Total War: Rome II

mosilvers

Sep 5, 2013

1

No SLI/Crossfire support at release. It's 2013; catch a clue game developers. Make games that support multiple GPUs and can support more than one core of a CPU.

Krakenzzz

Sep 5, 2013

0

60 bucks? For the copy of this? Really? Terrible performance, insane battle speed, it feels even faster than in Shogun2, same casual-oriented primitive campaign, now with a new CA`s top decision as ridiculous 1 turn 1 year. Crappy dlc politics, with cutted greek states, expect a of others. Thats the first impressions.

declates

Sep 5, 2013

0

The release of this bugged game is just sad.

- Bad Performance Why the game works smoother on higher settings than on low? ) - AI just behaves like crap.( Ships not boarding/ramming ships, own units are no attacking other enemy units after theyre routing and so on. ) - Battlespeed, YES Battlespeed. 2-4 Min Battles, what the heck is that? Where is are the tactics when the unitsThe release of this bugged game is just sad.

- Bad Performance Why the game works smoother on higher settings than on low? )

- AI just behaves like crap.( Ships not boarding/ramming ships, own units are no attacking other enemy units after theyre routing and so on. )

- Battlespeed, YES Battlespeed. 2-4 Min Battles, what the heck is that? Where is are the tactics when the units are bashing each other arcade-style? Maybe one find it good, but yeah... for me its a no go.

- Whole core game is total unpolished and mainstream optimised.

Im a big fan of the Total War games but this one is just a mess, a disaster. Creative Assembly has reached its zenith and now its going down like the mighty roman empire… Expand

Jamborinski

Sep 5, 2013

0

I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't evenI didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. 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I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. 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I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed. I didn't even pay for it and I'm disappointed.… Expand

Gunydii

Sep 5, 2013

2

The 2 if for potential.

At launch this game is not good enough. The bugs are bad, the optimisation is worse and some of the design decisions are, in the game's current state, fatal. In some ways this game improves on the formula, but for each step forward there are several back. There are some good ideas in there, provinces (limits the time spent managing an empire), limiting theThe 2 if for potential.

At launch this game is not good enough. The bugs are bad, the optimisation is worse and some of the design decisions are, in the game's current state, fatal.

In some ways this game improves on the formula, but for each step forward there are several back. There are some good ideas in there, provinces (limits the time spent managing an empire), limiting the number of armies (so the armies are bigger leading to bigger fights), agent use and recruitment.
But for each good idea there are several bad ones.

Battles are over absurdly quickly (means you spend more time on the campaign map, which is streamlined too, so you spend all your time pressing 'end turn' and the end turn process takes forever), the battle AI is all over the place, capture points don’t add anything positive, some formations don’t work, naval battles don’t work, loss of guard mode, all add up to battles with no need for or use of tactics.

On the campaign map, the loss of a family tree, faction intros, one turn per year, difficulty in getting diplomatic agreements (and the inability to trade regions) all break immersion and make you feel that side of the game has become too streamlined.

Fundamentally, CA didn't release a demo and seems to have failed to do adequate beta testing, either could have solved many problems. They also got caught trying to satisfy two opposite camps, the casual gamer who wants something easy to pick up and easier to master and the strategy gamer who wants something believable, deep and nuanced. Problem is they'd done neither and have ended up in no man's land.

There's a great game in there, but there's far too much work still needed to get it out.… Expand

JudenRaus

Sep 5, 2013

10

My honest opinion: I've been playing TW games for years now and for the most part I've enjoyed a lot of the little changes or new mechanics. I think a lot of us are forgetting that this is day 2 of a major PC release and there's going to be bugs or issues. Rome wasn't built in a day!

lukinhaz23

Sep 5, 2013

4

My god, what a huge disappointment. AI is broken, UI didn't help, loading times take too long and the campaign is way too easy. I was very hyped for the naval battles, but the AI ruined it(i hope they fix this), i was not challenged not a single time in this game, not a single time. The battles tactics does not exist, all you have to do is select your entire army and right click theMy god, what a huge disappointment. AI is broken, UI didn't help, loading times take too long and the campaign is way too easy. I was very hyped for the naval battles, but the AI ruined it(i hope they fix this), i was not challenged not a single time in this game, not a single time. The battles tactics does not exist, all you have to do is select your entire army and right click the enemy's army and you win. Please CA, respect your hardcore fans and forget the rest of the audience. You lost who you was, shame. Not to mention the technical problems.… Expand

Mike_Mac

Sep 5, 2013

1

Please, please DO NOT buy this game if you are a TW fan! As a TW fan from the beginning Rome 2 has come as a complete disappointment to me (and a waste of £30 that I could have made much better use of). Setting aside the release bugs the game's real problems rest deeper within the battle and campaign AI. CA for some reason have decided to remove nearly all of the tactics, management andPlease, please DO NOT buy this game if you are a TW fan! As a TW fan from the beginning Rome 2 has come as a complete disappointment to me (and a waste of £30 that I could have made much better use of). Setting aside the release bugs the game's real problems rest deeper within the battle and campaign AI. CA for some reason have decided to remove nearly all of the tactics, management and strategy aspects that gave depth and a long-term challenge to older TW games.

Battles:
Battles have degenerated into an arcade-like tic-tac-toe competition with no apparent impact from terrain or tactical positioning. They nearly always degenerate into a mass melee around the newly added 'capture points' in themselves one of the daftest inclusions to a strategy game, as they are placed completely without consideration to the terrain. The AI is woeful and the biggest attraction of the TW series its battles and your ability to snatch victory from defeat by intelligent generalship has now become its biggest downfall, as you watch yet another mass brawl erupt in the middle of the battle-field, where your input has little to no effect on the outcome.

Campaign:
Although some of the new features of Rome 2 are welcome agents are now much more interesting and some of the city management is a lot more streamlined the overall campaign is now both massively over-simplified. Many of the ability to manage the details of your cities are now gone and city management has been so pared down that you just don't feel engaged with what is going on, or able to act decisively to effect a change when a problem arises. The AI opponents are largely passive and are ridiculously easy to defeat (even on the most difficult setting). At the same time the multitude of minor factions mean that you wait for ages at the end of each turn for the computer to process their actions (I resorted to reading a book while waiting).

In sum I cannot believe the same company that gave us the first Medieval and Rome Total Wars can in all good conscience release this game. After around 4 hours of play I realised that it wasn't getting any better, gave up and returned to Medieval 2. I doubt that I will play Rome 2 again, as there is only so much the independent modding scene can do to improve it (you can't polish a turd!!). In all honesty I therefore cannot give Rome 2 a score of more than 1/10. There are some good points nestled in there among the bad, but the game as a whole is a massive step backwards and represents a missed opportunity for CA.… Expand

Injenu

Sep 5, 2013

3

Yea they obviously spent more money on marketing than on improving their series.

1. AI is pathetically bad, both the way the game reacts to player orders as well the computer opponents. Example In the "siege of caligua", you'll start off with the Samnites to the left on this plateau, take your melee troops and have them try to flank the enemy on the plateau on the right of it.Yea they obviously spent more money on marketing than on improving their series.

1. AI is pathetically bad, both the way the game reacts to player orders as well the computer opponents. Example In the "siege of caligua", you'll start off with the Samnites to the left on this plateau, take your melee troops and have them try to flank the enemy on the plateau on the right of it. Instead of pathing correctly, and not engaging while the line is thin, the troops will get stuck on the corner, basically creating a bottleneck to be killed in 1s and 2s. The funny part is that this tactical blunder then causes the AI to retreat!

2. UI is terrible why they decided to use these unintuitive cards is beyond me... Another thing, is that there's about 60 factions, and when you hit end turn, you'll have to go through that entire lineup before next turn.

3. Meta game is basically about surviving with your taxes on the lowest so that your people don't revolt, until you can build up cities to support a positive public order (i've yet to accomplish this).

While you can field great armies, the game is just a copy-paste from Shogun 2, with no new additions, no reworks, and the same hype about naval combat which has never lived up to expectation.

Do yourself a favor, if you even decide to pay for this game, do so when the price is 29.99, which will be in about 3 months. I will warn you the load times are so slow that if you're not putting it on an SSD it'll just create frustration.… Expand

Finfx

Sep 5, 2013

8

As many others have said, the performance and optimization of this game is absolutely terrible. Furthermore, the graphics are completely unlike any of the alpha footage and they are quite ugly in the final release. The lighting effects, texture quality, shadow quality, etc., is all of a low quality. We were promised a grittier, darker art direction for the game and that was evident in theAs many others have said, the performance and optimization of this game is absolutely terrible. Furthermore, the graphics are completely unlike any of the alpha footage and they are quite ugly in the final release. The lighting effects, texture quality, shadow quality, etc., is all of a low quality. We were promised a grittier, darker art direction for the game and that was evident in the alpha footage. Now we have bloom, bloom lighting everywhere.

The UI is similarly awful in that it takes the clean, artistic UI of Shogun 2 and turns it into a generic mess that is all too similar to Empire's setup.

The fact that CA is already working on DLC is absolutely disgraceful. The game is broken. My PC can run BF3, CIV V, Shogun 2, all on ultra settings with absolutely nothing turned down. Rome 2 succeeds in offering worse graphics with worse performance. It's like CA's QA does not exist.… Expand

bordric

Sep 5, 2013

2

To start with all of these 10s and 9 voters saying that we are all angry children or computers are no good or whatever other excuse they make for the horrible thing called TW Rome II. They are just sad people or their expectations are very low while most of us TW players had huge expectations but even then we knew there might be bugs etc. Even performance issues. Most TW games have bugsTo start with all of these 10s and 9 voters saying that we are all angry children or computers are no good or whatever other excuse they make for the horrible thing called TW Rome II. They are just sad people or their expectations are very low while most of us TW players had huge expectations but even then we knew there might be bugs etc. Even performance issues. Most TW games have bugs but and performance issues at release if that were the only problems I would not write this....

However, the problem with this game will not and cannot be patched and fixed they have dumbed down the core of the game so drastically that I suppose they are going for the kid market on Consoles. There is no challenge what so ever the AI is dumbest ever but those things could be fixed generally sometimes. However you cannot fix ripping the heart out of TW Rome II without rebuilding it I don't even think Modder’s can save this one as they have saved most TW games in the past.

The game is heartless and soulless there is no connection at all with me I can't even be bothered to care. I have no connection with this so-called Total War game it is more like a console game for the masses! It has been dumbed down to a level of a game like going back 15 to 20 years in AI and core game play. Hell I had far more connection with the original Shogun in 2001.

All other TW titles I had a personal connection too even Empire with its problems stuck to the core of the TW series and I could survive the first growing pains and I still play it to this day (especially now Rome II is such a failure). That doesn't exist with this game I don't think they can patch this POS to any level that Empire rose to and several would claim Empire was the low point of TW history (not me but several).

So for all of you Rated 10 reviewers here saying we are wrong and we are just dumb or computer sucks... Or my favorite we don't understand that game. Let me assure you I can almost promise you all these 0s and 3s and 6s are the people who have always played and loved Total War. However they know those days are over because this is not going to be fixed they took one of the greatest strategy games franchises in gaming history and destroyed it for the masses and dumb people on consoles.

CA must have gotten rid of all their talent because whoever designed and lead the creating of this POS needs to be fired.

-Ugly Graphics
-Dumbed down Game play
-Ugly confusing Unit Cards
-Units are all the same ALL the ones I ran into in over 10 hours of play
-Naval Warfare is badly broken units will not respond to orders
-Land Battles are so pathetic just use Auto Resolve how sad I have come close to losing a battle
-Battles the enemy will just charge one unit at you constantly and run away until you attack
-Campaign is the worst ever in TW I have seen suicides 1 unit armies against cities and then I have seen the AI just watch me take their cities without any resistance. I have never been attacked.
-The one year turns are stupid. It takes 2 years (TWO YEARS) to sail to the backside of Sardina really? Really?
-The immersion is totally broken by 1 year turns and the fact that the Family Tree is gone all the little things that made it personal are gone from the game. I could careless who my Generals are they have connection to me and die every other turn. I don't get to guide them I just add redundant and totally useless cards that add useless skills that mean nothing.
-Factions are totally waste of time I have no connection to my factions or even know why I am gaining more and more senators every round. There is no known reason or care of how I gain them and I can't like make new laws and sway the senate so who gives a damn?

Anyway it is a lifeless soulless game that is sad and will miss TW if this is the future.… Expand

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

Kaje85

Sep 5, 2013

2

My concerns with this product are not technical, they are functional. Whilst the game does have it's bugs, they are easy enough to fix with patches over time the deeper issues with this game lie in the fact it is essentially a prettier total conversion mod for Empire Total War.
Gone are the little quirks that made Shogun 2 a charismatic foray into the world of a Japanese warlord, insteadMy concerns with this product are not technical, they are functional. Whilst the game does have it's bugs, they are easy enough to fix with patches over time the deeper issues with this game lie in the fact it is essentially a prettier total conversion mod for Empire Total War.
Gone are the little quirks that made Shogun 2 a charismatic foray into the world of a Japanese warlord, instead we are back to a campaign mode with as much charm and tact as a Syrian politician.
It feels like a gross afterthought, there's nothing to do other than for it to serve as something to look at between battles and the latter aren't that great either. A rock/paper/scissors game where the AI has the intelligence of a PE teacher.
Seriously, a huge step back for Creative Assembly.… Expand

Sheridan

Sep 5, 2013

1

Having been a dedicated fan of the Total War series since 2006, starting off with the original Rome, this is likely to be where I leave the series that I used to love more than any other game. Up to Napoleon, every game felt like an improved experience.
Every title was unique, and enjoyable at the very least. Shogun 2 became my first disappointment, the battle pace did not feelHaving been a dedicated fan of the Total War series since 2006, starting off with the original Rome, this is likely to be where I leave the series that I used to love more than any other game. Up to Napoleon, every game felt like an improved experience.
Every title was unique, and enjoyable at the very least. Shogun 2 became my first disappointment, the battle pace did not feel comfortable (after 1000+ hours of multiplayer), although they did nail many other nice features in the game.

