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. carlbob
    May 29, 2009
    0
    I bought this game on the day of release and I'm still waiting for the bugs to be fixed. I wouldn't mind if they were only little bugs, but they are actually gamebreaking. It crashes ALL the time. It isn't just my PC, loads of people are having trouble playing this unfinished game. So, I don't care how good the game is if you can somehow can get it to work; its still I bought this game on the day of release and I'm still waiting for the bugs to be fixed. I wouldn't mind if they were only little bugs, but they are actually gamebreaking. It crashes ALL the time. It isn't just my PC, loads of people are having trouble playing this unfinished game. So, I don't care how good the game is if you can somehow can get it to work; its still unplayable after 3 months. It doesn't even deserve a rating - it isn't a game, its a beta which needs 8 months more testing. The worst part about this is the 'offical' reviewers don't even mention the bugs. Are they playing the same game? Don't buy this POS.… Expand
  2. 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 .
  3. 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
  4. andrewL
    May 4, 2009
    1
    Problems Problems Play and wait for the crashes. My personal favourate is when you finish your turn, play though an hour of computer games turn to crash at the end of the last battle. wonderful....not.
  5. SteveQ
    May 6, 2009
    2
    The AI is about the worst in any game I've ever played. The AI can't invade by sea, thus leaving England impotent as an AI nation and invincible as a Player nation. It removes the point of having different continents and the whole point of the naval battles dissapear. The AI is not aggressive, does not use armies on the field properly (it can't figure out how to use The AI is about the worst in any game I've ever played. The AI can't invade by sea, thus leaving England impotent as an AI nation and invincible as a Player nation. It removes the point of having different continents and the whole point of the naval battles dissapear. The AI is not aggressive, does not use armies on the field properly (it can't figure out how to use artillery, cavalry and infantry TOGETHER) and after about 10 hours I realized the AI NEVER attacked my cities. This was a disgraceful release.… Expand
  6. MumarO
    May 8, 2009
    1
    This game is potentially incredible, the battles are excellent, but the campaign game is (even after the May 1 upgrades) filled with CTD points that make the game impossible to play. My machine is beyond perfect for this game, state of the art and up to date, its the campaign game and the coding, its just unbelievably bad. How did anyone ever sign this off in the condition it went out on This game is potentially incredible, the battles are excellent, but the campaign game is (even after the May 1 upgrades) filled with CTD points that make the game impossible to play. My machine is beyond perfect for this game, state of the art and up to date, its the campaign game and the coding, its just unbelievably bad. How did anyone ever sign this off in the condition it went out on DVD boxed or download and how can the upgrades have made things worse for CTD's than they already were? Poor testing, poor judgement and poor purchasers! Sega/creative get our money and we are left high and dry with a near useless game that may take months of work to put right. Not Good enough. I'd never buy a CA/Sega game again.… Expand
  7. JezL
    Jun 18, 2009
    1
    Anyone that has rated ETW "great" deserves to be retarded. The AI is dumber than ever; your own men make your own generals cannon fodder while the enemy tends to do dumb things as well; send their own generals to the front line in a suicidal charge or never invade you by sea. The pathfinding is horrible; your ships tangle into each other no matter what formation you give them. The same Anyone that has rated ETW "great" deserves to be retarded. The AI is dumber than ever; your own men make your own generals cannon fodder while the enemy tends to do dumb things as well; send their own generals to the front line in a suicidal charge or never invade you by sea. The pathfinding is horrible; your ships tangle into each other no matter what formation you give them. The same applies with your own land troops; they will just stand there to be shot at if no orders are given instead of defending themselves by turning their attention on the closest enemy. All in all, a game that fails blatantly short like previous titles from the TW series. To do some justice. the only obvious effort given to this latest installment is the graphics and very minor adjustments. CA team is not the original team and it shows. A pity.… Expand
  8. AnonymousMC
    Jun 23, 2009
    3
    The Naval battles are good, land battles less so. I enjoyed Rome Total War land battles more. The major problem that I have is that it crashes in campaign mode, otherwise I would give it 8 - good but could do better. Was enjoyig it, but now moving on because of the crashes.
  9. JuergenK
    Jun 20, 2009
    2
    To much crash downs. It's a problem of the game. My PC is high performed - no problems with the requirements.
  10. DaveK
    Jun 27, 2009
    0
    My PC is only 1 year old, has quad core and a Geforce 8800 card with 4G Ram so it easily meets the specs. I have updated all drivers, have installed Xp as it is more stable and I have used Steam to update my game to the max. I have been gaming for 30 years and I have played all of the TW games. Guess what? crash crash crash crash crash. The graphics might look nice but what's the My PC is only 1 year old, has quad core and a Geforce 8800 card with 4G Ram so it easily meets the specs. I have updated all drivers, have installed Xp as it is more stable and I have used Steam to update my game to the max. I have been gaming for 30 years and I have played all of the TW games. Guess what? crash crash crash crash crash. The graphics might look nice but what's the point if you can't play it? It's like having a shiny sexy new car with no engine. Pointless! I'm not happy with Steam as a marketing tactic. I'm not happy with Sega and CA as they have obviously released this too soon. I am not happy with these bitty little increments when everything should be stable to start with. And I'm not happy with the magazines that have given this a good rating and have obviously not tried it. Sega, CA, Steam and various magazines. You have shot yourself in the foot with this one. I will never buy Sega/CA again (which is a shame). I also have no trust in gaming magazines and will now wait for real reviews from forums before buying any more games like this. I will be returning this game back to the shop and I will demand a refund. In the UK a game should be "fit for purpose" - this game obviously is not.… Expand
  11. TomH
    Jun 9, 2009
    0
    Until now. Big problems just to install the game. Stem connection lost. Install interrupted. Starting the game. Not available. I Have pay'd for a finish product. To get a steam connection...Why steam connection ? I want to play of fline.
  12. HippolyteA
    Aug 4, 2009
    0
    The game seems good but Steam's update is a worst shit that i never seen before. I would never again buy any game where Steam has in charge his maintain.
  13. PeterS
    Aug 5, 2009
    3
    A good idee and great graphics, but it is not playable do to ever occuring crashes in various places. Wait at least a year to purchase this game.
  14. Matthew
    Sep 30, 2009
    2
    I really really like this game. The total war series has always been one of my faves, and empire has been the best so far. It, for me, has the perfect balance of all the elements needed in a good stratagy game, and the introduction of navel combat was awsome. It lets me down on one cruical issue tho, bugs. I have not yet been able to complete a proper long campaign due to the fact that I really really like this game. The total war series has always been one of my faves, and empire has been the best so far. It, for me, has the perfect balance of all the elements needed in a good stratagy game, and the introduction of navel combat was awsome. It lets me down on one cruical issue tho, bugs. I have not yet been able to complete a proper long campaign due to the fact that each time i get so far throught the game for various reasons i encounter a fatal error. like taking a city causes a crash each time i try, or ending a turn causes a crash and wont work even after a re-load, due to corrupted save files, i have had the same problem on multiple computers. Without being able to play a campaign through it makes it infuriating and pointless to start a new one. This would be a 10/10 rating, if not for that factor.… Expand
  15. JamesM.
    Oct 1, 2009
    0
    A piss poor game sums up my feelings for this game. Dumb AI, Bugs after all their patches, No MP Campaign (which they said we would get (lairs), a lot of point less game play. And it does seem that France loves the white flag, since there is only one city in all of France. The be time reviewers where bought off and no way is this one of the best games ever made. More or less how not to A piss poor game sums up my feelings for this game. Dumb AI, Bugs after all their patches, No MP Campaign (which they said we would get (lairs), a lot of point less game play. And it does seem that France loves the white flag, since there is only one city in all of France. The be time reviewers where bought off and no way is this one of the best games ever made. More or less how not to make a game.… Expand
  16. 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.
  17. NikitaM
    Dec 13, 2009
    2
    I like the campaign and the sea battles, but the ground battles(which i prefere more not good enough)
  18. JeremyJ.
    Oct 5, 2009
    1
    Promised multiplayer campaign, but never delivered. Crashes consistently under certain conditions, even with high-end hardware and up-to-date drivers. Forces me to update even when I have the auto-update setting disabled.
  19. gointomexico
    Oct 5, 2009
    2
    Very buggy, spotty customer support. I cant play some of my saves because it crashes every time. I emailed customer support,and they close my tickets after 48 hrs. The first ticket I opened got closed even after I provided the info they requested. I opened another ticket asking why that ticket was closed, and that ticket got closed too. My life is too important to waste on buggy software, Very buggy, spotty customer support. I cant play some of my saves because it crashes every time. I emailed customer support,and they close my tickets after 48 hrs. The first ticket I opened got closed even after I provided the info they requested. I opened another ticket asking why that ticket was closed, and that ticket got closed too. My life is too important to waste on buggy software, and jerky CS.… Expand
  20. 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!
