Total War: Rome II

 PC
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Sep 2, 2013
User Score
4.4

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 3974 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,184 out of 3974
  2. Mixed: 613 out of 3974
  3. Negative: 2,177 out of 3974
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  1. vanzi
    Oct 31, 2014
    7
    After all the patches that were released and the even better job of modders (DeI, Radious), the game is in a definitely playable state. Performance is A LOT better than it was on release. The AI is still pretty dumb though and I'm personally not a fan of some of the changes they've made to the game (especially the province system and army movement only with general). All that said, I'mAfter all the patches that were released and the even better job of modders (DeI, Radious), the game is in a definitely playable state. Performance is A LOT better than it was on release. The AI is still pretty dumb though and I'm personally not a fan of some of the changes they've made to the game (especially the province system and army movement only with general). All that said, I'm having a lot of fun playing with Divide et Impera and I've spent over 400 hours in game.… Expand
  2. Porkenstein
    Sep 8, 2013
    7
    This game is fun, atmospheric, epic, and just generally awesome. However, it is hopelessly broken.
    Technical issues aside, the battle and campaign AI are completely nonfunctional, removing all challenge from every difficultly level. Also, many changes to gameplay in favor of appeasing the more "casual" customer base have destroyed much of what made Rome I great.
  3. abic007
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    The fail of Rome: A strategic map without strategy... A tactical mode without tactics

    Skip it. Shogun II is better in every respect, as are several mods for the original Rome: Total War.

    Very bad strategy game!
  4. JimCorbett
    Mar 24, 2015
    7
    This is a review of the state of Rome II 1 and a half years after release. There's still tons of bugs so don't think it's perfect but from what i've read about the disaster at release, the game is much improved. I still get a strange bug where there's awkward lag during siege battles sometimes that makes the game near unplayable but that's the only real issue i have had other than the gameThis is a review of the state of Rome II 1 and a half years after release. There's still tons of bugs so don't think it's perfect but from what i've read about the disaster at release, the game is much improved. I still get a strange bug where there's awkward lag during siege battles sometimes that makes the game near unplayable but that's the only real issue i have had other than the game crashing during multiplayer campaigns. I am also disappointed with the DLC direction that CA and Sega have decided to take. Half the playable factions are locked behind a paywall and even then there is an unreal amount of Greek-like factions which all play the same. Other than that i'm enjoying myself. It's nowhere near as good as Rome I and Medieval II and i'd even say Empire was better but I like it more than Shogun 2 and don't regret my $15 purchase.… Expand
  5. Jingo
    Jan 11, 2014
    7
    I gave this game 4 when it first came out. But now that it's up to build 1.8 it's time for a re-review. It is much better now! Still the AI is hopeless, particularly on settlement defence mode. That is simply not a challenge. All you need to take an enemy settlement is long range units. Line them up, and the enemy will line a target up for you, one after the other until they're all gone.I gave this game 4 when it first came out. But now that it's up to build 1.8 it's time for a re-review. It is much better now! Still the AI is hopeless, particularly on settlement defence mode. That is simply not a challenge. All you need to take an enemy settlement is long range units. Line them up, and the enemy will line a target up for you, one after the other until they're all gone. They will never charge out to get your slingers or catapults or whatever.

    But I'm giving the game a 7 now, because various other things have been improved and I'm enjoying it now.