I can hardly see how some other players have given such a positive feedback on the game that was meant to be the sequel to the original Rome let alone how 'professional' reviewers could choose to ignore to mention so many flaws to the customers. Rome 2 has one of the best campaigns in the game although many features are dumbed down far too much. When it comes to the core of the series that is the battles, the story is very different.
Going from the disappointing battles to Shogun 2 to this was shocking the average battle lasts 3, sometimes 4 minutes. Battles with 5000 men on each side are over within 5. The tactical depth is no longer present, and the battles feel more pointless than ever before. They are nothing worth to play.… Expand

Dexyt

Sep 5, 2013

2

Beware, the game is a flop. I tried to like it, but I just can't. There's nothing in it that makes it worth playing. The UI is inefficient, awkward and provides too little information. The turn times are extremely long. The AI is dumb. The tech tree, unit upgrades and the like offer no real advancements, just tiny increments, like +3%, to some attribute which makes them feel pointless. TheBeware, the game is a flop. I tried to like it, but I just can't. There's nothing in it that makes it worth playing. The UI is inefficient, awkward and provides too little information. The turn times are extremely long. The AI is dumb. The tech tree, unit upgrades and the like offer no real advancements, just tiny increments, like +3%, to some attribute which makes them feel pointless. The strategic layer is shallow, almost primitive. Battles tend to revolve around capture points which eliminates any strategic freedom. Indeed, battles is what the game should be about, and they simply aren't fun nor interesting. The game feels like a Frankenstein game in which different game elements are haphazardly sewn together. I could go, but I've made the point sufficiently clear: somehow this game turned out really bad.… Expand

Mannschaft

Sep 5, 2013

4

Disappointment.
No family tree
Graphics worse than Shogun 2 Capture points in open fields on non-siege battles Every faction has a British accent (Slavic if you have the German version) Battles end quicker than a virgin's first time with a lady Horrible AI, it does not react at all to being flanked Minor factions are destroying all major factions Every faction and their mom hasDisappointment.
No family tree
Graphics worse than Shogun 2
Capture points in open fields on non-siege battles
Every faction has a British accent (Slavic if you have the German version)
Battles end quicker than a virgin's first time with a lady
Horrible AI, it does not react at all to being flanked
Minor factions are destroying all major factions
Every faction and their mom has ships everywhere
Sieges are boring
Unit cards are huge and take up a lot of screen
Upon hitting end turn you have enough time to have a fap until you're able to play your next turn
Obviously set up to charge lots of microtransactions like the previous two or three titles ($2 for blood)

The list goes on but I'm tired and need to go have a fap. Avoid this game for now. I only gave it a 4 because it's a Total War game.… Expand

dup

Sep 5, 2013

1

This is not Total War this is Total Failure.
To start with the most obvious: turn time takes FOREVER. You make your turn in 20 seconds and then have to wait for almost a minute until you can play again. And during the wait time you can just do nothing. You can not check you settlements or fill production queues. And my PC is well equipped and plays almost every game perfectly. The nextThis is not Total War this is Total Failure.
To start with the most obvious: turn time takes FOREVER. You make your turn in 20 seconds and then have to wait for almost a minute until you can play again. And during the wait time you can just do nothing. You can not check you settlements or fill production queues. And my PC is well equipped and plays almost every game perfectly. The next big thing is the AI. It is not just total stupid, but simply non-existing. Both on the world map, but foremost in the battles. Horse archers dismounting their horses and charging you walls equipped with bowmen?? This is too bad to be just stupid. Another thing is the lack of immersion. You do not get the feeling that any of your choices matters in some way. Somehow things are not well stitched together. More related things are: bad user interface, totally mis-formatted in-game help, and a general lack of polishing.
Related to the previous games this is not a step backwards, but it is just an incomplete game full of bugs which totally misses the point of grand strategy. Rather play Empire, Shogun 2 or Rome 1 you will actually have fun with theses game.
Without the bugs and playable game turns I would give it a 6/10 but like this the game is almost junk.… Expand

Halberd12

Sep 5, 2013

0

Poorly optimized excuse for mastered rome 1. Almost half of the new features are either broken or not working properly, they've also screwed around with the AI so they just run at you and flee, that's your new generation of Artificial Intelligence. The best you get out of this is a beta which you have to pay for, some might argue it is still in alpha stage.

kersal

Sep 5, 2013

5

Actually the game lack on his most important goal: the challenge. The AI, even at legendary mode, is terrible, especially on campaign map. No challenge means not fun. Now is like playing Sim City and not TW!

nihonsean

Sep 5, 2013

1

This game is a complete disappointment. You can try to ignore the fact that the game has several serious technical issues (no crossfire/SLI support, occasionally crashes, extremely long load times). You cannot however ignore the fact that the game play is completely lacking: extremely dumb AI, no sieges (cities can simply be assaulted and taken instantly), 500 units that are mostly copiesThis game is a complete disappointment. You can try to ignore the fact that the game has several serious technical issues (no crossfire/SLI support, occasionally crashes, extremely long load times). You cannot however ignore the fact that the game play is completely lacking: extremely dumb AI, no sieges (cities can simply be assaulted and taken instantly), 500 units that are mostly copies of each other, bad music, and a horrible UI.

It is pretty. But pretty will only get you so far.

DO NOT BUY THIS GAME UNTIL THEY FIX IT. This is a beta release for money. Don't let them fool you, and don't buy what they professional critics are saying. No idea what game these guy played, but it wasn't this one.… Expand

Anyas_Dad

Sep 5, 2013

7

I am pretty darn sure that most of these low scores are coming from people who just want the "power" of keeping scores and sales low. That being said, I do see a valid point in some of the issues posted. I have a mid-range system that can run the game on max settings. I have noticed some stutter when moving the camera BUT it does not interfere with the experience. The AI has been UPI am pretty darn sure that most of these low scores are coming from people who just want the "power" of keeping scores and sales low. That being said, I do see a valid point in some of the issues posted. I have a mid-range system that can run the game on max settings. I have noticed some stutter when moving the camera BUT it does not interfere with the experience. The AI has been UP and DOWN. Like in real life, some armies are useless and others are hardcore death machines. Unit cards are not terrible confusing once you look at them and read the description. Withing a matter of minutes I was able to quickly spot the unit I needed. This game does take time to figure out. It isn't a game you install and master withing an hour. Many people claim we are beta testing games as of late including thins one. If that's how you feel then don't purchase day one games. In this day and age MOST games require a patch day one. It's the sign of the times. Things will never be like the good old days of cartridge based games where no patch exists and you blow in the slot to make the game work. Everyone posting that your scores do effect sales. So if you keep giving fake low scores you could cause bad sales which means no extra content. I get it...your argument is these companies need to release finished products. So if that's the case don't complain about delays. Like it or hate it, companies have us by the short hairs.… Expand

Chamber

Sep 5, 2013

0

I have played every Total War game since Medieval. My favorites are Rome and Medieval between which I logged in over 1000 hours (including mods) of gameplay.

I feel compelled to share what I have experienced playing Rome II. What follows is a short summary of my 19 hour-long campaign thus far from installation (steam) through my last turn (85) playing on HARD/HARD mode as Rome, theI have played every Total War game since Medieval. My favorites are Rome and Medieval between which I logged in over 1000 hours (including mods) of gameplay.

I feel compelled to share what I have experienced playing Rome II. What follows is a short summary of my 19 hour-long campaign thus far from installation (steam) through my last turn (85) playing on HARD/HARD mode as Rome, the House of Julii.

The game installs without a hitch. I'm glad given how anxious I felt after having read so many negative reviews. The optimist in me feels vindicated.

The intro plays and while I feel underwhelmed I do not care. After all, I want to play a strategy game and not watch pretty rendered videos.

I jump into the campaign as the House of Julii and then I see the campaign map with Roma at its center in all its glory. I get giddy with excitement at what's to come.

Everything looks good but it lags a bit, running at 20-22 fps. I look at video options and the graphics are set at “Extreme” by default. Curious, I think, that this would be the default. I dismiss it as a quibble and proceed to change it to “Ultra” just so that I can get 30 fps. I still get the same performance despite lowering the settings. Even if I lower the settings to "High" (And I have a semi-monster rig) the fps in the campaign map remains at 20-25 fps at best. So I keep it at "Ultra".

Oh well, it's not a big deal. I decide to accomplish the given objectives by taking out the Etruscan League. I proceed to attack one of their cities and a battle ensues.

My first battle in Rome II. Oh, the anticipation, the excitement, the folly of hope! It happens to take place at dusk and everything looks very brown and very dull. But the my army is amassed before me and I must lead them. So I look at them. Maybe I drank the Kool-Aid for too long, but I am shocked to see that the models still look like clones of each other. It doesn't matter, I think to myself, let's see them march. Interesting, the sound of marching is not in-sync with their motion. Oh well, not a big deal.

I look at my control options and I see that I cannot set them to "Guard" which I find odd. I start the attack and follow my units with the new cinematic option just so that I that I can take it all in. I await the fruit of a "40% higher budget than Shogun 2" and "50% more animations" with joy. One minute and 34 seconds the battle is over. Say what?

Yes, Rome II's battles give a new meaning to Caesar's famous remark: I came, I saw, I just paid $60 for this!

I'm getting ahead of myself. There was a full minute and 34 seconds of glorious fighting to describe. Two perfectly formed and organized armies make contact, disintegrate into a blob of hard to distinguish clones each attempting to perform a ridiculous animation that in no way relates to what each unit is doing. And this at an incredibly fast pace where it is almost impossible to appreciate the nuance of the bloated animations.

I decide to auto-resolve battles as much as I can from now on, although from my experience with other TW games I know that is not very smart, especially early on. In fact, on Hard mode it was impossible to get anywhere in past TW games if you just auto-resolved battles before the mid-game.

I'm on turn 85 and I have auto resolved every single battle except 4 including that first battle. If this fact by itself is does not prove that the AI is ridiculously bad then I don't know what does. But moving on.

I like the campaign map despite its low fps so I stick to that. I quickly overrun ever Etruscan League city in Italy without a challenge. Their last city is in Corsica so I worry about building a transport. No need, my troops can just walk on water a la Jesus.

They have 2 large armies stationed there and I think to myself, "Well, I think I'm gonna have to fight this battle. This is too important to leave up to auto-resolve, however effective it's been."

I land and then during their turn the Etruscans move their entire 2 armies into the sea. Oh well, I take over their city with, you guessed it, auto-resolve.

They then suicide by attacking Rome with ONE ARMY at a time. Man, no wonder no one talks about the Etruscans --history is written by those who are not mentally challenged.

By now I am very frustrated with the game, but I keep playing. Why? Because I am a true fan, I set aside this week to do so and I still believe in the glory that is Rome. (Or maybe the hype machine really did a number on me, who knows?"

So I keep playing. I get acquainted with the UI which is a bit frustrating because the Encyclopedia which explains the building orders is not user friendly. Nor in some cases even helpful. For instance, no where does it say that you have to build a Training Field in your Province Capital. Nor is attrition and food explained in detail anywhere. Eventually you understand it but you cannot read up on it like you used to.

I actually like the concept of attrition and food a lot and I think that it was a good design choice. The fact that all your regions' food supplies are linked into one unified supply is clever. Also, linking your army's replenishment rate to your food supply is intuitive and makes it important to maintain a good food supply. This is one of the few things in the game that matter because they have actual consequences. Around turn 30 I lose of my men due to attrition. It feels good because it hurts.

Now, let me talk about public order. Never mind that it is a complete mystery knowing why it goes up or down (I don't feel like qualifying this statement but if anyone challenges me on it, I will), it has no consequences and it's therefore thrash. Now this I must qualify. So there is an imminent threat of a slave revolt in Magna Graecia despite my attempts to avoid it and the next turn a cinematic comes on. Oh it's Spartacus(not really)! is about to get real!

Unfortunately, the slaves driven to cast off their chains by the cruelty of their masters get ready to bring about a Mexican standoff lasting 10 or 12 turns, until I decide to attack them just to raise my general's stats.

I have since experienced 11 slave revolts and they never, ever attack my cities. Nor do they have a measurable adverse effect on my economy or diplomacy or anything. They just stand there. Endlessly.

When I do crush them I get this other video. I actually like both videos and I guess I better because 85 turns in they are the ONLY in-game cinematics I've seen. So by around turn 40, I start to ignore public order altogether. It is broken and it means absolutely nothing.

I also face many, many non-slave rebellions and only once was one of my cities attacked. Of course, it would be more accurate to say that only once did the rebels suicide against my impregnable walls.

I cannot emphasize how disappointing this is. When playing Rome, that masterpiece which now shines brighter by comparison, I used to dread rebellions. They could undo your conquests, they could outright end you. They definitely meant something. Now they mean nothing. They are a joke. By the way, let me take this opportunity to address something else. AI turns take way too long to complete. By turn 40, they can take up to 3 minutes; by turn 80 they can take up to 5 minutes. And campaign fps even at HIGH” on a great rig lags down to 7-8 fps. Ultimately, that is why I stopped playing. I couldn’t put up with it anymore. There are other things to address such as diplomacy a joke) and internal politics which has to be the single most disappointing thing about this game. In a few words, it's not a feature to speak of, it's a whole lot of nothing. It's a pre-alpha concept that was not developed. It's a slap on our collective face is what it is. I'm too tired now. I'm going to bed. Perhaps in my dreams I will play the Rome II that I envisioned. Maybe I'll just play Rome I before going to sleep. A sad day, indeed.… Expand

DilonBello

Sep 5, 2013

0

Total War: Rome 2 deserves nothing more than 0/10 because of a simple fact: it is broken. Unplayable. You have two options of play; a lag-fest of high settings, or a lag-fest of a map looking like a glazed doughnut. My computer well meets the specs, playing Shogun 2 at highest flawlessly, but this game ruins all the progress CA has made beyond Empire. With a bigger development time andTotal War: Rome 2 deserves nothing more than 0/10 because of a simple fact: it is broken. Unplayable. You have two options of play; a lag-fest of high settings, or a lag-fest of a map looking like a glazed doughnut. My computer well meets the specs, playing Shogun 2 at highest flawlessly, but this game ruins all the progress CA has made beyond Empire. With a bigger development time and budget this is the best they can do?

Until the game leaves early beta, which I expect will take a good few months for people with graphics card that are incompatible which is most of them DO NOT BUY. Rome 2 is a broken mess. Repeat: a broken, unplayable mess that squanders its potential and says 'FU' to all fans like myself… Expand

Eviltoast

Sep 5, 2013

5

First off there are some really great things about this game. The factions are really well done and I like that you have sub-factions (Roman Houses, Carthaginian dynasties etc.) within. I like the unit cards and I enjoy adding items to your household. Diplomacy is slightly better, but could use more polish. My biggest praise goes to the campaign map, which is simply gorgeous.First off there are some really great things about this game. The factions are really well done and I like that you have sub-factions (Roman Houses, Carthaginian dynasties etc.) within. I like the unit cards and I enjoy adding items to your household. Diplomacy is slightly better, but could use more polish. My biggest praise goes to the campaign map, which is simply gorgeous.

