Total War: Rome II

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

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 3974 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,184 out of 3974
  2. Mixed: 613 out of 3974
  3. Negative: 2,177 out of 3974
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. hernethehunter
    Sep 9, 2013
    8
    Bugs and some game play issues aside at the moment this game will grow with patches. So that's why I gave it a genorous 8. Long time Total War fan since Shogun 1 but Rome 2 is more than just war and that might put some fans of previous titles off?
  2. Cyraga
    Sep 3, 2013
    8
    I felt compelled to create an account to make a review for this game.

    The people who are voting zero are probably in most cases just whiners who expected perfection and were upset this product isn't perfect. As games get more advanced and have more working parts included (advanced multiplayer platforms etc.) problems will be harder to identify until the game is just put out there and    I felt compelled to create an account to make a review for this game.

    The people who are voting zero are probably in most cases just whiners who expected perfection and were upset this product isn't perfect. As games get more advanced and have more working parts included (advanced multiplayer platforms etc.) problems will be harder to identify until the game is just put out there and run on various machines. Accept it will have issues (though for those who are entirely unable to play, my sympathies) and play as you can until it's patched up.

    My take so far:

    It's fun.

    It's pretty.

    The AI isn't exactly challenging (though if this is so upsetting, gimp yourselves with 3/4 stacks or something to even the odds to your liking).

    I personally am enjoying myself so far. Having only played a few hours that may change or may not.

    The technical issues will likely be patched in the near future, as for the AI, until we have a computer that can pass the Turing test, we'll all have to suffer with less than ideal AI, suck it up or play multiplayer only.

    This game isn't perfect and doesn't deserve a 10/10, 5/5 or 100% but it sure as sunshine doesn't deserve a 0 either.    … Expand
  3. awvalle
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    This game can be reviewed in two ways. Comparing it to all video games, and comparing it to other Total War games. In relation to other games, this game is amazing, a solid 9. It requires thought, has very good graphics and has a sense of epicness and scale no other game can match. Compared to total war games, I'd say it's a 7. Battles are resolved very quickly, optimization isn't great,This game can be reviewed in two ways. Comparing it to all video games, and comparing it to other Total War games. In relation to other games, this game is amazing, a solid 9. It requires thought, has very good graphics and has a sense of epicness and scale no other game can match. Compared to total war games, I'd say it's a 7. Battles are resolved very quickly, optimization isn't great, and the campaign UI isn't my favorite. Diplomacy works decently with other factions, but they don't seem to deal among themselves. Others complain of bugs, but I haven't encountered absolutely none. The AI has seen little to no noticeable improvements from Shogun 2. In the campaign it is quite passive, and in battles, it seems to be worse than in Shogun 2. Probably not as quality a game as Shogun II, but has vastly more replay value. I had decently high expectations, and they were generally met. The Auxiliary system for the Romans is something that I'm very happy about, allowing very powerful armies. The province system is also a plus, although the UI could definitely be improved. The economics are as simplistic as ever unfortunately. If I hadn't bought the game yet, I'd probably wait for 1 or 2 major patches, then definitely jump on.… Expand
  4. Milkman128
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    Enough with the optimization 0/10 nonsense. I have a 4 year old machine that runs the game just fine. load times are slightly longer than rome1 by like 5 seconds.

    The only things that slightly bother me are AI but you know that going into any Total War game. If you haven't learned that yet its your own retardation. LUCKILY they have multiplayer go there for that. second I dont    Enough with the optimization 0/10 nonsense. I have a 4 year old machine that runs the game just fine. load times are slightly longer than rome1 by like 5 seconds.

    The only things that slightly bother me are AI but you know that going into any Total War game. If you haven't learned that yet its your own retardation. LUCKILY they have multiplayer go there for that.

    second I dont like the city management system that seems clunky. I see that they were trying to optimize the management of a large country BUT you lose immersion. Biggest complaint of the game for me. They took it an artsy direction to try and connect the user with that time period but i dont care for it.

    other than that its a solid TW game. 8 hours in, no crash, no bugs for me
    I love the fact that I can start the campaign with out having to load the game.
    I dont mind the artsy direction of the army management cards because no details were sacrificed.

    I like how battlefields represent the larger scale map. I like the new options for army movement on the strategic map.
    enough of the POO pOOO I can't run on ultra I'm an entitled child rants.
    even though the AI is bad LIKE EVERY TW GAME it seems like an overall improvement    … Expand
  5. chillbrah
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    The game is amazing, but not finished. I have played 5-6 hours as the Iceni tribe and honestly have not run into a single bug. People are crying over how over hyped and terrible this game is even though its only the 2nd day since its release. Give it some time before you give it such a bad rating. Yes, CA should of released a alpha or beta testing to the community and maybe that wouldThe game is amazing, but not finished. I have played 5-6 hours as the Iceni tribe and honestly have not run into a single bug. People are crying over how over hyped and terrible this game is even though its only the 2nd day since its release. Give it some time before you give it such a bad rating. Yes, CA should of released a alpha or beta testing to the community and maybe that would reduce the amount of problems but they didn't so quit crying. the game is not as broke as many of you say it to be.… Expand
  6. Paylot
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    Terrible UI, confusing unit cards, the graphics are... well, weird. NEVERTHELESS, the game itself is very good. Lets just wait for some patches and hope they will do something with the UI, unit cards and they kick in some anti-aliasing. Meanwhile, it is still a fun game to play, although you get lost in the UI.
  7. ConnorDavis88
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    I've seen a lot of negativity following this game, and I understand where it's coming from. I had hoped that they'd re-use some of the awesome features/UI build from Medieval Total War 2 that I really liked but I was met with the UI a sixth grader would draw with crayons if a small child was in charge of developement. Overall, the game is kind of clunky, battles are uncomfortably fastI've seen a lot of negativity following this game, and I understand where it's coming from. I had hoped that they'd re-use some of the awesome features/UI build from Medieval Total War 2 that I really liked but I was met with the UI a sixth grader would draw with crayons if a small child was in charge of developement. Overall, the game is kind of clunky, battles are uncomfortably fast paced at times and too slow in others. There are some optimization issues, but I still run it at Ultra with relatively no problem.
    That being said, I don't think the game warrants the "zero's" it's getting. I've had a lot of fun playing it, and although I wish they would've done things differently, that's the beauty of the TW games. Every game I complain about the UI and the way progression/gameplay is run, but sooner or later I get used to it and I actually enjoy it. If you're not a huge fan of the franchise, don't spend your money on this until it sees a price cut. The biggest weakness to this installment of the franchise is how they've made the game extremely mainstream friendly, no more can you customize settlements in depth, it's basically just a few building options. Unit options are also sparse but they look and feel good so at this point it isn't such a huge deal.
    I gave it an 8/10 and I feel like that's a fair review the game is beautiful (in my opinion) and I'm enjoying it like I enjoy all TW games at release (with a serving of bugs). Very overhyped, still a solid game worth trying out if you're a fan of TW or CA.    … Expand
  8. Exakter
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    This game is fun, not 10 stars, but certainly nothing below 5. My computer handles it perfectly, and it's no beast. I'm guessing most people don't treat their hardware right and haven't optimized their software in ages. It's a common problem with new TW releases.

    Bugs Have noticed maybe 2 in a 24 hour session, fairly reasonable. + Graphics, it's all beautiful, streamlined campaign    This game is fun, not 10 stars, but certainly nothing below 5. My computer handles it perfectly, and it's no beast. I'm guessing most people don't treat their hardware right and haven't optimized their software in ages. It's a common problem with new TW releases.

