Napoleon: Total War

 PC
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Feb 23, 2010
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 623 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 448 out of 623
  2. Mixed: 109 out of 623
  3. Negative: 66 out of 623
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  1. EricB
    Feb 23, 2010
    10
    Great game with great improvements from Empire. It may not be Medieval 2 to Empire, but it does it's job at glorying the life of Napoleon, and taking away countless hours. Any Total War veterans (like me), you wont be astonished, but you will enjoy it. Anyone new to the series, buy this game immediately.
  2. Dk-spec
    Mar 7, 2010
    10
    @Trevor - the 8600gt is a horrible video card that is now 3 years old. It was a budget card 3 years ago and it is just awful nowadays. You definately do NOT need a 2-3 thousand dollar pc. A good dual core cpu (not a Pentium D) with an Ati hd 4670 (minimum for a good fps with good visuals) graphics card will have the game playing good. Ur graphics card may have 256mb but that means nothing @Trevor - the 8600gt is a horrible video card that is now 3 years old. It was a budget card 3 years ago and it is just awful nowadays. You definately do NOT need a 2-3 thousand dollar pc. A good dual core cpu (not a Pentium D) with an Ati hd 4670 (minimum for a good fps with good visuals) graphics card will have the game playing good. Ur graphics card may have 256mb but that means nothing when paired with such a bad graphics card. I'd almost guess that you have a Pentium D processor or a cheap low end core 2 duo since you only said 2.4 ghz. Upgrade your graphics card! Anyways, its a great game that should be bought by any fps fans - it even has dedicated servers!… Expand
  3. dan
    Feb 24, 2010
    10
    This game had me from the first battle. It improves on so many of the faults of Empire and builds upon that. It has improved on so many things that I didn't expect the developers to worry about and is much more smooth during gameplay. Absolutely amazing.
  4. JacobP
    Feb 24, 2010
    10
    Realizing the game is supposed to be a super expansion to Empire Total War, the price for the game is totally worth it. Love the game, and Napoleon is a general you'll want to play as. Great Game for total war fans.
  5. almg
    Feb 10, 2011
    10
    I love strategy games and history: that it is excellent.
    More Total War Center still allows for improvement ...

    Finally, Napoleon I has an important place in the history of France.

    Why not then make a medieval Total War III now?

    Thank you for those who love the Middle Ages...
  6. nickpol15
    Feb 16, 2011
    10
    Never again have i seen such a complete strategy game holding both the spirit of that time and better gameplay than every total war game ever realesed
  7. Blackwolf
    Jul 25, 2011
    10
    Amazing game! This totally got me rethinking strategy. Sure it is really just a runoff of Empire: Total War but it is actually really good. I hate Empire: Total War but Napoleon: Total War. AWESOME!!!!!
    Out of all of the Total War games, Napoleon has great graphics (The only TW game that I think exceeds NTW is Total War: SHOGUN 2), it has great battles, awesome campaign (May be a bit    Amazing game! This totally got me rethinking strategy. Sure it is really just a runoff of Empire: Total War but it is actually really good. I hate Empire: Total War but Napoleon: Total War. AWESOME!!!!!
    Out of all of the Total War games, Napoleon has great graphics (The only TW game that I think exceeds NTW is Total War: SHOGUN 2), it has great battles, awesome campaign (May be a bit challenging for France), and more! Rome: Total War is the only game that is able to compete with Napoleon: Total War.
    I most definitely recommend this game to everyone! Have fun! And Vive le France!!!!    … Expand
  8. alex5050
    Oct 31, 2011
    10
    Le jeux En ligne ou en Solo reste Exelente,Premier total war ou on peux joué la campagne,vous pouver Il différent niveau par etoile ou par experiance Je conseille FORTEMENT se jeux a se qui aime la stratégie a l'etat pur
  9. Jay8329
    Sep 17, 2013
    10
    This game was pretty good on launch and definitely a lot better than Empire Total War was. I really enjoyed this game. A lot of new units with the new feature where units automatically gain back their losses through replacements when in friendly territory was a definite plus. It cut out the micro management of having to select all units in a stack and click the replenishment plus buttonThis game was pretty good on launch and definitely a lot better than Empire Total War was. I really enjoyed this game. A lot of new units with the new feature where units automatically gain back their losses through replacements when in friendly territory was a definite plus. It cut out the micro management of having to select all units in a stack and click the replenishment plus button or actually moving them back to a city to retrain them like in older titles. Plenty of good things to say about vanilla Napoleon Total War, but I can not leave out the modders who have done an outstanding job of providing endless replay ability with new mods still coming out today. This is a win win for any total war fan, so definitely pick up this copy and enjoy for yrs to come.… Expand
  10. Estus
    Apr 21, 2013
    10
    This in my opinion is the best of all games in the Total War Do not have a variety of units as large as those of Rome and Empire, yet it has very different variations. The combat animations are excellent and exciting during a fight you feel inside the scenario, the action, the bangs, the shots, it's just exciting, not to mention the presence of epic Napoleon Bonaparte.
  11. sathya1891995
    Aug 5, 2013
    10
    if u want to play this game at high performance u need a heavy processor and graphics card.who wants pure war and battle chose this one but the demerit is u must download this game from steam when u have cd's if u have slow internet connection u will be disappointed to download this game.u have high-speed internet connection my suggestion is this one because u have to download nearly 12gb
  12. spikeybuddy
    Oct 13, 2014
    10
    Copy and pasted from my steam review

