have done little to ameliorate the many problems, and a final slap that CA has decided to devote their efforts into wringing more money out of dupes like me via questionable DLC and worthless expansions like Napoleon.

    Why would I care about Napoleon:TW when the base game is in such a crap state?    … Expand
  66. MikeE
    Oct 10, 2009
    2
    What sham this game turned out to be. Poor performance, bugs out the wazoo, horrific AI and the developer has already given up on to make their next killing with Napolean Total War.
  67. Melter
    Oct 14, 2009
    2
    Full price for a beta game? My god i really hope that software law is changed so stuff like this stops happening because if it was the case i would have returned this game within the first day it was terrible. It was worse than a beta game, atleast beta testers dont have to pay to play a game they end up having to tell the devs to fix. I Gave it a 5 due to its sort of turn around since Full price for a beta game? My god i really hope that software law is changed so stuff like this stops happening because if it was the case i would have returned this game within the first day it was terrible. It was worse than a beta game, atleast beta testers dont have to pay to play a game they end up having to tell the devs to fix. I Gave it a 5 due to its sort of turn around since 1.5 but as CA have said themselfs no more major patches coming which is definatly not what this game needs as 1.5 fixed alot of problems but brought new ones to the table as did every other patch they released, you know what im dropping it to a 2 due to CA's pathetic attempt at ''not fixing'' covering up their mistakes. Just to note, If you want a better Meta score CA, make a better bloody game you con-artists.… Expand
  68. 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
  69. SteveM
    Oct 15, 2009
    0
    It looks pretty enough at first. But, despite the fact that my PC significantly exceeds the minimum required spec it crashes constantly making it unplayable. Steam don't care. Their support just fob you off once they have your money and refuse to help after informing you that their subscriber agreement gives them the right to sell you crap and keep your cash.
  70. GregM.
    Oct 6, 2009
    0
    Horrible bugs, laggy and slow, no ai. They keep trying to sell everything as DLC, where are the patches!!!. Now they trying to sell the exclusive peroder content again. Hello what does exlusive mean you cant sell it again.
  71. WalterB.
    Oct 6, 2009
    2
    The game has been entirely unplayable for months due to a crash bug introduced in a patch. The AI was extremely weak when it was playable and instead of fixing the game, they decided to go on and make their next one. I would not recommend this for purchase.
  72. gollum
    Oct 7, 2009
    0
    ETW has been hyped to the stars and one more time it all turned out to be white lies. Not only the game is unstable, buggy and incomplete, but it is simplistic and boring as hell. The only aspect of the game that is good is the visuals, but they can't save the gameplay or alleviate the frustration. CA has become overambitious and probably quite a bit greedy. Patches admittedly fix ETW has been hyped to the stars and one more time it all turned out to be white lies. Not only the game is unstable, buggy and incomplete, but it is simplistic and boring as hell. The only aspect of the game that is good is the visuals, but they can't save the gameplay or alleviate the frustration. CA has become overambitious and probably quite a bit greedy. Patches admittedly fix things, but it is clear that the core gameplay and AI of the game wont change, and they are really really bad both on the campaign and the battles.… Expand
  73. LeeM
    Oct 9, 2009
    1
    The multiplayer side of Total War has gone backwards with Empire total war. - No Lobby -Servers are decentralised -Maps are seen as mod and change the version of your game -Every update brakes mods - Always desynchs -Easy modifiying stats to cheat In conclusion dont bother with this game or the new one they are planing to release as its just a clone with new units.
  74. UngoK
    Oct 9, 2009
    0
    The worst game I've played. Horrible AI, bugs, crashes, CTD, blue screen. The magazines' reviewers have obviously decided it best to give this "game" a 10 despite the fact that they never even played it when released. They were obviously bought for this dubious "stellar" rating. This proves there is greed and corruption even in the video game industry. You'd be a fool to The worst game I've played. Horrible AI, bugs, crashes, CTD, blue screen. The magazines' reviewers have obviously decided it best to give this "game" a 10 despite the fact that they never even played it when released. They were obviously bought for this dubious "stellar" rating. This proves there is greed and corruption even in the video game industry. You'd be a fool to rush and buy whatever CA has in store next for you; Napoleon's campaign. The mag reviews forgot to take out the 1 in front of that 0 in exchange for money period. Run for the hills on this one and any future CA releases and give yourself ample time and space whenever you decide what to play next especially coming from CA.… Expand
  75. Bob
    Oct 9, 2009
    3
    Would have been a wonderful game if it wasn't for the bugs. Even the new patch 1.4 doesn't resolve the glaring bugs and massive unresolved instabilities that still are very much present in the game. The game would be worthwhile if the only issue was AI. After all, all the Total War games have AI issues and Empire is no different in this respect. The AI seriously counters my Would have been a wonderful game if it wasn't for the bugs. Even the new patch 1.4 doesn't resolve the glaring bugs and massive unresolved instabilities that still are very much present in the game. The game would be worthwhile if the only issue was AI. After all, all the Total War games have AI issues and Empire is no different in this respect. The AI seriously counters my moves on the battlefield like a massive retard- allowing itself to get flanked and then letting it's melee units sit there for target practice. But the main issue is that it CTDs constantly. I can play about 5-10 moves before the computer simply freezes and program becomes unresponsive. Granted, this is on a monster rig with a GTX 275.… Expand
  76. AlexanderR
    Mar 11, 2009
    0
    I started playing Total War with Shogun, and i missed no TW-Game or Addon. I love Empire. But STEAM sucks, the game is not more than a beta, and they apply more and more broken patches (to the german version) via Steam. If they get it fixed anyway, the game should have a 10. But actually its worth nothing...
