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. CrackaCrunch
    Aug 13, 2012
    6
    Let me start on the positive side. This game is an absolute MUST for strategy gamers. Excellent total war combination of great battles with turn based strategy inbetween. The main reason I gave the game a 6 though, is that it is very unpolished. From poor AI to awful diplomacy, the game needs a little help. The only reason I'm writing this review is to inform people that with DarthVader'sLet me start on the positive side. This game is an absolute MUST for strategy gamers. Excellent total war combination of great battles with turn based strategy inbetween. The main reason I gave the game a 6 though, is that it is very unpolished. From poor AI to awful diplomacy, the game needs a little help. The only reason I'm writing this review is to inform people that with DarthVader's mod (called DarthMod) this game is an absolute 10. Look up his mod, it is by far and away the most popular, and it sets out to fix all of the things that keep this game from being scored higher. You will NOT be disappointed.… Expand
  2. bud389
    Jul 24, 2012
    10
    Fans don't give this game the due credit it deserves. Not only did it save CA from bankruptcy, but it also revitalized the Total War series by offering a new, original take on 18th Century warfare. It's Naval combat is unprecedented in and almost bar none compared to any and all other naval combat games taking place in the 18th century and it's new diplomacy and tech tree mechanics workFans don't give this game the due credit it deserves. Not only did it save CA from bankruptcy, but it also revitalized the Total War series by offering a new, original take on 18th Century warfare. It's Naval combat is unprecedented in and almost bar none compared to any and all other naval combat games taking place in the 18th century and it's new diplomacy and tech tree mechanics work nearly flawlessly in their functionality.

    The gameplay, oh the gameplay, theres a vast amount of tactics and strategies you can devise against opponents, some nations requiring a different approach because of their methods of warfare and tech. It offers more interactive and varied approach to the campaign, offering a wide amount of variation from not only nation to nation, but region to region as to what you use each one for, be it for military, economic, or even technological advances to your country, or perhaps enhancing its national prestige.    … Expand
  3. jetSetWilly
    Jul 23, 2012
    10
    Pretty much the best RTS available to date. Easy to pick up, fun to experiment with. Great battles both land and see. Great to play skirmish with a friend. Heaps of different ways to play the game. A great way to learn the general geography and the way things were back in the 1700's. All in all a masterpiece when compared to the lame sci-fi style rts crap being pumped out these days. AndPretty much the best RTS available to date. Easy to pick up, fun to experiment with. Great battles both land and see. Great to play skirmish with a friend. Heaps of different ways to play the game. A great way to learn the general geography and the way things were back in the 1700's. All in all a masterpiece when compared to the lame sci-fi style rts crap being pumped out these days. And the graphics, especially for the boats are just inspirational. Its a beautiful enjoyable game! Fact.… Expand
  4. FFStudios
    Jun 8, 2012
    7
    [First impressions] Steam and I have a complicated relationship: sometimes I see it as a smooth and intuitive way to manage games, whilst other times I curse it for my slow Internet and strange glitches. Anyway, back in 2009, I was causing Steam after I lost my first account and the ability to play Empire Total War. Recently, I managed to find my account and activate ETW; so here's a first[First impressions] Steam and I have a complicated relationship: sometimes I see it as a smooth and intuitive way to manage games, whilst other times I curse it for my slow Internet and strange glitches. Anyway, back in 2009, I was causing Steam after I lost my first account and the ability to play Empire Total War. Recently, I managed to find my account and activate ETW; so here's a first impression review. Empire is certainly quite spectacular with a heavier emphasis on gunpowder weapons and yet the stragegy has been lost somewhat now that your units use guns rather than physical weapons, making them less significant and somehow more dull than Medieval 2. The interface has been redesigned, and by that I mean it's completely incomprehensible thanks to the confusing styling and randomly rearranged functions. One of the most significant additions to the game is naval combat; so now you can actually fight the battle rather than clicking "auto-resolve" with every battle, followed by "clear defeat". The naval combat is spectacular, more so than land battles, but is virtually impossible to control. If you select a ship and right click on an enemy, they flat out don't attack; they just dither in circles while the enemy picks away at your hull. The world map isn't much better thanks to a confusing HUD and apparent lack of the flag colouring from Medieval 2 which made it much easier to tell which cities were weak and which we're overflowing. So, after first impressions; Empire Total War is spectacular and mind bending, but suffers from an unintuative interface and confusing AI.… Expand
  5. Bobbo
    Jun 3, 2012
    8
    An original franchise, a fine game, but dumbed down from Medieval 2 Total War. More realism is better, not less. Multiplayer campaign mode would be nice.
  6. Ragegoat
    May 9, 2012
    5
    Empire: Total War is a grand scale strategy game in which you play a major power approximately form 1700 to 1800. The game, like other total war games, switches between a turn based mode where you administrate your cities, move armies, do research and so on and a battle mode, where you take real time command of the troops fighting the battles of the turn based mode. The game is very prettyEmpire: Total War is a grand scale strategy game in which you play a major power approximately form 1700 to 1800. The game, like other total war games, switches between a turn based mode where you administrate your cities, move armies, do research and so on and a battle mode, where you take real time command of the troops fighting the battles of the turn based mode. The game is very pretty on a system that can run it, but has unreasonable resource demands. On a low-spec system the usage of sprites is very obvious and pretty horrible to look at. Much older games of the series (Rome, Medieval 2) looked better on such a system as they employed less sprites, and if your PC can run Empire to look good it can also run Shogun 2 to look better. Granted, it is awesome to watch a cannon ball plow through an infantry regiment. The muzzle loader infantry combat also looks very cool, but unfortunately the AI is very unimaginative with regards to using the armies, and what it does usually only amounts to a mass suicide. In older or newer Total War games the AI does much better. The AI also suffers from bugs - for instance when you shoot a hole in a fortress wall the AI might place a unit there and re-evaluate this unit's plans so often that it pushes a good (and way above recommended specs) CPU to the limit. Only way to get the game responsive again is to charge said unit - as soon as it is engaged in close combat the game will start flowing again. While the system for tech, buildings and such is way better than the older installments, Empire also lacks something the older games have: the ability to play as defeated minors. This limits the play time of the game very much, since you'll have access to the same majors beating up the same minors. The diplomatic AI also does a lot for making the game repetitive. Once you end up in war with some country you'll probably be at war till either is destroyed. Peace agreements last few turns since the AI feels very sore about having just lost a war against you decides to go lose another. On the other hand naval combat is very good with historically accurate ships, beautiful graphics and such. Best (and first) total war game for a naval battle in my experience. While Empire: Total War provides a good many hours of entertainment there are better Total War titles out there. I'd recommend playing them first.… Expand
  7. TomPD
    May 6, 2012
    10
    When this game first came out, I could understand the negative reviews, this was an unfinished game with too many bugs. But here we are 3 years later and the game has reached its full potential. Go download DarthMod or one of the many other great mods for this game and you have a masterpiece that, if reviewed again today, would receive many more 10 out of 10s. I have played all of theWhen this game first came out, I could understand the negative reviews, this was an unfinished game with too many bugs. But here we are 3 years later and the game has reached its full potential. Go download DarthMod or one of the many other great mods for this game and you have a masterpiece that, if reviewed again today, would receive many more 10 out of 10s. I have played all of the TW games and ETW is my favorite by measure of hours played (over 500). If you like the blend of risk, civilization, and great battles, then this game is a must have.… Expand
  8. Psychopski
    Mar 29, 2012
    1
    I played every Total War release up till Empire. Rome was amazing, and had a Mod community in the hundreds of thousands. Empire, while visually stunning, was a heap of garbage once you get into the nuts and bolts of the game. While graphics have made vast improvements since Rome, Empire TW's diplomacy, combat mechanics, AI, reinforcement system, "ease of access" for modding, and siegeI played every Total War release up till Empire. Rome was amazing, and had a Mod community in the hundreds of thousands. Empire, while visually stunning, was a heap of garbage once you get into the nuts and bolts of the game. While graphics have made vast improvements since Rome, Empire TW's diplomacy, combat mechanics, AI, reinforcement system, "ease of access" for modding, and siege mechanics were a step backwards 10 years from Rome. I cannot for the life of me see how this game has a 90 rating. It's a candy coated lump of garbage. I have to laugh at all the PC gamer magazines that gave this game a 90+ or 100 rating. If you played any of the amazing Rome TW mods, you have to wonder why Creative Assembly decided to snub their noses at their modding community by making Empire so incredibly difficult to mod. In addition, Creative Assembly pretty much abandoned ship on fixing the infinite number of bugs and gave up on improvements for Empire, moving on to release an entirely new title Napoleon TW. As much as I loved the TW series, Empire was my last purchase from Creative Assembly.… Expand
  9. stoneysilence
    Mar 27, 2012
    3
    The graphics are beautiful, there is no doubting that. However everything else was a huge step backwards from TW:M2.