However, there's a lot of stuff that is lacking and just plain confusing. Creative Assembly has removed the Family Tree and basically taken a huge source of enjoyment out of the game. The family system matters little when your generals don't have any really connection to your family tree other than recruitment telling you they do. The AI is simply not good and that's sad because it was hyped up to be amazing. The turn system takes FAR to long to actually get back to your turns. It removes immersion from the game and leaves you feeling frustrated. The battles and units devolve into a blob, the Units simply dont maintain formation or act like units as in previous TW games. Lastly, the politics and factional intrigue are vague and simply not fun. They had the right idea but they just missed the mark.

Is this game fun? Yes. Is it the best Total War game ever? Not even close. This game had some great ideas but it really missed the mark on a lot of them.… Expand

blunt

Sep 5, 2013

2

Well, I hardly know what to say this game is messed up. Maybe if you've never played a Total War game before, you'll like it if you don't have any of the technical problems ).

I haven't had any technical issues myself, but the game itself is rubbish. It's as though the developers thought "what made previous titles good then removed all of that and replaced it with some sort ofWell, I hardly know what to say this game is messed up. Maybe if you've never played a Total War game before, you'll like it if you don't have any of the technical problems ).

I haven't had any technical issues myself, but the game itself is rubbish.
It's as though the developers thought "what made previous titles good then removed all of that and replaced it with some sort of simplified dumbed down version to try to appeal to "mass market"

Battles are too fast, all units have some sort of magical "fight better" abilities.
UI is clunky and uninformative half the abilities my generals/agents have I have no idea what they do no explanation is given, even in the so-called encyclopedia.

I doubt it can be fixed as most of the rubbish seems to be design decisions.
Money spent on this game is a waste IMO.… Expand

ExTotalWarFan

Sep 5, 2013

1

This is what happens when you decide to forsake your fanbase for the console kids. Rome 2 isn't a worthy successor to Rome 1 by any stretch of the imagination. Creative Assembly deserves to be shamed and Sega deserves to lose profit for releasing a casualized, unfinished game.

wrcromagnum

Sep 5, 2013

10

As a long time fan of the TW series, I find that Rome 2 is a huge step in the right direction. Campaign mechanics have been overhauled and for me almost universally bring an improvement. I believe the UI is actually far more clear and informative than previous iterations in the series. I enjoy the new variety of battle mechanics and overall I feel like the game nails the feel of the clashAs a long time fan of the TW series, I find that Rome 2 is a huge step in the right direction. Campaign mechanics have been overhauled and for me almost universally bring an improvement. I believe the UI is actually far more clear and informative than previous iterations in the series. I enjoy the new variety of battle mechanics and overall I feel like the game nails the feel of the clash of ancient war machines.

I have experienced very little in the way of bugs or crashes. The game has been overall very stable from a technical standpoint. Load times are long, but that's a great excuse for me to actually stop staring at the screen and grab a drink of water.

Battles are over a bit too fast for my taste, once some modders endeavor to slow things down I'll definitely be trying those. Battle AI is about where it was in Shogun 2 that is to say a good player won't be losing much to forces of comparable strength. I understand this is frustrating for some people, but to give a zero based on AI is a bit vicious IMHO. After all, designing AI is hard.

Overall I love this game already I expect to spend a few hundred hours on it and can't wait until mods start coming out.… Expand

sifuxu

Sep 5, 2013

5

I would describe my feelings about this game as huge disappointment. For 5 years after release of Empire CA promises us a good AI. However when we play final product it all looks like a marketing lies. I am very unhappy about this game because of bad optimization, horrible AI, ugly ui, removal of family tree. Developers should stop treating their customers as beta testers and listen moreI would describe my feelings about this game as huge disappointment. For 5 years after release of Empire CA promises us a good AI. However when we play final product it all looks like a marketing lies. I am very unhappy about this game because of bad optimization, horrible AI, ugly ui, removal of family tree. Developers should stop treating their customers as beta testers and listen more to community when they make very controvercial decisions.… Expand

Manshack

Sep 5, 2013

0

The stupid AI, loading times, graphical errors, poor performance, unreasonable diplomacy, only being able to recruit with generals, having a limit to your amount of military forces, having to read a small wiki page each time you want to know what a unit does because why not have that on the tool tip?. The unit cards not giving you enough information and whatever else I am forgetting makesThe stupid AI, loading times, graphical errors, poor performance, unreasonable diplomacy, only being able to recruit with generals, having a limit to your amount of military forces, having to read a small wiki page each time you want to know what a unit does because why not have that on the tool tip?. The unit cards not giving you enough information and whatever else I am forgetting makes this a very poor total war game.

Avoid until fixed.… Expand

giskarduk

Sep 5, 2013

8

For the first time I find my self going against the majority of other voters here and giving this an 8. Though I find it wise to ignore all 0 and 10 scores when reading these user/commercial reviews. You get a better idea of what the games about without the hate or ass kissing reviews. Truth is though I do agree with them this time. The faults they list are right. I pre ordered and hadFor the first time I find my self going against the majority of other voters here and giving this an 8. Though I find it wise to ignore all 0 and 10 scores when reading these user/commercial reviews. You get a better idea of what the games about without the hate or ass kissing reviews. Truth is though I do agree with them this time. The faults they list are right. I pre ordered and had Athens appear underwater in a battle, one of several bugs I have seen. The min specs do appear to be way to optimistic too, so lots of people will have wasted £45 for Rome 2 and will not be able to play it. So they are expressing their anger here. All too understandable. Fact is though, the campaign game may be slow because there are lots of factions to process, the map may be huge for the same reason. But the campaign map is a big improvement both feature wise and graphically over all over Total War games and deserves that 8 score I am giving it because the rest is likely to be fixed in patches to come. It does away with the old upgrade and forget system and replaced with it a province system where you build stuff to balance out your influence, food production and happiness. It works rather well. Because provinces have minor towns and a major town, the major towns tend to be epic battles where as the minor towns tend to be small scale affairs. The province system shares influence and happiness between all towns in the province, so you have to consider the balance you achieve and avoid upgrading all minor towns but use them as a means to support the larger province capital instead. The time it takes for a turn to end seems to have gotten better after the first day so perhaps the pre order code was old beta code or something. Also I have not seen the interface lock up bug since the first day so it looks like it was older code. Unit and Army limit sounds bad at first to be honest should not exist in a game like this because money should limit those things, but the game works rather well. Especially when timing attacks so more than 1 army attacks a town at the same time. Producing some of the best campaign game battles I have ever seen in any Total War game so far. The game does have problems, but the campaign game is very well thought out. Too bad the UI sucks so badly. Under the hood this is the same old Total War game you know and love though, but the new additions improve it beyond what your used too.… Expand

Heathy

Sep 5, 2013

5

So, I didn't want to rate it super low out of complete disappointment, It does deserve some points for being a considerably deep game and you can tell a lot of research went into creating the units and factions.

The Pros. Ill start with the things I found to be an improvement on the series, Then move onto a list of problems. First of all, The provinces and edicts, This system seemsSo, I didn't want to rate it super low out of complete disappointment, It does deserve some points for being a considerably deep game and you can tell a lot of research went into creating the units and factions.

The Pros.

Ill start with the things I found to be an improvement on the series, Then move onto a list of problems. First of all, The provinces and edicts, This system seems to be a much better idea overall than having individual towns not really gaining any benefit from neighbouring towns beyond the overall benefit you have from owning that town any way, when you capture the 3 or more towns in a province you can install a region wide bonus on those towns, which to me is an improvement.

The physics system, another good addition to the series, combined with units shielding themselves from ranged attacks, it makes certain situations feel more dynamic.

Other Pros would probably be the Naval sieges and army traditions these are new concepts for TW and it seems to be a fun addition to attacking coastal towns shogun 2 was halfway there with bombardments, but being able to send men in from the sea is another winning addition to the game. it just adds another level of depth to battles, the traditions seem to be another flat buff to a force that has survived long enough to gain plenty of battle experience. you can even resurrect old forces to keep their traditions alive.

Cons.

Terrible performance on a game touted to run on anything. (I get a steady frame rate in shogun 2 but this is simply inconsistent, changing the detail doesn't seem to make any difference on the frame rate or stuttering units in large battles)

Armies are tied to generals, So if you have a broken unit you either need to move another general to his location to switch units out or disband, there are no interchangeable town garrisons unless a general is there as all units can only move with a general.

no restacking broken units, you can't combine half dead stacks of men into a new full stack, you either have to disband and buy new units or wait for them to regenerate.

The campaign map UI, now a lot of folks have complained about the unit cards, I personally do not mind them that much, it would of been nicer to see graphic representations of the units in question and not just a tapestry image but its not as big of a deal as the whole UI in general, the event message window takes up about 3 times as much space as it does in shogun 2, the hot bar and information panels are either non existent until you click an army or town, or are simply convoluted beyond recognition, Infact the whole UI feels like it was designed for a console. There was nothing wrong with the UI's in the previous titles, it makes no sense why they redesigned the best working part of the franchise.

The battles themselves are over rather quickly, if you want even the smallest chance of changing the momentum of a fight or being able to simply keep pace with the battle, you have to play it in slow motion otherwise everything just happens so fast, most battles are over within 6 mins.

The AI in general is no better than previous titles, the technology tree feels a step back from shogun 2, the diplomacy has gained a few options, but the AI which manages it doesn't always see a beneficial request for trade or NAPs, often asking for gold in return for something that is going to benefit them just as much as you.

only one agent per army, maybe a balancing issue?
no family tree? why?

If you ask me, skip this for a while wait for some patches perhaps it'll get better, but I think shogun 2 is a far superior game.

Edit: One part of the Campaign I didn't mention was the victory conditions and i'm not sure if I like it or not, basically there are no more short or long campaigns as far as i can tell you can simply win in 1 of 3 ways, economic, military and cultural, its a bit of a change from the previous games in which domination and military might was practically the only way to win. it could make for some fun games.

after the game is patched ill try to remember this review and alter it based on the performance and quality of life changes.… Expand

Tedoki

Sep 5, 2013

2

Ever since Sega took over CA as a studio these games have been going down hill.

- The AI in Rome 2 is non-existent, both on the campaign map and in battles, CA have really taken 2 steps backwards in this release. All in-game battles amount to blobbing melee units and charging them in. - The UI is unclear and unforgiving, having to click through 3 or 4 menus to find relevantEver since Sega took over CA as a studio these games have been going down hill.

- The AI in Rome 2 is non-existent, both on the campaign map and in battles, CA have really taken 2 steps backwards in this release. All in-game battles amount to blobbing melee units and charging them in.

- The UI is unclear and unforgiving, having to click through 3 or 4 menus to find relevant information. This is simply unnecessary.

- The graphics have not improved since Shogun 2, I played the game on Very High and found that it looked dull and bland with the texture quality nearing that of Rome 1. There is NO art style in this game. The units, the map, the floor texture, the water everything is a mismatch and nothing seems to fit in. Don't get me started on the horrendous missile trail that looks like something from 2001.

- Diplomacy has always been a null-factor while playing Total War games and nothing has changed here. The AI does not and never has understood diplomacy, the only way to change the outcome of diplomacy is to offer or demand payments alongside the other conditions. Boring.

- Battles take no longer than 10 minutes in length, what happened to the 30 minute tactical positioning in the older games? Now all you have to do is blob your army and send it in, that's as good as tactics get on this game, ranged units are pointless.

--**Conclusion**--
I could go on and on about nearly every aspect of this game and why it's bad but I have said enough here. This is an abomination of the Total War Series. There have been no advancements in any area of the game. CA are attempting to simplify and funnel the experience for the casual gamer in-order to get more copies sold to win more artificial awards and to bolster their grand marketing campaigns.

The Critic Reviews for this game are shocking and really show the true nature of these so called "Big Names", so much for games journalism. Just look at the difference in score from critics to users, this is simply a joke no more needs to be said about this, you are all smart enough to work this out for yourselves.

Lucky to get even a 2 from me, I am extraordinarily disappointed and ashamed as a fan of the series.… Expand

Chomie

Sep 5, 2013

0

There is just too many things that are wrong. Right now i am going to try to forget that i bought this game and return to it once it is finished, polished and made into a game worth the money we payed. If you don't own the game i recommend you wait. One day it might become good.

My low score is a punishment for CA for giving us a beta.

pallepumpgun

Sep 5, 2013

0

Well, where to start. This game is as big a disappointment as inviting a bunch of orphans for my birthday; it sounded like a great idea on paper, but ended up taking all my resources and the payoff was pathetic.

I'm a vet of this genre. I'm a critical one, but I am; I've taken over feudal Japan twice in both Shogun I and II, likewise with Europe in MEI and II, the same goes for Rome IWell, where to start. This game is as big a disappointment as inviting a bunch of orphans for my birthday; it sounded like a great idea on paper, but ended up taking all my resources and the payoff was pathetic.

I'm a vet of this genre. I'm a critical one, but I am; I've taken over feudal Japan twice in both Shogun I and II, likewise with Europe in MEI and II, the same goes for Rome I and Empire and NTW; all with all applicable expansions. I know this genre, and I know how there is a dangerous precedence where CA has buggy launches. But that, bugs are one thing, gameplay's another. Especially when it's missing. After playing a 10 hour campaign with Sparta so far, I've come to the following conclusions:

Even on very high quality, the textures look like a spastic three year old with a crossdiagnosis of Parkinson's went nuts in Paint, it's a detail compared to gameplay.
The battles are predictable and repetitive: The A.I. will just ****ing stand there. When charging a full stack-defended settlement, line your army up in front of the enemy, then take your general's unit to the side of the enemy: The A.I. will completely disregard it. I got 1300 kills with my general alone by plowing through everything from the flank. Every battle is like this. Or move artillery or missile units in position and blast away till the enemy is routed. They do nothing. Also, I haven't had a single field battle yet; the lack of armies sees to that. No minor faction or other empire will have more than two armies at any given time, and these are always defending settlements. So you'll get boring sieges and that's that. Hurray.
Also, due to the lack of armies, you'll never get attacked. Sure, there are enemy agents to harass you, but since Generals are a dime a dozen and have no uniqueness to them and die off after a couple of turns (seems like it, anyway), you won't mind getting a couple assassinated.
Despite "unit variety" with a couple hundred differently named units, they're all just reskins, and they play the same.
There's no diplomacy. People either love you or hate you. If they don't love you, just give up on ever trading or getting peace. But hey, being at war with everyone; they're not going to attack you anyway, so why would you care?
Technology is tiresome and seems a chore to do rather than an accomplishment to get done.
The same goes for province management as well as the partial goals under your objective-page; seriously, total war games are supposed to be open ended. There shouldn't be rewards for fixed objectives forcing your gameplay.
Turn times are excessive. Even on a decent rig. Who the figured 144 factions was a good idea? Just call 'em rebels and be done with it.
The UI is without charm or personality and takes up too much space as well. As for agents: What are all those ****ing attributes? I don't mind that they're there, just ****ing explain them. At last there's a bit of complexity to this dumbed-down cluster**** of a botched up release, and then you won't tell us about it? Ingenious, CA. Plain ingenious.