    The VERY HARD and LEGENDARY difficultly modes give the other factions enormous bonuses, but their AI in the settlement defence battles is the same. It's a poor way to make things difficult.    … Expand
  6. Anyas_Dad
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    I am pretty darn sure that most of these low scores are coming from people who just want the "power" of keeping scores and sales low. That being said, I do see a valid point in some of the issues posted. I have a mid-range system that can run the game on max settings. I have noticed some stutter when moving the camera BUT it does not interfere with the experience. The AI has been UPI am pretty darn sure that most of these low scores are coming from people who just want the "power" of keeping scores and sales low. That being said, I do see a valid point in some of the issues posted. I have a mid-range system that can run the game on max settings. I have noticed some stutter when moving the camera BUT it does not interfere with the experience. The AI has been UP and DOWN. Like in real life, some armies are useless and others are hardcore death machines. Unit cards are not terrible confusing once you look at them and read the description. Withing a matter of minutes I was able to quickly spot the unit I needed. This game does take time to figure out. It isn't a game you install and master withing an hour. Many people claim we are beta testing games as of late including thins one. If that's how you feel then don't purchase day one games. In this day and age MOST games require a patch day one. It's the sign of the times. Things will never be like the good old days of cartridge based games where no patch exists and you blow in the slot to make the game work. Everyone posting that your scores do effect sales. So if you keep giving fake low scores you could cause bad sales which means no extra content. I get it...your argument is these companies need to release finished products. So if that's the case don't complain about delays. Like it or hate it, companies have us by the short hairs.… Expand
  7. tumbidragon
    Sep 16, 2014
    7
    After a complete farcical release, Rome 2 a year on is now an actual good game. 15 patches has seen vast improvements to optimization and game play. We now have three great campaign in CIG, HATG and EE. Battles are no longer decided within 2-5 minutes and I have had some last ~20mins with the new unit re-balancing to morale and armor!
    Unfortunately It still lacks the depth in which so    After a complete farcical release, Rome 2 a year on is now an actual good game. 15 patches has seen vast improvements to optimization and game play. We now have three great campaign in CIG, HATG and EE. Battles are no longer decided within 2-5 minutes and I have had some last ~20mins with the new unit re-balancing to morale and armor!
    Unfortunately It still lacks the depth in which so many were hoping they would deliver. The "new" political system is nothing more than a updated graphic to the UI so that you are able to track what is happening easier. But you could hardly call it immersive or in depth. Diplomacy is still hit and miss and just outright random sometimes (specifically trade agreements). There are also still major path finding issues atop walls when you have multiple units stationed on them. Also AI is still.. meh.

    Upon release I would of given this 3/10. But now I could unabashedly give it a 7/10 (but not forgiven nor forgotten CA!).    … Expand
  8. Daneoid
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    Fickle, fickle people, the game is exceptional, It's a Total War game, of course it's going to have bugs, they're no where near as bad as you people are making them out to be.
  9. dreadlord666
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    Let me start with the good things, first of there is the graphics wich look very good, awesome landscapes, and the different maps fells fresh and in some cases more alive than in any other total war game so far ("buildings, trees and general vegetation)". The units/army looks good close up, but then again not a huge leap from shogun2. The single player campaign is very good and its clearLet me start with the good things, first of there is the graphics wich look very good, awesome landscapes, and the different maps fells fresh and in some cases more alive than in any other total war game so far ("buildings, trees and general vegetation)". The units/army looks good close up, but then again not a huge leap from shogun2. The single player campaign is very good and its clear for me to see thats where the focus of the game is, single player is more or less like in rome 1 but with bettter graphics and some more deept..
    What keeps me from giveing a higher score is the fact that the multiplayer still fells like rome 1, where shogun2 did a awesome job with a avatar campaign in multiplayer and used a RPG element in skills and hero units, then rome 2 just fells like rome1 not much new under the sun other than updated graphics and some new formation options, dont get me wrong rome 2 got 3 options to change your generals abilitys, and i hope they will make more in future dlc, but still fells to me like shogun2`s multiplayer is light years ahead of rome 2, and i think it is a shame to take a step backwards..

    So if u like total war games, u will like this game as well, just dont expect to much... and see it as a major update of the old rome 1, rather than a whole new game..

