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. PaulB
    Aug 27, 2009
    6
    Playable and fun, but essentialy a beta version. Some of the standard features of other TW games are ommitted, leaving me feel a little cheated. Luckily the modders are improving this game all the time and patches are available, with more promised.
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. alk
    Oct 24, 2009
    6
    A fan since Shogun: TW, I have been following the series since the beginning. But this latest entry was overhyped and was clearly rushed out the door before they finished it (e.g. naval invasions left out on release? Are you kidding me?!). Buggy as hell, even many months after release. Also all factions except for England and France had clearly been left unfinished in terms of unique A fan since Shogun: TW, I have been following the series since the beginning. But this latest entry was overhyped and was clearly rushed out the door before they finished it (e.g. naval invasions left out on release? Are you kidding me?!). Buggy as hell, even many months after release. Also all factions except for England and France had clearly been left unfinished in terms of unique units; note how they have finally released some downloadable units to make up for the poor roster when it first came out: clearly released in an unfinished state. A big minus is that this series is notoriously demanding on the CPU, much more than any modern FPS for example. And yet CA still has not enabled dual-core optimisation! We've seen games use two cores for years now, some even are utilizing quad core tech. Most of these games don't even require that much power, unlike Empire: TW.… Expand
  5. BillWolf
    Mar 11, 2009
    6
    Although the Graphics are spectacular and the Time period is very turbulant,I feel the creators left out some of the best aspects of the series.For example....where are the movies? Spys and Gentelmen are quite boring,and maybe I missed something but I really enjoyed marriage,heir choosing...like in ROME.Also going to a city in battle mode during peacetime was fun,I liked watching the Although the Graphics are spectacular and the Time period is very turbulant,I feel the creators left out some of the best aspects of the series.For example....where are the movies? Spys and Gentelmen are quite boring,and maybe I missed something but I really enjoyed marriage,heir choosing...like in ROME.Also going to a city in battle mode during peacetime was fun,I liked watching the citys grow.It gave a more realistic sence to the gam.I also had to spen a grand on a new PC that could run this LOOONG anticipated game,and its still choppy.I own every copy of the Total War series along with about 500 other games.I will say for now this is my favorite,but for how long....ps it would be nice to see a American Civil War add on for this.… Expand
  6. FredF
    Mar 13, 2009
    6
    It boggles the mind how anyone gives this game a 10 unless they are completely new to PC gaming. Lets ignore steam and the CTD style bugs. Lets just talk about gameplay. ETW seems awsome for the first few turns, and very pretty. Then you figure out the AI is NOT improved, Forts are amazingly bugged, the battlefield pathfinding is the worst in ANY TW game to date (and I've played them It boggles the mind how anyone gives this game a 10 unless they are completely new to PC gaming. Lets ignore steam and the CTD style bugs. Lets just talk about gameplay. ETW seems awsome for the first few turns, and very pretty. Then you figure out the AI is NOT improved, Forts are amazingly bugged, the battlefield pathfinding is the worst in ANY TW game to date (and I've played them all). There are just SO many bugs in the GC its really not worth my time to mention each one, the biggest one is that the AI doesn't move troops by ships, yet the game includes india and the americas, I hope you see the problem with that. If you want to play a TW game do yourself a favor. Get Rome or M2, download the patches, download the good mods like Rome Total Realism, for the Stainless Steel mod for M2TW, and enjoy the game. Wait a year at least for this one.… Expand
  7. AnonymousMC
    Mar 17, 2009
    6
    Just got crashed 10th time in a row during loading a save game. Such a pain in the Uss. Its pretty common problem. saves from 20 turns ago seem to work but 4 CH's sake i dont fell like spending another few precious hours replaying that turns, watching every sic! every fckin ship moving across trade routes (tried to hide ai movements in options but it gave me nasty shocks few times soJust got crashed 10th time in a row during loading a save game. Such a pain in the Uss. Its pretty common problem. saves from 20 turns ago seem to work but 4 CH's sake i dont fell like spending another few precious hours replaying that turns, watching every sic! every fckin ship moving across trade routes (tried to hide ai movements in options but it gave me nasty shocks few times so leaving it on is quite a must. they should add option of hiding unimportant ai moves).
    Steam? needles to say... Gr8 BS. I thought relic online sucks but since i bought ETW steam simply is my #1.
    If some1 happened to find a solution for that annoying crashes let me know. id be most grateful.    … Expand
  8. Tom
    Mar 20, 2009
    6
    Buggy console games are sometimes expected, as they often have to be converted to work across multiple consoles with different coding. PC games however should be flawless upon release as their generally made for the one OS. Despite the 1 month delay in release Empire total war had and still has a number of bugs upon release and after the lacking patch. It is not to much to expect a Buggy console games are sometimes expected, as they often have to be converted to work across multiple consoles with different coding. PC games however should be flawless upon release as their generally made for the one OS. Despite the 1 month delay in release Empire total war had and still has a number of bugs upon release and after the lacking patch. It is not to much to expect a product you spent $140.00 on to be flawless, or at the very least to prevent it from crashing multiple times in one sitting, if console gaming can do it then why can't PC gaming?… Expand
  9. BillB
    Mar 27, 2009
    6
    Unstable! Very happy with gameplay. I just wish i didn't have to abandon a campaign or replay a single battle four-five times before the game will allow me to save progress without crashing. Right now I am stuck in a loop where all the hours i have put into the current campaign will be lost because the game always crashes after this particular battle.
  10. J.Morgan
    Mar 8, 2009
    6
    Very...very very buggy.

    Under all those bugs, and honestly there are too many to list (check out the official forums and TW forums) is a great game.

    I don't know if CA will be able to claw threw them all or not, its worse than any TW game on release to date I think.
  11. ryans
    Apr 1, 2009
    6
    The epic scale of the land battles and the immersive campaign should have made this game one of the best, but problems like stupid AI and bugs bring it down a notch. I have had problems when selecting a fleet or dock and then having the game crash and having terrible lag during battles, but when the game does work it is very enjoyable and a good installment to the series. I only have to The epic scale of the land battles and the immersive campaign should have made this game one of the best, but problems like stupid AI and bugs bring it down a notch. I have had problems when selecting a fleet or dock and then having the game crash and having terrible lag during battles, but when the game does work it is very enjoyable and a good installment to the series. I only have to wonder what they were doing with all the time they delayed putting the game out. I waited for a year only to hear about more delays and they didn't fix the problems in it? I'd rather have a smooth-playing game than an extra nation or two. This game is good and worth the money, but until more patches come out it will cease to be great.… Expand
  12. PetriJ
    Apr 1, 2009
    6
    The game would be perfect, if it wouldnt have so many bugs and crashes. Please make the games ready before the beginning of the sale. If the game dosn´t be soon playable its going to be the last Sega game that I buy.
  13. cedrickF
    Apr 21, 2009
    6
    I'm a Totalwar games fan. Let's says an addict as I spent more than 1000 hours on the first games (from shogun to Mtw2). For now I'm very disapointed with Empire . This could be a great game but as the things are for now, we have a "Colonial empire building game" where the AI DON'T NO HOW TO embarq and disembarq troops !!! Let's say the game is less challenging I'm a Totalwar games fan. Let's says an addict as I spent more than 1000 hours on the first games (from shogun to Mtw2). For now I'm very disapointed with Empire . This could be a great game but as the things are for now, we have a "Colonial empire building game" where the AI DON'T NO HOW TO embarq and disembarq troops !!! Let's say the game is less challenging with this bug. And it's really not the only one.… Expand
  14. pietjej
    Jun 30, 2009
    6
    Great game. Too bad it was released in a very buggy and unfinished condition. Hopefully they give something back for free for all the trouble their fans went through although I doubt that. Today you have to pay to be a beta tester it seems. I remember I got a t-shirt for beta testing settlers 3.
  15. JJ
    Jun 4, 2009
    6
    Well, i was going to review after i had finished a grand campaign, but due to the game crashing, well, i guess im finished!. This game is one like no other for both posative and negative reason. The graphics are just amazing, the depth and attention to detail is incredible although different character models would have been nice, 1500 men with the same face was a bit of a joke . Great Well, i was going to review after i had finished a grand campaign, but due to the game crashing, well, i guess im finished!. This game is one like no other for both posative and negative reason. The graphics are just amazing, the depth and attention to detail is incredible although different character models would have been nice, 1500 men with the same face was a bit of a joke . Great sound, especially when a houndred muskets fire across the battle field at the same time, the moans and groans of close combat are just fantastic as are the sounds of bullets slaming in the enemy. Now the gameplay has more potential that a invisible ninja, the campaign is great, the joy and feeling of succes when conqouring* a region and upgrading all your cities and villages is gloryous, as is winning a battle when your outnumber 10-1, but when your bloody skirmishers face the opposite way from an incoming enemy or when your artillary wont shoot at what you tell them to or when your guys wont shoot there muskets!................you get the hint. This game is completly unfinished and buggy, and i was lucky as i got about 3/4 through a campaign before any REAL trouble. The replayabilty may be a bit short as there is very few maps and the armies are basically the same which makes for some very average custom battles. And for some reason i cannot play multiplayer at all. The only reason it gets a 6 is due to what the game could have or should have been. I will gladely give it 10 when the developers grow a back bone, refund our money and fix this mess.… Expand
  16. ab
    Jul 19, 2009
    6
    Very good campaign and graphics. very enjoyable other than every 5 or so mutes your computer crashes, then it takes 30 minutes to load and crashes again.
