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. LeonardoMaciel
    Sep 10, 2013
    10
    In my opinion the game is excellent. I had no mechanical problems and no graphics. I do not know if I'm a lucky man, but do not understand why so many negative comments and such low scores to a game that is very fun.
  2. Keonax
    Sep 11, 2013
    10
    Great game, amazing strategy map, very solid battles. Unfortunately graphic is laggy, hopefully it will improve with new patches. Still amazing experience for me.
  3. Dr_Fumbles_
    Sep 11, 2013
    10
    Positives
    Love the provincial system. It really lets you turn some cities into big factory or military production cities without it just causing constant riots. Edicts are awesome.
    I actually enjoy the UI a lot. It is different from other games and you will have to learn it, but it wasn't very difficult for me. Like the multiple victory goals. Kinda leans you towards where you want to    Positives
    Love the provincial system. It really lets you turn some cities into big factory or military production cities without it just causing constant riots. Edicts are awesome.
    I actually enjoy the UI a lot. It is different from other games and you will have to learn it, but it wasn't very difficult for me.
    Like the multiple victory goals. Kinda leans you towards where you want to go. Also love that client states and military allies are counted towards your overall territory. Allows you to have the best empire without just murdering everyone.
    Love the different modes armies can be in Raiding, Fortification, forced march. They were something I didn't use for a long time, but realized the use of them later.
    Agents are actually pretty useful, and all seem diverse in what they can do without being OP like in Shogun 2.

    Negatives
    Dumb AI. They aren't bad in most battles, but when they are having offensive siege battles they sometimes just stand outside the walls or run into a wall of pikes. Needs work.
    Turns take a while. Especially late game. When you have lots of trade partners and see most of the world. All the factions can take a while (usually some good diplomacy and battles in that time though)
    Sometimes enemy generals won't die and just try to besiege your city every turn with like 13 guys, but the unit never dies.
    Lots of people are having bug issues (I haven't really had any yet) One freeze during a lot of play.

    Overall this game is probably an 7-8 right now. It needs some work, but the work is being done, so as long as it gets done I'm still giving it a 10. The game has AWESOME potential, and is still very enjoyable to play. I'd suggest waiting like 6 months if you haven't gotten the game so some kinks are worked out. I'm just tired of seeing a million 0's from people who just don't like the AI or UI. Wait a while and get the game. I wouldn't want to miss this game just because of a crap buggy launch.    … Expand
  4. Avonmouth
    Sep 11, 2013
    10
    While Total War: Rome II was a bit of a shock in the beginning, with the different interface for both skirmishes and campaign, I have grown to like it. There is still nothing like watching you siege the city of an adversary or even watch your men engage in a gruesome battle on land or sea. In the beginning, I did not know how I was to like this game. It does have its errors, however, IWhile Total War: Rome II was a bit of a shock in the beginning, with the different interface for both skirmishes and campaign, I have grown to like it. There is still nothing like watching you siege the city of an adversary or even watch your men engage in a gruesome battle on land or sea. In the beginning, I did not know how I was to like this game. It does have its errors, however, I believe that when people become frustrated, they should not take it immediately to the review board. The game has only been out for several days, the errors will get fixed over time. I am not saying this game is perfect as is, however, it has the potential to become one of the greatest PC games I have ever played.

    Of course, that's my opinion. You make your own.    … Expand
  5. Pc_Retro
    Nov 26, 2013
    10
    Amazing game, all bags are patched, and it is just awesome, one of, if not the best total war game. This is a must buy for total war fans, all though it did have a rocky launch, it has been fixed!
  6. sacredzak
    Nov 26, 2013
    10
    This game had a failure to launch but after the patches I found this game the funnest game I have ever played. As a huge fan of total war I know of Creative Assembly and their history of AI and this has some but they fixed them completely. If you've played the others and than played this game you will swear this wasn't made by anyone related to total war empire. That's how great it is! youThis game had a failure to launch but after the patches I found this game the funnest game I have ever played. As a huge fan of total war I know of Creative Assembly and their history of AI and this has some but they fixed them completely. If you've played the others and than played this game you will swear this wasn't made by anyone related to total war empire. That's how great it is! you need to play this even if you don't like gaming in general because you will love playing this game.… Expand
  7. busa27
    Sep 13, 2013
    10
    The game is great now with the last patch!!!!!! And CA will release another patch the nest week. I think you should give the game a second oportunity!
  8. g2nelson
    Sep 15, 2013
    10
    All these people need to learn how to rate a game. They have issues with with the UI choice, ok fair. There are some bugs, none game breaking. Ok fair. But to give a game, a series that you stated you loved, a 0/10 is such a despicable move.

    Well ill take the same route, i enjoy the game immensely. By your logic, that means it deserves a 10/10 so ok!
  9. majoortje
    Sep 15, 2013
    10
    10/10, 85 hours in and even though there are numerous bugs and balancing issues, it is AWESOME. The battles are huge and the animations are supreme, dozens of units with huge variety and thousands of directions to go in. Combined assaults and the other new features make this the best TW ever!
  10. ConnorH
    Sep 15, 2013
    10
    I know there was a lot of bugs for some people but I, like many others, had no problem playing this game flawlessly and I would like to say that it is an outstanding game that adds in many new features and the ai is a huge step up from previous games. Pity people who cant play this game at all feel the need to give it a 0 score when they clearly haven't experienced it
  11. Goodis
    Sep 15, 2013
    10
    Horrible launch, but all their titles had horrible launches and they all eventually got to be all times best strategy games and I'm sure this one will get patched and fixed! Best in the series. Good investment worth every penny.

    + Graphics + Gameplay + Map size + Factions + Culture system + Sieges + Requires detailed city planing and management - Diplomacy - AI (Temporary) -    Horrible launch, but all their titles had horrible launches and they all eventually got to be all times best strategy games and I'm sure this one will get patched and fixed! Best in the series. Good investment worth every penny.

    + Graphics
    + Gameplay
    + Map size
    + Factions
    + Culture system
    + Sieges
    + Requires detailed city planing and management

    - Diplomacy
    - AI (Temporary)
    - No Family tree
    - No Skill tree    … Expand
  12. BlitzNor
    Sep 15, 2013
    10
    As Total War veteran I find the game very enjoable. The campaign map is beatiful. The battle graphics are great. The province system, squalor and food system means you actually have to plan when developing your provinces and empire. The unit rosters of the different factions are diverse and interesting. The battle maps are varied and very well made. Character and army development is great.As Total War veteran I find the game very enjoable. The campaign map is beatiful. The battle graphics are great. The province system, squalor and food system means you actually have to plan when developing your provinces and empire. The unit rosters of the different factions are diverse and interesting. The battle maps are varied and very well made. Character and army development is great. Faction politics add further depth to this character development.

    This is a Total War game and a very ambitious Total War game at that. Se of course it is full of buggs and be completely unbalanced on release. The AI is bugged (though all ready getting much better with the 2.0 patch), but when not bugging out is actually doing good things like circumventing my armies and attacking unprotected settlements. When the buggs are worked out I am confident that the AI will be good. Turn time are overly long because of all the factions, but I find it much more exiting with all the factions instead just lots of characterless rebels.

    As for ballance I actually find this game far more balanced then the first Rome on release were cavalry and elephants literally just trampled everything (stacked Equities death armies were all you needed to conquer the world as Rome). Sure slingers are to strong, but they are easily be chased down by cavalry and wardogs. Larger Naval battles are sadly a mess right now with boarding overpowered, but for now navies are useful for autoresolving against transport fleets.

    This game will be a classic. It will take some patches and mods, but this is the norm for ambitious Total War games and should not surprise any Total War veteran. Stop whining about paying to be a beta tester, you knew what you were getting into. Enjoy empire building for now and make yourself epic battles by charging heroically into superior enemy stacks. The challenging gameplay and campaigns will come later when the game and mods have matured. This game is so big you can enjoy it from different angles.

    10/10 for limitless potential to counteract all this downvoting done by ragers    … Expand
  13. dimo
    Sep 19, 2013
    10
    THE GAME IS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have 40 hours and I want more.I played mostly every TW and I love the franchise.I waited this game so much time and it is great.

    100/10
  14. palexr
    Sep 22, 2013
    10
    99% of negative reviews are from people trying to run a 21st century game on 20th century hardware. It is very apparent from the posts on the forums that most have actually not taken the time to understand the game mechanics and how they work. Laughable whingeing.
  15. HondaTadakatsu
    Sep 28, 2013
    10
    I have played TW since the first Shogun, and in my opinion Rome II is one of the best. OK, I have i7-3930 and GTX 680, so may be that's the reason I haven't had many technical issues even on the first day. AI has been more or less aggressive depending on the faction and campaign, but so it was also in Shogun 2. There are bugs, but not much more than previously and they seem to be fixedI have played TW since the first Shogun, and in my opinion Rome II is one of the best. OK, I have i7-3930 and GTX 680, so may be that's the reason I haven't had many technical issues even on the first day. AI has been more or less aggressive depending on the faction and campaign, but so it was also in Shogun 2. There are bugs, but not much more than previously and they seem to be fixed quickly.
    Also, I don't understand all the talk about stripped features the family tree was never a big deal to me in previous games, so I don’t miss it, and I think the economy makes way more sense than before.
    I remember in Rome I, the cities used to grow often huge with no possibility to actually influence it, and if they were away from the capital, you had rebellions all the time. So I would let them rebel, then conquer again and raise to the ground to get rid of the population. Your own cities. Now how smart was that? And remember having to move your capital around all the time to decrease rebellions? Some people had even created these maps on the internet to optimize where to place your capital depending on the provinces you own. In Rome II one can control it much better if you do not maximize your buildings too quickly without researching technologies to counter that.
    And the three separate Roman factions on the campaign map in Rome I? I loved when Realism mod removed it.
    In Rome I you had these large land swathes controlled by unanimous rebels. With Rome II now each of them is an individual faction, I think, giving the game more breadth.
    I think Rome II is way superior.
    Of course, Shogun 2 is a great game, and I played it a lot. But does it have a much deeper economy system? To the contrary, to me Rome 2 has way more depth in that sense.
    There are issues definitely with the game still and much to be improved, but I will surely be enjoying it. That's why 10.    … Expand
  16. Renwault
    Oct 4, 2013
    10
    This game is amazing and it is only getting better. I have played several Total War games and they all seem to start a bit rocky but this game for me ran very well from the start and I have only had minor issues with the game crashing. The UI is very good and easy to understand. The unit cards are really easy to use and differ unit types. Graphics are really well done in the entiretyThis game is amazing and it is only getting better. I have played several Total War games and they all seem to start a bit rocky but this game for me ran very well from the start and I have only had minor issues with the game crashing. The UI is very good and easy to understand. The unit cards are really easy to use and differ unit types. Graphics are really well done in the entirety of the game. Battles are becoming well rounded with more balancing as the game goes on. CA is working really hard to get the balancing right while they fix minor bugs that are left over.