    but it is a bit better than the score of 4.8 it has atm, some people expect a perfect game the day it comes out, wich isnt gonna happen without alot of patches, if u got horrible graphics or low Fps u should look at your own computer in most cases and not the game..    … Expand
  10. Astrith
    Sep 17, 2013
    7
    I understand all the guys disappointed by the newest Total War. I really do@ This game should be Brilliant, Legendary and Epic. It is just good (well, very good for me). It has it's problems graphics are not as good as those shown by CA's PR guys, I don't understand why I can build so limited amount of buildings and why I don't have a family tree available (the same is withI understand all the guys disappointed by the newest Total War. I really do@ This game should be Brilliant, Legendary and Epic. It is just good (well, very good for me). It has it's problems graphics are not as good as those shown by CA's PR guys, I don't understand why I can build so limited amount of buildings and why I don't have a family tree available (the same is with agents/generals lack of skill tree). Rome 2 is a solid game, great piece of strategy, highly addictive but with bunch of problems. Problems that should be resolved months ago. Maybe I'm a bit lucky because of all the problems I have only occasional CTD's. Fractions are very well designed, all the Greek states are very interesting on the campaign map and during the battles. The game is a bit too easy at the beginning however it gets more and more demanding later on. Worth playing, worth buying. One last thing this is a PC game, therefore can be modded!!! Modding community in TW games is one of the best ever and already there's a bunch of great stuff that will alter the Vanilla experience … Expand
  11. RedBlueThunder
    Sep 16, 2013
    7
    While the initial game is still fun and enjoyable, i do feel that Rome 2 is slightly bare-bones. A huge amount of features have been removed and replaced by simple mechanics that make the game feel simple.

    During my time playing Medieval 2, i was indulged in politics and creating glorious family "dynasty's". It actually felt like i was running an empire. In Rome 2 it feels like your a    While the initial game is still fun and enjoyable, i do feel that Rome 2 is slightly bare-bones. A huge amount of features have been removed and replaced by simple mechanics that make the game feel simple.

    During my time playing Medieval 2, i was indulged in politics and creating glorious family "dynasty's". It actually felt like i was running an empire. In Rome 2 it feels like your a band of raiders conquering city after city with no real purpose or motivation.

    Land battles are a more like two mobs clashing into one another rather than two unique armies using advanced tactics to outwit one another. Naval Battles are hugely dull, more like lots of floating bowls clumsily knocking into one another.

    Overall, Rome 2 is still fun, but can barely be considered to be a proper "Total War" game. I hope after this, creative assembly will learn from their mistakes and create much much better and feature filled games in future.    … Expand
  12. Makko_Mace
    Sep 15, 2013
    7
    Rome II is an amazing game, unfortunately it is deeply bugged at the moment which is unacceptable at release yet sadly common in this day and age. I would spend much more time writing out what I honestly think about every aspect of this game, but since everyone votes 0 or 10 on this site, I won't waste my time.

    In a few months it should deserve something like a 9/10 right now, it simply    Rome II is an amazing game, unfortunately it is deeply bugged at the moment which is unacceptable at release yet sadly common in this day and age. I would spend much more time writing out what I honestly think about every aspect of this game, but since everyone votes 0 or 10 on this site, I won't waste my time.

    In a few months it should deserve something like a 9/10 right now, it simply is lacking.    … Expand
  13. MisterFro9
    Jun 11, 2014
    7
    The game has come A LONG way since release. It was a huge disappointment at first, and there are still many things that would be nice to be fixed, but it is definitely fun as hell. With a few more tweaks this could have an amazing multiplayer scene.
  14. NecroMnemic
    Oct 24, 2013
    7
    I rate it a 7 out of 10, as it is a decent game, but does not live up to the Total War standard and doesn't even come close to the original Rome 1.

    I'm writing this after patch 5 has been applied and sadly the performance is still... not atrocious but not good either. The battles are still somewhat too short and AI does some really weird things. But actually these are not the issues    I rate it a 7 out of 10, as it is a decent game, but does not live up to the Total War standard and doesn't even come close to the original Rome 1.

    I'm writing this after patch 5 has been applied and sadly the performance is still... not atrocious but not good either. The battles are still somewhat too short and AI does some really weird things.

    But actually these are not the issues that I found saddening, I much rather regretted seeing that still all factions somewhat play the same and there has not been done enough to make them distinct from each other.

    All in all I recommend buying it for 25€ or less.    … Expand
  15. mikey6854
    Sep 3, 2013
    7
    I made an account to review this game because wow some people are really crazy. 10s? 0s? Really?!

