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. SteveQ
    May 6, 2009
    2
    The AI is about the worst in any game I've ever played. The AI can't invade by sea, thus leaving England impotent as an AI nation and invincible as a Player nation. It removes the point of having different continents and the whole point of the naval battles dissapear. The AI is not aggressive, does not use armies on the field properly (it can't figure out how to use The AI is about the worst in any game I've ever played. The AI can't invade by sea, thus leaving England impotent as an AI nation and invincible as a Player nation. It removes the point of having different continents and the whole point of the naval battles dissapear. The AI is not aggressive, does not use armies on the field properly (it can't figure out how to use artillery, cavalry and infantry TOGETHER) and after about 10 hours I realized the AI NEVER attacked my cities. This was a disgraceful release.… Expand
  2. marsu237T
    May 6, 2009
    0
    Just ridiculous... Spending 60USD on a game that bugs and crash constantly.... Actually this is the only certainty when you start playing... You now that whatever is to happen you will not FINISH the game...
    Used to be a TOTAL fan of total war series... Just not anymore this is MY LAST PURCHASE from this editor!!!!
  3. AnonymousMC
    May 5, 2009
    7
    I'll be very brief: When it works right, it's good. When it works wrong (which is more often than not, verifiable by posts on the Steam community and even Creative Assembly's own forums), it's terrible.

    The multiplayer support at the launch of the game and at the time of the review is sub-par to what most games had available in the late 1990's. If you are    I'll be very brief: When it works right, it's good. When it works wrong (which is more often than not, verifiable by posts on the Steam community and even Creative Assembly's own forums), it's terrible.

    The multiplayer support at the launch of the game and at the time of the review is sub-par to what most games had available in the late 1990's.
    If you are even considering buying this game, I suggest waiting for a few more months, in hopes that flaws are patched.    … Expand
  4. BryanK
    May 5, 2009
    3
    Since my one month old rig (with latest drivers etc) can't run this game without frequent random crashes I will have to give this game a very low score. The game is good when it works (7+) but when you can't play it due to massive instability issues, then there is no point in even having purchased it. I still have a little hope that CA will eventually make the game stable, but I Since my one month old rig (with latest drivers etc) can't run this game without frequent random crashes I will have to give this game a very low score. The game is good when it works (7+) but when you can't play it due to massive instability issues, then there is no point in even having purchased it. I still have a little hope that CA will eventually make the game stable, but I think it will be several months before that happens.… Expand
  5. GeorgeD
    May 4, 2009
    9
    One of the most detailed -- perhaps the most detailed -- strategy games ever released. It offers compelling real time strategy on the games battle fields. When not on the battlefields though, the game incorporates wonderfully complex turn based empire management. It combines some of the best elements from traditional RTS games with some of the best of the Civilization games. Truly worth One of the most detailed -- perhaps the most detailed -- strategy games ever released. It offers compelling real time strategy on the games battle fields. When not on the battlefields though, the game incorporates wonderfully complex turn based empire management. It combines some of the best elements from traditional RTS games with some of the best of the Civilization games. Truly worth any strategy gamers time.… Expand
  6. andrewL
    May 4, 2009
    1
    Problems Problems Play and wait for the crashes. My personal favourate is when you finish your turn, play though an hour of computer games turn to crash at the end of the last battle. wonderful....not.
  7. MikeF
    May 3, 2009
    4
    First off, what I liked about the game. I like how the Campaign has been changed from previous games. Where in METW2 you could only create 3 units per city and only one city per region the way recruitment and city building has been improved tremendously. Politics and Diplomacy are no longer a headache now either, rather than sending an Emissary across a continent only to have him First off, what I liked about the game. I like how the Campaign has been changed from previous games. Where in METW2 you could only create 3 units per city and only one city per region the way recruitment and city building has been improved tremendously. Politics and Diplomacy are no longer a headache now either, rather than sending an Emissary across a continent only to have him assassinated or unsuccesful the one click to the faction diplomacy screen is welcomed. The Campaign map is huge and the game does look very nice indeed. But and this is a big but, everything I've praised seems to result in problems. Mainly crashes to desktop. At first I could only get an hour of playing in, then after a few patches I had no problems. But then when I made it to the year 1780, I crashed every single time I pressed End Turn. People may say "That's because your system can't handle this game". To which I say WRONG. Between the CTD's I get a solid 60FPS. I have had no overheating problems and keep my computer up to date entirely. This game needs alot more polish, the latest patch addresses alot of crash issues but really because this has taking so long to fix, I have lost all interest in this game and Creative Assembly. It has really been a big dissapointment. At first I kept thinking that it's early stages for the game to be released, they'll realise that there are problems and they will release a patch as soon as they can. But now, really is this what companies are going to do in the future? Release bug ridden games to the public? Once more, games that can't be returned after installing because of having to register them? If you buy this game, just know that it has been a very rocky road and still is. I've been a TW fan since METW and this game just isn't up to standards with their previous titles. All in all, the gameplay is good, graphics are brilliant and it's just such a shame that it's just full of game breaking bugs.… Expand