Ultimately, I don't feel for this game. It runs slow, it's ugly to look at (compared to what we were promised), it's dumbed down and most actions seem pointless. There's no action; it's a Total WAR game, for ****s sake: Someone attack me already! Even with numerous fixes and patches, this game won't be a 10 or even an 8. It might be a 6, but currently it's a 3,5. I'm still giving it a 0, though. Primarily for wasting my time and my money, but mostly because CA said you, man," and I intend to back. If, in the process, I counter the equally meaningless 10's, I won't feel bad, because they will prompt people to do as I and countless others and waste money on this steaming pile of ****

Cheers everybody!… Expand

Substance2020

Sep 5, 2013

4

As mentioned by others the bugs etc. but if nothing else the loading times kill this game dead. I have a very decent PC(i7920, gtx590, 6GB) and waiting to load campaigns, battles, turns is excruciating. It's almost a return to the days of the Commodore 64 and tape loading. Your life is being wasted and you don't even get interesting loading screens to look at/read. They could at leastAs mentioned by others the bugs etc. but if nothing else the loading times kill this game dead. I have a very decent PC(i7920, gtx590, 6GB) and waiting to load campaigns, battles, turns is excruciating. It's almost a return to the days of the Commodore 64 and tape loading. Your life is being wasted and you don't even get interesting loading screens to look at/read. They could at least give you a mini game to play perhaps tetris...

I'm a big fan of the Total War series but I'm sorry to say Rome 2 is NOT enjoyable. If the loading times get fixed then maybe it get's an 8/10.… Expand

DrPancakez

Sep 5, 2013

5

Well this game is a buggy mess. Does it mean that it deserves a zero score? No! These people giving it 0/10 scores are just hate band wagoning, yes it's a horrible mess in its current state but go play Ride To Hell, or the release version of Sword in the Stars 2 for a game deserving a 0/10 score. On the same token I won't even play his game at its current state, but most likely by the endWell this game is a buggy mess. Does it mean that it deserves a zero score? No! These people giving it 0/10 scores are just hate band wagoning, yes it's a horrible mess in its current state but go play Ride To Hell, or the release version of Sword in the Stars 2 for a game deserving a 0/10 score. On the same token I won't even play his game at its current state, but most likely by the end of the month, it should be fixed, or already in a more payable state. But why do I give it a 6? Because minus the glitches it's a very good 4x strategy game. Excuse poor grammar/ spelling, writing this on phone.… Expand

Muskelsteffen

Sep 5, 2013

0

This game seems like an empty shell of a Total War game. Beautiful (yet horrible demanding) graphics and animations but no strategy content. In the battles you can win with nearly nothing against anything because of the dead AI that can't attack without destroy itself or defend without doing only stupid things. At this stage it seems like luck that the battles are so ugly fast you have toThis game seems like an empty shell of a Total War game. Beautiful (yet horrible demanding) graphics and animations but no strategy content. In the battles you can win with nearly nothing against anything because of the dead AI that can't attack without destroy itself or defend without doing only stupid things. At this stage it seems like luck that the battles are so ugly fast you have to come up with a very clever strategy to have battles longer than 10 minutes. And such longer battles would be nice because the loading time you have to invest every single time is really long!
On the campaign map you are left alone to conquer anything with again nearly nothing because of the dead AI that only leaves it's towns only with max 3 unit armies that can be beaten with every garrison army with ease. The towns may look nice but they are empty because there is nothing to manage despite burning a little bit of the tons of money the game provides even the most prodigal player. Playing on the campaign map is like walking through a dead post-apocalypse town, overthrowing cardboard cut-outs of enemies.

The release version of this game is not a strategy game. It is a good looking, brain dead Blondie. It is a empty nutshell and everybody, who has seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory knows, what is to do with empty nuts.… Expand

Numahr

Sep 5, 2013

2

Key features from previous games scrapped, notably regarding tactical usage of units (no guard mode, impossible to throw javelins on a skirmish mode...)
- Super quick battles leaving no time to think
- Messy behavior of units - AI stupidity All these make the tactical battles irrelevant.at a game-play level, beyond the nice showcase. The strategic map is nice but as the strategic Key features from previous games scrapped, notably regarding tactical usage of units (no guard mode, impossible to throw javelins on a skirmish mode...)
- Super quick battles leaving no time to think
- Messy behavior of units
- AI stupidity

All these make the tactical battles irrelevant.at a game-play level, beyond the nice showcase. The strategic map is nice but as the strategic layer of the game is only a pretext for hopefully interesting battles, I don't see the point.… Expand

Justinian_II

Sep 5, 2013

8

Not the Best Total war Game, but still a joy to play. Having great fun. Obviously some of the changes are steps back, but many others, such as the agent changes are steps forward.

GERULA666

Sep 5, 2013

1

DONT BUY THIS GAME!!!

The most anticipated game for 10 years now... I have played this series since 2004 and i am shocked this game is so bad. Horrible optimization and miserable graphics, first Rome looks better if this . Graphics are nothing like the Siege of Carthage video even on max settings, millions of bugs, Ai is very stupid, the multiplayer experience has been entirelyDONT BUY THIS GAME!!!

The most anticipated game for 10 years now...

I have played this series since 2004 and i am shocked this game is so bad.
Horrible optimization and miserable graphics, first Rome looks better if this .
Graphics are nothing like the Siege of Carthage video even on max settings, millions of bugs, Ai is very stupid, the multiplayer experience has been entirely ruined in this latest offering from Creative Assembly. They removed the Avatars, the veteran units and vet progression, the leaderboards, the clan battles, and much else.

Was quite impressed by shogun 2 total war battles fast with energy with a good feel on what your armies is doing, there is nothing, men full of bronze equipement run faster than ninja and kill so fast you hadn't any time to appreciate it seriously.It is essentially a reskinned Rome1 that manages to run worse,look worse and feel worse even when they had a massive amount of money which seems to have went on PR and false reviews.
Developers cheated players, it's basically a cash-grabbing rehash. Also, pre-order DLC? Really? I can't imagine the amount of pointless DLC they will add in the future...

Rome 2 is a big step backwards. Like, 10 years backwards. Honestly, Medieval 2 had better graphics. Actually, I think they may have re-used the same graphical engine from the original Rome: Total War. It looks about like that!
I'm done Creative Assembly you guys have pulled this crap too many times, finish your damn games, this game 4me is a waste of hard disk space and you just lost a customer!… Expand

Adventure_Pal

Sep 5, 2013

1

I bought every Total War game and expansion, starting with the formidable original Shogun TW. I pre-ordered Rome II, though I had my doubts, remembering Empire, for that matter. Rome II is, unfortunately, worse than I imagined, buggy and impossible to play on a machine that should not have any problem.

This is very, very disappointing. Sorry, CA, but somebody should really takeI bought every Total War game and expansion, starting with the formidable original Shogun TW. I pre-ordered Rome II, though I had my doubts, remembering Empire, for that matter. Rome II is, unfortunately, worse than I imagined, buggy and impossible to play on a machine that should not have any problem.

This is very, very disappointing. Sorry, CA, but somebody should really take responsibility for this crappy release.… Expand

Andy578

Sep 5, 2013

10

Creative Assembly has yet again shocked the world with this stunning new game. easy to learn for new players and veterans of the Total War series will feel right at home. by far the best Total War yet

darkcerb

Sep 5, 2013

6

I figured the no graphics drivers from nvidia/amd/ati would give this game a low score.

Everything about the actual game play is fine guys. in one or two patches...and with minimal effort from graphics card company's it'll be fine.

This exact situation is why metacritic is considered a giant joke.

21-5-73

Sep 5, 2013

3

I've seen games ridden with bugs you people wouldn't believe... Bikers vanishing under ghost roads in RIDE TO HELL RETRIBUTION, I watched brainless companions leave me die without batting an eyelide in STAR TREK: THE VIDEOGAME. All those moments will be lost compared to enemy spearmen refusing to attack me while I march on them at 10FPS in Rome 2, like tears in rain...

alQamar

Sep 5, 2013

5

Hello everyone,

after I noticed that we have a very biased official review from magazines, and most comments here let down a certain part of the game, I felt the need to write my own review here: The classical multiplayer I've waited for is a completely desaster at the moment. If you are a player that loved Rome 1 multiplayer, the still active community and their clans and theirHello everyone,

after I noticed that we have a very biased official review from magazines, and most comments here let down a certain part of the game, I felt the need to write my own review here:

The classical multiplayer I've waited for is a completely desaster at the moment.

If you are a player that loved Rome 1 multiplayer, the still active community and their clans and their world wide hosted tournaments, you instantly wish to rename this Rome 2 into

"Total Unplayable: Rome 2".

But there are GOOD things to tell aswell, and I may start with them:

PROS:
- Rome 1 fans wished to get rid of avatar, retainers and skilling units there are pro and cons of these. I am with the conservative party here

- The new deployment is great for clans and teamplayers as you have only one big deployment zone.

- very good multicore support, and hyperthreading support and freaking fast loading times

refer: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?549498-Multiple-core-CPU-utilisation&p=13205394#post13205394

- Classical skilling of veterans, no messing and 60 secs hurry to pick your army anymore.

- A lot of new game modes
http://imageshack.us/f/850/zg8d.jpg/

- you can pick a map location to host a game on the whole campaign map. This may sound new but it was there in Rome 1 aswell but hidden. Now it is easier to make maps, you can even "favorite" your locations. The map preview are now detailed and replaced the fancy pictures of Shogun 2.

- if your computer can handle it you can set double amount of stack, so 40 units stack per player instead of 20. Currently the performance is that bad that you cannot use it on ultra extreme preset
GTX Titan does 44 fps on maxed out settings :P

- The units are sorted by their means and strengh however in the game

- The alternate attack mode is back again. Pressing ALT key you can force a unit to attack in melee (swords) even cav with pikes, slingers and archers

- CA spend the chat some great new features like cut & paste (stating or explaining rulesets like CWB or others are not a pain anymore), also better blocking features, reziseable windows, and is for some reason disabled by default. You need to press the Z Y key to enable or hide it.

- you can pick one of three general presets which all have pro cons in special abilities. In a team match, well applied together they are decisive.

- all units are very responsive on command, especially when in fight, you can withdraw them much better than in all other TW games

- many taunts on enemies and accents

MIXED:
- Assault siege weapons are on a seperate unit tab ingame. Cost time and micro.

- We have a variety of units, though the unit cards are not easy to learn and recognize.

- all units have special abilities which makes fun but also there may be lack of sense on some of the abilities

- no sword shield skilling anymore only chevrons but compared to Rome 1 you can see the impact of skilling on a seperate unit stats tab. - CA stated there is no mulitmonitor support, but with some tweaks, I've seen it working. So no support seems to be they do not support it on issues, but basically it works. NEGATIVE: - new tactical map (tab key) and unit grouping modes but units do not keep formation like in Rome 1 when advancing. This is a basic warscape issue, that won't be solved. - Eventough you can pick a free location for the battle, you cannot enlarge the terrain thumbnails and they are very dark, low res. You cannot see much details of the terrain esp. hills and obstacles. - I am not a fan of ladders, as I am oldschool player and better stick to tourneys, but the ladders are really too plain now. - no "free for all mode (FFA)" anymore poor Prince of Macedon - no unit or avatar customisation anymore, not even colors or skins - only basic MLAA antialiasing - no DX 11 tesselation support anymore - no HDR light support anymore - the chat lobby and common chat is still not working globally like in Rome 1. You cannot see players online in the global window, rooms are limited to 100 players, and rooms are limited to your setup download region in Steam preferences. So only "local" chat partners. No community this way! - the performance of the game is a -3 10 bummer: while a AMD X3 with a 5870 runs with 40 FPS avg. on high settings, a i7-4770K with a GTX Titan does only have 44 fps on maxed out settings. Both running at 1920x1080 - the game is lagging even on high framerates (about 40) and occasionally you get FPS drops to 9 or 10 with no clear reason. The FPS are not very stable going up and down all the time. - The included "forest" benchmark is not intense enough to give you a good feeling if the graphics settings are choosen well or too high. - The pilae trails are HORRIBLE. Romans throwing them alltogether and it looks like lasers from certain point of views. They throw them while running not stopping like Rome 1 for that, which was more realistic, trails just pop up over their head. Sil… Expand

califfo93

Sep 5, 2013

1

for ITALIAN users, and even the SPANISH ones: SEGA or CREATIVE ASSEMBLY have cheated us by writing on the packaging and on STEAM (except the change made on September 3 after its release) that the game would be "COMPLETELY IN ITALIAN" or "FULLY iN SPANISH "in breach of Article 20 of Legislative Decree 206/2005 which speaks of false advertising that is" any advertising which in any way,for ITALIAN users, and even the SPANISH ones: SEGA or CREATIVE ASSEMBLY have cheated us by writing on the packaging and on STEAM (except the change made on September 3 after its release) that the game would be "COMPLETELY IN ITALIAN" or "FULLY iN SPANISH "in breach of Article 20 of Legislative Decree 206/2005 which speaks of false advertising that is" any advertising which in any way, including its presentation, is likely to mislead the natural or legal persons to whom it is addressed or whom it reaches and which, because of its deceptive nature, is likely to affect their economic behavior or which, for this reason, it is likely to injure a competitor so if CA will not solve the issue, it will be resolved by a judge.… Expand

ravineh

Sep 5, 2013

1

This game is in a BETA state. Might be worth purchasing in a half year after a lot of patches and modding for half the price. DONT buy it now, if you can- get a refund. It's time developers learned thier lesson.

rudraksh

Sep 5, 2013

10

Rome 2 was the most awaited game for me since probably Rome. I still play Rome, Shogun 2, and occasionally Empire and Napoleon. So in many ways I was expecting that in Rome 2 we will have the best aspects from all these other TW games. I am not disappointed at all. And, Rome 2 offers so much more.

