Empire: Total War

 PC
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Mar 3, 2009
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3194 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,895 out of 3194
  2. Mixed: 545 out of 3194
  3. Negative: 754 out of 3194
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  1. PaulB
    Aug 27, 2009
    6
    Playable and fun, but essentialy a beta version. Some of the standard features of other TW games are ommitted, leaving me feel a little cheated. Luckily the modders are improving this game all the time and patches are available, with more promised.
  2. JoshN
    Jan 20, 2010
    6
    Game is a little Buggy which still don't seem to have been fixed. It requires vastly more power than the result really needs. Its laggy on my new "Gamer" laptop. And the graphics are not that much more impressive than Rome: Total War. However, the gigantic world map is fantastic, the units are well balanced. Also the sea battles are great as i have been wanting them for some time. Game is a little Buggy which still don't seem to have been fixed. It requires vastly more power than the result really needs. Its laggy on my new "Gamer" laptop. And the graphics are not that much more impressive than Rome: Total War. However, the gigantic world map is fantastic, the units are well balanced. Also the sea battles are great as i have been wanting them for some time. But have to turn of the water affects despite my 512mb ATI Radeon card -_- and 4|GB RAM. A good game but just seems rushed and the power requirements are ridiculous when you see what u actually get in return!… Expand
  3. DeadGuy
    Mar 2, 2010
    6
    The much talked about battle AI does not cut it at all in ETW, and is certainly no match at all for veterans of the series. The graphics are shiny, there are many innovative features in the campaign, sadly many are left half-done, and patches have not adressed the problem over the many months ETW has been out. Despite it's flaws, I can't say I don't enjoy playing ETW, even The much talked about battle AI does not cut it at all in ETW, and is certainly no match at all for veterans of the series. The graphics are shiny, there are many innovative features in the campaign, sadly many are left half-done, and patches have not adressed the problem over the many months ETW has been out. Despite it's flaws, I can't say I don't enjoy playing ETW, even quite frequently. There are many nations to play, but very little variety between them. Line Infantry are the same across the board, even if they're called something else in some armies. Artillery is extremely powerful and can rip approaching armies to shreds due to the AI being unable to avoid it or close with your lines quick enough, but at the same time it needs to be micromanaged always, because the fire at will function will kill more of your own men than the enemy's.… Expand
  4. alk
    Oct 24, 2009
    6
    A fan since Shogun: TW, I have been following the series since the beginning. But this latest entry was overhyped and was clearly rushed out the door before they finished it (e.g. naval invasions left out on release? Are you kidding me?!). Buggy as hell, even many months after release. Also all factions except for England and France had clearly been left unfinished in terms of unique A fan since Shogun: TW, I have been following the series since the beginning. But this latest entry was overhyped and was clearly rushed out the door before they finished it (e.g. naval invasions left out on release? Are you kidding me?!). Buggy as hell, even many months after release. Also all factions except for England and France had clearly been left unfinished in terms of unique units; note how they have finally released some downloadable units to make up for the poor roster when it first came out: clearly released in an unfinished state. A big minus is that this series is notoriously demanding on the CPU, much more than any modern FPS for example. And yet CA still has not enabled dual-core optimisation! We've seen games use two cores for years now, some even are utilizing quad core tech. Most of these games don't even require that much power, unlike Empire: TW.… Expand
  5. BillWolf
    Mar 11, 2009
    6