  17. KenN
    Jul 7, 2009
    6
    Too buggy to get max score. All games need updates to iron out minor bugs and correct balance; this game needed major rework under the hood to get it right. Did they test it at all or did they release a half-finished game because their eyes were full of dollar signs?
  18. BobH
    Aug 5, 2009
    6
    AMAZING!!!!! perfect game i'm so lucky it works on my computer.although 2 things 1.Stream WTF it is just loads of crud I HATE STREAM!!!!2.AI is so stupid i mean it never attacks u:(! and it just sits there and gets killed!!!!Its a great game though very historical and a nice map oh, and about the map the AI is like broken or something cause it just sits there and dose nothing!!! I AMAZING!!!!! perfect game i'm so lucky it works on my computer.although 2 things 1.Stream WTF it is just loads of crud I HATE STREAM!!!!2.AI is so stupid i mean it never attacks u:(! and it just sits there and gets killed!!!!Its a great game though very historical and a nice map oh, and about the map the AI is like broken or something cause it just sits there and dose nothing!!! I would also like to play as nations such as idians pirates ext. i rate this game a 6.… Expand
  19. DanielBarnett
    Mar 11, 2009
    6
    A bit of a disapointment, lots of features mentioned seem to have been cut in the final release, and above all it looks terrible in the battles when zoomed out - I mean really bad, like a 10 year old game with 6 pixel soldiers with waggly legs. Granted it looks great close up, but the AI is poor and the features are alot more limited than we were led to belive.
  20. JonFusco
    Mar 15, 2009
    6
    With out the Modders to fix this game I will have to rate it a 6. I dont see this game having much of a future and in time I bet players will unistall this game and focus back on playing Rome and M2. To bad the nice graphics and naval battle option was fun.
  21. DominickM
    Mar 17, 2009
    6
    The Steam requirement is a no-brainer in terms of DRM and beats the alternatives. Those complaining might as well give up, not going to change. The game itself is disappointingly unfinished. The combat AI is better than previous TW games, but the campaign AI is as broken and boring as ever. The AI is incapable of transporting troops via ships. And plays far too passively. Every campaign The Steam requirement is a no-brainer in terms of DRM and beats the alternatives. Those complaining might as well give up, not going to change. The game itself is disappointingly unfinished. The combat AI is better than previous TW games, but the campaign AI is as broken and boring as ever. The AI is incapable of transporting troops via ships. And plays far too passively. Every campaign played (on very hard difficulty) is an inevitable march to victory. This makes it extremely boring. The lack of single player historical battles and multiplayer maps further emphasizes the fact that they released this game a good 6 months before they really should have. On the bright side, the foundation isn't terrible, and they seem more committed to patching than previous TW games (thanks to Steam making patch delivery simple). I'd bet after 5-6 patches and a few mods this becomes the best of the TW series. But for now, I can't play it.… Expand
  22. SteveW.
    Mar 21, 2009
    6
    The game is really awesome. There a significant improvements over MTW2. However, the game is super buggy, and it has crashed on me several times during game play which is really annoying. I'm not sure if this has to do with steam or medieval total war, but it sucks.
  23. PatS
    Mar 23, 2009
    6
    Yes i agree with others - laggy, buggy, crash prone, released too early. This is my sixth Total War game and yes i can t delete a saved game either. I Love the game but it is a little dissapointing that it is a pain to use( i currently can t get it to run unless i m on the net and yes it is updated/my kid drives me nuts wanting to play) especially when you pay a premium price for it at Yes i agree with others - laggy, buggy, crash prone, released too early. This is my sixth Total War game and yes i can t delete a saved game either. I Love the game but it is a little dissapointing that it is a pain to use( i currently can t get it to run unless i m on the net and yes it is updated/my kid drives me nuts wanting to play) especially when you pay a premium price for it at release in the collectors edition---- shame on the designers-- yes seriously.… Expand
  24. OdinA
    Mar 29, 2009
    6
    Still after 3 patches on a computer that has the latest windows updates with nothing that is not needed to play this game. Graphics and gameplay makes this a unique beautiful game. The bugs and this atrocity of a gaming client called Steam tears it down into decease ridden pool of decomposing dreams. Over half the battles I play in campaign crash the game in battle summary. Steam refuses Still after 3 patches on a computer that has the latest windows updates with nothing that is not needed to play this game. Graphics and gameplay makes this a unique beautiful game. The bugs and this atrocity of a gaming client called Steam tears it down into decease ridden pool of decomposing dreams. Over half the battles I play in campaign crash the game in battle summary. Steam refuses to launch the game 1/4th of the time saying it's "unavailable". The AI is clueless at veryhard/veryhard both campaign and in battle. The fences in battles make me cry when units hit a corner. The sound clipping makes battles kind of confusing. Several shadow graphic bugs. Still I love the game and hope they manage to make it playable.… Expand
  25. dwillo1982w
    Mar 31, 2009
    6
    Despite heaps of bugs, hopeless AI and laggy at times gameplay I have been playing this now for 20+ hours. Ive enjoyed it, it has so much potential however it needs major work... agents in general need work with the most attention given to rakes (they are no way near as much fun as in previous versions of TW and rakes never seem to level even on successful missions). Tactical battles are Despite heaps of bugs, hopeless AI and laggy at times gameplay I have been playing this now for 20+ hours. Ive enjoyed it, it has so much potential however it needs major work... agents in general need work with the most attention given to rakes (they are no way near as much fun as in previous versions of TW and rakes never seem to level even on successful missions). Tactical battles are awesome however work needs to be done on attacking ai, defensive sieges are too easy and too frustrating with regards to pathfinding to bother with. Unfortunently the strategic game (ie campaign) is broken and is the reason why I will not play this game again until patches are released. Winning on the campaign is a guarantee dependent only on how long you are willing to slog things out for- the AI really does not do anything well enough to stop a dedicated player from doing whatever he wants. In my opinion naval battles are kinda slow, fun at first however no real tactics required to win despite looking great.… Expand
  26. WilliamA
    Apr 12, 2009
    6
    To begin with I have always been a huge fan of the Total War series and have been playing Rome and Medieval 2 and now Empire. When i started the game I thought it looked good, but after playing a while in campaign mode as Sweden and Great Britain I was deeply dissapointed. My first issue has got to be the campaign map. I just don't understand why how anyone can call this the biggest To begin with I have always been a huge fan of the Total War series and have been playing Rome and Medieval 2 and now Empire. When i started the game I thought it looked good, but after playing a while in campaign mode as Sweden and Great Britain I was deeply dissapointed. My first issue has got to be the campaign map. I just don't understand why how anyone can call this the biggest campaign map ever in a total war game. Even though the map spans two continents and a subcontinent it still seems smaller since CA have decided to merge all the provinces of France into one big province for example. This directly destroys the feelig of the game since if you invade Paris then all of France falls with it after ONE battle... CA seems to have modeled the game on the borders of that time and not taken border changes inte consideration. Moving on the AI is awful and acts in the weirdest possible ways and never ever invade overseas territory like Britain. In battles the AI is often undertaking weird tactics like trying to flank you with their entire army which for the record never works if you're not completely braindead. also you're own units never maintain the formation they were deployed in if you want to advance or intercept the enemy. Now i think I have been negative enough and as my rating shows I still appreciate the game and the implemention of naval battles are a real plus to the game although it sometimes feels like the Naval battles are not affecting the enemy at all as they do not accept peace offers even if all of their trade routes are raided and all their ports are blockaded. I have myself not experienced the same problems with bugs and crashes as previous comments indicate, it might have crashed about ten times or so but it has not interfered with the game too much. So overall this game has huge potential but does not live up to my (and many others) high expectations on a game in the Total War series! And yeah Steam does'nt exactly improve the rating.… Expand
  27. MashnaT
    Apr 17, 2009
    6
    total war means total war: Total war with your system for example (100 systemfailures in one games gives you a lot of hours extra playtime..) I really loved the whoe series but I think this game was not ready at all to be launched. Mystical indian powers cause one of my armies to stay on the same location for about 50 turns now. This army is probably bewitched by some evil force because total war means total war: Total war with your system for example (100 systemfailures in one games gives you a lot of hours extra playtime..) I really loved the whoe series but I think this game was not ready at all to be launched. Mystical indian powers cause one of my armies to stay on the same location for about 50 turns now. This army is probably bewitched by some evil force because whenever I dare to even point my cursor in the near direction the games will crash... I have fleets everywhere but I cant fight battles whit them because whenever I am winning the sea battle the game will crash.. I just cant wait for Total War - WWI. People will probably beat me up in the streets , or strange virusses will efect my computer... Why couldnt you just wait guys... A little bit more time for development would have serioiusly increased the quality of this - now very annoying - game.… Expand