    First of all: If you liked the other Total War games you will like this game. The history is cool and the number of sheer factions in the game along side the map is incredible. The combat itself is similar to the other guys although it seems a little bit sped up. I suppose some will like it    I made an account to review this game because wow some people are really crazy. 10s? 0s? Really?!

    First of all: If you liked the other Total War games you will like this game. The history is cool and the number of sheer factions in the game along side the map is incredible. The combat itself is similar to the other guys although it seems a little bit sped up. I suppose some will like it more some less but it's not THAT different than it was. Certainly nothing to get upset about.

    The game itself is very pretty. The water looks great and the sounds are also amazing. The individual soldiers really, really, really make it seem photo realistic when you get close to the action. There are some weird frame rate issues but my PC is 2 years old (I'm on an i5 and a HD6970) and the game runs pretty well. It isn't 100% optimized and I noticed it maybe 10-15 times over 5 hours. That is quite a bit but not "0" worthy and I'm confident it will get fixed eventually. A game the size of this I can understand the lack of polish.

    I can't really comment of the campaign mode more than 5 hours but it looks good, I like the region-based city management. The world is HUGE. Almost overwhelmingly so. The intro campaign is useful as a refresher even for a veteran player like myself.

    I don't want to blab your ear off. The game isn't a 10.. and it's not a 1. At launch: a fair and honest 7. Once (if) they fix the issues so it runs more smoothly and fix the AI (which is pretty bad but hey.. it's never been good) It could realistically go up to a 9. People need to keep it real when reviewing especially on day 1. Jeez. :)

    Thanks for reading,

    -Mike    … Expand
  16. JaM1977
    Sep 3, 2013
    7
    Worst game of the series.. Battle Combat lacks any tactics, its just about making all units to fight in one huge blob. strategy part is no better. Its dumbed down to any "fast Clicking" RTS level..
  17. sams0knite
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    This game did not meet m expectations but It's a good game and made improvements to the series, added features we've been waiting a while for, and overall is a beautiful and enjoyable game worth every penny spent. Sure there's some bugs, optimization is poor but you can only blame so much on Creative Assembly. The sheer scale of Rome 2 makes it very difficult to optimize for the hundredsThis game did not meet m expectations but It's a good game and made improvements to the series, added features we've been waiting a while for, and overall is a beautiful and enjoyable game worth every penny spent. Sure there's some bugs, optimization is poor but you can only blame so much on Creative Assembly. The sheer scale of Rome 2 makes it very difficult to optimize for the hundreds of current configurations, Operating System's, specifications, manufacturer's, drivers, and all sorts of other factors that come into effect when designing a game for Windows that utilizes a powerful game engine, high quality graphics, and allows you to play battles with thousands of individual units rendered at once, running countless scripts. I do believe the AI isn't bad, it's the same as Shogun 2. It's not amazing, I know, but I still think that the game provides its challenges and provides one of the best experiences in all singleplayer and cooperative strategy games out there; not to mention that Total War is just unique in its own right.

    I am disappointed by the lack of features I was hopping for and those that were promised which is really the only reason I took off appoints but other than that I think they did a good job with Rome 2 and I can't wait to see what comes next in the Total War series which has never to this day let me down.    … Expand
  18. Goose09
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    Short and sweet.

    Pros: New play systems (I.e. town management simplification, province system, recruitment system) work well and contribute to a more realistic simulation. Return to Roman setting is well appreciated Combo land/naval battles are entertaining and effective Diversity of agent options are useful without being confounding Cons: There are bugs, of course, which    Short and sweet.

    Pros: New play systems (I.e. town management simplification, province system, recruitment system) work well and contribute to a more realistic simulation.