    Vive l'Empereur! Napoleon: Total war is an excellent strategy game the redeems the series for the sins of Empire. The ai is much better in Napoleon then Empire and bugs are much less frequent in Napoleon. Napoleon also has fantastic historical battles, which have never been my favorites to complete in the past. The campaigns, all 4 ( I'm not    Copy and pasted from my steam review

    Vive l'Empereur!

    Napoleon: Total war is an excellent strategy game the redeems the series for the sins of Empire. The ai is much better in Napoleon then Empire and bugs are much less frequent in Napoleon. Napoleon also has fantastic historical battles, which have never been my favorites to complete in the past. The campaigns, all 4 ( I'm not including Waterloo because it's one battle with cutscenes) while being more restrictive then in the past, are great fun, and present a challenge when set to very hard. The graphics are fantastic if your pc can handle them, but the game is a system hog and if you have a lower end pc you should rethink purchasing until you've read up if you can run it decently or not. Multiplayer is great, with very little connection issues and the introduction to the series of a multiplayer campaign.
    Overall Napoleon:Total war is a superb strategy game that deserves a place in every strategy players liabrary.
    10/10    … Expand
  13. iamymr
    Sep 7, 2013
    10
    Full disclosure:

    I've had his game for like 9 months and only have played maybe 20 minutes of it because there was a bug with some DLC packs not registering. Out of spite for Rome 2, I booted it up and played the Battle Tutorial and the Naval tutorial. I had more fun with these than I did in all 31 hours I had with Rome 2. I even lost my ship in the Naval tutorial, and I ain't    Full disclosure:

    I've had his game for like 9 months and only have played maybe 20 minutes of it because there was a bug with some DLC packs not registering.

    Out of spite for Rome 2, I booted it up and played the Battle Tutorial and the Naval tutorial.

    I had more fun with these than I did in all 31 hours I had with Rome 2.

    I even lost my ship in the Naval tutorial, and I ain't even mad.

    There was a minor bug with the camera "WS, AD" movement, but it fixed itself after I clicked the unit card. I am off to play both this and Fall of the Samurai.     … Expand
  14. AdityaMookerjee
    Nov 10, 2013
    10
    I played the campaign as Prussia, and actually caused the death of Napoleon. But, I didn't have any real battles on map.
    The best kept secret about trade is, that one can have the best ports, and the trade will come to you. You don't have to have a navy, and the onus is on the nation with the ships. One can have a trading company, in this manner, without having a navy, and on domestic    I played the campaign as Prussia, and actually caused the death of Napoleon. But, I didn't have any real battles on map.
    The best kept secret about trade is, that one can have the best ports, and the trade will come to you. You don't have to have a navy, and the onus is on the nation with the ships. One can have a trading company, in this manner, without having a navy, and on domestic shores. It seems, that one should upgrade the courts, before one upgrades the other military and economic structures. This is always the best policy.    … Expand
  15. Smelliestelm
    Feb 9, 2014
    10
    This game is Empire total war on cocaine. They pretty much took that game and made it a lot better