  77. ArthurW
    Mar 11, 2009
    3
    A Fantastic White elephant, CA have done it again all right. A beautiful addictive game with serious, Major AI flaws. No AI seaborne invasions? In an empire game? Pathfinding Issues, Factions building entire Milita Armies. I don't know why I'm surprised exact same issues were had with every other of their releases. Once again it will be left to the mods to fix. and for ruining A Fantastic White elephant, CA have done it again all right. A beautiful addictive game with serious, Major AI flaws. No AI seaborne invasions? In an empire game? Pathfinding Issues, Factions building entire Milita Armies. I don't know why I'm surprised exact same issues were had with every other of their releases. Once again it will be left to the mods to fix. and for ruining the game with a Steam update I give 3/10 I'm off to play Catan again - forget this techology rubbish for a while.… Expand
  78. SidM
    Mar 12, 2009
    3
    I have been a Total War fan since shogun and enjoyed every release of the series until this one, which is a shame as I was very ,very keen to play this era. I hate Steam. It is irritating to have to play through it. I hate it with a passion and it has ruined any positives the game held for me. Get rid of it. Then there's the game itself, which looks great but plays very clumsily, sea I have been a Total War fan since shogun and enjoyed every release of the series until this one, which is a shame as I was very ,very keen to play this era. I hate Steam. It is irritating to have to play through it. I hate it with a passion and it has ruined any positives the game held for me. Get rid of it. Then there's the game itself, which looks great but plays very clumsily, sea battles being a nice addition but with a tendency to get messy very quickly, with lots of micro management. Not to mention the bugs with certain ship types.... Land battles just lack excitement, particularly sieges. There's just no tension whatsoever. Then there's poor AI path finding, annoying formation movement, and a severe lack of diversity of land divisions. Also, is it just me or is shooting accuracy generally useless. And what happened to volley fire? Why don't those Cherokee's turn tail and flee when they get hit in the face with a wall of lead? It just gets boring after a while. You just don't get a sense of guns being decisive in battle. Oh but wait, then it just gets plain irritating - constant crashes, slow downs and infinitely long times waiting for turns to cylce through! Diplomatic relations are almost not worth pursuing, although at least allies don't tend to turn on you at the drop of a hat. Historical Accuracy is poor, but thats not that big a deal because we'll get some modders to create an empire total realism later on right? oh no wait !we can't anymore because of ... Steam. I really, really, hate steam. It just ruins the game for me. On the plus side, the research/tech tree idea is very positive, national politics are a little more developed which is a nice touch, and yes the feeling of ripping through an enemy ship with a broadside of a 1st rate is exhilarating... but its not enough to make me stay up all night playing as I used to with Rome or MTW. Really guys, there are so few great games out there and you managed to completely ruin what promised to be the best.… Expand
  79. 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.
  80. JennyS.
    Mar 22, 2009
    2
    Ok, so this game is unfinished crap basically. Not just the bugs and performance issues but other more serious gameplay issues as well. Pathfinding for one, it probably features some of the worst pathfinding in a game ever. What's the deal with not being able to place formations next to objects in battles? And fort combat is simply hilarious, you're actually in a disadvantage as Ok, so this game is unfinished crap basically. Not just the bugs and performance issues but other more serious gameplay issues as well. Pathfinding for one, it probably features some of the worst pathfinding in a game ever. What's the deal with not being able to place formations next to objects in battles? And fort combat is simply hilarious, you're actually in a disadvantage as a defender since your buggy tropps CANT FIRE OVER THE WALLS EFFICIENTLY!… Expand
  81. AaronL
    Mar 26, 2009
    0
    A game can have the best graphics, and the best gameplay in the world, and it wouldn't matter one bit if it was too buggy to play. Zero is what I give this game because it's just not a finished product and the grand campaign (single player side of the game) isn't playable. I waited for a patch to clear it up, and it actually made it worse. Boooooooooooo!
