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. JacobB
    Mar 31, 2009
    3
    Looks to be a great game, though I would agree that Rome and Medieval 2 had a better "feel" right out of the box. However, the numerous issues and problems with this game, causing graphical errors and CTD's like no other game I have ever bought, give this game it's current low score. Fans of the Total War series hear me! Do not buy this game yet! They have many patches to go Looks to be a great game, though I would agree that Rome and Medieval 2 had a better "feel" right out of the box. However, the numerous issues and problems with this game, causing graphical errors and CTD's like no other game I have ever bought, give this game it's current low score. Fans of the Total War series hear me! Do not buy this game yet! They have many patches to go before it isn't sinking from hull damage!… Expand
  2. 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.
  3. ChrisR.
    Mar 31, 2009
    9
    While the game does have its glitches, and yes, it is laggy at times, the full scale of control that it gives you over every facet of economic and military institutions available in the 18th century makes it a spectacular game. Yes, the campaign map is a step down in graphics, but this is more than made up for by the in battle graphics and the ability to control towns, trade theaters, While the game does have its glitches, and yes, it is laggy at times, the full scale of control that it gives you over every facet of economic and military institutions available in the 18th century makes it a spectacular game. Yes, the campaign map is a step down in graphics, but this is more than made up for by the in battle graphics and the ability to control towns, trade theaters, colonies, and three zones of fighting that give the game a much larger presence than former Total War titles. In addition, the AI has been drastically increased and the addition of minor nations and the vast amount of territory in the maps give a large world to be ruled by diplomacy, trade, and war. The AI has also been made more aggressive, making the game more challenging, and, unlike previous Total War's, allowing the computer to attack you instead of you always having to go to the computer. While I'm a big fan of both Rome and Medieval II, Empire Total War definately tops them all.… Expand
  4. MattP
    Mar 31, 2009
    9
    I read that it crashes a lot but purchased it anyways a week ago. It probably has crashed 5 times and I have played it for 3-6 hours a day so I wouldnt worry about the crashes especially since they have released four patches since it came out. Love this game!
  5. TomT
    Mar 31, 2009
    4
    Short: Looks good, Game has high potentials - but Realisation is worse in coding. Compared to Medival2:Tw - AI: Errors and low level Intelligence. Code Errors with Crash to desktop. Design: AI cant land from sea, cant transport troops, makes mass Armies with 1 unit in it, cant do pathfinding ... and so on.. better giving this experimental gamecode some month to develop and it will become Short: Looks good, Game has high potentials - but Realisation is worse in coding. Compared to Medival2:Tw - AI: Errors and low level Intelligence. Code Errors with Crash to desktop. Design: AI cant land from sea, cant transport troops, makes mass Armies with 1 unit in it, cant do pathfinding ... and so on.. better giving this experimental gamecode some month to develop and it will become so good as expected. … Expand
  6. vincef
    Mar 31, 2009
    0
    Graphically magnificent, huge campaign map. But... what a disappointment ! I'm a fan of the serie from Shogun, it's the worst IA ever in a total war game : T_T The game crashes in many ways, so much that the main campain is just impossible to play to the end (total domination of the world) : T_T again. Loading times and AI turns are far too long : T_T (15 minutes for the AI turn Graphically magnificent, huge campaign map. But... what a disappointment ! I'm a fan of the serie from Shogun, it's the worst IA ever in a total war game : T_T The game crashes in many ways, so much that the main campain is just impossible to play to the end (total domination of the world) : T_T again. Loading times and AI turns are far too long : T_T (15 minutes for the AI turn after playing 70 turns !!!!!) This game uses STEAM : T_T again and again As a.… Expand
  7. KevinN
    Mar 31, 2009
    2
    The official review score is a total shame. The gamer's review score is closer to reality and it should even be a much lower score. Same old philosoply coming from Sega is a real disappointment. Selling an unfinished product is totally unacceptable. The game is a bug in itself. It will mess up your computer and slow down anything you do with it. Looking at the so called "reviews" The official review score is a total shame. The gamer's review score is closer to reality and it should even be a much lower score. Same old philosoply coming from Sega is a real disappointment. Selling an unfinished product is totally unacceptable. The game is a bug in itself. It will mess up your computer and slow down anything you do with it. Looking at the so called "reviews" from the official reviewers like gamespy makes me want to throw up on them. I'm proud to say that I never supported gamespy and will ONLY support them when they stop this nonsense "review". DO NOT buy this and support only publishers who deliver a product that works. Boycotting should be the name of gamer's game from this point on.… Expand
  8. JasonH.
    Mar 31, 2009
    5
    Buggy is not the word, this game is the nest! I was always a Total War nut, but this game has made me sooo angry, i doubt i will buy another, untill the many issues have been tested and resolved-its Faulty goods and if it had beeen anything else it would have been rtnd. Sega and Creative Assembly be ashamed!
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. StefanP
    Mar 31, 2009
    10
    There are some crashes and sometimes, especially in the late game, the game runs a little slow and/or reacts a little slow (especially when selecting fleets and ports), but I love it. I already finished three Grand Campaigns and I'm about to finish my fourth (~12 more years and already 65 regions). Also no problems in multiplayer.
  13. NickN
    Mar 30, 2009
    5
    E:TW is beautiful. It's also not done. As shipped the campaign is simply not functional as the non-player factions do nothing due to a plethora of forehead-slapping bugs and behavior problems. The luscious visuals during battles only carry it so far -- this game needed months more development time and some, please, any play-testing at all. Normally Creative Assembly gets cut a lot of E:TW is beautiful. It's also not done. As shipped the campaign is simply not functional as the non-player factions do nothing due to a plethora of forehead-slapping bugs and behavior problems. The luscious visuals during battles only carry it so far -- this game needed months more development time and some, please, any play-testing at all. Normally Creative Assembly gets cut a lot of slack due to their small size and unique niche of games, but this is by far their worst handled release to date.… Expand
  14. MikeS
    Mar 30, 2009
    9
    Outstanding game! I can't stop playing it. The game does have a few minor bugs that need to be worked out as exspected with any new release. I'm sure these will be worked out here in the near future. It does not hinder your playing too much at all! All in all, a great game. The naval warfare is fantastic!
  15. SamuelW
    Mar 30, 2009
    10
    I haven't noticed any of these 'bugs', strange! I've enjoyed every single minute I've played. The campaign is amazing, the introduction of multiple towns and resource centres within a province are neat too. Multiplayer is great too, although it would be nice if more maps were introduced for 2vs2 and up. (There are plenty of 1vs1 maps)... All-in-all Empire comes I haven't noticed any of these 'bugs', strange! I've enjoyed every single minute I've played. The campaign is amazing, the introduction of multiple towns and resource centres within a province are neat too. Multiplayer is great too, although it would be nice if more maps were introduced for 2vs2 and up. (There are plenty of 1vs1 maps)... All-in-all Empire comes very close to the amazing game that is Rome: Total War, and is possible even on par with it. This game is truly awesome, I've spent countless hours on it (about 50 so far, and I'm a little more than a quarter through my first campaign). Very entertaining!… Expand
  16. MarkS
    Mar 30, 2009
    5
    This game had good potential, but suffers from being released far too early. It's plagued by bugs and crashes. Thus far, a series of patches seems to have only made things worse, with CA releasing patches for their patches! Bugs aside, the AI doesn't seem to know how to play the game and there are some serious balance issues. To anyone who's interested in actually playing This game had good potential, but suffers from being released far too early. It's plagued by bugs and crashes. Thus far, a series of patches seems to have only made things worse, with CA releasing patches for their patches! Bugs aside, the AI doesn't seem to know how to play the game and there are some serious balance issues. To anyone who's interested in actually playing this game: I would advise waiting until the price drops, the bugs are all ironed out, or both.… Expand
  17. JoãoSalvadoretti
    Mar 30, 2009
    9
    Despite somewhat rushed nature, Empires stand as a great game, offering a great gameplay, begin sea land battles really good. Its only issues rest is the already mentioned rushed state, but even this is begin fixed with a long patch process (off course, it would be better if it did not happen, but still...).