    Bugs Have noticed maybe 2 in a 24 hour session, fairly reasonable.

    + Graphics, it's all beautiful, streamlined campaign map (I have played since Shogun 1, and I love this new map), Diplomacy (it's actually reasonable for once in a TW game, nothing compared to Paradox but then I don't expect that). Battles are nice and fun, (though yes short, but I say again.. Vanilla TW.) Navies now do something!!

    - No Family tree, that really blows. I like the new faction stuff, but family trees RPG character aspects have always greatly appealed to me in TW games, and this one does it poorly. It IS a real shame.

    To comment on other reviews, even though I shouldn't.... I think a lot of 12-17 year olds are buying this not knowing what they will get. TW games are never historically accurate, nor are they particularly in-depth. They are a campaign map battle map action empire builder. They emphasize the pretty things, the fighting, the animation, the sounds. The modders are who have made EVERY SINGLE TW game INCREDIBLE. But love CA for their template they put out, without them and the drive to profit, none of those TATW, or RTR would have existed.

    The navies now really help in city assaults (if you don't want to wait to siege a big city, try a sneak naval attack). The naval battles themselves are the most fun they've ever been. I disagree that armies make navies useless, though I do wish the transports would be less effective.

    People don't realize that a game like this is way more resource intensive than ANY of your FPS, due to graphics, and AI processing. If you don't like wait times inbetween turns, don't play this.

    Tons of factions tons of fun, finally, no useless arbitrary 30 faction limit to a TW game.

    As for the AI being stupid. Hi, my name is Ralph, here is your exit. Duh the AI is dumb. What do you expect? Do you know how difficult it is to build something resembling intelligent artificial behavior? It doesn't happen. Yet. Wait for some of those brilliant AI modders who SPEND THEIR ENTIRE LIVES doing that. Even their best work is mneh. I've never had trouble in any TW battle, but being a history major maybe I had an advantage.

    It's a great game, with it's own real problems, which will be resolved in time.    … Expand
  9. THEWERESHEEP
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    I don't understand why this game is receiving such hate, we all know CA releases games a tad too early but they always show strong post launch support for their products. I bet all the major kinks will be sorted out with in the coming weeks.

    As for game play it was exactly what I wanted. An improved version of the first Total War that I ever played with great visuals and increased    I don't understand why this game is receiving such hate, we all know CA releases games a tad too early but they always show strong post launch support for their products. I bet all the major kinks will be sorted out with in the coming weeks.

    As for game play it was exactly what I wanted. An improved version of the first Total War that I ever played with great visuals and increased historical accuracy. I don't have a problem adjusting to the new UI either. You just need to dig a little deeper and you'll learn it fairly quickly. The only issues that I have are short but brutal land battles and repetitive naval battles in which all that occurs is a massive ****ing ram fest.

    As for everyone having issues with their games crashing and horrible graphics and texture issues, I've got no idea what the hell is going on as my game has only crashed once in fifteen hours. I can also run it on extreme/ultra at a solid 40 fps.

    P.S Sega published this game not EA, the amount of idiots bashing the wrong people is astounding.    … Expand
  10. Holyhesk
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    Ignore idiots giving this a 0. Thier computers would probably struggle playing Pacman. Played only 30 mins of the campaign and it's by far the nicest looking TW yet. Running like a dream at the moment on Extreme settings. Giving this 8 because it would be unfair to rate it at 10 after only 30mins. Can't wait to load it up again.
  11. 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
  12. 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.
  13. Archebius
    Sep 5, 2013
    8
    I didn't want to write a review. I stay out of things like this. But in this case, I just can't the fact that everyone is all, "Oh, man, this aspect sucks! 0/10!" is just dumb. It might not have been what you were expecting, but there are very, very few games worth a 0/10 Superman 64 being an exception. Even that I'd give at least a 1 for the laughs. And the very few middle-groundI didn't want to write a review. I stay out of things like this. But in this case, I just can't the fact that everyone is all, "Oh, man, this aspect sucks! 0/10!" is just dumb. It might not have been what you were expecting, but there are very, very few games worth a 0/10 Superman 64 being an exception. Even that I'd give at least a 1 for the laughs. And the very few middle-ground reviews tells me that most people are just angry, and not actually reviewing the game fairly.

    Hence. My review.

    Let me begin by saying that it is not what I expected. It is extremely different from Rome. It's even different from Shogun II. If you champion Rome as the height of RTS brilliance, then you're going to hate this game, because it isn't that. It's not even close. The developers were aiming for a more realistic, historical game, and I think they achieved that.

    So what did they do to achieve this?

    1st they made the game slower. And I mean in almost every way. I just played through a campaign of both Rome and Medieval II, so I have a good comparison. Whereas on normal, as the Julii or Byzantines, you could conquer an entire subcontinent before stopping to take serious stock of your surroundings, here you move at a crawl. I'm on turn 70 or so, and I've just started moving into Gaul, after taking and securing Sicily and the three other Western Mediterranean Islands.

    2nd They adjusted city management, forcing you to differentiate cities, instead of having every city capable of everything.

    3rd They cleaned up the UI, at times making information much more frustrating to get to, at other times leaving it much more streamlined.

    4th They increased the rate of *time*. Whereas before you had seasons, now you just have the summer. This has the adverse effect of killing off your agents and generals much quicker.

    5th They attempted to make politics a bigger deal, instead of just having your family do everything. However, this attempt largely failed.

    Here's what I like and don't like:

    Like Expanding takes forever. Empires, not counting freaks of nature like Alexander, are not built at the speed that they are accomplished in Rome and Medieval and even, to an extent, Shogun and Empire. Right now, my homeland is the Italian Peninsula; I depend on that for well-trained and equipped soldiers. In no previous game have I ever had to consider that. I just took what I needed, and it was ready to be used when I got there, so I expanded out as a single wave. This is more like the tide rising.

    Like Diversified cities. I have trade cities, and I'm careful where I place them. Not every city does every thing.

    Like Limited generals. It forces you to pick and choose where to apply forces. Rome did not have people simultaneously conquering everything. Romans did not generally allow a single family to simply make all of its male children generals and statesmen and they certainly didn't have whole armies of offspring riding around on heavy cavalry, smashing through everything.

    Neutral on The AI. Somewhat better, somewhat worse. I was defeated during a siege because my victim's allies marched to his defense, just to aid in repelling my siege I have never had that happen in a TW game before. Additionally, in the open field, the AI makes better choices. The cities are cramped and crowded and the AI clearly has issues there. But, in Medieval, I halted the entire Timurid invasion with a couple cities of half-flags of basic units. Hard to say that the AI is worse, from what I've experienced.

    Neutral on the new UI. A lot of information is presented more cleanly than it ever was before. However, there are times that it falls flat. Seeing what the building trees are is very inconvenient, but not worse than in Shogun II.

    Don't like the lack of a family. I loved the family management side, marrying daughters, choosing which sons I wanted for what tasks. This is more realistic, but it is less fun.

    Don't like The poorly implemented politics system. So far, it hasn't had much impact on anything.

    Don't like The speed of the battles. Sometimes they last a while, but on the whole I'm reminded of Mechwarrior rounds with inexperienced players ten minutes jockeying for positions, and then everyone throws themselves screaming into the fray.