  21. MatthewG.
    Oct 6, 2009
    3
    A flash in the pan. Looks nice. But the competition provided by the AI makes me feel like I'm playing my 6 month old nephew in Chess.
  22. AnonymousMC
    Mar 12, 2009
    0
    I have NOT internet connection and I cannot play it! Is that fair? no I don't think so... it may be the best game but it is unplayable for those who don't have internet connection and a good one because it must be downloaded by steam. also what if I don't know how to do it because I am only 14 and I don't know NOTHING about internet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I enjoyed Rome: TotalI have NOT internet connection and I cannot play it! Is that fair? no I don't think so... it may be the best game but it is unplayable for those who don't have internet connection and a good one because it must be downloaded by steam. also what if I don't know how to do it because I am only 14 and I don't know NOTHING about internet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I enjoyed Rome: Total War but I don't think that I will buy again any of the games which requires internet connection again… Expand
  23. StewartHenderson
    Mar 13, 2009
    0
    So much potential. It should have been a great game. Especially when you consider that it is based on an existing engine that has been around for years now. It is simply too buggy and the AI is rubbish. It seems to me that many games not made by Valve get corrupted in some way when ported over to delivery by Steam. I think Steam is partially to blame for this game being so buggy. Creative So much potential. It should have been a great game. Especially when you consider that it is based on an existing engine that has been around for years now. It is simply too buggy and the AI is rubbish. It seems to me that many games not made by Valve get corrupted in some way when ported over to delivery by Steam. I think Steam is partially to blame for this game being so buggy. Creative Assembly are mostly to blame, however, for not sufficiently testing it and releasing it in this state. Also forcing people like myself, who bought the boxed version from a box, to use steam is wrong. I stopped buying from Steam a couple of years ago because the steam versions were buggy. Lo and behold I buy another game and am forced to use Steam and guess what? It's extremely buggy.… Expand
  24. 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
  25. JohnK
    Mar 16, 2009
    1
    Game isn't finished, too many memory leaks, fatal crashes in an extended campaign games, stupid Campaign AI, anyone know how to delete a saved game yet? odd events-ex- you have to research the steam engine in order to build a 1st rate SOL, which would be ok if you could mod it; but with steam, that is out. If you like beautiful figures and neat looking ships with great special Game isn't finished, too many memory leaks, fatal crashes in an extended campaign games, stupid Campaign AI, anyone know how to delete a saved game yet? odd events-ex- you have to research the steam engine in order to build a 1st rate SOL, which would be ok if you could mod it; but with steam, that is out. If you like beautiful figures and neat looking ships with great special effects , this is the game for you; if you actually want to play a strategy game with tactical battles,find something else to buy.… Expand
  26. GuyGordon
    Mar 20, 2009
    2
    The game simply does not work. I am a QA analyst for a graphics production firm. I have a PC that is so far and above the industry standard that it isn't funny. It's very well optimized...but the code in E:TW is completely flawed. This game is unplayable. I rated it a 2 because the intro movie looks nice. The game, can't play it...even with a quad core, 4 video GPUs and 12 The game simply does not work. I am a QA analyst for a graphics production firm. I have a PC that is so far and above the industry standard that it isn't funny. It's very well optimized...but the code in E:TW is completely flawed. This game is unplayable. I rated it a 2 because the intro movie looks nice. The game, can't play it...even with a quad core, 4 video GPUs and 12 GB of DDR3.… Expand
  27. RobertM.
    Mar 20, 2009
    2
    Let's get things straight; this has the potential to be a brilliant game. Pity it doesn't work and here's why: - 1) steam - an unnecessary complication that is just unnecessary. Why should I have steam running if I bought the dvd? 2) in game crashes - after about 20 turns of my campaign I got to a point where the game crashes at the end of the current turn and nothing for Let's get things straight; this has the potential to be a brilliant game. Pity it doesn't work and here's why: - 1) steam - an unnecessary complication that is just unnecessary. Why should I have steam running if I bought the dvd? 2) in game crashes - after about 20 turns of my campaign I got to a point where the game crashes at the end of the current turn and nothing for me to do except restart campaign. 3) battle AI - the much heralded in game AI is not half as good as it's made out to be. The game is full of quirks which are both annoying and ridiculous. 4) load times - load times are plain ridiculous. I find my self planning what to do after the end of the current turn...make tea, get crisps, phone mates etc. 5) NPC turns - in agame of this scale there are loads of NPCs. In this my first campaign there are over 20 factions. End of turn is PAINFUL because even though I've disabled the display of NPC moves, it still takes ages to go through all of them. This game is in dire need of patching and should have never been released in its current state but unfortunately that is the trend these days. Release over hyped rubbish and make people buy it and then patch it later. I was a pc gamers for over 10 years before I switched over to the 360 and this has been my return to PC gaming. Not a good comeback to say the least. My advice is wait till the 2nd or 3rd patch and buy it then...probably at half the price!!… Expand
  28. 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
  29. BradLittle
    Mar 22, 2009
    1
    Regardless of how good it might be, you can't play it if it won't run. Like many others, the game refuses to load for me from Steam DESPITE following all instructions twice. All latest video drivers and XP updates, Steam re-installed, game re-installed, etc. I advise avoiding this game unless you are an expert with configuring your computer, or if you can afford to waste the Regardless of how good it might be, you can't play it if it won't run. Like many others, the game refuses to load for me from Steam DESPITE following all instructions twice. All latest video drivers and XP updates, Steam re-installed, game re-installed, etc. I advise avoiding this game unless you are an expert with configuring your computer, or if you can afford to waste the purchase price.… Expand
  30. 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.
  31. MalcolmA.
    Mar 23, 2009
    1
    The vote of one is for the packaging. Have yet to be able to even play this game. Steam advice in the forums hasn't helped at all. Liked all the previous Total War games. Thoroughly dissappointed with this thing. Online help is very poor. Can't even play it solo offline. One word opinion? Rubbish!
  32. Arnold
    Mar 24, 2009
    3
    Empire Total DISAPOINTMENT....the King IS dead, long live the King! A very buggy and poorly finished release. Very, VERY buggy, slow and .....STEAM....CA must have expected the backlash and were obviously willing to risk it....shame on you guys and the poor excuses you give to justify STEAM.....give me DRM any day, YES STEAM is that bad. It's going to take something pretty special to Empire Total DISAPOINTMENT....the King IS dead, long live the King! A very buggy and poorly finished release. Very, VERY buggy, slow and .....STEAM....CA must have expected the backlash and were obviously willing to risk it....shame on you guys and the poor excuses you give to justify STEAM.....give me DRM any day, YES STEAM is that bad. It's going to take something pretty special to get me back into the TW series.....and I won't be buying a TW game until it's been out and seriously reviewed for some time (ignoring those reviewers who are obviously kidding themselves, 8's, 9's and 10's.....you know who you are....or you simply do not know what makes a good game (and ETW aint it!). Oh, did I mention how buggy it is...it makes Windows Vista look GOOD!!!… Expand
  33. 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
  34. MichaelthePole
    Mar 25, 2009
    1
    This has to be the worst public relations disaster since the Titanic. I pre ordered this pos in January, and ALL I got for that was "well, it's not our fault that you got taken like a 6 year old at his first carnival." I have the same failure to load problem described on the Forum by aprox 15,000 ex-CA fans. I posted a ticket with SEGA on March 5, and the response I got was "While This has to be the worst public relations disaster since the Titanic. I pre ordered this pos in January, and ALL I got for that was "well, it's not our fault that you got taken like a 6 year old at his first carnival." I have the same failure to load problem described on the Forum by aprox 15,000 ex-CA fans. I posted a ticket with SEGA on March 5, and the response I got was "While your computer meets the spec requirements published when you bought the game, your computer does not meet the specs actually necessary to RUN the game. We'll let you know if we ever figure out a way to convert your $60.00 investment from an attractive desk top icon into the item you thought you purchased. By the way, don't let your desktop cleaner hide your unusable Empire: Total War icon in your Unused Icon folder - we're sure that you'll want to be reminded every day that you've been screwed to the wall by CA and SEGA as well as Steam." If this isn't fixed by April 1st (Isnt THAT a real funny?!) I'm going to dust off my old retired lawyer hat and see what we need to do about interstate mail fraud. I want my money back. If you can't load this turkey, please post a little love note to SEGA/CA at http://shoguntotalwar.yuku.com/topic/50484 If you have the "dreaded white screen of death" (I'm not joking!) or one of a hundred other crash to desktop issues, or if the AI is hopelessly retarded or you cant load any of your saved games, you have the comfort of knowing that your friends in the STEAM community share your pain and you can always amuse yourself by watching the endless advertisements that STEAM provides as "updates." If you haven't bought this, listen to these voices of dearly purchased experience and avoid any CA products like something you found on the bottom of your shoe after using a public restroom in a San Francisco City Park.… Expand
  35. EtienneT
    Mar 27, 2009
    1
    This was the first TW game I had bought. Man I was disappointed. From constant CTD, to freezing my PC, out of video memory (1GB GTX 285 sli), Out of system memory (4 GB/2.8GB x86), Laggy campaign map (q9300 @3.0Ghz), graphic errors that cause crashes (after third patch 3/26/09). Slow battle load times (RAID 0+1 4x500GB SATA). I want my money back! Bioshock, COD4 & 5, CSS. CNC3, CIV4, FEAR This was the first TW game I had bought. Man I was disappointed. From constant CTD, to freezing my PC, out of video memory (1GB GTX 285 sli), Out of system memory (4 GB/2.8GB x86), Laggy campaign map (q9300 @3.0Ghz), graphic errors that cause crashes (after third patch 3/26/09). Slow battle load times (RAID 0+1 4x500GB SATA). I want my money back! Bioshock, COD4 & 5, CSS. CNC3, CIV4, FEAR & XP & fear2, and UT3 all play on my system w/out any problems at all! Why would a game pushed back on a release date still not be ready when released? 3 patches in 22 days of released and the community still complaining about not being able to play! I had no problems with sound and the upgrade sound and now I have new crashes! YAY... Wasted 30 hours trying to play this game (late at night after work) and cannot play 5 turns without a CTD! YET I install far cry 2 put on max settings and played 2 hours straight without a problem on the first go! I think CA just needed operating money and released this too early. Far as I am concerned I will never buy a CA game again.… Expand
  36. 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.