  28. JonathanC
    May 14, 2009
    6
    Behind the issues with Steam, CTD's, gliches there is a serious question mark over the playability of the game at the strategic level due to the complexity of what the game is trying to re-create. There are fantastic graphics and the naval battles are especially dramatic but the game is not for thefainthearted and irrational AI dilpomacy and behaviour on the battlefield marrs the Behind the issues with Steam, CTD's, gliches there is a serious question mark over the playability of the game at the strategic level due to the complexity of what the game is trying to re-create. There are fantastic graphics and the naval battles are especially dramatic but the game is not for thefainthearted and irrational AI dilpomacy and behaviour on the battlefield marrs the experience. If you can pick up a cheap copy as I did then the game is worth playing for the battles alone, but be prepared for some throughtly annoying bugs and an unchallenging AI.… Expand
  29. FreddyTwoToes
    Jun 1, 2009
    6
    I am not a Beta-tester. I payed for a finished product and this is a mess. I have been playing PC games for over 30 years. Started on the Trash 80 for you old geeks out there. This is the buggyyyyest game I have ever bought..crash city. Those that gave a 9 or 10 are lucky SOB's (I have the latest alienware system btw) or just liars. Ok that said and affirming the pain and suffering I am not a Beta-tester. I payed for a finished product and this is a mess. I have been playing PC games for over 30 years. Started on the Trash 80 for you old geeks out there. This is the buggyyyyest game I have ever bought..crash city. Those that gave a 9 or 10 are lucky SOB's (I have the latest alienware system btw) or just liars. Ok that said and affirming the pain and suffering of my fellow gamers, now for the rest. The design and potential for this game to blossom with Modders is insane. If someone were to take the time to debug and detail this game it would be incredible. If it worked like it should it would earn those 9's and 10's you lunkheads are handing out. As for AI well not sure what you expecting there, if any you are programmers then you would know that the best way to handle that is a player vs player game direct IP or steam setup for Head to Head play. Even the most inept player can provide a better challenge than the best AI period. Sorry but just the facts of life for a long time to come until computers get much more powerful or you can settle for chess.… Expand
  30. NickL
    Jun 25, 2009
    6
    Got the newest patch, and still sadly disappointed. I have not bothered to play this much, and will not probably for months when the game gets up to a decent standard. The first battle I got in after the 1.3 patch I won easy, because my AI opponent killed its own general and about 30-40 other guys with its own cannon fire. Still I had a shot at losing since only one of my units wanted to Got the newest patch, and still sadly disappointed. I have not bothered to play this much, and will not probably for months when the game gets up to a decent standard. The first battle I got in after the 1.3 patch I won easy, because my AI opponent killed its own general and about 30-40 other guys with its own cannon fire. Still I had a shot at losing since only one of my units wanted to man the cannon on the fort walls. Also, my single reinforcement unit decided that once it went in melee mode it no longer had firearms and froze after I tried to switch melee mode off. Some "bugs" are just funny though. Like why are my elephants climbing over wooden fences? Wouldn't an animal that ways a few tons be a little much for a flimsy wooden fence to support? Or, hey all the other units in the AI's army are fleeing other then the cannoneers. What are they doing? Charging the fort, without their cannons. Anyone who gave this game an 8 or above needs to go out and buy a couple of good video games.… Expand
  31. RichardB
    Jun 9, 2009
    6
    Crash, play for 20 mins, crash, play for 20 mins and then another crash. Another game that was rushed out the door before it was ready. Would really love to play a game that was stable on release, any game! Apart from all that the game is great - well you can imagine it being great when they getting it stable!
  32. JacobC.
    Jul 28, 2009
    6
    It came from a great legacy but it fails to meet its mark in this new version. What I'm most upset about is the thing called STEAM. Its slow, crashy, and overall just plain stupid. It has no point in being here. I played Dawn Of War 2 on STEAM and it installed the game in 10mins or less. This game took over 5hrs to download. It really made me angry. So in conclusion: Game = Alright It came from a great legacy but it fails to meet its mark in this new version. What I'm most upset about is the thing called STEAM. Its slow, crashy, and overall just plain stupid. It has no point in being here. I played Dawn Of War 2 on STEAM and it installed the game in 10mins or less. This game took over 5hrs to download. It really made me angry. So in conclusion: Game = Alright but a little boring, STEAM = F*#$ You Dude!… Expand
  33. joe
    Aug 31, 2009
    6
    i love all the total war series... i've played them all... but the whole steam thing??? i've been loading this crap all day just to play my game... i mean usually the total war series just gets better and better but steam is a bad idea.... but still.... i cant wait to play it
  34. CooperM
    Dec 14, 2009
    6
    Fan since Rome:TW, loved M2:TW and this is just a disgrace. Creative Assembly was my favorite developer but this may have ruined my faith in them. Far too many glitches to count, bought it the day it came out and I have purcheased all of the expansions and gotten all the updates and still crashes on my brand new gaming computer. The support for this game is terrible, period!
  35. ISocratatus
    Mar 14, 2009
    6
    A potentially great game, but misses because it`s UNFINISHED. The units, the fighting, even the AI is better, but once you`ve played for a few turns you realise that the CampaignAI NEVER attacks you. Ok, I`ll be more specific. Indians of the Americas may actually attack you (I had one case), but Europeans NEVER do. I play as Britain. I declare war on them, they declare war on me then.. A potentially great game, but misses because it`s UNFINISHED. The units, the fighting, even the AI is better, but once you`ve played for a few turns you realise that the CampaignAI NEVER attacks you. Ok, I`ll be more specific. Indians of the Americas may actually attack you (I had one case), but Europeans NEVER do. I play as Britain. I declare war on them, they declare war on me then.. nothing. I`ve even left my towns with a skeleton army while France builds hundreds of troops, yet in 20-30 turns they simply do not take the intiative. Now if you take their lands they`ll fight to take it back. If they get their land, they stop. They won`t go further and attack your original territory. I don`t get why they have made the AI like this, surely, testing should have revealed this. Interestingly this happened in RTW and MTW2 until patched about 3 months later. Their are two possible reasons: 1.CA are stupid and just can`t get it right first time or.. 2. they make the Campaign AI Passive on purpose to make new players feel like their getting somewhere. I think the latter, so when they Patch it in 3 months so the European AI actually attacks it will be worth 810. Of course, graphics are nice battles are nice and there`s quite a bit of depth, but it`s useless if the enemy AI NEVER takes the INITIATIVE. It`s no strategy at all. Why only 8? Well because of Steam. Without Steam and the need to Activate online it would`ve gotten 9.5 And that`s a fact.… Expand
  36. Felixilef
    Mar 23, 2009
    6
    This is the best of the Total War Series, easily the most fun to play. But it does require some extensive patching. Certain behind the scene aspects of the game seem primitive or unfinished. The AI is very rudimentary, no advance on previous total war AIs. It is quite obvious that the AI is Dumb and unresponsive. Path finding of the units also needs a lot of work, especially during sieges This is the best of the Total War Series, easily the most fun to play. But it does require some extensive patching. Certain behind the scene aspects of the game seem primitive or unfinished. The AI is very rudimentary, no advance on previous total war AIs. It is quite obvious that the AI is Dumb and unresponsive. Path finding of the units also needs a lot of work, especially during sieges and around rocks and things. So although the units look really good, they're doing a lot of stupid things. I'm looking forward to some game play patches, this game really really needs them. If you got the money, get this game and wait for the patches, there's excellent re-playability here. If you're strapped for cash, probably wait til the patches are released, it'll probably be cheaper then too.… Expand
  37. BrentG
    Mar 31, 2009
    6
    They worried too much about the visuals and left the game full of bugs, memory leaks and crashes. The number of patches in just the first few weeks says a great deal. I've been a big Total War series fan, but the problems with Empire make it difficult to enjoy.
  38. JackS
    May 21, 2009
    6
    The amount of CTD even after the latest patch during random instances is just unacceptable. Until this game crashs are reduced to at most once every 10 hours, my score on this game stands at a 6.
  39. berty
    Jun 18, 2009
    6
    So i haven't got the best PC in the world 3GBram 3GBpro, downloaded the updates and still crashers ! changed the graphics still crashers ! great game but cant handle the crashing all the time its SO annoying. If ya get pissed off really quick DO not buy this game.