    Dumbest comments I've heard so far -
    "The slings have greater range than arrows lol FAIL" look up the wikipedia article on slings.
    "The unit cards took away all the information!" no, health is on the card, and if you hover over the unit, it shows you their moral, weariness, hard numbers, etc.
    "You just have to guess what the buildings are gonna do!" no, it shows you to the left, and in the encyclopedia. I've never been surprised by how much/little food I have.

    Summary it's a good game. It's not as good as I was hoping for, and the bugs are dismaying, but it's still solid and worth a little more than it's getting from TW "fans."    … Expand
  14. KingBuzzo15
    Sep 5, 2013
    8
    Don`t believe the critics. This game is outstanding, my only reservation was that some people do need it patching because of stability with certain system setups. I have been playing the series since Shogun 1 and they get better every time. Cant get enough of it
  15. stevengamer
    Sep 5, 2013
    8
    i love this game and know that what ever bugs there are they will fix like the ai, and ai have played for 40 hours so far and still love it but they need ti fix the public order thing
  16. baojin
    Sep 5, 2013
    8
    This game is quite good even if there have been a lot of changes compared to every other total war. They might be confusing at first but might prove interesting in the long run.

    Graphics are good except the characters (generals, agents...) portraits in the campaign map which look low quality somehow. Battles are very dynamic and interesting, much deadlier than before which reflects the    This game is quite good even if there have been a lot of changes compared to every other total war. They might be confusing at first but might prove interesting in the long run.

    Graphics are good except the characters (generals, agents...) portraits in the campaign map which look low quality somehow. Battles are very dynamic and interesting, much deadlier than before which reflects the savage times.

    The sea+land battles aren't really great but maybe it gets better with higher technology tier.

    The AI is still more or less the same, a darthmod will probably make the game much better... but so far it's quite good.

    Performance wise, i guess people who complain got hamster-powered PCs, everything's on extreme here and i just have an i5 3570k a GTX 660 TI and it's smooth like hell so a decent rig but nowhere near high end. Just some textures look kinda bad sometimes, i guess some DLC will fix it. Also, loading times are much, much, much better than shogun II which took aeons to load.

    The only thing that still didn't change and still doesn't make one bit of a sense is that if u defeat a faction, along with ur allies and that u turn this faction as ur "client state", your allies are still at war with it. It's absurd. It was the same in Shogun...

    I don't know about all the crying on the family tree. U guys played 2 minutes or what Or u don't understand the whole new concept they created for senate control It's not about a dynasty anymore, it's about a whole family that has to rule Rome.

    Idem for generals, they are generals a set number of years, then they change job, so you have to renew them.

    Stop crying everytime someone is innovating or go develop yourself a total war game.    … Expand
  17. ErnieGMB
    Sep 6, 2013
    8
    The graphics are beautiful and I have experienced few problems. It has taken a couple of days to learn the new features but I now have a good Roman faction game going. On the negative side, it takes enormous patience to wait for turns to complete and I'm not fond of the unit cards. I know that It will be my favorite game for several years and I look forward to enhancement from CA orThe graphics are beautiful and I have experienced few problems. It has taken a couple of days to learn the new features but I now have a good Roman faction game going. On the negative side, it takes enormous patience to wait for turns to complete and I'm not fond of the unit cards. I know that It will be my favorite game for several years and I look forward to enhancement from CA or modding community.… Expand
  18. garrett1f
    Sep 6, 2013
    8
    Everyone is bashing on this game because of the glitches present at the launch. People, look past the glitches and look at the game itself. It's still the deep total war experience we all know and love, they didn't change anything drastic or completely ruin the game. Now these glitches SHOULD NOT be here at this point in development, but a few patches should hopefully fix them. StopEveryone is bashing on this game because of the glitches present at the launch. People, look past the glitches and look at the game itself. It's still the deep total war experience we all know and love, they didn't change anything drastic or completely ruin the game. Now these glitches SHOULD NOT be here at this point in development, but a few patches should hopefully fix them. Stop calling this the worst game ever just because of glitches. Those can be ironed out. It's not like they changed the total war formula entirely or anything, the game itself is still great, and one of the best total war games I've played. The only fault I've had with this is that the AI is still pretty awful. Sending slingers in to charge my Spartans, running a full charge and turning back just at the last second, etc. I'm sure the AI can be fixed to some extent by patches or by the community. The game isn't perfect, but by no means does it deserve a zero like some of you have been giving it. Glitches can be fixed.… Expand
  19. Adingetorix
    Sep 7, 2013
    8
    The best game in the entire Total War lineup. Creative Assembly have outdone themselves with the attention to details and overall ambience in the game.
  20. yupre7676
    Sep 14, 2013
    8
    I don't like the fact that there are support ships and that there is no family tree. Why can the enemy sail farther than u and be able to attack in the same turn while on forced row? If u attempt the same thing and try to attack then u sail like 3 feet compared to them just magically being able to go anywhere they want. I still love the game it just needs some major tweaks!
  21. DStow
    Sep 8, 2013
    8
    I feel some of the reviews here have been quite unjust. This is my honest review as a long time fan of the Total War series. This review will look beyond the release day issues people are having. I am a lucky member who has not had many problems.

    A complaint from many is the is horrible. Which seems strange to me. As with all the other TW games it takes 5 10 minutes of learning to    I feel some of the reviews here have been quite unjust. This is my honest review as a long time fan of the Total War series. This review will look beyond the release day issues people are having. I am a lucky member who has not had many problems.

    A complaint from many is the is horrible. Which seems strange to me. As with all the other TW games it takes 5 10 minutes of learning to understand the way the UI works and such. This is surely why Creative Assembly added the prologue? The UI is clean and useful once you understand it's layout.

    The enemy AI while lacking on normal and hard was a good improvement on the very hard difficulty. It does have it's moments which is why my score is 8.

    The campaign map is excellent, it is as zoomed in as Shogun 2 but on the large scale of Rome 1's campaign map. The detail of it and the variation from continents is good. The down part to his is the lack of seasons but to me that is a minor personal preference rather than issue.

    The graphics are clean and capture the units look and feel well of the game however at this current time I would say that Shogun 2 looked nicer but this is not the point of this review.

    Limiting the armies you can have in the campaign has made this a much better experience for me. It means I have to focus more on specific locations and make crucial decisions on where to place my legions or armies, whereas in earlier titles you could just spawn a quick army with no general and set them to defend a castle.

    An issue that caused me to drop a score point is the speed of the combat. There are many times that I will spend more time marching into the fight than actually fighting the battle. Leaving me little time to attempt to flank or use any other kind of tactic. It a lot of the time turns into a large gaggle of men pushing against the other side.

    Automatic naval transportation is a welcome feature for me. It allows you to mobilize and send your armies anywhere you need without having to attempt to gather a fleet and get that fleet and army to a port.

    I think this is all I have to say for now! Thanks for reading!    … Expand
  22. AGrrrr
    Sep 9, 2013
    8
    Many negative user reviews are coming out about this game and I would like to give a less emotional review. Rome 2 feels similar to Shogun 2 with more realistic battle engagements than in past total war games. Many elements of the original Rome have been updated to be more streamlined and easier to understand (which has been the source of many negative reviews). If you are a fan of theMany negative user reviews are coming out about this game and I would like to give a less emotional review. Rome 2 feels similar to Shogun 2 with more realistic battle engagements than in past total war games. Many elements of the original Rome have been updated to be more streamlined and easier to understand (which has been the source of many negative reviews). If you are a fan of the Total War series then you might not be happy with some of the changes they have made. However, if you are new to the series, you will be blown away by how good it is.