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  16. benjamesvdb
    Feb 21, 2015
    10
    This game basically takes empire and adds a ton to the environment with the explosions craters different deaths as horses or people fall over when they get shot running and it looks way cool, adn especially the fog of war smoke stuff is SICK. GREAT game
  17. BenF
    Mar 30, 2010
    9
    1. This game is NOT broken, its got faults but its NOT broken 2. The Ai is NOT broken, little stupid at time but naval battles Ai is far more advance and battle Ai is leaps and bounds above Empire's although that still isn't saying much 3. The game look beyond stunning simply the best graphics for such a big strategy game. 4. sound again is amazing as long as you have 256 1. This game is NOT broken, its got faults but its NOT broken 2. The Ai is NOT broken, little stupid at time but naval battles Ai is far more advance and battle Ai is leaps and bounds above Empire's although that still isn't saying much 3. The game look beyond stunning simply the best graphics for such a big strategy game. 4. sound again is amazing as long as you have 256 channels on. music is well implemenetd from the drummers to the build up music ect. cannon fire sound great 5. Anyone can play this and have fun, where as with me i simply got annoyed with empire grand campaign as you'd never really compete for india and it simply too to much managment for europe and America ect. this much more focused and with the right mod you can have a "Grand Campaign". 6. Multiplayer is ecerlant if you can get into a game. and once in the game is well amazing 7. My specs for my laptop: 1. 2.2GHZ dual core T6600 intel. 4GB RAM, mobility ATI4650 and i can play this game on ultra or High graphics @ 1366x768 very easily.… Expand
  18. MartyS
    Mar 23, 2010
    9
    I believe this is game is a far superior product to last year's Empire. The AI has been improved out of sight and will give you a fight (play on Hard, not VH because the bonuses to the AI are immense), and the diplomacy options have been rectified so that your treaties actually have meaning and you can negotiate war and peace if you are careful, but be warned - your enemies have a I believe this is game is a far superior product to last year's Empire. The AI has been improved out of sight and will give you a fight (play on Hard, not VH because the bonuses to the AI are immense), and the diplomacy options have been rectified so that your treaties actually have meaning and you can negotiate war and peace if you are careful, but be warned - your enemies have a recollection of what you've done in the past. The graphics have been given minor updates, but the campaign has been overhauled, to provide a fitting story for the greatest general of the past couple of hundred years. The stability has also been improved OUT OF SIGHT, which was my major issue with last year's Empire, which, in spite of its flaws, was still brilliant. I recommend it to those with time on their hands.… Expand
  19. robbo
    Aug 14, 2010
    9
    An awesome game and a stellar achievement. The most impressive feature is how gorgeous Napoleon is yet how smooth is plays; not only the best looking RTS around, but one of the best looking games out period. I literally smacked my gob when playing on a snow covered tundra, and spent the better part of the match simply taking in the sights.

    Easily my favourite Total War game ever, with    An awesome game and a stellar achievement. The most impressive feature is how gorgeous Napoleon is yet how smooth is plays; not only the best looking RTS around, but one of the best looking games out period. I literally smacked my gob when playing on a snow covered tundra, and spent the better part of the match simply taking in the sights.

    Easily my favourite Total War game ever, with huge improvements over Empire. If you wanted a more cohesive and better constructed experience when playing Empire, then Napoleon is for you. A far more polished and well crafted product.    … Expand
  20. VeterenGamerUK7
    May 24, 2011
    9
    This is an excellent game and very addictive; i have owned all the previous versions on the "total war" franchise and this is my favourite bar Rome total war.
    Of course things could be better such as the AI but this are minor niggles, well done the Creative Assembly!
    Only gripe is the Multiplayer because of the poor lobby and the cheaters. There should be an anit cheat software protection    This is an excellent game and very addictive; i have owned all the previous versions on the "total war" franchise and this is my favourite bar Rome total war.
    Of course things could be better such as the AI but this are minor niggles, well done the Creative Assembly!
    Only gripe is the Multiplayer because of the poor lobby and the cheaters. There should be an anit cheat software protection of some kind!

