Rome: Total War

 PC
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 1490 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,336 out of 1490
  2. Mixed: 110 out of 1490
  3. Negative: 44 out of 1490
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  1. Stewhammer
    Jul 14, 2013
    10
    Awesome game for it's time and even now. I still play it even a decade past it's release. Can't wait for Rome 2 coming Sept 3rd 2013! I have no doubt they will make a game worthy of the original.
  2. torstein88
    Jun 29, 2013
    5
    Rome total war is a great game, but online bug, gc error, cant join, and games that dont start becuase someone cannot connect ruins it a lot. really i 9 game, if you think only about battles online, but bugs and gc error makes it a 5
  3. Red-Rocket
    Jun 23, 2013
    10
    Ha, You could spend 500 hours completing the long term campaigns and still be doing new races. this game will always be one of the best games i have ever played in a very, very long time
  4. neng
    Jun 12, 2013
    10
    Rome: Total War has many, many faults. However, I have still played it for many, many hours. Why? Because it is a great game considering the engrossing enjoyment factor. Yes, the enjoyment it provides trumps in baskets its sometimes ridiculous faults. I certainly hope Rome: Total War II is a marked improvement over the first installment. That notwithstanding, I imagine I will get a vastRome: Total War has many, many faults. However, I have still played it for many, many hours. Why? Because it is a great game considering the engrossing enjoyment factor. Yes, the enjoyment it provides trumps in baskets its sometimes ridiculous faults. I certainly hope Rome: Total War II is a marked improvement over the first installment. That notwithstanding, I imagine I will get a vast amount of enjoyment from it. I give Rome: Total War a 10. It deserves a ten. Video games are not about technical perfection. (They could be and should be.) But most importantly, they are about enjoyment. However, when faults destroy the possibility of enjoyment or seriously lessen enjoyment, then the game deserves to be panned and not purchased. It is going to be a long hard wait until Rome: Total War II is released. I cannot recommend Rome: Total War highly enough. I hope to be able to say the same thing about Rome: Total War II.… Expand
  5. SteppeDragon
    Jun 6, 2013
    8
    I think that, aside from campaign and a few other things, medieval 1 is better (better atmosphere, better music, better battles), BUT, if modded properly, it's fun as hell
  6. DarrenMacNally
    May 27, 2013
    10
    The greatest strategy game of all time. Amazing mods out there too. The only game I've ever given a 10/10 for. I look forward to the true sequel Rome II.
  7. Alchemik
    Apr 25, 2013
    9
    A great game with awesome climate, also even today quite appealing to the eye. The strategic options are wide and enjoyable and battle simulation, when it came out, was absolutely amazing.

    The amount of factions and huge differences in troops they can field make it a little unbalanced (especially when it comes to late-period roman troops, obviously [and somewhat realistically]    A great game with awesome climate, also even today quite appealing to the eye. The strategic options are wide and enjoyable and battle simulation, when it came out, was absolutely amazing.

    The amount of factions and huge differences in troops they can field make it a little unbalanced (especially when it comes to late-period roman troops, obviously [and somewhat realistically] overpowered), but makes the whole thing even more interesting and make you use different strategies, when using different troops or facing different foes.

    The main downside is the amount of micromanaging that will bore less patient players, especially when combined with slow troop training and pretty slow army movement. If you don't mind that, the game can give you hundreds of hours of enjoyable gameplay.    … Expand
  8. yoddl2
    Apr 24, 2013
    10
    This is my favorite game of all time what is saying allot this is the game that got me into R.T.S. after i exterminated my first village i never looked back ive dumped so many ours into this game its amazingly ridicules how fun and addictive it is. I highly recommend using the mod darthmod for making every battle an epic fight AND LEAVE NO ONE ALIVE. This is the perfect game to bring outThis is my favorite game of all time what is saying allot this is the game that got me into R.T.S. after i exterminated my first village i never looked back ive dumped so many ours into this game its amazingly ridicules how fun and addictive it is. I highly recommend using the mod darthmod for making every battle an epic fight AND LEAVE NO ONE ALIVE. This is the perfect game to bring out everyone's inner world conquer and this is the best game in the series even if your not an R.T.S. fan this is the place to start after you've watch the millions of levy's you've drafted fight and die for you from Greece to Egypt there no turning back… Expand
  9. verloc
    Apr 6, 2013
    10
    Best RTS ever, I've played this game for the first time in 2006 and this is the 3rd time I reinstalled it. As good as ever. I really recommend this game, even If the graphics are a bit dated by now.