    Although the Graphics are spectacular and the Time period is very turbulant,I feel the creators left out some of the best aspects of the series.For example....where are the movies? Spys and Gentelmen are quite boring,and maybe I missed something but I really enjoyed marriage,heir choosing...like in ROME.Also going to a city in battle mode during peacetime was fun,I liked watching the Although the Graphics are spectacular and the Time period is very turbulant,I feel the creators left out some of the best aspects of the series.For example....where are the movies? Spys and Gentelmen are quite boring,and maybe I missed something but I really enjoyed marriage,heir choosing...like in ROME.Also going to a city in battle mode during peacetime was fun,I liked watching the citys grow.It gave a more realistic sence to the gam.I also had to spen a grand on a new PC that could run this LOOONG anticipated game,and its still choppy.I own every copy of the Total War series along with about 500 other games.I will say for now this is my favorite,but for how long....ps it would be nice to see a American Civil War add on for this.… Expand
  6. FredF
    Mar 13, 2009
    6
    It boggles the mind how anyone gives this game a 10 unless they are completely new to PC gaming. Lets ignore steam and the CTD style bugs. Lets just talk about gameplay. ETW seems awsome for the first few turns, and very pretty. Then you figure out the AI is NOT improved, Forts are amazingly bugged, the battlefield pathfinding is the worst in ANY TW game to date (and I've played them It boggles the mind how anyone gives this game a 10 unless they are completely new to PC gaming. Lets ignore steam and the CTD style bugs. Lets just talk about gameplay. ETW seems awsome for the first few turns, and very pretty. Then you figure out the AI is NOT improved, Forts are amazingly bugged, the battlefield pathfinding is the worst in ANY TW game to date (and I've played them all). There are just SO many bugs in the GC its really not worth my time to mention each one, the biggest one is that the AI doesn't move troops by ships, yet the game includes india and the americas, I hope you see the problem with that. If you want to play a TW game do yourself a favor. Get Rome or M2, download the patches, download the good mods like Rome Total Realism, for the Stainless Steel mod for M2TW, and enjoy the game. Wait a year at least for this one.… Expand
  7. AnonymousMC
    Mar 17, 2009
    6
    Just got crashed 10th time in a row during loading a save game. Such a pain in the Uss. Its pretty common problem. saves from 20 turns ago seem to work but 4 CH's sake i dont fell like spending another few precious hours replaying that turns, watching every sic! every fckin ship moving across trade routes (tried to hide ai movements in options but it gave me nasty shocks few times soJust got crashed 10th time in a row during loading a save game. Such a pain in the Uss. Its pretty common problem. saves from 20 turns ago seem to work but 4 CH's sake i dont fell like spending another few precious hours replaying that turns, watching every sic! every fckin ship moving across trade routes (tried to hide ai movements in options but it gave me nasty shocks few times so leaving it on is quite a must. they should add option of hiding unimportant ai moves).
    Steam? needles to say... Gr8 BS. I thought relic online sucks but since i bought ETW steam simply is my #1.
    If some1 happened to find a solution for that annoying crashes let me know. id be most grateful.    … Expand
  8. Tom
    Mar 20, 2009
    6
    Buggy console games are sometimes expected, as they often have to be converted to work across multiple consoles with different coding. PC games however should be flawless upon release as their generally made for the one OS. Despite the 1 month delay in release Empire total war had and still has a number of bugs upon release and after the lacking patch. It is not to much to expect a Buggy console games are sometimes expected, as they often have to be converted to work across multiple consoles with different coding. PC games however should be flawless upon release as their generally made for the one OS. Despite the 1 month delay in release Empire total war had and still has a number of bugs upon release and after the lacking patch. It is not to much to expect a product you spent $140.00 on to be flawless, or at the very least to prevent it from crashing multiple times in one sitting, if console gaming can do it then why can't PC gaming?… Expand
  9. BillB
    Mar 27, 2009
    6
    Unstable! Very happy with gameplay. I just wish i didn't have to abandon a campaign or replay a single battle four-five times before the game will allow me to save progress without crashing. Right now I am stuck in a loop where all the hours i have put into the current campaign will be lost because the game always crashes after this particular battle.
  10. J.Morgan
    Mar 8, 2009
    6
    Very...very very buggy.

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

    I don't know if CA will be able to claw threw them all or not, its worse than any TW game on release to date I think.