  8. SakariM.
    May 2, 2009
    0
    This game is the biggest game disspointment I have ever experienced. The game is completely unplayable, it is ridiculous. I wont state all that is wrong because it has already been said, but what truly has me aghast is that every single media reviewer has praised this game to the stars. I can barely play this game for an hour before I get too frustrated to continue. I am never trusting This game is the biggest game disspointment I have ever experienced. The game is completely unplayable, it is ridiculous. I wont state all that is wrong because it has already been said, but what truly has me aghast is that every single media reviewer has praised this game to the stars. I can barely play this game for an hour before I get too frustrated to continue. I am never trusting reviewers of games again, they are untrustworthy liars. One of my favourite examples of its ridiculousness? Pre-release they boasted of their amazing motion capture "period authentic" melee. Melee is just a buggery mess with a few poorly synced bayonet duels. Wheres my muddy and bloody brawl?… Expand
  9. KoteeO
    May 1, 2009
    10
    I am not a fan of RTS games at all. I have tried 10 to 20 of them in the last few years. However, this game is amazing! The graphics, the attention to detail, and the gameplay is fun fun fun! I have not even tried multiplayer yet...I'm addicted!
  10. SR
    May 1, 2009
    5
    I bought the disc version of this and from 1707 the game kept crashing, so I would leave it a while and carry on and it seemed to clear. Now I have got as far as 1711 and when I resolve my turn it gets stuck halfway through. I have wasted a lot of time on what is basically a beautiful, addictive but horrendously flawed game. I note no one from the manufacturers has explained why the game I bought the disc version of this and from 1707 the game kept crashing, so I would leave it a while and carry on and it seemed to clear. Now I have got as far as 1711 and when I resolve my turn it gets stuck halfway through. I have wasted a lot of time on what is basically a beautiful, addictive but horrendously flawed game. I note no one from the manufacturers has explained why the game keeps crashing. I got rid of the boxed version and am now downloading it again from the site. THIS IS A STUNNING 10/10, let down by the constant faults. Maybe it is the STEAM aspect I don't know, but if this download doesn't work, I will be removing it and STEAM from my PC and never buying another Total War game again. Sorry guys.… Expand
  11. Renaldi
    May 1, 2009
    9
    I give it a nine because I would never give a perfect score to any game. empire Total War is the grandest Total War game ever. The campaign map is really global. with Europe, mid east, America and India available for land conquest and South America, Ivory Coast and East Indies available as trade regions. The gameplay is great, the scope of the game is so wide that it probably needs at I give it a nine because I would never give a perfect score to any game. empire Total War is the grandest Total War game ever. The campaign map is really global. with Europe, mid east, America and India available for land conquest and South America, Ivory Coast and East Indies available as trade regions. The gameplay is great, the scope of the game is so wide that it probably needs at least a few months to try all the factions in campaign. The naval battle is also great. Ships could blow up into pieces because they did in RL. Imo this game is a must have for anyone who thinks that he or she is a 17th century history buffs and anyone who simply appreciate a terrific game(they don't come often).… Expand
  12. AMC
    Apr 29, 2009
    3
    2 months in this game is as unstable as it was at launch. It has the potential to be the game of the year, if not the decade. Essentially it is a bug ridden mess that should ahve been tested for another 6 months. Looks like SEGA stuffed up the TW series by shoving this down our throats. Also...WHY DOES IT NEED STEAM? 90% of customers will buy this for the single player Grand Campaign.