  10. Schlafanzug
    Apr 6, 2013
    10
    I had played Medieval total war and Total war Shogun II before I this game. I heard from some people that it was the best total war game, so I got it on steam. This game is awesome. The unit strategy is complex, the time period is interesting, the imperial campaign is fun, and Spartans are immortal lol
  11. MrFable
    Feb 9, 2013
    0
    Bad, bad, bad. The AI is absolutely atrocious. Every fraction has the same basic units with only a few unique ones. A lot of bugs too. Units refuse to use siege towers and get stuck at the bottom. Multiplayer is full of corner camping idiots. Graphics and animations were for the time awful. There is zero atmosphere. The first Medieval: Total War is way better, and it was released in 2002!
  12. jamesmcmc
    Feb 5, 2013
    10
    this game is so good i would buy it over and over again
  13. theNILE
    Jan 11, 2013
    1
    I remember I got the rome Total War Anthology as a present...what happened is I installed the game without a hitch, ran into a bug where I couldn't play most of the content (if 1 option out of 3/4 is available...that's pretty atrocious), so I continue to play the first campaign. What follows is a game devoid of soul. You march units around the battle at a very slow pace as you siegeI remember I got the rome Total War Anthology as a present...what happened is I installed the game without a hitch, ran into a bug where I couldn't play most of the content (if 1 option out of 3/4 is available...that's pretty atrocious), so I continue to play the first campaign. What follows is a game devoid of soul. You march units around the battle at a very slow pace as you siege towns/cities...this wouldn't be so bad if the world map and strategy part was any good at all. The only thing decent in this game is the diplomacy and politics which was the one thing I really didn't care much about. But honestly it's un-engaging, slow, looks cheap and has no polish. I just didn't feel like playing it from the moment go. And that's why I think it's a terrible game you should skip.… Expand
  14. True_Insanity13
    Jan 4, 2013
    10
    Rome Total War- is the best strategy game yet. In my opinion, RTW is much better than C4, C5 and HoMM. It's just my opinion.
    Rome Total War- самая лучшая стратегия на данный момент,    Rome Total War- is the best strategy game yet. In my opinion, RTW is much better than C4, C5 and HoMM. It's just my opinion.
    Rome Total War- самая лучшая стратегия на данный момент, на мой взгляд Рим лучше Цивилизации и Героев Меча и Магия. Чисто мое мнение    … Expand
  15. Orctownorc
    Jan 1, 2013
    10
    Still a very solid strategy title though it suffers somewhat from the graphics adjustments for new monitors: thus looking worse now that it did when it could be seen on the old standard 14" monitors. This game got everything right in terms of unit deiversity, campaign balance, scale, scope, challenge and replayability. It is fun, hard, and intriguing. Individual battles are enjoyable andStill a very solid strategy title though it suffers somewhat from the graphics adjustments for new monitors: thus looking worse now that it did when it could be seen on the old standard 14" monitors. This game got everything right in terms of unit deiversity, campaign balance, scale, scope, challenge and replayability. It is fun, hard, and intriguing. Individual battles are enjoyable and the evolution of a faction over time is exhilerating as you unlock elite units. In many ways it is no longer a 10/10 game. But I'll go for the high score due to nostalgia and many good memories. This game is a rare event that can actually teach the player history.… Expand
  16. Tripnip14
    Dec 30, 2012
    10
    My favorite game of all time. I have been playing it for 8 years now and have always enjoyed it, even since the newer total war games have been released. This game is just so solid, looks great, and has much variety both in-game and from it's HUGE modding community (i suggest Rome Total Realism). You can get it for cheap now, but it's still an awesome game!!!