  11. ryans
    Apr 1, 2009
    6
    The epic scale of the land battles and the immersive campaign should have made this game one of the best, but problems like stupid AI and bugs bring it down a notch. I have had problems when selecting a fleet or dock and then having the game crash and having terrible lag during battles, but when the game does work it is very enjoyable and a good installment to the series. I only have to The epic scale of the land battles and the immersive campaign should have made this game one of the best, but problems like stupid AI and bugs bring it down a notch. I have had problems when selecting a fleet or dock and then having the game crash and having terrible lag during battles, but when the game does work it is very enjoyable and a good installment to the series. I only have to wonder what they were doing with all the time they delayed putting the game out. I waited for a year only to hear about more delays and they didn't fix the problems in it? I'd rather have a smooth-playing game than an extra nation or two. This game is good and worth the money, but until more patches come out it will cease to be great.… Expand
  12. PetriJ
    Apr 1, 2009
    6
    The game would be perfect, if it wouldnt have so many bugs and crashes. Please make the games ready before the beginning of the sale. If the game dosn´t be soon playable its going to be the last Sega game that I buy.
  13. cedrickF
    Apr 21, 2009
    6
    I'm a Totalwar games fan. Let's says an addict as I spent more than 1000 hours on the first games (from shogun to Mtw2). For now I'm very disapointed with Empire . This could be a great game but as the things are for now, we have a "Colonial empire building game" where the AI DON'T NO HOW TO embarq and disembarq troops !!! Let's say the game is less challenging I'm a Totalwar games fan. Let's says an addict as I spent more than 1000 hours on the first games (from shogun to Mtw2). For now I'm very disapointed with Empire . This could be a great game but as the things are for now, we have a "Colonial empire building game" where the AI DON'T NO HOW TO embarq and disembarq troops !!! Let's say the game is less challenging with this bug. And it's really not the only one.… Expand
  14. pietjej
    Jun 30, 2009
    6
    Great game. Too bad it was released in a very buggy and unfinished condition. Hopefully they give something back for free for all the trouble their fans went through although I doubt that. Today you have to pay to be a beta tester it seems. I remember I got a t-shirt for beta testing settlers 3.
  15. JJ
    Jun 4, 2009
    6
    Well, i was going to review after i had finished a grand campaign, but due to the game crashing, well, i guess im finished!. This game is one like no other for both posative and negative reason. The graphics are just amazing, the depth and attention to detail is incredible although different character models would have been nice, 1500 men with the same face was a bit of a joke . Great Well, i was going to review after i had finished a grand campaign, but due to the game crashing, well, i guess im finished!. This game is one like no other for both posative and negative reason. The graphics are just amazing, the depth and attention to detail is incredible although different character models would have been nice, 1500 men with the same face was a bit of a joke . Great sound, especially when a houndred muskets fire across the battle field at the same time, the moans and groans of close combat are just fantastic as are the sounds of bullets slaming in the enemy. Now the gameplay has more potential that a invisible ninja, the campaign is great, the joy and feeling of succes when conqouring* a region and upgrading all your cities and villages is gloryous, as is winning a battle when your outnumber 10-1, but when your bloody skirmishers face the opposite way from an incoming enemy or when your artillary wont shoot at what you tell them to or when your guys wont shoot there muskets!................you get the hint. This game is completly unfinished and buggy, and i was lucky as i got about 3/4 through a campaign before any REAL trouble. The replayabilty may be a bit short as there is very few maps and the armies are basically the same which makes for some very average custom battles. And for some reason i cannot play multiplayer at all. The only reason it gets a 6 is due to what the game could have or should have been. I will gladely give it 10 when the developers grow a back bone, refund our money and fix this mess.… Expand
  16. ab
    Jul 19, 2009
    6
    Very good campaign and graphics. very enjoyable other than every 5 or so mutes your computer crashes, then it takes 30 minutes to load and crashes again.
  17. KenN
    Jul 7, 2009
    6
    Too buggy to get max score. All games need updates to iron out minor bugs and correct balance; this game needed major rework under the hood to get it right. Did they test it at all or did they release a half-finished game because their eyes were full of dollar signs?