  37. johnl
    Mar 29, 2009
    1
    This game so, far is a disaster at best. With specs that are questionable and a load of bugs that seem to plague all computers great and small. What happened to the days when you purchased a game and you didn't need to connect to the internet. As a long time fan of the total war series I have come to see the fall (or beginning stages of) a great game franchise. Next time take an This game so, far is a disaster at best. With specs that are questionable and a load of bugs that seem to plague all computers great and small. What happened to the days when you purchased a game and you didn't need to connect to the internet. As a long time fan of the total war series I have come to see the fall (or beginning stages of) a great game franchise. Next time take an extra 6 months to finish the product.… Expand
  38. JetL
    Mar 29, 2009
    4
    On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this a 4 because of several issues. First, Sega's going Steam. Definitely not a good thing with their DRM which is known to malfunction your PC entirely. Second, Empire TW is using the old formula of previous titles; AI has changed little, from dumb to dumber, absolutely no brain to win even at the hardest levels and even worse then before. Third, at On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this a 4 because of several issues. First, Sega's going Steam. Definitely not a good thing with their DRM which is known to malfunction your PC entirely. Second, Empire TW is using the old formula of previous titles; AI has changed little, from dumb to dumber, absolutely no brain to win even at the hardest levels and even worse then before. Third, at release and even with presto patch, CTD's, freezes, game acting up mid battles, unexplained slowdowns, pc death status. Fourth, feels like QA left town to fix bawdy houses instead. Game is NOT finished, poorly done, and fails my expectation as a gamer. Final thought, take your best friend out with 50 bucks, you'll enjoy much more than "this".… Expand
  39. AaronJ
    Mar 29, 2009
    3
    I have bought every previous TW game since Shogun came out. One of the reasons why I'm such a loyal TW fan is because I knew my money was buying a game ready to play and that the guys at TW didn't realease games early and unready like the other chumps. I bought my computer for 2k last year and belive me when I say it's well past min requirements. Still this is the laggiest I have bought every previous TW game since Shogun came out. One of the reasons why I'm such a loyal TW fan is because I knew my money was buying a game ready to play and that the guys at TW didn't realease games early and unready like the other chumps. I bought my computer for 2k last year and belive me when I say it's well past min requirements. Still this is the laggiest game ever.. Unplayable!!! And I haven't even run into the crashing bugs that everyone is talking about. Why would someone want to buy anything thats not ready? It's like buying a car with no wheels yet. I'm not old but I do remember days when you bought a game it was playable and finished when you spent your $70!!!!! I'm taking this back to EB games today and getting back my money one way or the other... Then I'll buy the game when these bastards decide to finish it. Unbelievable.… Expand
  40. vincef
    Mar 31, 2009
    0
    Graphically magnificent, huge campaign map. But... what a disappointment ! I'm a fan of the serie from Shogun, it's the worst IA ever in a total war game : T_T The game crashes in many ways, so much that the main campain is just impossible to play to the end (total domination of the world) : T_T again. Loading times and AI turns are far too long : T_T (15 minutes for the AI turn Graphically magnificent, huge campaign map. But... what a disappointment ! I'm a fan of the serie from Shogun, it's the worst IA ever in a total war game : T_T The game crashes in many ways, so much that the main campain is just impossible to play to the end (total domination of the world) : T_T again. Loading times and AI turns are far too long : T_T (15 minutes for the AI turn after playing 70 turns !!!!!) This game uses STEAM : T_T again and again As a.… Expand
  41. SlobodanR
    Mar 4, 2009
    1
    There is something almost CRIMINAL about the price tag on this game. For USD 49.99 I purchased two PC-DVDs that installed Steam on my computer. Oh, I got the game too but by virtue of the fact that it is completely dependent on Steam I have a huge amount of trouble playing it since I have a slow internet connection. The game itself is absolutely phenomenal but in being so inseparable from There is something almost CRIMINAL about the price tag on this game. For USD 49.99 I purchased two PC-DVDs that installed Steam on my computer. Oh, I got the game too but by virtue of the fact that it is completely dependent on Steam I have a huge amount of trouble playing it since I have a slow internet connection. The game itself is absolutely phenomenal but in being so inseparable from this aberration called "Steam" its playability drops sharply. I can't, in all good conscience, recommend this game to anyone in its current form. If The Creative Assembly ever releases a version of the game that will actually run off the PC-DVD, install to your computer, and play without being completely dependent on a third party program then by all means, buy it. For the time being though I suggest you stay away from Empire Total War; a complete waste of fifty dollars.… Expand
  42. Dane.
    Mar 5, 2009
    2
    I agree with the above post. Plus you obviously need a int connection. I know this may seem like a strange complaint, but a developer shouldn't be forcing things on you. To be honest its not really a total war game anyway. The map is far too big(this would not be bad if it was done well) but it isnt. France is one region, and Britain is two, its seems to me like they've just I agree with the above post. Plus you obviously need a int connection. I know this may seem like a strange complaint, but a developer shouldn't be forcing things on you. To be honest its not really a total war game anyway. The map is far too big(this would not be bad if it was done well) but it isnt. France is one region, and Britain is two, its seems to me like they've just taken some provinces out of Europe and labelled them America @ India. Half of it isn't even provinces just "wilderness". It goes on . . .The game certainly does not deserve the credit its getting. Its still solid but i expected more from CA, thus the 2 stars. (Oh, and they've reverted back to clone armies).… Expand
  43. ChimpeeW
    Mar 6, 2009
    3
    Am I the only one who thinks this game feels completely unfinished. The AI is horrible, the path finding sucks. When I have units group and tell them to walk 100 yds straight ahead, why do they all decide to crisscross each other. Why does my cavalry chase the enemy cavalry then stop once they are within 10 feet of them? Why is it nearly impossible to form a straight line on anything but Am I the only one who thinks this game feels completely unfinished. The AI is horrible, the path finding sucks. When I have units group and tell them to walk 100 yds straight ahead, why do they all decide to crisscross each other. Why does my cavalry chase the enemy cavalry then stop once they are within 10 feet of them? Why is it nearly impossible to form a straight line on anything but an empty mile wide field? Why does my army constantly lift sieges on their own? If I'm besieging someone and they try to break the siege but fail, why does my army break off the siege? Also in the American campaign when I'm assaulting a fort, why is my advisor telling me how best to defend my fort? And yes the whole steam thing sucks. Guess what, people will still pirate this game, you're only hurting honest consumer. I guess if my internet goes down and I want to play I'm SOL. I haven't played around with the naval combat yet to know if it works or not, maybe that's where they put all their effort. We'll see. Where's the patch? I'm bleeding here.… Expand
  44. Kyle
    Mar 9, 2009
    0
    Horrible unit variety, pay $20 more for more diversity, countless bugs, gameplay issues, Terrible AI & Historical accuracy. (Ever wanted to see Indians march like europeans? Then this is the game for you!) CTD'ing with Gentlemen, Steam issues, UNKEPT, shoddy promises towards the modding community are just a few of the reasons why you shouldn't buy this game. Only 12 nations Horrible unit variety, pay $20 more for more diversity, countless bugs, gameplay issues, Terrible AI & Historical accuracy. (Ever wanted to see Indians march like europeans? Then this is the game for you!) CTD'ing with Gentlemen, Steam issues, UNKEPT, shoddy promises towards the modding community are just a few of the reasons why you shouldn't buy this game. Only 12 nations chooseable, many nations contain files as if they are unlockable, discovered by modders, but they are not. STAY AWAY. You have been warned.… Expand
  45. ManuelH
    Apr 11, 2009
    3