  18. 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
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. AndrewB
    Mar 30, 2009
    3
    As per everyone else here, the game looks great, but its six months too early (Campaign AI & Bugs), DONT buy this game yet, wait for a sale in around six months and you will hopefully love every minute of it.
  22. OliverDay
    Mar 30, 2009
    6
    A good total war title..
    some how doesnt do it all for me though, in comparrison to say Medival total war the game play is just far better on that, If it wasnt for the sea battles this rating would be a flat 5. I feel that with the release of the patch in may that alot of the lag and jerkyness can be remidied.
  23. RobM
    Mar 30, 2009
    6
    Empire: Total War follows The Creative Assembly's MO as seen in previous Total War titles as far back as Rome of being a promising game full of good ideas and features obscured by a ridiculous amount of bugs and glitches. The positive aspects of this game include the new, deeper campaign map interface that allows more thorough control of your faction than in previous titles. Empire: Total War follows The Creative Assembly's MO as seen in previous Total War titles as far back as Rome of being a promising game full of good ideas and features obscured by a ridiculous amount of bugs and glitches. The positive aspects of this game include the new, deeper campaign map interface that allows more thorough control of your faction than in previous titles. Diplomacy, a longtime failure of the Total War series, is at least brought up to the basic standard of today's strategy games, though it can still be obtuse and useless at times. The different campaign theaters (Europe, America and India) are represented in a way that allows for great detail in all of them. Battles are at least as well-done as in previous titles and the battle maps themselves are far larger than before, which allows for more tactical maneuvering. The bad is, as usual, mostly bug related. Total War games since at least as early as Rome have been almost more trouble than they're worth until a series of patches is released due to obstructive bugs and crashes littering the game at release. Most of these are fixed after two or three patches, but there are always some that are never fixed. Pathfinding is absolutely pathetic and I am unable to trust units to find their way around anything bigger than a hay bale. The failure of pathfinding makes sieges more or less unplayable. The inclusion of Steam has itself led to a slew of problems visible on The Creative Assembly's official tech support forums and I don't see one convincing redeeming quality in it's involvement. I am generally very impressed with this game in theory, but the bugs strain my patience when attempting to play it. It should be made clear that in the past the bugs have always eventually been fixed, bringing the game to a reasonable level of playability which then allows it to shine. However, Steam may throw off the balance after all and make this game more trouble than it's worth. I certainly don't recommend this game yet; I suggest waiting several months for the patches to be released, and only then if Steam doesn't bother you.… Expand
  24. johnl
    Mar 29, 2009
    1
    This game so, far is a disaster at best. With specs that are questionable and a load of bugs that seem to plague all computers great and small. What happened to the days when you purchased a game and you didn't need to connect to the internet. As a long time fan of the total war series I have come to see the fall (or beginning stages of) a great game franchise. Next time take an This game so, far is a disaster at best. With specs that are questionable and a load of bugs that seem to plague all computers great and small. What happened to the days when you purchased a game and you didn't need to connect to the internet. As a long time fan of the total war series I have come to see the fall (or beginning stages of) a great game franchise. Next time take an extra 6 months to finish the product.… Expand
  25. 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
  26. JetL
    Mar 29, 2009
    4
    On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this a 4 because of several issues. First, Sega's going Steam. Definitely not a good thing with their DRM which is known to malfunction your PC entirely. Second, Empire TW is using the old formula of previous titles; AI has changed little, from dumb to dumber, absolutely no brain to win even at the hardest levels and even worse then before. Third, at On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this a 4 because of several issues. First, Sega's going Steam. Definitely not a good thing with their DRM which is known to malfunction your PC entirely. Second, Empire TW is using the old formula of previous titles; AI has changed little, from dumb to dumber, absolutely no brain to win even at the hardest levels and even worse then before. Third, at release and even with presto patch, CTD's, freezes, game acting up mid battles, unexplained slowdowns, pc death status. Fourth, feels like QA left town to fix bawdy houses instead. Game is NOT finished, poorly done, and fails my expectation as a gamer. Final thought, take your best friend out with 50 bucks, you'll enjoy much more than "this".… Expand
  27. AaronJ
    Mar 29, 2009
    3
    I have bought every previous TW game since Shogun came out. One of the reasons why I'm such a loyal TW fan is because I knew my money was buying a game ready to play and that the guys at TW didn't realease games early and unready like the other chumps. I bought my computer for 2k last year and belive me when I say it's well past min requirements. Still this is the laggiest I have bought every previous TW game since Shogun came out. One of the reasons why I'm such a loyal TW fan is because I knew my money was buying a game ready to play and that the guys at TW didn't realease games early and unready like the other chumps. I bought my computer for 2k last year and belive me when I say it's well past min requirements. Still this is the laggiest game ever.. Unplayable!!! And I haven't even run into the crashing bugs that everyone is talking about. Why would someone want to buy anything thats not ready? It's like buying a car with no wheels yet. I'm not old but I do remember days when you bought a game it was playable and finished when you spent your $70!!!!! I'm taking this back to EB games today and getting back my money one way or the other... Then I'll buy the game when these bastards decide to finish it. Unbelievable.… Expand
  28. DavidC
    Mar 28, 2009
    8
    I have every Total War game and I have thouroughly rnjoyed every one of them. I looked forward to this one with great anticipation. I have played it now (as the British) up to 1778. I find it absolutely fantastic - really engrossing - with some problems however. My game played flawlessly until about the 1750's, and now I tend to get crashes when I click on a port or a fleet. Also, I have every Total War game and I have thouroughly rnjoyed every one of them. I looked forward to this one with great anticipation. I have played it now (as the British) up to 1778. I find it absolutely fantastic - really engrossing - with some problems however. My game played flawlessly until about the 1750's, and now I tend to get crashes when I click on a port or a fleet. Also, the AI is terribly stupid. Nevertheless, it is a game I will continue to play, with great pleasure - but I do look forward to the patches!!!!!… Expand
  29. dirk0815
    Mar 28, 2009
    3
    Sorry for my poor English first (I come from Germany): After installation (almost 30 minutes), I've waited again about 40 minutes (because of the steam updates and fixes) until to start the game first. After 1-2 minutes it crashed. It is stressful to play it and my computer is not the oldest one. So I think this game is released to the market although the producer knows the gaps and Sorry for my poor English first (I come from Germany): After installation (almost 30 minutes), I've waited again about 40 minutes (because of the steam updates and fixes) until to start the game first. After 1-2 minutes it crashed. It is stressful to play it and my computer is not the oldest one. So I think this game is released to the market although the producer knows the gaps and errors. On the other hand I don't know what datasets of me and my computer are sent throught the internet with this steam account. I'll never accept in future this kind of software installation again. Sorry, but I can't comprehend this business model.… Expand
  30. 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.
  31. PaulT
    Mar 27, 2009
    4
    Constant crashes, weak opponents, bad AI, units don't respond, no continuity or real strategy, in reading other comments I have to agree, does not live up to the promises. I am not impressed with Steam but I do get updates right away which hopefully improves performance soon.
  32. tacoj
    Mar 27, 2009
    8
    Good game. Plays great (minus the bug crashes) and looks amazing. Epic battles, good map and unit features.... once again however, Pathetic AI. I find myself completely knocking out entire neighboring countries in 15 turns or less. This was the problem with kingdoms and every other release. I destroyed lithuania in 8 turns with teutonic. PLEASE, upgrade the AI b/c this game is boring and Good game. Plays great (minus the bug crashes) and looks amazing. Epic battles, good map and unit features.... once again however, Pathetic AI. I find myself completely knocking out entire neighboring countries in 15 turns or less. This was the problem with kingdoms and every other release. I destroyed lithuania in 8 turns with teutonic. PLEASE, upgrade the AI b/c this game is boring and easy. Wheres the challenge!?!? (if your not going to release updates to the AI, first and foremost do it b4 your next release. watching me fight the AI is like mahatma gandhi vs muhammed ali).… Expand
  33. 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.