    Return to Roman setting is well appreciated

    Combo land/naval battles are entertaining and effective

    Diversity of agent options are useful without being confounding

    Cons: There are bugs, of course, which is par for course with CA game launches. These will mostly be gone in a few weeks, hopefully

    Battle pathfinding needs improvement, again this will hopefully be patched soon

    Politics seem a little knife edge at the moment, not sure if I'm effectively manipulating the system though, so take with a grain of salt

    Ship to ship combat desperately needs rebalancing (javelin boats are waaaayyyy OP)

    Final verdict: If you love Total War, Rome, and aren't afraid of a little change, then go ahead and pick this one up. All others should wait a few months to see what happens first    … Expand
  19. Jeicobu
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    Rome 2 is a good game, but not without flaws. The UI inn the campaign map is good, the UI inn the RTS battles are still a bit easy and never tries to outflank you or do anything to not get flanked. The map is a lot bigger then inn shogun 2 and might confuse thous that joined the series back then. It doesn't look half bad ether the new Province/settlement functions is great for gameplay andRome 2 is a good game, but not without flaws. The UI inn the campaign map is good, the UI inn the RTS battles are still a bit easy and never tries to outflank you or do anything to not get flanked. The map is a lot bigger then inn shogun 2 and might confuse thous that joined the series back then. It doesn't look half bad ether the new Province/settlement functions is great for gameplay and adds a lot to the game.
    The free DLC's is also a pluss, since all the new factions costed real money inn shogun 2.
    What brings the game down for me is the AI and the missing content/bugs. There is no winter season rotation. Some city walls float inn the air and some more i haven't seen myself but heard other talk about.

    Conclution: The game is great and brought me what i expected.. a grand game where i could outsmart my enemies and change history, a not perfect AI and some great battles. what i did not expect was the problems that could have been avoided with a bit more play testing and the cheep solution to some of the problem (refering to the seasons).    … Expand
  20. someguy8896
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    this game is buggy and imperfect but it's amazing anyway. the long load times and UI I keep seeing people complain about aren't a problem for me. the UI is great and simple to use when you get used to it. and if you have a powerful enough processor the load time and AI turns aren't a problem. it runs fine on high with my Nvidia gtx 550TI and Intel core I7 3930K. like I said it's buggy butthis game is buggy and imperfect but it's amazing anyway. the long load times and UI I keep seeing people complain about aren't a problem for me. the UI is great and simple to use when you get used to it. and if you have a powerful enough processor the load time and AI turns aren't a problem. it runs fine on high with my Nvidia gtx 550TI and Intel core I7 3930K. like I said it's buggy but I found nothing game breaking and it has yet to crash on me. It was worth my money and I expect that like most total war titles most of these problems will be fixed at some point with patches. 7/10 as it is. I'm not disappointed.… Expand
  21. Romafar
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    Looking at some of the negative reviews given to this game I feel that some people need to get their entitlement in check. CA did a great job on this, and I'm sorry your 8 year old pc is having trouble but that's how gaming tech works. There are some load time issues with this as there was with Shogun 2, but luckily they aren't nearly as bad as it was originally with Shogun's issues, andLooking at some of the negative reviews given to this game I feel that some people need to get their entitlement in check. CA did a great job on this, and I'm sorry your 8 year old pc is having trouble but that's how gaming tech works. There are some load time issues with this as there was with Shogun 2, but luckily they aren't nearly as bad as it was originally with Shogun's issues, and they are already releasing a patch for it.

    The game is beautiful and the AI has improved, though its still AI and needs some tweaking. Ive already logged a little over 20 hours into it and I havent had any fps issues except for it chuggs for half a second when I pan over the siege animation on the campaign map.

    As for UI complaints, I really dont get it. It's a great UI. The unit cards are are interestingly designed and the general and legion development is a great additive. You really have to be challenged to not be able to understand this UI.