    Rather than going to one place in every region now you have to click on a bunch of different areas. Haven't been able to figure out how to speed up the enemy or my own troop movement on the world map. In general I just can't stand this new version.
  10. p360assassin
    Mar 22, 2012
    0
    Now before i write this review, i must say that i, like many pc users, pirated this game so i could try it before i buy, so i have no bias from steam, even tho i have heard u need ot download the game off steam just to play, using steam isent bad, and the servers are almost always up, the **** about them constantly down is ****.

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

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

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

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

    Dont buy this game, thank god i pirated before i bought or id of been scamed by ****. Also people insulting game, dont say its bad just because it needs steam to play, steam aint that bad and ive never had a game that i couldent install from disk that required steam, it just still needs to patchs, although i dont know if ur arguement on that is valid.    … Expand
  11. grandusalenius
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    This is a strategy game. You will have to defend and expand your empire to get a victory. But this is not easy, you will have to manage city tax policies, deal with revolts, use religion to convert population to the one of you're empire, deal with happiness of cities, train land and naval units, use research to develop technology (by constructing science buildings in cities) and otherThis is a strategy game. You will have to defend and expand your empire to get a victory. But this is not easy, you will have to manage city tax policies, deal with revolts, use religion to convert population to the one of you're empire, deal with happiness of cities, train land and naval units, use research to develop technology (by constructing science buildings in cities) and other complex things typical of strategy games. This series of Total War games is special because in here you can manually fight your battles. What i mean is that if you choose to fight an army with your army (or whatever) you have 2 choices: 1) Auto resolve: based on your unit strength stats against the enemy unit strength stats (and other factor like terrain) one will automatically emerge victorious. And 2) you will fight the war yourself. You will direct your units in real time in the battlefield.

    You have several Empires to select from. Just to name a few: Spain, England, Russia...etc. But you are not in a modern era setting. The game starts somewhere (i don't exactly remember) in the 1750's. So you have to make use of archers, catapults and swordsmen (althought in time you will be able to use cannons and some rifle units) to fight your way to victory. This game is almost as good as Rome: Total War.

    Enjoy!    … Expand
  12. widez
    Mar 10, 2012
    9
    I just finished playing another long campaign in this game after having reinstalled it again some weeks ago and so I thought I should do a review of this game, having played it for over 350 hours in all.
    This is one epic game overall. The move to the age of muskets, rifles and cannons is a very welcome addition to the Total War franchise. The real time battles are stunningly awesome. Both    I just finished playing another long campaign in this game after having reinstalled it again some weeks ago and so I thought I should do a review of this game, having played it for over 350 hours in all.
    This is one epic game overall. The move to the age of muskets, rifles and cannons is a very welcome addition to the Total War franchise. The real time battles are stunningly awesome. Both land and sea battles are fun to play. They have really great graphics and seeing your units and ships fire off volleys of death never gets old. The campaign map is also nice and works smoothly most of the time. Sound is great throughout the whole game from the soundtrack to the sound of cannon fire to the command acknowledgements of your units. UI looks great and is very friendly.
    I would say Empire is definitely on par with Rome and Medieval2 when it comes to Total War games and epicness and awesomeness. There are a few annoyances with the game though of course. The well documented initial legion of bugs that the game was released with are now mostly gone but you can still get some CTDs occasionally. Diplomacy and AI leave a lot to be desired but what else is new about Total War games? Rakes are almost useless, small ships fire longer than bigger ships, some factions have too few unique units, France is represented by a single region etc etc. There are a lot of minor stuff that you can complain about but with a game this big in scope it is only natural.
    Empire: Total War is one of my favorite games from recent years and I probably won't stop playing it until I have played all the major factions in it.    … Expand
  13. Wulfburk
    Mar 9, 2012
    7
    At the first months after release the ammount of bugs really ruined the game, but now after 4 years, the game does give justice to the Total War series. The only issue is lack of mod tools, being the reason that i took one point of its score (was going to give it a 8) but even without mod tools DarthMod does a great job at making a total overhaul of the game gameplay, graphics, scale andAt the first months after release the ammount of bugs really ruined the game, but now after 4 years, the game does give justice to the Total War series. The only issue is lack of mod tools, being the reason that i took one point of its score (was going to give it a 8) but even without mod tools DarthMod does a great job at making a total overhaul of the game gameplay, graphics, scale and other elements!… Expand
  14. Jarec
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    Fantastic game, seriously. I have spent approximately 600 hours on and off playing this game since release and I still keep coming back to it. I only had a couple of issues with it, both of which were easily fixed by modding. The amount of turns in any given game is woefully low (only 200 turns, this is true for all Total War games and is really not enough). The other issue for me wasFantastic game, seriously. I have spent approximately 600 hours on and off playing this game since release and I still keep coming back to it. I only had a couple of issues with it, both of which were easily fixed by modding. The amount of turns in any given game is woefully low (only 200 turns, this is true for all Total War games and is really not enough). The other issue for me was the unit sizes, the battles felt more like skirmishes as opposed proper epic battles. I would still recommend it to any fans of the Total War series. It's probably my favorite after Medieval II.… Expand
  15. GamerLegend
    Feb 12, 2012
    8
    This was my first Total War game and one of my very first pc games. Overall this is a fun game that includes much planning and strategy in order to succeed in. There are many different nation to choose and campaigns to play which adds a lot of variety to the overall gameplay. The multiplayer is fun but a bit glitchy like failing to join a game or random freezes and disconnections. YourThis was my first Total War game and one of my very first pc games. Overall this is a fun game that includes much planning and strategy in order to succeed in. There are many different nation to choose and campaigns to play which adds a lot of variety to the overall gameplay. The multiplayer is fun but a bit glitchy like failing to join a game or random freezes and disconnections. Your units in battle will sometimes not respond to commands. Although this is annoying this is still a great game and worth your 20 bucks on steam.… Expand
  16. Jacob8287
    Feb 4, 2012
    8
    Great strategy game, adds a new perspective while maintaining a fast-paced epic gameplay. Sea battles may be slow, but it's more realistic that way, even if we would like it to be faster. The land battles are great, but the campaign could use some work. Also, the trading system was descent. Though there may be a some flaws, the good outweighs the bad.
  17. AlexanderVascus
    Jan 30, 2012
    10
    Many of the reviews here are either graphics bugs based on ones system or lag. This game uses shader models that impact animations and almost the game's entire system. For those who's graphics cards can run SM3, but seem to have graphical issues or lag. Change it to SM3 Low, or SM2 on which I play it on.
    Performance is now perfect for me and my frames hardly fall with battles unit sizes on    Many of the reviews here are either graphics bugs based on ones system or lag. This game uses shader models that impact animations and almost the game's entire system. For those who's graphics cards can run SM3, but seem to have graphical issues or lag. Change it to SM3 Low, or SM2 on which I play it on.
    Performance is now perfect for me and my frames hardly fall with battles unit sizes on Ultra and everything except grass turned in basic settings.