  40. 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
  41. 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
  42. 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
  43. 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
  44. Hudson633
    Aug 15, 2012
    6
    Fantastic infantry/cavalry/artillery/naval programming, I thoroughly enjoyed the grand campaign multiple times, and playing custom battles on both land and sea. Sadly the enemy AI appears quite basic, either you can run rings round them, or they relentlessly attack. The game is plagued by small bugs and glitches left in, since they weren't completely gamebreaking. But it's heartbreakingFantastic infantry/cavalry/artillery/naval programming, I thoroughly enjoyed the grand campaign multiple times, and playing custom battles on both land and sea. Sadly the enemy AI appears quite basic, either you can run rings round them, or they relentlessly attack. The game is plagued by small bugs and glitches left in, since they weren't completely gamebreaking. But it's heartbreaking that so many weren't fixed, making this a flawed experience. The worst one is a memory leak, reducing frame rates massively, very frustrating. Sometimes I'd rather play Imperial War instead.… Expand
  45. reviewobsession
    Jan 28, 2015
    6
    Welcome to the second era of CA and the first game of this era which was developed with their strange engine; Warscape! In this era, you'll encounter many strange bugs, frustrating crushes, unfinished mechanics and weak technical support. Additionally you'll play the last hardcore and innovative Total War game in the series. Empire Total War is a broken game with beautiful features. It'sWelcome to the second era of CA and the first game of this era which was developed with their strange engine; Warscape! In this era, you'll encounter many strange bugs, frustrating crushes, unfinished mechanics and weak technical support. Additionally you'll play the last hardcore and innovative Total War game in the series. Empire Total War is a broken game with beautiful features. It's story is similiar to Rome 2 Total War.(another warscape game) It was released unfinished and broken. After one year, they fixed some serious bugs and let the mod community complete it. At the end of the day customers had a game with game-breaking bugs and poor AI even efforts of great mod community. Getting back to the game, early modern warfare concept works well and using gunpowder units is entertaining. But my advice is stay away from naval and siege battle features. These parts of the game are still buggy and frustrating after many updates. Campaing map is huge and there are many empires to pick. Unit diversity is satisfaying, especially if you play with non-european empires. European nations fight each other with the similiar line infantry and its upgraded versions. Maratha Confederacy and Ottoman Empire have interesting units to play like war elephants and janissaries. You can combine their melee units with their weak rifleman and try different strategies against modern european armies. Battle AI is terrible but thanks to the early modern warfare concept and line battle tactics which hide AI's meaningless decisions, you can play as if there is no huge problem.(Units are generally static except cavalary) Other features like trade system, goverment management and technology development are well designed. If you really want to play this buggy game you should get DarthMod to enhance your gameplay. Good luck and have fun...… Expand
  46. Dimppa
    Dec 12, 2013
    6
    After playing somewhat 500 hours with Medieval II it was a shock to play Empire. I understand that they didn't want to do something over and over again, but i really missed family tree duo to that it's missing everything and everyone fell hollow. AI was here bad but not much from Medi II. (or it might be duo to mods that i had more than 20) Also i never like whole 17 19-Century timeAfter playing somewhat 500 hours with Medieval II it was a shock to play Empire. I understand that they didn't want to do something over and over again, but i really missed family tree duo to that it's missing everything and everyone fell hollow. AI was here bad but not much from Medi II. (or it might be duo to mods that i had more than 20) Also i never like whole 17 19-Century time period.
    But if you like muskets and ships it's still a good game    … Expand
  47. jamesphillip198
    Sep 14, 2013
    6
    This game has good new features that weren't polished enough, and the AI leaves much to wish for. Once you conquered 5 to 6 cities is pretty much game over. The AI never really puts a challenge against you, and spams trade ships like crazy instead of a solid fleet. It's enjoyable with mods, but the vanilla game as a 'meh' feeling to it.
  48. Scottyv2
    Feb 13, 2014
    6
    I can't say that I exactly enjoyed the hell out of it, it seemed to be more marketed for casual gamers who just pick it up and play for an hour then go outside with friends. When I would be playing this it would be for at least 2 hours minimum and I just can't enjoy it, even with darthmod increasing the re playability. The battles just aren't as epic as Napoleon that came afterword andI can't say that I exactly enjoyed the hell out of it, it seemed to be more marketed for casual gamers who just pick it up and play for an hour then go outside with friends. When I would be playing this it would be for at least 2 hours minimum and I just can't enjoy it, even with darthmod increasing the re playability. The battles just aren't as epic as Napoleon that came afterword and there came a point that I just auto resolved all my battles and won. After that win I just couldn't enjoy it, so couldn't give it a very high score over all.… Expand
  49. amontillado
    Mar 27, 2015
    6
    If you are a fan of the Total War series, this is an adequate entry, but it isn't a strong one. The interface can be confusing, at first, and many of the simplified battle mechanics are more complex - so you need to take some time to learn it. This feature, in particular, is frustrating when you're very first campaign mission begins with a battle and there is little intuition from theIf you are a fan of the Total War series, this is an adequate entry, but it isn't a strong one. The interface can be confusing, at first, and many of the simplified battle mechanics are more complex - so you need to take some time to learn it. This feature, in particular, is frustrating when you're very first campaign mission begins with a battle and there is little intuition from the interface; especially frustrating if you're a veteran of the series and feel like an idiot for not understanding.

    Yet, much of the commentary about the frustration of the battle mechanics, campaign, etc. boils down to a problem of the developer's goals and gamer audience needs'. From the gamer's POV, we want a streamlined, intuitive system so we can jump right into the game and explore it. We want the immersion of the experience without being jolted out of it by bugs or gameplay failures. From the developer's standpoint, the feeling is that they wanted to bring home the realism of battle in that time, shooting for historical accuracy as much as possible. What got sacrificed in a spirit of authenticity was streamlined gameplay.

    It does bring home how rain affected battles when you the general have to navigate through the fog of war, essentially. It brought home how spread these empires were and how much time, concentration, and energy went into establishing a global network in a time when information moved slower. And it does bring home the frustration of navigating troops and ships prior to the telegraph and much later, radio-based communication.

    So what we have is a game that from an historical standpoint, fairly accurate. From the gamer standpoint, very obnoxious. Puzzling, do we reject or accept it, but we cannot do either as it won on one perspective but lost another. If you play this, choose which way you want to approach it, for if you approach it as just a game then you will be disappointed. If you approach it as a simulation of an historical period, you will find some enjoyment, but it does test your resolve and patience. And that, is probably why it does not score as high as it could have.    … Expand
  50. Denis94
    Apr 27, 2021
    6
    Este título de la saga es el primero en abordar las grandes batallas tanto navales como terrestres del siglo XVIII y aunque sea uno de los que más cariño tengo tiene varios fallos importantes.

    Los gráficos no envejecieron muy bien el paso del tiempo hizo demasiada mella en este aspecto además popping es muy evidente, aunque hay batallas que desde ciertos ángulos parecen auténticos    Este título de la saga es el primero en abordar las grandes batallas tanto navales como terrestres del siglo XVIII y aunque sea uno de los que más cariño tengo tiene varios fallos importantes.

    Los gráficos no envejecieron muy bien el paso del tiempo hizo demasiada mella en este aspecto además popping es muy evidente, aunque hay batallas que desde ciertos ángulos parecen auténticos planos de película.

    El Gameplay es bastante fluido pero tiene varios problemas entre ellos las tropas a veces no obedecen las indicaciones y hacen lo que quieren, luego la IA no está a la altura... llegué a ver cómo cargaba la caballería de frente sin ton ni son contra mi infantería de línea.

    La campaña puede que sea el mejor aspecto de este juego está muy cuidada.

    Históricamente no es correcto, los errores de uniformes y bandera Españoles son algo que choca mucho a la vista, da la sensación que solo está cuidado en ese aspecto las tropas de Inglaterra y es una lastima.

    En definitiva no es mal juego pero le condenan demasiado los errores tanto de jugabilidad como visuales que son bastante evidentes, una pena para un juego que pudo ser la joya de la corona de los TW.    … Expand
  51. RadiationGamer
    Feb 26, 2023
    6
    I generally liked Total war games. And this was one of them. Game mechanics offer you a realistic combat experience. I especially liked that it deals with the new age and colonialism, and this is the most beautiful feature that distinguishes it from other total war games . But the lack of variety for the game and the lack of development makes it extremely boring during the overall gameplayI generally liked Total war games. And this was one of them. Game mechanics offer you a realistic combat experience. I especially liked that it deals with the new age and colonialism, and this is the most beautiful feature that distinguishes it from other total war games . But the lack of variety for the game and the lack of development makes it extremely boring during the overall gameplay that the AI ​​behaves like an idiot even at the highest "difficulty". Although I am not very liked the naval warfare system of the game, I can see it as normal since naval warfare is tried for the first time. I was hopeful about many things from Empire Dan, but it fell far short of my expectations. The sound of the music could have been a little louder because the music in general is underpowered by the sound effects. The team or man who made the music should have noticed this. Of course, that's not a huge minus. Apart from these, one of the minuses of the game is that you cannot play with small states and Indian tribes. Playing only with big states can get boring after a while. Other than that, it's a average game. This is the highest rating I can give this game. 6… Expand
  52. elefsar
    Apr 22, 2021
    6
    Boring, bad mechanics and ui. Did i mention it is boring? Animations are bad too.
  53. Mac
    Jun 6, 2009
    5
    Great graphics! But boy oh boy the game is filled with bugs, It crashes, freezes and bunch of graphic glitches! AI is poor, The game is simply not finished, And in facts its on Steam. Oh well, This is the first time CA has done a mistake like this. So shameful. But Ill let it side this one time. But overall, games is "OK".
  54. StevenR
    Oct 16, 2009
    5
    All the way back to Shogun again. This could have been the chance to step up to the next level, but the game has been released too early and just leaves the player open mouthed and screaming WHY? at the terrible AI, especially in the campaign mode.
