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. HelgIvanov
    Oct 6, 2009
    4
    ...posle patcha 1,5 mne stalo yasno chto eta komanda shabashnikov i halturthikov.Ves etot proekt sploshnoy bag.
    Nitchego putnova eta komanda zdelat ne mojet, vmesto gramotnyh programistov nabrali horoshih piarthikov, poetomu sleduthi ih proekt NTW pokupat ne budu tak kak bolee them za 2 goda ne smogli zdelat ETW, a za 6 mesiacev oni sobirautsia zdelat Napolejna.
    RTW the BEST!
  2. MatthewG.
    Oct 6, 2009
    3
    A flash in the pan. Looks nice. But the competition provided by the AI makes me feel like I'm playing my 6 month old nephew in Chess.
  3. AndyW
    Oct 9, 2009
    5
    The game looks fantastic, the campaign map plays out pretty good but the battle ai is absolutely atrocious. It is so bad that i have shelved this game indefinitely. The game is abosolutely no challenge what so ever due the ai reforming its regiments. These soldiers, reform in front of your battle line whilst getting shot to pieces letting you easily win. Not only that reform towards your The game looks fantastic, the campaign map plays out pretty good but the battle ai is absolutely atrocious. It is so bad that i have shelved this game indefinitely. The game is abosolutely no challenge what so ever due the ai reforming its regiments. These soldiers, reform in front of your battle line whilst getting shot to pieces letting you easily win. Not only that reform towards your line so they end up in melee and rout soon after. I would give it a 8 or 9 if the bai was working, unfortunately the game is ruined by this and giving it a good rating just because it has good graphic or good campaign ai is not enough. Total war needs to be the whole package and empire is not that. I think if they do not fix the bai issues, they will be disillusioning half the community and Napoleon sales will plummet.. Also this is the first total war game i have been majorly disappointed with period.… Expand
  4. AnonymousMC
    Mar 11, 2009
    7
    It looks great but chugs a bit even though I can run FPSs at top spec. The experience is just that... an experience. There's no great pleasure to playing. Large scale troop movements are a headache if they involve anything other than walking straight forward. Also watching lines of men shoot at each other lacks the impact of a bloody melee. Compared to the rest in the series its aIt looks great but chugs a bit even though I can run FPSs at top spec. The experience is just that... an experience. There's no great pleasure to playing. Large scale troop movements are a headache if they involve anything other than walking straight forward. Also watching lines of men shoot at each other lacks the impact of a bloody melee. Compared to the rest in the series its a real disappointment. Shogun 2 would be nice next though.… Expand
  5. RolfK.
    Mar 10, 2009
    10
    After you gotten passed the crap application and the way it works called STEAM, (Steam is the worst thing there for game applications, yet they convince developers with fake truths). You get to enjoy a great game. In the beginning the it will be rough to get the going with the game, but this is a learning curve, the more you play it the more you get attuned. A big recommendation is stop After you gotten passed the crap application and the way it works called STEAM, (Steam is the worst thing there for game applications, yet they convince developers with fake truths). You get to enjoy a great game. In the beginning the it will be rough to get the going with the game, but this is a learning curve, the more you play it the more you get attuned. A big recommendation is stop playing easy after you gotten a few provinces and won a few 50-50 odds battles on land and then go towards normal. After you did the same there, but also with fleet battles, with some lesser odds for you go to a higher difficulty. That way you have learned enough for battles and can taste the strength. (The hardest I recommend after defeating a major power on hard due some lesser deaths they get in battles).… Expand
  6. SigurdB
    Mar 11, 2009
    10
    The diversity and depth of gameplay in Empire is one of the best i have seen so far. They have managed with perfection to implement things you did not even realise you missed before, but now flows natualy. The civ type gameplay has been improved imencely making it more realistic for players to contrl. On the battlefront not much has changed apart from a new era (and the tech that The diversity and depth of gameplay in Empire is one of the best i have seen so far. They have managed with perfection to implement things you did not even realise you missed before, but now flows natualy. The civ type gameplay has been improved imencely making it more realistic for players to contrl. On the battlefront not much has changed apart from a new era (and the tech that follows). Because it was not needed to change it to much.… Expand
  7. TylerH
    Mar 10, 2009
    9
    I bought this game with a 50/50 chance of knowing that I may or may not have liked it. I installed it and immediately I loved it. The game play was a lot easier to learn than I thought it would be; very simplistic on how to manage your territory, armies, etc, etc. I guess I
  8. AlkarinV
    Mar 10, 2009
    9
    i give it a nine. it is a solid game. love the time period and the games historical accuracy. Its not the perfect game from the gods but it is indeed the best game out and if your a fan of strategy games or the time period this game is a MUST. ive even had some of my friends who don't play strategy games fall in love with this. there are a few bugs/crashes but they aren't that i give it a nine. it is a solid game. love the time period and the games historical accuracy. Its not the perfect game from the gods but it is indeed the best game out and if your a fan of strategy games or the time period this game is a MUST. ive even had some of my friends who don't play strategy games fall in love with this. there are a few bugs/crashes but they aren't that frequent nor serious. If you don't have the game yet get it! it is definitely worth it unless your a spoiled brat who expects everything to be perfect.… Expand
  9. DougO
    Mar 12, 2009
    9
    Despite some issues with the Steam release and some needed polishing, I have have had no major problems with the game (keep in mind I have to run it on min. specs due to the age of my computer). The A.I. has done fairly well, for me, as it has challenged me more than Rome Total War or Medieval II Total War. I think some serious patching is needed and CA and Sega needs to listen to its Despite some issues with the Steam release and some needed polishing, I have have had no major problems with the game (keep in mind I have to run it on min. specs due to the age of my computer). The A.I. has done fairly well, for me, as it has challenged me more than Rome Total War or Medieval II Total War. I think some serious patching is needed and CA and Sega needs to listen to its community of players, but the game is much better than I expected after the fall off in quality from Shogun and the original Medieval Total War.… Expand
  10. JohnnyT
    Mar 12, 2009
    10
    This is one of the best games i have ever played it runs through the period of 1700-1799 as far as i know and has brilliant gameplay features. You can go practically all over the world, and as a new feature Sea Naval battles that just practically pwn. for those who complete games fast there is online too and a second campaign for America. There are very little bugs i have seen so far and This is one of the best games i have ever played it runs through the period of 1700-1799 as far as i know and has brilliant gameplay features. You can go practically all over the world, and as a new feature Sea Naval battles that just practically pwn. for those who complete games fast there is online too and a second campaign for America. There are very little bugs i have seen so far and graphics are brilliant for a real time strategy game. The tactics are easy to follow and in game battle is much more realistic, the multiplayer is fantastic, and slow motion never gets old :D all in all i give this 10/10.… Expand
  11. JoelS.
    Mar 10, 2009
    9
    I feel John R. was too harsh. The game is the best in the total war series so far! Yes, steam is a little annoying, and yes there are a few bugs and unfulfilled promises as far as multiplayer is concerned, but overall the game is incredible! Bugs will, I'm sure, be addressed by CA soon enough. Well worth the money and time!