    Gameplay- If your a die hard veteran of the Total War franchise, you may find yourself a tad disappointing based on your preferences. The previous games have all been either Medieval or Ancient warfare from Thermopylae or the Fields of Agincourt. This game is the Imperialistic expansion of Europe to the new world and setting a foot hold in India. This game takes some serious strategy both on the game map in turn based strategy to the real-time battles of heated combat the series is so known for. Muskets, cannons, and cavalry, placing is key and making units work together well is required for a less costly victory or victory at all. The Naval combat which was unheard from the previous titles is now in real time rather then CPU calculated and auto-resolved. Whilst you can still do this, I find some of the most fun is the naval combat, that hair raising moment of pulling off a well timed broadside strike can seriously cause some eye satisfying carnage. This game holds up to the franchise. I have had absolutely count it ZERO crashes, and minimal graphic issues, with some common sense and tweaking this game runs like a dream. The modding community has also made the improvements to the game that it should have had at launch, including better fire and smoke textures, and improved naval combat. One such mod is the well known DARTHMOD, playing this game turns the already wonderful vanilla game into a perfect RTS with even more satisfying combat, fixing the inconsistencies the game suffered from beforehand. This game is a gem, and to anyone suffering issues with the game, I don't know what to say to you, complaining about it won't help, consulting these issues on forums like Total War center is highly advised. This game is to good to miss out on because of some graphical issues or bugs, the community is there to help.    … Expand
  18. scottish1900
    Jan 15, 2012
    10
    This game is immensely fun. I have played this game in total for 144 hours so I think I have played this long enough to rate it. I enjoy the units it has, It adds a new difficulty to assaulting forts. It adds a new dimension, Sea warfare, and that is probably the highlight for me. I have had ZERO issues with the game crashing and lagging. I love this game, and i still play it. It may notThis game is immensely fun. I have played this game in total for 144 hours so I think I have played this long enough to rate it. I enjoy the units it has, It adds a new difficulty to assaulting forts. It adds a new dimension, Sea warfare, and that is probably the highlight for me. I have had ZERO issues with the game crashing and lagging. I love this game, and i still play it. It may not be the most realistic in terms of warfare, diplomacy etc, but I still like it.… Expand
  19. namDa65
    Jan 6, 2012
    9
    I am very surprised at the user score for this game. This is a step up in graphics, and the game involves a different kind of strategy this time around. My pc died and choked to death on the campaign map at 1080p max settings. Endless replayability, great animations, top notch gameplay. Haters get out!
  20. Interloper
    Dec 30, 2011
    9
    The Total War series have always impressed me, mainly due to their vast size, complexity and attention to detail. Empire Total War raises the bar even higher with its absolutely HUGE map size, its meaningful strategy and addictive gameplay. Truly one of the most immersive and engrossing strategy games ever made.
  21. sdg
    Dec 26, 2011
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Overall Good Game. Positives: Vast map. Naval battles. Huge scale of combat across continents. Negatives: The economy system early on is a pain, especially in higher difficulties. Often, the Enemy AI is not very smart (will rush cannon's loading grape shots). Negotiations and Diplomacy options are limited. AI acts illogically diplomatically if higher difficulties (will declare war even when at highly disadvantageous position). Lastly, no FBR skill for Maratha's.… Expand
  22. lostintime
    Dec 17, 2011
    0
    I would have given this game a 10, but when I play a grand campaign it will after a period of time crash to desktop. I could handle this, unfortunately it gets worse. When I load the game back up and try to load my last saved game, it crashes again! I can't continue my game from the initial crash. Every saved game crashes. I have tried every fix I could find on internet forums to no avail.I would have given this game a 10, but when I play a grand campaign it will after a period of time crash to desktop. I could handle this, unfortunately it gets worse. When I load the game back up and try to load my last saved game, it crashes again! I can't continue my game from the initial crash. Every saved game crashes. I have tried every fix I could find on internet forums to no avail.