  55. HeinerG.
    Oct 6, 2009
    5
    Very nice Game but although Patch 1.5 is released, the Game still crahes to Desktop nearly every turn, in Battles or on Campaign Map. This is very frustrating and sometimes i think its waste of time to play the great Campaign, because its nearly unplayable in the last 40 Turns because of CTD! Too bad.
  56. MaciejP
    Mar 11, 2009
    5
    The Game is great but because Steam it lost much of its magic. You can play only whe you are online, play only if you have updated version and even if the patch mess your game totally like it has happend with the first patch. I think that it was bad idea and because of that CA will loose their loyal players.
  57. MAXIMUS
    Mar 20, 2009
    5
    3/20/09 Having only played TW Rome I was very impressed initially with the graphics and high level of strategic control over ones nation. However, the constant crashing has soured me on this product. How much fun can you have when every turn might be your last. I am playing on a 3000 Ghz intel duo and 4 GB of Ram and an Invidia 9800. I would think the system is up to the task. So the 3/20/09 Having only played TW Rome I was very impressed initially with the graphics and high level of strategic control over ones nation. However, the constant crashing has soured me on this product. How much fun can you have when every turn might be your last. I am playing on a 3000 Ghz intel duo and 4 GB of Ram and an Invidia 9800. I would think the system is up to the task. So the problems must be the result of programing. Also, the AI shows no agression. Being used to Guals, Greeks, Masadonians, ect breathing down my neck it was dissappointing to realize that you can leave your territory virtually undefended. A 10 for graphics and inovative elements and a zero for a game I can not finish due to system failures. Seems as if some of the crew at CA are working very hard and others are not up to the task. If I failed my employer as often as this potentially great game has failed me I would expect to be fired. Fix these problems now !… Expand
  58. PaulC
    Mar 27, 2009
    5
    This game SHOULD be great. It should be a 9 or 10. But it is full of bugs, so I can only give it 5. I can rarely go more than a couple of turns without a bug or crash. I have ports with ships I can no longer get at. I have ships at sea that if I click on will crash the game. If I win a battle, I sometimes watch my army disappear afterwards. I've played all the total war games, and This game SHOULD be great. It should be a 9 or 10. But it is full of bugs, so I can only give it 5. I can rarely go more than a couple of turns without a bug or crash. I have ports with ships I can no longer get at. I have ships at sea that if I click on will crash the game. If I win a battle, I sometimes watch my army disappear afterwards. I've played all the total war games, and they were much more stable than this. Come on guys, get your act together. Make the bug fixes, and this will be a great game.… Expand
  59. SpencerD.
    Mar 20, 2009
    5
    I know this probably sounds insulting to many of you out there, but, really, give the producers a break. If you knew how much goes on inside a computer you would. On all games there are lots of problems that simply won't be known until the general public uses the game, and, especially with a game of this magnitude and power, it will probably take a while for them to fix. My game I know this probably sounds insulting to many of you out there, but, really, give the producers a break. If you knew how much goes on inside a computer you would. On all games there are lots of problems that simply won't be known until the general public uses the game, and, especially with a game of this magnitude and power, it will probably take a while for them to fix. My game doesn't work properly either. In fact, my game will only start about one third of the time, and when it does, it rarely works right. So even though I give this game a relatively low score now, I'm almost completely sure there will be a patch for MOST problems ( that does not include computers that simply do not reach system requirements) so just wait and be patient until your patch(es) become available. I am.… Expand
  60. AlexV
    Mar 8, 2009
    5
    The game is obviously great but steam has destroyed any pleasure in gaming that could have existed.. takes 2 days to download and its so full of bugs and crashes that its not playable.. i hope they learn! game was great the 1 hour it worked before i used 6 hours trying to fix it. feels like i bought a beta at retail price
  61. PierreN
    Apr 7, 2009
    5
    ETW is a disaster. Who would have thought a game of this scope and magnitude would fail this horribly. Surely a step back from previous titles as previous features were simply nerfed. Sinking your teeth into ETW for a week worth of gameplay and you get the impression that ETW has been poorly executed and feels rushed. Call it poor coding and a host of bugs slowing down everytime you try ETW is a disaster. Who would have thought a game of this scope and magnitude would fail this horribly. Surely a step back from previous titles as previous features were simply nerfed. Sinking your teeth into ETW for a week worth of gameplay and you get the impression that ETW has been poorly executed and feels rushed. Call it poor coding and a host of bugs slowing down everytime you try to dock a fleet to a port and noticeable jerky animations on a high end pc tells a different story to the rating it's getting (90? jesting I'm sure). Adding insult to injury, CA delivers us a couple of paches that were supposed to fix the problematic issues but instead add even more bugs making it unplayable. Constant crashes just isn't worth your $70 I'm sure. A piece of advice to sensible gamers out there; say NO to pre-order your games in the future. Instead, allow the dumb and dumber gamers buy it and watch em scream in your place. Grab the gold version is the wisest thing to do;cheaper and more joy on your first take.… Expand
  62. DJ
    Jun 6, 2009
    5
    Good game if it works but due to the amount of bugs and problems it still has even after 3 months being released, and I'm talking about bugs that should have been fixed before release. Seems to me Creative are becoming just another money hungry whore, shame the other Total War games have been very good and had next to no major glitches.
  63. Kristian
    Jun 8, 2009
    5
    For me this game recieves a solid 5. The graphics are good, the gameplay itself is good, though difficult for someone with no gaming skill like myself. Enjoyable, but riddled with bugs and set up issues that have really knocked the rating down for this one.
  64. TuroOraste
    Jul 30, 2009
    5
    Multiplayer features on this game are simply shadows from the TotalWar2. Its also build on steam so you cannot resell the game if your not happy about it. Total War2 was alot better with its features and musics. This one had grafical updates but all armies have the same units.

    Shortly: Empire Total war is 15 gt of laggy crap.
  65. BenW
    Sep 21, 2009
    5
    Uses the same mechanics to control your soldiers as in earlier games , which isnt really any good as in the last games everyone either had a sword , or a bow and arrow and shot over there mates heads , now 60 of your own men unchecked can shoot your entire army in the back. I know you can toggle auto fire off , but in real life , even if i was told to fire at will , id probably not shoot Uses the same mechanics to control your soldiers as in earlier games , which isnt really any good as in the last games everyone either had a sword , or a bow and arrow and shot over there mates heads , now 60 of your own men unchecked can shoot your entire army in the back. I know you can toggle auto fire off , but in real life , even if i was told to fire at will , id probably not shoot every single person in my battalion. Also the game crashes about every 3rd battle. No cheats also sucks , I know people think you shouldnt cheat , but tbh my PC has never complained about me using give_money command in single player in any of the other total war games. Cant see why they thought it needed removing in this installment. I used to enjoy sending 20 cannons into a battle unaided by infantary or cavalry and watch them blow up a few people and then all get wiped out , Not exactly historically acurate, but if i want historical acurracy i wouldnt play computer games to teach me anyway. If they had made the game the same as the old total war games with the gfx and time period this game would of rocked , seems rushed and not ready for the napoleon addon pack they are releasing for it early next year. It has also had 4 patchs since release which dont actually seem to solve the main problems in the game but do address some issues. If you love the old total war games this is worth a look, but id wait until you can find it in the bargin bin rather than dishing out 30 rips for it.… Expand
  66. WilliamB
    Sep 3, 2009
    5
    Graphics are nice if you have a good enough video card! The minimum system requirements are far too low. to play it on those requirements would make the game nearly un-playable. Sea battles are a nice feature. Campaign map is boring and confusing. VERY BUGGY! Not finished.
  67. 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
  68. 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.
  69. 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
  70. MarkW
    Mar 11, 2009
    5
    Fantastic game, great concept, graphics are great for a game of this scale. Only problem is that it's entirely in beta format still. It was released too early and has way too many bugs. With extensive patching this game will probably get better. But won't be sure until that time comes. I give it a crashtastic thumbs sideways.