  82. dirk0815
    Mar 28, 2009
    3
    Sorry for my poor English first (I come from Germany): After installation (almost 30 minutes), I've waited again about 40 minutes (because of the steam updates and fixes) until to start the game first. After 1-2 minutes it crashed. It is stressful to play it and my computer is not the oldest one. So I think this game is released to the market although the producer knows the gaps and Sorry for my poor English first (I come from Germany): After installation (almost 30 minutes), I've waited again about 40 minutes (because of the steam updates and fixes) until to start the game first. After 1-2 minutes it crashed. It is stressful to play it and my computer is not the oldest one. So I think this game is released to the market although the producer knows the gaps and errors. On the other hand I don't know what datasets of me and my computer are sent throught the internet with this steam account. I'll never accept in future this kind of software installation again. Sorry, but I can't comprehend this business model.… Expand
  83. KevinN
    Mar 31, 2009
    2
    The official review score is a total shame. The gamer's review score is closer to reality and it should even be a much lower score. Same old philosoply coming from Sega is a real disappointment. Selling an unfinished product is totally unacceptable. The game is a bug in itself. It will mess up your computer and slow down anything you do with it. Looking at the so called "reviews" The official review score is a total shame. The gamer's review score is closer to reality and it should even be a much lower score. Same old philosoply coming from Sega is a real disappointment. Selling an unfinished product is totally unacceptable. The game is a bug in itself. It will mess up your computer and slow down anything you do with it. Looking at the so called "reviews" from the official reviewers like gamespy makes me want to throw up on them. I'm proud to say that I never supported gamespy and will ONLY support them when they stop this nonsense "review". DO NOT buy this and support only publishers who deliver a product that works. Boycotting should be the name of gamer's game from this point on.… Expand
  84. JohnR.
    Mar 3, 2009
    2
    Steam is a steaming great t**d. All the effort at making a game that could sprint of into the halls of fame and they go and chain it to a wall of useless! Steam crashes, it irritates, it dictates and makes you wonder if Empire: Totalwar is worth the hell. Some say yes, I say I can live without it as cons outway the benefits of playing an otherwise polished game with only minor faults to Steam is a steaming great t**d. All the effort at making a game that could sprint of into the halls of fame and they go and chain it to a wall of useless! Steam crashes, it irritates, it dictates and makes you wonder if Empire: Totalwar is worth the hell. Some say yes, I say I can live without it as cons outway the benefits of playing an otherwise polished game with only minor faults to gameplay. Steam has left me fuming.… Expand
  85. mikec
    Mar 8, 2009
    3
    All the great attrbutes are there sat on the screen, but constant crashes and a stupidly large amount of bugs have made the game unplayable until CA start pumping out some patches. The game looks amazing and the bits that work are great but, with all the problems id question whether CA were so rushed by sega to get the game out its not actually being finished. In short a major All the great attrbutes are there sat on the screen, but constant crashes and a stupidly large amount of bugs have made the game unplayable until CA start pumping out some patches. The game looks amazing and the bits that work are great but, with all the problems id question whether CA were so rushed by sega to get the game out its not actually being finished. In short a major disappointment and falls well short of the expectations after the classic and truely brilliant Rome TW.… Expand
  86. 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
  87. LarsE
    Apr 1, 2009
    3
    Complicated installation Steam-sh... Wonder why is it necessary to provide Steam with user id - password an email just to install a purchased game. Could not start after closing. Graphics ok 10000 units is fine. Waiting time between losing or winning battles are killingly long... Camera is difficult to control and mini map are useless. Have been playing better turn-real time games before. Complicated installation Steam-sh... Wonder why is it necessary to provide Steam with user id - password an email just to install a purchased game. Could not start after closing. Graphics ok 10000 units is fine. Waiting time between losing or winning battles are killingly long... Camera is difficult to control and mini map are useless. Have been playing better turn-real time games before. Sorry nothing new under the sun.… Expand
  88. AlV
    Apr 1, 2009
    2
    I am truly sorry I have to rate the game so low; I wore out my Rome-TW and Medieval-TW CD
  89. HughE.
    Apr 10, 2009
    0
    This is the worst game I have ever bought, and I love the total war franchise. The game is full of bugs, it constantly crashes and despite my pc being top specs and able to run Crysis on full settings it strugles on medium on this game. The real annoyance though is that I paid £40 on steam and I steam don't do refunds. Well done Creative Assembly you've just made sure I This is the worst game I have ever bought, and I love the total war franchise. The game is full of bugs, it constantly crashes and despite my pc being top specs and able to run Crysis on full settings it strugles on medium on this game. The real annoyance though is that I paid £40 on steam and I steam don't do refunds. Well done Creative Assembly you've just made sure I never buy a product off of you again. What a steaming pile of **** this game is. Every copy of it should be burnt. Rant over… Expand
  90. 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.
