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. HarryC
    Mar 16, 2009
    5
    Total War has recently adopted Steam, an unreliable sensitive piece of rubbish that safely removed any enjoyment of the game, I fervently hope that TW decide to remove it any future releases! Once I finally got it installed on Steam (an arduous task indeed) I was impressed by the fantastic graphics and new features. Unfortunately TW seems to have not committed to scenarios or single Total War has recently adopted Steam, an unreliable sensitive piece of rubbish that safely removed any enjoyment of the game, I fervently hope that TW decide to remove it any future releases! Once I finally got it installed on Steam (an arduous task indeed) I was impressed by the fantastic graphics and new features. Unfortunately TW seems to have not committed to scenarios or single player battles, the set ups both limited and unsatisfying, unlike in M2TW. The addition of technology is surprisingly good, this idea normally falls short, but it is developed and interesting. Turn-changing is still woefully slow, land battles seem to still rely on scrums and diplomacy remains edgy. Add that to crashes, jerkiness and steam and I'm one disappointed fan. The addition of Naval combat is great with wonderful detail and ships bristling with action, although large scale battles are absurdly hard with the micromanagement of broadsides verging on insane. The units are fantastic, the history is accurate and the extra platforms in America and India are superb if a little confusing when it comes to trade. All in all, although TW has retained much of its prestige on the battle map, it's let itself down with new features like Steam and an excess in micromanagement. A pity for us fans although still definitely worth playing if you can get past the wall of steam.… Expand
  2. DanL
    Mar 16, 2009
    2
    I was looking forward to this game. Just recieved it delivered to find i have to load STEAM in order to play it. I hate Steam, I hate it with a passion. And for it to be added into a single player game is pathetic. Poor show for the Total War team
  3. 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.
  4. AnonymousMC
    Mar 15, 2009
    7
    -game is very demanding of sytem resources
    -many graphics glitches
    -painfully slow load times -battles: graphics on zoomed units are great, but realistically you will see most of the battle as blocks of ants with flags over their heads marching around. painfully slow at times -i thought this game would replace civ 4 for me. sadly, i still choose to fire up civ 4 instead. -i can see    -game is very demanding of sytem resources
    -many graphics glitches
    -painfully slow load times
    -battles: graphics on zoomed units are great, but realistically you will see most of the battle as blocks of ants with flags over their heads marching around. painfully slow at times
    -i thought this game would replace civ 4 for me. sadly, i still choose to fire up civ 4 instead.
    -i can see how this game would appeal to some people, but it is not for everyone, in spite of the very high praise it has received    … Expand
  5. JFYoung
    Mar 15, 2009
    5
    Very poor AI. AI embarks and transports no enemy troops on a ship. Many major bugs in the GC = Crash to Desktop. Then after you cant resume your game.

    I played Rome and Medieval II. These 2 games were almost a 10 score but Empire is almost unplayable might be because its unfinished.
  6. jan
    Mar 15, 2009
    9
    Wow!! trully i think this is the best from all strategy games and more. This games has everything, and atlast we can control navy battles. This is a huge improvement to total war games and sega. just to point out that i have found some mistakes in the game which are 1. In navy battles when you board ship the the sailors that jump across somehow jump huge distances like planet of the Wow!! trully i think this is the best from all strategy games and more. This games has everything, and atlast we can control navy battles. This is a huge improvement to total war games and sega. just to point out that i have found some mistakes in the game which are 1. In navy battles when you board ship the the sailors that jump across somehow jump huge distances like planet of the apes!! 2. Theres not alot of factions too choose from. 3. You need an excellent computer!!… Expand