I did find the game a bit slow even on my extreme Alienware pc and the game probably stillRome 2 was the most awaited game for me since probably Rome. I still play Rome, Shogun 2, and occasionally Empire and Napoleon. So in many ways I was expecting that in Rome 2 we will have the best aspects from all these other TW games. I am not disappointed at all. And, Rome 2 offers so much more.

I did find the game a bit slow even on my extreme Alienware pc and the game probably still needs some fine tuning, which should be done with the first patch. However, this is the grandest TW experience till date.

On the gameplay front, the game is again slower than usual with long wait time between turns, but if you can accept this and live with it, Rome 2 will be the best strategy game you can play. I would also recommend that the first few play through need to be all about understanding the interface as even while the design is elegant it can be a bit cryptic at first glance even for seasoned TW players. However, after 10 hours of play through, which is zilch compared to the time I have spent on TW, I am comfortable enough to know about the possible strategic choices and and how to make them at each turn.

The aspect that is most distinct about this game is that you have more and more strategic and tactical choices and more importantly you will be forced to use them on the campaign map and on the battlefield.

Battles are so much more interesting and the amount of diversity in terms of units, tactics, terrain, action, and abilities is amazing. This is a far better battlefield experience than other TW titles.

The art of total war is now more authentic and more diverse. Just need more factions to explore this fully.

I believe I am going to enjoy this game for a long time.… Expand

HerrMelin

Sep 5, 2013

3

A new low point for a once great series: The game shipped unfinished and needs to be patched soon, at the moment suffering from a catastrophic artificial intelligence and battles that lost most of the appeal they held in older parts of the series. Once a nerve-breaking, hard struggle, confrontations between armies are solved much too quickly now, feeling rushed. Tactics, formations andA new low point for a once great series: The game shipped unfinished and needs to be patched soon, at the moment suffering from a catastrophic artificial intelligence and battles that lost most of the appeal they held in older parts of the series. Once a nerve-breaking, hard struggle, confrontations between armies are solved much too quickly now, feeling rushed. Tactics, formations and intelligent strategies are less rewarded than they were in the past, the Total War mostly turning into Total Chaos. The epic feeling of being the leader of a great empire and and a great army is watered down remarkably by unnecessary changes and over-simplifications that disappoint most of the fans.… Expand

pecks

Sep 5, 2013

10

This is a great game and a step on from Shogun2 both for gameplay and graphics and also for probably the best historical setting for a total war game.

There are a lot of low scores for tech/grphical issues with some grphics cards which i am sure will be patched soon. So this should not take away from a great game. PS. for balance not a fan of the new capture points in open battlesThis is a great game and a step on from Shogun2 both for gameplay and graphics and also for probably the best historical setting for a total war game.

There are a lot of low scores for tech/grphical issues with some grphics cards which i am sure will be patched soon. So this should not take away from a great game.

PS. for balance not a fan of the new capture points in open battles (but its not a game breaker)… Expand

Brahemian

Sep 5, 2013

2

The only thing that makes sense to me about the way this game turned out is that it feels as though somewhere between the Teutoberg and Carthage gameplay videos and release someone decided that the Total War series should end up on the consoles.

The graphics as evident by most people are quite terrible and nowhere near the quality in the early pre release videos. The game lacks a wholeThe only thing that makes sense to me about the way this game turned out is that it feels as though somewhere between the Teutoberg and Carthage gameplay videos and release someone decided that the Total War series should end up on the consoles.

The graphics as evident by most people are quite terrible and nowhere near the quality in the early pre release videos. The game lacks a whole lot of complexity in the battles, there is no 'loose' formation which has been a staple for ever, and it's dumbfounding to wonder why that isn't in the game. Battles on average seem to last roughly around five minutes. These things give one of the central parts of a Total War game a complete lack of strategy or tactics and leave you with no sense of accomplishment or feeling.

The map is beautiful, and the sea battles are pleasant, but in the end if you exempt all the myriad of bugs and other mishaps the complexity and deepness that this game should have is non-existant, this game feels like it should be played on a console, not on a computer. It is a truly dissapointing game after Shogun 2 and Fall of the Samurai.… Expand

TIZ

Sep 5, 2013

8

When I started single player I liked it...no graphics issues, everything on full and extreme no lag solid 40FPS with dips to 20FPS very very rarely. My graphics card isn't great (Nvidia GTX560 Ti NVIDIA 314.22 DRIVERS I ROLLED BACK MY DRIVERS BECAUSE OF DRIVER ISSUES!!! Make sure you are not running the game slow because of your drivers). The AI is pretty poor but that's ok because itWhen I started single player I liked it...no graphics issues, everything on full and extreme no lag solid 40FPS with dips to 20FPS very very rarely. My graphics card isn't great (Nvidia GTX560 Ti NVIDIA 314.22 DRIVERS I ROLLED BACK MY DRIVERS BECAUSE OF DRIVER ISSUES!!! Make sure you are not running the game slow because of your drivers). The AI is pretty poor but that's ok because it allows new players to get into the Total War series, and on legendary the AI is better, but also most people complaining about AI difficulty should just play online against human opponents...which takes me to Multi-player issues, YES me and my friend had massive de-sync at launch time and were really annoyed we started and played up to the 3rd turn about 6-7 times until we got fed up and looked for a fix online. We used some BETA code which gave us the "launcher_dll_test_fix" look it up on Google, no de-sync issues after that we are on turn 8 (turns take ages, a lot more to do). Graphics are great only issue there is the poor textures I agree...but overall I really think game deserves minimum 6/10 from the release date. But since I sorted all my issues out I would say a solid 8/10 a few things made differently could improve Total War a lot. Sorry for ppl having issues I guess, hope the patch on Friday helps everyone … Expand

nidza

Sep 5, 2013

5

The game is made a for a high end PC and an SSD is a must have if you don't want to clean your house while waiting for your turn.

The battles are criminally easy. The campaign is slightly harder but still too easy. The battles are slower than in shogun which suits my playstyle. The game is very pretty the graphics are amazing and I like the art style. I like this game more thanThe game is made a for a high end PC and an SSD is a must have if you don't want to clean your house while waiting for your turn.

The battles are criminally easy.
The campaign is slightly harder but still too easy.
The battles are slower than in shogun which suits my playstyle.
The game is very pretty the graphics are amazing and I like the art style.
I like this game more than shogun 2 but I do see shogun 2 as a better game which makes this a step back.
It could be optimized better and have SLI support but it's a rush job.

I wouldn't pay them 83$ which is the European price for the game but the 30$ the Russian price seemed ok enough for me to try this...for the rest I would recommend piracy as it's not a cashgrab per se but day one DLC makes me angry.… Expand

Vivec

Sep 5, 2013

0

I'm changing my score, at some point game turned out be unplayable. I'm getting such a low fps' it's annoying. I played every game on ultra until now. Even at lowest settings game still manages to lag.

Battles are impossible to play, your army loses it's formation the moment you give an order. Campaign is much more better than former titles but i can't think another game which is poorlyI'm changing my score, at some point game turned out be unplayable. I'm getting such a low fps' it's annoying. I played every game on ultra until now. Even at lowest settings game still manages to lag.

Battles are impossible to play, your army loses it's formation the moment you give an order. Campaign is much more better than former titles but i can't think another game which is poorly optimised as this.

A game needs to be playable first to even get a rating!… Expand

dreadlord666

Sep 5, 2013

7

Let me start with the good things, first of there is the graphics wich look very good, awesome landscapes, and the different maps fells fresh and in some cases more alive than in any other total war game so far ("buildings, trees and general vegetation)". The units/army looks good close up, but then again not a huge leap from shogun2. The single player campaign is very good and its clearLet me start with the good things, first of there is the graphics wich look very good, awesome landscapes, and the different maps fells fresh and in some cases more alive than in any other total war game so far ("buildings, trees and general vegetation)". The units/army looks good close up, but then again not a huge leap from shogun2. The single player campaign is very good and its clear for me to see thats where the focus of the game is, single player is more or less like in rome 1 but with bettter graphics and some more deept..
What keeps me from giveing a higher score is the fact that the multiplayer still fells like rome 1, where shogun2 did a awesome job with a avatar campaign in multiplayer and used a RPG element in skills and hero units, then rome 2 just fells like rome1 not much new under the sun other than updated graphics and some new formation options, dont get me wrong rome 2 got 3 options to change your generals abilitys, and i hope they will make more in future dlc, but still fells to me like shogun2`s multiplayer is light years ahead of rome 2, and i think it is a shame to take a step backwards..

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

but it is a bit better than the score of 4.8 it has atm, some people expect a perfect game the day it comes out, wich isnt gonna happen without alot of patches, if u got horrible graphics or low Fps u should look at your own computer in most cases and not the game..… Expand

dementium

Sep 5, 2013

1

Such a huge disappointment!

I was an avid fan of the TW series, having played every game since the first Shogun. Rome 2 is by far the worst TW game. Ok some TW games had awful AI at first, some had limited unit variety, some had very annoying bugs, broken mechanics etc. Rome 2 has all of these combined, and more! - Campaign AI is extremely inconsistent. It removes all its forces fromSuch a huge disappointment!

I was an avid fan of the TW series, having played every game since the first Shogun. Rome 2 is by far the worst TW game. Ok some TW games had awful AI at first, some had limited unit variety, some had very annoying bugs, broken mechanics etc. Rome 2 has all of these combined, and more!

- Campaign AI is extremely inconsistent. It removes all its forces from its last remaining settlement. Then after I capture it, the pathetic guys start attacking my 2000-man army with 200 soldiers each turn. For some reason, noone, even friendly states/tribes accepts trade agreements, even though they will also benefit hugely from them.

- If you autoresolve town defenses (against let's say rebel forces), there will always be some remaining soldiers in the enemy, which in turn will harass you again next turn. This forces you to play the boring battles in real time.

- Optimization is non-existent. Loading times extremely long in some systems. Loads of graphical glitches etc. These will eventually get fixed with patches I guess. But I hate this approach when companies release unfinished games and the game gets completed 6 months later after 20 patches.

- The most important part: HORRIBLE UI. Technology screen is a disaster, looks like a f2p ipad game. Skill selection screen is awful. Unit cards unintuitive and much more! The only explanation for this ridiculous UI is that they are planning to port the game to consoles in the future. RIP CA!

- Battles are too fast. 10000 people battles are finished in 3-4 minutes. Tactics don't seem to be important anymore. Just blob your units and attack.

- Navies are mostly unnecessary. Just move your armies onto sea and ram every ship you see with your army. Another cruel joke.

I could go on but what's the point? It seems CA shifted their target audience towards more casual gamers, like many other companies in the recent years. Spending tons of money on marketing instead of finishing the game before releasing it. Bravo!

Just a final note: I will never spend another cent on a CA game. Au revoir!… Expand

blaugrana

Sep 5, 2013

0

The biggest disappointment in the total war series. The battles are extremely fast paced and arcade and lack any strategical depth. Both campaign and battle ai are terrible.
I know it is my fault for pre ordering because while I didn't expect the game to be perfect on release, I never expected such a disappointment. If you haven't bought it yet, wait until they have fixed it to get itThe biggest disappointment in the total war series. The battles are extremely fast paced and arcade and lack any strategical depth. Both campaign and battle ai are terrible.
I know it is my fault for pre ordering because while I didn't expect the game to be perfect on release, I never expected such a disappointment. If you haven't bought it yet, wait until they have fixed it to get it dirt cheap, or better still, go play real strategy games like Europa Universalis or Crusader Kings.… Expand

PriceofShadows

Sep 5, 2013

0

RIP Total War, this is last time I got tricked into buying Total War game.I feel cheated and robbed, my fault I believed hype but at least no money for DLC !

1.Game looks like crap textures are blurry and ugly 2.AA doesn't work !!! 3.Music is dull and boring, sounds are reused from older titles especially extremly loud and annoying marching sound when you zoom in, 4.There is noRIP Total War, this is last time I got tricked into buying Total War game.I feel cheated and robbed, my fault I believed hype but at least no money for DLC !

1.Game looks like crap textures are blurry and ugly
2.AA doesn't work !!!
3.Music is dull and boring, sounds are reused from older titles especially extremly loud and annoying marching sound when you zoom in,
4.There is no way to switch off bloom and everything shines and reflects
5.Soldiers run too fast poor game mechanics.
6.Army cards are ugly and confusing difficult to recognize troops

Ancient Medieval 2 has better graphics,gameplay and realistic soldiers movements.Game is totally dumbed down,people who made this 'game' should take a look at masterpieces like Medieval 2 or Rome 1 to see what this is all about.Biggest disappointement of 2013, save your money and don't buy it until it's 90% OFF.… Expand

ProReviewer7

Sep 5, 2013

8

Cons:
Optimisation for low end
AI still hit and miss
Unit cards
UI needs getting used to

Pros:
Runs fine on my rig
New campaign mechanics
Diplomacy: AIs actually asking for treaties, alliance targets
Shiny graphics for high end

8/10 so far.

vic_travers

Sep 5, 2013

5

Well, there's a few positives (Agent's, some politcal intrigue, Art direction, prettiness of the map etc) but....This game does not seem to build on the foundations of Shogun 2 or even Empire before it.

My issues: AI bugs (both in the turn based and RTS elements) Graphics lag (it auto-tuned to my system and picked extreme graphics etc, I turned it DOWN to ultra and it still lags,Well, there's a few positives (Agent's, some politcal intrigue, Art direction, prettiness of the map etc) but....This game does not seem to build on the foundations of Shogun 2 or even Empire before it.

My issues:

AI bugs (both in the turn based and RTS elements)

Graphics lag (it auto-tuned to my system and picked extreme graphics etc, I turned it DOWN to ultra and it still lags, even on the campaign map)

Hitpoint system and moral both seem to be flawed when compared to previous titles.

Army movment is a big bugbear for me (perhaps my own character flaw) and I'll tell you why dear reader.
Caeser pacified Gaul in 6 years. In this game, it would take 6 years (turns) or longer just to march to Gaul from Rome, never mind conquer it.

End turns take way way too long.

3D advisors waste of CPU and memory

The grand strategy map, whilst pretty, seems to be a little too cartoony, a bit... sort of.. Tellytubby land

Hopefully, once the fixes start rolling in this game will be worth your money (CA already have mine). My advice, keep an eye on the MOD community for this game. Once they've cracked it (DarthMod) you'll see the game shine. (check out Empire with the darthmod!!)