    The campaign I played on very hard the first time around took me over 400 turns to conquer the entire map. Really well balanced AI for the most part on that trek. I do think that it has become the norm to release games early and this is the same for Rome II but this is not a reflection of the game in itself; the game is fantastic and it will only get better as the add in features that players complain about. People tend to compare games to much to predecessors and forget that companies are trying new things all the time.

    Great game I have and will continue to recommend this to my friends.    … Expand
  17. GeneralTry
    Oct 4, 2013
    10
    I think a lot of the performance issues have been fixed by now, and CA has been updating weekly, even more.

    The game is a lot more finetuned now, though there are still a few bugs that will get fixed. A lot of people just rode the hate bandwagon on this game and didn't even give it a fair shot. Some people just joined in on the hype having NEVER played a total war game, and found out    I think a lot of the performance issues have been fixed by now, and CA has been updating weekly, even more.

    The game is a lot more finetuned now, though there are still a few bugs that will get fixed.

    A lot of people just rode the hate bandwagon on this game and didn't even give it a fair shot. Some people just joined in on the hype having NEVER played a total war game, and found out it wasn't what they wanted, and blamed it on issues and CA. To those people, I give a big you.    … Expand
  18. alexmak
    Oct 5, 2013
    10
    First off, I want to say that I have played all Total War games since Rome 1, and I was very excited for Rome 2. I read all the news about it every day and got very hyped. But when the game was released and the huge mess of its problems was revealed, I was very disappointed. The only reason I give this game a 10/10 is to counter all the people on here that are giving this game a 0 forFirst off, I want to say that I have played all Total War games since Rome 1, and I was very excited for Rome 2. I read all the news about it every day and got very hyped. But when the game was released and the huge mess of its problems was revealed, I was very disappointed. The only reason I give this game a 10/10 is to counter all the people on here that are giving this game a 0 for reasons that I think are faulty and that give a bad image of CA. Do people realize that a 0 means that the game does not get past the first loading screen without crashing? If you can start up a game at all, it does not deserve a 0. If it is apparent that there was a total lack of effort and professionalism in the development, then it deserves a 1. But in my opinion, this game does neither of those things and does not deserve the huge number of 0's and 1's from pissed off people. This game shows that incredible amounts of work, effort, creativity, and care were put into Rome 2: Total War. The only place where the developers and publishers messed up is not giving enough development time and not testing the game properly. This caused minor (but important) features to be left out and also many bugs (some game breaking) to be left in. This in turn made the game unplayable for some, but CA claims that most people can run it without serious issues.Due to these reasons, I do not think that anybody should completely denounce a game simply because they do not like some of its features (or lack of features) and got disappointed that their vision of the game wasn't achieved. This game deserves at least a 5/10 form the people that are do not like it and a somewhere around a 7/10 from people that know that it will become a good game, if not great, through patching and mods. I would personally give this game an 8/10 because I know that just like Skyrim, a true gem of a game will emerge from the flawed vanilla version. But I will not change my score until all the pissed off people give a realistic score that only reflects the problems of the game that have no way of being fixed in the near future and does not take into account their personal feelings and or preferences.… Expand
  19. GregWhite
    Oct 12, 2013
    10
    Ok, so this game has bugs. So what; bugs can be fixed! I don't think we should downgrade the game based on just easily fixable, albeit extremely annoying bugs. I'm rating this game based on its potential to be an amazing total war game. I cannot wait for all the dlc that will undeniably make the game a hell of a lot better. I also like how the Creative Assembly is releasing new patchesOk, so this game has bugs. So what; bugs can be fixed! I don't think we should downgrade the game based on just easily fixable, albeit extremely annoying bugs. I'm rating this game based on its potential to be an amazing total war game. I cannot wait for all the dlc that will undeniably make the game a hell of a lot better. I also like how the Creative Assembly is releasing new patches every week, with this past one (Patch 4) being the biggest yet. Yea yea a game that had such a huge marketing effort as this one shouldn't have so many bugs, especially from a game studio with such a high reputation as the Creative Assembly, but still, the potential of this game is very far reaching. I'm excited to see what becomes of it in the future.… Expand
  20. DiogoNeto
    Oct 17, 2013
    10
    As notas "0"s não correspondem ao que o jogo. As pessoas sente-se frustradas por não terem suas expectativas atendidas e avaliam o jogo de maneira passional. O jogo pode (ainda, antes de futuras atualizações) não se equiparar as versões anteriores da franquia, mas ainda um baita jogo e leva o meu 10 fácil. ;D
  21. Dave-Champagne
    Oct 22, 2013
    10
    This is the Best TOTAL WAR of the Series why many people don't like graphic are better than other Total war ...
    the strategy is different for each faction that why I love this game its a new adventure for each civilization
    and this game have a life expectancy
    Each Faction have something different

    BUY IT if you have a great cpu
  22. Mesner
    Oct 24, 2013
    10
    After all the performance issues, poor optimization and all the things people have complained about, here comes the fourth patch (more to come yet), and I have to say that this game is awesome. The AI is a lot better than when the game was released and in fact minor factions declare war on you (in the released game they didn't). In fact I'm in a world-scale war as a Roman, allied withAfter all the performance issues, poor optimization and all the things people have complained about, here comes the fourth patch (more to come yet), and I have to say that this game is awesome. The AI is a lot better than when the game was released and in fact minor factions declare war on you (in the released game they didn't). In fact I'm in a world-scale war as a Roman, allied with Carthage and the Greek city states against Seleucid faction, eastern rising empires and all the Gaul tribes. Battle AI is improving, and now is not always easy to win a battle. A month after the release I can say I'm beginning to have fun with this game. Hope you can say the same.… Expand
  23. God_Legend
    Oct 28, 2013
    10
    I am writing a review to say that after 5 patches and 8 free factions alongside the original ones available, that the game has improved immensely. AI could still use more work (getting there), but a lot of the technical and performance issues are becoming non-existent with 5 patches and AMD and Nvidia releasing dedicated drivers. The game received way too many bad reviews at the start,I am writing a review to say that after 5 patches and 8 free factions alongside the original ones available, that the game has improved immensely. AI could still use more work (getting there), but a lot of the technical and performance issues are becoming non-existent with 5 patches and AMD and Nvidia releasing dedicated drivers. The game received way too many bad reviews at the start, everything was there, they just needed to patch things up, which is not the fault of Creative Assembly. Sega is the publisher and tells CA when it is to be released, no matter how incomplete it is. I would look into updated reviews from major review sites or other metacritic users to get an idea of the games state as of now, because it is amazing. Also remember that this game is moddable and takes advantage of steam workshop, mods are easy to find and install and can improve your experience tremendously.… Expand
  24. frosbique
    Nov 4, 2013
    10
    nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.nice game. i like.
  25. Username2
    Nov 4, 2013
    10
    Down-vote me all you want, this game is a commercial success and there's nothing you can do about it 800,000 units sold This game deserves it success.
  26. Ghrimy
    Nov 7, 2013
    10
    Hello. I would first like to put that I bought the game the day it came out. No problems, the AI was a little shaky, mostly because they would fall for my pike traps every time. I watched all the reviews, and since playing most TW games since the first Rome, I found there to this to be one of the best total war games I have ever played
  27. MoonUnit
    Nov 20, 2013
    10
    I have played most TW games starting with Shogun1. Love this type of game. I missed Rome1 so was ready for Rome2. Bought it a couple weeks after release and am so glad I did. Started playing campaign as Gaule. Having a blast. Camera view in battles in great fun seeing the chopping up close with the blood pack. Next campaign I will try elephants. So many cool nations to play.I have played most TW games starting with Shogun1. Love this type of game. I missed Rome1 so was ready for Rome2. Bought it a couple weeks after release and am so glad I did. Started playing campaign as Gaule. Having a blast. Camera view in battles in great fun seeing the chopping up close with the blood pack. Next campaign I will try elephants. So many cool nations to play. Barbarians are best. Have not had any bugs, just some lag sometimes on campaign map. I play on Ultra settings. Gotta roll now and continue conquering.… Expand
  28. jackofthehowley
    Nov 25, 2013
    10
    At the start, Rome II was a total let down; bad AI, poor optimisation and the fact I didn't get the Greek States Culture Pack even though I pre-ordered it. Since then, multiple patches have fixed my problems and the Blood and Gore DLC has satisfied my need for... Well, blood and gore. I loved how the Nomadic Tribes Culture Pack was free for a week as an apology (even though I don't reallyAt the start, Rome II was a total let down; bad AI, poor optimisation and the fact I didn't get the Greek States Culture Pack even though I pre-ordered it. Since then, multiple patches have fixed my problems and the Blood and Gore DLC has satisfied my need for... Well, blood and gore. I loved how the Nomadic Tribes Culture Pack was free for a week as an apology (even though I don't really play as those factions), I bought the Greek States pack and I have a successful army of Spartans, BOW TO ME, WORLD! The gameplay has been fixed, now the Athenians wait instead of charging head-first into my pike phalanx. Glad its fixed.… Expand
  29. Quayleo
    Nov 26, 2013
    10
    It is simply amazing it is one of the best strategy games I have ever played and now the patches have been released it now plays like a dream. I would recommend this game to anyone!!! Love it!!!
  30. Mournz
    Nov 30, 2013
    10
    One of the best total war game so far, the game was released broken but now works incredibly well and is a well made game! The graphics are neat and the world is big, there is nothing to really complain about!
  31. mosti
    Jan 8, 2014
    10
    08/01/2014
    Lots of bug fixes since the release of this game. You will find the majority of negative reviews were written before these major fixes.
    I was scpetical but purchased the game after the latest patch. Game is absolutely amazing and highly addictive. There are a few issues I have with camera panning etc which ticks me off and slight issues with micro management of units of the    08/01/2014
    Lots of bug fixes since the release of this game. You will find the majority of negative reviews were written before these major fixes.
    I was scpetical but purchased the game after the latest patch. Game is absolutely amazing and highly addictive. There are a few issues I have with camera panning etc which ticks me off and slight issues with micro management of units of the battlefield but overall quite a solid game.
    I'm new to the total war franchise so not sure if this is above of below their average.
    Would recommend this game    … Expand
  32. XenoVirus
    Dec 5, 2013
    10
    Game is great. Patches help. Mods help more. I have played every TW game and this is the one I have gotten most into. Over 140 hours into it so far. As Suebia literally at war with all of Spain, Greece, and Rome and its never a dull moment. Never had a crash or any tech issues. They have auto guard now btw, that's why there is no guard button. Probably takes a long time to adjust to theGame is great. Patches help. Mods help more. I have played every TW game and this is the one I have gotten most into. Over 140 hours into it so far. As Suebia literally at war with all of Spain, Greece, and Rome and its never a dull moment. Never had a crash or any tech issues. They have auto guard now btw, that's why there is no guard button. Probably takes a long time to adjust to the changes but they are all for the best. AI still needs work, but mods make that irrelevant.… Expand
  33. PureAFM
    Dec 11, 2013
    10
    I think Plenty of other reviews will give you a good impression on gameplay, i personaly love it, something i just want to stress is that on its first month of release it did have serious issues with ATI and AMD hardware and over bugs but scince october they have been FIXED and now you kinda want to ignor people moaning about bugs and performance as they problems simpily dont exist. So byI think Plenty of other reviews will give you a good impression on gameplay, i personaly love it, something i just want to stress is that on its first month of release it did have serious issues with ATI and AMD hardware and over bugs but scince october they have been FIXED and now you kinda want to ignor people moaning about bugs and performance as they problems simpily dont exist. So by all means yes bad on the game makers but from a consumer point of view it is fine now.