  91. 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
  92. VladM
    Apr 21, 2009
    2
    I have been a fan of the series since Shogun. So far the each new release was a triumph. While being rather sceptic towards changes introduced in "Rome", I had finally started liking the new campaign map. Unfortunatelly the newest game is not what I expected to get for my 30 quid. AI sucks big time. I have single handedly kicked around all the countries in Europe on the highest level I have been a fan of the series since Shogun. So far the each new release was a triumph. While being rather sceptic towards changes introduced in "Rome", I had finally started liking the new campaign map. Unfortunatelly the newest game is not what I expected to get for my 30 quid. AI sucks big time. I have single handedly kicked around all the countries in Europe on the highest level without even ONE putting up a decent fight. Campaign map is very difficult to read. And the "steam"... well I was not impressed by the instalation process. I am depressed now. I was SO looking forward to this game... Luckily I still have MTW2 installed. Back to the real game.… Expand
  93. AMC
    Apr 29, 2009
    3
    2 months in this game is as unstable as it was at launch. It has the potential to be the game of the year, if not the decade. Essentially it is a bug ridden mess that should ahve been tested for another 6 months. Looks like SEGA stuffed up the TW series by shoving this down our throats. Also...WHY DOES IT NEED STEAM? 90% of customers will buy this for the single player Grand Campaign.
  94. richardm
    Apr 29, 2009
    0
    Buggy piece of crap is all this is. And no i dont hate Steam. I just hate buying a game that gets ratings of 10's from major magazines and sites only to find out the game is less fun than checkers. AI is HORRIBLE and too many bugs for me. anyone that says different is a fanboy because ETW is BUGGY as heck for EVERYONE. AVOID!!
  95. MikeA
    May 10, 2009
    0
    I have played all the total war games and have been impressed. When I heard they were going to release empire I was very excited. That was until I purchased the game and it flat out just doesnt work on my computer. The game itself looks really cool, but I'm just going to have to return it....shit is just to much of a hastle and I feel like CA could have done a better job in creating I have played all the total war games and have been impressed. When I heard they were going to release empire I was very excited. That was until I purchased the game and it flat out just doesnt work on my computer. The game itself looks really cool, but I'm just going to have to return it....shit is just to much of a hastle and I feel like CA could have done a better job in creating a game that would work for everyone. VERY DISAPPOINTED.… Expand
  96. 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
  97. TroyG
    May 13, 2009
    0
    Any game that after being released for over 2 months still has CTD issues it has failed to deliver in my opinion. Hands down the worst MADE total war released by a long margin.
  98. Revived
    May 14, 2009
    3
    I want to say that the developer is seriously lost its credibility is releasing crude product. I think that if it will continue to pursue a bold company can change the course of action is to think about the shareholders of the company.
  99. CharlieL
    May 15, 2009
    0
    What a pathetic attempt at copy protection once again. This is the whole reason I quit HL2. Do not force me to have internet to play a game offline. If I wanted to play an online game then I would have bought WOW. I am on dialup becuase the pwers that be think its fun to keep the rest of us in the 20th century so this update nonsense takes me hours and hours. This POS is going back to What a pathetic attempt at copy protection once again. This is the whole reason I quit HL2. Do not force me to have internet to play a game offline. If I wanted to play an online game then I would have bought WOW. I am on dialup becuase the pwers that be think its fun to keep the rest of us in the 20th century so this update nonsense takes me hours and hours. This POS is going back to where it came.… Expand
  100. DannyC
    May 22, 2009
    2
    Well 3 months down the line and despite never having a crash since day one the fact remains this game is just a totally broken mess.. CA must be the first company to issue patches that actually cause more problems than they fix so well done.. The patronising updates are now also getting beyond a joke.. I cant see CA ever releasing another TW PC game after this sham. Those who are giving Well 3 months down the line and despite never having a crash since day one the fact remains this game is just a totally broken mess.. CA must be the first company to issue patches that actually cause more problems than they fix so well done.. The patronising updates are now also getting beyond a joke.. I cant see CA ever releasing another TW PC game after this sham. Those who are giving it a 10 really must have there heads in cloud cuckoo land along with the critics or like a game with zero challenge, broken AI and pretty graphics.… Expand
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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]
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  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.
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