  12. BobO
    Mar 12, 2009
    5
    Empire: Total War. What potential, what enthusiasm I had when I popped in the discs and endured the wait for install. clicking the icon to start brought back memories of Rome: Total War and Medieval Total War, I couldn't wait. Well Ladies and Gentlemen, after 48 hours of play I can confirm that this game is far from user friendly, is missing many of the much promised features, is bug Empire: Total War. What potential, what enthusiasm I had when I popped in the discs and endured the wait for install. clicking the icon to start brought back memories of Rome: Total War and Medieval Total War, I couldn't wait. Well Ladies and Gentlemen, after 48 hours of play I can confirm that this game is far from user friendly, is missing many of the much promised features, is bug ridden which include a multitude of crashes to desktop for no apparent reason and many other quirks. I have to say I am disappointed especially after waiting so long for this game, two years to be precise. All I got was an unfinished product with enough flaws for me to put the game away for a long while until (I hope) gets sorted out with the multiple patches announced. Creative Assembly gave us a base which will require much attention to fix, but it can't be fixed with patches, it needs MODs or Modifications made by the community. I feel it is only a bad show of respect that Creative Assembly has not made any announcement of mod tools or community support. It seems that CA will be following the same road many game developers are now starting to take which is releasing an unfinished game lacking in features only to release an expansion pack months later to fix and add the stuff that should already be present. I believe it is only fair that we the consumer start to receive much more attention and better products from the companies we are buying from. Now the game is (was) fairly playable before the last patch which brought back many more problems than it fixed. The game allows you to play 11 factions, 12 if you beat the Road to Independence. That is not many factions to play as considering the former games CA has released have allowed you to play a multitude of factions with the vanilla game alone. Now with Empire, you can play with 12, but not with any of the other factions present in the game which number around 60+. Another unfortunate design decision or a financial incentive to withhold an official unlock for these factions which leads me to my next disappointment, unit variation and AI. CA PROMISED to fix the AI which controls armies on the battle map and campaign map which persisted in their former releases, but it would seem that this time they have regressed into coding a very pathetic AI. Now I am sorry if this offends you, but the AI has always been a PROMISE by CA to be improved, but they have not done anything substantial with it for many of there last releases. The battle map AI will still not utilize terrain, effectively use its numbers against you or perform simple functions like flanking properly. Same goes with the bug ridden campaign map which lags and crashes constantly keeping you frustrated and on the edge of whether or not your progress is all for nothing. AI will STILL not use there navies to properly invade coastal or island regions making the challenge seem somewhat nonexistent. If you see where I am going with this than you are right, CA promised a lot of NEW features, but delivered a an OLD and broken system to a game whose setting would require a new thought to the genre. If it wasn't for the many amazing Modders out there who spend there valuable time making the game better for us, CA's games would remain broken and half-baked. CA knows this and instead of encouraging Modders, they turn them away by refusing there insight. CA knows that Modders add features to the game which should had been there the whole time, so Modders are technically taking away the ability of CA and SEGA to make and publish expansions. It sounds crazy, but it is practical and makes sense. A company does not want to support its Modders unless they were not going to effect their bottom line. An unfortunate Business practice, but the video game industry is all about business and making big profits, not making noteworthy game anymore. With the score I am giving Empire Total War, I feel I am fair and in the correct. CA PROMISED so much, but delivered the same OLD formula. Goodbye Total War, I am going to miss you.… Expand
  13. 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
  14. PAC
    Mar 12, 2009
    8
    As a loyal fan of the Total War experience, I am both impressed and a little disappointed. Many of the things that should have been ironed out in earlier versions seem to have been over-stepped in favour of the new design, particularly in campaign mode, which seems to have taken a step backwards. Instead of the inviting 3D map with quality graphical icons, it has an almost cartoon As a loyal fan of the Total War experience, I am both impressed and a little disappointed. Many of the things that should have been ironed out in earlier versions seem to have been over-stepped in favour of the new design, particularly in campaign mode, which seems to have taken a step backwards. Instead of the inviting 3D map with quality graphical icons, it has an almost cartoon quality, the sea shines like plastic and figures, originally so elegantly mounted like playing pieces from a chess game, now look thin and sallow. There also seems to have been a move towards Imperial Glory style unit icons, although the economic and development system seems to have taken a turn for the worse. Somehow it just looks... well, basic. Then there are all the really annoying mouse-over tabs that flash before your eyes before you can finish reading them. REALLY annoying. Simple things, like unit description pop-ups can't be dragged out of the line of sight and the help advisor is fixed annoying in the corner so that when you use the nice touch of renaming your units, the advisor gets in the way. It doesn't always close down either. On the battlefield, there is no doubt that this game rules supreme. It offers the best yet in battlefield tactical feel and the graphics where treated right ARE amazing. However, there are still let downs. Collapsing Walls still look like the large chidish building blocks that breakup in Rome TW and you can see through the Ships in naval combat, which can spoil the effect somewhat. The biggest failure however is simply the failure to embrace Total War. Instead of focusing just on the battlefield level, this game has the potential to expand it's following by creating a multiplayer campaign function. Relatively easy to do compared with the graphic challenges of the battles themselves but endlessly rewarding if you consider that fighting other commanders is eminently more challenging than a computer AI. Campaigns are the future of where this format needs to go, and on this level Emprie TW failed.… Expand
  15. AnonymousMC
    Mar 12, 2009
    0
    I have NOT internet connection and I cannot play it! Is that fair? no I don't think so... it may be the best game but it is unplayable for those who don't have internet connection and a good one because it must be downloaded by steam. also what if I don't know how to do it because I am only 14 and I don't know NOTHING about internet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I enjoyed Rome: TotalI have NOT internet connection and I cannot play it! Is that fair? no I don't think so... it may be the best game but it is unplayable for those who don't have internet connection and a good one because it must be downloaded by steam. also what if I don't know how to do it because I am only 14 and I don't know NOTHING about internet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I enjoyed Rome: Total War but I don't think that I will buy again any of the games which requires internet connection again… Expand
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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!
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. 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
  25. JohnK
    Mar 16, 2009
    1
    Game isn't finished, too many memory leaks, fatal crashes in an extended campaign games, stupid Campaign AI, anyone know how to delete a saved game yet? odd events-ex- you have to research the steam engine in order to build a 1st rate SOL, which would be ok if you could mod it; but with steam, that is out. If you like beautiful figures and neat looking ships with great special Game isn't finished, too many memory leaks, fatal crashes in an extended campaign games, stupid Campaign AI, anyone know how to delete a saved game yet? odd events-ex- you have to research the steam engine in order to build a 1st rate SOL, which would be ok if you could mod it; but with steam, that is out. If you like beautiful figures and neat looking ships with great special effects , this is the game for you; if you actually want to play a strategy game with tactical battles,find something else to buy.… Expand
  26. ManuelR
    Mar 17, 2009
    7
    First of all sorry for my english no0t good. I am a TW fan since thier first release (Shogun), Empire TW is an unpolished game, the most important to fix AI lack of aggressivity. YOU CANT GIVE 10 to a game with so many bugs and fixes. Still i really enjoyed all the new features and enjoyed to play it a lot so thats tells me that if Creative Assembly runs some play testing takes notes on First of all sorry for my english no0t good. I am a TW fan since thier first release (Shogun), Empire TW is an unpolished game, the most important to fix AI lack of aggressivity. YOU CANT GIVE 10 to a game with so many bugs and fixes. Still i really enjoyed all the new features and enjoyed to play it a lot so thats tells me that if Creative Assembly runs some play testing takes notes on their fans reviews and makes some good patches will be the best TW game ever. Only thing i misse that cannot be fixed with any patch is no improvement in graphics. Positive aspects : Better trade Strategy, gunpowder gives a fresh air to the battles, Technology is interesting and refreshing 3 scenarious makes it a huge new game, and a multiplayer 1v1 campaing will be awesome there is no AI today that can replace the challenge of a human contender. So I will give the Game a 7 waiting for patches that will raise that to an 9.8… Expand
  27. 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
  28. AnthonyE
    Mar 18, 2009
    9
    I was unsure about the units having guns before I played the game but now I've found the battle are easier for me to control than the messy blood bath it used to be. I'm actually manning every battle now instead of auto-resolving and its on a difficulty above which I was playing before. This doesn't make an easy game however, just more user friendly. I'll need a lot I was unsure about the units having guns before I played the game but now I've found the battle are easier for me to control than the messy blood bath it used to be. I'm actually manning every battle now instead of auto-resolving and its on a difficulty above which I was playing before. This doesn't make an easy game however, just more user friendly. I'll need a lot more practice with the naval battles however, before I can pull them off without using a force twice the size of my opponents.… Expand
  29. PaulS
    Mar 19, 2009
    9
    I think by now everyone understands the headaches that steam has caused, get over it. I'll take dealing with steam over dealing with Securom any day of the week. I've run Empire on three different computers now, one barely meeting minimum spec, one in the middle and a higher end machine and it ran just fine on all three, if you're having lag or CTD issues try updating your I think by now everyone understands the headaches that steam has caused, get over it. I'll take dealing with steam over dealing with Securom any day of the week. I've run Empire on three different computers now, one barely meeting minimum spec, one in the middle and a higher end machine and it ran just fine on all three, if you're having lag or CTD issues try updating your drivers, it makes a world of difference. On the whole it is running better for me than Medieval II ever did. The game it's self is gorgeous and the changes to the campaign map and diplomacy are a godsend; yes it's annoying when a nation keeps asking for a province back but it's less annoying than the old ally on turn 1 and attack on turn 2. The new tech tree adds a layer of depth that previous iterations lacked without bogging down game play while adding to the campaign strategy: "oOo that province has a university." The down time between turns is about as long as in Medieval II which is a shock given the sheer number of factions, though this can get bogged down late game as factions are eliminated but the overall speed is better than I had hoped. The game does have it's faults. Path finding is infuriating, especially when defending in fort sieges. Interestingly enough I've only ever had the problem of an under aggressive AI once while playing as Great Britain on VH/VH otherwise in my Prussian and Austrian campaigns the AI has never hesitated to take under manned or otherwise vulnerable cities while raiding with impunity. My biggest problem with the game was the utter lack of variation between factions. I understand that mechanically speaking Line Infantry is Line Infantry but come on they could have atleast used a handful of different models. I'm willing to look the other way when it comes to a lack of mechanical variation but they could have at least done more than recolor the same model over and over again. On the whole it's a beautiful, fun. addictive, and stable game so long as you've kept your drivers up to date and aren't running 50 applications in the background. Looking forward to the up coming multiplayer campaign.… Expand
  30. 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.