    One other point i want to make is that it has been optimised alot, when the game was first released I did find it slow to load on an i5, 16GB RAM and 560Ti (yes i know its not the best rig ever) but now the loading times are a lot mor eccetable and about halved too.    … Expand
  34. ljrobert
    Dec 11, 2013
    10
    I honestly have no idea why the user score is so low. The people who are writing reviews are either Total war dinosaurs or whinging toddlers. There is no way in hell this game should EVER have been rated a 0 by anyone. The game isn't perfect by any means, but it is still a top 3 in the series. You need to learn how to play, of course, and there are some design decisions that areI honestly have no idea why the user score is so low. The people who are writing reviews are either Total war dinosaurs or whinging toddlers. There is no way in hell this game should EVER have been rated a 0 by anyone. The game isn't perfect by any means, but it is still a top 3 in the series. You need to learn how to play, of course, and there are some design decisions that are questionable. But overall, great game, and a positive step forward for the series… Expand
  35. oldschooltactic
    Dec 13, 2013
    10
    Total War: Rome II: I have been playing strategy PC games for over 30 years. Finally a strategy game released that meets my needs. Its superb graphics driven, required user knowledge of tactics and use of terrain during gameplay always keeps me on my toes. I have yet to see another strategy game with as good of graphics and smoothe gameplay as this. Also looking forward to all DLC thatTotal War: Rome II: I have been playing strategy PC games for over 30 years. Finally a strategy game released that meets my needs. Its superb graphics driven, required user knowledge of tactics and use of terrain during gameplay always keeps me on my toes. I have yet to see another strategy game with as good of graphics and smoothe gameplay as this. Also looking forward to all DLC that comes out 8*).

    P.S. Ty for making this game    … Expand
  36. nolij
    Dec 15, 2013
    10
    I've logged about 140 hours so far and love this game. Yes, it still has some bugs but is totally playable. I have a 3.4 GHz dual core Pentium (sandy bridge era), a Radeon 7680, and 8 gigs of RAM and it almost always runs smooth. Yes, the AI can be stupid but it was stupid in Shogun 2 as well. If you want challenging battles, play against human opponents as always.

    I've run into a    I've logged about 140 hours so far and love this game. Yes, it still has some bugs but is totally playable. I have a 3.4 GHz dual core Pentium (sandy bridge era), a Radeon 7680, and 8 gigs of RAM and it almost always runs smooth. Yes, the AI can be stupid but it was stupid in Shogun 2 as well. If you want challenging battles, play against human opponents as always.

    I've run into a couple bugs during campaigns so be sure to save frequently (its frozen a few times while opening the diplomacy tab). Sometimes AI units will be untargetable and unmoveable after unloading from their transports. The bugs aren't a big deal to me (they're rare in my experience). Its still loads of fun and you can always play challenging human opponents when the AI isn't tough enough.    … Expand
  37. pierojal
    Dec 25, 2013
    10
    Impossible to understand all these negative reviews. It is an excellent game, work done should have been immense. After 100 hours, I can state this 10/10 and nothing else!
  38. CerealMonster
    Jan 14, 2014
    10
    To those who read the other reviews on release date, they did not have access to the free DLC (Nomadic tribes, Baktria) and all the patches they put out. The loading speeds are much faster, the game crashes less and the AI are smarter. The game is great now and all should buy it.
  39. mitchell_83
    Jan 2, 2014
    10
    Now that it has been fix whit patches so it work fine, its a really great game.
    The strong side it also all of the mods so you can play whit new things all the time.
    Do not listen to all the haters, this is a great game.
  40. simonpd38
    Jan 3, 2014
    10
    it's simply fantastic! people whining need to learn patients! I am sure all glitches and bugs will be fixed over time! And you say shogun 2 is good? In shogun 2, u get instant and constast attacks from every freaking side. Rome 2 actually gives you allot of breathing, to develop your city, unit's, as well as your researching!! i love this game!
  41. jasper6333
    Jan 28, 2014
    10
    yes the game had some problems in it's release! but all of those problems are gone. nowadays there are only some small bugs. the game is really good,the map is great i love the UI! one conclusion they Nailed it!
  42. Drugoi
    Feb 13, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Even though Rome 2 really put my PC to the test, the newest Total War game managed to convince me thoroughly. Its battlefields are as tactically deep as they are going to get, prettier than I would have dared to dream about and the new tactical options by land and sea are a welcome twist to this superb and quite welcoming strategy title.… Expand
  43. Dizzybra
    Feb 14, 2014
    10
    As a long time fan of Total War, I must say I really enjoyed this game. Yes it was a little buggy when first released. But all the new features are great, the town building though easier, is much more intuitive and is necessary when you control over 100 settlements. Controlling whole provinces is awesome as it gives you an incentive to conquer more. The army system is cool as well, as itAs a long time fan of Total War, I must say I really enjoyed this game. Yes it was a little buggy when first released. But all the new features are great, the town building though easier, is much more intuitive and is necessary when you control over 100 settlements. Controlling whole provinces is awesome as it gives you an incentive to conquer more. The army system is cool as well, as it means u have to position your armies properly rather than just raising new forces everywhere, also means that there is a real point to having a general. I play on a macbook pro which is bootcamped and it runs fine, so im not sure what people are complaining aboout (even better now that a few pathces have been released)

    My biggest complaint however is with the campaing AI, running away from settlements, creating crappy unit compositions etc. It has gotten a lot better with patching though

    Althought I dont think this game is worth a 10, I'm going to give it one, as it is a joke that people are giving this game a 0. Even if you thought it was a dissapointment surely it deserves a 6 or more. It's not unplayable, and the battles are awesome! people still complaining about Empire Total war in their comments, wtf. That was one of the coolest games in the series once it was patched up a bit.    … Expand
  44. eieio
    Feb 17, 2014
    10
    The game is worth every penny i spent on it. I love it. i PreOrderd it and i did not have any of the problems others where having so i have never had a negative feeling towards it.
  45. Hivoltage
    Mar 1, 2014
    10
    Amazing in every way. The amount of stupidity from people hating on this game because it had glitches when it came out is unbelievable. These bugs have been fixed. This game is among the best I've ever played, would recommend it anytime.
  46. GermiyanBey
    Mar 8, 2014
    10
    People put downgrading ratings or wrote bad reviews because of the condition of Rome II's initial release; but after the game is patched, you will witness the Best Total war Game ever!

    I started to play the game after patch 7 and I don't know the level of condition to play the game which that was badly graded by reviewers. So I suggest to players who still think the game with its early    People put downgrading ratings or wrote bad reviews because of the condition of Rome II's initial release; but after the game is patched, you will witness the Best Total war Game ever!

    I started to play the game after patch 7 and I don't know the level of condition to play the game which that was badly graded by reviewers. So I suggest to players who still think the game with its early condition to revise their opinions about the game and start to play it again.

    For the newcomers who have not played Rome 2 before, I strongly suggest Rome 2 with its strategical environment which has so developed diplomacy, different elements of warfare (such as raid, fortify, forced march), and trade that are all having large impact on the game. After latest patches, it is certain this will become your favorite totalwar game if you played and enjoyed previous ones.    … Expand
  47. GameCommenter
    Jun 2, 2014
    10
    Ever since the game was published, it was BS. There was bad AI, many glitches that really pissed off gamers including me but as the times goes, the game(patched) and became the best total game ever!!!