  34. JohnE.
    Mar 27, 2009
    9
    I have played a few total war games now and this is far the best of the lot. Naval battles take it all to a new dimension. I found it easy to understand, the only problem is random crashing which is annoying especially when you have just taken over a major town.
  35. derikr
    Mar 27, 2009
    1
    I own all Total war games, adding to my library for years now, one by one.First and foremost, I purchased Empire, and for my money, was given Steam. Having to use Steam irritates me to no end. I cannot defrag my hard drive because of Steam. Ca has been gracious enough to respond to support questions in a timely fashion. however Steam, and Sega have not responded in a week. Now to the I own all Total war games, adding to my library for years now, one by one.First and foremost, I purchased Empire, and for my money, was given Steam. Having to use Steam irritates me to no end. I cannot defrag my hard drive because of Steam. Ca has been gracious enough to respond to support questions in a timely fashion. however Steam, and Sega have not responded in a week. Now to the game, At first it was so buggy, I couldnt run it. After fooloing around with the graphics settings, I finally got it to work, For me it runs pretty well. Again, only pretty well. The AI is dumb as a box of rocks, There are in my mind, too few playable factions, and most are so similar, why bother giving them a name, just call it me - vs - them, and pick a spot to start. I do like many aspects of the game, such as tech tree, diplomacy, easy income, However Steam is so bad, you will wish you spent your money on used clothes instead. Your files are locked away, and in some cases hidden. If you try to defrag your hard drive, you cant, If you delete the files causing the problem, you have to reload the game, which takes several hours. Auto saved games can become unplayable, resulting in CTD over and over again. I make this promise to Ca, and Sega. If I ever have to buy Steam, to get thier game, I will not buy it. I'm giving you my very best advice....dont do it. You will feel better giving your money to a paper shredder. For Steam, and poor AI, my review is a big fat 1.… Expand
  36. JimW
    Mar 27, 2009
    3
    This game is nothing more then a black-eye on the superb Total War franchise. In a nut-shell: 1) Runs poorly and slow even on high-end computers 2) The AI is Terrible 3) More bugs then most Alphas that I have played 4) Few words in the English language can adequately describe how bad STEAM sucks In conclusion, This game is a train wreck. No amount of last minute patching can save it This game is nothing more then a black-eye on the superb Total War franchise. In a nut-shell: 1) Runs poorly and slow even on high-end computers 2) The AI is Terrible 3) More bugs then most Alphas that I have played 4) Few words in the English language can adequately describe how bad STEAM sucks In conclusion, This game is a train wreck. No amount of last minute patching can save it because of STEAM.… Expand
  37. JimJ.
    Mar 27, 2009
    4
    Releasing it as such a buggy product was a grave error. Gameplay suffers hugely from CTDs. Even after 2 patches, it's not worth buying yet. Huge mistake on the part of the devs. I do not support game devs that pull this kind of garbage.
  38. FredD.
    Mar 27, 2009
    4
    Extremely pretty game, but was not ready for release. many users are plagued by crashs, some still cannot even play the game. also notable problems currently, very poor ai- wont even attack via navel assault for example. so to say, you need not garrison any islands you control as they are 100 percent safe!
  39. EtienneT
    Mar 27, 2009
    1
    This was the first TW game I had bought. Man I was disappointed. From constant CTD, to freezing my PC, out of video memory (1GB GTX 285 sli), Out of system memory (4 GB/2.8GB x86), Laggy campaign map (q9300 @3.0Ghz), graphic errors that cause crashes (after third patch 3/26/09). Slow battle load times (RAID 0+1 4x500GB SATA). I want my money back! Bioshock, COD4 & 5, CSS. CNC3, CIV4, FEAR This was the first TW game I had bought. Man I was disappointed. From constant CTD, to freezing my PC, out of video memory (1GB GTX 285 sli), Out of system memory (4 GB/2.8GB x86), Laggy campaign map (q9300 @3.0Ghz), graphic errors that cause crashes (after third patch 3/26/09). Slow battle load times (RAID 0+1 4x500GB SATA). I want my money back! Bioshock, COD4 & 5, CSS. CNC3, CIV4, FEAR & XP & fear2, and UT3 all play on my system w/out any problems at all! Why would a game pushed back on a release date still not be ready when released? 3 patches in 22 days of released and the community still complaining about not being able to play! I had no problems with sound and the upgrade sound and now I have new crashes! YAY... Wasted 30 hours trying to play this game (late at night after work) and cannot play 5 turns without a CTD! YET I install far cry 2 put on max settings and played 2 hours straight without a problem on the first go! I think CA just needed operating money and released this too early. Far as I am concerned I will never buy a CA game again.… Expand
  40. JohnB
    Mar 27, 2009
    7
    Being deployed allot he need for internet to play the game is horrible. Having towns etc. away from the cities I like there should be a way to destroy them not just damage them. The minor CAV raids by the AI are its only real offensive. AI needs to be supped up. The IA system for diplomacy also needs some work. You can offer outrageously favorable terms and the IA would rather die than Being deployed allot he need for internet to play the game is horrible. Having towns etc. away from the cities I like there should be a way to destroy them not just damage them. The minor CAV raids by the AI are its only real offensive. AI needs to be supped up. The IA system for diplomacy also needs some work. You can offer outrageously favorable terms and the IA would rather die than give you a trade deal. Crashes allot. Save game often and be prepared to disband fleets to prevent crashes. The good thing is there is no transport requirements so 1 sloop can transport a whole army. Good start but needs allot of patching. Should be cleaned up by the time the expansion is released. With any luck Steam will go bye bye.… Expand
  41. Lewis
    Mar 27, 2009
    9
    This game is one of the best strategy games out there to date. I've been playing this game for hours on end. Played through the Grand Campaign on medium, and played half-way through another one .... and not once did i encounter any saved file problem and no crashing! For sure the games a bit dodgey at some points but so is every other game out there. Empire Total war is a great game. This game is one of the best strategy games out there to date. I've been playing this game for hours on end. Played through the Grand Campaign on medium, and played half-way through another one .... and not once did i encounter any saved file problem and no crashing! For sure the games a bit dodgey at some points but so is every other game out there. Empire Total war is a great game. my computers not even that great (2.4 Ghz dual core +1 gig Ram + 9600 GT) yet it still manages do some great graphics, yet the loading times do take seem to take for ever! For anyone who enjoys strategy games Empire Total War is unmissable!!!!… Expand
  42. DollaBill
    Mar 27, 2009
    6
    The game has excellent gameplay and is quite enjoyable, but every campaign I've tried has eventually hit some fatal glitch and effectively ceased to exist. It's really annoying and makes the entire grand campaign into an exercise in futility. Don't get it until there are patches.
  43. 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
  44. AaronLaed
    Mar 26, 2009
    0
    I was a huge fan of the totalwar series, but this is by far the worst of the totalwar games released. It crashes constantly (after downloading the first patch) The AI is weak and unit pathing is terrible. I can't recall buying a game as bad as this one. I doubt that I will ever purchase another totalwar game, what a piece of junk! Buy Rome Totalwar if you want to play a good game.
  45. NigelBl
    Mar 26, 2009
    0
    Very unstable game, very disappointing, bought nes system to run this game and the game crashes all the time despite the recent update, i have bought all the games in the series and this has been the worst for stability, ship battle is disappointing and game play same as last offering, Steam are rubbish and dont respond to problems.