    In spite of the serious AI related flaws (which ho-pefully will be addressed in future official patches and/or mods) ETW could have had been a strong candidate for becoming a landmark in the genre had a later-dated version been released allowing for more time to fix all the technical problems, bugs and glitches that plague the game. The visuals are great ; the tactical land & sea battles In spite of the serious AI related flaws (which ho-pefully will be addressed in future official patches and/or mods) ETW could have had been a strong candidate for becoming a landmark in the genre had a later-dated version been released allowing for more time to fix all the technical problems, bugs and glitches that plague the game. The visuals are great ; the tactical land & sea battles are jaw-dropping and punche a high re-playability value ; the move to the 18th century warfare enhances both the strategic and tactical portions of the game with the failful introduction of the epoch weaponry and tactics. I give youl that. But then again, what good would that dov those problems render it almost unplayable. (Completely unplayable in my case: after 2 weeks of intermittent - though frecuent - crashes the game just dedided to "Totally" crashed even b4 getting to the main menu screen. I reported this today and I'm hoping to hear from CA some time soon) Being a long-standing fan of the TW series and the high expectations I had about this particular game it is sad for me to say that all in all Empire Total War feels more like a rushed-out Beta than a well polished and finished product. (Also the hight retail price effectively adds to my sadness!) Perhaps it is hight time for SEGA/CA to be reminded of this simple formula: A Happy Gamer Is A Dumb Buyer, regardless of any marketing and sale strategy. So I think I'm going to unhook my bayonet and unsaddle my horse and wait for the game to live up to its name because right now I can't say I owe "Empire Total War" but "Empire Total CRASH"! ---- A Very Unhappy Gamer… Expand
  46. BryanS
    Apr 10, 2009
    3
    Great game... except the crash to desktop bugs. And the lock up just before you finish the grand campaign bugs... And the units getting stuck on the edge of towns and/or islands bugs... And the 10 to 30 seconds of lag each time you select a naval unit bug.. Oh, and the AI is incapable of actually loading ground units onto ships, so you cannot lose if you are an island nation bug Great game... except the crash to desktop bugs. And the lock up just before you finish the grand campaign bugs... And the units getting stuck on the edge of towns and/or islands bugs... And the 10 to 30 seconds of lag each time you select a naval unit bug.. Oh, and the AI is incapable of actually loading ground units onto ships, so you cannot lose if you are an island nation bug (excepting you cannot actually finish to win, perhaps this is the developer's idea of game balance?)... Plus you get the joy of installing Steam, and the darn "achievements" are even bugged!!! Otherwise, lots of fun. As far as I can tell, this game was shipped unfinished and the game review sites that give this dog high ratings are most likely getting kick backs from the developer!… Expand
  47. RobertG
    Apr 10, 2009
    0
    This game has been hopelessly reviewed by many of the above game critics. Calling this load of rubbish the "greatest strategy game of all time" (Total PC Gaming) does great disservice to those who actually do create decent, stimulating strategy games. This game barely passes for a strategy game. The campaign is comically simple, the multi player a joke and the supposed historical accuracy This game has been hopelessly reviewed by many of the above game critics. Calling this load of rubbish the "greatest strategy game of all time" (Total PC Gaming) does great disservice to those who actually do create decent, stimulating strategy games. This game barely passes for a strategy game. The campaign is comically simple, the multi player a joke and the supposed historical accuracy essentially nonexistent. Not to mention the bugs.… Expand
  48. JohnT.
    Apr 12, 2009
    3
    The developer Creative Assembly should try to actually test their software before releasing it. This game has a great concept, but the limited and buggy implementation really ruins it once you play for more than an hour. The computer AI on the campaign is really horrible (no naval invasions? are you serious?), and for a game campaign conquests I am shocked this did not come up earlier in The developer Creative Assembly should try to actually test their software before releasing it. This game has a great concept, but the limited and buggy implementation really ruins it once you play for more than an hour. The computer AI on the campaign is really horrible (no naval invasions? are you serious?), and for a game campaign conquests I am shocked this did not come up earlier in their development process.… Expand
  49. XenophonXenophon
    Apr 12, 2009
    2
    I could live with the bugs--knowing that someday they'll probably get fixed--but the bottom line is that the AI sucks badly--especially the campaign AI. Why can't CA just take some hints from Civilization or Europa Universalis? Even the battle AI still pales when compared to Sid Meier's Gettysburg--and that was over 10 years ago. Not to mention the sheer idiocy of seeing I could live with the bugs--knowing that someday they'll probably get fixed--but the bottom line is that the AI sucks badly--especially the campaign AI. Why can't CA just take some hints from Civilization or Europa Universalis? Even the battle AI still pales when compared to Sid Meier's Gettysburg--and that was over 10 years ago. Not to mention the sheer idiocy of seeing troops attack massive forts with grappling hooks without any casulties!! ---just a huge step backwards from the enjoyable castle battles in MTW. Rakes, gentlemen, and clergy are unbelievably boring and a pain to deal with--nowhere near the fun of spys and assasins. The graphics are better and naval battles are fun but predictable, but basically this is the proverbial lipstick on the pig. Unless the AI is fixed this series is doomed.… Expand
  50. DanB
    Apr 13, 2009
    4
    I was really looking forward to this game. I've played all of the total war titles from Rome upwards. I saw the trailer for this on the total war site and was really excited. But this game is **** compared to M2 and Rome They should have waited a year to release it. This steam **** meant i spend hours working out how to even install the game. Which had bad graphics anyway. Do they I was really looking forward to this game. I've played all of the total war titles from Rome upwards. I saw the trailer for this on the total war site and was really excited. But this game is **** compared to M2 and Rome They should have waited a year to release it. This steam **** meant i spend hours working out how to even install the game. Which had bad graphics anyway. Do they expect us to have supercomputers??? People need to buy stuff like food!!!!!!! And the reviewers were no help.… Expand
  51. SteveW
    Apr 14, 2009
    1
    I have been a loyal Total War player since Shogun... paying full retail price for each game & expansion. Total War has been, hands down, my favorite video game series franchise of all time. Therefore, it pains me to say that I am extremely disappointed with Empire: Total War on so many levels! I feel like a complete fool for taking all of those "official" reviews seriously & paying full I have been a loyal Total War player since Shogun... paying full retail price for each game & expansion. Total War has been, hands down, my favorite video game series franchise of all time. Therefore, it pains me to say that I am extremely disappointed with Empire: Total War on so many levels! I feel like a complete fool for taking all of those "official" reviews seriously & paying full price for this disaster. Most of my complaints have been summed up already, so here are my top 3 issues with ETW... CA/SEGA are you listening???!!! 1) AI - Why can't the AI in vade the British Isles???!!! This was not a problem for the Romans to do when I played as the Britons (RTW)! The fact that the AI refuses to conduct naval troop transports/assaults is inexcusable & kills game play!!!! This is my biggest AI complaint, but there are other issues as well (which have already been well documented). 2) Campaign Map - Rome & Medieval II have such straight-forward, yet still "living", Campaign Maps that were very easy to navigate. ETW has a cluttered, cartoonish map that is difficult to navigate & not enjoyable to look at. 3) Steam - I you are going to include DRM software on a game, please put something like a "Surgeon Genral's Warning" on the side of the box. I will not even consider purchasing a STEAM/DRM game again until consumers clearly receive this information on the packaging... Honestly, even if it IS made clear, I probably won't buy another "STEAM-game". I had so much faith in CA/SEGA, that I went out and bought a new computer primarily so I could play this game. Even if most of the well documented bugs are fixed, the incompetent AI, the horrible campaign map & STEAM make this game more of a headache than a fun-filled, strategic experience. After several weeks of trying to like this game, I put it on a shelf & have rekindled my love for Rome: Total War. Even with the "clone armies" and some faults of its own (nothing's perfect), I find RTW (as well as M2TW) to be highly replayable. Rome: Total War currently costs $14.49 New on Amazon. Unfortunately, I can't even recommend Empire: Total War (in its current condition) at that price. This isn't just about STEAM... CA/SEGA has "jumped the shark" with this one.… Expand
  52. BlakeM
    Apr 14, 2009
    2
    I think it is funny because every where else people only complain how bad this game is The magazines are just promotional tools those reveiws are a little more than just biased. This is a sorry incomplete product and has no right to be out on the market yet, it's hardly playable. Steam could not even provide a manual when I bought the game through them. Shame on all the gaming I think it is funny because every where else people only complain how bad this game is The magazines are just promotional tools those reveiws are a little more than just biased. This is a sorry incomplete product and has no right to be out on the market yet, it's hardly playable. Steam could not even provide a manual when I bought the game through them. Shame on all the gaming magazine shills, I knew there was a good reason I don't read that garbage.… Expand
  53. lordx
    Apr 17, 2009
    4
    Close but no cigar. To many bugs and crashes. And no unlockable factions. I always play very hard and i love to start with only 1 area. Not with this game. Let me conquer america as iroquois vs the europeans or let me make an alliance with russia and the ottoman as bavaria and let me be the new austria.