    Go to www.youtube.com/user/lionheartx10 for awesome rome total war 2 walkthrough
  48. Alaric88
    Apr 16, 2014
    10
    I'm one of many who hasn't experienced any problems with this game. Sure, it's not perfect, but no game will be until we all have better, more advanced technology. Many of these reviews are disappointed fanboys with outdated tech with unattainable expectations exaggerating the games' release time faults. This is a big game, if you don't have a very good PC, you won't be able to play theI'm one of many who hasn't experienced any problems with this game. Sure, it's not perfect, but no game will be until we all have better, more advanced technology. Many of these reviews are disappointed fanboys with outdated tech with unattainable expectations exaggerating the games' release time faults. This is a big game, if you don't have a very good PC, you won't be able to play the highest settings.
    Rome II has undergone significant patching since release, and while at first it lacked substance and wasn't very absorbing; it now it vastly improved. CA have been very supporting of their fanbase and they appear to have acknowledged the design flaws which they are continuing to fix. It's only going to get better!    … Expand
  49. Ronaldus7
    Apr 24, 2014
    10
    TW: Rome II is a perfect game with mods. For me is it the best game of the series. (I have spent 200 hours in this game) Only AI is bad, but if you want all achievements, its hard enough :)
  50. scorpiangamer27
    May 17, 2014
    10
    This game is VERY fun. I think it's better than Sid mires civilizations 5. And if u guys don't agree o well DEAL WITH IT! (I AM NoT talking to the crictics)
  51. pinkklashinov
    May 19, 2014
    10
    End Turn time takes so long to start a new turn .. that's so poring i suggest to put option in the settings to skip the far away nations from being showed in every turn only to show the nations that i have borders with it .. but in general i love the series of TOTAL WAR
  52. Airlick
    May 22, 2014
    10
    I know it's been 9 months since the game released, I actually played it on launch and enjoyed it even back then, when the game truly was a bugged piece of junk. Right now it's GREAT. The grand majority of bugs has been fixed. Why are people hating on the game so much? The most important thing is: HATEWAGON. They read that the majority of people hates the game (even if they are simply lyingI know it's been 9 months since the game released, I actually played it on launch and enjoyed it even back then, when the game truly was a bugged piece of junk. Right now it's GREAT. The grand majority of bugs has been fixed. Why are people hating on the game so much? The most important thing is: HATEWAGON. They read that the majority of people hates the game (even if they are simply lying or stupid) and they just spit out more of their hateful comments.

    Just don't listen to it. Diplomacy got very good in comparison to previous installments, you can actually make alliances now. In the previous games there was no way you could ever make a new ally at some point in the game. In Rome 2, you can pretty much ally with half of the world if you play it well. You don't have to zerg every other faction in game anymore.

    Stupid AI? The only bad thing about AI is the sieges, AI is truly broken during sieges, it will literally let you slaughter its whole army with archers and will never move out of the city plaza. This is truly bad. But aside of that, CA made a major step forward with AI, in comparison to the previous installments. It's actually trying to flank your units now, it's abusing archers during non-siege battles if you don't have archers yourself (it just won't attack you until it blows all missiles, like it did in the previous games), it's playing well during ambushes...

    There's literally not a single major flaw that Rome 2 has. People are just hating for no reason, maybe they expected Shogun 2.5, but the game is simply different than the previous installments.

    Just don't listen to the **** spewed in other comments. If you enjoyed Shogun 2 or any previous Total War game, you'll love Rome 2 as well. It is a DIFFERENT game, yes, it's not the same old Total War, but it's a step in the right direction. I don't know if CA is planning to release more Total War games, I know they are working on a Warhammer Fantasy game, and I really wouldn't mind if it was similar to Rome 2.    … Expand
  53. Marin99
    Jun 4, 2014
    10
    The best strategy game ever.
    Amazing graphics
    Real great strategy possibility's
    Really good options war
    Although the diplomacy and building options aren't good enough
    I definitely advise you to buy it.
    and the game is hard enough to net get boring
  54. Nikos453
    Sep 9, 2015
    10
    A lot of hate for a really awesome game , the game is fixed the campaign is just awesome! and the online feels really good too. I havent met any bug yet and i really enjoy the game i bought it from steam for like 13Euro it was a really good discount. Im coming from Rome 1 by the way :) 10/10 Recommended.
  55. Santious
    Jul 26, 2014
    10
    The game is awesome. I really don't know why so many low scores. I bought the game last month and so far have not seen any bug. The AI is not stupid, and the game runs perfectly. The campaign map is beautiful and sooo many features, totally complex. Well, 10/10.
  56. sradao
    Sep 5, 2014
    10
    Sweet and fun fun game at all! Forget about the bad ratings from initial users, because after the patch most issues has gone, making this game still the best game from all of the Total War family. The DLCs are great too, so buy it and enjoy this really recommended game!
  57. aetherium_wars
    Sep 18, 2014
    10
    Apesar do lançamento ter sido uma grande decepção, muito foi-se arrumado no jogo. A I.A. do jogo está muito mais desafiadora e inteligente do que antes; Dezenas de bugs foram consertados, não há mais o porque de ficar se criticando o jogo por coisas do seu passado. Então nota: 10/10
  58. kwak926
    Sep 21, 2014
    10
    Emperor Edition released NOW, so it is not a suck game in this time

    Fixed Unit AI behavior, Improved Graphic Optimization, Pretty many of MODs through Steam Workshop
  59. Oxu90
    Sep 22, 2014
    10
    After 15 patches, multiple DLC and EMPIRE edition coming out (with augustus dlc) i would rate this game a 9 and best of the series.

    True some bugs exists, but at the moment it has less bugs than any other VANILLA totalwar game to date. Almost all complains of release version has been addressed and even politics and civil war got major overhaul. Rome 2 is most supported totalwar game to    After 15 patches, multiple DLC and EMPIRE edition coming out (with augustus dlc) i would rate this game a 9 and best of the series.

    True some bugs exists, but at the moment it has less bugs than any other VANILLA totalwar game to date. Almost all complains of release version has been addressed and even politics and civil war got major overhaul. Rome 2 is most supported totalwar game to date and i would argue that it is also game that CA has listened it's fans most(after release).

    For those that have never played Totalwar game before, i would say that dont be afraid of these "0" reviews, those are just plain stupid as game itself is top quality and brings shame to many games that can be completed in 3 hours

    Oh and there is EXCELLENT mods out there for everybodys tastes, easily accessed from STEAM workshop

    Greetings
    - somebody that has played 1000 hours    … Expand
  60. Gutenisse
    Dec 26, 2014
    10
    According to Steam, I have played 835 hours of Rome II and I love it. I have never played a game as long as this and I have been playing computer games since the early '90.

    I really liked Rome I, Medieval II and Shogun II, but Rome II excels them all in every way, except the UI, but I got used to it after a few hours. The graphics and sounds are superb and the combat is excellent.    According to Steam, I have played 835 hours of Rome II and I love it. I have never played a game as long as this and I have been playing computer games since the early '90.

    I really liked Rome I, Medieval II and Shogun II, but Rome II excels them all in every way, except the UI, but I got used to it after a few hours.

    The graphics and sounds are superb and the combat is excellent. The AI has been improved over time and is good enough for me, playing on Very Hard.    … Expand
  61. DamienOlivera
    Jan 27, 2015
    10
    Just like Rome wasn't built in a day, so was this game.

    This is by far my favorite Total War game. Everyone praises "Shogun II" but this is in my honest opinion, my favorite. It expands on so much and has so many new benefits that trump the older games. Of course there were going to be bugs in the beginning, what does one expect? It's pretty much every modern video game company    Just like Rome wasn't built in a day, so was this game.

    This is by far my favorite Total War game. Everyone praises "Shogun II" but this is in my honest opinion, my favorite.

    It expands on so much and has so many new benefits that trump the older games.

    Of course there were going to be bugs in the beginning, what does one expect?

    It's pretty much every modern video game company does: release it with so many glitches and so many bugs, that at times, it's unplayable.

    I have seen the glitches, I have seen the bugs on forums and so forth. And thus I just waited.

    And the wait was all worth it.

    I for one don't agree with video game companies doing releasing games that are not even playable and releasing it to the markets, but at the very least, this game was done with great ambition. And for that, I applaud them.

    For in the end, it is indeed my favorite Total War in the series.

    They fixed the AI, they fixed the bugs, and it runs beautifully. I have over 200 hours on it and still counting. And I will keep at it.    … Expand
  62. Alukhardius
    Sep 1, 2017
    10
    The game is awesome, stop scuming!

    All problems are resolved (about AI, bugs, etc.) and almost of the reviews are oldest then my grandpa...

    Buy it, its a grate game!
  63. Aleximperia
    Jan 24, 2019
    10
    Immortal game; lately they have also added the family tree (with a bit of delay) but the point and that more time passes and more becomes beautiful. The only flaw that is a game with too many DLCs
  64. yesnowhocares
    Sep 30, 2019
    10
    started as a **** game, ended as a masterpiece the amount of content this game provides is just amazing
  65. MariosGAte7
    Feb 17, 2020
    10
    Great game after all the updates.. My favourite dlc is wrath of sparta and is worth buying if you like ancient greeks and also if you download the mod HELLENIKA which is a mod absolutely for wrath of sparta you will experience the ancient greeks with many more units all of them historical accurate and a much better campaign ...Give it a try you wont regret it!!! Make sure to read theGreat game after all the updates.. My favourite dlc is wrath of sparta and is worth buying if you like ancient greeks and also if you download the mod HELLENIKA which is a mod absolutely for wrath of sparta you will experience the ancient greeks with many more units all of them historical accurate and a much better campaign ...Give it a try you wont regret it!!! Make sure to read the manual before playing if you download the mod..… Expand
  66. kreml2
    Jul 11, 2022
    10
    Я огромный фанат Тотал вар и я рад что есть такая часть этой гениальной серии как Тотал вар Рим 2 ,эта часть собрала в себе все самые интересные механики во всей серии и добавила свои, игра получила плохие рецензии из-за слишком раннего выхода, когда большая часть багов и системных ошибок не было убрано. Но разработчики доделали проект и в итоге эта игра стала одной из лучших стратегий заЯ огромный фанат Тотал вар и я рад что есть такая часть этой гениальной серии как Тотал вар Рим 2 ,эта часть собрала в себе все самые интересные механики во всей серии и добавила свои, игра получила плохие рецензии из-за слишком раннего выхода, когда большая часть багов и системных ошибок не было убрано. Но разработчики доделали проект и в итоге эта игра стала одной из лучших стратегий за всю историю игровой индустрии.… Expand
  67. Slayver
    Sep 16, 2021
    10
    At the start, the quality was not very good. But, over time, we managed to make a lot of additions correcting gameplay and expanding the player's capabilities. The project is essentially an icon of its time.
  68. Goshan220
    Jul 31, 2021
    10
    как по мне, отличное улучшение по сравнению с первой частью, переработана система построек, улучшена графика, хотя могла бы быть и лучше. Но всё равно 400+ часов в стиме говорят сами за себя
  69. Waltram
    Jul 31, 2021
    10
    I played all Total War games and Rome II is by far my favourite. There are plenty of countries, quite a few campaigns (some in DLC), the political aspect is well developed, the buildings, units and political system are very different depending on the culture... Greta game.
  70. dodzylla
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    The game is very good, but the AI is still the same every battle is very easy, on very hard too, so this is very disappointing the UI is disgusting.