    Once the patch goes in for fixing the load times I'll give this an 8/10 for now its a solid 7. I put blood sweat and tears into my rig and I'm running ultra at 60+ fps at all times. Have realistic expectations with the machine you work with    … Expand
  22. Efa
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    A good game, with huge potential, if not for the fact it simply doesn't feel finished.
    Riddled with bugs and frame rate issues, this is only a Beta. Plus, with all the "new" features (by which I mean all the removed features) It just doesn't feel like a sequel, or even part of the series.
  23. CA1994
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    Total War Rome 2 was supposed to be a great step forward into a new generation of total wars. They hyped up the game way to much. The campaign map is so huge and there is no way to zoom out. Military victory conditions are crazy. Just for Rome it is hold 114 cities! There is no campaign options yet to have lesser victory conditions. The battles are fun especially the naval aspect withTotal War Rome 2 was supposed to be a great step forward into a new generation of total wars. They hyped up the game way to much. The campaign map is so huge and there is no way to zoom out. Military victory conditions are crazy. Just for Rome it is hold 114 cities! There is no campaign options yet to have lesser victory conditions. The battles are fun especially the naval aspect with land. But the campaign map is horrible in size and the fact that cities are in provinces now. If you don't own all the cities in the provenience they are unhappy. Also the fact that you have to passive the population that takes so long. There is different cultures that really hurt public order. Cities start out generally unhappy until you control the whole province and can issue a edict that can improve happiness. At least from what I played it seems like armies can only be 10 units large. Also on day 1 the battles I played online were laggy. I am happy to get back the factions and away from the avatar they did that part right. The awesome battles are the only reason I am giving it a 7 instead of 6.… Expand
  24. miyadaman
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    There sure are a lot of whiners around on the internet. Look, I understand being frustrated about the game not playing correctly on your machine, but at least acknowledge that it's different for every machine and try to review the actual game after getting that out of the way. For the record, I run the game on Ultra settings and it runs perfectly fine. My friend has bad lag but stillThere sure are a lot of whiners around on the internet. Look, I understand being frustrated about the game not playing correctly on your machine, but at least acknowledge that it's different for every machine and try to review the actual game after getting that out of the way. For the record, I run the game on Ultra settings and it runs perfectly fine. My friend has bad lag but still enjoys it.

    There are many negative reviews with people saying things like "I don't know what authority does and it doesn't say ANYWHERE!" or "There is no 'fire at will' button for ranged troops". Rest assured, the game does tell you EXACTLY what all stats mean and there is a button for fire at will (among all others). The problem is the UI is pretty shoddy and people are too moronic to search for 3 seconds without throwing a hissy fit. You can find 90% of the information you need with the tool-tip pop ups on the campaign map.

    The UI is spectacularly bad. It has everything you need, but as others have said it's a bit un-intuitive. There are a lot of ambiguous terms and numbers thrown at you and you will have to do a little pointing around with the mouse to find out what they do. Or hit F1 for times that doesn't work and open up the in-game encyclopedia.

    The AI, as all Total War games, has bouts of good play and bouts of baffling play. Patches will help here and there's no reason to think the game won't be a standout game after a number of promised weekly patches. The AI is a problem at the moment but I have some confidence patches and mods will fix this. You will sometimes find the enemy overly aggressive and other times overly passive. There's no nice middle ground.

    The battles are better than ever (forgetting the AI for a second). The battle maps are huge and have a ton of things scattered around them for looks and strategy. When troops walk, they walk slowly unlike the Benny Hill motions from previous games. There's a lot to like here. Factor back in the AI and it can be frustrating at times.

    Some of the campaign ideas have poor implementation. Politics is supposed to play a big part but most people are still struggling to figure out exactly what it does. They took out family trees but they tried to expand the political part of things. It's a game of minor subtractions filled by minor additions. It's not worse, it's just different. Most people seem to be complaining because they can't figure out the new system. That doesn't mean the system sucks, just that you're an idiot. Rest assured, there is nothing that breaks the traditional way Total War games are played. In fact, if you've constantly felt like the campaign side of TW games felt a bit shallow and flat, Rome 2 might be your thing. There are many things added to add complexity.

    Overall, there's a great game here with technical issues. I would give this a 9/10 but one can't overlook the technical issues. Therefore, it should be around a 6-7 on what it currently is. Personally, I view the problems it has as completely fixable so I side closer to a 7. Ignore the children screaming bloody murder over a few bugs.    … Expand
  25. Dairko
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    I have to say... I don't really understand the crap-storm that this game is getting.

    Past that I will say this: Despite poor optimization, and some strange and seemingly confusing and somewhat unfinished features and AI, this game is anything but terrible. Get past its problems that others can't seem climb over, and you will still have massive fun on a (slightly less) massive scale.    I have to say... I don't really understand the crap-storm that this game is getting.