  54. VeryAngry
    Apr 18, 2009
    0
    Hey guys, lets release an unfinished product! Sounds good to me! Well to the consumer it sounds horrible... i cant even LAUNCH the thing without it crashing. what they did is THEFT and because of them i shall no longer be buying ANY games from steam
  55. AnonymousMC
    Apr 18, 2009
    3
    AI is awful. Units tend to get stuck and not move. Units have to actually rotate formation to fire another direction. Did I say AI is awful. The game is slow and turn based (not mentioned in the description). I spent 50 and 5 hours downloading this pile of code. Thanks for all the faulty payed off reviews to whom ever is responsible. No way it deserves these scores. To all you that seeAI is awful. Units tend to get stuck and not move. Units have to actually rotate formation to fire another direction. Did I say AI is awful. The game is slow and turn based (not mentioned in the description). I spent 50 and 5 hours downloading this pile of code. Thanks for all the faulty payed off reviews to whom ever is responsible. No way it deserves these scores. To all you that see after you purchase it and click the metascore like I did. Sorry. In a time like this we really don't need the, what we assume is a, honest industry to start acting corporate and providing bias reviews.… Expand
  56. AnonymousMC
    Apr 22, 2009
    2
    Bugs, bugs, bugs; bugs everywhere. How sad is it that you actually hope that the game will just crash quickly, instead of hanging your system, before you can try again.
    Please give me a copy of the game the official reviewers had, so I can also wax lyrical about it.
  57. JamesH
    Apr 22, 2009
    1
    This game still isn't complete. It will cause a game crash on the 15th turn on the grand campaign every time during the AI turn. There's something that the AI is doing that will constantly cause an error. Add to that the fact that the AI is about as dumb as can be, that the number of unit differences is minimal, the loading times are very high, and it lacks anything fun.
  58. RyanR
    Apr 23, 2009
    1
    Unplayable, buggy, crashes, blue screen wtf!, AI is retarded, Sea battles more frustrations then your own mother in law. Shall I go on? This game if I can call it so is garbage that needs lot of chlorine to wash away to even not be as good as the buggiest game out there. Do not support the makers of this "game". Instead, go spend 70 bucks on stuff you truly enjoy, this isn't it.
  59. HenryL
    Apr 23, 2009
    1
    I have to agree with Steve W; specifically because of the Steam software installation process and the fact that nowhere on the external box does it state that you will be required to use this s/ware to install, let alone play the game. This goes beyond sad, it's an infringement on the basic human rights of gamers to be able to play standalone games without having Steram inflicted I have to agree with Steve W; specifically because of the Steam software installation process and the fact that nowhere on the external box does it state that you will be required to use this s/ware to install, let alone play the game. This goes beyond sad, it's an infringement on the basic human rights of gamers to be able to play standalone games without having Steram inflicted thereupon. A class action ought to be brought against The Creative Assembly and Sega for this puerility! Further, the fact atht you need to be connected to the net to download the Special Forces, only when you reach a certain level, who the hell do you think you are? Particularly, in light of the fact that the back of the box clearly states that you only need a net connection to activate. Nothing there about the crapola you find out whilst installing. Oh, and the System Requirements, well they're not only a load of crap but barely visible. All this Before you even get to play the game. The front of the box has an M rating, stating Battle & Violence, in my opinion, this is exactly what should be perpetrated upon tCA/Sega, Steam and Valve.… Expand
  60. keithc
    Apr 25, 2009
    0
    1.) problems with the ships getting stuck or "disappearing from the game" even thou' you can see it on screen many a problem when in trading mode. 2.) slightly disappointed that you can only uses a single army to face each other unlike Med' War 2 with multi armies facing each other. In this game the "extra" army come in as replacement which make game play difficult and weird 1.) problems with the ships getting stuck or "disappearing from the game" even thou' you can see it on screen many a problem when in trading mode. 2.) slightly disappointed that you can only uses a single army to face each other unlike Med' War 2 with multi armies facing each other. In this game the "extra" army come in as replacement which make game play difficult and weird 3.)Another area which is a difficult is trying to place your troops behind a wall crouching. Then to crouch with their back against the enemy! 4.)The worse bit in the game is you own artillery they have a very bad tendencies of regularly killing your own side more than they do to the enemy. 5.)disappointed by the "towns" compared to Med War 2 these "cites" look more like hamlets. Took a while to get uses to it. 6.)Problem with troops getting stuck coming out of the fort, many artillery troops and sometime when that happens the troops go haywire and have a mind of their own. 7.)Problems with the game crushing after you finish a long battles and you get really pissed off after routing the enemy and having to play the same battle again only for it to crash again. 8.)No option in deleting game saved on "stream" so you end up with loads of game that you can't get rid off. 9.)Good point are the sea battles but the game tend to crash after capturing the enemy ships. 10.)like the idea of getting troops inside buildings but not all buildings on the map which is a disappointment. 11.)Not sure about the "none" mobile artillery guns and unlimited artillery supply. 12.)In all it's good game, the only real plus is the Ship battles which is outstanding if the game didn't crash so often. So I'm giving it a "0" to off set those "10" given by some people.… Expand
  61. EamonA
    Apr 27, 2009
    3
    Very disappointing game to actually play. Crashes all the time for me as I get into the middle stages of the campaign game and I have the most expensive notebook Gateway makes. The AI is silly. Why would very weak countries attack very strong countries? If the AI never puts troops on ships, does that not mean that playing England is rather safe? But, in the end, the crashes just drove me Very disappointing game to actually play. Crashes all the time for me as I get into the middle stages of the campaign game and I have the most expensive notebook Gateway makes. The AI is silly. Why would very weak countries attack very strong countries? If the AI never puts troops on ships, does that not mean that playing England is rather safe? But, in the end, the crashes just drove me out of every game.… Expand
  62. ChrisC
    Apr 27, 2009
    4
    For the glut of people voting 10 on the game down at the bottom of this list, and then complaining about people 'ruining the games user rating' with low scores, shame on you. You obviously either a) haven't played the game for any length of time to see what all the bug fuss is about or b) happen to have the one working game platform I'll guess the game was initially For the glut of people voting 10 on the game down at the bottom of this list, and then complaining about people 'ruining the games user rating' with low scores, shame on you. You obviously either a) haven't played the game for any length of time to see what all the bug fuss is about or b) happen to have the one working game platform I'll guess the game was initially designed around or c) you're employed by SEGA or STEAM and they are urging you to put these two sentence, 10-score ratings in here to try to pull a fast one on the public. And here, I thought SONY was the only gaming company content to shove unfinished games onto the market and then laugh at all the unknowing, paying public BETA testers, but apparently not. CTD issues abound, and saving the game before an anticipated CTD won't save you, either, as the game won't show that save on the load game screen afterwards. I wouldn't even begrudge them the use of the STEAM thing to try to keep their product their own, I suppose, but to release a game that so obviously needs at least 6 more months if not a year of solid playtesting is almost unforgiveable, particularly when you take a title that has been known for quality in the past and drag its good name into the dirt like this. I give this game a 4 instead of a 0 b/c, as other people have pointed out, it has the POTENTIAL to be up there with the greatest of TW games. However, it is nowhere near that point in its present state. If you have been a serious TW fan (like so many here who have already posted), my advice is to wait a good 6 months for the smoke and the bs to clear - then check the forums to see if this is finally a worthwhile purchase.… Expand
  63. TimothyW
    Apr 28, 2009
    1
    This is a really bad game. I bought it, and I was all excited, but there are so many bugs and the gameplay is boring and tedious to the point that I haven't touched it in about a month. I was waiting for them to patch it, but so far they still haven't fixed all the issues as of 04 - 28 - 09 - Over a month after they released it. I'm particularly annoyed by their new This is a really bad game. I bought it, and I was all excited, but there are so many bugs and the gameplay is boring and tedious to the point that I haven't touched it in about a month. I was waiting for them to patch it, but so far they still haven't fixed all the issues as of 04 - 28 - 09 - Over a month after they released it. I'm particularly annoyed by their new building setup where you basically have no choice but to build what they tell you to build, and some towns and villages only let you build one thing. It makes no sense! I'm the King and if I want a stable in the middle of the frozen tundra, then I'm going to build it there! Damn you, SEGA, for ruining the Total War Series, I truly think you have sunk your own ship. (The addition of naval battles is the best thing about this game and that's why it earns 1 point.)… Expand
  64. NovahawkA
    Apr 29, 2009
    0
    Hmm ok where to begin my review. Installing ...installing...silence...nothing happens...ahh ....installing...Blue screen...wtf!!! file missing what!!? Please reinstall 11.3 GB game. wtf!!! after 2 hours of trying to install I gave up. Steaming and angry at CA and SEGA and Gamespy "review" . What a load of crap. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Someone ought to sue all of them and give Hmm ok where to begin my review. Installing ...installing...silence...nothing happens...ahh ....installing...Blue screen...wtf!!! file missing what!!? Please reinstall 11.3 GB game. wtf!!! after 2 hours of trying to install I gave up. Steaming and angry at CA and SEGA and Gamespy "review" . What a load of crap. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Someone ought to sue all of them and give them a piece of their mind for this outrageous stunt they pulled. Thanks to them, I will save money from buying future crap made by them and spend it on the things that works for me. And I hope someone will put these guys out of business for good and in Jail.… Expand
  65. DisAllusioned
    Apr 5, 2009
    2
    Ok who lets this game out of beta? Seriously this thing crashes more that a blindfolded drunk driver! The graphics on low and medium settings are horrible I keep seeing units made of stick figures. Note to CA some of us need to buy food and housing we don't have a pile of cash to blow on hi-end graphics cards. And linking this to steam wtf now I can't even try to sell this Ok who lets this game out of beta? Seriously this thing crashes more that a blindfolded drunk driver! The graphics on low and medium settings are horrible I keep seeing units made of stick figures. Note to CA some of us need to buy food and housing we don't have a pile of cash to blow on hi-end graphics cards. And linking this to steam wtf now I can't even try to sell this disaster and recoup some of my money!! And I'm not even going to start with the game play issues I just don't have that kind of time. Good job CA you managed to kill the total war franchise and make sure I never buy another product of yours again.… Expand
  66. Hale
    Apr 8, 2009
    3
    This game is way too buggy to be good. Constant crashing, bugs all over the place on the campaign map and in the battles. Patches have just made it worse. I still play Rome:Total War and bought this game with high expectations and am profoundly disappointed. Do I need to put Sega on my publishers to avoid list?