  7. JimP.
    Mar 14, 2009
    9
    Empire: Total War is a mixture of the familiar and a little something new for Total War fans. The game has similar elements to the Total War series: the map, the movement, unit creation, battle system, etc. The developers also added in some extras: a more complex economic system, a tech tree, and more imperial micromanaging. It is highly recommended that you begin by playing the tutorial Empire: Total War is a mixture of the familiar and a little something new for Total War fans. The game has similar elements to the Total War series: the map, the movement, unit creation, battle system, etc. The developers also added in some extras: a more complex economic system, a tech tree, and more imperial micromanaging. It is highly recommended that you begin by playing the tutorial campaign, "The Road to Independence" before diving into the main game. It teaches you quite a bit about how the game handles. Although, if you don't mind going through a few play-throughs and completely messing things up, then dive right into the Grand Campaign. The turn-based Grand Campaign gives you a large litany of nations to choose from in the beginning, ranging from several "Major Nations" in Europe to the Maratha Confederacy in India. I've looked up some FAQs about unlocking other nations to play, and apparently the ones available at the start are all there are to play. I was slightly disappointed at this since I saw some very interesting groups I wanted to try out (the Mughal Empire, the Persians, the Native American nations...). The world map now contains 3 distinct areas: Europe, India, and the Americas with several minor areas you can use for overseas trading (and piracy). The map now has resources you can trade, from furs, to cotton, to tobacco, to sugar, and lumber. There is also industry that you can build up that generates income for maintaining a massive empire. However, you have to balance the industrialization of your empire with the happiness of two classes of citizens, the nobility and the lower classes (both the middle and the lower classes). You have to maintain ministers for various offices in your government and they impact how efficient your government is. If your people become too unhappy with how you're running things, they may overthrow your current government for a new one. More emphasis is put on management than in the previous titles. The real-time battles still share the same frustrating AI glitches as previous titles. If a regiment of troops are getting in position to fire and one guy is straggling behind, the entire regiment thinks it's a great idea to wait for the guy to catch up before they fire at the enemy. This usually results in a volley or two getting shot into your own ranks, depleting both numbers and morale. Sometimes when you ask a regiment to fire at an incoming set of troops, they stand there doing nothing, as if somehow your command to "shoot" got lost in translation somewhere. But thankfully, the opponent's AI gets stuck at the same time too. But now artillery, cavalry, and infantry all play their own special roles and with the use of more options when in combat, more variety exists for combat than before. Ordering and watching a bayonet charge is lots of fun and never gets old. The graphics certainly have improved, although since I have to run it in low resolution, some of the troops on the battlefield render fairly slowly and oftentimes look like something out of the 1980s for a few seconds before coming into their 3D glory. Overall, I like Empire more than Medieval or Rome in most respects. Although I miss the console to give myself extra money when I'm playing a harder civilization, if you are a good manager of money and military you can easily stay within your means, make an empire, and have quite a lot of fun doing it.… Expand
  8. BenBoeve
    Mar 14, 2009
    10
    Although the Steam aspect of the game is somewhat disappointing, the game itself is very good with a campaign map across three theaters. The battles play very much the same of Medieval Total War 2 which is fine because the battles were great. Naval battles are also very enjoyable with a good amount of attention paid to detail.
  9. ISocratatus
    Mar 14, 2009
    6
    A potentially great game, but misses because it`s UNFINISHED. The units, the fighting, even the AI is better, but once you`ve played for a few turns you realise that the CampaignAI NEVER attacks you. Ok, I`ll be more specific. Indians of the Americas may actually attack you (I had one case), but Europeans NEVER do. I play as Britain. I declare war on them, they declare war on me then.. A potentially great game, but misses because it`s UNFINISHED. The units, the fighting, even the AI is better, but once you`ve played for a few turns you realise that the CampaignAI NEVER attacks you. Ok, I`ll be more specific. Indians of the Americas may actually attack you (I had one case), but Europeans NEVER do. I play as Britain. I declare war on them, they declare war on me then.. nothing. I`ve even left my towns with a skeleton army while France builds hundreds of troops, yet in 20-30 turns they simply do not take the intiative. Now if you take their lands they`ll fight to take it back. If they get their land, they stop. They won`t go further and attack your original territory. I don`t get why they have made the AI like this, surely, testing should have revealed this. Interestingly this happened in RTW and MTW2 until patched about 3 months later. Their are two possible reasons: 1.CA are stupid and just can`t get it right first time or.. 2. they make the Campaign AI Passive on purpose to make new players feel like their getting somewhere. I think the latter, so when they Patch it in 3 months so the European AI actually attacks it will be worth 810. Of course, graphics are nice battles are nice and there`s quite a bit of depth, but it`s useless if the enemy AI NEVER takes the INITIATIVE. It`s no strategy at all. Why only 8? Well because of Steam. Without Steam and the need to Activate online it would`ve gotten 9.5 And that`s a fact.… Expand
  10. Riordan
    Mar 14, 2009
    10
    Brilliant game, got the total war feel while bringing it to the 17 hundreds! Brilliant units, and beautiful graphics. Naval battles while being widely appreciated by most were not high on the list for me but they are very good none the less. The only thing i wished for was the 'British Grenediers' song being played as the redcoats marched into battle! But alas it was not meant to be!