In closing. Get Shogun 2, play it for a few months whilst CA fix Rome 2 and then get Rome 2 and get the MODs.… Expand

ajax_7

Sep 5, 2013

1

First ever game I pre-ordered, having played every total war since Rome 1. I've loved every single one of them, sure they all have flaws but nothing that sticks out too much. Rome 2 has been an enormous step down, a huge disappointment and a waste of money. I wish I could take it back and wait for the next release. Multiplayer is disgraceful, I would prefer to play Rome 1. The UI isFirst ever game I pre-ordered, having played every total war since Rome 1. I've loved every single one of them, sure they all have flaws but nothing that sticks out too much. Rome 2 has been an enormous step down, a huge disappointment and a waste of money. I wish I could take it back and wait for the next release. Multiplayer is disgraceful, I would prefer to play Rome 1. The UI is horrible to navigate around and the army choices are limited. Having come from the outstanding multiplayer of Shogun 2, I won't be playing Rome multiplayer at all. The turn times have been an issue in all Total War games excepting Shogun 2, but in this release they are ridiculous. I can quite literally write a page of work while I'm waiting, my only fear somebody will initiate diplomacy and halt the process until I respond. The AI are terrible as always, and the campaign game feels cut down and shabby. The UI is hard to work with, there are limited management options and nothing really flows or makes sense. In battle, there are a huge amount of bugs but the ones that stick out are faulty attack orders and the complete stripping down of the UI. No fire at will, no guard mode etc. The unit cards are hard to read and take up almost half the screen. The graphics, at my current settings (Medium-High) are worse than Shogun which I can run on high, and the frame rate is slower. I thought that there must be a glitch when I saw my first battle lasted 5 minutes but no, every single battle takes 5 minutes or less. Politics is useless, there are no more events and overall there is no real flavour to the game. There are some good points, multiplayer loading times are vastly improved and the scope of the game is impressive, but unfortunately the good is lost in a sea of disappointment. It's an incomplete money grab, and CA have toyed with their fans including me who were so keyed up for the launch. I've learned a bit of a Roman life lesson; trust nobody and never jump into anything.… Expand

Hamlsh

Sep 5, 2013

0

Really terrible, I remember how I felt playing shogun 2 for the first time, I was excited. impressed and it was very fun, playing Rome II, I get none of these feelings, all they had to do was re-skin Shougn II, but they couldn't 't even do that right, the tech tree is badly designed, and there is no family tree and so no role playing. Every turn i get asked for gold by one of my retardReally terrible, I remember how I felt playing shogun 2 for the first time, I was excited. impressed and it was very fun, playing Rome II, I get none of these feelings, all they had to do was re-skin Shougn II, but they couldn't 't even do that right, the tech tree is badly designed, and there is no family tree and so no role playing. Every turn i get asked for gold by one of my retard neighbours, you can't attack by land a city that has its port blockaded with one allied ship, in battles if you select your group to attack the enemy they all converge on one enemy unit, ruining their formation, gauls and iceni are apparently voiced by someone trying to fake a really bad Swedish accent. Overall there is no immersion I don't feel part of the faction I'm playing, there is also no innovation in game play at all.… Expand

BabbyConsoleRts

Sep 5, 2013

1

Pre-ordered this game for a pretty penny hoping to get an improved Shogun but lo and behold we got a watered down piece of and soon to be console RTS. At least that would explain why they took all of the depth from the campaign map/city management and left battles a simple matter of auto resolving every battle like a preschool version of Europa Universalis. On the rare occasion that youPre-ordered this game for a pretty penny hoping to get an improved Shogun but lo and behold we got a watered down piece of and soon to be console RTS. At least that would explain why they took all of the depth from the campaign map/city management and left battles a simple matter of auto resolving every battle like a preschool version of Europa Universalis. On the rare occasion that you have to join the battle you'll have the pleasure of routing the enemy without so much as moving an inch if you have any artillery because they won't move either! No artillery to be found? I'm sure right clicking the enemy once for victory with your infantry or calvary is going to keep you busy forever!

Sad that they throw away the goodwill of their hardcore fans who have bought title after title with this dribble. Save your money pc, and inevitably, Xbox and PS owners.… Expand

Vastator

Sep 5, 2013

0

I can tolerate problems such pathetic AI on sieges, worst UI of the series, fast and arcadish battles, "WTF" diplomacy, because these things can (hopefully in several months) be modded or patched.

But what i can't tolerate are the lies of the devs and the false advertisement made before the game release: they advertised the game to be optimized and playable on every PC, and theyI can tolerate problems such pathetic AI on sieges, worst UI of the series, fast and arcadish battles, "WTF" diplomacy, because these things can (hopefully in several months) be modded or patched.

But what i can't tolerate are the lies of the devs and the false advertisement made before the game release: they advertised the game to be optimized and playable on every PC, and they declared those very low requirements: complete lie!! You can't play such a huge game on a single core or on a weak dual core (i have though a way stronger PC), there are many people that have been fooled of that, go and see on the support forums! They are seeking help because the game (CPU intensive) run on 10 FPS! They can't be helped with that hw, they have been fooled by the minimum reqs.

They showed totally different "alpha footage" than actually is on the game (go and see the old carthage walkthrough and compare with the actual one, it's depressing!). And what about day one DLC? They said that they were making them because the core game was finished and there was time to make them!! WTF, "finished"????

Let's not talk about the performance: no matter what settings i choose, when the melee start the game becomem unplayable due to lag and low FPS (and i can play B3, C3 and Shogun 2 on high/ultra). Turns take 3 minutes to finish, and the campaign map lags as hell.

CA was my favorite game company. With this score i feel like killing my father. But my father has raped me with Rome II :(

I'm so sad, so sad about the current state of the game that you can't imagine. I followed its development from the July 2012 with very high hopes. Now all is lost.

Why this?? WHY!!??… Expand

Arotished

Sep 5, 2013

2

Total disappointment of you compare it to the good old TW games but if you are a fan of a quick and simple arcade game with some short and easy battles, this is the game for you.

durrdurrdurr

Sep 5, 2013

0

Poorly optimized.
No guard mode.
Clueless AI.
The battles are over too quickly.
No family tree.
You can't change to loose or tight formation.

Stick to Rome: Total war or its mods.

delappe

Sep 5, 2013

2

As a big fan of the Total War Series and the first Rome game specifically (at least 150 hours played on that one alone), it is safe to say this game is a giant step backward. The simplicity of management and enjoyment of strategic battle that was present in the first Rome game has been systematically removed. The number of bugs, optimization, and ai are inexcusably poor for such a highAs a big fan of the Total War Series and the first Rome game specifically (at least 150 hours played on that one alone), it is safe to say this game is a giant step backward. The simplicity of management and enjoyment of strategic battle that was present in the first Rome game has been systematically removed. The number of bugs, optimization, and ai are inexcusably poor for such a high budget project, and so much less than I expected from the series. I hope some serious patches are released soon, but for me the game is probably a dead end now. Back to Rome: Total War for some serious modding, I guess.… Expand

penguen2013

Sep 5, 2013

0

Terrible beta release. Apparently CA does not care about the fun base any longer. Full of bugs. Constant ctds, horrible optimasation, terrible ai, game breaking features...

andrucks

Sep 5, 2013

0

This is game is in a pre-beta state. Constant freezing and/or crashes, with huge performance issues.
The AI is non existing and the UI in both on world map and on the battlefield is messy. There is no excuse for this. Avoid

metapanos

Sep 5, 2013

9

This game really dwarfs any other modern strategy game in size and development effort. It need some more polishing and some bug fixes for sure but nothing game breaking as many ppl cry here about.
Some say the cant run the game at all....it didnt crash on me once so far...ppl with higher rigs than mine complain they have lower fps than i do....Personally i have a "Phenom 2 x4 965 7850 2This game really dwarfs any other modern strategy game in size and development effort. It need some more polishing and some bug fixes for sure but nothing game breaking as many ppl cry here about.
Some say the cant run the game at all....it didnt crash on me once so far...ppl with higher rigs than mine complain they have lower fps than i do....Personally i have a "Phenom 2 x4 965 7850 2 gigs 8 ram" and the game runs on my computer ALMOST as good as shogun 2 did Everything on Extreme except shadows/sky (ultra) and Alpha Vegetation off. That is with armies up to 20 units vs 20 units. If we go to 40 units vs 40 units which is new feature in Rome 2 it gets more difficult but that is to be expected ofc. Total war games will crack down any rig if you continue to raise the number of soldiers in a battle. About the new UI so many cry about....Its just different...within an hour of playing i had no problem using it like any other total war game... Some people...they just want to be fed with a spoon in the mouth... There is a guy here in who gave this game a "0" because in the unit cards instead of the classic "soldiers number" we have a health bar now. Get real. Hover your cursor over a few things. All details are there. AI Classic Total war AI Not really improved by Shogun 2 Not worse however in any case..Some bugs need to be sorted out but again nothing really gamebreaking....for example i hear many cry out about enemy units not disembarking from ships when they reach the coast. NOT once in 15 battles did this occurred in my experience.
For those still skeptical about this game due to numerous user bad reviews, IF you are looking for honest opinions on this game better take it from the official reviews. My opinion is that this is a fantastic AAA title and deserves your attention. If you could wait a couple of weeks -or even months- for some fixes to come out first before buying you would even get i believe the most out of this game.… Expand

Daneoid

Sep 5, 2013

7

Fickle, fickle people, the game is exceptional, It's a Total War game, of course it's going to have bugs, they're no where near as bad as you people are making them out to be.

madstockman

Sep 5, 2013

1

After playing every single Total War game since its release i am incredibly disappointed with this release. There are many positives (scope, graphics, traditions, unit types, increased diplomacy) yet somehow by importing these features in the developers have lost so much of the Total War basics that it is actually massively shocking. The PR for this game was excellent and we were told thatAfter playing every single Total War game since its release i am incredibly disappointed with this release. There are many positives (scope, graphics, traditions, unit types, increased diplomacy) yet somehow by importing these features in the developers have lost so much of the Total War basics that it is actually massively shocking. The PR for this game was excellent and we were told that the developers had the biggest budget ever for a Total War game. With that in mind the fact that your 'epic battles' can be over in a couple of minutes due to poor testing of the combat system and units formations crumble when they meet an opposing force and battle lines turn into blobs is ridiculous. Also the campaign map, as beautiful as it is it has been dumbed down, no longer do you build farms and see farms appear upgraded on the map (Shogun 2) but you do see your cities get bigger. So big in fact that they take up a stupid amount of space. I appreciate as a Total War fanatic i could come across snobby, the mechanics of this game are really good. The game itself though has been released unfinished and unworthy of the epic reviews it has been given by the press. My thoughts are that they probably are not Total War fans and not played the previous titles. Playing the game for the first time id imagine it might appear pretty amazing but believe me, its not. This will need sorting out by the amazing Total War modding community and they don't even get paid for it. Thanks CA, i can only presume your next title will be even worse after this.… Expand

Viljanen

Sep 5, 2013

1

The game is laggy and ugly even on my relatively good computer. I'm not going to play it until it is patched and hopefully optimized and I can't recommend it to anyone. I feel sorry I preordered this unfinished game.

At the moment it is the ugliest Total war game ever. The graphics look like they are 10 years old.

balrog1987

Sep 5, 2013

4

I'm changing my score for now, because of obvious reasons -
1) AI
2) UI 3) No connection to faction no family tree 4) Diplomacy needs rebalancing 5) The sea battles are terrible, transports are op 6) No blood seriosly, in a game about warfare?Grow some balls. 7) Battle pacing is terrible 8) Too many too fast reloading magic abilities 9) Pushed out before the GPU drivers wereI'm changing my score for now, because of obvious reasons -
1) AI
2) UI
3) No connection to faction no family tree
4) Diplomacy needs rebalancing
5) The sea battles are terrible, transports are op
6) No blood seriosly, in a game about warfare?Grow some balls.
7) Battle pacing is terrible
8) Too many too fast reloading magic abilities
9) Pushed out before the GPU drivers were created terrible optimization
10) Even on extreme graphics are blurry and lack proper AA
11) is it not enough?… Expand

ArkyStano

Sep 5, 2013

10

Well, I don't understand the rant about the game... It's not that bad, sure it got a few flaws! But wait a couple of weeks and it most likely will be fixed... It's not broken... It's fun.. Either you guys are somekind of fanboys towards Rome I or something.

Pharaun3

Sep 5, 2013

1

This game shows best, how greed destroys potential. In it's current state the game is an early alpha. Many graphic cards are not supported, Creative Assembly gives an explanation that NVidia didnt yet provide new drivers what the hell? So why was this game published in the first place when they knew it will not work on most machines? This of course has created numerous graphic issues andThis game shows best, how greed destroys potential. In it's current state the game is an early alpha. Many graphic cards are not supported, Creative Assembly gives an explanation that NVidia didnt yet provide new drivers what the hell? So why was this game published in the first place when they knew it will not work on most machines? This of course has created numerous graphic issues and glitches so half the preorder community cannot play which is unforgivable for a series this large.

Besides the graphics, the Ai is worst of all of the game series. No more charges with his general head on to your spearmen now he doesnt do anything. I played a few good hours and the Ai does nothing. Even in a siege situation he positioned his archers on walls yes but kept giving them move orders and such so hey cannot fire... On top of that the campaign Ai is even worse every turn an army with a win chance 1% keeps attacking, and after its defeat it attacks AGAIN. It's like he wants to die.

Considering that someone was lucky and ran the game, and he doesnt mind the Ai, the game is ok. It's a generally good game, but the Ai, graphics, unintuitive UI and silly bugs destroy it into oblivion. If not the fact that its a Total War, it would be never bought and quickly forgotten.

But the worst offence of all is the company tactic Release an alpha and make people test it for us so we save money on game testers, and then patch ti into working shape. This way we make money quicker and finish it with less hassle." This is unacceptable. On a side note giving out a DLC on the FIRST DAY is a terrible cash jump, but announcing more payable DLC when the game doesnt work for half the community, is PR suicide.

Do not buy this game until christmas, it will be probably patched into shape then.… Expand

anomaly47

Sep 5, 2013

0

I've played every single Total War game and had been following Rome 2 for quite some time. I've been excited about its release for months. Paid $70 bucks for it plus the expansion on Steam and rushed home to play it tonight after work. (Like many of you I'm sure). I wanted this to be everything it was built up to be. Every play through and trailer made it look better and better.

ItI've played every single Total War game and had been following Rome 2 for quite some time. I've been excited about its release for months. Paid $70 bucks for it plus the expansion on Steam and rushed home to play it tonight after work. (Like many of you I'm sure). I wanted this to be everything it was built up to be. Every play through and trailer made it look better and better.

It unfortunately is not. I wanted it to be more than anything. I mean ROME! Hello!

Issues:
- The campaign map is a slow nightmare that just won't wake. Its performance is horrendous. Low frame rates, slow animations, UI issues... I can put up with this for a while.