  46. BarryS
    Mar 26, 2009
    2
    wouldnt of minded if i had a poor computer but its 2 grands worth so for the first and hopefully last time im saying this game is so very poo,r at the moment i would even consider it to be some sort of breach of ethics or if it was a bank then conduct or something like that. putting out a product that could of been brilliant and will be but there are loads of brits on the team for christ wouldnt of minded if i had a poor computer but its 2 grands worth so for the first and hopefully last time im saying this game is so very poo,r at the moment i would even consider it to be some sort of breach of ethics or if it was a bank then conduct or something like that. putting out a product that could of been brilliant and will be but there are loads of brits on the team for christ sake. we are awesome at this stuff.… Expand
  47. AaronL
    Mar 26, 2009
    0
    A game can have the best graphics, and the best gameplay in the world, and it wouldn't matter one bit if it was too buggy to play. Zero is what I give this game because it's just not a finished product and the grand campaign (single player side of the game) isn't playable. I waited for a patch to clear it up, and it actually made it worse. Boooooooooooo!
  48. TysonW
    Mar 25, 2009
    9
    Great game, hours of fun. didn't know if i would like it cause it takes place in 1700. got it cheap for 40 dollars at best buy 1 week ago. it has its bugs but just got the new patch that came out today and hasn't crashed or glitched on me yet. i highly recomend you buy this game.
  49. JohnS
    Mar 25, 2009
    5
    This could have been the best TW to date, and given six months of patching probably will be, at the moment though it is so poorly finished as to be a waste of money. The game has some awful bugs that couldn't have been missed in playtesting so I can only assume the publishers concluded a public beta was the cheapest way forward - the most game breaking bug for me is the inability ofThis could have been the best TW to date, and given six months of patching probably will be, at the moment though it is so poorly finished as to be a waste of money. The game has some awful bugs that couldn't have been missed in playtesting so I can only assume the publishers concluded a public beta was the cheapest way forward - the most game breaking bug for me is the inability of the AI to invade across water - it simply cannot use land armies and ships to land invasion forces. In effect nations like Great Britain are invulnerable at the present time. Its depressing that most reviewers (both professional and otherwise) are simply scoring it on the basis of the game they hope it will be rather than the game it is today, to what extent this is down to them simply not noticing the poor AI and attributing their success to 'skill' is an interesting question particularly in relation to those who do this for a living.

    It will almost certainly be a great game once patched up, but anyone considering the purchase may be better served holding off for a few patches.    … Expand
  50. CarlB
    Mar 25, 2009
    4
    I have been a big fan of the total war series but this one is not good, bugs galore, memory issues crashing and slow response times to mention a few . I feel that this game could have been so much more, the forts don
  51. JoopvandenH
    Mar 25, 2009
    8
    Being a Total War fan since the very first game (Shogun), I was looking forward to the change in setting in Empire, and wasn't disappointed. The game does a good job in portraying the era, if your PC got the power to show it. My rig is at or above the RECOMMENDED levels, and I play with the graphic setting tuned down (no max. shaders for me), and the game is still laggy in some Being a Total War fan since the very first game (Shogun), I was looking forward to the change in setting in Empire, and wasn't disappointed. The game does a good job in portraying the era, if your PC got the power to show it. My rig is at or above the RECOMMENDED levels, and I play with the graphic setting tuned down (no max. shaders for me), and the game is still laggy in some areas. The campaign map lags a bit in normal play, and a lot if a cutscene is shown. Land battles with full stack armies are also a problem at some particular zoom levels (zoomed fully in or out is OK, but the mid-levels are troublesome), but oddly enough the naval battles play smoothly, even with graphics on maximum settings and with full stack navies. I've experienced two crashes so far, both on the (pre-patched) retail edition. My game has been stable since the first patch came out. A lot has been said about the AI for this game, both before and after release. The battle AI is very good, easily the best in the series so far. The AI makes good use of the new map features (walls, buildings), deploys its cannons on good spots, and will actively try to outflank you if you are entrenched behind a wall. Still, it does not do a good job at protecting its cannons from quick cavalry charges, and is still very vunerable to flanking (a flaw the AI has had in the whole series so far). The naval AI also generally does a good job, but can be tricked rather easily in messing up his own line of battle by approaching it from a different angle (sailing around him and attacking from the rear). The campaign AI however is not so strong. It does do a decent job at raiding your outlying settlements (farms, mines, weavers cottages etc.), but only very rarely attacks your main settlements in force if you keep these well garrisoned. The AI waists no time in attacking weakly protected cities, but if you keep a half stack in them the AI will no longer try to attack it. This makes for very easy and boring gameply, because you can just sit back and build a steamroller army, while the AI wastes his own forces in small attacks at your outlying settlements, easily defeated by sorties from your larger garrisons. Despite this sometimes weak campaign AI, I find that I'm absolutly hooked to this game. I've completed short campaigns with all the major factions , and am now playing three long campaigns. To me, this proves that this game has a strong basis to build from, and all else can be patched or modded. Taken as a whole, this game deserves a solid 8 as is. And when the first mods start appearing, this figure should probably be even higher.… Expand
  52. MichaelthePole
    Mar 25, 2009
    1
    This has to be the worst public relations disaster since the Titanic. I pre ordered this pos in January, and ALL I got for that was "well, it's not our fault that you got taken like a 6 year old at his first carnival." I have the same failure to load problem described on the Forum by aprox 15,000 ex-CA fans. I posted a ticket with SEGA on March 5, and the response I got was "While This has to be the worst public relations disaster since the Titanic. I pre ordered this pos in January, and ALL I got for that was "well, it's not our fault that you got taken like a 6 year old at his first carnival." I have the same failure to load problem described on the Forum by aprox 15,000 ex-CA fans. I posted a ticket with SEGA on March 5, and the response I got was "While your computer meets the spec requirements published when you bought the game, your computer does not meet the specs actually necessary to RUN the game. We'll let you know if we ever figure out a way to convert your $60.00 investment from an attractive desk top icon into the item you thought you purchased. By the way, don't let your desktop cleaner hide your unusable Empire: Total War icon in your Unused Icon folder - we're sure that you'll want to be reminded every day that you've been screwed to the wall by CA and SEGA as well as Steam." If this isn't fixed by April 1st (Isnt THAT a real funny?!) I'm going to dust off my old retired lawyer hat and see what we need to do about interstate mail fraud. I want my money back. If you can't load this turkey, please post a little love note to SEGA/CA at http://shoguntotalwar.yuku.com/topic/50484 If you have the "dreaded white screen of death" (I'm not joking!) or one of a hundred other crash to desktop issues, or if the AI is hopelessly retarded or you cant load any of your saved games, you have the comfort of knowing that your friends in the STEAM community share your pain and you can always amuse yourself by watching the endless advertisements that STEAM provides as "updates." If you haven't bought this, listen to these voices of dearly purchased experience and avoid any CA products like something you found on the bottom of your shoe after using a public restroom in a San Francisco City Park.… Expand
  53. JohnS
    Mar 24, 2009
    10
    I'm a Total War fan from way back, and I really enjoyed this iteration of the series. The campaign map is much improved, with the decentralized provinces making for a high level of strategy and thought needed for every move and troop placement. Although many users complain about bugs and crashes, I have experienced none of this in over 50 hours of gameplay so far. This is ironic,I'm a Total War fan from way back, and I really enjoyed this iteration of the series. The campaign map is much improved, with the decentralized provinces making for a high level of strategy and thought needed for every move and troop placement. Although many users complain about bugs and crashes, I have experienced none of this in over 50 hours of gameplay so far. This is ironic, considering most games crash and lock up all the time on my machine.… Expand
  54. NickW
    Mar 24, 2009
    8
    A fairly solid game that could use a little polish. Campaign AI is meak and the ship AI is even worse. Rakes, the assassination and spy unit, are quite weak and have a very low probability at succeeding in their task - making them quite unreliable. Sea battles are very hard to control, which is suprising considering that the land battles are so intuitive. I have to say, the focus on A fairly solid game that could use a little polish. Campaign AI is meak and the ship AI is even worse. Rakes, the assassination and spy unit, are quite weak and have a very low probability at succeeding in their task - making them quite unreliable. Sea battles are very hard to control, which is suprising considering that the land battles are so intuitive. I have to say, the focus on Firearms makes this Total War far more exciting than previous titles and the tactics change accordingly. Melee still has its place however, which some of the most effective units belonging to this catagory.… Expand