    Really, what a pile of crap game. I am glad I only grabbed it from steam really cheap because if I paid a fair sum I would be really pissed off. Still what a rip off! Years after its release and it still doesn't work.    … Expand
  23. iceonfire1
    Dec 15, 2011
    8
    Meh. This game had a lot of potential, and that's probably a big part of the reason that it wasn't able to go through with all of it. Going down the list, everything was "fine." The strategy hadn't changed much, neither had pretty much anything else. The game was basically a polished version of Medieval II, which was a plus, but it came out shortly before Napoleon, which started theMeh. This game had a lot of potential, and that's probably a big part of the reason that it wasn't able to go through with all of it. Going down the list, everything was "fine." The strategy hadn't changed much, neither had pretty much anything else. The game was basically a polished version of Medieval II, which was a plus, but it came out shortly before Napoleon, which started the process of obsolescence early. I had just finished Rome when I started Empire, so I saw a lot of rough edges and dubious plausibilities.… Expand
  24. safjac
    Dec 1, 2011
    0
    This game looks like a 10. I read the cover when I bought the bloody thing at Walmart. It seems that I will never know because the game is not on the disks that I bought. Steam is. After painfully complying with all the hoops and faithfully sitting, rolling over, and playing dead I finally get a Steam account created. Great! Now I get to play, right? Not so fast, Rover. Steam is currentlyThis game looks like a 10. I read the cover when I bought the bloody thing at Walmart. It seems that I will never know because the game is not on the disks that I bought. Steam is. After painfully complying with all the hoops and faithfully sitting, rolling over, and playing dead I finally get a Steam account created. Great! Now I get to play, right? Not so fast, Rover. Steam is currently unable to process your request. Bad dog! Please try again later. So I sat, rolled over, played dead, chewed my shoes and tried again. Eventually I catch Steam at a moment when it is not on break (that daily 15 minute window). Wow! I actually get to play! Not so fast, Amigo! First you have to say hello to my little friend. 5 hours and 58 minutes to download something that I bought in a store. I must commend Creative Assembly for their laudable effort at making masturbation with ground glass and barbed wire seem like an attractive alternative. Jolly good show. I have to rate this game a 0 only because all the schlep involved makes it worth a -8. I buy games in stores, on disk because I do not want to deal with the interweb. I pay, I play... or so I thought.… Expand
  25. Ericius
    Nov 13, 2011
    9
    Great game. Huge world with a very exciting struggle for power. I really enjoy the historical background of the game, the trading is nice, maybe the slave trading is missing to the game but I understand this would insult a lot of people. (but on the other hand you kill a lot of Indians to gain land in America which is also a sore historical subject). Only down point in my opinion is thatGreat game. Huge world with a very exciting struggle for power. I really enjoy the historical background of the game, the trading is nice, maybe the slave trading is missing to the game but I understand this would insult a lot of people. (but on the other hand you kill a lot of Indians to gain land in America which is also a sore historical subject). Only down point in my opinion is that the game crashes a lot.… Expand
  26. DrCola
    Nov 10, 2011
    8
    Dont give into the trolls, the bugs have been fixed, the games campaign is really immersed in tactical stratagems, in comparison to other RTS (that usually just have you click in rapid succession) I have played over 200 hours of this game, beaten it twice on hard and once on easy, you will constantly find yourself playing as different factions getting a different idea of the campaign, suchDont give into the trolls, the bugs have been fixed, the games campaign is really immersed in tactical stratagems, in comparison to other RTS (that usually just have you click in rapid succession) I have played over 200 hours of this game, beaten it twice on hard and once on easy, you will constantly find yourself playing as different factions getting a different idea of the campaign, such as how the dutch tend to win economically against their enemies while russia uses its huge space to slowly move out as a dominant super power, I will admit that the missions are more lame than in previous total war games, its not as polished as all the other total wars, but it brings in new stuff like sea battles, commanding your empire is easier than ever, take out the bugs and the user "totalwarfan" would be forced to bump this up to a 7 at least. But in retrospect, medieval 2 and empire are very different games, dont take it from the trolls that dont want to take the time to learn the endlessly complex game that is empire total war. They tried something new, and I like the new thing they did.… Expand
  27. crage
    Nov 8, 2011
    1
    Two years after release and it's still buggy. Constant crashes and I get maybe 20-30 turns before saved games become corrupt. If it wasn't so frustrating to play because of the glitches it might be a good game.
  28. Bekenel
    Oct 28, 2011
    10
    Truly an exceptional game. This is one of the very best in the series, alongside Medieval 2 and Napoleon.
    The campaign has been expanded by a massive amount, becoming perhaps two-thirds again the size of that in Medieval 2, which means that the capacity for re-playability has become huge. granted, in the main campaign, the number of playable factions has been reduced from 17 to 11, however    Truly an exceptional game. This is one of the very best in the series, alongside Medieval 2 and Napoleon.
    The campaign has been expanded by a massive amount, becoming perhaps two-thirds again the size of that in Medieval 2, which means that the capacity for re-playability has become huge. granted, in the main campaign, the number of playable factions has been reduced from 17 to 11, however there are now a large number of minor factions, those that are unplayable, very accurately reflecting the various nations around at the time., and these can be exploited both for profit and for territorial expansion.
    Trade has become a huge aspect of the game, encompassing up to perhaps 45% of all income, and the aspects of it, including establishing trade lanes to particular trading resources such as ivory or coffee through your faction's navy, exploitation of regional resources in the Americas and India, and of course raiding other nations' trade lanes, pirating them in an attempt to ruin their economy.
    Technology research has become a hugely important aspect of the game, vital to improvement of your economy, army, navy, and political systems.
    Micromanagement has been more-or-less downgraded, with a single page to control tax rates for a whole theatre rather than individual regions. However unrest and rebellion are still a very prominent threat, and if not managed well, can turn to revolution, that can be turned one way or another, with your choice of preserving your political system, or you can engineer a revolution to change to another.
    The vast scope of the campaign makes the game thoroughly enjoyable, which is also reflected in the other major aspect of the game - your military.
    As with every Total War game, your Army is the most important feature of the entire game. However there are obvious changes to it, reflecting of course the new 18th-century setting. Guns - encompassing muskets, and artillery, are now the weapon of choice for the vast majority of factions, meaning largely different tactics are required to achieve victory - simply charging headlong into combat will get your soldiers shot and likely lose you the battle, unlike with the other games in the series. This does however mean that the factions with still prominent melee-based armies: the native americans and Indian factions, will have to utilise their armies cleverly if they want to defeat their superior european opponents The Navy also now has a massively improved role, since naval combat has become real-time. Combat by sea is a very new addition and is hard to master thanks to the very different tactics needed to succeed than with land battles. The graphics are excellent, however it can lag when settings are too high, but even on low settings, the visuals are rewarding.
    However, as with most games, it does have its weak points. The AI in battle is still not up to scratch, although it has been improved, and in several cases i have found it executes the odd suicidal charge, stupid manoeuvre or sometimes does not move at all. At least twice I have not lost a single soldier thanks to the AI force simply running in front of my gun line, being shot to pieces and retreating, not bothering to engage in combat even once - although amusing, clearly not how it should fight.
    All in all, Empire is one of the best strategy games there has ever been thanks to its immense depth, re-playablity, how well it has been built and though it does have its downfalls, it is well worth playing.    … Expand
  29. dmreichard
    Sep 27, 2011
    9
    After reading the many negative and mixed reviews of this game I was wary of purchasing it at first. After a recent sale I decided to pick it up and I am very happy that I did. The game play is similar to that of previous Total War games, with a few additions mixed in to the formula that made it even more fun in my opinion. The graphics are very good considering all of the processing powerAfter reading the many negative and mixed reviews of this game I was wary of purchasing it at first. After a recent sale I decided to pick it up and I am very happy that I did. The game play is similar to that of previous Total War games, with a few additions mixed in to the formula that made it even more fun in my opinion. The graphics are very good considering all of the processing power and video ram needed to render the many textures and shader effects being used during battles. After the many patches since launch and a decent workaround provided at http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=238484, crashes to the desktop are much less prevalent than before, making the game playable to a good degree. Game play wise, I sat down to play for an hour or two and six hours later I realized I soon had to go in to work! It is fun and addictive, which will have you leaning forward in your seat during very intense moments. I only took one point off for the fact that I had to do a manual workaround for virtual memory addressing issues (see above). Bottom line, if you enjoy the previous Total War games and/or enjoy historical, huge scale strategy games, this is a must have.… Expand
  30. schmo
    Sep 5, 2011
    4
    I have not yet played this game because it has been downloading for 4 hours. Only 16 hours remaining. Really excited to play the new game TOMORROW!!!!
  31. smijatov
    Aug 21, 2011
    6
    Empire Total War definitely had big shoes to fill after Rome, which was one of the best games I've ever played, and most certainly the best Total War game (which are all excellent).
    It surely was entertaining, but the whole concept was a bit off, partially at least, with the fact that it's set in the modern age. The thrill of the 1-on-1 battle that the previous games had is lost to a high    Empire Total War definitely had big shoes to fill after Rome, which was one of the best games I've ever played, and most certainly the best Total War game (which are all excellent).
    It surely was entertaining, but the whole concept was a bit off, partially at least, with the fact that it's set in the modern age. The thrill of the 1-on-1 battle that the previous games had is lost to a high extent due to the time period the game is set in.
    That being said, the graphics are amazing and the sea battles are rather entertaining, though they have a steep learning curve, imo. Usually would just go on the automatic one for that.
    Overall, nice visually but nowhere as exciting as the other Total War games.    … Expand
  32. wordy_actions
    Jul 26, 2011
    5
    I am a massive Total War fan, but Empire: Total War was disappointing and a missed opportunity. While some new features were extremely welcome, such as more robust diplomacy and research, ultimately what stopped this from being great were the tactical battles. There was almost no interesting dynamics to the battles. Cavalry and artillery were under-powered, and you could win the entireI am a massive Total War fan, but Empire: Total War was disappointing and a missed opportunity. While some new features were extremely welcome, such as more robust diplomacy and research, ultimately what stopped this from being great were the tactical battles. There was almost no interesting dynamics to the battles. Cavalry and artillery were under-powered, and you could win the entire campaign with only massed line infantry. Naval battles were spectacular to look at, but controlling more than one ship was a headache. As to the campaign map, while the epic scope was appreciated, the fact that the map was so large that it made the campaign slow and unfocused. Compared to such masterpieces as Rome: Total War and Medieval II: Total War, this one was a let-down. Anyone interested in the Total War series I recommend you get Total War: Shogun 2 and skip this one.… Expand
  33. spasmoid
    Jul 5, 2011
    9
    I love the total war series. And here it is with muskets, cannon, and tall ships. I love this game. I never experienced any tech issues that people have mentioned but I bought from steam in 2011 so perhaps all issues are fixed (or maybe it just needed a quad core CPU?) The battle maps are kind of sparse in settled areas. They could have made some sort of urban combat outside theI love the total war series. And here it is with muskets, cannon, and tall ships. I love this game. I never experienced any tech issues that people have mentioned but I bought from steam in 2011 so perhaps all issues are fixed (or maybe it just needed a quad core CPU?) The battle maps are kind of sparse in settled areas. They could have made some sort of urban combat outside the fortifications, etc. But still fun and playable. Not the best in Total War, but a worthy addition to a great series.… Expand
  34. Kdall
    Jun 30, 2011
    10
    A monumental strategy game with only a few flaws. The single player campaign is fun and really helps you get a grasp on the game especially if you are unfamiliar with the Total War series. The campaign mode is extremely fun and ripe with re playability, with the short/long campaigns and the multiple nations you can play as. The combat is very fun and requires a great strategic mind,A monumental strategy game with only a few flaws. The single player campaign is fun and really helps you get a grasp on the game especially if you are unfamiliar with the Total War series. The campaign mode is extremely fun and ripe with re playability, with the short/long campaigns and the multiple nations you can play as. The combat is very fun and requires a great strategic mind, even in the single player modes, and with the changing battle terrain depending on your location of the map, you can get some very unique battlefield situations in or against your favor. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a deep strategy game experience.… Expand
  35. Luca
    Jun 30, 2011
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. empire total war is a great game, but like every game its not perfect and has some problems for example:in the previous total war edition you could be multiple nations but in empire total war you just can be 10 nations i think. but I still recommend it.… Expand
  36. CivforBrains
    Jun 4, 2011
    2
    Incredibly bad, nearly non existent AI ensures this game will get a very low score from me.
    The "professional" reviewers should truly be ashamed of themselves. Likely, they are $miling all the way to the bank though.
  37. Braccheus
    May 24, 2011
    6
    While the game adds a lot of complexity to the frame that existed from earlier series in a way that makes the game more realistic and engaging (such as making mines, farms, etc. points within territories that must be defended), the added complexity becomes quite repetitive quite quickly. Unfortunately, the added complexity almost appears to be a half-baked after thought. Diplomacy in theWhile the game adds a lot of complexity to the frame that existed from earlier series in a way that makes the game more realistic and engaging (such as making mines, farms, etc. points within territories that must be defended), the added complexity becomes quite repetitive quite quickly. Unfortunately, the added complexity almost appears to be a half-baked after thought. Diplomacy in the game is almost comically horrible. Military alliances have been replaced by a general alliance system which makes it almost impossible to ally with certain nations due to factors outside the control of the player. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to develop a peace treaty with combatant nations regardless of who started the war or if territory changed hands leading to wars that have lasted for over fifty years (hardly realistic of the time period). Battles also appear quite buggy with animations being performed at the wrong time. While purely cosmetic, it does put a dampener on what is supposed to be the game's main feature. Another problem with the battles is their repetitiveness. While I don't mind fighting a battle for 45 minutes, I have used the same two tactics in almost every battle with either very few losses, or losses that are disproportional to those inflicted on the enemy. Finally, we have the steam element. After purchasing this game, be ready to wait for a roughly 1.5 gig patch to download through steam, and be sure to run steam offline if you have a bad connection. Otherwise, you will be unable to play as you have to be online to turn on the offline mode for steam (go figure). One distinguishing plus to add, however, is the naval battles. Although these are incredibly slow (even with the fast forward button), it is a legit step above simply having ships auto battle each other (especially when your nation is Dependant on a navy to hold its empire together. Graphics are also amazingly good save for the bugs mentioned above. Unfortunately, these are only present in the battles themselves where in general, you're too busy fighting to notice them. In general, Empire Total War is a great game if far from perfect. Admittedly, it was somewhat of a let down for me in comparison to Rome Total War. While fun at first, the problems I mentioned take quite a bit of the fun out of the game. Furthermore, the complexity, which does add a challenging layer, is one more thing to have to have to look after while still implementing the same interface present in Rome Total War which presents its limitations quite quickly.… Expand
  38. Rainbowsix1326
    May 8, 2011
    7
    I was certainly not dissapointed with this Total War title. Although I found the attention to unit detail rather dissapointing that does not hinder the gameplay in any way. The only thing stopping me from giving this game a 10 is the fact that I found the AI a little bit too glitchy and slow.
  39. apaeth
    Apr 4, 2011
    6
    Total waste of time. Admittedly I am new to total war games and the learning curve was quite large for me. So large that what is supposed to be fun simply wasn't. The campaigns are hard, the battles difficult to grasp and the complexity of the whole enchilada made it hard to swallow.