- 60 second turns (if that) and quite literally 3-5 minute waits between turns while the hundred or so AI states do their thing. Some turns you don't have anything to do and so it turns into a 8-10 minute wait while you "play" the game. I have better things to do with my time. Laundry?

- Naval battles seemed janky. Boats get hit once and immediately explode.

I can't play this game as is, and I have a HIGH tolerance for pain. Sad sad sad day in gameland.

I hope this improves.… Expand

Dairko

Sep 4, 2013

7

I have to say... I don't really understand the crap-storm that this game is getting.

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

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

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

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

While its got its many problems, the game is not quite broken. All ports checked, this game is a must buy for total war fans. But it may be best for others to wait until a few of the weekly patches are made. This game deserves a bit less than it got from critics, but deserves much more than a bunch of quickly thrown out 0/10s from mindless drivel when the game hasn't been fully experienced. As a release, this game gets from me: 68/100… Expand

GeorgMithrandir

Sep 4, 2013

4

I played over 24 hours and i finally have to say that the game needs A LOT OF WORK....the AI is horrible(battles last up to 10 min.)....so where is the challenge CA promised? Also it has limited optimizing and the time waiting for your next turn is REALLY BORING...I don't have any serious problem with the province system but i really hate the diplomacy....Even though i don't have a lot ofI played over 24 hours and i finally have to say that the game needs A LOT OF WORK....the AI is horrible(battles last up to 10 min.)....so where is the challenge CA promised? Also it has limited optimizing and the time waiting for your next turn is REALLY BORING...I don't have any serious problem with the province system but i really hate the diplomacy....Even though i don't have a lot of graphic problems (despite the fact that my pc is old), it makes me sad that CA made a step backwards....In conclusion i hope the game will get better with time but for now even 4/10 is the best i can rate it....… Expand

CaptainRAVE

Sep 4, 2013

10

So far I think this is a fantastic game and in many ways an improvement over previous titles. The AI is much improved, the UI is much more streamlined. The game feels like the original Rome. I can only imagine how great this game will be after a few patches and further optimizations.

Just remember, there are hundreds of thousands of people happily playing this. There will always be aSo far I think this is a fantastic game and in many ways an improvement over previous titles. The AI is much improved, the UI is much more streamlined. The game feels like the original Rome. I can only imagine how great this game will be after a few patches and further optimizations.

Just remember, there are hundreds of thousands of people happily playing this. There will always be a minority raging about issues that they have.… Expand

Plasmaice

Sep 4, 2013

1

Let me start off this review by saying that I am not new to Total War. I have payed and own Shogun: Total War, Rome: Total War, Medieval II: Total War, Medieval II: Total War, Empire: Total War, Napoleon: Total War, Total War: Shogun 2, and now Total War: Rome II. Out of all those games Rome: Total War was my all time favorite Total War Game. I don't know if it was just my affectionLet me start off this review by saying that I am not new to Total War. I have payed and own Shogun: Total War, Rome: Total War, Medieval II: Total War, Medieval II: Total War, Empire: Total War, Napoleon: Total War, Total War: Shogun 2, and now Total War: Rome II. Out of all those games Rome: Total War was my all time favorite Total War Game. I don't know if it was just my affection towards Roman culture or if I just enjoyed being in charge of one of the largest empires that the Mediterranean sea has ever seen.

After discovering my favorite game and playing it for many years after I finally purchased Total War: Shogun 2. Though the game was quite a bit different from Rome I, I found it quite interesting the way that the game graphics changed after so many years. I did like how the units added that "rock, paper, scissors" effect. affect making some units strong, or weak, to other units. This make it just a bit harder to dominate other players. I did have quite a distaste for the new total tax system that they implemented. Even though they added this system, they still allowed player to see a total breakdown of how the economy and happiness worked in each providence. And if a player was having trouble keeping their income in the green, they could choose not to tax that providence. But one thing I still cant figure out is where does the Daimyo keeps his chair?

When I heard about the release of Total War:Rome II I did not jump the gun and pre-order it right a way. Instead I did research about the game, most of which i would find out to be a official lie. After months I pre-ordered it until about 9 hours away from release. I was not able to play the game until after returned home (close to noon). When I first started campaign mode, I am not going to lie I had high hopes for this game. I was quickly put down. When I started it took me over 1 hour just for figure out how to get my generals out and start moving, I was playing as Athens and I was trying to see what special units I had. No need to spend 1 hour looking there are practically no difference between faction and their units. During that hour I sorta saw how to manage taxes. I though that it was for each territory that you owned. after I moved 3 of my generals to one of my neighboring territories and found out that you can not have more than one general in a army. I took the city and went to repair it, because i though it would be similar to Shogun II due to the campaign interface, by the way it is not. After that I realized that I was not able to manage taxes on an individual level but on a faction level. This would make it easy for those who just like to click the "end turn" button, but for experienced players, like my self where who like to micro manage every country to bring out the optimal profit from every country with out having to bring down all the total taxes because your new territory is unhappy with you taking over. I have since played over 7 hours trying to play this game and try to find a way to make it playable for players who want strategy. I have to agree with other player about the AI being one of the worst AI i have ever played with. I could list thousands of thing wrong with the AI but I will not in this review. Sadly I had any issues running ultra graphics on my computer. Probably because I have about 2.5 thousand US dollars invested in my custom build performance computer. So I have not experienced any lag, but i have noticed patches that come up un-rendered from time to time. I do not see the detail that they promised they would have in this game, even on ultra mode. The battle load times have been as long as they were in Shogun II in my option. but really... Units should not move that fast ever. To fix this issue for the most part you have to manually change the game speed down. This game is by far one of that saddest excesses for a Total War game that I have every seen. They should have produced a better quality product and when they overemphasize this being a tactics and strategy game, they better live up to what they say.

I would not get this game for obvious reasons, underdeveloped, crippled AI, lacking diverse units, basic "cookie cutter" units for every faction, not even roman archers (which Romans had), there are so many critics hyping up this game, and painful campaign interface.

There are only a few reason why critics would give this game a good review,
1) They were paid and given a basic script to reword
2) They must have been given the full copy of the game that no one else tends to have.
3)They got the game and spend very little (under 10 minutes) looking at the game or just watched the trailer

Don't buy this game if you can help it, it is not worth it right now. I do not think even a mod could save this game from this painful interface. I

I rate this game low because that is where I feel it is, not because someone pays me.… Expand

armitage

Sep 4, 2013

1

Horrible, just horrible. In the short term there are the many well documented and game destroying technical issues (pretty sure CA must not have any testers on staff at all on this evidence). These will be resolved through patches etc in time, but it defies belief that they have repeated the mistakes of ETW all over again.

Of a greater concern is that CA have also dumbed down this gameHorrible, just horrible. In the short term there are the many well documented and game destroying technical issues (pretty sure CA must not have any testers on staff at all on this evidence). These will be resolved through patches etc in time, but it defies belief that they have repeated the mistakes of ETW all over again.

Of a greater concern is that CA have also dumbed down this game to such an extent that it no longer really resembles the great strategic game (at both the campaign level and the battlefield level) that I and many others fell in love with more than a decade ago. It is hard to see how these seemingly deliberate and intentional design choices (some might say flaws) can be resolved through a patch.

As sad as it it I would conclude that Rome 2 sees the the Total War franchise terminally ill and only a concerted effort by CA can turn it around and redeem it in the eyes of their loyal fans.… Expand

Quatra

Sep 4, 2013

3

This game is such a step back from every Total War predecessor... Every last one. The AI is the dumbest I have ever combated, the map is limited and linear. Unit cards can take up half of your screen with 20 units, and there is no option to adjust size or remove them.
Units all look the same, and are difficult to distinguish, even with the 3x larger unit cards. The building and generalThis game is such a step back from every Total War predecessor... Every last one. The AI is the dumbest I have ever combated, the map is limited and linear. Unit cards can take up half of your screen with 20 units, and there is no option to adjust size or remove them.
Units all look the same, and are difficult to distinguish, even with the 3x larger unit cards. The building and general tabs are hidden, confusing, and not even easy to see. Technology is set to two linear paths. You can choose military or civillian and its just one path from there essentially.
Definately not worth the 3 year wait since Shogun 2, and even less added than shogun did.… Expand

cableguy221

Sep 4, 2013

0

This game still sucks even if you take out all of the bugs. Everything is oversimplified, the politics make zero sense, public sentiment is the AI sucks, you can have magical navies via your army.... the list goes on.

malekithau

Sep 4, 2013

2

Starting playing with Total War games with the original Shogun. Played them all. This one is by far the most disappointing. I am very sad to say that it fails to meet expectations on so many levels. The strategic side of the game is pretty decent though not so good that it can make up for the main issue which is the tactical games. They are a joke. Blob versus blob not like an ancientStarting playing with Total War games with the original Shogun. Played them all. This one is by far the most disappointing. I am very sad to say that it fails to meet expectations on so many levels. The strategic side of the game is pretty decent though not so good that it can make up for the main issue which is the tactical games. They are a joke. Blob versus blob not like an ancient battle at all. The speed is comical. Usain Bolt would struggle to keep up with these guys lugging around 4 meter pikes and wearing full armour. Formations don't really exist. On contact your units just fall into an unformed blob. Units turn on a dime. There are plenty of other issues but I can't bring myself to play another minute of this game as is. I'd rather be at work................… Expand

Alespla

Sep 4, 2013

0

I have every TW game and this is the WORST Total War ever! Run away from this! I can't believe I spent my money with it! I was so full of hopes, so ansious about this game, watching every tube video, every preview... It's one major disappointment...
The game it`s a huge faillure, technically and on it`s concepts... I can't understand why CA changed the UI so much (they just destroyedI have every TW game and this is the WORST Total War ever! Run away from this! I can't believe I spent my money with it! I was so full of hopes, so ansious about this game, watching every tube video, every preview... It's one major disappointment...
The game it`s a huge faillure, technically and on it`s concepts... I can't understand why CA changed the UI so much (they just destroyed it!)... So many bug's, stupid AI, no cut scene videos at all, poor animations, it`s a mess!
I would like to give it back and get my money back!
Back to Shogun2 Total War...… Expand

Jerrrrrrm

Sep 4, 2013

0

The core game is solid with many decent new features that advance the series. For example, custom battles can now be set anywhere on the campaign map.

The technical issues are far overblown and not consistent in the slightest. For me rome 2 processes the campaign map.

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 notAll 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

Ezze902

Sep 4, 2013

3

I have played the Total War series for a very long time... This is the dumbest downed version, buggy, alpha version of a game that was looked forward for so many. It literally just ended one of the greatest franchises, I will not buy the next one.

I have enjoyed some battles, but theres not enough units, special units... its nothing like old versions... I kinda felt the same withI have played the Total War series for a very long time... This is the dumbest downed version, buggy, alpha version of a game that was looked forward for so many. It literally just ended one of the greatest franchises, I will not buy the next one.

I have enjoyed some battles, but theres not enough units, special units... its nothing like old versions... I kinda felt the same with Shogun Total War II but liked that more than this The Steam sale on old Total Wars is a better option.

This game might pass for newbies who dont know better... but for the core fans, its a Total Fail. It is unlikely it will be modded or fixed anytime soon... Just one giant cash out for Creative Assembly... release it early, make money and peace.

Funny story, a friend of mine said after he played for 4 hours on release he checked the forums, and there was a Hitler reacts video on youtube to Total Rome War II

Whats funny, is the BS reviews of this game... its like they couldnt imagine it being bad, didnt even review it. Also this metacritic is so far fetched... 84???? the gap between users and reviewers is Crazy.… Expand

Varataig6-1

Sep 4, 2013

8

I felt I should chime in. As per usual, the disappointment of a huge, beloved sequel not living up to the gargantuan nostalgia of the original (thank god no one was tracking my hours spent on that bad boy, it probably helped me fail a few early years of school) is disappointing.

It's also to be expected. The architecture of the series is inherently different now, and dare I say it, whatI felt I should chime in. As per usual, the disappointment of a huge, beloved sequel not living up to the gargantuan nostalgia of the original (thank god no one was tracking my hours spent on that bad boy, it probably helped me fail a few early years of school) is disappointing.

It's also to be expected. The architecture of the series is inherently different now, and dare I say it, what a brilliant architecture that is. Armies can move straight into the water and become (terrible) fleets? By capturing a whole region you can issue edicts and get bonuses as a result? Armies recruit out of regions, not specific buildings within cities? You can instantly gauge how everyone is doing? I've never felt more in control as a strategist, and that's a wonderful thing.

Not only that but diplomacy works SO WELL you might actually find your first 50 turns to be extremely peaceful as you set up your empire. I never felt rushed into murdering everyone. I'll murder literally everyone a little later, ok? There are plenty of little factions that no one cares if you kick their ass, too, so that means you can pick your fights more selectively. That original total war slow burn is back, but now it's propped up by the series most intense combat (you'll be spending half your battles in the soldiers camera) and goddamned the naval combat. Holy hell. I still miss the empire broadsides but the beauty and uniqueness alone are enough to sell even the coldest heart.

Now no one should be surprised that a game like this arrived in a pretty atrocious state. I've found AI to be incredible despite that (on the field at least, very impressive) but the fact that on my system that on just about everything I have to tone graphics down is disapointing. The game has crashed at least four times to boot and by god, do they not know what scaling is? At least when Rome total war was set on low it still looked SHARP, this looks like a goddamned pix elated mess that can't make up its mind. I bought a GTX780 just for the occasion, if that gives you an idea of how bad it is. (I have been saving for a while, i'm not that rich K)

Now, atrocious bugs at launch and a hilarious overpriced DLC scheme from publisher SEGA should come as no surprise but the people giving this game a 1 or 0 are, I always find, ruining it for everyone. They clearly love the game the most so why trash it!!? Post launch support should, much like empire, unleash this beast into the goddamned behemoth it is. I loved empire, damn the haters, because I felt in control and most importantly, like an intense world superpower locking heads with other frightening entities. That feeling is back. The 8 merely reflects the way the game is now, a diamond in the rough. Well, in the mud, but no total war vet is going to find it hard AT ALL. Just a little frustrating And if that's the only price you have to pay to get the sequel we all wanted, then why trash it? Just enjoy it, and watch it get better.

Oh dear, i've incurred the wrath of the 1 and 0 brigade and AMD fanboys :S… Expand

djvandyke

Sep 4, 2013

4

Shamefur Dispray!