  55. KubaD
    Mar 24, 2009
    7
    The least playable of all of the Total Wars, which is a shame, as it had the biggest potential. The AI is pathetic, no matter which level of difficulty. You can conquer the whole of France within 5 turns of the game whichever faction you play and afterwards the whole gameplay is just winning without any effort. Once you conquered London or Paris you have twice the income any other faction The least playable of all of the Total Wars, which is a shame, as it had the biggest potential. The AI is pathetic, no matter which level of difficulty. You can conquer the whole of France within 5 turns of the game whichever faction you play and afterwards the whole gameplay is just winning without any effort. Once you conquered London or Paris you have twice the income any other faction has. And this combined with the laughable 'ideas' of the computer players makes the difficulty curve go downslope from this moment on. That sums up the strategic gameplay, as there is little more to it. Battle itself is great, as there is little to add to the way Total Wars present themselves. It's really a masterpiece, and seeing your lines of infantry mercilesly pounding on the enemy is priceless. The custom battles, however, are awful. No river crossings, too little settings and the worst part: not all units are available. I really, really would like to be able to play againt the angry melee pirate mob. It would let you engenieer all those cool scenarios, in which a regiment of elite, experienced rifleman and a single mortar repells the attack of a thousand of armed swashbucklers. I can't think for everyone, but tell me: what's the ratio of senseless slaughers compared to real, balanced battles when you use custom battles? I for one usually made battles when a elite unit stood to thousands of peasants and died in a glorious battle taking 20 times more enemies with themselves before being cut to pieces by the angry mob or commanded an army of poor village/towns-folk struggling aggainst the army of an oppresive tyrant. Oh, and there's another thing - in campaign battles you get to be entrenched - in custom - you don't. This really is a major drawback, as custom battles often serve as a training tool for real battles. I completed a couple of campaigns now and only twice i got to use the riflemen ability to plant mines. I'd really like to know their [the mine's] power to plan assaults better. But i don't get to. Cause nobody gave a thought to making the custom battles being really custom. Another thing: don't even get me started on the whole Steam thing. I hated Steam whole my life and I have no intent of changing it. It a bugged and messed up platform that really should die off. It has too much control over a game, it slow's it down (all those commmunity messages that crashed the game) and generally sucks. It's really cool that Empire is distributed on-line, but I'd love to buy it as a normal, boxed game without being forced to use the net to play it. And the last thing: i don't understan why the game is so slow. The graphic effects arent THAT better (though they are breathtaking) from the previous games, yet still Empire works several times slower than Medieval. A bigger battle takes 15 minutes to load (whereas the biggest battles in Medieval 2 took 2-4 minutes) and I don't even play on the maximum unit size settings! I can, however, understand the battles - all the smoke, fire and other effects occupy your graphics card and processor. Why the strategy screen is so slow - I have no idea. It differs little even from the Rome series. Overall: the game is really neat, the idea is more than great, but the technicalities... Well, they made me stop playing the game. If a big, big patch comes out (generally fixing the AI issues) I'd be glad to come back. For now - the game's dead.… Expand
  56. BarrieHarris
    Mar 24, 2009
    9
    Fantastic .. some of the campaign features were a little annoying .. but overall it was excellent .. on line play is outstanding .. I would have gone for Empire total war (land) and Empire total war at sea (another game guys .. more money) keep up the good work.
    Bazza
  57. Arnold
    Mar 24, 2009
    3
    Empire Total DISAPOINTMENT....the King IS dead, long live the King! A very buggy and poorly finished release. Very, VERY buggy, slow and .....STEAM....CA must have expected the backlash and were obviously willing to risk it....shame on you guys and the poor excuses you give to justify STEAM.....give me DRM any day, YES STEAM is that bad. It's going to take something pretty special to Empire Total DISAPOINTMENT....the King IS dead, long live the King! A very buggy and poorly finished release. Very, VERY buggy, slow and .....STEAM....CA must have expected the backlash and were obviously willing to risk it....shame on you guys and the poor excuses you give to justify STEAM.....give me DRM any day, YES STEAM is that bad. It's going to take something pretty special to get me back into the TW series.....and I won't be buying a TW game until it's been out and seriously reviewed for some time (ignoring those reviewers who are obviously kidding themselves, 8's, 9's and 10's.....you know who you are....or you simply do not know what makes a good game (and ETW aint it!). Oh, did I mention how buggy it is...it makes Windows Vista look GOOD!!!… Expand
  58. 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
  59. SimonW
    Mar 23, 2009
    4
    I loved this game from the start untill to the -- Crash? I tried to find the fix to this problem for a long time, this game is an unblemished diamond waiting for its release. SEGA please, dont hurry with your games, this is total damnation for all the players. They are apparently released an alpha version of the game and try to find out the bugs by torturing the players. AI, Crashes, and I loved this game from the start untill to the -- Crash? I tried to find the fix to this problem for a long time, this game is an unblemished diamond waiting for its release. SEGA please, dont hurry with your games, this is total damnation for all the players. They are apparently released an alpha version of the game and try to find out the bugs by torturing the players. AI, Crashes, and some diplomatical problems.. duh?… Expand
  60. MarkusS.
    Mar 23, 2009
    9
    Greatest Game ever!!!! outstanding graphics and good tutorial. The batles are lots of fun and the campaign really keeps you on the game!!! Only kritik I have is that the first Patch keeps crashing the game...hope 2nd patch will solve this problem! 9/10 points.
  61. MalcolmA.
    Mar 23, 2009
    1
    The vote of one is for the packaging. Have yet to be able to even play this game. Steam advice in the forums hasn't helped at all. Liked all the previous Total War games. Thoroughly dissappointed with this thing. Online help is very poor. Can't even play it solo offline. One word opinion? Rubbish!
  62. AdamL.
    Mar 23, 2009
    4
    This game is super buggy and has incredibly long load times, even on a pretty much state of the art computer. The AI is a complete joke, wait until it gets patched a few times before you buy it.
  63. 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
  64. DarrenG.
    Mar 23, 2009
    8
    Ok you can sail a ship which is very good and about time but when you've played medieval total war 2 to tend to think hmm, I've seen this all before. But still a very great game, and if you've never played it before I would say 10 / 10 personally.
  65. TomL.
    Mar 23, 2009
    3
    At this time the game is generally unplayable because of a memory leak that causes the game to crash randomly. Many people have experianced this so far. Check the community forums for more details. If the game didn't crash it would be around the 9/10 mark.
  66. JohnH.
    Mar 22, 2009
    1
    After playing Medieval II: Total War and seeing the promo videos of Empire, I purchased the game on the day of release. What a disappointment! The game is unfinished and requires a huge amount of work to become playable, let alone enjoyable. It is very buggy and will crash to desktop several times per turn. The AI is crude at best and it's almost impossible to lose the game. TheAfter playing Medieval II: Total War and seeing the promo videos of Empire, I purchased the game on the day of release. What a disappointment! The game is unfinished and requires a huge amount of work to become playable, let alone enjoyable. It is very buggy and will crash to desktop several times per turn. The AI is crude at best and it's almost impossible to lose the game. The developer, The Creative Assembly, has been slow to patch and if you read the gaming forums, has created a huge backlash through the gaming community with this release. My recommendation for anyone considering purchasing this game is to delay that purchase until it has become evident that the game has been fixed with appropriate patches and updates. At this time, the game is broken and unplayable.… Expand
  67. BradLittle
    Mar 22, 2009
    1
    Regardless of how good it might be, you can't play it if it won't run. Like many others, the game refuses to load for me from Steam DESPITE following all instructions twice. All latest video drivers and XP updates, Steam re-installed, game re-installed, etc. I advise avoiding this game unless you are an expert with configuring your computer, or if you can afford to waste the Regardless of how good it might be, you can't play it if it won't run. Like many others, the game refuses to load for me from Steam DESPITE following all instructions twice. All latest video drivers and XP updates, Steam re-installed, game re-installed, etc. I advise avoiding this game unless you are an expert with configuring your computer, or if you can afford to waste the purchase price.… Expand