  31. TorstenK.
    Mar 21, 2009
    8
    Empire Total War is an masterful improvement over Medieval TW II in every conceivable way... it have a new great campaign with a much-improved map and many many more things you have never seen in a TW Series Game before. A few bug fixes and overhauls could turn this into the best Strategy Game ever.. Greetz from Germany
  32. GuyGordon
    Mar 20, 2009
    2
    The game simply does not work. I am a QA analyst for a graphics production firm. I have a PC that is so far and above the industry standard that it isn't funny. It's very well optimized...but the code in E:TW is completely flawed. This game is unplayable. I rated it a 2 because the intro movie looks nice. The game, can't play it...even with a quad core, 4 video GPUs and 12 The game simply does not work. I am a QA analyst for a graphics production firm. I have a PC that is so far and above the industry standard that it isn't funny. It's very well optimized...but the code in E:TW is completely flawed. This game is unplayable. I rated it a 2 because the intro movie looks nice. The game, can't play it...even with a quad core, 4 video GPUs and 12 GB of DDR3.… Expand
  33. RobertM.
    Mar 20, 2009
    2
    Let's get things straight; this has the potential to be a brilliant game. Pity it doesn't work and here's why: - 1) steam - an unnecessary complication that is just unnecessary. Why should I have steam running if I bought the dvd? 2) in game crashes - after about 20 turns of my campaign I got to a point where the game crashes at the end of the current turn and nothing for Let's get things straight; this has the potential to be a brilliant game. Pity it doesn't work and here's why: - 1) steam - an unnecessary complication that is just unnecessary. Why should I have steam running if I bought the dvd? 2) in game crashes - after about 20 turns of my campaign I got to a point where the game crashes at the end of the current turn and nothing for me to do except restart campaign. 3) battle AI - the much heralded in game AI is not half as good as it's made out to be. The game is full of quirks which are both annoying and ridiculous. 4) load times - load times are plain ridiculous. I find my self planning what to do after the end of the current turn...make tea, get crisps, phone mates etc. 5) NPC turns - in agame of this scale there are loads of NPCs. In this my first campaign there are over 20 factions. End of turn is PAINFUL because even though I've disabled the display of NPC moves, it still takes ages to go through all of them. This game is in dire need of patching and should have never been released in its current state but unfortunately that is the trend these days. Release over hyped rubbish and make people buy it and then patch it later. I was a pc gamers for over 10 years before I switched over to the 360 and this has been my return to PC gaming. Not a good comeback to say the least. My advice is wait till the 2nd or 3rd patch and buy it then...probably at half the price!!… Expand
  34. JohnnyD.
    Mar 22, 2009
    4
    How this game got a metacritic of 91 is unbelievable. It's really not that good, not even compared to previous Total War games. All the issues, lag, crashes, memory leaks aside, it still has major gameplay flaws. And what is up with clone soldiers etc. Sure if you have a gfx card with a lot of memory you get different face textures, but that's an idiotic thing to optimize. It How this game got a metacritic of 91 is unbelievable. It's really not that good, not even compared to previous Total War games. All the issues, lag, crashes, memory leaks aside, it still has major gameplay flaws. And what is up with clone soldiers etc. Sure if you have a gfx card with a lot of memory you get different face textures, but that's an idiotic thing to optimize. It should be the very last thing that's optimized away when a gfx card can't fit the game into memory. Hell I can take lower foliage textures or whatever, but don't touch the unit faces. Morons... And what's the deal with BORING and IDIOTIC computer AI. It's first and foremost a singleplayer game and I'd say that's a pretty f***ing important feature to work on. And then there's the sounds....simply horrible...and buggy... All the older games had better battle sounds than this. How no reviewer can see and point out these glaring flaws are beyond me. Stay away people, buy any other Total War game, but not this.… Expand
  35. BradLittle
    Mar 22, 2009
    1
    Regardless of how good it might be, you can't play it if it won't run. Like many others, the game refuses to load for me from Steam DESPITE following all instructions twice. All latest video drivers and XP updates, Steam re-installed, game re-installed, etc. I advise avoiding this game unless you are an expert with configuring your computer, or if you can afford to waste the Regardless of how good it might be, you can't play it if it won't run. Like many others, the game refuses to load for me from Steam DESPITE following all instructions twice. All latest video drivers and XP updates, Steam re-installed, game re-installed, etc. I advise avoiding this game unless you are an expert with configuring your computer, or if you can afford to waste the purchase price.… Expand
  36. DarrenG.
    Mar 23, 2009
    8
    Ok you can sail a ship which is very good and about time but when you've played medieval total war 2 to tend to think hmm, I've seen this all before. But still a very great game, and if you've never played it before I would say 10 / 10 personally.
  37. 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
  38. AdamL.
    Mar 23, 2009
    4
    This game is super buggy and has incredibly long load times, even on a pretty much state of the art computer. The AI is a complete joke, wait until it gets patched a few times before you buy it.
  39. MalcolmA.
    Mar 23, 2009
    1
    The vote of one is for the packaging. Have yet to be able to even play this game. Steam advice in the forums hasn't helped at all. Liked all the previous Total War games. Thoroughly dissappointed with this thing. Online help is very poor. Can't even play it solo offline. One word opinion? Rubbish!
  40. KubaD
    Mar 24, 2009
    7
    The least playable of all of the Total Wars, which is a shame, as it had the biggest potential. The AI is pathetic, no matter which level of difficulty. You can conquer the whole of France within 5 turns of the game whichever faction you play and afterwards the whole gameplay is just winning without any effort. Once you conquered London or Paris you have twice the income any other faction The least playable of all of the Total Wars, which is a shame, as it had the biggest potential. The AI is pathetic, no matter which level of difficulty. You can conquer the whole of France within 5 turns of the game whichever faction you play and afterwards the whole gameplay is just winning without any effort. Once you conquered London or Paris you have twice the income any other faction has. And this combined with the laughable 'ideas' of the computer players makes the difficulty curve go downslope from this moment on. That sums up the strategic gameplay, as there is little more to it. Battle itself is great, as there is little to add to the way Total Wars present themselves. It's really a masterpiece, and seeing your lines of infantry mercilesly pounding on the enemy is priceless. The custom battles, however, are awful. No river crossings, too little settings and the worst part: not all units are available. I really, really would like to be able to play againt the angry melee pirate mob. It would let you engenieer all those cool scenarios, in which a regiment of elite, experienced rifleman and a single mortar repells the attack of a thousand of armed swashbucklers. I can't think for everyone, but tell me: what's the ratio of senseless slaughers compared to real, balanced battles when you use custom battles? I for one usually made battles when a elite unit stood to thousands of peasants and died in a glorious battle taking 20 times more enemies with themselves before being cut to pieces by the angry mob or commanded an army of poor village/towns-folk struggling aggainst the army of an oppresive tyrant. Oh, and there's another thing - in campaign battles you get to be entrenched - in custom - you don't. This really is a major drawback, as custom battles often serve as a training tool for real battles. I completed a couple of campaigns now and only twice i got to use the riflemen ability to plant mines. I'd really like to know their [the mine's] power to plan assaults better. But i don't get to. Cause nobody gave a thought to making the custom battles being really custom. Another thing: don't even get me started on the whole Steam thing. I hated Steam whole my life and I have no intent of changing it. It a bugged and messed up platform that really should die off. It has too much control over a game, it slow's it down (all those commmunity messages that crashed the game) and generally sucks. It's really cool that Empire is distributed on-line, but I'd love to buy it as a normal, boxed game without being forced to use the net to play it. And the last thing: i don't understan why the game is so slow. The graphic effects arent THAT better (though they are breathtaking) from the previous games, yet still Empire works several times slower than Medieval. A bigger battle takes 15 minutes to load (whereas the biggest battles in Medieval 2 took 2-4 minutes) and I don't even play on the maximum unit size settings! I can, however, understand the battles - all the smoke, fire and other effects occupy your graphics card and processor. Why the strategy screen is so slow - I have no idea. It differs little even from the Rome series. Overall: the game is really neat, the idea is more than great, but the technicalities... Well, they made me stop playing the game. If a big, big patch comes out (generally fixing the AI issues) I'd be glad to come back. For now - the game's dead.… Expand
  41. Arnold
    Mar 24, 2009
    3
    Empire Total DISAPOINTMENT....the King IS dead, long live the King! A very buggy and poorly finished release. Very, VERY buggy, slow and .....STEAM....CA must have expected the backlash and were obviously willing to risk it....shame on you guys and the poor excuses you give to justify STEAM.....give me DRM any day, YES STEAM is that bad. It's going to take something pretty special to Empire Total DISAPOINTMENT....the King IS dead, long live the King! A very buggy and poorly finished release. Very, VERY buggy, slow and .....STEAM....CA must have expected the backlash and were obviously willing to risk it....shame on you guys and the poor excuses you give to justify STEAM.....give me DRM any day, YES STEAM is that bad. It's going to take something pretty special to get me back into the TW series.....and I won't be buying a TW game until it's been out and seriously reviewed for some time (ignoring those reviewers who are obviously kidding themselves, 8's, 9's and 10's.....you know who you are....or you simply do not know what makes a good game (and ETW aint it!). Oh, did I mention how buggy it is...it makes Windows Vista look GOOD!!!… Expand
  42. CarlB
    Mar 25, 2009
    4
    I have been a big fan of the total war series but this one is not good, bugs galore, memory issues crashing and slow response times to mention a few . I feel that this game could have been so much more, the forts don
  43. JoopvandenH
    Mar 25, 2009
    8
    Being a Total War fan since the very first game (Shogun), I was looking forward to the change in setting in Empire, and wasn't disappointed. The game does a good job in portraying the era, if your PC got the power to show it. My rig is at or above the RECOMMENDED levels, and I play with the graphic setting tuned down (no max. shaders for me), and the game is still laggy in some Being a Total War fan since the very first game (Shogun), I was looking forward to the change in setting in Empire, and wasn't disappointed. The game does a good job in portraying the era, if your PC got the power to show it. My rig is at or above the RECOMMENDED levels, and I play with the graphic setting tuned down (no max. shaders for me), and the game is still laggy in some areas. The campaign map lags a bit in normal play, and a lot if a cutscene is shown. Land battles with full stack armies are also a problem at some particular zoom levels (zoomed fully in or out is OK, but the mid-levels are troublesome), but oddly enough the naval battles play smoothly, even with graphics on maximum settings and with full stack navies. I've experienced two crashes so far, both on the (pre-patched) retail edition. My game has been stable since the first patch came out. A lot has been said about the AI for this game, both before and after release. The battle AI is very good, easily the best in the series so far. The AI makes good use of the new map features (walls, buildings), deploys its cannons on good spots, and will actively try to outflank you if you are entrenched behind a wall. Still, it does not do a good job at protecting its cannons from quick cavalry charges, and is still very vunerable to flanking (a flaw the AI has had in the whole series so far). The naval AI also generally does a good job, but can be tricked rather easily in messing up his own line of battle by approaching it from a different angle (sailing around him and attacking from the rear). The campaign AI however is not so strong. It does do a decent job at raiding your outlying settlements (farms, mines, weavers cottages etc.), but only very rarely attacks your main settlements in force if you keep these well garrisoned. The AI waists no time in attacking weakly protected cities, but if you keep a half stack in them the AI will no longer try to attack it. This makes for very easy and boring gameply, because you can just sit back and build a steamroller army, while the AI wastes his own forces in small attacks at your outlying settlements, easily defeated by sorties from your larger garrisons. Despite this sometimes weak campaign AI, I find that I'm absolutly hooked to this game. I've completed short campaigns with all the major factions , and am now playing three long campaigns. To me, this proves that this game has a strong basis to build from, and all else can be patched or modded. Taken as a whole, this game deserves a solid 8 as is. And when the first mods start appearing, this figure should probably be even higher.… Expand