  67. RobK.
    Apr 9, 2009
    2
    Tragically, this is an outstanding game plagued by a 1st rate battleship full of bugs, CTD errors and in my opinion unforgiveable game playweaknesses which could all have been ironed out with a proper Beta. The game frequently (every hour or so) crashes to desktop during naval or land battles, and after about 20-30 turns the game will reach a point where it crashes during the AI turn on Tragically, this is an outstanding game plagued by a 1st rate battleship full of bugs, CTD errors and in my opinion unforgiveable game playweaknesses which could all have been ironed out with a proper Beta. The game frequently (every hour or so) crashes to desktop during naval or land battles, and after about 20-30 turns the game will reach a point where it crashes during the AI turn on the campaign map, and when you reload the saved game it crashes in the same place...with no work around. This leaves your campaign dead in the water, and you have the choice of starting a fresh campaign or just not playing it any more. Really dissappointing, as I've been playing this series since Shogun and bought a new PC just to enjoy this game - wish now I'd spent a week on a beach instead!… Expand
  68. joem
    May 10, 2009
    2
    This game had the possibility of being awesome, but it crashes every 10 mins, it's slow as can be (even on a quad core 6600, 8GB of RAM, GeForce 285, 3.5 TB of hard drive space). There is no way this game should receive the praise it's been getting. This is utterly unstable and unplayable.
  69. MattM
    May 10, 2009
    1
    I HATE STEAM!!!! I am very generous giving the game a one because it runs like a half retarded monkey was a developer. Almost nothing works on the campaign map. I have had this game and not once have been able to finish it due to the developers being half retarded monkeys. they could not stick with what worked on the other total wars.... I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!!
  70. screamingeagle
    May 13, 2009
    0
    At least some of you guys got to play the game.ive yet to get past the STEAM LOADING!!!! i was just looking around at best buy one day and i saw this game.(mind you i dont usually just buy a game right off the bat).but when i saw it i thought COOL!! this is the game ive been waiting for. plus i saw it was from creative assembly so i trusted it because theyve been known for good games like At least some of you guys got to play the game.ive yet to get past the STEAM LOADING!!!! i was just looking around at best buy one day and i saw this game.(mind you i dont usually just buy a game right off the bat).but when i saw it i thought COOL!! this is the game ive been waiting for. plus i saw it was from creative assembly so i trusted it because theyve been known for good games like ROME TW. im sure that it is a good game,its just that steam s#$% that they put it on is ruining there reputation. i mean,i bought,i should be able to play it when ever i want to.thats the last time i will ever buy a game from them as long as they have steam with it. and i will tell other fellow gamers to do the same as well.… Expand
  71. JanusA
    May 14, 2009
    2
    I bought the game expecting a great follow-up to the previous TW series. MAny of the ideas in the game seem well thought-up, but the game is so bug-ridden and have so poor campaign and combat AI that it needs more than a few small patches to fix it.
  72. OliverS
    May 16, 2009
    2
    A game full of bugs. You're not able to play this game without crashes and other bugs that make the gameplay horrible! Thank you CA!!!
  73. SakariM.
    May 2, 2009
    0
    This game is the biggest game disspointment I have ever experienced. The game is completely unplayable, it is ridiculous. I wont state all that is wrong because it has already been said, but what truly has me aghast is that every single media reviewer has praised this game to the stars. I can barely play this game for an hour before I get too frustrated to continue. I am never trusting This game is the biggest game disspointment I have ever experienced. The game is completely unplayable, it is ridiculous. I wont state all that is wrong because it has already been said, but what truly has me aghast is that every single media reviewer has praised this game to the stars. I can barely play this game for an hour before I get too frustrated to continue. I am never trusting reviewers of games again, they are untrustworthy liars. One of my favourite examples of its ridiculousness? Pre-release they boasted of their amazing motion capture "period authentic" melee. Melee is just a buggery mess with a few poorly synced bayonet duels. Wheres my muddy and bloody brawl?… Expand
  74. marlandj
    May 27, 2009
    4
    The game plays excellently...if you can play it. I was able to start one campaign game. Then it automatically updated and I haven't been able to play a campaign game since. It seems there are a lot of us with this problem. Also, the whole "Steam" concept of having to be connected to the internet is just plain stupid. I am with Rick G on this, if there is another TW game and it uses The game plays excellently...if you can play it. I was able to start one campaign game. Then it automatically updated and I haven't been able to play a campaign game since. It seems there are a lot of us with this problem. Also, the whole "Steam" concept of having to be connected to the internet is just plain stupid. I am with Rick G on this, if there is another TW game and it uses Steam, I DEFINITELY will not buy it!… Expand
  75. ChrisJ
    May 7, 2009
    0
    Great when it works (Campaign), but it often doesn't. Random crashes abound - I've even had several saved games that cause it to crash on continuing. In my view it - and its updates - are not fit for deployment (20+ years in the computer industry). AI is utterly inept - some nations build ships without end and do nothing with them, others do same for armies. In many campaigns Great when it works (Campaign), but it often doesn't. Random crashes abound - I've even had several saved games that cause it to crash on continuing. In my view it - and its updates - are not fit for deployment (20+ years in the computer industry). AI is utterly inept - some nations build ships without end and do nothing with them, others do same for armies. In many campaigns I've not once seen the AI send any GB expedition to India - even though its an objective. In fact, only Sweden has been to India under AI control!! AI also never seems to attempt to get rid of Pirates (of the Caribean), even though this is a key to successful trading and colony development. The developers need to go back to square one and test this properly, fix all the bugs - before doing anything else.… Expand
  76. RyanL
    Jun 11, 2009
    0
    Lack of support is devastating this game. The game crashes and has ridiculous bugs and gameplay flaws, yet the developers keep feeding the ignorant masses like new units (which do the same thing as old units but just have a shiny new name or uniform). It's garbage!