  68. JennyS.
    Mar 22, 2009
    2
    Ok, so this game is unfinished crap basically. Not just the bugs and performance issues but other more serious gameplay issues as well. Pathfinding for one, it probably features some of the worst pathfinding in a game ever. What's the deal with not being able to place formations next to objects in battles? And fort combat is simply hilarious, you're actually in a disadvantage as Ok, so this game is unfinished crap basically. Not just the bugs and performance issues but other more serious gameplay issues as well. Pathfinding for one, it probably features some of the worst pathfinding in a game ever. What's the deal with not being able to place formations next to objects in battles? And fort combat is simply hilarious, you're actually in a disadvantage as a defender since your buggy tropps CANT FIRE OVER THE WALLS EFFICIENTLY!… Expand
  69. JohnnyD.
    Mar 22, 2009
    4
    How this game got a metacritic of 91 is unbelievable. It's really not that good, not even compared to previous Total War games. All the issues, lag, crashes, memory leaks aside, it still has major gameplay flaws. And what is up with clone soldiers etc. Sure if you have a gfx card with a lot of memory you get different face textures, but that's an idiotic thing to optimize. It How this game got a metacritic of 91 is unbelievable. It's really not that good, not even compared to previous Total War games. All the issues, lag, crashes, memory leaks aside, it still has major gameplay flaws. And what is up with clone soldiers etc. Sure if you have a gfx card with a lot of memory you get different face textures, but that's an idiotic thing to optimize. It should be the very last thing that's optimized away when a gfx card can't fit the game into memory. Hell I can take lower foliage textures or whatever, but don't touch the unit faces. Morons... And what's the deal with BORING and IDIOTIC computer AI. It's first and foremost a singleplayer game and I'd say that's a pretty f***ing important feature to work on. And then there's the sounds....simply horrible...and buggy... All the older games had better battle sounds than this. How no reviewer can see and point out these glaring flaws are beyond me. Stay away people, buy any other Total War game, but not this.… Expand
  70. MickN
    Mar 21, 2009
    5
    Some interesting ideas on how to make the strategic portion of the game more varied and interesting, but it's all for nought as the AI suffers from fatal flaws. One hopes it will be fixed in future patches, but CA's track record when it comes to programming a competent AI is poor at best. The game was simply not ready for release yet they shoved it out the door anyway. It's Some interesting ideas on how to make the strategic portion of the game more varied and interesting, but it's all for nought as the AI suffers from fatal flaws. One hopes it will be fixed in future patches, but CA's track record when it comes to programming a competent AI is poor at best. The game was simply not ready for release yet they shoved it out the door anyway. It's sad that once again, we must rely on the works of 3rd party modders to do the work that CA should've done in the first place. One glaring example of the broken AI is the fact that the AI is incapable of landing troops on a foreign shore. This means, should you play as Great Britain, you needn't spend any resources on defence as no enemy will ever set foot on your island. While is flaw makes losing pretty much an impossibility when playing as Great Britain, it also pretty much invalidates the entire N. American and Indian sub-theatres no matter which nation you're playing. They simply become wars of attrition as no European power not in possession of a base in either theatre at the start of the game will ever gain one and therefore will never present any threat to your ambitions. Avoid the game for now.… Expand
  71. TorstenK.
    Mar 21, 2009
    8
    Empire Total War is an masterful improvement over Medieval TW II in every conceivable way... it have a new great campaign with a much-improved map and many many more things you have never seen in a TW Series Game before. A few bug fixes and overhauls could turn this into the best Strategy Game ever.. Greetz from Germany
  72. 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.
  73. RobertM.
    Mar 20, 2009
    2
    Let's get things straight; this has the potential to be a brilliant game. Pity it doesn't work and here's why: - 1) steam - an unnecessary complication that is just unnecessary. Why should I have steam running if I bought the dvd? 2) in game crashes - after about 20 turns of my campaign I got to a point where the game crashes at the end of the current turn and nothing for Let's get things straight; this has the potential to be a brilliant game. Pity it doesn't work and here's why: - 1) steam - an unnecessary complication that is just unnecessary. Why should I have steam running if I bought the dvd? 2) in game crashes - after about 20 turns of my campaign I got to a point where the game crashes at the end of the current turn and nothing for me to do except restart campaign. 3) battle AI - the much heralded in game AI is not half as good as it's made out to be. The game is full of quirks which are both annoying and ridiculous. 4) load times - load times are plain ridiculous. I find my self planning what to do after the end of the current turn...make tea, get crisps, phone mates etc. 5) NPC turns - in agame of this scale there are loads of NPCs. In this my first campaign there are over 20 factions. End of turn is PAINFUL because even though I've disabled the display of NPC moves, it still takes ages to go through all of them. This game is in dire need of patching and should have never been released in its current state but unfortunately that is the trend these days. Release over hyped rubbish and make people buy it and then patch it later. I was a pc gamers for over 10 years before I switched over to the 360 and this has been my return to PC gaming. Not a good comeback to say the least. My advice is wait till the 2nd or 3rd patch and buy it then...probably at half the price!!… Expand
  74. GuyGordon
    Mar 20, 2009
    2
    The game simply does not work. I am a QA analyst for a graphics production firm. I have a PC that is so far and above the industry standard that it isn't funny. It's very well optimized...but the code in E:TW is completely flawed. This game is unplayable. I rated it a 2 because the intro movie looks nice. The game, can't play it...even with a quad core, 4 video GPUs and 12 The game simply does not work. I am a QA analyst for a graphics production firm. I have a PC that is so far and above the industry standard that it isn't funny. It's very well optimized...but the code in E:TW is completely flawed. This game is unplayable. I rated it a 2 because the intro movie looks nice. The game, can't play it...even with a quad core, 4 video GPUs and 12 GB of DDR3.… Expand
  75. Harle
    Mar 20, 2009
    10
    Brilliant game, the depth exceeds the previous Total War titles by leaps abound. The somewhat cartoony approach to history that the older games featured has been done away with for a much more serious feel, and it's pulled off very well; even if it isn't perfectly historically accurate, compared to previous games it is apples and oranges. This is not only by far the best Total Brilliant game, the depth exceeds the previous Total War titles by leaps abound. The somewhat cartoony approach to history that the older games featured has been done away with for a much more serious feel, and it's pulled off very well; even if it isn't perfectly historically accurate, compared to previous games it is apples and oranges. This is not only by far the best Total War game to date, it may very well be the best strategy game in recent years. Yes, the game was released with bugs, but I don't feel that the game itself can be rated based on bug issues. Some people are giving it low scores because they are frustrated with bugs, but I prefer to rate based on content. It might be worth waiting a month or two past release, but the fact is that it runs more than playably for most people, and the bugs will get ironed out. Also, for other people, please stop rating games based on their performance. It's like saying that Disneyland sucks because your plane was delayed. Rate on content.… Expand
  76. 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
  77. MajorP.
    Mar 20, 2009
    9
    So I loved rome. In fact I had Empire, turned it on and then turned it off. Slow. Tricky new stuff. Etc. Then I went back, went a little slow and went nuts. Wow! Its like watching a movie. Its crazy. Sooo good. Sure the ai can lame out. And yes they need to patch the ui so its snap snap fast... but... the stategic game is deep Very, and the land battle rule. Seeing a line of troops run So I loved rome. In fact I had Empire, turned it on and then turned it off. Slow. Tricky new stuff. Etc. Then I went back, went a little slow and went nuts. Wow! Its like watching a movie. Its crazy. Sooo good. Sure the ai can lame out. And yes they need to patch the ui so its snap snap fast... but... the stategic game is deep Very, and the land battle rule. Seeing a line of troops run into a building and start going h to h is amazing. in fact I'd stand and cheer but I'm busy playing. I love this game. MP… Expand