  44. MichaelthePole
    Mar 25, 2009
    1
    This has to be the worst public relations disaster since the Titanic. I pre ordered this pos in January, and ALL I got for that was "well, it's not our fault that you got taken like a 6 year old at his first carnival." I have the same failure to load problem described on the Forum by aprox 15,000 ex-CA fans. I posted a ticket with SEGA on March 5, and the response I got was "While This has to be the worst public relations disaster since the Titanic. I pre ordered this pos in January, and ALL I got for that was "well, it's not our fault that you got taken like a 6 year old at his first carnival." I have the same failure to load problem described on the Forum by aprox 15,000 ex-CA fans. I posted a ticket with SEGA on March 5, and the response I got was "While your computer meets the spec requirements published when you bought the game, your computer does not meet the specs actually necessary to RUN the game. We'll let you know if we ever figure out a way to convert your $60.00 investment from an attractive desk top icon into the item you thought you purchased. By the way, don't let your desktop cleaner hide your unusable Empire: Total War icon in your Unused Icon folder - we're sure that you'll want to be reminded every day that you've been screwed to the wall by CA and SEGA as well as Steam." If this isn't fixed by April 1st (Isnt THAT a real funny?!) I'm going to dust off my old retired lawyer hat and see what we need to do about interstate mail fraud. I want my money back. If you can't load this turkey, please post a little love note to SEGA/CA at http://shoguntotalwar.yuku.com/topic/50484 If you have the "dreaded white screen of death" (I'm not joking!) or one of a hundred other crash to desktop issues, or if the AI is hopelessly retarded or you cant load any of your saved games, you have the comfort of knowing that your friends in the STEAM community share your pain and you can always amuse yourself by watching the endless advertisements that STEAM provides as "updates." If you haven't bought this, listen to these voices of dearly purchased experience and avoid any CA products like something you found on the bottom of your shoe after using a public restroom in a San Francisco City Park.… Expand
  45. EtienneT
    Mar 27, 2009
    1
    This was the first TW game I had bought. Man I was disappointed. From constant CTD, to freezing my PC, out of video memory (1GB GTX 285 sli), Out of system memory (4 GB/2.8GB x86), Laggy campaign map (q9300 @3.0Ghz), graphic errors that cause crashes (after third patch 3/26/09). Slow battle load times (RAID 0+1 4x500GB SATA). I want my money back! Bioshock, COD4 & 5, CSS. CNC3, CIV4, FEAR This was the first TW game I had bought. Man I was disappointed. From constant CTD, to freezing my PC, out of video memory (1GB GTX 285 sli), Out of system memory (4 GB/2.8GB x86), Laggy campaign map (q9300 @3.0Ghz), graphic errors that cause crashes (after third patch 3/26/09). Slow battle load times (RAID 0+1 4x500GB SATA). I want my money back! Bioshock, COD4 & 5, CSS. CNC3, CIV4, FEAR & XP & fear2, and UT3 all play on my system w/out any problems at all! Why would a game pushed back on a release date still not be ready when released? 3 patches in 22 days of released and the community still complaining about not being able to play! I had no problems with sound and the upgrade sound and now I have new crashes! YAY... Wasted 30 hours trying to play this game (late at night after work) and cannot play 5 turns without a CTD! YET I install far cry 2 put on max settings and played 2 hours straight without a problem on the first go! I think CA just needed operating money and released this too early. Far as I am concerned I will never buy a CA game again.… Expand
  46. PaulT
    Mar 27, 2009
    4
    Constant crashes, weak opponents, bad AI, units don't respond, no continuity or real strategy, in reading other comments I have to agree, does not live up to the promises. I am not impressed with Steam but I do get updates right away which hopefully improves performance soon.
  47. Flankero.
    Mar 27, 2009
    5
    Too too bad, a awesome evolution to TW series, but this one is a dude. Crashes, too much to run on even a good system, and its momentum of the game is lacking to Rome total war. Even the intro video has the jitters.... I hope they get it all fixed up, I was really lookin forward to this game.
  48. tacoj
    Mar 27, 2009
    8
    Good game. Plays great (minus the bug crashes) and looks amazing. Epic battles, good map and unit features.... once again however, Pathetic AI. I find myself completely knocking out entire neighboring countries in 15 turns or less. This was the problem with kingdoms and every other release. I destroyed lithuania in 8 turns with teutonic. PLEASE, upgrade the AI b/c this game is boring and Good game. Plays great (minus the bug crashes) and looks amazing. Epic battles, good map and unit features.... once again however, Pathetic AI. I find myself completely knocking out entire neighboring countries in 15 turns or less. This was the problem with kingdoms and every other release. I destroyed lithuania in 8 turns with teutonic. PLEASE, upgrade the AI b/c this game is boring and easy. Wheres the challenge!?!? (if your not going to release updates to the AI, first and foremost do it b4 your next release. watching me fight the AI is like mahatma gandhi vs muhammed ali).… Expand
  49. Lewis
    Mar 27, 2009
    9
    This game is one of the best strategy games out there to date. I've been playing this game for hours on end. Played through the Grand Campaign on medium, and played half-way through another one .... and not once did i encounter any saved file problem and no crashing! For sure the games a bit dodgey at some points but so is every other game out there. Empire Total war is a great game. This game is one of the best strategy games out there to date. I've been playing this game for hours on end. Played through the Grand Campaign on medium, and played half-way through another one .... and not once did i encounter any saved file problem and no crashing! For sure the games a bit dodgey at some points but so is every other game out there. Empire Total war is a great game. my computers not even that great (2.4 Ghz dual core +1 gig Ram + 9600 GT) yet it still manages do some great graphics, yet the loading times do take seem to take for ever! For anyone who enjoys strategy games Empire Total War is unmissable!!!!… Expand
  50. DavidC
    Mar 28, 2009
    8
    I have every Total War game and I have thouroughly rnjoyed every one of them. I looked forward to this one with great anticipation. I have played it now (as the British) up to 1778. I find it absolutely fantastic - really engrossing - with some problems however. My game played flawlessly until about the 1750's, and now I tend to get crashes when I click on a port or a fleet. Also, I have every Total War game and I have thouroughly rnjoyed every one of them. I looked forward to this one with great anticipation. I have played it now (as the British) up to 1778. I find it absolutely fantastic - really engrossing - with some problems however. My game played flawlessly until about the 1750's, and now I tend to get crashes when I click on a port or a fleet. Also, the AI is terribly stupid. Nevertheless, it is a game I will continue to play, with great pleasure - but I do look forward to the patches!!!!!… Expand
  51. 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
  52. johnl
    Mar 29, 2009
    1
    This game so, far is a disaster at best. With specs that are questionable and a load of bugs that seem to plague all computers great and small. What happened to the days when you purchased a game and you didn't need to connect to the internet. As a long time fan of the total war series I have come to see the fall (or beginning stages of) a great game franchise. Next time take an This game so, far is a disaster at best. With specs that are questionable and a load of bugs that seem to plague all computers great and small. What happened to the days when you purchased a game and you didn't need to connect to the internet. As a long time fan of the total war series I have come to see the fall (or beginning stages of) a great game franchise. Next time take an extra 6 months to finish the product.… Expand
  53. JetL
    Mar 29, 2009
    4
    On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this a 4 because of several issues. First, Sega's going Steam. Definitely not a good thing with their DRM which is known to malfunction your PC entirely. Second, Empire TW is using the old formula of previous titles; AI has changed little, from dumb to dumber, absolutely no brain to win even at the hardest levels and even worse then before. Third, at On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this a 4 because of several issues. First, Sega's going Steam. Definitely not a good thing with their DRM which is known to malfunction your PC entirely. Second, Empire TW is using the old formula of previous titles; AI has changed little, from dumb to dumber, absolutely no brain to win even at the hardest levels and even worse then before. Third, at release and even with presto patch, CTD's, freezes, game acting up mid battles, unexplained slowdowns, pc death status. Fourth, feels like QA left town to fix bawdy houses instead. Game is NOT finished, poorly done, and fails my expectation as a gamer. Final thought, take your best friend out with 50 bucks, you'll enjoy much more than "this".… Expand
  54. AaronJ
    Mar 29, 2009
    3
    I have bought every previous TW game since Shogun came out. One of the reasons why I'm such a loyal TW fan is because I knew my money was buying a game ready to play and that the guys at TW didn't realease games early and unready like the other chumps. I bought my computer for 2k last year and belive me when I say it's well past min requirements. Still this is the laggiest I have bought every previous TW game since Shogun came out. One of the reasons why I'm such a loyal TW fan is because I knew my money was buying a game ready to play and that the guys at TW didn't realease games early and unready like the other chumps. I bought my computer for 2k last year and belive me when I say it's well past min requirements. Still this is the laggiest game ever.. Unplayable!!! And I haven't even run into the crashing bugs that everyone is talking about. Why would someone want to buy anything thats not ready? It's like buying a car with no wheels yet. I'm not old but I do remember days when you bought a game it was playable and finished when you spent your $70!!!!! I'm taking this back to EB games today and getting back my money one way or the other... Then I'll buy the game when these bastards decide to finish it. Unbelievable.… Expand
  55. vincef
    Mar 31, 2009
    0
    Graphically magnificent, huge campaign map. But... what a disappointment ! I'm a fan of the serie from Shogun, it's the worst IA ever in a total war game : T_T The game crashes in many ways, so much that the main campain is just impossible to play to the end (total domination of the world) : T_T again. Loading times and AI turns are far too long : T_T (15 minutes for the AI turn Graphically magnificent, huge campaign map. But... what a disappointment ! I'm a fan of the serie from Shogun, it's the worst IA ever in a total war game : T_T The game crashes in many ways, so much that the main campain is just impossible to play to the end (total domination of the world) : T_T again. Loading times and AI turns are far too long : T_T (15 minutes for the AI turn after playing 70 turns !!!!!) This game uses STEAM : T_T again and again As a.… Expand
  56. StefanP
    Mar 31, 2009
    10
    There are some crashes and sometimes, especially in the late game, the game runs a little slow and/or reacts a little slow (especially when selecting fleets and ports), but I love it. I already finished three Grand Campaigns and I'm about to finish my fourth (~12 more years and already 65 regions). Also no problems in multiplayer.