    Everything else is fine.
  71. VaeVictis
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    Don't listen to the trolls. This is a worthy successor to both Shogun II and Rome I, with all of the good qualities of both (Excellent, cinematic battle scenes, large, varied maps, naval combat for the former; varied faction and units, huge world map, and more in-depth characters for the latter) while improving some of the faults that have haunted the Total War series since its inception.Don't listen to the trolls. This is a worthy successor to both Shogun II and Rome I, with all of the good qualities of both (Excellent, cinematic battle scenes, large, varied maps, naval combat for the former; varied faction and units, huge world map, and more in-depth characters for the latter) while improving some of the faults that have haunted the Total War series since its inception. The AI still makes blunders, but on the harder difficulties, they're less frequent and rarely as bad as Shogun II's, or, God forbid, Empire's. Some of the new mechanics I like, while some I'm more on the fence about, but on the whole, I feel like the changes they made were for the better, especially the region/province/settlement system. If you're a fan of the previous games, there should be no question as to whether Rome II is right for you. If you weren't a fan before, this probably won't win you over.… Expand
  72. Suyadon
    Sep 7, 2013
    9
    Am I just lucky? I'm trying to be helpful with this review.

    Any rating below 7 is just ridiculous. I've played 14 hours now. My hardware: I did a clean operating system install (win 7) recently to avoid possible conflicts (which many seem to be experiencing), samsung SSD, i5 2500k processor overclocked to 4.5ghz, 1GB mid-tier VGA card 8GB Ram (nothing spectacular). I've been a fan of    Am I just lucky? I'm trying to be helpful with this review.

    Any rating below 7 is just ridiculous. I've played 14 hours now. My hardware: I did a clean operating system install (win 7) recently to avoid possible conflicts (which many seem to be experiencing), samsung SSD, i5 2500k processor overclocked to 4.5ghz, 1GB mid-tier VGA card 8GB Ram (nothing spectacular).

    I've been a fan of about every Total War game and modded games. I only experienced one glitch (fixed in patch notes) to date and run the game on extreme w/ no frame rate or other glitches. I believe this is the best of the series to date and will only get better with time, especially with mods.

    Now to the game: Took me 11 hours to figure out the UI. Yes, it's very clunky, you will need hours to figure it out. And when you do, many things will make sense. A lot of info and a different method of finding it will frustrate long time Total War gamers. My first 11 hours were as Sparta on "Hard" (too easy). I'm now playing Rome on "legendary" and loving it. You make stupid mistakes and you will pay dearly but not be completely wiped off the map.

    Diplomacy is awesome, Campaign AI is very good, Battle AI is just ok (not broken just a speed issue and I think will be resolved by raising unit Hit points as well). Game is more epic than ever and more manageable. 3 Amy's & 3 fleets max. Additionally, fortifying units based on buildings is perfect for this game. No stack spam or ridiculous rebel spawning.

    This is a massive game so expect long turn wait times. I think a lean SSD helps. My turns complete w/in 20 seconds unless you want to watch every opponent unit make it's move which drags it out.

    Last note: I still haven't figured out how the family systems works and probably a lot of other things, but I think that will only make the game that much more enjoyable when I do! If you don't have the patients to learn the UI and how it works, you will hate this game.    … Expand
  73. Digitalkid
    Oct 18, 2013
    9
    First of all. Just bought a "new" rig, not so powerfull, but rome2 works perfect on 80% of top graphics settings. No glitches, no freeses, works perfect with 4 patches, and looks aweseome (in a rainy conditions).

    Absolutely awesome new features: + No army without a general (who can be changed), so no small packs of troops just roaming everywhere. + XP for everyine! Troops, armies,    First of all. Just bought a "new" rig, not so powerfull, but rome2 works perfect on 80% of top graphics settings. No glitches, no freeses, works perfect with 4 patches, and looks aweseome (in a rainy conditions).

    Absolutely awesome new features:
    + No army without a general (who can be changed), so no small packs of troops just roaming everywhere.
    + XP for everyine! Troops, armies, generals, provinces, all are getting experience. Much slower, cause characters XP divided in 3 parts.
    + Legendary Difficulty, which is: only auto-saves and no active pause, plus some other difficulties.
    + Slow tech development. Only slingers at first and no archers, no superlegions and stuff. Reform your army! Unic tech trees for main civs although.
    + Absolutely brilliant changes into strategy mode like province system with it's building and few cities.
    + Understandable diplomacy with hints like "recent war with our allies 10", "gifts to us 10". Tnx Civ5.
    + More complex senate system. With bunch af random events and memorable random characters.

    - Faster battles. Soldiers are running faster 8) so epicness is a bit lost, but it's ok.
    - No family tree. But family is still here.

    About AI. Ofcourse it's not a human player, but there are cavalry through flanks, enemy units can break through your line, leave skirmish, regroup and flank you. Just lost a HUGE sea battle, lost 2 generals and 2 armies, recently took a city with huge losses, so AI looks MUCH better then anywhere in Total War (excerpt Shogun2 maybe, didn't played it).

    PS. Played about 12 hours, half for a prologue campaign. So may change my mind. 8)    … Expand
  74. Heben2
    Sep 16, 2013
    9
    Great game, some changes on how the campaign map works (cities, regions etc.), which works nicely. Same awesome battles, now with astonishing graphics.
    There are some problems though, where some people (as always) cannot play the game from release. They seem keen on fixing this though.
    AI is a bit ambivalent some times really 'smart', some times amazingly dumb.. Really heavy game to    Great game, some changes on how the campaign map works (cities, regions etc.), which works nicely. Same awesome battles, now with astonishing graphics.
    There are some problems though, where some people (as always) cannot play the game from release. They seem keen on fixing this though.
    AI is a bit ambivalent some times really 'smart', some times amazingly dumb..
    Really heavy game to run, as it feels like it was not optimised at all. I have only small problems, but I read that a lot of ppl have great difficulty even running the game. I expect this to be handled in patches.
    I believe they will fix a lot of the problems, though it does not seem likely they change the ai too much, as it is such an advanced part of the game.
    As with all Total War-games, I still love this title and must give it 9/10 so far.
    I understand ppls frustration and why the rating is so negative right now, but releases has been rough on all aaa-titles the last 5 years, so this should, unfortunately, be expected by now.    … Expand
  75. Surg3on
    Sep 15, 2013
    9
    In under two weeks patches have made enough difference for me to rate this game a 7. While there are still bugs and same questionable design decisions this is still a solid improvement in the Total War franchise. AI is now quite solid and its a heck of an improvement over the constant siege battles of Shogun2 (which I still loved but ...urgh so many sieges).
    If you have brains enough to    In under two weeks patches have made enough difference for me to rate this game a 7. While there are still bugs and same questionable design decisions this is still a solid improvement in the Total War franchise. AI is now quite solid and its a heck of an improvement over the constant siege battles of Shogun2 (which I still loved but ...urgh so many sieges).
    If you have brains enough to get your settings right it is absolutely gorgeous.
    While this game partially deserves all those zeros for being rushed out the door too early I do wonder if these people will come back and rescore in a month.    … Expand
  76. stocean
    Jul 30, 2014
    9
    Okay, I've been following the game for almost a year now. It was no doubt in a terrible state at launch. However, through continuous efforts in improving the game by both the developers and fans alike, the game is in a much much better shape now that I think it deserves a better score than this.

    Yes, it's not acceptable to release an unfinished product and it should be criticized. On    Okay, I've been following the game for almost a year now. It was no doubt in a terrible state at launch. However, through continuous efforts in improving the game by both the developers and fans alike, the game is in a much much better shape now that I think it deserves a better score than this.

    Yes, it's not acceptable to release an unfinished product and it should be criticized. On the other hand, however, if developers admit their faults, put tons of effort in improving and fixing their product, it should be recognized and credited.

    I believe now with almost 14 patches and numerous DLCs and/or user made mods, the game not only has tons of contents to offer, but also performs much better and the AI got improved by a great margin(still not perfect, but much better).Overall I think this game, at the current state, deserves a spot in any RTS/Total fan's library.    … Expand
  77. NoseBagUK
    Sep 6, 2013
    9
    Excellent game, sure the AI could be better, and it could be a bit more optimized, but name one game with anything like the scope and ambition of Rome 2? Crusader kings and Europa Universalis maybe be solid and deep games but lets face it they are a pretty interface for a spreadsheet.

    Rome 2's battles are visually epic and the campaign map is fun to play.

    loving it!!
  78. myelic
    Sep 12, 2013
    9
    So far I've logged 30 hours in this game and I'm still entertained. Great value.

    Aesthetically the battlefields are crisp and realistic, with greater attention to terrain detail than in previous titles. Particularly in cities I pause to study the architecture or just awe at the battle scenes. The UI is minimalist with elements inspired by roman art. The unit cards are an example of    So far I've logged 30 hours in this game and I'm still entertained. Great value.

    Aesthetically the battlefields are crisp and realistic, with greater attention to terrain detail than in previous titles. Particularly in cities I pause to study the architecture or just awe at the battle scenes.

    The UI is minimalist with elements inspired by roman art. The unit cards are an example of this, it's curious that some people rage about it.

    So far I've played Rome and a Germanic tribe. I've not finished neither campaign, and doubt I will. On the contrary I look forward to trying other factions and exploring new theaters; the size make the game seem endless.

    This is very much a stop-and-smell-the-flowers-game for people who love history, military and the Roman era.