    Creative Assembly had set the bar really high with the original release of Rome. They don't quite live up to the expectations but Rome 2 is still a great game.    … Expand
  23. ElfTheHunter
    Sep 9, 2013
    8
    While it definitely has some small bugs, I think the game is pretty great. Last TW game I played was Medieval 2, and I find the UI very much improved, the graphics are staggering. My main complaints would be that your generals do not live long enough (would prefer 4 turns per year lucky there's mods). I did think combat was better in Medieval 2, but I am really impressed with theWhile it definitely has some small bugs, I think the game is pretty great. Last TW game I played was Medieval 2, and I find the UI very much improved, the graphics are staggering. My main complaints would be that your generals do not live long enough (would prefer 4 turns per year lucky there's mods). I did think combat was better in Medieval 2, but I am really impressed with the campaign in this one. I'm in the middle of a Very Hard campaign (61 hrs) but am planning to start over on Legendary because I could use some extra difficulty (the AI is a little weak, but I remember it being weak in Med2 as well). I recommend the game, though apparently lots of folk are having trouble with it.… Expand
  24. yocheco619
    Jul 20, 2015
    8
    Came back to the game this last weekend after taking a year away from it. Improvements across the board. Some features are still gone like some of the diplomacy options, agent videos, etc., but overall the gameplay has improved. Officially safe to buy it now.
  25. echo_whiskey
    Sep 10, 2013
    8
    20130910 I really don't understand the negative reviews at all. I've played the game daily since it was released and I'm still enjoying the heck out of it. I played STW, MTW, RTW, MTWII, ETW, NTW, STW2. This game really isn't any different from those games, just updated.

    I notice that people keep whining about the lack of a family tree; frankly I don't need a family full of halfwit    20130910 I really don't understand the negative reviews at all. I've played the game daily since it was released and I'm still enjoying the heck out of it. I played STW, MTW, RTW, MTWII, ETW, NTW, STW2. This game really isn't any different from those games, just updated.

    I notice that people keep whining about the lack of a family tree; frankly I don't need a family full of halfwit generals that get shunted to backwater posts where they can accumulate even more negative traits and breed an even larger army of halfwit children. Other people gripe about a lack of guard mode learn the controls, you can assign an AI behavior to duplicate that.

    The only gameplay thing that really bothers me is that a blockade by some other faction on a port city will keep me from invading the port city with my army. I read somewhere that this will be fixed, so I'm not terribly worried about it. Most of my actual complaints are so minor that I can't even think of them right now.

    All that said, you do need a pretty awesome computer to play this with a lot of maxed out eye-candy. I'm running an amd fx4 with 8gb and a gtx 470 and I'm playing with most features on low. I'm upgrading to an hd 7950 this week so I'll see if a little more video card grunt helps significantly or not and will see about updating my review with that information.

    One thing I hate about the internet is the expansion of the entitlement mentality regarding trivial stuff like games. It's difficult to believe that so many people are whining so loudly about this. Almost makes me wish that the internet could be rolled back.    … Expand
  26. piotr84
    Dec 21, 2017
    8
    after time, fixes and game addons really good representative for the serie, keep going doing the good work
  27. Slason
    Sep 15, 2013
    8
    The game is great! There is a lot of complaining of bugs and stupid AI, but I don't find that true. I've encountered almost no bugs, and the AI seems to be at the same level of inteligence that the rest of the total war game (don't shoot me!).

    We can all agree that the game was rushed, but if it wasn't a total war game, and the same hype would not be around, I am pretty positive most    The game is great! There is a lot of complaining of bugs and stupid AI, but I don't find that true. I've encountered almost no bugs, and the AI seems to be at the same level of inteligence that the rest of the total war game (don't shoot me!).

    We can all agree that the game was rushed, but if it wasn't a total war game, and the same hype would not be around, I am pretty positive most would give the game a lot better rating. There is some bugs that has to been taken care of, and there is some lagg if your graphics card and CPU is not high end. But patch 2 fixes many of those issues.

    Due to the game just beeing so much fun, I give it an 8/10. I have not encountered any game breaking bugs, and if you play at the hardest difficulty, the AI is not that stupid.    … Expand
  28. MajorMilosh
    Sep 15, 2013
    8
    I'm really scared of the state of the gaming community.

    Quick Points for lazy readers: Pros: -Nice new features including overhauled city building, strategic overview and lot's of different options in almost every department -Nicely sized map -Loading times from game to main menu are crazy fast. If you want to quickly hop from single player to multi, it takes 10 seconds. -Unit    I'm really scared of the state of the gaming community.

    Quick Points for lazy readers:

    Pros:

    -Nice new features including overhauled city building, strategic overview and lot's of different options in almost every department
    -Nicely sized map
    -Loading times from game to main menu are crazy fast. If you want to quickly hop from single player to multi, it takes 10 seconds.
    -Unit cards are sleek and fitting; not confusing

    Cons:

    -frame rate....
    -AA on? just on or off... really?
    -Jesus Christ the faces. The lips flap like fish and the amount of distortion and lines make them looks stupid.
    -Dat blob fighting
    -AI... where are you?
    -multiplayer de-sync

    Whenever a game comes out, people expect day 1 polish when there is no initial open beta. Simply put it is impossible. Yes, the state of the game when it came out was awful, but I still played and enjoyed 30 hours of Rome before the first patch. Yes, like EVERY OTHER CA GAME SINCE EMPIRE they have proved that you beta test for a few months... maybe more. Sure, it isn't perfect but I have enjoyed almost every minute of this game.    … Expand
  29. tafoya77n
    Sep 16, 2013
    8
    I love this game, so far I have put 150 hours into it, I'm defiantly past the honeymoon stage. I honestly can't stop myself from saying one more turn every time, then get a chance to study and read its a perfect set up to compensate for the long turns. In all of the hours I have played I have experienced one crash and no graphics errors so I cannot speak to those complaints at all.
    I    I love this game, so far I have put 150 hours into it, I'm defiantly past the honeymoon stage. I honestly can't stop myself from saying one more turn every time, then get a chance to study and read its a perfect set up to compensate for the long turns. In all of the hours I have played I have experienced one crash and no graphics errors so I cannot speak to those complaints at all.
    I got in on patch 2 beta and that just made it better fixing my largest complaints about the game, the AI is now aggressive and battle formations are held much better. Over all the game is great and they seem intent on patching it to make the game even better.    … Expand
  30. Harpyrnon
    Sep 17, 2013
    8
    Many problems plagued this games launch, and luckily my hardware was largely immune to most of them. While the campaign game play has been streamlined from previous Total War games to a point where it begins to feel shallow, the place where Total War has always shined is in its battles. Rome 2 is no exception, with battles feeling balanced, large scale and beautiful to watch. The AI seemsMany problems plagued this games launch, and luckily my hardware was largely immune to most of them. While the campaign game play has been streamlined from previous Total War games to a point where it begins to feel shallow, the place where Total War has always shined is in its battles. Rome 2 is no exception, with battles feeling balanced, large scale and beautiful to watch. The AI seems a quite a bit easier to trick into dumb decisions than previous games, with developers promising to address the issues. Battles against players are tense and nerve-wracking, though seem to come down to who has more elite units than the other.