    I started with the Road to Independence campaign and by the start of the 3rd chapter I was overwhelmed. I    Total waste of time. Admittedly I am new to total war games and the learning curve was quite large for me. So large that what is supposed to be fun simply wasn't. The campaigns are hard, the battles difficult to grasp and the complexity of the whole enchilada made it hard to swallow.

    I started with the Road to Independence campaign and by the start of the 3rd chapter I was overwhelmed. I had one army and one city and was surrounded by 5-6 armies - all the neutral factions declared war on me as well the British and after 5-6 failed attempts to get established I just deleted the whole thing from my computer - sigh...    … Expand
  40. Gadget
    Mar 21, 2011
    9
    I have spent just over 360 hours playing this game and I have really come to love it. I have played using Prussia and after more than 400 turns I have almost taken every province in the game. Initially when the game was first released I was plagued by crashes and memory problems. Also Steam got in the way as well. If it wasn't for all of the crashing initially, i would have given the gameI have spent just over 360 hours playing this game and I have really come to love it. I have played using Prussia and after more than 400 turns I have almost taken every province in the game. Initially when the game was first released I was plagued by crashes and memory problems. Also Steam got in the way as well. If it wasn't for all of the crashing initially, i would have given the game a 10.
    The Pros: gorgeous battle scenes, good controls, good variation in battle locations (particularly the ocean battles).
    The Cons: if you are obsessed with controlling everything (if you can't trust an AI!), then the larger your empire gets, the lengthier each turn can get with managing all of your units. Also, I have a problem where the campaign map won't scroll, so I need to click on the mini-map. Auto-resolve of battles always yields a crappy result as compared with what you can do yourself, so you end up fighting a lot of battles that really you could skip over.

    Overall, although my list of cons is lengthy, the the joy of beating off multiple nations at the same time, and the gorgeous battles makes this game a winner.    … Expand
  41. Se7en
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    This game was another perfect, eye-popping experience from the genius minds of Creative Assembly. Featuring all the features of past Total War games (minus family trees) and more (research trees), outstanding graphics, and wonderful, strategic large-scale combat. My only complaint is that you can't play as America in the multiplayer coop campaign beta. Otherwise, a must have for any TotalThis game was another perfect, eye-popping experience from the genius minds of Creative Assembly. Featuring all the features of past Total War games (minus family trees) and more (research trees), outstanding graphics, and wonderful, strategic large-scale combat. My only complaint is that you can't play as America in the multiplayer coop campaign beta. Otherwise, a must have for any Total War and history enthusiast.

    Keep in mind that this game has next to no similarities to games such as Command and Conquer and Starcraft 2. If you like fast-paced zerg spam and a quick 30 minute game fix, this game is NOT for you.    … Expand
  42. islesofurth
    Mar 9, 2011
    5
    while i enjoyed ships battles atlast "finaly can win every fight", the historics within the game were fasinating and playing with guns is always fun, however i greatly disliked the extra turn time that it brought and the lack of fighting capability of garasind units, its like lets go in that house and have tea party we dont need to shoot the oncoming hordes we will just invite them in forwhile i enjoyed ships battles atlast "finaly can win every fight", the historics within the game were fasinating and playing with guns is always fun, however i greatly disliked the extra turn time that it brought and the lack of fighting capability of garasind units, its like lets go in that house and have tea party we dont need to shoot the oncoming hordes we will just invite them in for some supper

    Rome Total War, still the best of the all    … Expand
  43. wellington
    Jan 21, 2011
    4
    Positive features: definitely a good concept, excellent graphics. I would say the graphics are (almost) good enough for movie producers to use for computer-generated battle animations. I have in fact seen amateur productions on YouTube in which people use Empire Total War to re-create or reenact historical battles.

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

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

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

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

    (3) In battles that involve rain, the rain is often so realistic that you cannot see your units or those of the enemy. This makes it very difficult to manage the battles. It should be adequate to indicate that rain is present and will make misfires and so on more likely. This by itself is however a minor issue.    … Expand
  44. gandalfthegray
    Dec 26, 2010
    0
    Absolute piece of junk. Total waste of money. Took 4 hours to install and update. Graphics come up incorrectly so you cannot make any adjustments to the game to even get it started. Takes over 10 minutes to actually load and start. Total waste, don't buy this game, it sucks.
  45. Uncle2fire
    Dec 24, 2010
    10
    This is by far the most amazing game ever created, much better than the previous Medieval 2 and Rome, and in my opinion, better than Napoleon.
    The scope of this game is fantastic, it includes 3 land theatres: Americas (from the Hudson Bay to Guyana), Europe (Iceland to Mesopotamia, Sweden to North Africa) and India (Mesopotamia to Calcutta); and four trade theatres: East Indies, Strait of    This is by far the most amazing game ever created, much better than the previous Medieval 2 and Rome, and in my opinion, better than Napoleon.
    The scope of this game is fantastic, it includes 3 land theatres: Americas (from the Hudson Bay to Guyana), Europe (Iceland to Mesopotamia, Sweden to North Africa) and India (Mesopotamia to Calcutta); and four trade theatres: East Indies, Strait of Madagascar, Ivory Coast, and coast of Brazil. Together, all these spaces combine to give the player a game that truly spreads across the world.
    In this game, there are 12 major factions, 11 of which are playable. They include Great Britain, France, Spain, Austria, Prussia, Poland-Lithuania, Russia, United Provinces, Ottoman Empire, Sweden and the Maratha Confederacy. The United States is also playable in a separate campaign. These factions all have different starting positions, victory conditions, economic and military strengths and diplomatic relations. Even with these factions and the more than 50 others, the game still runs smoothly and naturally through history.
    The graphics are great, especially with the new sea battles, they really help bring the action to life.
    Most of the other reviews complain about Steam. STEAM IS NOT THE GAME! Steam can be a little annoying at times, especially the fact that you cannot play the game without Steam, however, once the game is installed and updated, Steam will hardly ever bother you again.
    To those who gave the game bad reviews because of crashes, it's not the game's fault that you have a faulty computer, if your computer were up to the task, the game would run fine.
    This is my favorite game, and I have played many games. It will be hard to top it, so Creative Assembly should keep up the good work!    … Expand
  46. Mango_Fandango
    Dec 19, 2010
    4
    After playing 300 odd hours I can honestly say that this is by far the weakest title in the Total War series.

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

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

    Cons:
    - multiplayer campaign (it's a beta and unsupported)
    - bugfest
    - random crashes
    - random freezes
    - totally unstable
    - steam achievements are either broken or they don't follow the description
    - piss easy AI even on Very Hard/VH. - DLC heavily favour western factions whilst Russia, Poland and Sweden are practically abandoned
    - Maratha are ridiculously overpowered. they have line-infantry on par with western European powers and they possess the best artillery (on par with Ottomans but also possess the puckle gun)    … Expand
  47. TestAce
    Dec 4, 2010
    10
    Since there hasn't been a review since 2009, I thought I should write one. Steam recently released a bunch of updates that fixed the problems that other buyers/users/players were complaining about.

    On to the new stuff. The game play and storyline are amazing. I'm into the second part of the game and I've already played 50 hours (maybe more or less while enjoying the game and battles and    Since there hasn't been a review since 2009, I thought I should write one. Steam recently released a bunch of updates that fixed the problems that other buyers/users/players were complaining about.

    On to the new stuff. The game play and storyline are amazing. I'm into the second part of the game and I've already played 50 hours (maybe more or less while enjoying the game and battles and not rushing). The graphics are amazing and very realistic, you can see the soldiers reloading the runs/cannons, etc. The naval battles are interesting but I wish it would be more user friendly since its easier and better to have the ships just auto attack and doing some minor controlling, unlike the land battles where you need to control everything.