  11. JoonaH
    Mar 14, 2009
    10
    First off, I was very critic about the gunpowder age since the gunpowder weapons werent very special in earlier games, but the game suprised me very much with its excelency! The naval fights are great too! I always wanted to have naval fights and now I got it! Only thing bad I have to say about the naval fights is that they are always on the open seas and the lack of islands, reefs and First off, I was very critic about the gunpowder age since the gunpowder weapons werent very special in earlier games, but the game suprised me very much with its excelency! The naval fights are great too! I always wanted to have naval fights and now I got it! Only thing bad I have to say about the naval fights is that they are always on the open seas and the lack of islands, reefs and coastline. Otherwise, an excelent Total War game. PS. I'm a huge Total War fan :P… Expand
  12. DonnieDarko
    Mar 14, 2009
    4
    Well, I'm a big fan of the Total War series, I just see so much potential in this series. Sadly, that potential was to a great extent lost in this game. First of all it feels unfinished and unpolished. Seems like it was rushed out the door with a lot of bugs and performance issues. It doesn't even look all that great but it sure hogs a lot of performance. Other than that Well, I'm a big fan of the Total War series, I just see so much potential in this series. Sadly, that potential was to a great extent lost in this game. First of all it feels unfinished and unpolished. Seems like it was rushed out the door with a lot of bugs and performance issues. It doesn't even look all that great but it sure hogs a lot of performance. Other than that it's a rather bland experience. Sea battles look great but handle terribly bad, there's simply too much micro-management. The AI is horrible and acts just like what it is, an AI. When are developers going to start realizing that they're supposed to simulate human behaviour. They can start by limiting the AI-s ability to control all units at once. There's not a lot of diversity in the units and they act pretty much the same. So to sum things up I'd say... a dissapointment... and.... gets boring quickly.… Expand
  13. PhilB
    Mar 14, 2009
    8
    Anyone who has given this game 10 has not played it or just marked for aesthetically. I have played all the TW series and this is both the most exciting and dissapointing at the same time. Some of the land battles i have had are great with the varying terrain and buildings the tactics required have improved. Also the sea battles are tense long affairs that require skill and tactics. (If Anyone who has given this game 10 has not played it or just marked for aesthetically. I have played all the TW series and this is both the most exciting and dissapointing at the same time. Some of the land battles i have had are great with the varying terrain and buildings the tactics required have improved. Also the sea battles are tense long affairs that require skill and tactics. (If you get into a mess too often then your not playing them right) Quite often using superior maneuvering and angles to defeat bigger fleets.The research tree is also a welcome addition; as are developments outside the main towns and cities (adds more flexibility and tactical problems). I also love the trade part and again this adds more tactics and gameplay. The not so good is poor AI particularly the lack of aggression (except the cherokees who have drivenoff 2 invasions by me the British) Is the AI broke for the major nations? Land invasions are not coded in/broke? Pathfinding needs some work but is not that bad (seen a lot worse). I also think the diplomacy system needs tweaking. With a few patches the game can be up there with some of the best, I have enjoyed playing it. Phil… Expand
  14. RuudC
    Mar 14, 2009
    10
    I really like this game as a real totalwar fan. It's the best game ever played! Like everytime before I can't choose what nation because I all like them to much, especcialy in empire totalwar because whit all factions you need another stratagy. some require a lot of trade and some big powers. The only thing I hate is that people give bad ratings because of the bugs.. if they had I really like this game as a real totalwar fan. It's the best game ever played! Like everytime before I can't choose what nation because I all like them to much, especcialy in empire totalwar because whit all factions you need another stratagy. some require a lot of trade and some big powers. The only thing I hate is that people give bad ratings because of the bugs.. if they had readed the forums and blogs a little better they would know it contained those on the beginning of the game. but they will all update it!!… Expand
  15. SaitX
    Mar 13, 2009
    5