  71. Garysomeone
    Mar 12, 2009
    5
    This game is a peice of junk at the moment....i was, like many others, looking forward to playing, but after hours of playing i have come to the conclusion...... its, for want of a better worg crap........... the only thing i like are the landscapes but.... what!!!! here's one, a limbering and unlimbering of cannons... sometimes they wont and just sit there unliber and fire... no This game is a peice of junk at the moment....i was, like many others, looking forward to playing, but after hours of playing i have come to the conclusion...... its, for want of a better worg crap........... the only thing i like are the landscapes but.... what!!!! here's one, a limbering and unlimbering of cannons... sometimes they wont and just sit there unliber and fire... no they just move a little or do nothing or better still gallop towards the enemy and die. The AI is even worse than what it was in medievel.... i mean like they just bunch up and fire... No nice straight lines! The skins are crap...... CA what have you done? a boring experience, and i for one cannot wait untill the modders do their magic and lift this game out the gutter, as i for one, have thought about throwing it there. how on erath this got a 94 in pc magazines is beyond me totally, the guys who reviewed must of got "you know the funny handshake" cos really come on, it is not what we all hoped for is it, or expected! even our worsed preconceptions have been overshadowed by this sorry attempt for a next gen? WTF....... CA suck.… Expand
  72. HarryC
    Mar 16, 2009
    5
    Total War has recently adopted Steam, an unreliable sensitive piece of rubbish that safely removed any enjoyment of the game, I fervently hope that TW decide to remove it any future releases! Once I finally got it installed on Steam (an arduous task indeed) I was impressed by the fantastic graphics and new features. Unfortunately TW seems to have not committed to scenarios or single Total War has recently adopted Steam, an unreliable sensitive piece of rubbish that safely removed any enjoyment of the game, I fervently hope that TW decide to remove it any future releases! Once I finally got it installed on Steam (an arduous task indeed) I was impressed by the fantastic graphics and new features. Unfortunately TW seems to have not committed to scenarios or single player battles, the set ups both limited and unsatisfying, unlike in M2TW. The addition of technology is surprisingly good, this idea normally falls short, but it is developed and interesting. Turn-changing is still woefully slow, land battles seem to still rely on scrums and diplomacy remains edgy. Add that to crashes, jerkiness and steam and I'm one disappointed fan. The addition of Naval combat is great with wonderful detail and ships bristling with action, although large scale battles are absurdly hard with the micromanagement of broadsides verging on insane. The units are fantastic, the history is accurate and the extra platforms in America and India are superb if a little confusing when it comes to trade. All in all, although TW has retained much of its prestige on the battle map, it's let itself down with new features like Steam and an excess in micromanagement. A pity for us fans although still definitely worth playing if you can get past the wall of steam.… Expand
  73. ErikP.
    Mar 30, 2009
    5
    This game was actually a step down from the Total War series in every way except graphics. The game engine and interface were both simpler than Medieval II and Rome. It would seem that CA spends its time and money on graphical magic instead of a game that works and is fun to play. Lets not forget that in the world of gaming, graphics and a streamlined use interface really only affect how This game was actually a step down from the Total War series in every way except graphics. The game engine and interface were both simpler than Medieval II and Rome. It would seem that CA spends its time and money on graphical magic instead of a game that works and is fun to play. Lets not forget that in the world of gaming, graphics and a streamlined use interface really only affect how the game LOOKS. What people spend their money on to a large degree is how it PLAYS. CA and many other developers understand that making a game LOOK good is a great way to get a high metascore from reviewers, making it PLAY equally well is apparently just too much to ask any more. In this title, CA has actually backed off of functionalities and complexities that made Rome: Total War, and Medieval II: Total War great games. They have produced a disappointment, and have fallen well short of my standards, as well as their own.… Expand
  74. drewc
    Mar 30, 2009
    5
    In the long term, multiple patches will be needed to make the game viable and replayable. The game is plagued with inordinate amounts of lag at times, frequent crashes to desktop, and full of bugs (as is usual with total war games). At the end of the day, a range of problems, some of which are major, dramatically hold back what would otherwise be a spectacular game.
  75. ChrisB
    Mar 30, 2009
    5
    Agree with all below, will be a great game when finnished. Really needs the M2TW/ Kingdoms detail, towns are poor. Invaded Paris and it looked like a small hamlet - no history in the layout at all. Battles are always in green fields even when standing on a bridge on the campaign map!! Come on guys you are better than this look at the detail in Kingdoms for a lead.
  76. MrAngry
    Mar 4, 2009
    5
    I was lucky enough to play this game on a friends PC that by some act of god allowed him to download patch from steam and play it. Tha game its self is amazing and i would normally give this a high score and recomend. However i am so discusseded that my own copy won't load due to steam and that their was cleaerly no scale test to check steam would work with high volume at launch that I was lucky enough to play this game on a friends PC that by some act of god allowed him to download patch from steam and play it. Tha game its self is amazing and i would normally give this a high score and recomend. However i am so discusseded that my own copy won't load due to steam and that their was cleaerly no scale test to check steam would work with high volume at launch that i am almost at the point of returning the game and getting a refund. Yes this rant is about steam not the game but the two come together without a choice. DON'T BUY THIS GAME YET wait until the rush is over and steam is fixed....or be very disappointed!… Expand
  77. DougH
    Apr 19, 2009
    5
    Boring. Not bad, but boring. That about sums it up. Ignore the reviewers, the player base knows what it is talking about. Yes, it features the American War of Independence. If that is enough of a reason to buy a game go and watch ID4 - it's cheaper and requires less mental work or frustration. This era of combat highlights the weakest points of an engine that was design for the Boring. Not bad, but boring. That about sums it up. Ignore the reviewers, the player base knows what it is talking about. Yes, it features the American War of Independence. If that is enough of a reason to buy a game go and watch ID4 - it's cheaper and requires less mental work or frustration. This era of combat highlights the weakest points of an engine that was design for the fast-paced, fluid and, above all, clever nature of warfare in feudal Japan. It's MTW with only archers and catapults. Cavalry have a huge sign over their heads saying "Kill me". So you line up your archers, they line up theirs and it's attrition time. Like WWI without the machine guns. Boring and depressing. Don't even get me started on the AI tactical behaviour in seiges or when they're under enfilade fire or when deploying to remote corners of the map, cunningly avoiding any concentration of force. It is impossible to move units through towns or along the seige walls - the game will just ignore you half of the time. I see this as a direct result of what the game engine was meant to do, and this is not it.… Expand
  78. travisp
    Apr 4, 2009
    5
    ok,first off,steam is the worst piece off junk ever and i think it is totally WORTHLESS! ive used steam before for other games and i couldnt even start the game i was playing,steam should have nothing to do with this game,secondly,empire itself is an amazing game.but it has so many bugs and problems that right now,in my opinion,this game would be a waste of $50,but if they would reviseok,first off,steam is the worst piece off junk ever and i think it is totally WORTHLESS! ive used steam before for other games and i couldnt even start the game i was playing,steam should have nothing to do with this game,secondly,empire itself is an amazing game.but it has so many bugs and problems that right now,in my opinion,this game would be a waste of $50,but if they would revise it,best game ever.… Expand
  79. Ali
    May 20, 2009
    5
    This is an awesome game, I'd have given it a ten. Unfortunately it's plagued with memory leaks and even on a high end computer you'll often find the campaign map slowing to an unplayable grind. For me this didn't occur till halfway through the grand campaign. I recommend you buy it, but make sure your store has a great returns policy, because half of you will be taking This is an awesome game, I'd have given it a ten. Unfortunately it's plagued with memory leaks and even on a high end computer you'll often find the campaign map slowing to an unplayable grind. For me this didn't occur till halfway through the grand campaign. I recommend you buy it, but make sure your store has a great returns policy, because half of you will be taking it back.… Expand
  80. JamesG
    Jun 10, 2009
    5
    Im a huge total war fan, but i feel let down by this rushed and incomplete game. It has so many bugs, and the AI is even worse that before, even after a patch. I think after a few more months of work this game will be upto the standards of the other total wars, but for now this game just gets a 5 from me. I feel sega may have got CA to rush the game for release, it so needed a few more months.