    Overall, without being plagued by performance issues as most have I would give the Campaign play a 610 and the battles themselves a 8/10.    … Expand
  31. PaulPalski
    Sep 21, 2013
    8
    It is a great game that was unfortunately released in beta form. I'm still having a lot of fun playing. CA seems to be working on fixing major issues since the release.
  32. rickjames23
    Sep 22, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. it's kinda sad how forums can spam absurd numbers on sites like this. Having played a spartan campaign (on hard for 1st try) through to completion on a sub par machine(new one in the works for this game) i suffered 1 interminable screen freeze. and yeah it stunk, had to redo manual battles and what all. and i can appreciate that folks that dumped a ton of money into machines may be bummed they can't burn it at ultra. But the devs did provide an fps tester, and (to my sorrow) by setting a buncha crap to medium i got an average fps of 35 before starting campaign. that will improve and is the reason for the 8.
    The game itself is CA's best yet. By far. And yeah, I've played since Shogun1. While i at first was uncomfortable with the building mechanism it is a lot harder to just spam units, amass gold and build all the leet stuff in your cities, you now have tough decisions as to what a settlement can produce- I soon found a balance of food producing provinces, hardcore infantry factories, and then a skirmisher centric province. It provides a realistic flavor remember that Egypt was conquered mainly to provide rome with grain... but yeah, was a bit of a rough learning curve. Public order is a nightmare as well, but you soon learn ways to mitigate that.
    Also what makes the game far superior is that without establishing "imperium" (a bit of an insult when not playing as a roman) you cannot build more than x armies. Whereas in prior iterations I am always able to spam strong early units and abolish powerful states in moments (even at vh/vh), now you are forced to balance offense with defense and at the same time maintain order. Not only does this make for a more difficult process for the player, but it allows time for ai opponents to actually amass some power. Strangely, the avaricious warlords of Pergamon had established a massive empire strecthing from asia minor to palestine in the time it took me to subjugate macedon and egypt. Which I find vastly more interesting than just doing my classic chaos shield method of taking out every compass direction at speed.
    Which brings me to the next groovy thing. Alliances are actually worth something for the first time ever. Having thrown some gold their way I allied with them and bam presto, their massive navy sunk all my naval enemies.... saved me a lot of cash, I didn't have to draft a navy until I started tangling with Rome/Carthage/Syracuse.
    Despite the rock/scissors/paper meme people been throwing around about the game's agents, with training they can pretty much kill whoever or whatever you want. plus bring in extra gold, subdue rioting folks, and detect ambushes. I actually use agents in this game, whereas before i would just expunge the faction to alleviate the annoyance of their agents.
    I fought one large battle 6 full stacks and the game ran effortlessly. It was a fun thing, and a new experience for a TW veteran. It did, however, lead to a negative. Saving that battle replay to watch your masterpiece will make you look like an when you tell your friends "check this out"...... they simply do not replay the battles as fought and invariably show random acts of insanity broken up with the annihilation of your units.
    The AI.... well, it's AI. I was spared the enemy rushing into missile units and then freezing as they took fire, run back, then run back under fire.... this happened a lot in mw2 and empire. There were a lot of moments that they should have crushed me, but i managed to have their whole force of heavy infantry chase 1 unit of missile cav.... but all in all I can't totally reject it. I even lost a battle with a veteran army. Usually not something that occurs. They even will disembark naval reinforcements... though sometimes in a location entirely unhelpful to their comrades' plight. It's Total War, again.
    There also is some faction stuff that i still haven't totally figured out, other than it seems a good idea to send generals of your faction home to the governing body as soon as they have amassed some cred. However, it adds a good sense of immersion, assassinations, marraiges, and other more large scale problems.
    As far as problems with the game, there are framerate issues. This game is a cpu pig. There are AI issues, but nothing as crap as smoking legions of praetorians or spartans with lithuanian javelinmen. The game also predicates all factions off of 4 main cultural trees, Latin, Hellenic, Barabarian, and Eastern. This can effect diplomacy between factions, but could also be a tad irritating for a gaul looking at a german they did not share a lot in common back then. And.... SPOILER ALERT it would be nice if when they show the video for taking roma that it showed your units doing the deed...
    And those complaints are why I went with an 8. The mechanical stuff will be patched. The AI... well maybe VH next time! It is the only game I will be playing for a very long time. GTA5 can wait!    … Expand
  33. vietanh797
    Sep 24, 2013
    8
    The game is good. It didn't meet my expectation but it is good. I play vanilla game for almost 350 hours already. It have bugs and some case AI also have problem but once the AI work they are really dangerous. If you're facing working AI in a battle and not pay attention you can lose your whole army.

    Play it even if you don't like it once you play enough you will forget that you hate it    The game is good. It didn't meet my expectation but it is good. I play vanilla game for almost 350 hours already. It have bugs and some case AI also have problem but once the AI work they are really dangerous. If you're facing working AI in a battle and not pay attention you can lose your whole army.

    Play it even if you don't like it once you play enough you will forget that you hate it in the beginning. It can be not eye catching at first glance and a few bugs but this is a good game so far. At least in my opinion it is better than COH2    … Expand
  34. titan357
    Sep 24, 2013
    8
    Im am going to give this game a solid 8. It has some issues still at this point. However, having played all the Total war games besides Napoleon, I think this is the best TW game I have played so far.

    The map is huge, with the new patch the time between turns is really fast. The campaign map looks great, and the units in battle also look great on high settings. Almost all the    Im am going to give this game a solid 8. It has some issues still at this point. However, having played all the Total war games besides Napoleon, I think this is the best TW game I have played so far.

    The map is huge, with the new patch the time between turns is really fast. The campaign map looks great, and the units in battle also look great on high settings.
    Almost all the information is provided easily in game at a glance, or though the in game encyclopedia.

    The factions are all varied enough (thankfully, Shogun 2 felt like a mirror match) to make all or most battles fun.
    The Gauls play different from the Romans from what I have seen.

    The game is running very smoothly, but it does need improvement in some areas. The diplomacy and family side of the game does need working on. They are shallow and hard to understand at times.

    The new province system is a great addition to the game, and with the public happiness you really have to think and plan out what builds to build in what area. No more "upgrade it all to max" or "build everything everywhere" like in M2TW.

    The campaign map AI and battle map AI could use some tweaking, my first 28 hours as Gaul on Normal was way too easy. Rome on V.Hard seems fairly easy as well. But Roman units are very good compared to others.

    The army legacy system is another new feature that I really enjoy, having the army unit ts self have separate propriety's from the general in command is a nice touch.

    I think that having 1 turn per year is a bit excessive, so I recommend the 4 turns per year mod, its working very well for me.