  13. NovahawkA
    Apr 29, 2009
    0
    Hmm ok where to begin my review. Installing ...installing...silence...nothing happens...ahh ....installing...Blue screen...wtf!!! file missing what!!? Please reinstall 11.3 GB game. wtf!!! after 2 hours of trying to install I gave up. Steaming and angry at CA and SEGA and Gamespy "review" . What a load of crap. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Someone ought to sue all of them and give Hmm ok where to begin my review. Installing ...installing...silence...nothing happens...ahh ....installing...Blue screen...wtf!!! file missing what!!? Please reinstall 11.3 GB game. wtf!!! after 2 hours of trying to install I gave up. Steaming and angry at CA and SEGA and Gamespy "review" . What a load of crap. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Someone ought to sue all of them and give them a piece of their mind for this outrageous stunt they pulled. Thanks to them, I will save money from buying future crap made by them and spend it on the things that works for me. And I hope someone will put these guys out of business for good and in Jail.… Expand
  14. MortenB
    Apr 29, 2009
    4
    I haven't had any chrashes after updatin Display driver. The look and feel of the game is really good. The tactical part, both land and sea look just great, and here the AI plays OK, not really smart, but OK. But on the strategic level the AI is a disaster! It makes the most stupid decissions, and when you add the fact that i NEVER moves troops by sea, not even to defend, and it I haven't had any chrashes after updatin Display driver. The look and feel of the game is really good. The tactical part, both land and sea look just great, and here the AI plays OK, not really smart, but OK. But on the strategic level the AI is a disaster! It makes the most stupid decissions, and when you add the fact that i NEVER moves troops by sea, not even to defend, and it NEVER makes peace with enemies, it really ruins the challenge. It feels like they have used the AI from 15 years old 2. rate game. I have played 2 campains and I'm really too bored to start a new. What a shame.… Expand
  15. mattm
    Apr 29, 2009
    5
    They haven't finished it ,to be honest when i playey mtw2 it had loades of cool historical battles and the AI was clever. Empire truggled to run with better than recommended requirements on vista. Online play is cool but every time you log on it's shoved in my face and starts opening windows because i'm not connected to steam. The AI makes a basic line almost every time They haven't finished it ,to be honest when i playey mtw2 it had loades of cool historical battles and the AI was clever. Empire truggled to run with better than recommended requirements on vista. Online play is cool but every time you log on it's shoved in my face and starts opening windows because i'm not connected to steam. The AI makes a basic line almost every time unless you have a army of pure calvery and the frame rate is laborious. The only reason i gave it a 5 is because AI on navel command is spot on, the ships are picture perfect and enemy commanders are adaptable and intelligent. Other than some ships crashing together when in formation it's good. But that only happens when i finally get to it.… Expand
  16. richardm
    Apr 29, 2009
    0
    Buggy piece of crap is all this is. And no i dont hate Steam. I just hate buying a game that gets ratings of 10's from major magazines and sites only to find out the game is less fun than checkers. AI is HORRIBLE and too many bugs for me. anyone that says different is a fanboy because ETW is BUGGY as heck for EVERYONE. AVOID!!
  17. richardmorgan
    Apr 29, 2009
    1
    What can I say about this buggy piece of sh*t! Believe the negativity because its all true and more. Heck, go to the forums and you will notice 75%(being generous) of customers are having MAJOR problems with it. The main reason I give it a 1 is because all the PAID reviews giving it a 90%. You gotta be fukin kiddin me. Stick with the older TW games this one is ass.
  18. TimothyW
    Apr 28, 2009
    1
    This is a really bad game. I bought it, and I was all excited, but there are so many bugs and the gameplay is boring and tedious to the point that I haven't touched it in about a month. I was waiting for them to patch it, but so far they still haven't fixed all the issues as of 04 - 28 - 09 - Over a month after they released it. I'm particularly annoyed by their new This is a really bad game. I bought it, and I was all excited, but there are so many bugs and the gameplay is boring and tedious to the point that I haven't touched it in about a month. I was waiting for them to patch it, but so far they still haven't fixed all the issues as of 04 - 28 - 09 - Over a month after they released it. I'm particularly annoyed by their new building setup where you basically have no choice but to build what they tell you to build, and some towns and villages only let you build one thing. It makes no sense! I'm the King and if I want a stable in the middle of the frozen tundra, then I'm going to build it there! Damn you, SEGA, for ruining the Total War Series, I truly think you have sunk your own ship. (The addition of naval battles is the best thing about this game and that's why it earns 1 point.)… Expand
  19. ChrisS
    Apr 28, 2009
    1