    Realism is a problem in the game...well to me but thats because I find it annoying. Explanation: If you have cannons overlapping and they fire they will hit, and destroy, the cannon in front of them. Same with ships..if they are set on auto attack and are side to side they will fire their cannons and hit each other. So not really a problem but just annoying that its so realistic.    … Expand
  48. SnowShred
    Nov 14, 2010
    10
    Great game. Good graphics, and very playable. All in all a very amazing game. It is a must have for any strategy enthusiast out there. The graphics are amazing and the battles are intense
  49. CPTblackadder
    Oct 27, 2010
    10
    this review is written after all the patches and with all the dlc, apart from east units thing, i like it i play as the dutch. the blue guard is THE BEST UNIT. however i find the game crashes often(may be my pc). graphics: speechless. sound: awesome. i would like a mix of napoleon total war and empire. if they made that then total war would rule over everything.
  50. nevrock7
    Oct 17, 2010
    2
    I feel as if I am being nice to give this game a 2. The installation alone took WAY longer than it should have, and I wasn't even able to play the game. The fact that I payed $20 for a game that wouldn't work on my computer, take up memory space, add stress to my already horrible day, and waste hours trying to find an answer. Anyone looking into this game is much better off taking theI feel as if I am being nice to give this game a 2. The installation alone took WAY longer than it should have, and I wasn't even able to play the game. The fact that I payed $20 for a game that wouldn't work on my computer, take up memory space, add stress to my already horrible day, and waste hours trying to find an answer. Anyone looking into this game is much better off taking the simpler installation that comes with Medieval 2: Total War.… Expand
  51. Orlandu84
    Sep 20, 2010
    9
    Empire Total War is my third Total War game, and it lived up to my expectations. Does the AI have problems? Yes. Is the AI mindless? No. Perhaps I am an idiot and really do not know how to play, but I found the AI challenging and competent. Now, I am speaking from the perspective of a patched game, but the circumstances surrounding the release of the game explain much (having yourEmpire Total War is my third Total War game, and it lived up to my expectations. Does the AI have problems? Yes. Is the AI mindless? No. Perhaps I am an idiot and really do not know how to play, but I found the AI challenging and competent. Now, I am speaking from the perspective of a patched game, but the circumstances surrounding the release of the game explain much (having your main AI programmer have to leave for family problems is going to harm any game at release). Enough of an apologia. This game has a lot going for it. Stunning graphics. A much better balanced economy. Actual naval combat! A tech tree!

    Lastly, know that the Total War mod community has delivered some great mods for this game. If you do not like the game vanilla, then find the mod that works for you.    … Expand
  52. Skyjumper
    Sep 16, 2010
    3
    I have been an Empire total war fan since Shogun. I am throughly disappointed with this buggy pile of crap. 7 months out and I still get crashes and the AI is out right retarded. I will never again buy anything out of CA on relase date.
  53. jAVA
    Sep 5, 2010
    10
    I play this game and I think its great. I have all these games and they are great. I am waiting for Shogun2 to come out soon! I have the first one and that is cool but the new Shogun 2 will rock your socks off.
  54. jamesdules50
    Aug 26, 2010
    10
    This game is awesome!! i am a video game enthusiast and i work at a video game store and i have to say this game is amazing! it's is by far one of the best games in the world and knocks other games of this category like sid meyers games out of the water. if you are a true fan of history and military strategy or just games in general you have to play this game! the user score it got isThis game is awesome!! i am a video game enthusiast and i work at a video game store and i have to say this game is amazing! it's is by far one of the best games in the world and knocks other games of this category like sid meyers games out of the water. if you are a true fan of history and military strategy or just games in general you have to play this game! the user score it got is definitely not what it deserves and it may have a couple of things wrong with it but it is easy to look over with a game this spectacular! I would recommend this game to anyone who wants to sit down and play a nice addicting game.… Expand
  55. socokid
    Aug 14, 2010
    10
    An absolutely incredible game.