    Past that I will say this:
    Despite poor optimization, and some strange and seemingly confusing and somewhat unfinished features and AI, this game is anything but terrible. Get past its problems that others can't seem climb over, and you will still have massive fun on a (slightly less) massive scale. The new army and agent features are great, however generals die very fast compared to the other games, unfortunately due to the 1 year turns. While the interfaces are rather shuffled, learning them doesn't necessarily take that much time. Also the diplomacy is a bit more usefully equipped compared to its original.

    As far as Skirmishes are concerned, the AI does seem rather off in terms of ability to coordinate its army properly. While it does seem like its trying to do something sometimes, it seems rather mindless. Obviously the AI programmer was either lazy, not given enough time to finish it, or simply did not have enough to work with. The enemy AI seems to only attack head on, trying to end the battle as soon as possible, no flanking maneuvers or anything really to out maneuver the player. However, it does seem to keep them in formation rather well, but because of the fast style of game-play compared to the previous games, battles are rather short, all units seem to lack proper armor ratings, or they simply rout when they suffer a few casualties, same with stronger units as well. Difficulty doesnt seem to change this very much, if at all. On top of that... there seems to be a lack of single faction unit diversity. Though I must say, when the highest graphics settings do work, the battlefield looks astonishing. Arrows and stones are bouncing off shields, and armor design look fantastic. Textures seem to not work properly though (a fairly quick fix is hopefully incoming... and for all these problems).

    Even with the poor AI, and poor optimization, the game does offer a lot for your purchase. The online/LAN coop works nearly as good as the single player campaign. There are plenty of factions to fight and trade with, though most of them are small and and only seem to be there to fill up empty spaces. The map is absolutely enormous, but it will take a rather long time to conquer all of it. I do feel though that CA was lying about a "more epic scale," as the game no longer offers a "Campeign Unit Multiplier." And the voice acting seems a bit silly, and sort of out of place.

    While its got its many problems, the game is not quite broken. All ports checked, this game is a must buy for total war fans. But it may be best for others to wait until a few of the weekly patches are made. This game deserves a bit less than it got from critics, but deserves much more than a bunch of quickly thrown out 0/10s from mindless drivel when the game hasn't been fully experienced. As a release, this game gets from me: 68/100    … Expand
  26. BrianU
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    Overall, a rare misstep from the Total War team. I've been a Total War fan since the first Shogun, and I can't help but feel slightly disappointed. That said, there are a number of plusses, too.

    Pros: Lots of factions to explore, tons of replayability as per usual. Naval battles are streamlined (thank God), plus the addition of naval vessels disgorging troops into the land battles is    Overall, a rare misstep from the Total War team. I've been a Total War fan since the first Shogun, and I can't help but feel slightly disappointed. That said, there are a number of plusses, too.

    Pros: Lots of factions to explore, tons of replayability as per usual. Naval battles are streamlined (thank God), plus the addition of naval vessels disgorging troops into the land battles is awesome. Everything looks great (if somewhat brown). The strategic (that is, big map) AI is much better than before: you won't have weak one-city factions suicidally declaring war on your enormous empire anymore, a major problem I've had for a while. The perma-Legion system is cool, though I'd like to name them myself. The province UI system, while taking some getting used to, is actually not that bad after a while.

    Cons: I have no idea how to work the politics part of the game. The new strategic UI is confusing at first, even for a veteran player like myself. Tutorial is lackluster and poor at acclimating the player to the UI. Tactical AI remains poor, actually a step back from Shogun 2, *especially* when they are attacking or defending a town; enemy missile troops will as often run straight into your cohorts as throw their javelins at you. AI is still bad at creating balanced armies, making most of the battles pushovers if you have a balanced force. Occasional lag. Rather long end-turn sequence, 2+ minutes at worst (there's a lot of factions, so this may be unavoidable. Still, I've found myself alt-tabbing to do something else after I hit the "End Turn" button). When you take the last town of a faction, what remains of their armies will bash themselves repeatedly against whatever towns you have near them, chicken-with-its-head-cut-off style, until they run out of troops.