    This is a very solid game overall in my opinion and CA have shown they are working hard to make it even better, its a great game now but I feel that its only going to get better.    … Expand
  35. Jayras
    Oct 5, 2013
    8
    this game may not be the best TW game, but this is certainly an extremely good one but with bugs. Alot of the bugs others are getting I'm not getting so I had a good experience. Everytime I go into a siege battle where I'm the attacker the game always crashes so that was a let down
  36. martinai
    Oct 31, 2014
    8
    The free Emperor edition made me believe in humanity, The Creative Assembly, and their SEGA overlords once again. The game is now officially playable. It took them more than a year from release to do it, but they did it, and I'm having fun playing it, for the first time. So my review score has gone from a zero to an eight score.
    I'm not happy about the fact that they wasted my time and    The free Emperor edition made me believe in humanity, The Creative Assembly, and their SEGA overlords once again. The game is now officially playable. It took them more than a year from release to do it, but they did it, and I'm having fun playing it, for the first time. So my review score has gone from a zero to an eight score.
    I'm not happy about the fact that they wasted my time and took my money to let me beta-test their product, but I am, however, grateful that they acknowledged the error of their ways and fixed the game.
    Another gesture could be to send a free toy ballistae to all of hose who bought the game on release - just an idea.    … Expand
  37. longshotx17
    Oct 8, 2013
    8
    I waited a while before posting any reviews and sure enough, a lot of the initial issues I had were fixed with the patches from CA. So far, I've put in about 50 hours into the main campaign and I'm having a great time with it. Before anything else though, let em talk about what is still wrong about the game.

    The AI isn't really competent. Granted, I started a campaign on hard rather    I waited a while before posting any reviews and sure enough, a lot of the initial issues I had were fixed with the patches from CA. So far, I've put in about 50 hours into the main campaign and I'm having a great time with it. Before anything else though, let em talk about what is still wrong about the game.

    The AI isn't really competent. Granted, I started a campaign on hard rather than legendary, but still, it isn't much of a challenge. Enemy armies tend to spam weaker units and just throw waves that can be repelled by the garrison units 4 times out of 5. Overall the AI doesn't seem much more capable than the AI present in the original Rome, a game already a decade old. While the game runs significantly smoother than when it first came out a month ago, it is still not up to the standards left by Shogun 2. My laptop can play Shogun 2 in all ultra settings, and yet with Rome 2 I have to lower to medium to get 30-40 fps. I'm sure more updates and patches will fix this even further, and while it is definitely playable now, it just doesn't live up to the potential promised.

    Those troubles aside, I love the game. My Athens campaign has been incredibly fun to play. I still get that thrill as I march troops against the Seleucid and the Middle East, as I become the primary Greek power, storming the beached cities of Italy and taking on Rome, in my way to becoming the supreme ruler of the Mediterranean. That Total War experiences still there in a way that can only be brought to life by CA. The addition of naval battles, while not yet perfected, definitely adds a new layer of strategy and enjoyability to battles.

    As a guy who grew up playing Rome since before he had a computer to really take advantage of its beauty, I love the Total War series. With this being said, I'll admit that my review score is, to a certain degree, biased. If all that you are looking it is how the game plays, a score of 6.5-7 isn't implausible. However, as a gamer who thoroughly enjoys the worlds crafted in each Total War game and the one of a kind experience that they bring and is willing to not over look but rather not really get overly-bothered by the small issues that arise, then this game, in my opinion, is a solid 8.0. It is not CA's best effort, but is a great game nonetheless.    … Expand
  38. BigMac849
    Oct 26, 2013
    8
    After the patches CA has been rolling out, I must say this is my favourite of the series. If we continue to get these great patches, I can see this game becoming a solid 9.
  39. AMysteryUser
    Oct 27, 2013
    8
    I just picked this game up and frankly Its exactly what I wanted from a total war game that being said it has some fps issues and I had to install a couple of mods to tune the traits and character ageing which were both unwisely setup to say the least (the traits were boring and everyone drops dead of old age way to fast by default). But hey its total war and the AI got patched and can nowI just picked this game up and frankly Its exactly what I wanted from a total war game that being said it has some fps issues and I had to install a couple of mods to tune the traits and character ageing which were both unwisely setup to say the least (the traits were boring and everyone drops dead of old age way to fast by default). But hey its total war and the AI got patched and can now fight back!… Expand
  40. Bertzilla
    Oct 28, 2013
    8
    Finally purchased Rome II this past weekend after Patch 5 was released. I will state now that I am an old time Total War fan and I have quite a high end system. Having said that I have had no frame rate problems even with all the settings cranked up. Also, I have been reading all about how long it takes for the AI to run through its turn; no issues here, takes about 10 seconds. NowFinally purchased Rome II this past weekend after Patch 5 was released. I will state now that I am an old time Total War fan and I have quite a high end system. Having said that I have had no frame rate problems even with all the settings cranked up. Also, I have been reading all about how long it takes for the AI to run through its turn; no issues here, takes about 10 seconds. Now granted, I have only just started playing and I am sure I will run into some glitches soon enough but so far I am impressed, but can only imagine how rough it must have been to play this game before all the patches were released. Although CA and Sega really screwed up the launch of Rome II, it seems like they are committed to making it the epic strategy that we all know it can be and I even think it can easily surpass Shogun II, although there is still work needed to be done especially on the AI. Keep at it folks.… Expand
  41. Escobar
    Feb 28, 2014
    8
    Yeah this game was not "perfect" at the time of release, not even close it. But now, after many months they have published patch and as an result this game is playable now. Campaign is good old same and graphics are awesome! This is quite heavy game so you`re gonna need good PC if you want to play it with max graphics..
  42. wwaattttss
    Nov 16, 2013
    8
    Rome Total war 2 is the most up to date Total War and it has almost perfected the series. They have toned down the micro management that cluttered the last game. This game is about fighting and it is wonderful at it. Each unit has its own ability's and strengths and weakness and the game makes you feel like every unit is different. Although the brilliant strategy this game has it dose haveRome Total war 2 is the most up to date Total War and it has almost perfected the series. They have toned down the micro management that cluttered the last game. This game is about fighting and it is wonderful at it. Each unit has its own ability's and strengths and weakness and the game makes you feel like every unit is different. Although the brilliant strategy this game has it dose have it problems to, the AI can sometimes do stupid and suicide moves and the auto resolve battles can be a bit overpowers as it lest you win some battles you may not normal win. Overall this game is a strategy Gem and is very fun to play, you will spend hours fighting for your land.… Expand
  43. armo62
    Nov 18, 2013
    8
    I have waited 2 months for this game to reach its potential and it has. I was extremely disappointed in CA's rush to output this game and have lost a lot of respect for the Total war franchise. That being said they did stick to their word of patching and continuing to path until this game is golden. Finally after two months we are about there. AI still needs some work. IF rome 2 hadI have waited 2 months for this game to reach its potential and it has. I was extremely disappointed in CA's rush to output this game and have lost a lot of respect for the Total war franchise. That being said they did stick to their word of patching and continuing to path until this game is golden. Finally after two months we are about there. AI still needs some work. IF rome 2 had released in the current state it is now I would give this game a 9/10 but since im a patient fellow I waited to see what the devs would do with the broken game until giving it a fair review.… Expand
  44. zomyjordy
    Dec 5, 2013
    8
    crap when it was released. I don´t get why they dared releasing it at first, but now it has really improved. too bad the graphics are too good. I mean I could play shogun 2 on ultra graphics and now even low gets laggy sometimes (when skyping). the limited fleets armies etc. make it more realistic, but it´s really annoying. but still an awesome game. maybe not as good as shogun 2, butcrap when it was released. I don´t get why they dared releasing it at first, but now it has really improved. too bad the graphics are too good. I mean I could play shogun 2 on ultra graphics and now even low gets laggy sometimes (when skyping). the limited fleets armies etc. make it more realistic, but it´s really annoying. but still an awesome game. maybe not as good as shogun 2, but still really good.… Expand
  45. Smelliestelm
    Jan 28, 2014
    8
    The game is a very good game besides some minor bugs. I my self have never encountered any bugs and have clocked in well over 6 hours. The game is not as good as Empire total war for sure but the game is still a great game.
  46. thebraveGG
    Dec 20, 2013
    8
    Where I enjoyed the 1st Rome Total War the most out of any in the series, this game was still a nice addition to the series. Where some of the issues are, is when it comes to the start of the game. It takes a while to get the game into a position where you can have some fun attacking other super-powers. Where some may dislike this element, it does make the game seem more realistic as a newWhere I enjoyed the 1st Rome Total War the most out of any in the series, this game was still a nice addition to the series. Where some of the issues are, is when it comes to the start of the game. It takes a while to get the game into a position where you can have some fun attacking other super-powers. Where some may dislike this element, it does make the game seem more realistic as a new culture cant just take over Europe in a few years, it takes centuries. This game seems to have been an experiment from the developers, trying to implement new game styles, and where some people who are used to the old games may not like this, it does add to the overall game. This game gets an 8/10 from me, where the only issues being the length of some elements, and some bugs that have still not been addressed (For example, the AI will push ladders into a river if there is a river between them and your city, and if they try using the bridge, it tends to fall through the bridge.)… Expand
  47. Buzzerker
    Jan 3, 2014
    8
    Why would anyone rate this game so low? As if you are all armchair generals with Westpoint backgrounds LOL! If you bought the game through Steam you have access to the Workshop, and for this reason this game is highly customizable. Thank you Steam just for being you. without that workshop full of mods this game would take forever to be fixed to my liking the unit cards are a glaringWhy would anyone rate this game so low? As if you are all armchair generals with Westpoint backgrounds LOL! If you bought the game through Steam you have access to the Workshop, and for this reason this game is highly customizable. Thank you Steam just for being you. without that workshop full of mods this game would take forever to be fixed to my liking the unit cards are a glaring mistake which I modded immediately and it seems those tribes really beat the hell out of Ancient Rome in a free for all the first time I played as Rome before I modded the game extensively I lost entire legions to barbarian forces less than a forth the size and the 2 turns a year. what the were they thinking? A year is 12 months divided into 4 seasons so why do it any other way? unforgiveable CA developers. Anyway it is not a bad game.… Expand
  48. Kellie
    Jan 14, 2014
    8
    While its launch was a little rough, they have put in a work with patches and have improved the game greatly, they still continue to patch and improve the game along with bringing out a new expansion (that is fantastic) and new factions. Very much enjoying it, do wish that in co-op I could take my turn at the same time as my partner however, maybe have a pop up to view your friends battlesWhile its launch was a little rough, they have put in a work with patches and have improved the game greatly, they still continue to patch and improve the game along with bringing out a new expansion (that is fantastic) and new factions. Very much enjoying it, do wish that in co-op I could take my turn at the same time as my partner however, maybe have a pop up to view your friends battles if they start one in the middle of your game play that you can then click that would take you to the current options to spectate.… Expand
  49. Zuloni
    Jan 18, 2014
    8
    Not the best of the Total War games (which would be Shogun 2 imo) but it's a refreshing take and certainly better in every way than Empire and Napoleon. A bit unbalanced (Suebi's units are completely worthless on all difficulties) but still fun and immersive.
  50. Bordin74
    Sep 22, 2014
    8
    This game was a bitter disappointment for me but after a year of patches it's now worth a 8. The Emperor edition with a lot of extra stuff for free is a must buy!
  51. Wazzer
    Feb 25, 2014
    8
    Earlier on, sure, this game was very buggy. The campaign sucked because of bad AI and there were bad system/graphical bugs too. But it has become a much more polished game with consecutive patches and an excellent modding community. OK initially the game was a problem but now it is quite an alluring game all things considered. Loving the multiplayer and the campaigns are now much moreEarlier on, sure, this game was very buggy. The campaign sucked because of bad AI and there were bad system/graphical bugs too. But it has become a much more polished game with consecutive patches and an excellent modding community. OK initially the game was a problem but now it is quite an alluring game all things considered. Loving the multiplayer and the campaigns are now much more challenging (and varied with all the scenario mods).… Expand
  52. wolfaust
    Jul 14, 2021
    8
    In Total War: Rome 2, army management in the battle and campaign map requires much more strategy than Rome: Total War. Of course, it was difficult to achieve success without using strategy in Rome: Total War, too, but in Total War: Rome 2, the situation changes a little more different way. In this game, there is the fact that when you take control of the army, soldiers are affected by theIn Total War: Rome 2, army management in the battle and campaign map requires much more strategy than Rome: Total War. Of course, it was difficult to achieve success without using strategy in Rome: Total War, too, but in Total War: Rome 2, the situation changes a little more different way. In this game, there is the fact that when you take control of the army, soldiers are affected by the events on the battlefield. Therefore, a strategy is required in which they can act with maximum confidence.