  78. JamesF.
    Mar 20, 2009
    1
    Dissapointing! Unfinished! Broken! Steam! They (CA) have been making Total War games for ages now, you would expect them to get it right at this point, not worse. Steam is a pain, my problem isnt DRM as it doesnt work anyway. My problem is the whole steam program and its irritating function/ lack of function, its adverts and forced updates (it says it has an option to prevent auto updates Dissapointing! Unfinished! Broken! Steam! They (CA) have been making Total War games for ages now, you would expect them to get it right at this point, not worse. Steam is a pain, my problem isnt DRM as it doesnt work anyway. My problem is the whole steam program and its irritating function/ lack of function, its adverts and forced updates (it says it has an option to prevent auto updates but it doesnt work) although this game needs enough patches to make a whole new game! Won't be buying anymore steam or creative assembly games and the totalwar series is finished for me! If this game is patched it may be playable without headaches but for me wouldnt be overly special, the improvements are minor from previous editions and are only to be expected, professional reviews are clearly hype. I would also like to make clear I am a fan of this era for strategy and strategy games and was very interested in this games progress. I guess I shall return to other more worthy efforts, not least the mod community and rome tw. By the way I have a top spec PC, stable overclocked quadcore, duel GPU and enough ram memory to hold all of history for processing.… Expand
  79. HansPeter
    Mar 20, 2009
    0
    Das Spiel wäre sicher eines der besten, jedoch kann ich es nicht spielen, da meine Internetverbindung zu langsam ist, um die Updates oder das Spiel herunterzuladen. Des Weiteren habe ich unter der Woche keine Internetanbindung. Was soll ich mit einem Einzelspieler-Spiel am Wochende? Was soll ich mit einem Einzelspiele-Spiel, das eine Internetverbindung braucht, unter der Woche, in derDas Spiel wäre sicher eines der besten, jedoch kann ich es nicht spielen, da meine Internetverbindung zu langsam ist, um die Updates oder das Spiel herunterzuladen. Des Weiteren habe ich unter der Woche keine Internetanbindung. Was soll ich mit einem Einzelspieler-Spiel am Wochende? Was soll ich mit einem Einzelspiele-Spiel, das eine Internetverbindung braucht, unter der Woche, in der ich kein Internet habe!!??… Expand
  80. 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
  81. KlausM.
    Mar 20, 2009
    7
    A great game with a bigger potential- when it is finished. Finished it clearly would be 9-10, the best strategy game for the computer. In this sad state, it is a promising beta/demo with which you also can play multiplayer battles. I would advise everyone to buy it- in half a year, when it is finished. Maybe it is even cheaper then!
  82. 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
  83. SanderUnknown
    Mar 19, 2009
    4
    a 7.7 is way to much for this game. i give it a max of 4. the Ai is very stupid/retarded. if u sit in a building they just wait until they die. like suicide. more lags are the visuals. they are not that much in portent but i cant figure it out why the gun crew is cleaning the outside of the canon while they should push the gun powder into the canon. and not to forget the "very hard" mode a 7.7 is way to much for this game. i give it a max of 4. the Ai is very stupid/retarded. if u sit in a building they just wait until they die. like suicide. more lags are the visuals. they are not that much in portent but i cant figure it out why the gun crew is cleaning the outside of the canon while they should push the gun powder into the canon. and not to forget the "very hard" mode in "Grand campaign" what is the difference with "easy"? more bad things is if u loose your capitol (like London) you are as good as dead because you will lose almost everything. and specially in the first rounds. they really should fix this.… Expand
  84. PaulS
    Mar 19, 2009
    9
    I think by now everyone understands the headaches that steam has caused, get over it. I'll take dealing with steam over dealing with Securom any day of the week. I've run Empire on three different computers now, one barely meeting minimum spec, one in the middle and a higher end machine and it ran just fine on all three, if you're having lag or CTD issues try updating your I think by now everyone understands the headaches that steam has caused, get over it. I'll take dealing with steam over dealing with Securom any day of the week. I've run Empire on three different computers now, one barely meeting minimum spec, one in the middle and a higher end machine and it ran just fine on all three, if you're having lag or CTD issues try updating your drivers, it makes a world of difference. On the whole it is running better for me than Medieval II ever did. The game it's self is gorgeous and the changes to the campaign map and diplomacy are a godsend; yes it's annoying when a nation keeps asking for a province back but it's less annoying than the old ally on turn 1 and attack on turn 2. The new tech tree adds a layer of depth that previous iterations lacked without bogging down game play while adding to the campaign strategy: "oOo that province has a university." The down time between turns is about as long as in Medieval II which is a shock given the sheer number of factions, though this can get bogged down late game as factions are eliminated but the overall speed is better than I had hoped. The game does have it's faults. Path finding is infuriating, especially when defending in fort sieges. Interestingly enough I've only ever had the problem of an under aggressive AI once while playing as Great Britain on VH/VH otherwise in my Prussian and Austrian campaigns the AI has never hesitated to take under manned or otherwise vulnerable cities while raiding with impunity. My biggest problem with the game was the utter lack of variation between factions. I understand that mechanically speaking Line Infantry is Line Infantry but come on they could have atleast used a handful of different models. I'm willing to look the other way when it comes to a lack of mechanical variation but they could have at least done more than recolor the same model over and over again. On the whole it's a beautiful, fun. addictive, and stable game so long as you've kept your drivers up to date and aren't running 50 applications in the background. Looking forward to the up coming multiplayer campaign.… Expand
  85. JesusZ.
    Mar 19, 2009
    9
    Excellent awesome game... a pity that lots of common bugs make the game unplayable at this date. I'm awaiting the necesary patches urgently in order to play without continuously crash to desktops and autodestructible savegames. Anyway, when CA launches the patch(es) that will correct all this things, this will be an epic game!
  86. EricD.
    Mar 18, 2009
    3
    Like many others said this game had the potential to blow the competetion out of the water, but with the addition of steam and the unprecedented number of bugs its just another dissapointment, oh and to all the dumb people that hail steam i just spent 15 months in iraq with no internet connection i cant express the level of anger i had when i couldnt play even once a week with missions, Like many others said this game had the potential to blow the competetion out of the water, but with the addition of steam and the unprecedented number of bugs its just another dissapointment, oh and to all the dumb people that hail steam i just spent 15 months in iraq with no internet connection i cant express the level of anger i had when i couldnt play even once a week with missions, because you had to use steam that is rediculas, if they want to use steam to patch cool and even sell downloadable copies more power to them but to force me to get on steam to play a game i have a hard copy of is too much, as for the game i love it when it will work which isnt much if more patches dont come out and soon this will be the last ca sega game i and many friends ever buy.… Expand
  87. AnonymousMC
    Mar 18, 2009
    9
    I have only had one crash and it was my own error so anyone complaining about lag probably has something slowing their computer so Empire can't run properly. I gave this a 9/10 mainly because the only problem i have with the game is the AI. I have medium graphics and the game runs beautifully. I'd like more playable factions like the minor nations but compared to all the otherI have only had one crash and it was my own error so anyone complaining about lag probably has something slowing their computer so Empire can't run properly. I gave this a 9/10 mainly because the only problem i have with the game is the AI. I have medium graphics and the game runs beautifully. I'd like more playable factions like the minor nations but compared to all the other strategy games out there this is by far the best. Too many people are critical because of the hype this game received before it was released and need to realize no game will be perfect and if you're THAT upset with the AI not being smart, up the difficulty and then show me proof it's still too easy to route the enemy. Best total war game so far!… Expand
  88. RobNadr
    Mar 18, 2009
    0
    Sounds like a great game if you could install it from the CD. Went to website to see how to do it and tried it and it did not work. Sent an email and have not heard back from Sega. Best advice... don't buy, stay with Medival War II.