    I bought this game and was genuinely excited as a seasoned TW player and multiplayer online enthusiast. How I was dissapointed. The support for online players on MTWII was frankly dreadfull and basically led to me putting the game back on the shelf once the campaigns and 6 months of online playing was up. I played RTW BI online for years! Now this, I havent had much trouble with the bugs I bought this game and was genuinely excited as a seasoned TW player and multiplayer online enthusiast. How I was dissapointed. The support for online players on MTWII was frankly dreadfull and basically led to me putting the game back on the shelf once the campaigns and 6 months of online playing was up. I played RTW BI online for years! Now this, I havent had much trouble with the bugs or steam I just find the game play boring. Running musket men into range and then doing the slow reload and fire routine before the bayonet charge is fun for the 1st half dozen battles and then you start auto resolving. The battles are what TW games are about IMO you can get similar campaign experiences but nobody else has ever acheived the unit balance and the real time battle engine that prevoius TW games had. This is woefull. I have played it for around 6 hours and have no appetite for more it bores me senseless and to cap it all I'm stuck with it, no trade in's or returns for me thanks to the registering. The last time I'll ever buy a game on release day, although i've had no problemms technically other than long load times I would have never gone near this having read the comments lamenting the now sadly horrific support provided for this series. They would do well to rehire the guys that were involved with RTW and BI for the next in the series, they've got our money now for this shocker so should be able to afford it!… Expand
  20. JC
    Apr 28, 2009
    10
    Great game exactly what i was expecting not sure what everyone is moaning about have played alot and haven't noticed any major bugs or had any other problems. Steam isn't too bad, a lot of people should have this already not half as annoying as installing gta4. If you liked previous total war titles you will like this, units do get a bit samey after a while but there are also a Great game exactly what i was expecting not sure what everyone is moaning about have played alot and haven't noticed any major bugs or had any other problems. Steam isn't too bad, a lot of people should have this already not half as annoying as installing gta4. If you liked previous total war titles you will like this, units do get a bit samey after a while but there are also a lot of naval units. The campaign mode will entertain you for hours have been playing a long campaign and after several weeks of playing haven't quite reached the half way mark, hoping lots of other nations will be unlocked once completed as before. A great way to kill the time.… Expand
  21. MauroB
    Apr 27, 2009
    4
    Unfortunately there are a lot of bugs that need to be fixed. AI is not as good as expected. The software is demanding too many hardware resources, even if I have 3 Gb Ram, ATI 4870 and a good dual core processor, the Game is not running smoothly. It is really a pity, due to the Game is really good, maybe we have to wait for a couple of patches, anyhow my advice is to wait for a few months Unfortunately there are a lot of bugs that need to be fixed. AI is not as good as expected. The software is demanding too many hardware resources, even if I have 3 Gb Ram, ATI 4870 and a good dual core processor, the Game is not running smoothly. It is really a pity, due to the Game is really good, maybe we have to wait for a couple of patches, anyhow my advice is to wait for a few months before buying Empire Total War (when it will cost 15 euro), and in general I raccomend to avoid Steam-like games (due to I would like to avoid to connect to Steam every time I want to play .. I don't have an internet flat contract).… Expand
  22. Karolis
    Apr 27, 2009
    8
    A great game, lacks some sound maybe. Because they weren't only playing drums while marching, there were flutes and all kinds of stuff. A bunch of bugs, and some balance issues. Overall a freakin awesome game! i bought it, and i suggest others to do it
  23. EamonA
    Apr 27, 2009
    3
    Very disappointing game to actually play. Crashes all the time for me as I get into the middle stages of the campaign game and I have the most expensive notebook Gateway makes. The AI is silly. Why would very weak countries attack very strong countries? If the AI never puts troops on ships, does that not mean that playing England is rather safe? But, in the end, the crashes just drove me Very disappointing game to actually play. Crashes all the time for me as I get into the middle stages of the campaign game and I have the most expensive notebook Gateway makes. The AI is silly. Why would very weak countries attack very strong countries? If the AI never puts troops on ships, does that not mean that playing England is rather safe? But, in the end, the crashes just drove me out of every game.… Expand
  24. IanB
    Apr 27, 2009
    9
    Not quite perfection but very close. The Naval element, although a bit basic, is the bit that takes it up a level against other Total War games. It's tie-in with Steam seems unnecessary and causes difficulties if there is a problem with the internet. It would be interesting to include a squad-level element (land) or individual Captain in a fleet (sea).