  18. BobH
    Aug 5, 2009
    6
    AMAZING!!!!! perfect game i'm so lucky it works on my computer.although 2 things 1.Stream WTF it is just loads of crud I HATE STREAM!!!!2.AI is so stupid i mean it never attacks u:(! and it just sits there and gets killed!!!!Its a great game though very historical and a nice map oh, and about the map the AI is like broken or something cause it just sits there and dose nothing!!! I AMAZING!!!!! perfect game i'm so lucky it works on my computer.although 2 things 1.Stream WTF it is just loads of crud I HATE STREAM!!!!2.AI is so stupid i mean it never attacks u:(! and it just sits there and gets killed!!!!Its a great game though very historical and a nice map oh, and about the map the AI is like broken or something cause it just sits there and dose nothing!!! I would also like to play as nations such as idians pirates ext. i rate this game a 6.… Expand
  19. DanielBarnett
    Mar 11, 2009
    6
    A bit of a disapointment, lots of features mentioned seem to have been cut in the final release, and above all it looks terrible in the battles when zoomed out - I mean really bad, like a 10 year old game with 6 pixel soldiers with waggly legs. Granted it looks great close up, but the AI is poor and the features are alot more limited than we were led to belive.
  20. JonFusco
    Mar 15, 2009
    6
    With out the Modders to fix this game I will have to rate it a 6. I dont see this game having much of a future and in time I bet players will unistall this game and focus back on playing Rome and M2. To bad the nice graphics and naval battle option was fun.
  21. DominickM
    Mar 17, 2009
    6
    The Steam requirement is a no-brainer in terms of DRM and beats the alternatives. Those complaining might as well give up, not going to change. The game itself is disappointingly unfinished. The combat AI is better than previous TW games, but the campaign AI is as broken and boring as ever. The AI is incapable of transporting troops via ships. And plays far too passively. Every campaign The Steam requirement is a no-brainer in terms of DRM and beats the alternatives. Those complaining might as well give up, not going to change. The game itself is disappointingly unfinished. The combat AI is better than previous TW games, but the campaign AI is as broken and boring as ever. The AI is incapable of transporting troops via ships. And plays far too passively. Every campaign played (on very hard difficulty) is an inevitable march to victory. This makes it extremely boring. The lack of single player historical battles and multiplayer maps further emphasizes the fact that they released this game a good 6 months before they really should have. On the bright side, the foundation isn't terrible, and they seem more committed to patching than previous TW games (thanks to Steam making patch delivery simple). I'd bet after 5-6 patches and a few mods this becomes the best of the TW series. But for now, I can't play it.… Expand
  22. SteveW.
    Mar 21, 2009
    6
    The game is really awesome. There a significant improvements over MTW2. However, the game is super buggy, and it has crashed on me several times during game play which is really annoying. I'm not sure if this has to do with steam or medieval total war, but it sucks.
  23. PatS
    Mar 23, 2009
    6
    Yes i agree with others - laggy, buggy, crash prone, released too early. This is my sixth Total War game and yes i can t delete a saved game either. I Love the game but it is a little dissapointing that it is a pain to use( i currently can t get it to run unless i m on the net and yes it is updated/my kid drives me nuts wanting to play) especially when you pay a premium price for it at Yes i agree with others - laggy, buggy, crash prone, released too early. This is my sixth Total War game and yes i can t delete a saved game either. I Love the game but it is a little dissapointing that it is a pain to use( i currently can t get it to run unless i m on the net and yes it is updated/my kid drives me nuts wanting to play) especially when you pay a premium price for it at release in the collectors edition---- shame on the designers-- yes seriously.… Expand
  24. OdinA
    Mar 29, 2009
    6
    Still after 3 patches on a computer that has the latest windows updates with nothing that is not needed to play this game. Graphics and gameplay makes this a unique beautiful game. The bugs and this atrocity of a gaming client called Steam tears it down into decease ridden pool of decomposing dreams. Over half the battles I play in campaign crash the game in battle summary. Steam refuses Still after 3 patches on a computer that has the latest windows updates with nothing that is not needed to play this game. Graphics and gameplay makes this a unique beautiful game. The bugs and this atrocity of a gaming client called Steam tears it down into decease ridden pool of decomposing dreams. Over half the battles I play in campaign crash the game in battle summary. Steam refuses to launch the game 1/4th of the time saying it's "unavailable". The AI is clueless at veryhard/veryhard both campaign and in battle. The fences in battles make me cry when units hit a corner. The sound clipping makes battles kind of confusing. Several shadow graphic bugs. Still I love the game and hope they manage to make it playable.… Expand