  17. Cidmusky
    Dec 30, 2012
    10
    Epic game. Dont understand the negative reviews, either these people are stupid (dont understand how to play), or they are even more stupid and dont have the hardware to do justice to the game. Either way this game is epic. Cant wait for rome 2
  18. CrusherTM
    Dec 23, 2012
    9
    A very good strategy, which contains many new and matched solutions. Score on Metacritic is most suitable. I play more than 9 will leave not because there were a lot of minor errors, which, however, do not want to replace.
  19. a_consumer
    Dec 13, 2012
    0
    This game BLOWS! sooo bad. If you thought it would be like the first age of empires you are so off. All my friends and family who plays games all tried it and got bored so damn fast. I would pay steam to get it out of my library. I would rather play mind jack in mind jack. What i'm so shocked is that this confusing and boring game beats the original portal. what the hell?! O.o The ONLYThis game BLOWS! sooo bad. If you thought it would be like the first age of empires you are so off. All my friends and family who plays games all tried it and got bored so damn fast. I would pay steam to get it out of my library. I would rather play mind jack in mind jack. What i'm so shocked is that this confusing and boring game beats the original portal. what the hell?! O.o The ONLY positive side to this is graphics that is it, and yes it would lag on an average computer -.-… Expand
  20. SgtSprinklez
    Oct 11, 2012
    10
    This game is one of the best strategy games I've ever played! It's better than AoE in many ways! The people that don't like it because it's slow just need a faster computer.
  21. SoulSurgeon
    Aug 4, 2012
    10
    I have played this game for 6 years now. I have re-installed it about 10 times...I keep going back to it. I remember playing it on my older crappy PC's....had lag issues in major battles. Now, my current pimped out machine runs it full with no problems.....doesn't run as smooth as Medieval Total War 2...graphics aren't as good....but WAT better game. All the unique units, and differentI have played this game for 6 years now. I have re-installed it about 10 times...I keep going back to it. I remember playing it on my older crappy PC's....had lag issues in major battles. Now, my current pimped out machine runs it full with no problems.....doesn't run as smooth as Medieval Total War 2...graphics aren't as good....but WAT better game. All the unique units, and different nations make this game so fun, Once you conquer as the Romans...you can go back and replay with any nations that you have defated. Greeks! Carthaginians! Seleucids! SOO much fun to play with them. I FULLY demand that Sega make a ROME TOTAL WAR 2....can you imagine how much fun that will be? GET THIS GAME. CLASSIC best game of all time.… Expand
  22. kane148
    Aug 1, 2012
    9
    Definitely one of the best turn-based strategy games I've ever played. I first played it as a freshman in college, and now years later it's still a solid game. While the graphics are no longer impressive and many of the subsequent Total War games have improved on many of the features, Rome remains an enjoyable game with much replay value. While the AI is not particularly good, it usuallyDefinitely one of the best turn-based strategy games I've ever played. I first played it as a freshman in college, and now years later it's still a solid game. While the graphics are no longer impressive and many of the subsequent Total War games have improved on many of the features, Rome remains an enjoyable game with much replay value. While the AI is not particularly good, it usually provides a sufficient challenge, and even after having played the campaign through a half dozen times, the campaign map AI still does things I've not seen before.… Expand
  23. Xgashh
    Jul 19, 2012
    10
    Awsome and addictive strategy game!! Best strategy game ever for me. Graphics dosent count if the game is so good.Epic battles and campaign.. Played it for 300 hours, loved it
  24. jex221
    Jul 17, 2012
    10
    its a strategic masterpiece. Don't listen to all the trolls who give this a 0. Basically if you like stratagy and you dont mind 2004 graphics i would recommend buying this game
  25. vonkoutso
    May 29, 2012
    10
    A real masterpiece reminding us of the times, when making video games was pure art. Amazing graphics, amazing music and the most important: high aesthetics. Nothing less than a solid 10
  26. Pidinski
    May 15, 2012
    9