  25. ChrisC
    Apr 27, 2009
    4
    For the glut of people voting 10 on the game down at the bottom of this list, and then complaining about people 'ruining the games user rating' with low scores, shame on you. You obviously either a) haven't played the game for any length of time to see what all the bug fuss is about or b) happen to have the one working game platform I'll guess the game was initially For the glut of people voting 10 on the game down at the bottom of this list, and then complaining about people 'ruining the games user rating' with low scores, shame on you. You obviously either a) haven't played the game for any length of time to see what all the bug fuss is about or b) happen to have the one working game platform I'll guess the game was initially designed around or c) you're employed by SEGA or STEAM and they are urging you to put these two sentence, 10-score ratings in here to try to pull a fast one on the public. And here, I thought SONY was the only gaming company content to shove unfinished games onto the market and then laugh at all the unknowing, paying public BETA testers, but apparently not. CTD issues abound, and saving the game before an anticipated CTD won't save you, either, as the game won't show that save on the load game screen afterwards. I wouldn't even begrudge them the use of the STEAM thing to try to keep their product their own, I suppose, but to release a game that so obviously needs at least 6 more months if not a year of solid playtesting is almost unforgiveable, particularly when you take a title that has been known for quality in the past and drag its good name into the dirt like this. I give this game a 4 instead of a 0 b/c, as other people have pointed out, it has the POTENTIAL to be up there with the greatest of TW games. However, it is nowhere near that point in its present state. If you have been a serious TW fan (like so many here who have already posted), my advice is to wait a good 6 months for the smoke and the bs to clear - then check the forums to see if this is finally a worthwhile purchase.… Expand
  26. keithc
    Apr 25, 2009
    0
    1.) problems with the ships getting stuck or "disappearing from the game" even thou' you can see it on screen many a problem when in trading mode. 2.) slightly disappointed that you can only uses a single army to face each other unlike Med' War 2 with multi armies facing each other. In this game the "extra" army come in as replacement which make game play difficult and weird 1.) problems with the ships getting stuck or "disappearing from the game" even thou' you can see it on screen many a problem when in trading mode. 2.) slightly disappointed that you can only uses a single army to face each other unlike Med' War 2 with multi armies facing each other. In this game the "extra" army come in as replacement which make game play difficult and weird 3.)Another area which is a difficult is trying to place your troops behind a wall crouching. Then to crouch with their back against the enemy! 4.)The worse bit in the game is you own artillery they have a very bad tendencies of regularly killing your own side more than they do to the enemy. 5.)disappointed by the "towns" compared to Med War 2 these "cites" look more like hamlets. Took a while to get uses to it. 6.)Problem with troops getting stuck coming out of the fort, many artillery troops and sometime when that happens the troops go haywire and have a mind of their own. 7.)Problems with the game crushing after you finish a long battles and you get really pissed off after routing the enemy and having to play the same battle again only for it to crash again. 8.)No option in deleting game saved on "stream" so you end up with loads of game that you can't get rid off. 9.)Good point are the sea battles but the game tend to crash after capturing the enemy ships. 10.)like the idea of getting troops inside buildings but not all buildings on the map which is a disappointment. 11.)Not sure about the "none" mobile artillery guns and unlimited artillery supply. 12.)In all it's good game, the only real plus is the Ship battles which is outstanding if the game didn't crash so often. So I'm giving it a "0" to off set those "10" given by some people.… Expand
  27. LukeM.
    Apr 25, 2009
    10
    Best Game Ever!!!!
  28. BarneyW
    Apr 25, 2009
    9
    A fantastic entry to the series raising the bar in terms of visuals and scale. Those complaining about steam or it needing a powerful computer shouldent lower their review scores based on that as it isnt anything to do with how the game actually plays. A few technical issues mar the game though (crashes and a few graphical bugs) and the siege battles are less than impressive. This is made A fantastic entry to the series raising the bar in terms of visuals and scale. Those complaining about steam or it needing a powerful computer shouldent lower their review scores based on that as it isnt anything to do with how the game actually plays. A few technical issues mar the game though (crashes and a few graphical bugs) and the siege battles are less than impressive. This is made up for in every other field though such as the brutal (and stunning) naval battles and the fantastic implementation of the artillery. AI has been massivly improved as well although there are some instances where the pathfinding might break down and the diplomacy AI isnt all that better. Overall it is a game that deserves they title, "Masterpiece" but falls just short due to some technical errors and a few pathfinding glitches.… Expand
  29. KimSandberg
    Apr 25, 2009
    3
    This would be a great game, but eventhough it is on its 3rd or 4th patch it still is unplayable. It crashes to desktop all the time, nomatter if i play it on vista, or my 2 other XP installations.

    This is definately the last time i buy a game from this company
  30. MiaE
    Apr 23, 2009
    0
    I will no longer pre-order games. A lesson learned with this POS. It's time to play with piracy copies maybe the makers will take notice and mend their ways. 0 for a terrible experience with ETW. I have returned it to the store.
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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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