    Negatives: The AI is weak, and the game has plenty of bugs. Other than this the critique seem to be based on either on particular tastes or a lack of brains; it's hardware demanding because it was made without regard for console specs and IT'S SIZE IS EPIC.    … Expand
  79. Dangoesforth
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Whilst there is a higher barrier of entry than past Total War games (Except Empire), the player is thoroughly rewarded with a rich and highly varied strategy game, which demonstrates Creative Assembly's continual ability to innovate upon its basic formula which has grown for over a decade.
    Presentation- It is quite clear that authenticity has become a clear objective for CA, as Rome II is by far the best of the series and also any other series in presenting you with a realistic world. Be it either with the now astonishing cities with specific landmarks and factional/demographic traits, to the detail on every soldiers face and gear, all of which you can zoom in to see in all its splendor. The only issue that has become apparent is some launch graphical problems and FPS losses which many have encountered, these are highly likely easy to fix, but with a powerful rig most of these problems will not occur, those with less powerful machines will see a drastic loss of performance, more than you would expect anyway.
    Gameplay- With a satisfying prologue featuring strong voice action (Mark Strong) Rome II comfortably introduces a new player to the series and demonstrates the changes to Total War Veterans. One of the biggest changes made is the recruitment of armies, no longer are armies queued within a city, but requested from organised armies. This may cause problems for veterans as it makes a huge difference of the way one goes about attacking and defending provinces; however this is a welcome change as it streamlines the process of recruitment of requesting troops to exactly where you want without a rally point being needed from multiple cities. Other changes from the province system allowing the player to macro-manage multiple cities, avoids the complexities faced with past Total war games; to the new diplomatic options which have become much more intuitive in striking deals and easier to deal with, though it still has some faults, with unrealistic AI demands which just have no justification.
    Another major change from a gameplay aspect is the ability to embark upon Land & Sea battles simultaneously, this adds a huge variety to any battle and allows for spectacular siege battles, one of which has already been demonstrated with the Carthage historical battle, a welcome change.
    Along with other niche changes the battle system has been refined to produce by far the best Total War game of the series, with the only negatives coming from the high barrier of entry and launch graphical issues. Though it may not become a cult hit like its prequel Rome: Total War CA have created a spectacular game which will entice newcomers with its polish and grandeur and also highly satisfy Total War veterans with new refinements and updates. A true Total War game if ever I saw one. I would give this game 9.6 if I could but I will settle for a 9.    … Expand
  80. bigbonees
    Sep 19, 2014
    9
    After a year of the originl realese, the emperor edition is the game what rome 2 should been. They fixed the AI, all the bugs, the graphical errors and improved the performance.
  81. LordSolar
    Sep 20, 2014
    9
    Although this game was quite bad when it was released, it has become a pretty good game because of CA's continued patching. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
  82. Rohiron
    Nov 7, 2013
    9
    I have over 120 hours on the game, the campaign is quite an improvement compared to te previus tittle' s, CA is also working hard on the bugs and stuff, the only problem i have with te game is the multiplayer mode, WTF happend to avatar conquest? Now they just gave us the same there was in any previus TW exept for shogun 2 ofcourse. i also hate how i paid 54 euros for it and now 2 monthsI have over 120 hours on the game, the campaign is quite an improvement compared to te previus tittle' s, CA is also working hard on the bugs and stuff, the only problem i have with te game is the multiplayer mode, WTF happend to avatar conquest? Now they just gave us the same there was in any previus TW exept for shogun 2 ofcourse. i also hate how i paid 54 euros for it and now 2 months later its the weekend deal on steam for 41 euro' s thats just bull****.… Expand
  83. Hardcard
    Sep 15, 2013
    9
    This game is a solid 8 at least, no matter how low it's rated here.
    The only thing these haters are right about is the pathetic AI, which, well, it is indeed pathetic.
    You don't want to pay for a flawed TW game? Wait some months until a solid body of patches and mods fix AI and major bugs, and then buy the game. You should already know by now that CA likes to release games that need    This game is a solid 8 at least, no matter how low it's rated here.
    The only thing these haters are right about is the pathetic AI, which, well, it is indeed pathetic.
    You don't want to pay for a flawed TW game? Wait some months until a solid body of patches and mods fix AI and major bugs, and then buy the game. You should already know by now that CA likes to release games that need patching/modding in order to achieve the quality we all like.

    But, anyway, what about Rome II's virtues? Only half of the people here are talking about those.
    I've played all TW titles since the original "Rome: Total War" and Rome II has absolutely the best graphics by light years (anyone who says this is a "repixelated" version of Rome:TW whatever that means...LOL, is either a fool or a liar (or has a rig that can't handle Rome II and the game is lowering texture and model quality according to the system capabilities).
    Rome II isn't a pain in the arse to micro/macro manage and has, AT LAST, a clear diplomacy system that makes sense, unlike the original Rome:TW.
    A pretty lame AI is the only real flaw of Rome II, the rest rocks big time. Give them time to improve AI/develop mods and this stuff will be a milestone in ancient era strategy games.

    I don't understand why people is saying Shogun II had a better UI when Rome II has pretty much the same. But anyway, some of them are rating this game a 0 only because they don't like the UI.
    Don't worry guys, someone will patch it or make a mod soon enough that will end your misgivings.
    You think Rome:TW had an intuitive UI? LOL. I hated spending 10 entire minutes endlessly clicking different windows and icons only to manage my construction reports, and after that I had to manage my unit recruitment reports which meant 5 additional minutes of clicking, and after that I had to spend 5 more minutes managing diplomacy and agent actions. So we are talking about AT LEAST 20 minutes of clicking all sorts of things just to manage the basic elements of my faction EVERY TURN.
    The rest of the time I spent moving troops, warring and checking my settlements INDIVIDUALLY (when I had a few of them it was fun, but when I had 30+ it started being really annoying). What many people here is complaining about is that they no longer get to spend nearly half an hour in managing their settlements and getting sick of it in the process.
    Rome II's provincial managing makes it so much faster/easier to handle settlements and troops I can't believe you guys don't like it. And what about the building tree? How many buildings do you need?
    I hated it when I had 10 different types of shrines and temples, when I didn't need a third of them.
    In Rome:TW you didn't need half the buildings available for construction, so what was the point? Immersion? Don't worry, I'm sure someone will make a mod adding hundreds of buildings.
    I like the number of buildings Rome II offers, but if someone makes a mod including more buildings I'll sure give it a try. The same goes for the tech tree, you are complaining about things that are easily solved and don't have a major impact on the game. I'm glad of the simple fact that Rome II has a tech tree, unlike Rome:TW, and If someone makes a script to add even more technologies I'll be even happier, but I won't start complaining about something I regard as an improvement .

    What about naval battles and landings? They are great features, something Rome:TW lacked and has been included in Rome II, so what's wrong? The problem is the AI which is a totally different matter and will disappear when it gets fixed, the rest is absolutely amazing and I'm glad CA included it in the game.

    It's true Rome II doesn't let you split your forces the same way Rome:TW allowed ok this is a setback but, again, I'm sure it can be changed. And what about unit recruitment? It's pretty much the same as always, you can only train troops at the settlements were you have developed the technology to train them so what's wrong about it?
    Someone complained about units becoming a blob after entering combat (losing their formation)...
    first, this also happened in the rest of TW games, second, it's realistic, when you are hitting and getting hit your concentration shifts from keeping your formation to not dying...
    And what about chariot/horse impacts? Of course units fly away and get crushed into the ground, it's kind of what happens...

    And yes, there are no family trees in Rome II, at least not like in Rome:TW, big deal... Rome II deserves a 0 for this?

    Battles are too short and easy... well, that's because the AI is lame. Again, once it gets fixed you won't stand a chance. This is the same problem all the previous TW games had and were eventually solved.
    Rome II runs at decent fps on my rig but, like the rest of TW games, it lags over time. Well, I'm amazed Rome II can run 4000+ hugely detailed units, terrain,sky, water, effects at 50fps, so that's that...

    Great game with a nasty AI and lots of potential.    … Expand
  84. betts_corey
    Sep 4, 2013
    9
    This is a Good Game, and I will stand by my "9". I do not see how people can justify giving the game a Zero simply because 1) there machine cannot run it (which is a lot of them) or 2) small, petty superficial problems that will be fixed in a few weeks. It is sad that the game is getting rated so low because of people's ignorance and lack of patience. It is a solid game. The Cultures allThis is a Good Game, and I will stand by my "9". I do not see how people can justify giving the game a Zero simply because 1) there machine cannot run it (which is a lot of them) or 2) small, petty superficial problems that will be fixed in a few weeks. It is sad that the game is getting rated so low because of people's ignorance and lack of patience. It is a solid game. The Cultures all look and play differently, unlike Shogun 2 where each faction had 2 or 3 unique units but all played identically. There are no game breaking problems IF you have a good computer and many of the "major issues" will be gone within a few weeks. If you like Total War games, This game is for you.… Expand
  85. Stewhammer
    Oct 31, 2013
    9
    Release was horrible but patches have fixed most problems. AI still needs some work but for the most part the game is fantastic! I can understand people giving bad scores at release but they have no right to give 0's at this point or anything below a 7.
  86. Spgsamuel
    Dec 17, 2013
    9
    its exactly what to expect from a total war game, and has some nice improvements.

    one point id like to make is its not perfect. it has small issues. all new games do. I have read so many 0-3 score reviews, i think that's a bit harsh. though i have been playing the game fully modded since i bought it. Like all total war games they really need a little help from the comunity mods to    its exactly what to expect from a total war game, and has some nice improvements.

    one point id like to make is its not perfect. it has small issues. all new games do. I have read so many 0-3 score reviews, i think that's a bit harsh. though i have been playing the game fully modded since i bought it. Like all total war games they really need a little help from the comunity mods to really get the best from them.

    like radious, verts traits overhaul, various retextures (so unit are not all wearing identical armor)

    they add content, better ai fix a few niggly annoying gameplay issues and add some roleplay depth into what is really a very good game which has so much more potential than everyone is giving it credit

    to think i almost didnt buy it becuse of all the low metascore critic reviews.