    Empire: Total War was one of the titles i have been waiting to get for some time. I got the game few days ago from steam and started playing it. The game offers better graphics and gameplay then before. However there is lots of errors due to steam . I got crit errors like 10 times in 48 hours. Pros: -Graphics are great -Movie like battles (as always) -Sea battes (worth trying) Cons: Empire: Total War was one of the titles i have been waiting to get for some time. I got the game few days ago from steam and started playing it. The game offers better graphics and gameplay then before. However there is lots of errors due to steam . I got crit errors like 10 times in 48 hours. Pros: -Graphics are great -Movie like battles (as always) -Sea battes (worth trying) Cons: -Steam sucks . Lots of errors crits eventhough they released an update few days after release. I hear pirated version is more stable :S -Diplomatic relations.( once they say no you never get to make them say yes) -Towns and fortresses are bugged, your forces may get stuck in a wall or a building. -Game ends in 200 turns and you wonder if you did everything possible.… Expand
  16. JamesD
    Mar 13, 2009
    9
    I broke out in cold sweats when I heard about this release. The TW series re-supplies it's position in the battle of the top PC strategy series of all time(CIV's got a blackeye from its PC3 release and close combat is obviously on R and R, sorry Sim fans but nup). I upgraded my computer to deal with this game so I'm a little dissappointed about the "fear of crash" that has I broke out in cold sweats when I heard about this release. The TW series re-supplies it's position in the battle of the top PC strategy series of all time(CIV's got a blackeye from its PC3 release and close combat is obviously on R and R, sorry Sim fans but nup). I upgraded my computer to deal with this game so I'm a little dissappointed about the "fear of crash" that has never been an issue for me. And what's all the fuss with steam anyway? I don't pretend to know anything about computers but that's why we have IT departments right? If your hobby is fixing programming then moan elsewhere because they've got the fundamentals right (although I haven't finished it and if the end sequence isn't a little rewarding criticism will be forthcoming). So pop quiz, can anyone develop realistic diplomacy for the inner Machavelli? Evidentally not. No Austria I'm not giving it back, get over it. I've never played multiplayer ever (as I said I'm no Einstein) but I think the programmers have tried to icrease the "fluidity" of the battle field. Bugs aside the march and counter march should play a greater role both in the strategic and tactical maps for humans. Maybe??? The kids got an 8.9 in my book, lets see how it develops.… Expand
  17. JohnM
    Mar 13, 2009
    5
    a big disappointment. I don't understand how critic reviews can be so high when the game is so strewn with bugs. Charitably this is a beta level release (loss of sound in battles, crashes to the desktop, corrupted save games), but there are critical AI level problems as well. Units which don't fire...units which don't die..naval battles look cool initially but then you get a big disappointment. I don't understand how critic reviews can be so high when the game is so strewn with bugs. Charitably this is a beta level release (loss of sound in battles, crashes to the desktop, corrupted save games), but there are critical AI level problems as well. Units which don't fire...units which don't die..naval battles look cool initially but then you get bogged down in micromanagement. In short -- released with a criminal amount of bugs and lacking in strategic depth.… Expand
  18. ML
    Mar 13, 2009
    8
    This is an amising game, but i expected more of it. I find he turns to be short, despite the large campain map. Naval battles get very chaotic very fast. Some people complain the AI will never transport troups over seas. I have founs this to be false as i was i got attacked by the french while playing the brittish. The AI pathfinding might seem terrible, but when u think about it, u see This is an amising game, but i expected more of it. I find he turns to be short, despite the large campain map. Naval battles get very chaotic very fast. Some people complain the AI will never transport troups over seas. I have founs this to be false as i was i got attacked by the french while playing the brittish. The AI pathfinding might seem terrible, but when u think about it, u see wat their trying to acomplish, wich is not much and could still use alot of improvements. The techtree, land battles in general the addition of sea battles and small towns are great. I have seen very litle bugs and crashes.The historaical acuracy could be beter. I find M2TW and Rome to be more "user friendly"(in lack of beter words). I realy liked the family tree in rome and medieval, wich has been remooved. I hope in the first expantion pact they will fix most of these problems and include the erly XIXth century and a seperate campain simular to the road to independance, but based on the napoleonic war.… Expand