  81. MarcusG
    Jun 16, 2009
    5
    I love the disclaimer and will have to visit again just to see what happens to my comment, "Coments will be reviewed and may be edited prior to postin.: With the exception of vulgarity, why would a comment need editing? Does that not undermine the basic credibility as well as point of user comments? LOL. Perhaps someone should have edited all the poor grammar and mispellings. At any rate, I love the disclaimer and will have to visit again just to see what happens to my comment, "Coments will be reviewed and may be edited prior to postin.: With the exception of vulgarity, why would a comment need editing? Does that not undermine the basic credibility as well as point of user comments? LOL. Perhaps someone should have edited all the poor grammar and mispellings. At any rate, I have played Creative Assembly games from Shogun to the present Empire. I have enjoyed Shogun more than any other title, however, I do have a penchant for Samurai. Until an update on June 16, 2009, my Empire wokred well. Alas, now it crashes whenever I attempt to initiate a game from the main/in -game menu. No this game is not perfect and having to use Steam is...not ideal. This is the way of the world and ALL developers should consider how customers can be alienated away from their franchise by this practice. We are paying and may not wish to use steam, gamespy, Xfire... Afterall, only the developers are benefiting from this practice and at 50 bucks for this title... Enough said. When Empire works, it is a BLAST. Sometimes it is a bit slow...the campaign map movement takes time and SHOULD take time as armies march across the land. As for the naval battles, well...I do enjoy them despite seeing certain shortcomings. These shortcomings certainly reflext the communication barriers of that time. Deal with that as there were no iPhones/Sidekicks/Rants onboard naval ships of that time, so I think the challenge of naval battles lends a great amount of realism. I won't post my system specs here as they far exceed what is recommended minimum, though not a Core i7 system. I won't be upgrading to that for awhile and it is unfortunate developers would design for such high end systems while also not disclosing that little fact on the product packaging. At any rate, like US, this game is not perfect, but fun and has some interesting features. I cannot rate it as high as I would like and if this entire review was read, it should be apparent why. Is it worth $50? Not in my opinion, however it is a worthwhile addition to the library. I just hope the patches and improvements continue and allow this game to do more than gather dust in my library.… Expand
  82. ChristopherB
    Jun 1, 2009
    5
    The game looks great, probably because that's were Creative Assembly spent their entire budget, aside from bribing various gaming sites with advertising in exchange for favorable reviews. The fact that this is the highest rated game on Metacritic is criminal. The game is riddled with bugs, something the reviews will NOT tell you. Unit pathing is terrible, AI is mediocre (relatively The game looks great, probably because that's were Creative Assembly spent their entire budget, aside from bribing various gaming sites with advertising in exchange for favorable reviews. The fact that this is the highest rated game on Metacritic is criminal. The game is riddled with bugs, something the reviews will NOT tell you. Unit pathing is terrible, AI is mediocre (relatively unchanged from earlier titles), and navel combat is disappointing. Creative Assembly released an unfinished game. Read the user reviews.… Expand
  83. HenryB
    Jun 21, 2009
    5
    In short, this game just isn't ready for prime time. I've tried playing this game for over a week now, and it is just infuriating how many show-stopper bugs crop up. This isn't just about crashes to desktop (I've actually not experienced any). My problems have all been around the campaign running along for several hours, only to encounter a bug that wipes out all of In short, this game just isn't ready for prime time. I've tried playing this game for over a week now, and it is just infuriating how many show-stopper bugs crop up. This isn't just about crashes to desktop (I've actually not experienced any). My problems have all been around the campaign running along for several hours, only to encounter a bug that wipes out all of your work. - Ships trying to blockade your port end up on land, so you cannot attack them and break the siege. (Your economy is now ruined, and you must start over). - Your key artillery pieces are enormously stupid. I can understand if they accidentally shoot other units. But if targets move sufficiently off to the side, the cannons will line up in a single file and shoot through each other. That is silly. And can turn a key battle from sure victory to a close defeat. - Units on the campaign map will just disappear when moving between fleets and land, making rush reinforcements of areas risky. - The AI in battles and campaign is just horrible. - The trade Routes system (IMHO) is botched in its design. When you create a trade route from (say) the east indies to Europe, it goes through 4 or 5 different maps. In any one of these maps, a pirate can attack the route and severely disrupt your income. The interface doesn't allow any practices that were used to avoid this problem in reality- convoys, seasonal shipping, etc. - Agents just don't work well. You can't make them and they just die randomly (either through assassination or old age) leaving you without a key person. I love the Total War series. However, this game shows so many gameplay bugs (again, not just crashes to desktop) that you will find yourself absolutely infuriated when you must abandon a campaign after hours of work. There is no excuse for such horrible quality. I am actually shocked how favorably all the Critics reviewed this game. No other game in my memory has gotten such rave reviews by the critics only to be panned by the public due to bugs. How did CA manage this? Were the reviewers not reading closely? I've seen a lot of criticism of negative reviewers on this board and elsewhere. People say things like "its just a minority of users with problems complaining. The vast majority of people have no problems." This just isn't true. Right now, the user reviews of MetaCritic put this game at 6.8. And CA's forums are near revolt. Empire isn't the worst game ever- indeed its promise is what annoys me so much. But it has to be one of the biggest DISAPPOINTMENTS in my long (20+ yrs) gaming career.… Expand
  84. GeorgeW
    Jun 3, 2009
    5
    In my opinion Empire: Total War has not been the kind of squeal to the series we have all been waiting for. The game i found was very slow paced and it is BORING at many times and it also has many 'fun' issues with it. However the graphics are amazing and the sound is superb, but its one thing to have good effects and another to have shitty game play. If i have to choose, id In my opinion Empire: Total War has not been the kind of squeal to the series we have all been waiting for. The game i found was very slow paced and it is BORING at many times and it also has many 'fun' issues with it. However the graphics are amazing and the sound is superb, but its one thing to have good effects and another to have shitty game play. If i have to choose, id choose game play over looks and effects. Empire has not been able to impress me with this at all. I've played Rome total War and Medieval 2 total war and had a absolute fun time with both, i spent many hours playing each and they are both great games, but Empire just doesn't do it for me. The units are all VERY similar and the main difference is how many guys with guns and how many guys with what colors of uniforms etc. etc. Overall the game lacks a large sense of fun, and this was made by the greatest gaming company for big battles ever. But it has its moments and it has given my some smiles here and there. So here it is: 5/10.… Expand
  85. stevew.
    Jul 11, 2009
    5
    Overall i was disappointed, i really enjoyed rome but this for me is too big, too difficult and on the whole i can't face the game, there is no scope to build up an empire in my eyes. i would rather play civilization now which for me is more fluid. In terms of factual accuracy they have done a good job in this game, but it does not feel like a game... not enjoyable... i had high Overall i was disappointed, i really enjoyed rome but this for me is too big, too difficult and on the whole i can't face the game, there is no scope to build up an empire in my eyes. i would rather play civilization now which for me is more fluid. In terms of factual accuracy they have done a good job in this game, but it does not feel like a game... not enjoyable... i had high expectations of this game, but i am let down.… Expand
  86. AlexT
    Aug 17, 2009
    5
    The gameplay is good; a very addicting game until you have a sprawling empire then your game crashses. I believe this is not a problem of computing power as Greg C stated. but rather I think that it is that the computer is too powerful and the problem is 64-bit Vista, which is required if you have a new computer with more than 4GB of RAM. Also I think that in trying to take full advantage The gameplay is good; a very addicting game until you have a sprawling empire then your game crashses. I believe this is not a problem of computing power as Greg C stated. but rather I think that it is that the computer is too powerful and the problem is 64-bit Vista, which is required if you have a new computer with more than 4GB of RAM. Also I think that in trying to take full advantage of the computer's RAM the game intrudes on reserved system RAM and Vista's data execution protection is kicking in.… Expand
  87. SimonL.
    Aug 24, 2009
    5
    This game is way too buggy, it continually crashes and suffers graphics glitches all the time. The game play is excellent and if it actually worked it would be magnificent but it was obviously rushed out without enough testing. The patches have not fixed its problems.
  88. WillC
    Sep 10, 2009
    5
    I must say I was excited to see that some one had finely made a 18th Century R.T.S. that was worth playing. Well that was what I was thinking until I installed this and began to play. Not 15 minutes into playing grand campaign mode this video game failed to perform and resulted in a crash. After attempting to re-install this program I found that these problems continued and at times got I must say I was excited to see that some one had finely made a 18th Century R.T.S. that was worth playing. Well that was what I was thinking until I installed this and began to play. Not 15 minutes into playing grand campaign mode this video game failed to perform and resulted in a crash. After attempting to re-install this program I found that these problems continued and at times got worse. Being a former tester in the video game industry I tend to think that I expect more from titles then most. But the constant software failures, Clipping issues, and lagging animation leads me to believe that this game was a rushed product that was not tested properly, and no it isn't my computer this computer is loaded with the best hardware and software on the market and runs all previous games with out issues. I understand this is a resent release and like all new games will have its issues but this game is by far the most broken game I have yet to encountered next to Dream Catchers Super Power 2. I firmly recommend this game be fixed soon or I will insure you that I will never buy another Sega product again. I'm giving this game a 5 due to it excellent concept but poor performance.… Expand
  89. Leatherneck918
    Sep 1, 2009
    5
    This game is still broken at 1.3 patch. Im giving CA one more chance at fixing this BETA of a game with patch 1.4 that is suppost to come out in Late September. If the game is still not up to specs as Avertised, I will be giving up on this game and wait for the modders to fix it.
  90. RickW
    Sep 5, 2009
    5
    This game is borken, plain and simple. The AI for both the campaign and battle map is worse than the previous installments in the series. With every patch the inherent problems with the games become more and more evident. The AI will never use diplomacy, will refuse most negotations for no reason, and will never declare peace on other AI, meaning that every nation is a war with everyone This game is borken, plain and simple. The AI for both the campaign and battle map is worse than the previous installments in the series. With every patch the inherent problems with the games become more and more evident. The AI will never use diplomacy, will refuse most negotations for no reason, and will never declare peace on other AI, meaning that every nation is a war with everyone else for the entire game. On the battle map, the AI is incredibly inept and can do nothing but charge you head on with bayonets after running bakc and forth before your firing lines. Pathfinding is hopeless and random glithces will crash your game about every hour or so. The multiplayer for this game has some promise, but it is unfinished. Balance and unit diversity form the latest patches make the gamplay intersting and exciting with every game. However there are only about 10 maps with totally unfair starting positions. There are also only three scenarios. Because of this replayibility on multiplayer is limited which is a shame becasue it's the only part of the game that works. This game looks imprssive and the reviewers paraded it about, but it is nothing more than an empty shell of a really good idea. Stay away from this game unless you are a diehard fan of the CA series multiplayer.… Expand
  91. 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!
  92. 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
  93. RobC
    Dec 1, 2009
    5
    When it was released it crashed constantly, now that it's fixed it's actually quite a bland game.