    ignore the bad reviews. buy this game anway, install at least 5 popular mods before you start to play it. enjoy.    … Expand
  87. snipe3pt0
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    This game is great. There seems to be an issue with optimization for some. I have been lucky enough to only have some fps issues and that's all. The new features and diplomatic systems are really an improvement to me. My major complaint with the game itself not the bugs that will be ironed out in time. Is that the battles are over too quickly. Despite that I love the game and see at leastThis game is great. There seems to be an issue with optimization for some. I have been lucky enough to only have some fps issues and that's all. The new features and diplomatic systems are really an improvement to me. My major complaint with the game itself not the bugs that will be ironed out in time. Is that the battles are over too quickly. Despite that I love the game and see at least 100 plus hours of my life slipping away its glory!… Expand
  88. Fir
    Sep 4, 2013
    9
    Compared to the original Rome, almost everything has noticeably changed aside from the setting and the staples of Total War games (Real time battles, turn based empire management, controlling regions, etc.). However, compared to the more recent TW games like Empire and Shogun 2, there's a lot of similarities, so if you've played those than a lot of this should sound familiar. Here's aCompared to the original Rome, almost everything has noticeably changed aside from the setting and the staples of Total War games (Real time battles, turn based empire management, controlling regions, etc.). However, compared to the more recent TW games like Empire and Shogun 2, there's a lot of similarities, so if you've played those than a lot of this should sound familiar. Here's a rundown of the differences I've found from Rome 1:
    -Cities are very different. In Rome 1 each region had its own settlement that you could build on and upgrade to infinite, in Rome 2 settlements are combined into provinces, where there is one major capital of the region that gets walls, and the rest are smaller towns without walls. As an example, the province of Italia has 4 settlements that make up northern Italy, with Rome as the capital of the province. Many of the main capital cities like Carthage, Alexandria, Rome, etc. have unique layouts. Cities now have a certain number of building slots, that can be filled with certain buildings, meaning cities have to be specialized (cities focused on army production, trade, culture, etc.), instead of building anything and everything you wanted. Empire and Shogun 2 had similar setups.
    Prepare to think hard about what buildings to build and be ready for a lot more small town wall-less battles, seeing as the vast majority of settlements don't have walls, which was almost unheard of in the original Rome. Personally I really like the city-slot system, as its got much more depth than the "build whatever you want wherever you can afford it" of the original, though I wish more cities had walls because siege weapons are fun.
    The overall game map is also noticeably bigger, stretching all the way from Spain to western India, covering more of Northern/Eastern Europe as well as the entire Arabian Peninsula. The map is a little more streamlined, since armies are fewer and far between (see below).
    There's also a research tree (similar to Civ), that means there's progression in buildings and units as you play, instead of Rome 1 where everyone except Rome had the same buildings/units available in turn 1 as they did in turn 200. The system is simple, with a tree focused on military stuff and a tree focused on economic/empire management (very similar to Shogun 2).
    -Army management has some major differences. Cities now have their own, free defenders based on the level of defenses for the city, meaning every settlement, big or small, has some level of inherent defense. The number of actual armies you can control is based on the number of regions you control and they have to be led by named generals, meaning you have to move and manage your armies with purpose and intent and you can't just throw some units together on a whim when you see an enemy army coming. Also, naval combat is in this one and its freaking awesome, along with the ability to land naval units/transports during battle, meaning armies and navies can co-exist in a single fight.
    -Armies and generals get upgrades as they fight (very similar to Shogun 2), meaning you get to specialize your armies and generals to your liking. The system of traits and retainers for generals is still there, but you have a lot more control over how your generals progress and what retainers they take along, though much like Rome 1 many of the traits feel pretty negligible (+3% skirmisher attack speed, +5% morale, etc). Agents are very different from Rome 1 (no more diplomats thank god), and have a similar upgrade tree to generals. Families play a much less important role in Rome 2 than Rome 1, though each faction has a political "senate-esque" system they have to deal with, which is cool.
    -Unit and faction diversity is comparable to Rome 1, with more of a focus on historical accuracy in this one, IMO. Each faction has different traits, and then there families within each faction that vary the traits and abilities even more, meaning there's a lot of differences in each of the factions (the complete opposite of Shogun 2 or Empire).
    -The battles themselves are excellent, the amount of detail on each soldier's armor and the way they interact with the world is freaking awesome, whether its watching soldiers jump through marketplaces and break things or put up their shields during missile attacks and talk about the enemy's aim. The battles aren't as "flashy" as Rome 1 could be, but the feel and the atmosphere is far superior. The AI is challenging on higher difficulties, but every now and again it totally screws up and that can break a lot of the immersion. The UI is hit or miss, I like the aesthetic but the overall lack of numbers and extended tooltips means it's hard to catch stuff at a glance and is clunky until you memorize what all the buttons and symbols mean. Some people don't like the "faded" color-scheme and overall hue of the game, but it doesn't bother me.    … Expand
  89. Aedrone12
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    Although the AI is still pretty bad, I can't complain since I've been waiting years for this game to finally release. If you're a Total War fan, I'd highly recommend this game to you.
  90. squeax
    Sep 4, 2013
    9
    I think the main gripe one can have is that game isn't (more or less) a complete remake of the first Rome Total War. Then again, I personally loved Shogun 2 as well as its add-ons. Rome II makes me feel pretty much at home whilst there's plenty of changes in the system to make it feel like a whole other game. Yes it's buggy, there's a lot that goes in combat and those shield bearers reallyI think the main gripe one can have is that game isn't (more or less) a complete remake of the first Rome Total War. Then again, I personally loved Shogun 2 as well as its add-ons. Rome II makes me feel pretty much at home whilst there's plenty of changes in the system to make it feel like a whole other game. Yes it's buggy, there's a lot that goes in combat and those shield bearers really hurt. As for framerate, a lot of games run poorly on launch, just wait for a new driver for your graphics card. Mine runs 40~60 on ultra without SLI (680). A month after release it'll feel totally different and a lot smoother!… Expand
  91. Renevilfortune
    Jan 3, 2014
    9
    Never played any games in the series. I tried to play the Fall of the Samurai, but it was too difficult to pick up on. Anyway, so was this game, but I'm getting the hang of it. I'll give this game 9/10 because in all honesty that's where it seems to be heading with all the patches. I was crashing left and right last week, but have not experienced a single crash for almost a week. I loveNever played any games in the series. I tried to play the Fall of the Samurai, but it was too difficult to pick up on. Anyway, so was this game, but I'm getting the hang of it. I'll give this game 9/10 because in all honesty that's where it seems to be heading with all the patches. I was crashing left and right last week, but have not experienced a single crash for almost a week. I love the game, except I'm playing on normal... lol. It's difficult for me still, but this game is enjoyable as hell. I just love the warfare.

    This game does have its cons, but when I bought it for $23 on GMG, then I thought it was a deal. This game is worth my money. I'm pretty sure by the end of the year I'll raise it to 10/10 when it's optimized better. Anyway, I'm running this game on 4 year computer, but still looks beautiful. I don't experience that much frame rate drops during warfare, just for custom games to which I customized ridiculously.

    Personally, I love this game and I don't even play these type of games. I think it's a well made game, but I'm curious to know what things they left out from previous games. Still, awesome game and will continue to get better.

    I've never written review before... but these reviews of less 4 are ridiculous.    … Expand
  92. Mreddification
    Sep 4, 2013
    9
    Probably the most fun I have had on a total war game in years, yes there are some frame rate issues and the AI can be a little underwhelming at times but if you aren't prepared it can still kick your arse. My advise would be to ignore the people giving it a 0-4 due to frame rate drops because that doesn't justify the massive scale and huge amount of work that has gone into this strategicProbably the most fun I have had on a total war game in years, yes there are some frame rate issues and the AI can be a little underwhelming at times but if you aren't prepared it can still kick your arse. My advise would be to ignore the people giving it a 0-4 due to frame rate drops because that doesn't justify the massive scale and huge amount of work that has gone into this strategic behemoth the game still improves on the many previous total war games and I have no doubt it shall continue to improve.… Expand
  93. Miche
    Sep 27, 2013
    9
    On the day of release, and the week or so after this game was released. It was utterly broken. And while that is not acceptable. I am rating the game for how it stands right now as I type this. The game is now a title truly worthy of the Total War name. While it may not be as good as the original Rome, which is one of my favorite games of all time. It's diplomacy is still a little wacky,On the day of release, and the week or so after this game was released. It was utterly broken. And while that is not acceptable. I am rating the game for how it stands right now as I type this. The game is now a title truly worthy of the Total War name. While it may not be as good as the original Rome, which is one of my favorite games of all time. It's diplomacy is still a little wacky, the talent trees are a far step backwards from the well liked system from Shogun. Since the update, the AI is now the best I've seen from any Total War game to day. They invested significantly more money into the AI of this game than any game before. And while on release, it was so buggy that it was broken. The weekly patches have fixed most of the issues, and I've seen the AI pull off some rather intelligent moves. Like bottlenecking my troops between buildings when they are out numbered. It is a much better game than on release, where it was unplayable. But in it's state as of right now, it is playable and enjoyable. It still has some optimization issues(running on a 6 core OC i7, with two GTX 580s in SLI) and the game lags hard on any graphics settings (lowest to highest) with anymore than about 7,000 units on screen at once. Where I could do 15,000+ on very high in Shogun 2 with no issues. If they fix some of the few lingering issues, I'll raise my score to a 9. Because that's one of the only things holding it back from being great.… Expand
  94. chrisr2112
    Dec 28, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really feel that the user reviews for Total War: Rome 2 don't give the game justice. Before receiving the game, i was well aware of many of the "game breaking bugs" and "horrible user interface" that people claimed the game had. I was also aware of the painfully low score on metacritic. None the less, i wanted to give CA the benefit of the doubt because i have not played a Total War game to date that i did not enjoy. I started playing and the first thing i noticed was the steep learning curve that came with managing your faction. There is far more detail in dealing with settlements (which are now divided into many provinces with settlements inside of them). Once I got the hang of it however, it wasn't too difficult to figure out basic functions that allow you to run your settlements efficiently. As for the actual battles, the game is absolutely stunning if you have a system capable of running it. Unless you play on lower settings, clone armies are no longer an issue with most soldiers having some form of variation from the others (this is particularly noticeable with the barbarian factions). The battle AI is not always the smartest, but still provides somewhat of a challenge. Overall, its not my favorite Total War game, but it is a worthy addition to a great series. I honestly cannot understand how people are giving the game 1's and 2's.… Expand
  95. AtlasKnight
    Sep 6, 2013
    9
    After playing the game for a decent amount of time I feel it is my duty to say that I have experienced none of the 'horrendous bugs' reported by so many other players. There is nothing complicated about the UI, the artwork is stylized and inspired and all it requires is a simple mouse over. Honestly half the things people complain about here are trivial, telling us more about theAfter playing the game for a decent amount of time I feel it is my duty to say that I have experienced none of the 'horrendous bugs' reported by so many other players. There is nothing complicated about the UI, the artwork is stylized and inspired and all it requires is a simple mouse over. Honestly half the things people complain about here are trivial, telling us more about the excruciating impatience and lack of intelligence of the gaming community surrounding this game. I for one feel this game has it's merits in the improvements and simplifications made to the campaign map stage compared to its predecessor. The ability to manage an entire province at one rather than each individual town simplifies and shortens the grinding process in building a great empire tremendously providing a more enjoyable and less long-winded gameplay experience. Diplomacy is also greatly improved and the removal of the irritating SPQR faction has eliminated the aggravating decision to betray your fellow Romans and take the glory for yourself or sit around doing nothing and being unable to expand anywhere without Mr senator throwing a fit. To this I say bravo Creative Assembly, you make me feel like I am actually in control of my empire now. Finances have been made easier to manage and keep on top of now too.