  57. 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
  58. WesS
    Mar 31, 2009
    5
    I sadly am giving this a 5 as of right now. Which on most gaming sites fall in the mediocre category. I too as many of you have purchased all the other total war games in the series because i love the depth. I havent played much as college can be prohibitive in the amount of time i have to play. That being said...from what i did get my hands on...I find it horrendous that a gamer should I sadly am giving this a 5 as of right now. Which on most gaming sites fall in the mediocre category. I too as many of you have purchased all the other total war games in the series because i love the depth. I havent played much as college can be prohibitive in the amount of time i have to play. That being said...from what i did get my hands on...I find it horrendous that a gamer should spend 50 dollars for a game only to be expected to fiddle with a dam client (steam). From reading other posters...Im slightly dissappointed that they tried to dumb down the interface...etc. I think that is one of the things that made the previous games so engrossing. I have a pretty decent computer... I can run MTW2 and the expansion just fine, as well as company of heroes with little if negligible lag. The game does seem to have been released too early... the fact that many in game cutscenes lag so horribly seriously detracts from what might be a overall awesome game. I only hope these issues are addressed in a patch which leads me to another frustration with steam. The fact you have to download updates through the steam client and set it up so you can even play it offline is just absurd. I worked hard for my 50$ i dont want any headaches installing or playing my game. Just let me play! While i think that it is important that piracy of games should be restricted, why should the many suffer for the actions of a few. And you cant tell me that with the amount of money they are making they cant afford to ditch this steaming pile of steam crap. Heck look how many people bought Empire total war only to be let down. I sympathize with all of you, and patiently wait with the rest of you for the patches that will fix the game that should not have needed fixing.… Expand
  59. MichaelB
    Mar 31, 2009
    5
    The graphics of the game look great, but during battles, you'll be zoomed out managing the battlefield and the game looks dated. There are very few battlefield maps, so you'll pretty much be fighting in a field or against the same looking fort over and over. That is not eye candy and it is not even keeping current. I don't care about the look of the battles, so much as the The graphics of the game look great, but during battles, you'll be zoomed out managing the battlefield and the game looks dated. There are very few battlefield maps, so you'll pretty much be fighting in a field or against the same looking fort over and over. That is not eye candy and it is not even keeping current. I don't care about the look of the battles, so much as the clunky game mechanics. The way units move in this version of TW is terrible. Having to navigate a wall or building is an exercise in patience due to poor design. Sending troops to a location is gamble, as they may decide to take the worst path their possible . The AI is terribly slow when reacting to your changing tactics. Battles will all feel the same and repetitive due to the lack of AI or variety. Don't get me started on the load times in the game... every battle takes a solid 1 to 2 minutes to load. Even worse is sometimes the game will hang during these loads and crash. This leads to the other bugs that fester through this game. Sounds errors, game crashes, flickering, unexplained slowdowns are just some of the issues. And like other people have, STEAM is crap and causes more problems than it solves. I played through the American campaign and the Spanish. It was moderately entertaining. Very very repetitive. I was bored cold by the end of the Spanish campaign, as there comes a point when you know you are going to win hours beforehand and you're just playing through the motions and surviving bugs and load time.… Expand
  60. MarkS
    Mar 30, 2009
    5
    This game had good potential, but suffers from being released far too early. It's plagued by bugs and crashes. Thus far, a series of patches seems to have only made things worse, with CA releasing patches for their patches! Bugs aside, the AI doesn't seem to know how to play the game and there are some serious balance issues. To anyone who's interested in actually playing This game had good potential, but suffers from being released far too early. It's plagued by bugs and crashes. Thus far, a series of patches seems to have only made things worse, with CA releasing patches for their patches! Bugs aside, the AI doesn't seem to know how to play the game and there are some serious balance issues. To anyone who's interested in actually playing this game: I would advise waiting until the price drops, the bugs are all ironed out, or both.… Expand
  61. JasonH.
    Mar 31, 2009
    5
    Buggy is not the word, this game is the nest! I was always a Total War nut, but this game has made me sooo angry, i doubt i will buy another, untill the many issues have been tested and resolved-its Faulty goods and if it had beeen anything else it would have been rtnd. Sega and Creative Assembly be ashamed!
  62. MikeS
    Mar 30, 2009
    9
    Outstanding game! I can't stop playing it. The game does have a few minor bugs that need to be worked out as exspected with any new release. I'm sure these will be worked out here in the near future. It does not hinder your playing too much at all! All in all, a great game. The naval warfare is fantastic!
  63. NickN
    Mar 30, 2009
    5
    E:TW is beautiful. It's also not done. As shipped the campaign is simply not functional as the non-player factions do nothing due to a plethora of forehead-slapping bugs and behavior problems. The luscious visuals during battles only carry it so far -- this game needed months more development time and some, please, any play-testing at all. Normally Creative Assembly gets cut a lot of E:TW is beautiful. It's also not done. As shipped the campaign is simply not functional as the non-player factions do nothing due to a plethora of forehead-slapping bugs and behavior problems. The luscious visuals during battles only carry it so far -- this game needed months more development time and some, please, any play-testing at all. Normally Creative Assembly gets cut a lot of slack due to their small size and unique niche of games, but this is by far their worst handled release to date.… Expand
  64. DeanD
    Mar 4, 2009
    10
    Best strategy game to come along in a very long time,this really has taken the total war series to a much higher level. Everything you ever wanted is here,so you always wanted to play the part of a hero?Well now's your chance soldier,the sheer size of the game is emense,you wont be finishing this in a hurry. SO what if steam is part of the install process,for those who moan about it Best strategy game to come along in a very long time,this really has taken the total war series to a much higher level. Everything you ever wanted is here,so you always wanted to play the part of a hero?Well now's your chance soldier,the sheer size of the game is emense,you wont be finishing this in a hurry. SO what if steam is part of the install process,for those who moan about it i say go with it and you may actually see the benefits in a short space of time,least you will get all the updates as they appear and saves you having to regularly search online for patches. In short this total war game is nothing short but the best and greatest war/strategy experience in modern times.… Expand
  65. SlobodanR
    Mar 4, 2009
    1
    There is something almost CRIMINAL about the price tag on this game. For USD 49.99 I purchased two PC-DVDs that installed Steam on my computer. Oh, I got the game too but by virtue of the fact that it is completely dependent on Steam I have a huge amount of trouble playing it since I have a slow internet connection. The game itself is absolutely phenomenal but in being so inseparable from There is something almost CRIMINAL about the price tag on this game. For USD 49.99 I purchased two PC-DVDs that installed Steam on my computer. Oh, I got the game too but by virtue of the fact that it is completely dependent on Steam I have a huge amount of trouble playing it since I have a slow internet connection. The game itself is absolutely phenomenal but in being so inseparable from this aberration called "Steam" its playability drops sharply. I can't, in all good conscience, recommend this game to anyone in its current form. If The Creative Assembly ever releases a version of the game that will actually run off the PC-DVD, install to your computer, and play without being completely dependent on a third party program then by all means, buy it. For the time being though I suggest you stay away from Empire Total War; a complete waste of fifty dollars.… Expand
  66. MojoJojo
    Mar 5, 2009
    8
    Over all a good game, but it still seems to suffer from the usual TW flaws. Units turn to ugly sprites zoomed out, AI is a bit wonky (it IS better now though), units sometimes decide they want to go in odd directions unless you really baby sit them. What really has me worried is that this one looks a lot harder to mod than some of their past games, and those mods really bring the realism Over all a good game, but it still seems to suffer from the usual TW flaws. Units turn to ugly sprites zoomed out, AI is a bit wonky (it IS better now though), units sometimes decide they want to go in odd directions unless you really baby sit them. What really has me worried is that this one looks a lot harder to mod than some of their past games, and those mods really bring the realism into the game that CA seems to forgo.… Expand
  67. JakeL
    Mar 5, 2009
    9
    A excellent game, well worth the wait. great interface, great battle, massive campaign (but slightly confusing at first). The Inderpendance campaign is a great way of introducing both experienced and new players to the game. A great update from Medieval 2. Only minor problems such as minor pathfinding issue and sometimes chaotic battles, and of course Steam, but overall a great game and A excellent game, well worth the wait. great interface, great battle, massive campaign (but slightly confusing at first). The Inderpendance campaign is a great way of introducing both experienced and new players to the game. A great update from Medieval 2. Only minor problems such as minor pathfinding issue and sometimes chaotic battles, and of course Steam, but overall a great game and well worth the wait.… Expand