  89. AnthonyE
    Mar 18, 2009
    9
    I was unsure about the units having guns before I played the game but now I've found the battle are easier for me to control than the messy blood bath it used to be. I'm actually manning every battle now instead of auto-resolving and its on a difficulty above which I was playing before. This doesn't make an easy game however, just more user friendly. I'll need a lot I was unsure about the units having guns before I played the game but now I've found the battle are easier for me to control than the messy blood bath it used to be. I'm actually manning every battle now instead of auto-resolving and its on a difficulty above which I was playing before. This doesn't make an easy game however, just more user friendly. I'll need a lot more practice with the naval battles however, before I can pull them off without using a force twice the size of my opponents.… Expand
  90. stephen
    Mar 17, 2009
    10
    this game is now one of my favourites, the graphics are good, gameplay with the formations and all , just like a real battle in the 17th hundreds, i am a real fan for RTS games and this is my first total war game, and i hav to say , not much can beat this this.
  91. 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
  92. ManuelR
    Mar 17, 2009
    7
    First of all sorry for my english no0t good. I am a TW fan since thier first release (Shogun), Empire TW is an unpolished game, the most important to fix AI lack of aggressivity. YOU CANT GIVE 10 to a game with so many bugs and fixes. Still i really enjoyed all the new features and enjoyed to play it a lot so thats tells me that if Creative Assembly runs some play testing takes notes on First of all sorry for my english no0t good. I am a TW fan since thier first release (Shogun), Empire TW is an unpolished game, the most important to fix AI lack of aggressivity. YOU CANT GIVE 10 to a game with so many bugs and fixes. Still i really enjoyed all the new features and enjoyed to play it a lot so thats tells me that if Creative Assembly runs some play testing takes notes on their fans reviews and makes some good patches will be the best TW game ever. Only thing i misse that cannot be fixed with any patch is no improvement in graphics. Positive aspects : Better trade Strategy, gunpowder gives a fresh air to the battles, Technology is interesting and refreshing 3 scenarious makes it a huge new game, and a multiplayer 1v1 campaing will be awesome there is no AI today that can replace the challenge of a human contender. So I will give the Game a 7 waiting for patches that will raise that to an 9.8… Expand
  93. RandallSimpson
    Mar 17, 2009
    3
    Laggy, buggy, crash-prone ... don't take my word for it: Look at the developer's own tech support forum. Minimum system specs are a joke.
    Sadly, the little bits that do run on my (well over minimum spec) system look great. Wait until it's patched at least twice before you buy. Not a retail-ready product at release.
  94. JohnS
    Mar 17, 2009
    7
    Game is buggy. I have run into crash bugs on occasion myself, which can be very frustrating. I have not yet hit the corrupted save game bug, which I'm sure would bring me to tears to lose a 40+ turn game (all of the saves get corrupted). Very long load scenes and somewhat long AI turns. Lots of different places the graphical performance / interactivity is sluggish (e.g. - strategic Game is buggy. I have run into crash bugs on occasion myself, which can be very frustrating. I have not yet hit the corrupted save game bug, which I'm sure would bring me to tears to lose a 40+ turn game (all of the saves get corrupted). Very long load scenes and somewhat long AI turns. Lots of different places the graphical performance / interactivity is sluggish (e.g. - strategic map). There basically is no coherent strategic enemy AI at this point. Almost any decent user will have no problem steamrolling their competition. In land battle there are lots of bugs like not being able to use doors / walls / bridges / cover / etc. properly. As always in most TW games, the offensive battle AI is really, really dumb and can be easily defeated by camping on a good defensive position. In short, no way in heck should this title have been released as it is. The only reason it gets a 7 and not a lower score is that I can see what the game could eventually become after 6 months or more of polishing and/or the mod community gets their hands on it.… Expand
  95. Alex
    Mar 17, 2009
    2
    If you liked M2TW you will like this.. on paper at least. The use of rifles cause the player to use amazing diffrenct tactics, the addition of a large number of very small countries and the increase in trade abilities make this a welcome addition to the series. However was clearly rushed out, the game crashes repeatedly in various parts of the game for many of the users, the campain AI isIf you liked M2TW you will like this.. on paper at least. The use of rifles cause the player to use amazing diffrenct tactics, the addition of a large number of very small countries and the increase in trade abilities make this a welcome addition to the series. However was clearly rushed out, the game crashes repeatedly in various parts of the game for many of the users, the campain AI is laughable, even when at war nations (or shall i say EMPIRES) will rarely attack in land battles, only attacking fleets causing very dull gameplay. Couped with the extreme lag faced during unit selection and turns and the all over feel of unreadiness makes this game nearly unplayable. If you are new to total war get any of the previous ones, if you aren't then go play M2TW. Clearly the 'professional' reviewers once again haven't actually played the game.… Expand
  96. 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
  97. JohnK
    Mar 16, 2009
    1
    Game isn't finished, too many memory leaks, fatal crashes in an extended campaign games, stupid Campaign AI, anyone know how to delete a saved game yet? odd events-ex- you have to research the steam engine in order to build a 1st rate SOL, which would be ok if you could mod it; but with steam, that is out. If you like beautiful figures and neat looking ships with great special Game isn't finished, too many memory leaks, fatal crashes in an extended campaign games, stupid Campaign AI, anyone know how to delete a saved game yet? odd events-ex- you have to research the steam engine in order to build a 1st rate SOL, which would be ok if you could mod it; but with steam, that is out. If you like beautiful figures and neat looking ships with great special effects , this is the game for you; if you actually want to play a strategy game with tactical battles,find something else to buy.… Expand
  98. RussD
    Mar 16, 2009
    2
    This game is so buggy. Even after the 3/10/09 fixes mine still crashed in later years on the grand board. The in battle graphics works (on high) pretty well but has some minor quirks Command not graphics). The (what I call ) the play board or grand board is where the big bugs sit. Not only crashing (a lot in out years) but, withdrawing soldiers to places where I can move them to other This game is so buggy. Even after the 3/10/09 fixes mine still crashed in later years on the grand board. The in battle graphics works (on high) pretty well but has some minor quirks Command not graphics). The (what I call ) the play board or grand board is where the big bugs sit. Not only crashing (a lot in out years) but, withdrawing soldiers to places where I can move them to other land space or move them onto ships. This was a good one. I had a fleet which left off on army and then 2 turns later I tried to move the fleet and it would not let me. It claims that the water I am trying send them to is land. I don't think the Atlantic Ocean is land. I pray evertime after 30+ years in that it does not crash when I make moves on the grand board. I am running Phenom AM3 with 4 meg DDR2 (2 megs a chip) and a 6800 GeForce Video card. I have played and liked the previous Total War but this was a major disapointment. You needed more beta testing. As shown by how soon you had to put a patch out. Maybe you are working off the Microsoft mentality. It doesn't have to work out of the box, we can patch it. The people who wrote the articles didn't play this game for 20hrs through a campain or they would have seen the issues. Send it back. They can do better.… Expand
  99. MarcoT
    Mar 16, 2009
    1
    It's not enough that this game isn't much more than a beta (some would even go as far as rating it as an alpha), no, what puts insult next to injury is that the publisher adopted Steam for this release - a system technologically as reliable as a badly maintained 70s mainframe, hungry to gather all the data on you it can and effectively prohibiting you from ever reselling the It's not enough that this game isn't much more than a beta (some would even go as far as rating it as an alpha), no, what puts insult next to injury is that the publisher adopted Steam for this release - a system technologically as reliable as a badly maintained 70s mainframe, hungry to gather all the data on you it can and effectively prohibiting you from ever reselling the game. Which in my opinion is the number 1 reason why Sega adopted Steam: It's not the pirates they are after, but killing off the second hand gaming market, which most publishers these days see as a much bigger or at least as big threat to their revenues. Sorry Sega and CA. If you keep up with these politics then I bought the last of your games.… Expand
  100. AdrianChorley
    Mar 16, 2009
    10
    truly awesome game. can't see what peoples issues are. steam has worked a treat for me, and while the naval battles are more basic than the land battles, they're still a great addition that i'm sure will get better over time with the next few total war games. much more instantly addictive than medieval 2, and that was a 10/10 too!!!
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 62 Critic Reviews

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