    9/10    … Expand
  21. mars84
    May 16, 2012
    9
    My first experience of the Total War franchise and a very enjoyable one at that. The only aspect that I didn't get into was the naval combat, but that was more due to a lack of trying on my part. Kudos for the developer for attempting to simulate the intricacies of ship to ship combat in the Napoleonic era, but my enjoyment came through cavalry maneuvers and watching canon balls bouncingMy first experience of the Total War franchise and a very enjoyable one at that. The only aspect that I didn't get into was the naval combat, but that was more due to a lack of trying on my part. Kudos for the developer for attempting to simulate the intricacies of ship to ship combat in the Napoleonic era, but my enjoyment came through cavalry maneuvers and watching canon balls bouncing through infantry formations… Expand
  22. Lacuentadejoako
    Aug 1, 2014
    9
    This is a very good game worth of your money, I havent encountered a single bug,the battles are tactical and very fun,the graphics are good,the campaign is good and the technology tree is a polished interesting feature not seen in medieval total war,altough people who played shogun migth see it as something granted. An overall good game with very minor defects that you can look passThis is a very good game worth of your money, I havent encountered a single bug,the battles are tactical and very fun,the graphics are good,the campaign is good and the technology tree is a polished interesting feature not seen in medieval total war,altough people who played shogun migth see it as something granted. An overall good game with very minor defects that you can look pass because the game is so good.The only problem I see is that when you raise the dificuty AI doesnt become smarter in battle,they are just more powerful so you cant beat them even with good tactics because they are just to overpowered.… Expand
  23. Alchemik
    Apr 25, 2013
    9
    A bit too limited game (then it goes war theater), but with gameplay much more polished and smooth than in Empire. Both strategic aspect and both standard and marine battles are definitely better than in previous game, as well are the graphics in all those.

    The scale is somewhat disappointing, without colonial aspect of war or playable muslim factions in main campaing, but the graphics    A bit too limited game (then it goes war theater), but with gameplay much more polished and smooth than in Empire. Both strategic aspect and both standard and marine battles are definitely better than in previous game, as well are the graphics in all those.

    The scale is somewhat disappointing, without colonial aspect of war or playable muslim factions in main campaing, but the graphics and core game mechanics really make up for highly enjoyable experience, even if it offers less content that Empire.    … Expand
  24. Mountain
    Sep 14, 2013
    9
    Very accurate for what it is. Generals are very important and have their own styles. Looks like a sequel to Empire Total War but that's an illusion. Used some of my tried and true tactics from Empire Total War and watched my soldiers get cut down. In battle the army with the better general deploys second. One of my favorite features. It is simple but very effective. Music is fromVery accurate for what it is. Generals are very important and have their own styles. Looks like a sequel to Empire Total War but that's an illusion. Used some of my tried and true tactics from Empire Total War and watched my soldiers get cut down. In battle the army with the better general deploys second. One of my favorite features. It is simple but very effective. Music is from the early 19th century and is almost all on piano.… Expand
  25. HeirOfIsildur
    May 25, 2014
    9
    For those that enjoy strategy, then prepare to be amazed. Games from the Total War franchise are not like other strategy games, they are fresher and aim to be, particularly in battles, as realistic as they can - and Napoleon: Total War is no different. On a good computer, the game can look truly astonishing - if you are running it on a lower-end PC then you may be a little dissapointed (IFor those that enjoy strategy, then prepare to be amazed. Games from the Total War franchise are not like other strategy games, they are fresher and aim to be, particularly in battles, as realistic as they can - and Napoleon: Total War is no different. On a good computer, the game can look truly astonishing - if you are running it on a lower-end PC then you may be a little dissapointed (I have played on both). From the campaign map you see the whole of Europe spread out in front of you, your armies represented by a soldier or general with your country's flag displaying pips on the side, which are proportional to the number of units in that army. My favourite part of the game is when your armies clash with others, then the game really shines. In a campaign land battle, the map will be entirely random, not preset or from a list. Also, it will match where you are - for example if you are fighting near a town then you are likely to see this town somewhere on the battlefield. In the battles effects are excellent, from the individual melee fights between each soldier to the firing of the cannon and the smoke drifting across the battlefield.