  94. AndyW
    Oct 9, 2009
    5
    The game looks fantastic, the campaign map plays out pretty good but the battle ai is absolutely atrocious. It is so bad that i have shelved this game indefinitely. The game is abosolutely no challenge what so ever due the ai reforming its regiments. These soldiers, reform in front of your battle line whilst getting shot to pieces letting you easily win. Not only that reform towards your The game looks fantastic, the campaign map plays out pretty good but the battle ai is absolutely atrocious. It is so bad that i have shelved this game indefinitely. The game is abosolutely no challenge what so ever due the ai reforming its regiments. These soldiers, reform in front of your battle line whilst getting shot to pieces letting you easily win. Not only that reform towards your line so they end up in melee and rout soon after. I would give it a 8 or 9 if the bai was working, unfortunately the game is ruined by this and giving it a good rating just because it has good graphic or good campaign ai is not enough. Total war needs to be the whole package and empire is not that. I think if they do not fix the bai issues, they will be disillusioning half the community and Napoleon sales will plummet.. Also this is the first total war game i have been majorly disappointed with period.… Expand
  95. BobO
    Mar 12, 2009
    5
    Empire: Total War. What potential, what enthusiasm I had when I popped in the discs and endured the wait for install. clicking the icon to start brought back memories of Rome: Total War and Medieval Total War, I couldn't wait. Well Ladies and Gentlemen, after 48 hours of play I can confirm that this game is far from user friendly, is missing many of the much promised features, is bug Empire: Total War. What potential, what enthusiasm I had when I popped in the discs and endured the wait for install. clicking the icon to start brought back memories of Rome: Total War and Medieval Total War, I couldn't wait. Well Ladies and Gentlemen, after 48 hours of play I can confirm that this game is far from user friendly, is missing many of the much promised features, is bug ridden which include a multitude of crashes to desktop for no apparent reason and many other quirks. I have to say I am disappointed especially after waiting so long for this game, two years to be precise. All I got was an unfinished product with enough flaws for me to put the game away for a long while until (I hope) gets sorted out with the multiple patches announced. Creative Assembly gave us a base which will require much attention to fix, but it can't be fixed with patches, it needs MODs or Modifications made by the community. I feel it is only a bad show of respect that Creative Assembly has not made any announcement of mod tools or community support. It seems that CA will be following the same road many game developers are now starting to take which is releasing an unfinished game lacking in features only to release an expansion pack months later to fix and add the stuff that should already be present. I believe it is only fair that we the consumer start to receive much more attention and better products from the companies we are buying from. Now the game is (was) fairly playable before the last patch which brought back many more problems than it fixed. The game allows you to play 11 factions, 12 if you beat the Road to Independence. That is not many factions to play as considering the former games CA has released have allowed you to play a multitude of factions with the vanilla game alone. Now with Empire, you can play with 12, but not with any of the other factions present in the game which number around 60+. Another unfortunate design decision or a financial incentive to withhold an official unlock for these factions which leads me to my next disappointment, unit variation and AI. CA PROMISED to fix the AI which controls armies on the battle map and campaign map which persisted in their former releases, but it would seem that this time they have regressed into coding a very pathetic AI. Now I am sorry if this offends you, but the AI has always been a PROMISE by CA to be improved, but they have not done anything substantial with it for many of there last releases. The battle map AI will still not utilize terrain, effectively use its numbers against you or perform simple functions like flanking properly. Same goes with the bug ridden campaign map which lags and crashes constantly keeping you frustrated and on the edge of whether or not your progress is all for nothing. AI will STILL not use there navies to properly invade coastal or island regions making the challenge seem somewhat nonexistent. If you see where I am going with this than you are right, CA promised a lot of NEW features, but delivered a an OLD and broken system to a game whose setting would require a new thought to the genre. If it wasn't for the many amazing Modders out there who spend there valuable time making the game better for us, CA's games would remain broken and half-baked. CA knows this and instead of encouraging Modders, they turn them away by refusing there insight. CA knows that Modders add features to the game which should had been there the whole time, so Modders are technically taking away the ability of CA and SEGA to make and publish expansions. It sounds crazy, but it is practical and makes sense. A company does not want to support its Modders unless they were not going to effect their bottom line. An unfortunate Business practice, but the video game industry is all about business and making big profits, not making noteworthy game anymore. With the score I am giving Empire Total War, I feel I am fair and in the correct. CA PROMISED so much, but delivered the same OLD formula. Goodbye Total War, I am going to miss you.… Expand
  96. SaitX
    Mar 13, 2009
    5
    Empire: Total War was one of the titles i have been waiting to get for some time. I got the game few days ago from steam and started playing it. The game offers better graphics and gameplay then before. However there is lots of errors due to steam . I got crit errors like 10 times in 48 hours. Pros: -Graphics are great -Movie like battles (as always) -Sea battes (worth trying) Cons: Empire: Total War was one of the titles i have been waiting to get for some time. I got the game few days ago from steam and started playing it. The game offers better graphics and gameplay then before. However there is lots of errors due to steam . I got crit errors like 10 times in 48 hours. Pros: -Graphics are great -Movie like battles (as always) -Sea battes (worth trying) Cons: -Steam sucks . Lots of errors crits eventhough they released an update few days after release. I hear pirated version is more stable :S -Diplomatic relations.( once they say no you never get to make them say yes) -Towns and fortresses are bugged, your forces may get stuck in a wall or a building. -Game ends in 200 turns and you wonder if you did everything possible.… Expand
  97. JFYoung
    Mar 15, 2009
    5
    Very poor AI. AI embarks and transports no enemy troops on a ship. Many major bugs in the GC = Crash to Desktop. Then after you cant resume your game.

    I played Rome and Medieval II. These 2 games were almost a 10 score but Empire is almost unplayable might be because its unfinished.
  98. Flankero.
    Mar 27, 2009
    5
    Too too bad, a awesome evolution to TW series, but this one is a dude. Crashes, too much to run on even a good system, and its momentum of the game is lacking to Rome total war. Even the intro video has the jitters.... I hope they get it all fixed up, I was really lookin forward to this game.
  99. WesS
    Mar 31, 2009
    5
    I sadly am giving this a 5 as of right now. Which on most gaming sites fall in the mediocre category. I too as many of you have purchased all the other total war games in the series because i love the depth. I havent played much as college can be prohibitive in the amount of time i have to play. That being said...from what i did get my hands on...I find it horrendous that a gamer should I sadly am giving this a 5 as of right now. Which on most gaming sites fall in the mediocre category. I too as many of you have purchased all the other total war games in the series because i love the depth. I havent played much as college can be prohibitive in the amount of time i have to play. That being said...from what i did get my hands on...I find it horrendous that a gamer should spend 50 dollars for a game only to be expected to fiddle with a dam client (steam). From reading other posters...Im slightly dissappointed that they tried to dumb down the interface...etc. I think that is one of the things that made the previous games so engrossing. I have a pretty decent computer... I can run MTW2 and the expansion just fine, as well as company of heroes with little if negligible lag. The game does seem to have been released too early... the fact that many in game cutscenes lag so horribly seriously detracts from what might be a overall awesome game. I only hope these issues are addressed in a patch which leads me to another frustration with steam. The fact you have to download updates through the steam client and set it up so you can even play it offline is just absurd. I worked hard for my 50$ i dont want any headaches installing or playing my game. Just let me play! While i think that it is important that piracy of games should be restricted, why should the many suffer for the actions of a few. And you cant tell me that with the amount of money they are making they cant afford to ditch this steaming pile of steam crap. Heck look how many people bought Empire total war only to be let down. I sympathize with all of you, and patiently wait with the rest of you for the patches that will fix the game that should not have needed fixing.… Expand
  100. MichaelB
    Mar 31, 2009
    5
    The graphics of the game look great, but during battles, you'll be zoomed out managing the battlefield and the game looks dated. There are very few battlefield maps, so you'll pretty much be fighting in a field or against the same looking fort over and over. That is not eye candy and it is not even keeping current. I don't care about the look of the battles, so much as the The graphics of the game look great, but during battles, you'll be zoomed out managing the battlefield and the game looks dated. There are very few battlefield maps, so you'll pretty much be fighting in a field or against the same looking fort over and over. That is not eye candy and it is not even keeping current. I don't care about the look of the battles, so much as the clunky game mechanics. The way units move in this version of TW is terrible. Having to navigate a wall or building is an exercise in patience due to poor design. Sending troops to a location is gamble, as they may decide to take the worst path their possible . The AI is terribly slow when reacting to your changing tactics. Battles will all feel the same and repetitive due to the lack of AI or variety. Don't get me started on the load times in the game... every battle takes a solid 1 to 2 minutes to load. Even worse is sometimes the game will hang during these loads and crash. This leads to the other bugs that fester through this game. Sounds errors, game crashes, flickering, unexplained slowdowns are just some of the issues. And like other people have, STEAM is crap and causes more problems than it solves. I played through the American campaign and the Spanish. It was moderately entertaining. Very very repetitive. I was bored cold by the end of the Spanish campaign, as there comes a point when you know you are going to win hours beforehand and you're just playing through the motions and surviving bugs and load time.… 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

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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.
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  3. InsideGamer.nl
    93
    This is the best Total War game thanks to all the little tweaks. Sometimes little differences make a good game great. The battles ask of you that you think more about your actions and managing your empire never was easier. The sea battles are fun to watch, but are a little hard to control. Nevertheless, Empire: Total War is a game that can make you forget about the time.
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