  19. StewartHenderson
    Mar 13, 2009
    0
    So much potential. It should have been a great game. Especially when you consider that it is based on an existing engine that has been around for years now. It is simply too buggy and the AI is rubbish. It seems to me that many games not made by Valve get corrupted in some way when ported over to delivery by Steam. I think Steam is partially to blame for this game being so buggy. Creative So much potential. It should have been a great game. Especially when you consider that it is based on an existing engine that has been around for years now. It is simply too buggy and the AI is rubbish. It seems to me that many games not made by Valve get corrupted in some way when ported over to delivery by Steam. I think Steam is partially to blame for this game being so buggy. Creative Assembly are mostly to blame, however, for not sufficiently testing it and releasing it in this state. Also forcing people like myself, who bought the boxed version from a box, to use steam is wrong. I stopped buying from Steam a couple of years ago because the steam versions were buggy. Lo and behold I buy another game and am forced to use Steam and guess what? It's extremely buggy.… Expand
  20. SantiagoElizalde
    Mar 13, 2009
    8
    The game is almost perfect at its conception, game features are almost endless to describe and the graphics are truly breathtaking for the enormous scale of the game. Just like all the TW titles that came before this, this game is a black hole sucking all my free time. I think It should be a perfect 10. However, just like in previous installments of the series, this game is quirky and The game is almost perfect at its conception, game features are almost endless to describe and the graphics are truly breathtaking for the enormous scale of the game. Just like all the TW titles that came before this, this game is a black hole sucking all my free time. I think It should be a perfect 10. However, just like in previous installments of the series, this game is quirky and buggy. I have a very powerfull PC that can run this game at super high settings, then tell me why do I have to put up with all-low settings so the game wont crash on a video? what is happening here? If the game wasnt worth a dime, I wouldnt care about this and dump it in the trash, but its so frustrsting to be completely addicted to a game that wont stop crashing! the AI is also a bit frustrating, we [again] are facing AI opponents that dont know how to invade through sea and that think that militia scares the hell out of human players! w00t? Cmon Creative Assembly, I know you can do better!...for the time being, Ill give it an 8.… Expand
  21. DanA
    Mar 13, 2009
    10
    Empire is by far the best strategy game that i have ever played. Grpahics are breathtaking, runs on my xps 400 like silk(8800gts, 3 gigs of ram and intel core duo 3.2).
    @ RYAN S
    GET A BETTER COMPUTER.. its a mystery to me why people like you even exist, if you cant get a good computer dont buy the game!!!!! otherwise stop your whining becasue no one wants to hear it
  22. 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
  23. Alex
    Mar 13, 2009
    10
    A simply incredible game! The best I have played in a long long time. If you love strategy games and/or TW games you will love this one! The campaign map is more complex than all of the other games combined, and turns can now take hours to complete. With the addition of new theaters of war and trading theaters every move has to be made so carefully! There are also the addition of naval A simply incredible game! The best I have played in a long long time. If you love strategy games and/or TW games you will love this one! The campaign map is more complex than all of the other games combined, and turns can now take hours to complete. With the addition of new theaters of war and trading theaters every move has to be made so carefully! There are also the addition of naval battles now - they look great and play really well. The land battles are out of this world (both in strategy and visuals). The AI is also much improved on previous games, although there could still be some improvements. Further, with the addition of Steam you can quickly join multiplayer battles...the game is also automatically updated! Worth every penny (especially for the replay value - every nation has a completely different strategy on the campaign map).… Expand
  24. MatthewW
    Mar 13, 2009
    0
    So far, I can't even get past the opening menu of the game, it keeps crashing when trying to download the campaign or scenarios. I have plenty of disk space, yet the game took over two hours to download. I liked the other TW series, but this has been the worst gaming experience thus far.