  77. JakeB
    Jun 22, 2009
    3
    Ok I bought a new computer about a year ago its a Vista. Vista has lots of problems with downloading stuff but i trust the community and plenty of Vista people play this. I've downloaded Rome: Total War and set all the settings to high except the unit amounts, and its always worked fine except the crash probably every two hours after a turn, heck maybe 5 if im wrong. I'd say 4 Ok I bought a new computer about a year ago its a Vista. Vista has lots of problems with downloading stuff but i trust the community and plenty of Vista people play this. I've downloaded Rome: Total War and set all the settings to high except the unit amounts, and its always worked fine except the crash probably every two hours after a turn, heck maybe 5 if im wrong. I'd say 4 crashes in a day on average. Not a big deal because i just load it back up and pick up were I left off, mabe restart a battle that i just auto win or lose depending on the first outcome (before it crashed). I've looked all over and tried different methods to get Empire: Total War working, but can't. When i try to load the game, it's a white screen and when the cursor loads, the game crashes. I've tried downloading on admin, but no luck. Im currently waiting for the game to update on my third reinstall. Once again I trust the community and I know RTW enough to understand the glitches people talk about and I absolutely hate the fact that you have to have internet access plus Steam to get it working. It's understandable that the customer is guided away from the glitches because steam automatically gives updates, but why not finish the dang game, give it another freakin year and maybe Steam wouldn't be necessary. I love how my updates been starting for the past 10 minutes and a most likely 60$ game tricks it's customer due to the internet access being vital. I love how I go out and get ripped off by the once great Creative Assembly. I'm sure many people will agree with me that the next Total War isn't going to be a must. I can't wait until I finally get ETW working and realize it's horrible becuase of crashes and crappy AI. A lot of the gaming community is most definitely poor or cant afford a bunch of different computers to see whats compatable with the game. Nice job, Sega or whoever did a good job ripping us off this time but next time they put all their bets on another Total War the're goin down for good even if it's compatable and not glitchy... because what average guy wants to spend another 60$ on a game series thats ripped them off in the past? Well I hope I didn't write a bad review considering I'm putting a good deal of my trust into the community, but I know how a company likes to curve your thoughts to get you to buy the game. They clearly put "Hey you gotta have internet access for it to work!" in small print, and not nearly as exciting as i stated it, for a reason. I would've been happy with less graphics and just better AI and a nice 1700 theme. Like that one guy said "Shogun: Total War is still my favorite in the series". Well STW is the first and crappiest and doesnt have nearly as good visual as TW has today. To end this ill just say "Hey, I'll go out and buy a better graphics and video card and see if this games worth playing!"… Expand
  78. joe
    Jul 3, 2009
    1
    Way to buggy to play for more then a few mins. This game had great possibility but came up lacking. I kept holding my breath that the "next patch release" would fix everything. It hasn't. This game is garbage. But don't take my word for it go sink $50 on this train wreck and find out for yourself.
  79. MarcioT.
    Aug 23, 2009
    2
    Activating the game just sucks. A bad strategy for such renowed marks as SEGA, Creative Assembly, and the Total War branch. That Steam thing idea is so weird that I never more want to see it again.
  80. CarmenI
    Sep 14, 2009
    0
    Since day 1, ETW has given me only frustration installing it via a program callled Steam. On the box there is nothing indicating that I must be connected to it, just an internet connection. This is seriously a violation of basic human rights, misleading ad. To add further insult, the game had trouble installing via Steam. It took weeks for them to get this steam fixed in order to install Since day 1, ETW has given me only frustration installing it via a program callled Steam. On the box there is nothing indicating that I must be connected to it, just an internet connection. This is seriously a violation of basic human rights, misleading ad. To add further insult, the game had trouble installing via Steam. It took weeks for them to get this steam fixed in order to install it properly. The game was virtually unplayable; continuous crashes, units didn't respond to commands, the client was very unstable, wait, there wasn't one. The game didn't even have sounds just the annoying and uninspired music. The sea warfare was faring no better; formations were moot. Ships acted more like bumping cars, and still do. With every new patch came new bugs turning things for worse. I resent CA and its affiliates for doing this sort of business; Selling an unfinished product and charging for full price. This release should have been delayed for further testing. Anyone acclaiming this with a 10 are tryng to mislead you for monetary gains. This product deserves a solid 0 for failing its promises. There is no excuse for what they did; rushing an unfinished product and figuring it's ok to fix it later (8 months and counting).… Expand
  81. mcd
    Sep 24, 2009
    4
    I am not buying a Creative Assembly game again. Game is horribly broken, diplomacy AI is weird at best, loading times are too long, changing turns take a minute at least, this is just plain disappointing. I've had it since release date and it's not gotten much better, even with the patches. And now they're trying to release NEW GAMES IN THE SAME VEIN after several months?I am not buying a Creative Assembly game again. Game is horribly broken, diplomacy AI is weird at best, loading times are too long, changing turns take a minute at least, this is just plain disappointing. I've had it since release date and it's not gotten much better, even with the patches. And now they're trying to release NEW GAMES IN THE SAME VEIN after several months? It's insulting.… Expand
  82. BrantC
    Oct 14, 2009
    2
    This game was riddled with bugs from day one. They promised features that were scrapped after a delayed release. They still have not fixed people hacking online, basically ruining any attempt at competitive play. Their staff even posted in a blog that they were not happy with the game on release, even going as far as saying they were ashamed to send copies to their friends. Creative This game was riddled with bugs from day one. They promised features that were scrapped after a delayed release. They still have not fixed people hacking online, basically ruining any attempt at competitive play. Their staff even posted in a blog that they were not happy with the game on release, even going as far as saying they were ashamed to send copies to their friends. Creative Assembly has shown that they continue to move in the wrong direction with the total war series, and are malicious towards their customers. With that said, the game is enjoyable for a campaign or so, but really lacks in any tactical depth and AI capability.… Expand
  83. harryr
    Oct 16, 2009
    0
    Unbelievable amount of bugs. Completely unfinished at release, still only half-way playable 7 months down the road. I strongly discourage anyone from buying this hyped up excuse for a computer game.
  84. AnonymousMC
    Mar 12, 2009
    0
    This game was obviously rushed to release and not thoroughly playtested. The fact that it shipped with a trade port bug, where you could not use trade ports while playing as certain factions, confirms the shoddy playtesting. They've fixed this particular problem, true, but it still is a smoking gun that signals time was not spent actually playing each faction to see if the gameThis game was obviously rushed to release and not thoroughly playtested. The fact that it shipped with a trade port bug, where you could not use trade ports while playing as certain factions, confirms the shoddy playtesting. They've fixed this particular problem, true, but it still is a smoking gun that signals time was not spent actually playing each faction to see if the game worked. There are many other bugs which remain to be fixed.

    I wish I could give a higher score, as it does have the promise to be an addictive game. However, seeing as it is not complete or working, it can only get a zero for now.

    Buy this immediately if you enjoy gambling. There's a great chance it will not work out well for you for quite some time.

    Otherwise, wait a few months for them to actually finish it.    … Expand
  85. MarcoT
    Mar 16, 2009
    1
    It's not enough that this game isn't much more than a beta (some would even go as far as rating it as an alpha), no, what puts insult next to injury is that the publisher adopted Steam for this release - a system technologically as reliable as a badly maintained 70s mainframe, hungry to gather all the data on you it can and effectively prohibiting you from ever reselling the It's not enough that this game isn't much more than a beta (some would even go as far as rating it as an alpha), no, what puts insult next to injury is that the publisher adopted Steam for this release - a system technologically as reliable as a badly maintained 70s mainframe, hungry to gather all the data on you it can and effectively prohibiting you from ever reselling the game. Which in my opinion is the number 1 reason why Sega adopted Steam: It's not the pirates they are after, but killing off the second hand gaming market, which most publishers these days see as a much bigger or at least as big threat to their revenues. Sorry Sega and CA. If you keep up with these politics then I bought the last of your games.… Expand
  86. RussD
    Mar 16, 2009
    2
    This game is so buggy. Even after the 3/10/09 fixes mine still crashed in later years on the grand board. The in battle graphics works (on high) pretty well but has some minor quirks Command not graphics). The (what I call ) the play board or grand board is where the big bugs sit. Not only crashing (a lot in out years) but, withdrawing soldiers to places where I can move them to other This game is so buggy. Even after the 3/10/09 fixes mine still crashed in later years on the grand board. The in battle graphics works (on high) pretty well but has some minor quirks Command not graphics). The (what I call ) the play board or grand board is where the big bugs sit. Not only crashing (a lot in out years) but, withdrawing soldiers to places where I can move them to other land space or move them onto ships. This was a good one. I had a fleet which left off on army and then 2 turns later I tried to move the fleet and it would not let me. It claims that the water I am trying send them to is land. I don't think the Atlantic Ocean is land. I pray evertime after 30+ years in that it does not crash when I make moves on the grand board. I am running Phenom AM3 with 4 meg DDR2 (2 megs a chip) and a 6800 GeForce Video card. I have played and liked the previous Total War but this was a major disapointment. You needed more beta testing. As shown by how soon you had to put a patch out. Maybe you are working off the Microsoft mentality. It doesn't have to work out of the box, we can patch it. The people who wrote the articles didn't play this game for 20hrs through a campain or they would have seen the issues. Send it back. They can do better.… Expand