User Interface: The minimalist user interface is an abomination more suited to outer space than Roman times. Where is the artistic touch from Shogun 2? The immersion that brings the game world to life? It's awkward, counter intuitive and feels like playing the latest app on an ipad than managing an ancient empire. Things like viewable tech and building trees are inShamefur Dispray!

User Interface:
The minimalist user interface is an abomination more suited to outer space than Roman times.
Where is the artistic touch from Shogun 2? The immersion that brings the game world to life?
It's awkward, counter intuitive and feels like playing the latest app on an ipad than managing an ancient empire. Things like viewable tech and building trees are in games for a reason, they are a practical and vital tool in planning strategies.

Multilayer:
Just a last minute after thought, the absolute minimum they could get away with.
Might have been acceptable 5 years ago but not in 2013. They just didn't bother.

Graphics:
Looks worse and performs much worse than than Shogun 2.
I can just about get it looking decent with my high end i7 GTX 690 gaming rig but the majority can not.

AI:
Awful campaign AI just ignores your troops again and lets you siege its cities.
It as pasive and does not attack you even on hard.
The battle AI is also less than impressive. It does not defend walls and will chase a single unit with its entire army at times.

Bugs:
The game has been released in a shoddy state. My first beach landing ended up with boats going through the beach and getting suck under sand and troops unable to get out because they were burred. What kind of quality control does CA have? THIS GAME IS BETA.

Game speed:
Yes again units fight for a matter of seconds before breaking leaving next to no time for tactical manoeuvrings. It turns Total War from a thinking man's game into a cheap clickfest RTS.

Unit abilities:
The click-able “fight better” buttons and power ups were the are the absolute worse thing you could do for this type of game. Total War should be more than just a RTS clickfest. We have enough of those.
Again it becomes all about the reactions and less about troop placement and tactics.
These bizarre magic are buttons available yet simple things like fire at will for pila armed melee troops have been forgotten. The way magic powers are displayed as disco lights and other unidentified flying objects is again totally immersion breaking.

I find it hard to believe that the same company who went though the Empire fiasco, took a long hard look at themselves, pulled things around then got so much right with Shogun 2 has allowed itself to screw up so baldly again.

4/10.… Expand

Deschain89

Sep 4, 2013

0

Appealing to casual gamers in a strategy game is just like trying to sell a Ferrari to a three year old who lives in the slums; pointless. Then why try and make it pink and flashy, why try and make smaller seat belts and slower engines? Is the three year old going to buy the Ferrari? No, he won't, and same applies to the cawadooty, teenage angst, hipster gamer crowd.

When a ten year oldAppealing to casual gamers in a strategy game is just like trying to sell a Ferrari to a three year old who lives in the slums; pointless. Then why try and make it pink and flashy, why try and make smaller seat belts and slower engines? Is the three year old going to buy the Ferrari? No, he won't, and same applies to the cawadooty, teenage angst, hipster gamer crowd.

When a ten year old game is far more intelligently designed, when such a game makes you feel more in touch with your pixelated units, when a game as old as Rome I is much better than it's predecessor, one finally realizes there is no hope when it comes to modern gaming.

I give this game a 0/10 not because it's horrendous, but because it betrayed it's core base for a couple of sales. The lack of a family tree, numerous traits and followers for the player characters, cut scenes, seasons, blood, guard stance, and many other essential little things which made Rome the game of a generation it's just beyond saddening to me.

It's not that the game is unfinished, it's just that it's not polished; it's a simple overhyped cash-grab, and a difficult to copy with one at that.

However people defend this garbage, the so called "professional" reviewers give it an 85 out of a 100, and one knows that delusion feeds these men, and delusion is driven by love or money. Paid reviewers promise you that this is the ultimate strategy game; sad customers try to rationalize the purchase; and people like me are done with it.

No longer will I buy a game from The Uncreative Manwhorebly, no longer will I get an overpriced title collecting days without a single minute of playtime in my Steam Library, and I will sure as Hell no longer support with my wallet these people. To think I thought the Greek State pre-order or you pack was this company's worst decision, how deluded and happy was I back then.

To conclude; buy Rome I, enjoy the political intrigues which actually mattered, the awesome battles, the grand lineage that your Patter Familias would develop, and forget Call of Duty Roman Ops ever existed.… Expand

Toberius

Sep 4, 2013

8

This title requires the same patience it took during the release of Empire: Total War. It's unfortunate that we still have to pay full price to basically beta test a PC game, but I have (based on experience over many titles) faith that CA will vastly improve the bugs and graphical glitches people are already writing negative reviews about. Beyond that, further faction releases and mods canThis title requires the same patience it took during the release of Empire: Total War. It's unfortunate that we still have to pay full price to basically beta test a PC game, but I have (based on experience over many titles) faith that CA will vastly improve the bugs and graphical glitches people are already writing negative reviews about. Beyond that, further faction releases and mods can and will make this a great game. My main concerns are with the UI and musical score. I felt these were both much better in (applicably) Shogun 2 and the original Rome: Total War. My score of 8/10 is based on the expected community and developer improvements to performance and AI (which have both occurred throughout the Total War series). Otherwise I am satisfied thus far with my purchase. Ave Caesar!… Expand

Magnum9

Sep 4, 2013

3

It really saddens me to rate this game this low... Total War Rome II is a bait and switch emblematic of a trend affecting a disturbingly large amount of game releases these days.

If you've had the misfortune to purchase Sword of the Stars II or read any of the complaints for that game... this is a repeat scenario, yet this time by a studio with an enormous budget and massive resources.It really saddens me to rate this game this low... Total War Rome II is a bait and switch emblematic of a trend affecting a disturbingly large amount of game releases these days.

If you've had the misfortune to purchase Sword of the Stars II or read any of the complaints for that game... this is a repeat scenario, yet this time by a studio with an enormous budget and massive resources.

The game is not in a release state. I can't even understand how the release version is related to the promo videos I have seen spammed across review sites. I have a high spec machine, no issues running Battlefield 3 or Skyrim with some pretty over the top system sapping mods.

The AI is still woefully underwhelming, and formations are still pretty much eye candy that evaporate moments after contact. Post contact maneuvering is marginally improved over Shogun... but the clumsiness of selection tools makes it a bit of a chore to do any real kind of general-ing (excuse the fake word). What's disturbing is this lack of tactical control doesn't really matter because conflict quickly breaks down in to a blob of routed units getting chased by your troops who then refuse to turn around and reengage etc etc.

To bullet point other issues,

• Tech Tree is shallow and redundant.
• Frame rate on my machine is ok for spans of time then just inexplicably implodes without any discernible reason.
• Diplomacy has nothing to it. An empty vessel slapped in because it's "expected" as part of the rehash cycle of game design for this genre.
• Information gathering feels almost purposefully obstructive.
• Stability issues. Especially in Multi-player.

There MIGHT be a great game hidden in here somewhere. But it's not something that we're going to get with patches. The game design just was not implemented at the core to make this game a grand strategy title. Unit/Faction variation is skin deep, empire management is absurdly easy in some aspects and mind mindbogglingly obstructive in others, and honestly... it just isn't any fun right now. It doesn't make me feel like I'm in command of tens of thousands of troops engaged in important history changing battles.

This along with several other PC releases of late (Diablo III, SimCity, etc) really reinforce that people need to start being discerning with their purchases. The puppy mill system that has infected gaming is too efficient at pulling money from an impatient, hype sensitive consumer base. I'm guilty of contributing myself. I don't say it lightly when I ask, do not buy this game. We're destroying our hobby by continuing to accept half finished games at full price.… Expand

acdoob

Sep 4, 2013

10

This game is absolutely what I expected it to be and actually much more! Seems as though many of CA's customers are retards though. First off, if you expected to play this game with 20 unit armies, amphibious battles and well over forty factions with five year old pc equipment on ultra everything and maintain a steady 30+ fps then you are a very misinformed person. I saw peopleThis game is absolutely what I expected it to be and actually much more! Seems as though many of CA's customers are retards though. First off, if you expected to play this game with 20 unit armies, amphibious battles and well over forty factions with five year old pc equipment on ultra everything and maintain a steady 30+ fps then you are a very misinformed person. I saw people complaining about the fact that they're i7 940 with 2 gigs of 800mhz ram and their 460g cant run the game faster than thirty fps on high settings. Are you Seriously, stop whining and look at the facts. You are using well outdated equipment to play a game that is pretty much next gen. I have an i7 2.4ghz processor, 8 gigs of 1600mhz ram and a 7970m and I'm having no issues on ultra and these are laptop parts! I mean come on seriously! Save your money up and get some new parts, pc gaming has always been an expensive hobby but a bunch of idiotic kids don't know the difference between a graphics card and a good one.

Now that I've gotten that out. This game is amazing! A totally different experience then shogun 2 and I must say I am glad that I didn't watch all of the pre-release videos. I was overwhelmed at first with all the new mechanics and gameplay, but I feel like Paradox Interactive and The Creative Assembly had a baby together. This is pretty much EU Rome Total war 4,000. Once they patch all of the FIXABLE issues, this will absolutely be on every strategy gamers must have list. I hated Shogun 2 but damn they still got it.… Expand

miyadaman

Sep 4, 2013

7

There sure are a lot of whiners around on the internet. Look, I understand being frustrated about the game not playing correctly on your machine, but at least acknowledge that it's different for every machine and try to review the actual game after getting that out of the way. For the record, I run the game on Ultra settings and it runs perfectly fine. My friend has bad lag but stillThere sure are a lot of whiners around on the internet. Look, I understand being frustrated about the game not playing correctly on your machine, but at least acknowledge that it's different for every machine and try to review the actual game after getting that out of the way. For the record, I run the game on Ultra settings and it runs perfectly fine. My friend has bad lag but still enjoys it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vetinari34

Sep 4, 2013

4

A long-time fan of the Total War series, I am seriously disappointed in the release of Rome Total War II. It is almost as if it was never play-tested. The battles, the game map, the water: all beautifully designed, but the game itself...

It takes a full minute or more to cycle through all of the ai turns, and on multiplayer campaigns, this goes up to ~5 minutes for some unknownA long-time fan of the Total War series, I am seriously disappointed in the release of Rome Total War II. It is almost as if it was never play-tested. The battles, the game map, the water: all beautifully designed, but the game itself...

It takes a full minute or more to cycle through all of the ai turns, and on multiplayer campaigns, this goes up to ~5 minutes for some unknown reason. Waiting for the AI to finish all its movements is excruciatingly boring. This time can be spent reading the encyclopedia for Rome Total War II, which is built into the game, if you like woefully inadequate and unhelpful explanations of the various inner workings of the game.

There is a godawful happiness/food dynamic that you try to build up in your cities; the fully upgraded food source for your region, though it is worth 12 food, generates 12 unhappiness. Unhappiness and food is shared over an entire province(if you have captured all the towns in said province) leading to a frustrating rush to capture all of the cities/towns in an arbitrary grouping that may or may not have any bearing on history.

There is a limit of 3 armies until you get 15 provinces, which makes it near impossible to hold all of the towns you have captured since the garrisoned units amount to nothing. Turns out you can't attack a city with a land army if another player's navy is blockading it's harbor too.

The interface itself, at first glance, appears dumbed down, but then you realize that they've hidden so much information in tooltips that could easily be displayed on the screen with no negative impact.

CA clearly tried to overhaul system after system in Total War to produce this game. Why? We may never know, but the Total War that I love is currently a shell of what it once was. At least Civ V is still amazing, I'll go back to that turn-base strategy until CA figures out that their new incarnation of Total War is simply not fun to play.… Expand

Raynys

Sep 4, 2013

0

Disappointed, just disappointed! Confusing interface, graphics embarrassing. This game is full of bugs, slow and does not exceed 10 fps even at low resolution. Misleading advertising with full audio support for the Italian language that does not exist! Total failure.

gaminitup

Sep 4, 2013

4

Graphically better than shogun 2. The units look great, really impressive. Thumbs up. Noticed that battles between units seem to resolve too fast at the moment. Lines and structure of unit formations many times turn into a chaotic ugly brawl. Family tree is removed which is really a disappointment from past total war games where you would try to see your family line survive through theGraphically better than shogun 2. The units look great, really impressive. Thumbs up. Noticed that battles between units seem to resolve too fast at the moment. Lines and structure of unit formations many times turn into a chaotic ugly brawl. Family tree is removed which is really a disappointment from past total war games where you would try to see your family line survive through the wars. Units cards are confusing when trying to distinguish them from another of your army. It was a courageous new decision from the art director to make them feel more like art of the ancient period but it will take memorization to remember your levy pike men from your pike men and even from your hoplite unit cards for instance. Not needing transport ships to transport your land armies is a great plus which removes a tedious step from other total war games where we would have to recruit each one. Situations pop up during the campaign map where you are presented with a dilemma and given options on how to make a decision upon it is a fun addition.
Disappointing not to see gold and silver deposits in provinces

Naval combat has promise but at the moment feels like the combat is resolved very quickly and ranged units on boats kill the enemy far too quickly. Naval battles in particular the boarding action could last longer. Silly as it sounds, It does seem in many of the naval battles have that "bumper cars" feel to them, I think because many of the vessels are indeed ramming into one another to attempt to gain victory. Perhaps there should be a type of vessel that is specific to ramming, while the other small vessels could receive a damage penalty if they attempt a ramming action with a boat not designed for such a maneuver.

It looks good graphically but the game feels very much like it is at the very least in a beta version at the moment. Plus with the official announcement of more features such as gameplay, and campaign modes, it feels like I would want to wait until those additions actually come out before investing a lot of time. I believe in supporting the developer to continue making these games, however its the first total war game that I decided on day 2 after release to wait a bit on playing the campaign mode until some of the kinks are ironed out.… Expand

bilwit

Sep 4, 2013

0

Terrible game. Two steps backwards for the Total War franchise. In Shogun 2, the clans/matchmaking/map persistence/veteran units actually provided a modern framework that brought Total War into the competitive multiplayer gaming scene. They have since completely removed it and brought it back to 1998 lobby-only style. The reasoning behind this is that CA is currently working on a F2P gameTerrible game. Two steps backwards for the Total War franchise. In Shogun 2, the clans/matchmaking/map persistence/veteran units actually provided a modern framework that brought Total War into the competitive multiplayer gaming scene. They have since completely removed it and brought it back to 1998 lobby-only style. The reasoning behind this is that CA is currently working on a F2P game that's almost nothing like actual TW battles. Does this make any sense to anyone? I want to play TW battles in a meaningful and dynamic way which was teased with the Shogun 2 system, not some TW/MOBA hybrid. Also, the graphics are really, really bad even with everything set to "extreme." Anti-Aliasing doesn't even work at all which is extremely apparent in battles.… Expand

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