    Still, I miss the creative and fascinating drawings and long descriptions of soldiers, buildings and generals in Rome: Total War. Total War: Rome 2 offers a major shortcoming in this regard. So, in Rome: Total War, the building you were going to build, the soldier, the diplomat or agent you were going to train had remarkable explanations and dazzling drawings. In Total War: Rome 2, for some reason, they added nothing but a few nonsense icons for the visual details that required it. I think the description part is okay because there is an encyclopedia.

    There were too many bugs when the game was first released. So, I think if I was going to list here, I can keep you here for a long time. Fortunately, they quickly fixed these bugs after the game's release. Now with various DLCs, the game offers more playtime and characteristic, but none of these DLCs is amazing like Barbarian Invasion or Alexander. The DLCs allow you to play only a small part of the same game separately.

    Overall, Total War: Rome 2 may seem more attractive to those who are new to the Total War series. I can say that it is much more effective with its high-quality soldier animations, designs and improved army and state administration elements. However, Total War: Rome 2 will never be able to give pleasure like Rome: Total War.    … Expand
  53. Clifton_Dupler
    Jun 27, 2014
    8
    It's Getting better with the patches and all. However they (C.A.) should have never released this game when they did. I mean they added "Up Hill Advantage" in a later patch!!!!!!! THAT'S something they should have added from the beginning like every other Total War. Basic fundamentals guys!

    Anyway it's getting good with the patches and it's only $20.13 on Steam till June 30th has    It's Getting better with the patches and all. However they (C.A.) should have never released this game when they did. I mean they added "Up Hill Advantage" in a later patch!!!!!!! THAT'S something they should have added from the beginning like every other Total War. Basic fundamentals guys!

    Anyway it's getting good with the patches and it's only $20.13 on Steam till June 30th has been for 8 days now. "Steam's Summer Adventure" Everything's half off.    … Expand
  54. Maeglin
    Oct 17, 2014
    8
    To be honest my rating is based on Rome 2 as it is now. If I had written this review after it came out, or even half a year later it would have been much lower.

    Right now it is very enjoyable with a decent AI and the two player campaign is really great and good for hours of game-play. Did Sega screw up on this title and brought it out way to soon? Sure and they disappointed everyone    To be honest my rating is based on Rome 2 as it is now. If I had written this review after it came out, or even half a year later it would have been much lower.

    Right now it is very enjoyable with a decent AI and the two player campaign is really great and good for hours of game-play.

    Did Sega screw up on this title and brought it out way to soon? Sure and they disappointed everyone who loved Shogun or who started playing it for the first time. What I learned is that i will never, ever, buy any Total war game anymore within the first 3 months after it comes out. As with every title they need more patches to make it playable. And it are always the same bugs , AI, Siege battles and failing diplomacy.