  68. Dane.
    Mar 5, 2009
    2
    I agree with the above post. Plus you obviously need a int connection. I know this may seem like a strange complaint, but a developer shouldn't be forcing things on you. To be honest its not really a total war game anyway. The map is far too big(this would not be bad if it was done well) but it isnt. France is one region, and Britain is two, its seems to me like they've just I agree with the above post. Plus you obviously need a int connection. I know this may seem like a strange complaint, but a developer shouldn't be forcing things on you. To be honest its not really a total war game anyway. The map is far too big(this would not be bad if it was done well) but it isnt. France is one region, and Britain is two, its seems to me like they've just taken some provinces out of Europe and labelled them America @ India. Half of it isn't even provinces just "wilderness". It goes on . . .The game certainly does not deserve the credit its getting. Its still solid but i expected more from CA, thus the 2 stars. (Oh, and they've reverted back to clone armies).… Expand
  69. pizzathehut
    Mar 5, 2009
    9
    An excellent game! The campaign map is much improved over MTW2. The battles are fun and the new slow motion feature makes it easy to get a handle on ALL of the action. Governors are easier to manage, progress, and the new dynamic of putting them into a cabinet means that all of your governors work together. The great and experienced governors can outweigh the bad done by a 20 year old An excellent game! The campaign map is much improved over MTW2. The battles are fun and the new slow motion feature makes it easy to get a handle on ALL of the action. Governors are easier to manage, progress, and the new dynamic of putting them into a cabinet means that all of your governors work together. The great and experienced governors can outweigh the bad done by a 20 year old fresh picked one. When first loaded, the game seems daunting and overly complex... after 2 hours I felt like I had a good grasp of the basic concepts and a fair hold on the more advanced features. This is the first Total War I have played that will stay on my computer's drive as long as Civilization has.… Expand
  70. AnonymousMC
    Mar 5, 2009
    9
    I hope nobody truly rates this game based on Steam because there are other options for buying...But onto the game. It is definitely worth playing for any fans of the Total War series. New strategies and gameplay make for a better and different experience. You feel more immersed into the time period and the politics. My only real complaint would be the head ache of a sometimes dumb as rocksI hope nobody truly rates this game based on Steam because there are other options for buying...But onto the game. It is definitely worth playing for any fans of the Total War series. New strategies and gameplay make for a better and different experience. You feel more immersed into the time period and the politics. My only real complaint would be the head ache of a sometimes dumb as rocks AI and how your own units can act unresponsively to your orders. But the naval battles make up for all. I won't hype it up too much but it is pretty cool. All in all a great game with a few glitches but it is definitely playable and have you coming back for more.… Expand
  71. StevenM
    Mar 6, 2009
    10
    Definitely the best TW game I have ever played. Set the AI to Very Hard, and you'll certainly be in for a challenge. The Grand Campaign truly is grand this time around. You'll be watching over your troops in the old world, new world, and the east Indies. Not to mention all the naval forces you'll have to manage in order to secure trading at various ports around the world. Definitely the best TW game I have ever played. Set the AI to Very Hard, and you'll certainly be in for a challenge. The Grand Campaign truly is grand this time around. You'll be watching over your troops in the old world, new world, and the east Indies. Not to mention all the naval forces you'll have to manage in order to secure trading at various ports around the world. Truly an epic masterpiece.… Expand
  72. JaredB
    Mar 6, 2009
    9
    An amazing experience. Great attention to detail, lush graphics, and most importantly fun. This is the future of pc gaming. I bought my copy through Steam and have had no problems running the game. My score reflects that I haven't had any tech. problems. The only gripe I have is that naval battles break down very quickly and pathfinding at sea is awful. I usually just auto determine An amazing experience. Great attention to detail, lush graphics, and most importantly fun. This is the future of pc gaming. I bought my copy through Steam and have had no problems running the game. My score reflects that I haven't had any tech. problems. The only gripe I have is that naval battles break down very quickly and pathfinding at sea is awful. I usually just auto determine the results at sea. Other than that, a great game.… Expand
  73. RealProgrammer
    Mar 6, 2009
    9
    Terrific game, well integrated into Steam! As usual VALVe gets another winner on board their platform. Using their download servers, I was able to max out my 1.5 MB (not megabit) connection on the day of release and "quickly" download the 15 gigabyte game. It installed and played without a hitch, and has been doing well ever since! Gripes: as expected in a game of this size and Terrific game, well integrated into Steam! As usual VALVe gets another winner on board their platform. Using their download servers, I was able to max out my 1.5 MB (not megabit) connection on the day of release and "quickly" download the 15 gigabyte game. It installed and played without a hitch, and has been doing well ever since! Gripes: as expected in a game of this size and complexity, there are some issues with AI. Sometimes it will make goofy choices when attempting to assault a stronghold, but overall it's done a much better job at matching and attempting to counter my attacks. Also, SLI and Crossfire is not compatible as of 6 March 2009, so you'll have to wait for a patch from Creative Assembly, NVidia, and ATI before multi-card users like myself see a significant usage of their extra cards.… Expand
  74. CraigA
    Mar 6, 2009
    10
    A magnificent game, truly amazing gameplay and something you'll play again and again. The graphical attention to detail is incredible and the sound effects stunning. The music really makes an ordinary battle, an epic battle. This is one PC game that should be in every gamers collection.
  75. JohnW
    Mar 6, 2009
    7
    Empire: Total War is an engaging strategy game. It's just not as entertaining as it could be. Attention to detail is astounding and the depth of the grand campaign far exceeds past Total War games. But the scope of the game is so large that the gameplay ultimately suffers from lack of focus. Land battles look good, and the AI works better than past games in the series, but units Empire: Total War is an engaging strategy game. It's just not as entertaining as it could be. Attention to detail is astounding and the depth of the grand campaign far exceeds past Total War games. But the scope of the game is so large that the gameplay ultimately suffers from lack of focus. Land battles look good, and the AI works better than past games in the series, but units still behave erratically at times. Naval battles feel more ill-conceived mini-game than an RTS simulation, and this was the biggest disappointment for me.… Expand
  76. ChimpeeW
    Mar 6, 2009
    3
    Am I the only one who thinks this game feels completely unfinished. The AI is horrible, the path finding sucks. When I have units group and tell them to walk 100 yds straight ahead, why do they all decide to crisscross each other. Why does my cavalry chase the enemy cavalry then stop once they are within 10 feet of them? Why is it nearly impossible to form a straight line on anything but Am I the only one who thinks this game feels completely unfinished. The AI is horrible, the path finding sucks. When I have units group and tell them to walk 100 yds straight ahead, why do they all decide to crisscross each other. Why does my cavalry chase the enemy cavalry then stop once they are within 10 feet of them? Why is it nearly impossible to form a straight line on anything but an empty mile wide field? Why does my army constantly lift sieges on their own? If I'm besieging someone and they try to break the siege but fail, why does my army break off the siege? Also in the American campaign when I'm assaulting a fort, why is my advisor telling me how best to defend my fort? And yes the whole steam thing sucks. Guess what, people will still pirate this game, you're only hurting honest consumer. I guess if my internet goes down and I want to play I'm SOL. I haven't played around with the naval combat yet to know if it works or not, maybe that's where they put all their effort. We'll see. Where's the patch? I'm bleeding here.… Expand
  77. JimI
    Mar 6, 2009
    10
    This is a brilliant game. I can't help but get really annoyed with people sabotaging the score for others to read by moaning about Steam. I mean it's meant to be a review of the game. Fine if you have issues with the gameplay, but you wouldn't give a movie a bad review score if your dvd was scratched or if the cinema played it out of focus. It's meant for people to This is a brilliant game. I can't help but get really annoyed with people sabotaging the score for others to read by moaning about Steam. I mean it's meant to be a review of the game. Fine if you have issues with the gameplay, but you wouldn't give a movie a bad review score if your dvd was scratched or if the cinema played it out of focus. It's meant for people to read about the game! If I was metacritic I'd remove that 2/10 nonsense as abuse. It really misleads. I think the game itself is amazing. Completely absorbed in the campaign, and the battles look out of this world. 10/10.… Expand
  78. CurtisO
    Mar 6, 2009
    10