    This is such an amazing game! I have always been obsessed with strategy games and Rome: Total War is my favorite. After reading a couple of the mixed and negative reviews I felt compelled to write my own review stating why this game is awesome! I understand the people complaining about the mutliplayer, it isn't very good. The game wasn't created for multiplayer, it was created for singleThis is such an amazing game! I have always been obsessed with strategy games and Rome: Total War is my favorite. After reading a couple of the mixed and negative reviews I felt compelled to write my own review stating why this game is awesome! I understand the people complaining about the mutliplayer, it isn't very good. The game wasn't created for multiplayer, it was created for single player campaign. Enough said about multiplayer. Gameplay is easy and self explanatory. Take over the world. If you happen to be interested in the finer points of strategy you can manage everything in every city. If you just want to fight the battles you can set the computer to do everything while you fight. If you don't want it like that, don't be stupid and play how you want to play. Its simple and quite easy if you just use your brain. The campaign is can be changed in many ways to fit your style of gameplay, unless you want nothing to do with strategy games, which should be the only reason people don't like this game. I don't know why you even played this game then. If you were looking for a good strategy game with good gameplay, you got exactly that. Rome: Total War is almost eight years old which should cut it just enough slack for its graphics. Compared to other games of 2004, it had pretty solid graphics. If you're wanting to see the general's scars on his face, you should play an RPG. Zooming in on the battles lets you see the fighting up close. Sure some of the hit boxes are off, but it's still decent. The best part is when there is explosions! Great job of having the infantry flying through the air. Some negative reviews said that the game is repetitive and the exact same when you play it through. I have beaten the campaign well over 20 times and I have never experienced the same thing. The replay value of this game is amazing! I always have to try to think of a new strategy. Again the only semi bad thing is the lack of online play. I didn't buy this game to play online, I bought this game to conquer the world.… Expand
  27. Wulfburk
    Mar 9, 2012
    10
    The most epic and incredible strategy game, still being played and will survive for decades! With epic mods such as Europa Barbarorum (the most original total conversion for any game out there) and Lord of the Rings : Total War this game really deserves a 10.
  28. bud389
    Feb 22, 2012
    10
    Don't listen to all the idiots giving this game a 6 or 7 or lower, since they obviously lack any real understanding of gaming as a medium or as a game of the mind. Rome Total War is probably the greatest of the total war games in my professional opinion, although my favorite would have to be Empire. Rome offers what many other games fail to do, give you unparralelled strategy game playDon't listen to all the idiots giving this game a 6 or 7 or lower, since they obviously lack any real understanding of gaming as a medium or as a game of the mind. Rome Total War is probably the greatest of the total war games in my professional opinion, although my favorite would have to be Empire. Rome offers what many other games fail to do, give you unparralelled strategy game play of the ancient Roman/Greek age. It's one thing to command armies on the campaign map, strategically positioning them to ambush your enemy or block routes, using diplomats, spies and assassins to your advantage, deceiving your allies or enemies, managing cities and towns, but it's another thing completely in the battle map. In the battle map it's a no-holds-barred kinda match, anything goes, it gives you totally complete freedom to setup your units as you wish, in formation how you wish and use them however you want. If you ever wondered what it would feel like to siege a Roman city as an invading Carthaginian army, feel free to do so in campaign or in a custom battle, you can use siege towers, battering rams, ladders, siege weapons like catapults, trebuchets and more to batter through your opponents defences. There is nothing quite like Rome Total War in terms of content and mere polish.… Expand
  29. Ztride
    Jan 21, 2012
    8
    A great game, along with Shogun 2 the best of the Total War series. What's unique about this game compared with the rest of the series is that it is actually quite balanced.
  30. CORMAC
    Jan 18, 2012
    10
    I love rome online. The long time rome members are great friends, and when you get into the clan fights with 31k, its pretty awesome. Online is the way to go, and buy it from steam so it does all the patches for you. BROTHERHOOD
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best PC Game of 2004
7
#7 Most Discussed PC Game of 2004
5
#5 Most Shared PC Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 58 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 58
  3. Negative: 0 out of 58
  1. Total Video Games
    90
    An epic game in terms of both visual execution and longevity...Campaigns can last for several hundred turns, so prepare for the long haul.
    Read full review
  2. Gaming Age
    91
    Many games are excellent world-builders, and many are deep real time strategy war games. Rome: Total War sets out to be both and pulls it off wonderfully.
    Read full review
  3. games(TM)
    90
    The tactical battles are better than ever thanks to an improved engine and significantly smarter enemy AI. You can now take up to 400 units into battle, leading to some impressive large-scale scraps.
See all critic reviews »