  25. TANAKATANAKA
    Mar 13, 2009
    1
    avete clonato imperial glory, il gioco non gira, continua a scattare anche con risoluzioni basse, pur avendo 4 gb di ram e 1 gb di ram video con un t9550 da 2,66 ghz,
    le vostre informazioni risultavano false avete fatto una pessima figura.
    possiedo tutta la serie total war, ma empire mi ha profondamente deluso, mi ritengo raggirato
  26. AP
    Mar 12, 2009
    9
    Excellent game. THe campaign is enormous, the graphics are excellent, and the gameplay is everything I could have expected. For me, there are some bugs, but not many and those that are there are minor. Almost everything I could have wanted. The almost keeps it from a 10. Some minor things like the entire regiment having to be still for anyone to fire, and some minor bugs keep it from a Excellent game. THe campaign is enormous, the graphics are excellent, and the gameplay is everything I could have expected. For me, there are some bugs, but not many and those that are there are minor. Almost everything I could have wanted. The almost keeps it from a 10. Some minor things like the entire regiment having to be still for anyone to fire, and some minor bugs keep it from a 10. Oh and Steam is the only good drm option out there, and to be honest, the companies need drm. Steam is awesome and I wish all my games were on steam.… Expand
  27. GordonM
    Mar 12, 2009
    7
    It's a Total War game, and has many of the things that I enjoyed in the previous games. It added sea battles, tech trees, and a map/settlement style that is arguably better than the old one. There are big problems, though. The AI is bad, the game is buggy, the units are too similar (a fault of the era, not the developers), and major factions can be wiped out in the first few turns It's a Total War game, and has many of the things that I enjoyed in the previous games. It added sea battles, tech trees, and a map/settlement style that is arguably better than the old one. There are big problems, though. The AI is bad, the game is buggy, the units are too similar (a fault of the era, not the developers), and major factions can be wiped out in the first few turns with incredible ease. Oh, and you don't need to worry about the AI landing a fleet behind your front lines and taking a settlement. They won't try, ever. No need to keep any troops on an island.… Expand
  28. AaronS
    Mar 12, 2009
    10
    The game is a phenomenal addition to the TW series. Definitely a choppy launch with a lot of memory leaks and bugs, but when you consider the epic scale of the game and the plethora of new features it's far beyond a fair trade. Unlike Medieval TW, this game doesn't have a bunch of pointless features and boring objectives. The battles are epic and the graphics are breathtaking. The game is a phenomenal addition to the TW series. Definitely a choppy launch with a lot of memory leaks and bugs, but when you consider the epic scale of the game and the plethora of new features it's far beyond a fair trade. Unlike Medieval TW, this game doesn't have a bunch of pointless features and boring objectives. The battles are epic and the graphics are breathtaking. Just finished my first campaign and it grows on me a little more every time I play.… Expand
  29. SBellows
    Mar 12, 2009
    4
    In my opinion the game in it's current state is barely acceptable for human consumption. The overboard copyright system is the first travesty (steam) followed up with random crashes, rediculious hardware demads and feeble pathfinding. With alot of patching it might be worth something by the time it becomes abandonware.
  30. AnonymousMC
    Mar 12, 2009
    0
    This game was obviously rushed to release and not thoroughly playtested. The fact that it shipped with a trade port bug, where you could not use trade ports while playing as certain factions, confirms the shoddy playtesting. They've fixed this particular problem, true, but it still is a smoking gun that signals time was not spent actually playing each faction to see if the gameThis game was obviously rushed to release and not thoroughly playtested. The fact that it shipped with a trade port bug, where you could not use trade ports while playing as certain factions, confirms the shoddy playtesting. They've fixed this particular problem, true, but it still is a smoking gun that signals time was not spent actually playing each faction to see if the game worked. There are many other bugs which remain to be fixed.

    I wish I could give a higher score, as it does have the promise to be an addictive game. However, seeing as it is not complete or working, it can only get a zero for now.

    Buy this immediately if you enjoy gambling. There's a great chance it will not work out well for you for quite some time.

    Otherwise, wait a few months for them to actually finish it.    … 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

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 62 Critic Reviews

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