    Dude, John, seriously? You just lowered the score of an AMAZING game because of steam. If you have that much of a problem with steam, just go out and buy a copy (at Best Buy in America you can get a free unit) like I did (For some reason i think it might run slower or worse because its downloaded....) Anyways, this is definitely a game worth its money and more. If you love RTS, Strategy, Dude, John, seriously? You just lowered the score of an AMAZING game because of steam. If you have that much of a problem with steam, just go out and buy a copy (at Best Buy in America you can get a free unit) like I did (For some reason i think it might run slower or worse because its downloaded....) Anyways, this is definitely a game worth its money and more. If you love RTS, Strategy, or are already a fan of the Total War series, this game is a MUST. New graphics engine makes the game that much cooler, and the water in the sea battles is amazingly real. I know the sea battles have been over discussed and shown, but it is definitely a great addition to the series. Watching the chunks of wood fly off your ship and land in the water, only to be discovered later when your panning over the area and are like "what is that" truly gives the game a more realistic feel. And the management for the Campaign Map or Grand Campaign/Road to Glory map is heaps easier. No more pesky Diplomats or Merchants, and the fact that cities form in the area instead of being all in one spot makes building buildings that much easier. If your considering buying this game, stop reading this and go buy it. But make sure your computer can run it, otherwise you well be up shit creek without a paddle.… Expand
  79. MichaelC
    Mar 7, 2009
    10
    Empire Total War is THE game for PC strategy games. Combining an epic (key word) grand strategy campaign game with challenging, tactical real-time battles, Empire Total War defines the PC gaming strategy genre. Indeed, it has set the bar so high I'm interested to see what Creative Assembly's competitors come up with! If you are new to the Total War series, ETW may at first seem Empire Total War is THE game for PC strategy games. Combining an epic (key word) grand strategy campaign game with challenging, tactical real-time battles, Empire Total War defines the PC gaming strategy genre. Indeed, it has set the bar so high I'm interested to see what Creative Assembly's competitors come up with! If you are new to the Total War series, ETW may at first seem over-whelming. I'm a veteran Total War fan and even I was, at first, taken aback at the sheer scale of Empire. The campaign map is HUGE, spanning nearly the entire world. Once you get the hang of balancing your armies, your development, diplomacy, trade, and so forth, you'll really begin to appreciate the depth and re-playability this game has to offer. The real-time battles, both on land and sea, are truly amazing to behold. Surprisingly, the game performs well even on medium level gaming PCs. Soldiers and ships are highly detailed, nearly life-like, and the smoke of musket and cannon, the clash of swords and pikes, and the vibrant realism of redcoats and hussars charging across 18th century battlefields is simply stunning. I've played the game exhaustively for the past couple days and, aside from a few minor issues that will soon be patched (some sound stuttering problems during video sequences, as reported by some gamers), Empire is technically flawless. CA spent years developing this game and it truly shows. Nearly all review sites have given Empire an average score of 9.5...which is superb and well deserved. I HIGHLY recommend Empire Total War!… Expand
  80. StevenB
    Mar 7, 2009
    10
    As far as I am concerned, this is the best game I have played in many, many years and is the game that the PC gaming world has been waiting for. The navy battles may be a little messy at the moment but it still easily outclasses any real-time strategy on both land and water. A must buy.
  81. SpencerH
    Mar 7, 2009
    10
    An amazing game! The enemy AI is ridiculously intelligent and the battles are breathtaking! Also Steam is awesome, John R. must have been paid by Microsoft. I don't see why he would rate the game down to a 2 simply because it has an awesome online service.
  82. LewisH
    Mar 7, 2009
    8
    A very good game that is slightly let down by some AI issues and some annoying stability problems. I was hoping the AI would be hugely improved from MTW:2 but surprisingly enemy formations still occasionally wonder up to my formations and stand there being pounded by musket fire, making no attempt to attack (even cavalry) before wondering off. The CPU AI on the Strategic map also needs A very good game that is slightly let down by some AI issues and some annoying stability problems. I was hoping the AI would be hugely improved from MTW:2 but surprisingly enemy formations still occasionally wonder up to my formations and stand there being pounded by musket fire, making no attempt to attack (even cavalry) before wondering off. The CPU AI on the Strategic map also needs some work as for example Spain declared war on me while I held France. The AI marched 4 Spanish armies around the Spanish territory and made no attempt to attack me. The game also insists on crashing to desktop periodically. Flaw's aside, It *is* an excellent and absorbing game. I hope these minor flaws are addressed by a patch in the near future.… Expand
  83. Kyle
    Mar 9, 2009
    0
    Horrible unit variety, pay $20 more for more diversity, countless bugs, gameplay issues, Terrible AI & Historical accuracy. (Ever wanted to see Indians march like europeans? Then this is the game for you!) CTD'ing with Gentlemen, Steam issues, UNKEPT, shoddy promises towards the modding community are just a few of the reasons why you shouldn't buy this game. Only 12 nations Horrible unit variety, pay $20 more for more diversity, countless bugs, gameplay issues, Terrible AI & Historical accuracy. (Ever wanted to see Indians march like europeans? Then this is the game for you!) CTD'ing with Gentlemen, Steam issues, UNKEPT, shoddy promises towards the modding community are just a few of the reasons why you shouldn't buy this game. Only 12 nations chooseable, many nations contain files as if they are unlockable, discovered by modders, but they are not. STAY AWAY. You have been warned.… Expand
  84. StephenW
    Mar 9, 2009
    9
    This game is the very best Total War game yet - the interface is streamlined, the game engine itself has been updated to offer more eye popping detail and smooth game play, in fact this Total War runs better on my machine than the previous title [Medieval 2]. I like the new campaign mode, but it goes rather slow, only offering certain game functions such as in depth settlement management This game is the very best Total War game yet - the interface is streamlined, the game engine itself has been updated to offer more eye popping detail and smooth game play, in fact this Total War runs better on my machine than the previous title [Medieval 2]. I like the new campaign mode, but it goes rather slow, only offering certain game functions such as in depth settlement management [like taxation and government type] after you have played though chapters - but all in all, the game is a winner. 9.6/10… Expand
  85. ManuelH
    Apr 11, 2009
    3
    In spite of the serious AI related flaws (which ho-pefully will be addressed in future official patches and/or mods) ETW could have had been a strong candidate for becoming a landmark in the genre had a later-dated version been released allowing for more time to fix all the technical problems, bugs and glitches that plague the game. The visuals are great ; the tactical land & sea battles In spite of the serious AI related flaws (which ho-pefully will be addressed in future official patches and/or mods) ETW could have had been a strong candidate for becoming a landmark in the genre had a later-dated version been released allowing for more time to fix all the technical problems, bugs and glitches that plague the game. The visuals are great ; the tactical land & sea battles are jaw-dropping and punche a high re-playability value ; the move to the 18th century warfare enhances both the strategic and tactical portions of the game with the failful introduction of the epoch weaponry and tactics. I give youl that. But then again, what good would that dov those problems render it almost unplayable. (Completely unplayable in my case: after 2 weeks of intermittent - though frecuent - crashes the game just dedided to "Totally" crashed even b4 getting to the main menu screen. I reported this today and I'm hoping to hear from CA some time soon) Being a long-standing fan of the TW series and the high expectations I had about this particular game it is sad for me to say that all in all Empire Total War feels more like a rushed-out Beta than a well polished and finished product. (Also the hight retail price effectively adds to my sadness!) Perhaps it is hight time for SEGA/CA to be reminded of this simple formula: A Happy Gamer Is A Dumb Buyer, regardless of any marketing and sale strategy. So I think I'm going to unhook my bayonet and unsaddle my horse and wait for the game to live up to its name because right now I can't say I owe "Empire Total War" but "Empire Total CRASH"! ---- A Very Unhappy Gamer… Expand
  86. BryanS
    Apr 10, 2009
    3
    Great game... except the crash to desktop bugs. And the lock up just before you finish the grand campaign bugs... And the units getting stuck on the edge of towns and/or islands bugs... And the 10 to 30 seconds of lag each time you select a naval unit bug.. Oh, and the AI is incapable of actually loading ground units onto ships, so you cannot lose if you are an island nation bug Great game... except the crash to desktop bugs. And the lock up just before you finish the grand campaign bugs... And the units getting stuck on the edge of towns and/or islands bugs... And the 10 to 30 seconds of lag each time you select a naval unit bug.. Oh, and the AI is incapable of actually loading ground units onto ships, so you cannot lose if you are an island nation bug (excepting you cannot actually finish to win, perhaps this is the developer's idea of game balance?)... Plus you get the joy of installing Steam, and the darn "achievements" are even bugged!!! Otherwise, lots of fun. As far as I can tell, this game was shipped unfinished and the game review sites that give this dog high ratings are most likely getting kick backs from the developer!… Expand
  87. Anon
    Apr 12, 2009
    8
    This game diverges slightly from the usual formula of Total War games, which is a welcome change. I'd give the game a 9 or 10, but the massive amount of bugs is inexcusable. I'm hoping they get all that ironed out eventually. Also, the battles tend to get kind of samey after a while. Still, it's certianly worth the money, though I'd wait for a patch.