  25. dwillo1982w
    Mar 31, 2009
    6
    Despite heaps of bugs, hopeless AI and laggy at times gameplay I have been playing this now for 20+ hours. Ive enjoyed it, it has so much potential however it needs major work... agents in general need work with the most attention given to rakes (they are no way near as much fun as in previous versions of TW and rakes never seem to level even on successful missions). Tactical battles are Despite heaps of bugs, hopeless AI and laggy at times gameplay I have been playing this now for 20+ hours. Ive enjoyed it, it has so much potential however it needs major work... agents in general need work with the most attention given to rakes (they are no way near as much fun as in previous versions of TW and rakes never seem to level even on successful missions). Tactical battles are awesome however work needs to be done on attacking ai, defensive sieges are too easy and too frustrating with regards to pathfinding to bother with. Unfortunently the strategic game (ie campaign) is broken and is the reason why I will not play this game again until patches are released. Winning on the campaign is a guarantee dependent only on how long you are willing to slog things out for- the AI really does not do anything well enough to stop a dedicated player from doing whatever he wants. In my opinion naval battles are kinda slow, fun at first however no real tactics required to win despite looking great.… Expand
  26. WilliamA
    Apr 12, 2009
    6
    To begin with I have always been a huge fan of the Total War series and have been playing Rome and Medieval 2 and now Empire. When i started the game I thought it looked good, but after playing a while in campaign mode as Sweden and Great Britain I was deeply dissapointed. My first issue has got to be the campaign map. I just don't understand why how anyone can call this the biggest To begin with I have always been a huge fan of the Total War series and have been playing Rome and Medieval 2 and now Empire. When i started the game I thought it looked good, but after playing a while in campaign mode as Sweden and Great Britain I was deeply dissapointed. My first issue has got to be the campaign map. I just don't understand why how anyone can call this the biggest campaign map ever in a total war game. Even though the map spans two continents and a subcontinent it still seems smaller since CA have decided to merge all the provinces of France into one big province for example. This directly destroys the feelig of the game since if you invade Paris then all of France falls with it after ONE battle... CA seems to have modeled the game on the borders of that time and not taken border changes inte consideration. Moving on the AI is awful and acts in the weirdest possible ways and never ever invade overseas territory like Britain. In battles the AI is often undertaking weird tactics like trying to flank you with their entire army which for the record never works if you're not completely braindead. also you're own units never maintain the formation they were deployed in if you want to advance or intercept the enemy. Now i think I have been negative enough and as my rating shows I still appreciate the game and the implemention of naval battles are a real plus to the game although it sometimes feels like the Naval battles are not affecting the enemy at all as they do not accept peace offers even if all of their trade routes are raided and all their ports are blockaded. I have myself not experienced the same problems with bugs and crashes as previous comments indicate, it might have crashed about ten times or so but it has not interfered with the game too much. So overall this game has huge potential but does not live up to my (and many others) high expectations on a game in the Total War series! And yeah Steam does'nt exactly improve the rating.… Expand
  27. MashnaT
    Apr 17, 2009
    6
    total war means total war: Total war with your system for example (100 systemfailures in one games gives you a lot of hours extra playtime..) I really loved the whoe series but I think this game was not ready at all to be launched. Mystical indian powers cause one of my armies to stay on the same location for about 50 turns now. This army is probably bewitched by some evil force because total war means total war: Total war with your system for example (100 systemfailures in one games gives you a lot of hours extra playtime..) I really loved the whoe series but I think this game was not ready at all to be launched. Mystical indian powers cause one of my armies to stay on the same location for about 50 turns now. This army is probably bewitched by some evil force because whenever I dare to even point my cursor in the near direction the games will crash... I have fleets everywhere but I cant fight battles whit them because whenever I am winning the sea battle the game will crash.. I just cant wait for Total War - WWI. People will probably beat me up in the streets , or strange virusses will efect my computer... Why couldnt you just wait guys... A little bit more time for development would have serioiusly increased the quality of this - now very annoying - game.… Expand