    I still find it strange how a few off the wall Critic Reviews, and a slew of asinine 0 scores from users for computer/Steam issues, can keep the true greatness of this game from being fully revealed to casual searchers. A user score of 6.7 is shameful for this masterpiece.
  56. Splix
    Mar 28, 2010
    5
    This game has a lot of new features that I really would have loved to see in previous Total War installments. I love the new Diplomacy Screen. It gives loads of information and doesn't hassle you with having to move diplomats all over the world as in the past. The addition of naval battles is extremely overdue and a welcome new addition. I also like the idea of a technology tree but This game has a lot of new features that I really would have loved to see in previous Total War installments. I love the new Diplomacy Screen. It gives loads of information and doesn't hassle you with having to move diplomats all over the world as in the past. The addition of naval battles is extremely overdue and a welcome new addition. I also like the idea of a technology tree but it could have been implemented in a much better manner than it was in this game. Also being able to build multiple buildings for a settlement is much better I think because it seems a bit more realistic in that what you build is based more on your economy now. I also like how blockading is much better implemented in this installment than in the past games. Now for the things I don't like which far outweigh the good. First off it seems that the AI becomes dumber with each Total War installment. Which to me seems counter intuitive because with better technology at the developers disposal the AI should get smarter with each new game. I absolutely hate the gentlemen, rakes, & missionaries spawning. It is extremely annoying and more so cause half the time I don't want them on the map period, and the implementation of them makes no sense from a realism standpoint. Basically let me use a tax slider for techs, and let me recruit spies & missionaries if I want them. I also do not like the strength cap on armies. It really irritates me when I get limited not on unit slots but on how strong my units are as happened to me with GB getting limited to 14 fourth rate ships. The whole new town thing is just flat out annoying. If they want the game to be more like Civilization then just cut the crap and bring up a screen where I can manage all that junk for the region like in Civilization. The way it is set up now is just annoying and time consuming. I don't like having to click all over the map looking for little spinning hammers just to manage my regions. On the battle map Army control has not improved much either. I must it admit it is far better than MTW2, that was just atrocious, but I still miss the level of control and response from the days of Rome. Another large annoyance is the bugs in this game... Did I say there were bugs in this game? This game crashes so often that it makes it almost unplayable sometimes. It is also extremely slow to respond and freezes up for 15-30 seconds at a time almost every time I click on a naval unit, which sucks when playing a naval power. I would assume it was just my system but I have probably four times the system requirements and have no problem running even the newest games in high quality mode. All in all this game is mediocre at best. It brings some new ideas to the table but leaves you feeling empty when all is said and done. I really can't nail it down but it just doesn't give me that awe struck feel that Rome did when I first played it, and even though I really did not care for the Campaign in MTW2, it still seemed like a fresh and exiting game when compared to Rome. This game though... well... it's just really nothing that special.… Expand
  57. JoD
    Mar 24, 2010
    2
    This game SUKS because of the stupid Steam program slowing it down all the time and the stupid patches. I am having so many errors trying to log on because I don't have the best internet connection where I live and if I lost my connection then the game craps out. I WILL NOT BUY any more total war games with STEAM, I F'N bought the game and when I have work that takes me out of This game SUKS because of the stupid Steam program slowing it down all the time and the stupid patches. I am having so many errors trying to log on because I don't have the best internet connection where I live and if I lost my connection then the game craps out. I WILL NOT BUY any more total war games with STEAM, I F'N bought the game and when I have work that takes me out of town I can't play without internet...I think I have it bad but I could only imagine how pissed it would make me if I were in the military and had to put up with this BS in a war zone, I am a VET, and had to put up with this crap. I F'N paid money for this crap and now I have to log in to play, through a STY service "STEAM" which SUKS and if I loose connection the game stops working...its just reminds me of asking my mother if I could play a vidio game. DROP the steam login because I know I will not play/buy any more games that require a third party to play. AND I would never recomend this game to anyone that has to travel and likes to play.… Expand
  58. DeadGuy
    Mar 2, 2010
    6
    The much talked about battle AI does not cut it at all in ETW, and is certainly no match at all for veterans of the series. The graphics are shiny, there are many innovative features in the campaign, sadly many are left half-done, and patches have not adressed the problem over the many months ETW has been out. Despite it's flaws, I can't say I don't enjoy playing ETW, even The much talked about battle AI does not cut it at all in ETW, and is certainly no match at all for veterans of the series. The graphics are shiny, there are many innovative features in the campaign, sadly many are left half-done, and patches have not adressed the problem over the many months ETW has been out. Despite it's flaws, I can't say I don't enjoy playing ETW, even quite frequently. There are many nations to play, but very little variety between them. Line Infantry are the same across the board, even if they're called something else in some armies. Artillery is extremely powerful and can rip approaching armies to shreds due to the AI being unable to avoid it or close with your lines quick enough, but at the same time it needs to be micromanaged always, because the fire at will function will kill more of your own men than the enemy's.… Expand
  59. TiagoL
    Feb 28, 2010
    9
    The sound effects are just amazing, the land battles aren't boring, the use of gunpowder was very well addapted, the naval battles are the most chalenging issue in the game,and for me, as a portugues, I just loved to see the spanish conquering the portuguese and in the next turn they revolted and appear like a faccion again,very nice detail. Congratulations to the team.
  60. TotalWarFan
    Feb 27, 2010
    4
    Though I love Total War games and believe that they are among the greatest games of any genre ever made, I can't say that I was impressed. The battle graphics are horrible, especially when you zoom out, and the diplomacy is also terrible. The custom battle maps are also very bad, with the fact that there are barely any buildings, and the AI players are absolutely horrible! The Though I love Total War games and believe that they are among the greatest games of any genre ever made, I can't say that I was impressed. The battle graphics are horrible, especially when you zoom out, and the diplomacy is also terrible. The custom battle maps are also very bad, with the fact that there are barely any buildings, and the AI players are absolutely horrible! The campaign is fun, but Africa, South America, and at least parts of Central and Eastern Asia should be included. The unit detail is fairly good, but the men all look exactly the same; even the militias, Native Americans, and minutemen! Empire: Total War is okay but Medieval II: Total War is, without a doubt, the best video game ever made, and no one should ever make the mistake of comparing Empire to Medieval II or even Rome: Total War. I would give it a higher score because of the campaign, and even with all the problems it is a good game, but I must give Empire: Total War a 4 because it is a terrible game in comparison to the rest of The Creative Assembly's games. I only hope that Napoleon: Total War is better.… Expand
  61. RBoone
    Feb 17, 2010
    5
    Look this game's battle AI is broken as of now, the devs said they will fix it but honestly the AI has been broken for 6 months now. If they knew how to fix the AI blob/melee bug then they would have done so. The whole game is perfect however because the of various bugs and lack of polish I will give it a 5/10. That's how unplayable the AI bugs make the game. You can win almost Look this game's battle AI is broken as of now, the devs said they will fix it but honestly the AI has been broken for 6 months now. If they knew how to fix the AI blob/melee bug then they would have done so. The whole game is perfect however because the of various bugs and lack of polish I will give it a 5/10. That's how unplayable the AI bugs make the game. You can win almost half your battles without even moving your armies. The AI can't even keep a line to fight you. It's awful, it's worse then any Total war title I've played and I've played all of them past Rome:TW. The thing is even if CA fixed this problem, there's still an astounding amount more that needs fixings such as latest Nvidia card drivers turning hings invisible or the fact we can't repair forts or the AI never making peace with itself. The game leaves a good first impression but once the bugs start to show up and the AI craps out on you, then odds are you won't be having any more fun with this title.… Expand
  62. Leonardf
    Feb 7, 2010
    10
    This game is most likely the best game that i have ever played, and i have played a lot of games through my life. This game is truly epic, a icon to the games of the 2100 century. the cut scene of this game is breath taking, the story is far beyond exiting and the game play is nothing less then addictive. The only flaw about this game is that it ends.
  63. DonG.
    Feb 1, 2010
    10
    I think this is a really good game. A little hard to put the graphics on very high and make the game the best it should be. What I wanted to see was some fighting in Asia. And what happened the Africa and South America? And another thing is that troops from Europe look kind of the same just with different names and colors. Out of that the graphics could be really good (I just can't) I think this is a really good game. A little hard to put the graphics on very high and make the game the best it should be. What I wanted to see was some fighting in Asia. And what happened the Africa and South America? And another thing is that troops from Europe look kind of the same just with different names and colors. Out of that the graphics could be really good (I just can't) and the game is cool.… Expand
  64. Delta23h
    Jan 31, 2010
    8
    I can agree with some of those votes but i think that the problem does not lie with the game manufactures its Steam. Steam is processor intensive as it has to load with the game or you cannot play the game. I open my processes and find steam running higher then most programs i run normally and its not a primary selected program. Steam needs to get off there asses and fix this issue. If i I can agree with some of those votes but i think that the problem does not lie with the game manufactures its Steam. Steam is processor intensive as it has to load with the game or you cannot play the game. I open my processes and find steam running higher then most programs i run normally and its not a primary selected program. Steam needs to get off there asses and fix this issue. If i sut down stean i cant play total war at all. so why should i play a game that a distributor takes all of the fun out of buy making the game laggy trust me I have done the tests on my system and if i can get it to run with out steam in the back ground please let me know! because its giving the manifacture a bad name!… Expand
  65. ZuherG
    Jan 30, 2010
    7
    Ive been a player of Total war games since Shogun 10 long years ago, and was sooooo excited by the prospect of guns playing a major role, as well as the naval warfare aspect... neither of these were as grand as I envisaged .... maybe even disappointing.... I dearly hope Napoleon will be better.....
  66. EricB.
    Jan 30, 2010
    10
    I love this game, and luckily I had none of the problems that everyone else had with it, and I've clocked in around 300 hours on it. Great game.
  67. JaredP.
    Jan 30, 2010
    10
    This game offers so much to time of fun. You can command almost 15+ nations! AI are great; they can make it easy, or hard for veterans. (And I mean HARD!). This is the game that has the best graphics I've ever seen in my history of gaming.
  68. CarlB.
    Jan 30, 2010
    2