    To address all the complaints about AI, there have been no problems with my copy. AI seems to be functioning perfectly fine, at the very least on par with the first game, if not, exceeding that. The enemies have given me some rather exhilarating battles already both in campaign and skirmish. So guys you keep can keep complaining, but I am having a great time with this game.    … Expand
  96. Mivo
    Sep 4, 2013
    9
    All right, this mini review is written in the week of release, before any patches, so if you're familiar with Total War games, you know what that means: bugs and performance issues, like with every other TW game, and you also know that those will be fixed.

    Personally, I play this on a lowly GT650M and a i7-3610QM in 1920x1080 on "very high" without any fps or lag issues, but not    All right, this mini review is written in the week of release, before any patches, so if you're familiar with Total War games, you know what that means: bugs and performance issues, like with every other TW game, and you also know that those will be fixed.

    Personally, I play this on a lowly GT650M and a i7-3610QM in 1920x1080 on "very high" without any fps or lag issues, but not everyone is as lucky. You don't need powerful hardware (some play it on integrated HD4000 video!), just the right combination of hardware and drivers. The game also still has some campaign bugs, and if there would never be a patch, then I'd give this a 6/10. However, a patch has already been announced (weekly ones, in fact) and CA has a track record of fixing their games, hence the 9/10, which takes the potential of the game in account. It's very enjoyable already.

    So, what's changed? Combat is much faster, which some players dislike. Whether you feel it's shallow or accessible, that depends on your preferences. I feel it opens up the game to a wider audience and allows you to play in shorter segments of time. You can have fun for forty-five minutes, and make progress, instead of having to be glued down at the computer all evening. Strategy and tactics are obviously needed and the campaign mode is more involved than in Rome 1. What's missing is the family tree.

    Who is the game for, right now? For folks who enjoy very large scale battles, are willing to wait out a few patches, dig Roman history and like controlling pretty large armies. The game's multiplayer works well, too, so if you find that the AI is a little sleepy currently and don't want to wait for the patch, you can play against a real person who will be anything but sleepy. The game has a ton of potential and will eventually become a classic just like the other Total War games. It requires a bit patience, though.    … Expand
  97. TheReaper1221
    Sep 23, 2014
    9
    As of September 2014, this game has been fixed. It is now one of the best total war games out there. Don't know what this talk of the UI is, it's the best UI yet, far better than the abomination that is napoleon. The AI has improved greatly, Far fewer bugs, turn times are short, the game is now much better optimized. Basically, it has followed the path of every Total War game sinceAs of September 2014, this game has been fixed. It is now one of the best total war games out there. Don't know what this talk of the UI is, it's the best UI yet, far better than the abomination that is napoleon. The AI has improved greatly, Far fewer bugs, turn times are short, the game is now much better optimized. Basically, it has followed the path of every Total War game since Medieval 1, released as a shambles, then fixed. Happened in Shogun 2, Napoleon, Empire, Medieval 2, and Rome 1.

    The whole system with regions, and especially the building trees are a MASSIVE improvement over every previous total war game. The building trees make sense, as do the tech trees. The politics system is somewhat interesting, but I wish it played a far larger role in the game. At this point, pretty much everything you do in the politics system is to lessen the impact of the inevitable civil war. Don't get me wrong, getting hit by a civil war is a huge deal, but I would like for there to be more purpose to the politics system, some real and immediate advantage to having more senate support, and things like that.

    I would like to point out that the AI in all the total war games has always been awful, and that it has been improving since shogun 2. Rome 2 after patches has helped it dramatically, as they did with Shogun 2.

    A couple minor gripes:
    The tooltips need to have a slight pause on the campaign map, as of right now, there is constantly a tooltip up at all times, which gets really annoying.

    It would be nice to have an easier indication of how many troops you replenish per turn, in the form of perhaps some sort of second color on the units health bar.

    Wet ground just looks bad.

    AI can still be a little derpy, splitting their army in half to chase your cavalry (exploit this heavily for fun and profit), as well as making basic, but idiotic tactical mistakes. For example, with a superior force on a river crossing with 2 crossing points, they sometimes leave one crossing completely unattended, allowing an easy superflank, and total destruction by an inferior force. However, these aren't gamebreaking, the AI works fine, It just makes big mistakes, that no reasonable player would ever make. It needs to make some mistakes of course, so that it can be beaten, but not the ones that just make you cringe.    … Expand
  98. Disconnection
    Sep 11, 2013
    9
    Does the game beat the good old classic Rome: Total War? In some areas it does, in some it does not.

    The Creative Assembly did a good job in creating this sequel. Rome 2 Total War has very good gameplay and shows nice visuals. Also the game is more historical correct to the timeperiod than the previous Rome game. Diplomacy is now very clear and shows great details of their opinions of    Does the game beat the good old classic Rome: Total War? In some areas it does, in some it does not.

    The Creative Assembly did a good job in creating this sequel. Rome 2 Total War has very good gameplay and shows nice visuals. Also the game is more historical correct to the timeperiod than the previous Rome game. Diplomacy is now very clear and shows great details of their opinions of your faction of choice.

    The visuals of the game a very nice. The game features a cinematic camera which places your view right into the action. However, the game is said to be optimised for low end computers. But many crashes and bugs have been reported already. With high settings, the game can be played at 25-30 fps on a mediocre computer. But the lower end computers will really suffer from big armies marching on screen.

    The UI of the game can be confusing when you just start the game. And takes too much from the screen. But some elements of the UI can be collapsed. But a new played will not be able to play sufficient without these elements, which takes away the point of having the ability to collapse.

    The AI of the game seems to deploy their troops in the same locations over and over agian. And does not really seem to use any tactics. Compared to the previous Rome Total War game, this game however has better diplomacy. Allies will not suddenly attack without a reason and you can clearly see the reasons why factions like or hate you.

    City management has changed very much. In this sequal, the player can capture regions/provinces. By only selecting one of the minor towns or by selecting the major city of a region, one can build in all towns and cities of that region. So the player does not have to go through all the cities to see if there is anything to be done or to check public order. Because public order is managed in a region, not per city or town. Also the role of towns and cities have changed. The major town/city of a region is ment to focus on military and entertainment, while the minor towns focus on production. But the player has the freedom of choice to build any building in any town. Capturing an intire province/region gives the player the option to boost their region.

    The multiplayer works similar to that of Shogun 2 Total War, but without a random match maker. The player can now set up a match or join a match.

    Overall the game has its flaws but those can be, and I am sure they will be fixed by The Creative Assembly in the future.    … Expand
  99. timbocool
    Sep 10, 2013
    9
    Nothing wrong with the performance, maybe the AI turns take to long, but this IS a long winded game, play your turn, click End Turn, then do something else for a minute or two. If you would rather the AI do nothing then I can understand your gripe.

    The reason I have marked it down is because I really can't stand open land battles, where if I'm not guarding a point on the map, then the    Nothing wrong with the performance, maybe the AI turns take to long, but this IS a long winded game, play your turn, click End Turn, then do something else for a minute or two. If you would rather the AI do nothing then I can understand your gripe.

    The reason I have marked it down is because I really can't stand open land battles, where if I'm not guarding a point on the map, then the AI can walk in, take the point, and win the battle. I had this when I had deployed my army defensively up a hill away from the center of the map, but the AI just marched over to where the single point is, captured it, and won. I think its a great addition to city battles, but I'd rather be left to slug it out when I'm on the battlefield thanks.    … Expand
  100. daliindica
    Sep 5, 2013
    9
    Whilst I do know that some people are having issues with the graphics, and some bugs are here, I know it will be patched out soon enough. Now for my review of the game. Coming from long term total war series gaming, I am pleasantly surprised by this. Don't bother comparing it too Rome 1 though, it has much more in common with Shogun 2 than Rome, but it is also a new game in its own right.Whilst I do know that some people are having issues with the graphics, and some bugs are here, I know it will be patched out soon enough. Now for my review of the game. Coming from long term total war series gaming, I am pleasantly surprised by this. Don't bother comparing it too Rome 1 though, it has much more in common with Shogun 2 than Rome, but it is also a new game in its own right. Now, the campaign. The map is HUGE, the size of the map is about the same as medieval, but the scale is so much larger. Moving from modern day England to France into Germany, took a bit of time and it felt like a proper journey. Scale is much better here, that's the first real improvement. The UI is actually pretty nice to my eyes, but its going to come down to personal taste,and some people are a bit iffy on it. The battles are shogun 2, but with large scale feel to them. Also the "levels" of the battle maps are MUCH more varied, and they do follow the lay of land more so. In winter in northern Europe? expect to be fighting in snow. This is a really nice touch. If you a fan of any of the games in the series, this is a solid choice for a game, and the bugs will be fixed. I say bugs, nothing has happened to mine other than I needed to tone down a few settings (it looks amazing still). But I have seen a fair few people complain of bugs (many more say its fine, but enough to show a problem perhaps), but personally I haven't encountered any (about 15 hours of gameplay, all single player)… 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

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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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