  88. RobertG
    Apr 10, 2009
    0
    This game has been hopelessly reviewed by many of the above game critics. Calling this load of rubbish the "greatest strategy game of all time" (Total PC Gaming) does great disservice to those who actually do create decent, stimulating strategy games. This game barely passes for a strategy game. The campaign is comically simple, the multi player a joke and the supposed historical accuracy This game has been hopelessly reviewed by many of the above game critics. Calling this load of rubbish the "greatest strategy game of all time" (Total PC Gaming) does great disservice to those who actually do create decent, stimulating strategy games. This game barely passes for a strategy game. The campaign is comically simple, the multi player a joke and the supposed historical accuracy essentially nonexistent. Not to mention the bugs.… Expand
  89. JohnT.
    Apr 12, 2009
    3
    The developer Creative Assembly should try to actually test their software before releasing it. This game has a great concept, but the limited and buggy implementation really ruins it once you play for more than an hour. The computer AI on the campaign is really horrible (no naval invasions? are you serious?), and for a game campaign conquests I am shocked this did not come up earlier in The developer Creative Assembly should try to actually test their software before releasing it. This game has a great concept, but the limited and buggy implementation really ruins it once you play for more than an hour. The computer AI on the campaign is really horrible (no naval invasions? are you serious?), and for a game campaign conquests I am shocked this did not come up earlier in their development process.… Expand
  90. XenophonXenophon
    Apr 12, 2009
    2
    I could live with the bugs--knowing that someday they'll probably get fixed--but the bottom line is that the AI sucks badly--especially the campaign AI. Why can't CA just take some hints from Civilization or Europa Universalis? Even the battle AI still pales when compared to Sid Meier's Gettysburg--and that was over 10 years ago. Not to mention the sheer idiocy of seeing I could live with the bugs--knowing that someday they'll probably get fixed--but the bottom line is that the AI sucks badly--especially the campaign AI. Why can't CA just take some hints from Civilization or Europa Universalis? Even the battle AI still pales when compared to Sid Meier's Gettysburg--and that was over 10 years ago. Not to mention the sheer idiocy of seeing troops attack massive forts with grappling hooks without any casulties!! ---just a huge step backwards from the enjoyable castle battles in MTW. Rakes, gentlemen, and clergy are unbelievably boring and a pain to deal with--nowhere near the fun of spys and assasins. The graphics are better and naval battles are fun but predictable, but basically this is the proverbial lipstick on the pig. Unless the AI is fixed this series is doomed.… Expand
  91. zhokar
    Apr 12, 2009
    5
    Not much has been added to the gameplay of Medieval. I prefer the old units over Empire's units. There is no diversity yet no good enough for mp. It took me weeks do get this game running smoothly (only through 3rd party tools) on an i7 965 XE with a GTX 295. Many textures still look like 1995, especially the buildings. Overall the graphic effects are great, the campaign is still fun Not much has been added to the gameplay of Medieval. I prefer the old units over Empire's units. There is no diversity yet no good enough for mp. It took me weeks do get this game running smoothly (only through 3rd party tools) on an i7 965 XE with a GTX 295. Many textures still look like 1995, especially the buildings. Overall the graphic effects are great, the campaign is still fun to play but there is simply not a big enough improvement over or addition to the franchise's gameplay to make up for the HUGE technical issues that still cause random crashes, lockups and an army of bugs that outnumbers that of any player.… Expand
  92. 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
  93. DanB
    Apr 13, 2009
    4
    I was really looking forward to this game. I've played all of the total war titles from Rome upwards. I saw the trailer for this on the total war site and was really excited. But this game is **** compared to M2 and Rome They should have waited a year to release it. This steam **** meant i spend hours working out how to even install the game. Which had bad graphics anyway. Do they I was really looking forward to this game. I've played all of the total war titles from Rome upwards. I saw the trailer for this on the total war site and was really excited. But this game is **** compared to M2 and Rome They should have waited a year to release it. This steam **** meant i spend hours working out how to even install the game. Which had bad graphics anyway. Do they expect us to have supercomputers??? People need to buy stuff like food!!!!!!! And the reviewers were no help.… Expand
  94. SteveW
    Apr 14, 2009
    1
    I have been a loyal Total War player since Shogun... paying full retail price for each game & expansion. Total War has been, hands down, my favorite video game series franchise of all time. Therefore, it pains me to say that I am extremely disappointed with Empire: Total War on so many levels! I feel like a complete fool for taking all of those "official" reviews seriously & paying full I have been a loyal Total War player since Shogun... paying full retail price for each game & expansion. Total War has been, hands down, my favorite video game series franchise of all time. Therefore, it pains me to say that I am extremely disappointed with Empire: Total War on so many levels! I feel like a complete fool for taking all of those "official" reviews seriously & paying full price for this disaster. Most of my complaints have been summed up already, so here are my top 3 issues with ETW... CA/SEGA are you listening???!!! 1) AI - Why can't the AI in vade the British Isles???!!! This was not a problem for the Romans to do when I played as the Britons (RTW)! The fact that the AI refuses to conduct naval troop transports/assaults is inexcusable & kills game play!!!! This is my biggest AI complaint, but there are other issues as well (which have already been well documented). 2) Campaign Map - Rome & Medieval II have such straight-forward, yet still "living", Campaign Maps that were very easy to navigate. ETW has a cluttered, cartoonish map that is difficult to navigate & not enjoyable to look at. 3) Steam - I you are going to include DRM software on a game, please put something like a "Surgeon Genral's Warning" on the side of the box. I will not even consider purchasing a STEAM/DRM game again until consumers clearly receive this information on the packaging... Honestly, even if it IS made clear, I probably won't buy another "STEAM-game". I had so much faith in CA/SEGA, that I went out and bought a new computer primarily so I could play this game. Even if most of the well documented bugs are fixed, the incompetent AI, the horrible campaign map & STEAM make this game more of a headache than a fun-filled, strategic experience. After several weeks of trying to like this game, I put it on a shelf & have rekindled my love for Rome: Total War. Even with the "clone armies" and some faults of its own (nothing's perfect), I find RTW (as well as M2TW) to be highly replayable. Rome: Total War currently costs $14.49 New on Amazon. Unfortunately, I can't even recommend Empire: Total War (in its current condition) at that price. This isn't just about STEAM... CA/SEGA has "jumped the shark" with this one.… Expand
  95. BlakeM
    Apr 14, 2009
    2
    I think it is funny because every where else people only complain how bad this game is The magazines are just promotional tools those reveiws are a little more than just biased. This is a sorry incomplete product and has no right to be out on the market yet, it's hardly playable. Steam could not even provide a manual when I bought the game through them. Shame on all the gaming I think it is funny because every where else people only complain how bad this game is The magazines are just promotional tools those reveiws are a little more than just biased. This is a sorry incomplete product and has no right to be out on the market yet, it's hardly playable. Steam could not even provide a manual when I bought the game through them. Shame on all the gaming magazine shills, I knew there was a good reason I don't read that garbage.… Expand
  96. RaiC
    Apr 17, 2009
    5
    As a big fan of TW series, playing since Shogun I was a bit prepared for some nasty surprises, and ETW has plenty! Probably, one day, it will be a nice game, fun to be played in multiplayer and enjoyable in campaign mode. But right now, the game sits on my shelf piled with other rubbish, since it's a ctd every time I play a campaign. Several patches did not solve the issue yet As a big fan of TW series, playing since Shogun I was a bit prepared for some nasty surprises, and ETW has plenty! Probably, one day, it will be a nice game, fun to be played in multiplayer and enjoyable in campaign mode. But right now, the game sits on my shelf piled with other rubbish, since it's a ctd every time I play a campaign. Several patches did not solve the issue yet (despite improving other ones') and right I'm just waiting. Since it's not nice to give away presents I will keep it, but I cannot deny the disappointment.… Expand
  97. lordx
    Apr 17, 2009
    4
    Close but no cigar. To many bugs and crashes. And no unlockable factions. I always play very hard and i love to start with only 1 area. Not with this game. Let me conquer america as iroquois vs the europeans or let me make an alliance with russia and the ottoman as bavaria and let me be the new austria.
  98. 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
  99. VeryAngry
    Apr 18, 2009
    0
    Hey guys, lets release an unfinished product! Sounds good to me! Well to the consumer it sounds horrible... i cant even LAUNCH the thing without it crashing. what they did is THEFT and because of them i shall no longer be buying ANY games from steam
  100. AnonymousMC
    Apr 18, 2009
    3
    AI is awful. Units tend to get stuck and not move. Units have to actually rotate formation to fire another direction. Did I say AI is awful. The game is slow and turn based (not mentioned in the description). I spent 50 and 5 hours downloading this pile of code. Thanks for all the faulty payed off reviews to whom ever is responsible. No way it deserves these scores. To all you that seeAI is awful. Units tend to get stuck and not move. Units have to actually rotate formation to fire another direction. Did I say AI is awful. The game is slow and turn based (not mentioned in the description). I spent 50 and 5 hours downloading this pile of code. Thanks for all the faulty payed off reviews to whom ever is responsible. No way it deserves these scores. To all you that see after you purchase it and click the metascore like I did. Sorry. In a time like this we really don't need the, what we assume is a, honest industry to start acting corporate and providing bias reviews.… 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.
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  3. InsideGamer.nl
    93
    This is the best Total War game thanks to all the little tweaks. Sometimes little differences make a good game great. The battles ask of you that you think more about your actions and managing your empire never was easier. The sea battles are fun to watch, but are a little hard to control. Nevertheless, Empire: Total War is a game that can make you forget about the time.
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