    I think this game needed a bit more polish, and feels rushed in places. I'm going to blame this one on the publisher, unless someone informs me otherwise. I don't regret my purchase and will continue to play, but I can't help feel let down, and look forward to some patches at the very least.    … Expand
  27. vonzuchter
    Apr 27, 2015
    7
    Back for a 4th review.. I gave it zeros in the first two.. then a 9 after patch 15... I feal the need to reduce my rating a litte bit. Its a nice but didnt last the test of time. After I finished it a couple of time I never played again unlike all other Total War titles which I still play today..
  28. Maiser
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    This is not a rage review, i can play it without any lag. I will omit all rage critics because of crashes(even tough they are several atm), because i expect they will solve it. I will just review it as a "non-poluted" game.

    -Worse graphics than shogun 2 total war. -AI, as bad as always. -Commerce destroyed. You can only commerce from your capital, if you have not sea near(or even    This is not a rage review, i can play it without any lag. I will omit all rage critics because of crashes(even tough they are several atm), because i expect they will solve it. I will just review it as a "non-poluted" game.

    -Worse graphics than shogun 2 total war.

    -AI, as bad as always.

    -Commerce destroyed. You can only commerce from your capital, if you have not sea near(or even if you have it and can not build a port for god´s know why) forget it.

    -City improvement system destroyed. How is this that the avarage of buildings for a city are 4 fully improved and can never be more? Ridiculous.

    -Battle system destroyed. The longes battle you will play will last 10 minutes. Units just route in about 20 seconds at most. No blood or nothing, you do not realise if units have fought or not. Also the "epicness" of cities you expected, forget it.

    You are paying for "the popularity" of the franchise, not for the game itself. Did not expect this from CA taking in account it has been the most financed game of all the franchise. They must have spend it in publicity or something, as otherwhise i do not understand how did they got up with this.

    Neither the UI neither the battles makes you feel like "yes, finally i managed to capture this! It is just so arcade and feeling less.

    To sum up i would say a mediocre-good game, but a bad game to be from total war saga. Entertaining but without getting you enthusiastic on it.

    P.D: I have played all total war games since rome total war.    … Expand
  29. Ukgamer
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    The game is great but a lot of bugs and lag at the min that's the reason for a 7 maybe ill give it a 9 or 10 when they sort the game out i don't see why all the hate is on the game i think is not too bad the way it is now
  30. MorkSal
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    Don't listen to the people who rate this game at the bottom or at the very top.

    The game is fun, it has been stable for me. I'm playing on ultra/extreme settings with little lag (except occasionally during big battles in cities) For people complaining about lackluster AI. This is a total war game. In the history of total war games there has never been stellar AI opponents. *There    Don't listen to the people who rate this game at the bottom or at the very top.

    The game is fun, it has been stable for me. I'm playing on ultra/extreme settings with little lag (except occasionally during big battles in cities)

    For people complaining about lackluster AI. This is a total war game. In the history of total war games there has never been stellar AI opponents.

    *There are problems right now (at the top of the list for me is that there are no drivers optimized for the game). I would recommend waiting a month before getting the game. I imagine most of the bugs will be ironed out by then and I expect drivers for the game at any time that will improve performance.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
7
#7 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 71 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 71
  3. Negative: 7 out of 71
  1. Worth Playing
    Nov 18, 2013
    74
    The game is far less polished than Shogun 2, and a few more patches will help, but Rome II is still a flawed game that is underwhelming when compared to previous titles in the franchise.
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  2. PCGamesN
    Nov 6, 2013
    70
    And here’s the rub: every addition, every sub-system, every mechanic is subservient to War. War is what Total War is really about. Everything else not directly related to conflict comes across as ancillary. Rome II is a game for warmongers, on both the campaign map and, obviously, on the battlefield. When peace is happening, nothing is happening. When war is happening, Rome comes alive.
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  3. PC PowerPlay
    Oct 28, 2013
    40
    If you will play literally anything featuring Total War and Rome in the same title and don't value your time, this is for you. [Nov 2013, p.80]
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