    To cut a long story shorter, Napoleon: Total War is an extremely enjoyable strategy game. I highly recommend it to any fan of the strategy genre, and certainly this is a must-have for anyone interest in the Napoleonic Era.

    (I apologise for the length of the review!)    … Expand
  26. BaroqueGuide98
    Jun 24, 2017
    9
    My first Total War Game, But this it's really a great strategy game: The battles are unbelievable and really realistic. I love the zoom that make this game like a movie
  27. Dco326
    Jul 30, 2022
    9
    Bila je dobra igrica realno, ima nekih losijih stvari tipa za artilery i ima nekih bagova koji jako smaraju problem jedini koji imam je da posle nekog vremena postane jako repetativna i to samo smara sve ostalo je top :)
  28. gamerz4life
    Sep 27, 2020
    9
    Let’s start by saying that Napoleon is the least buggy and most competent AI in a Total War Game that has been seen thus far, and that is saying something with games like Empire and Rome II. Napoleon has as others have said; it has the smallest campaign of which it has 4 of them one grand others minor, but guess what… The AI is balanced and it is actually winnable without the AI pullingLet’s start by saying that Napoleon is the least buggy and most competent AI in a Total War Game that has been seen thus far, and that is saying something with games like Empire and Rome II. Napoleon has as others have said; it has the smallest campaign of which it has 4 of them one grand others minor, but guess what… The AI is balanced and it is actually winnable without the AI pulling money and Troops, that it just should not have or be able to build with you on their door step.

    The AI also seeks treaties and trade deals with you, something that many of the other Total War games just never seem to have as the AI just hates you no matter what you do, it is amazing to see Austria want to sign a peace treaty… to rebuild after I have taken half their cities, won’t see a tribe want a treaty in Rome II (even after patch 25). Also even more amazing is that they got naval battles correct, and they work well, much like in Shogun!!! This game is some strange Total war anomaly that I don’t know where it came from or where it went afterwards, but it is a great thing to behold especially after the Empire debacle.    … Expand
  29. erdogfu96
    Feb 9, 2020
    9
    Well paced gameplay with interesting story and gamedesign. Were much better in multiplayer and singleplayer than empire total were and there were no world map but you can get more fun.
    Graphics:9/10
    Sounds: 9/10
    Gameplay: 8/10
    Story: 9/10
  30. Zbigniew?
    Mar 21, 2010
    8
    Very good and enjoyable strategy game. I was very critical of Empire, but Napoleon is a vast improvement and plays great. So why not a 10? The AI still struggles a bit, siege battles have not been improved. and only one theatre (Europe). The biggest flaw is 5 playable factions only (rest have to be unlocked with mods, which is tedious) - and it seems like a very easy feature to implement, Very good and enjoyable strategy game. I was very critical of Empire, but Napoleon is a vast improvement and plays great. So why not a 10? The AI still struggles a bit, siege battles have not been improved. and only one theatre (Europe). The biggest flaw is 5 playable factions only (rest have to be unlocked with mods, which is tedious) - and it seems like a very easy feature to implement, hope CA does this.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best PC Game of 2010
35
#35 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
30
#30 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 56 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 56
  3. Negative: 1 out of 56
  1. Meristation
    85
    Napoleon Total War is a great RTS game, an incredible homage to the real french emperor. With great gameplay, and several game modes for single player and multiplayer, it's a great addition to the series. But it relies heavily on the basics of Empire Total War, so it feels a bit held back due to the lack of real improvements.
    Read full review
  2. PC Gamer UK
    82
    Not brave or bright enough to wow Total War veterans, but the battles and improved multiplayer save the day. [Mar 2010, p.80]
    Read full review
  3. IGN
    89
    Napoleon is an enjoyable addition to the Total War franchise but it's not as a big a game changer as previous sequels. While Napoleon and his armies were probably every bit as terrifying as Mongols, Vikings or Barbarians, the scope of this sequel is a bit more limited.
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