  28. JonathanC
    May 14, 2009
    6
    Behind the issues with Steam, CTD's, gliches there is a serious question mark over the playability of the game at the strategic level due to the complexity of what the game is trying to re-create. There are fantastic graphics and the naval battles are especially dramatic but the game is not for thefainthearted and irrational AI dilpomacy and behaviour on the battlefield marrs the Behind the issues with Steam, CTD's, gliches there is a serious question mark over the playability of the game at the strategic level due to the complexity of what the game is trying to re-create. There are fantastic graphics and the naval battles are especially dramatic but the game is not for thefainthearted and irrational AI dilpomacy and behaviour on the battlefield marrs the experience. If you can pick up a cheap copy as I did then the game is worth playing for the battles alone, but be prepared for some throughtly annoying bugs and an unchallenging AI.… Expand
  29. FreddyTwoToes
    Jun 1, 2009
    6
    I am not a Beta-tester. I payed for a finished product and this is a mess. I have been playing PC games for over 30 years. Started on the Trash 80 for you old geeks out there. This is the buggyyyyest game I have ever bought..crash city. Those that gave a 9 or 10 are lucky SOB's (I have the latest alienware system btw) or just liars. Ok that said and affirming the pain and suffering I am not a Beta-tester. I payed for a finished product and this is a mess. I have been playing PC games for over 30 years. Started on the Trash 80 for you old geeks out there. This is the buggyyyyest game I have ever bought..crash city. Those that gave a 9 or 10 are lucky SOB's (I have the latest alienware system btw) or just liars. Ok that said and affirming the pain and suffering of my fellow gamers, now for the rest. The design and potential for this game to blossom with Modders is insane. If someone were to take the time to debug and detail this game it would be incredible. If it worked like it should it would earn those 9's and 10's you lunkheads are handing out. As for AI well not sure what you expecting there, if any you are programmers then you would know that the best way to handle that is a player vs player game direct IP or steam setup for Head to Head play. Even the most inept player can provide a better challenge than the best AI period. Sorry but just the facts of life for a long time to come until computers get much more powerful or you can settle for chess.… Expand
  30. NickL
    Jun 25, 2009
    6
    Got the newest patch, and still sadly disappointed. I have not bothered to play this much, and will not probably for months when the game gets up to a decent standard. The first battle I got in after the 1.3 patch I won easy, because my AI opponent killed its own general and about 30-40 other guys with its own cannon fire. Still I had a shot at losing since only one of my units wanted to Got the newest patch, and still sadly disappointed. I have not bothered to play this much, and will not probably for months when the game gets up to a decent standard. The first battle I got in after the 1.3 patch I won easy, because my AI opponent killed its own general and about 30-40 other guys with its own cannon fire. Still I had a shot at losing since only one of my units wanted to man the cannon on the fort walls. Also, my single reinforcement unit decided that once it went in melee mode it no longer had firearms and froze after I tried to switch melee mode off. Some "bugs" are just funny though. Like why are my elephants climbing over wooden fences? Wouldn't an animal that ways a few tons be a little much for a flimsy wooden fence to support? Or, hey all the other units in the AI's army are fleeing other then the cannoneers. What are they doing? Charging the fort, without their cannons. Anyone who gave this game an 8 or above needs to go out and buy a couple of good video games.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 62 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 62
  3. Negative: 0 out of 62
  1. PC Gamer UK
    94
    Astonishing...Immense... A strategy masterwork. [Mar 2009, p.54]
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  2. Eurogamer
    90
    In some ways, it's the closest we've come to the enormous social novel from the period after that which Empire chronicles: it's a Tolstoy-esque War and Peace of a game. Its problems may be the inevitable problems of trying something with such sheer scope. As such, if you want the breathtaking vision of the game, you have to accept the flaws in the details - for now, at least.
    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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