    The game could have been one of the greatest, but for some reason it was botched. The AI is useless, and there is absolutely no diplomacy in the game. Both ingredients that are vital to a strategy game. The following questions sum up my experience: Why release an unfinished game in the first place? Why after 6 patches is it still unfinished? Why after 6 patches do CA decide not to support The game could have been one of the greatest, but for some reason it was botched. The AI is useless, and there is absolutely no diplomacy in the game. Both ingredients that are vital to a strategy game. The following questions sum up my experience: Why release an unfinished game in the first place? Why after 6 patches is it still unfinished? Why after 6 patches do CA decide not to support their unfinihes game anymore? Why after the unfinished game being out for 6 months do CA decide to announce the next game in their franchise?… Expand
  69. S'JetK.
    Jan 28, 2010
    0
    One heap of filth coming from gamespy reviewer for that 100. This game ought to be scrapped and redone from scratch. This game was so badly coded it irks sickness all over. Why would you ask why does the dev selling you a game in such broken state? Ask instead why you omitted to check out the "Users ratings" and the forums before spending your hard earned C Bill. Here's a wise step One heap of filth coming from gamespy reviewer for that 100. This game ought to be scrapped and redone from scratch. This game was so badly coded it irks sickness all over. Why would you ask why does the dev selling you a game in such broken state? Ask instead why you omitted to check out the "Users ratings" and the forums before spending your hard earned C Bill. Here's a wise step for you. Support developers that sell high "users ratings" and you'll kill the bad competion ie. Creative Assembly and their partner in crime ie. Steam. Do we want to spend on broken games? Do we want to bail out failure? You decide.… Expand
  70. NelsonX
    Jan 24, 2010
    10
    This is the best game I have ever seen. I didnot mind some bugs, that is normal in every software. I play it every day when I can.
  71. TheJG
    Jan 23, 2010
    0
    Why would someone release a game that is not finished? i don't know the simple thought of publishers selling games knowing that they fix it isn't right. so i bought the game and had all the requirements an kept on crashing for no reason. I've been playing since the original medieval TW and this is a big disappointment and now they are coming out with Napoleon TW? no thank you.
  72. JoshN
    Jan 20, 2010
    6
    Game is a little Buggy which still don't seem to have been fixed. It requires vastly more power than the result really needs. Its laggy on my new "Gamer" laptop. And the graphics are not that much more impressive than Rome: Total War. However, the gigantic world map is fantastic, the units are well balanced. Also the sea battles are great as i have been wanting them for some time. Game is a little Buggy which still don't seem to have been fixed. It requires vastly more power than the result really needs. Its laggy on my new "Gamer" laptop. And the graphics are not that much more impressive than Rome: Total War. However, the gigantic world map is fantastic, the units are well balanced. Also the sea battles are great as i have been wanting them for some time. But have to turn of the water affects despite my 512mb ATI Radeon card -_- and 4|GB RAM. A good game but just seems rushed and the power requirements are ridiculous when you see what u actually get in return!… Expand
  73. cl
    Jan 19, 2010
    0
    This game is not ready for public distribution. I am using a system that is far above the requirements for this game and it still will not work. I have reinstalled, upgraded, etc. and still nothing. This has been a waist of time and money on my part and has completely ruined my experience with Total War. I seriously doubt I will ever have thought of purchasing another. Laughably insulting This game is not ready for public distribution. I am using a system that is far above the requirements for this game and it still will not work. I have reinstalled, upgraded, etc. and still nothing. This has been a waist of time and money on my part and has completely ruined my experience with Total War. I seriously doubt I will ever have thought of purchasing another. Laughably insulting to the public is the best way to put it.… Expand
  74. krish
    Jan 19, 2010
    5
    Average at best, so many disapointments. Ai you have to babysit to get any challenge. To easy to exploit the ai, in its siniter non responsive way. When there's a cheap offer on then buy it. 50 euros it's not worth. I wouldn't recommend it in its current state (melee bug) no hotfixes and no more major patches on the horizon, maybe for 10 euros that's all it's Average at best, so many disapointments. Ai you have to babysit to get any challenge. To easy to exploit the ai, in its siniter non responsive way. When there's a cheap offer on then buy it. 50 euros it's not worth. I wouldn't recommend it in its current state (melee bug) no hotfixes and no more major patches on the horizon, maybe for 10 euros that's all it's worth in my oppinion, sad only after 10 months of release.… Expand
  75. randallp
    Jan 18, 2010
    7
    love this game. but ive had nothing but bad luck with steam. nothing works as it says after a purchase at steam store. support never accepts my support login or passwords. i am very disappointed with steam.
  76. Iain
    Jan 13, 2010
    9
    Great game, campaign is mode is good and so is the online play. some problems with battlefield AI and diplomacy, also the writing is hard to read. Not as good as Rome but better than medieval 2
  77. KS
    Jan 12, 2010
    0
    One of the all time biggest disappointments I've ever had. I hate Steam, the game and graphics are laughably pathetic. Released WAY before it was ready. I didn't expect this from a Total War game, because I loved Rome Total War and MTW 1 and 2. I doubt I'll ever buy another Total War game again - certainly not Napoleon.
  78. edoardoed
    Jan 12, 2010
    9
    the grafic is wonderful and it s a very good strategy game. On my pc it never falls and i fink that if you have a powerful PC this is one of the best games that you can install. It s a MUST HAVE for every rts player!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  79. Jackalen
    Jan 12, 2010
    9
    Totally love the era Empire total war is exploring. With patience, the new patches and perhaps some mods made Empire total war an excellent, beautiful and addicting game. I would recomend it to anyone that own a good computer =)
  80. DonS
    Jan 11, 2010
    10
    keep up the great work, you can almost smell the gunpowder
  81. ?
    Jan 5, 2010
    7
    I give 7 why? I think, that Medieval: Total War is better. There is more option in quick battle. Graphics is good, but it can be better and threre are to more errors.
  82. MJ
    Jan 5, 2010
    7
    Al in all a good game, unlike most people i had no problems at release. The land battles are fun as always in the Total War series, but the great campaign is so boring and the ai too easy. For a decent campaing i suggest Rome: Total War or the very unappreciated Imperial Glory, which had many features of Empire years before.
  83. chrise
    Jan 4, 2010
    1
    horrible, cant read the words on screen, transparent, very slow, and very long to load, and I have a new computer.
  84. RL
    Jan 4, 2010
    5
    Game with much potential, but not realised - even after 10 months of extra development. CA/Sega have a poor attitude towards this title, and it is treated as if it were a beta to the forthcoming Napoleon:Total War.
  85. LiamH
    Jan 3, 2010
    10
    Excellent game although the online has been ruined by people doing anything to win for example massed skirmisher armies. This was a big let down for me but other than that it is great.
  86. BillD
    Jan 2, 2010
    5
    Should have saved my coin of the realm! Been wargaming since 1975, on the computer since 1982 - so many glitches and poor concepts (solo internet game play a must?!) I will continue to be happy with my dos based SSI titles!
  87. AaronY
    Dec 31, 2009
    9
    Everyone who says this game has glitches or crashes is 1. The don't know how to run the game, or 2. They are playing the game on an ancient computer. I've been playing this game for the past few weeks and all I got was a crash and that was because my computer had to install an update. I have always wanted a strategy game that involves all aspects of a real war and this game is Everyone who says this game has glitches or crashes is 1. The don't know how to run the game, or 2. They are playing the game on an ancient computer. I've been playing this game for the past few weeks and all I got was a crash and that was because my computer had to install an update. I have always wanted a strategy game that involves all aspects of a real war and this game is as close as you can get to that. I applaud the developer for thinking of every possible angle. Although this will be a bit difficult for new players to the strategy genre to grasp, this is an excellent game. The only drawback is that the AI in single player and to aggressive and trying to make deals and agreements with them are impossible.… Expand
  88. DiegoE
    Dec 30, 2009
    7
    Entertaining, but far from historically accurate.
  89. JamesM
    Dec 25, 2009
    9
    This is an awesome game the fact that it is able to keep 1000+ troops on the battlefield and not lag it outstanding! And i don't know what you guys are talking about because it doesn't lagg a single bit on my 9800GT =)
  90. DominikE.
    Dec 24, 2009
    2
    It's the best game, I've ever played!
  91. DaniS
    Dec 23, 2009
    2
    This Game is not an improvement of the old game. Do not buy it
  92. GregN
    Dec 23, 2009
    9
    I cant possibly believe the low scores given by people who claim to have "gaming" or "high-end" CPUs. I have a 5 year old CPU that runs the game a little slow with some chop but naval battles are clean. This game rocks!!!!
  93. DaveB
    Dec 22, 2009
    10
    As usual,CA turns out yet another masterful product. As for the people complaining about poor performance, I suggest they try playing on something more advanced than a Commodore 64. It's not the developer's fault if your welfare computer sucks balls.
  94. peterf
    Dec 22, 2009
    2
    Disappointing land battles no tactics needed whatsoever and if you crash one ship into another nothing really happened the AI tries to slow your ships down when it thinks your going to crash as well so where is the control !!!
  95. ArthurNeddyS
    Dec 22, 2009
    3
    If I was just rating the gameplay and concept (of a fully working game), then this would have scored much higher. As it is though, with a high-spec system, this game is very hard to enjoy due to the constant crashes. Even after finally setting it up at much lower than required settings and getting it working, the developers brought out another patch to introduce some new units and ... If I was just rating the gameplay and concept (of a fully working game), then this would have scored much higher. As it is though, with a high-spec system, this game is very hard to enjoy due to the constant crashes. Even after finally setting it up at much lower than required settings and getting it working, the developers brought out another patch to introduce some new units and ... that required a whole lot more adjustments and fixes before I could play the game again. That said, it's still not smooth sailing here. Even with a powerful PC, this game cannot be played smoothly. Anyone attesting otherwise is simply not being honest. It's a real pity to come across Empire after enjoying other games in the Total War series. It's also a pity that after the poor level of committment to making this game playable by Sega and Co, I will not be trusting them with any future purchases. Adios, Total War. It was fun while it lasted.… Expand
  96. adamk
    Dec 20, 2009
    0
    Trash, avoid this buggy waste of space for a game. Not to mention the multiplayer side of the game is even worse
  97. YermakirumY.
    Dec 19, 2009
    10
    Very good game.
  98. [anonymous]
    Dec 17, 2009
    9
    probably the best total war game thus far. I love the naval battles and tech tree!
  99. JasonH
    Dec 17, 2009
    10
    An absolute masterpiece. With a powerful PC, I can run this game with everything one Very High or Ultra, and it is smooth. The detail present is incredible, the range of units, the range of buildings, the different forces you can play, etc make it superb. Now the prospect of Napoleon Total War has me waiting impatiently. Since Shogun I have followed this gaming franchise, and it just gets An absolute masterpiece. With a powerful PC, I can run this game with everything one Very High or Ultra, and it is smooth. The detail present is incredible, the range of units, the range of buildings, the different forces you can play, etc make it superb. Now the prospect of Napoleon Total War has me waiting impatiently. Since Shogun I have followed this gaming franchise, and it just gets better and better. I only hope that there is scope for more games and perhaps even a full global theatre in the future. Perhaps the First World War or American Civil War?… Expand
  100. NicholasF
    Dec 16, 2009
    8
    very fun and challenging game. a bit harder to get into than medival ii or rome, because of the busy-ness of the map and new features to get used to (polotics, more buildings per region, ect. ) but a very fun game.
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 62 Critic Reviews

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