  87. EricD.
    Mar 18, 2009
    3
    Like many others said this game had the potential to blow the competetion out of the water, but with the addition of steam and the unprecedented number of bugs its just another dissapointment, oh and to all the dumb people that hail steam i just spent 15 months in iraq with no internet connection i cant express the level of anger i had when i couldnt play even once a week with missions, Like many others said this game had the potential to blow the competetion out of the water, but with the addition of steam and the unprecedented number of bugs its just another dissapointment, oh and to all the dumb people that hail steam i just spent 15 months in iraq with no internet connection i cant express the level of anger i had when i couldnt play even once a week with missions, because you had to use steam that is rediculas, if they want to use steam to patch cool and even sell downloadable copies more power to them but to force me to get on steam to play a game i have a hard copy of is too much, as for the game i love it when it will work which isnt much if more patches dont come out and soon this will be the last ca sega game i and many friends ever buy.… Expand
  88. SanderUnknown
    Mar 19, 2009
    4
    a 7.7 is way to much for this game. i give it a max of 4. the Ai is very stupid/retarded. if u sit in a building they just wait until they die. like suicide. more lags are the visuals. they are not that much in portent but i cant figure it out why the gun crew is cleaning the outside of the canon while they should push the gun powder into the canon. and not to forget the "very hard" mode a 7.7 is way to much for this game. i give it a max of 4. the Ai is very stupid/retarded. if u sit in a building they just wait until they die. like suicide. more lags are the visuals. they are not that much in portent but i cant figure it out why the gun crew is cleaning the outside of the canon while they should push the gun powder into the canon. and not to forget the "very hard" mode in "Grand campaign" what is the difference with "easy"? more bad things is if u loose your capitol (like London) you are as good as dead because you will lose almost everything. and specially in the first rounds. they really should fix this.… Expand
  89. SimonW
    Mar 23, 2009
    4
    I loved this game from the start untill to the -- Crash? I tried to find the fix to this problem for a long time, this game is an unblemished diamond waiting for its release. SEGA please, dont hurry with your games, this is total damnation for all the players. They are apparently released an alpha version of the game and try to find out the bugs by torturing the players. AI, Crashes, and I loved this game from the start untill to the -- Crash? I tried to find the fix to this problem for a long time, this game is an unblemished diamond waiting for its release. SEGA please, dont hurry with your games, this is total damnation for all the players. They are apparently released an alpha version of the game and try to find out the bugs by torturing the players. AI, Crashes, and some diplomatical problems.. duh?… Expand
  90. BarryS
    Mar 26, 2009
    2
    wouldnt of minded if i had a poor computer but its 2 grands worth so for the first and hopefully last time im saying this game is so very poo,r at the moment i would even consider it to be some sort of breach of ethics or if it was a bank then conduct or something like that. putting out a product that could of been brilliant and will be but there are loads of brits on the team for christ wouldnt of minded if i had a poor computer but its 2 grands worth so for the first and hopefully last time im saying this game is so very poo,r at the moment i would even consider it to be some sort of breach of ethics or if it was a bank then conduct or something like that. putting out a product that could of been brilliant and will be but there are loads of brits on the team for christ sake. we are awesome at this stuff.… Expand
  91. NigelBl
    Mar 26, 2009
    0
    Very unstable game, very disappointing, bought nes system to run this game and the game crashes all the time despite the recent update, i have bought all the games in the series and this has been the worst for stability, ship battle is disappointing and game play same as last offering, Steam are rubbish and dont respond to problems.
  92. FredD.
    Mar 27, 2009
    4
    Extremely pretty game, but was not ready for release. many users are plagued by crashs, some still cannot even play the game. also notable problems currently, very poor ai- wont even attack via navel assault for example. so to say, you need not garrison any islands you control as they are 100 percent safe!
  93. JimJ.
    Mar 27, 2009
    4
    Releasing it as such a buggy product was a grave error. Gameplay suffers hugely from CTDs. Even after 2 patches, it's not worth buying yet. Huge mistake on the part of the devs. I do not support game devs that pull this kind of garbage.
  94. JimW
    Mar 27, 2009
    3
    This game is nothing more then a black-eye on the superb Total War franchise. In a nut-shell: 1) Runs poorly and slow even on high-end computers 2) The AI is Terrible 3) More bugs then most Alphas that I have played 4) Few words in the English language can adequately describe how bad STEAM sucks In conclusion, This game is a train wreck. No amount of last minute patching can save it This game is nothing more then a black-eye on the superb Total War franchise. In a nut-shell: 1) Runs poorly and slow even on high-end computers 2) The AI is Terrible 3) More bugs then most Alphas that I have played 4) Few words in the English language can adequately describe how bad STEAM sucks In conclusion, This game is a train wreck. No amount of last minute patching can save it because of STEAM.… Expand
  95. derikr
    Mar 27, 2009
    1
    I own all Total war games, adding to my library for years now, one by one.First and foremost, I purchased Empire, and for my money, was given Steam. Having to use Steam irritates me to no end. I cannot defrag my hard drive because of Steam. Ca has been gracious enough to respond to support questions in a timely fashion. however Steam, and Sega have not responded in a week. Now to the I own all Total war games, adding to my library for years now, one by one.First and foremost, I purchased Empire, and for my money, was given Steam. Having to use Steam irritates me to no end. I cannot defrag my hard drive because of Steam. Ca has been gracious enough to respond to support questions in a timely fashion. however Steam, and Sega have not responded in a week. Now to the game, At first it was so buggy, I couldnt run it. After fooloing around with the graphics settings, I finally got it to work, For me it runs pretty well. Again, only pretty well. The AI is dumb as a box of rocks, There are in my mind, too few playable factions, and most are so similar, why bother giving them a name, just call it me - vs - them, and pick a spot to start. I do like many aspects of the game, such as tech tree, diplomacy, easy income, However Steam is so bad, you will wish you spent your money on used clothes instead. Your files are locked away, and in some cases hidden. If you try to defrag your hard drive, you cant, If you delete the files causing the problem, you have to reload the game, which takes several hours. Auto saved games can become unplayable, resulting in CTD over and over again. I make this promise to Ca, and Sega. If I ever have to buy Steam, to get thier game, I will not buy it. I'm giving you my very best advice....dont do it. You will feel better giving your money to a paper shredder. For Steam, and poor AI, my review is a big fat 1.… Expand
  96. TomT
    Mar 31, 2009
    4
    Short: Looks good, Game has high potentials - but Realisation is worse in coding. Compared to Medival2:Tw - AI: Errors and low level Intelligence. Code Errors with Crash to desktop. Design: AI cant land from sea, cant transport troops, makes mass Armies with 1 unit in it, cant do pathfinding ... and so on.. better giving this experimental gamecode some month to develop and it will become Short: Looks good, Game has high potentials - but Realisation is worse in coding. Compared to Medival2:Tw - AI: Errors and low level Intelligence. Code Errors with Crash to desktop. Design: AI cant land from sea, cant transport troops, makes mass Armies with 1 unit in it, cant do pathfinding ... and so on.. better giving this experimental gamecode some month to develop and it will become so good as expected. … Expand
  97. JacobB
    Mar 31, 2009
    3
    Looks to be a great game, though I would agree that Rome and Medieval 2 had a better "feel" right out of the box. However, the numerous issues and problems with this game, causing graphical errors and CTD's like no other game I have ever bought, give this game it's current low score. Fans of the Total War series hear me! Do not buy this game yet! They have many patches to go Looks to be a great game, though I would agree that Rome and Medieval 2 had a better "feel" right out of the box. However, the numerous issues and problems with this game, causing graphical errors and CTD's like no other game I have ever bought, give this game it's current low score. Fans of the Total War series hear me! Do not buy this game yet! They have many patches to go before it isn't sinking from hull damage!… Expand
  98. williamc
    Apr 17, 2009
    2
    To many crashes when playing long campaign games,especially if you're will far along in developing technology. Also a downer is if steam decides to update you while playing your game will crash. Way to many crash bugs for the money they're asking. Compare to other Total War games this is a joke cause of the crashes.
  99. MiaE
    Apr 23, 2009
    0
    I will no longer pre-order games. A lesson learned with this POS. It's time to play with piracy copies maybe the makers will take notice and mend their ways. 0 for a terrible experience with ETW. I have returned it to the store.
  100. MauroB
    Apr 27, 2009
    4
    Unfortunately there are a lot of bugs that need to be fixed. AI is not as good as expected. The software is demanding too many hardware resources, even if I have 3 Gb Ram, ATI 4870 and a good dual core processor, the Game is not running smoothly. It is really a pity, due to the Game is really good, maybe we have to wait for a couple of patches, anyhow my advice is to wait for a few months Unfortunately there are a lot of bugs that need to be fixed. AI is not as good as expected. The software is demanding too many hardware resources, even if I have 3 Gb Ram, ATI 4870 and a good dual core processor, the Game is not running smoothly. It is really a pity, due to the Game is really good, maybe we have to wait for a couple of patches, anyhow my advice is to wait for a few months before buying Empire Total War (when it will cost 15 euro), and in general I raccomend to avoid Steam-like games (due to I would like to avoid to connect to Steam every time I want to play .. I don't have an internet flat contract).… 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]
    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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