    But if you are willing to wait that long and have the patience, I must say you are in for a treat. There are so many factions to play with in Rome and no game is or feels the same. The AI, even after all the updates, is still a bit to passive but they will surprise you and inconvenience you when you least expect it. The graphics are stunning and the battles are very challenging. It provides more diversity beween factions then Shogun and has a more surprising diplomacy system. The world is huge and finally there are a lot more options on and around the sea which adds to the atmosphere of conquering.

    Despite all it's flaws it is becomming the most addictive Total war game for me, after having spend hundreds of hours on Shogun 2 and all the games before it so that is why the high rating.    … Expand
  55. chayshirin
    Jun 25, 2016
    8
    Great fun to play. Many ways to approach the game and customise your gameplay. Diplomacy was better developed than previous tiles. On the whole very addictive and amusing. If you are a fan of strategy there is no reason not to play this.
  56. morswin
    Oct 25, 2014
    8
    After a year of patching and free upgrade to emperor edition the game is finally what it was supposed to be in the first place. I just wish there could be some cut scenes (first shogun assassination movies :)) or voice records to random events, so the world would feel a bit more alive. Battle mechanics were improved and game engine was evidently optimized. AI still makes mistakes, one timeAfter a year of patching and free upgrade to emperor edition the game is finally what it was supposed to be in the first place. I just wish there could be some cut scenes (first shogun assassination movies :)) or voice records to random events, so the world would feel a bit more alive. Battle mechanics were improved and game engine was evidently optimized. AI still makes mistakes, one time it attempted to lad on a beach where 2 units of my batistas were stationed, each volley would take down one of the transport ships...… Expand
  57. SamuelDT
    Dec 10, 2014
    8
    Great Game! I am not understanding all the bad reviews. I think this game is quite comparable with the original Rome. Better Graphics. I was almost through the campaign. Long game, can take a bit long each turn. The interface may take a little while to adjust from the differences in the interface in the first Total War Rome.

    I am excited to play again with the Emperor Edition and    Great Game! I am not understanding all the bad reviews. I think this game is quite comparable with the original Rome. Better Graphics. I was almost through the campaign. Long game, can take a bit long each turn. The interface may take a little while to adjust from the differences in the interface in the first Total War Rome.

    I am excited to play again with the Emperor Edition and finally complete the campaign when I have the time.

    I think I would rather play this latest Rome II instead of the original just because of the difference in graphics and visually appealing in battles watching a large line of hundreds of spear-men guarding hundreds of archers coloring the sky with arrows.    … Expand
  58. JustSomeGamer
    Jul 5, 2017
    8
    MY REVIEW IS BASED ON THE EMPEROR EDITION, NOT ON THE COMPLETELY BUGGED AND BROKEN RELEASE STATE!

    After 15 patches this game went from a buggy mess to one of my favorite strategy games of all time! If you like the roman era and strategy games, this is a must play!
  59. cottandy
    Feb 4, 2018
    8
    A good game, but it became one only after a dozen of patches. After release it just didn't work as it should have had. Sadly it happens all the time. Why releasing an unfinished work? And still a good game right now.
  60. AlexanderDM
    Nov 1, 2017
    8
    For those who can really get into the Roman zeitgeist, this game can be extremely fulfilling. Caring about the glory in success or failure while entering battles in which you've got the disadvantage sells the skin for me. The maintenance aspect of the empire still becomes a chore pretty quickly, and a few more soldier-select voice lines would be nice, but overall very polished. While not aFor those who can really get into the Roman zeitgeist, this game can be extremely fulfilling. Caring about the glory in success or failure while entering battles in which you've got the disadvantage sells the skin for me. The maintenance aspect of the empire still becomes a chore pretty quickly, and a few more soldier-select voice lines would be nice, but overall very polished. While not a huge improvement over the first installment, it's an improvement nonetheless.… Expand
  61. GarethB
    Oct 5, 2018
    8
    Playing many years after release with a large collection of mods (DEI and such), the real time battles are great. I like the scope of the game and this is definitely my favourite time period for such games.
  62. Babutto
    Oct 1, 2019
    8
    Pros:
    - provincial system - now you need to control the whole province to get benefits. How? There are ways;
    - research - simple and useful. You research almost until the end of the game; - economic planning is important and requires management. You cannot simply forget about the economy; - agents are cool and training is now balanced; - WAR! - diplomacy in total. Cons: - AI    Pros:
    - provincial system - now you need to control the whole province to get benefits. How? There are ways;
    - research - simple and useful. You research almost until the end of the game;
    - economic planning is important and requires management. You cannot simply forget about the economy;
    - agents are cool and training is now balanced;
    - WAR!
    - diplomacy in total.

    Cons:
    - AI cheats all the time. You have to station garrisons at every province in case nomadic tribes arrive. The same is for TW Warhammer. But here you may predict where they arrive;
    - AI predictions - it's complete crap. You may win in a battle and AI would tell you before that your chances are 10%. Another crap following the series since TW Rome;
    - political system - by far the worst. You may fight and conquer but then realize you're screwed and you face the civil war. I understand why they did that BUT when you master how the system works it nullifies all of its advantages;
    - cannot make confederations. FAIL.

    Many users criticize TW R2, also because the predecessor is a masterpiece. However, the game is cool itself. It just requires research and an additional and clear explanation of what the hell is going on with the politics.    … Expand
  63. Genek13
    Nov 19, 2019
    8
    I played this game after all patches and DLC's, so have no experience with mentioned by you all flaws.
    As an TW game is very decent one - of coruse not so good as the first Rome, but still very enjoyable.
  64. hileger
    Oct 19, 2022
    8
    Это Ига Топ до сих пор катаю Креативы чем дальше тем хуже и хуй же ложили они на реализацию стратегии в своих играх
  65. albegres
    Feb 5, 2022
    8
    77/100
    Nowadays it has not the same problems it had at launch. Very solid game with good gameplay. It might feel like a "map painter" but it's very fun to replay it now and then. It has still a good amount of players
  66. PenetratorGod
    Sep 3, 2023
    8
    Good and fun game. Compared to other older games in the series, the graphics are not so dated as to be disturbing today and therefore still playable.
  67. Keron_Heruman
    Aug 25, 2023
    8
    Objetively good game, but simpler than previous games, with less settlement management and simplified tactical battles
  68. vanzi
    Oct 31, 2014
    7
    After all the patches that were released and the even better job of modders (DeI, Radious), the game is in a definitely playable state. Performance is A LOT better than it was on release. The AI is still pretty dumb though and I'm personally not a fan of some of the changes they've made to the game (especially the province system and army movement only with general). All that said, I'mAfter all the patches that were released and the even better job of modders (DeI, Radious), the game is in a definitely playable state. Performance is A LOT better than it was on release. The AI is still pretty dumb though and I'm personally not a fan of some of the changes they've made to the game (especially the province system and army movement only with general). All that said, I'm having a lot of fun playing with Divide et Impera and I've spent over 400 hours in game.… Expand
  69. Porkenstein
    Sep 8, 2013
    7
    This game is fun, atmospheric, epic, and just generally awesome. However, it is hopelessly broken.
    Technical issues aside, the battle and campaign AI are completely nonfunctional, removing all challenge from every difficultly level. Also, many changes to gameplay in favor of appeasing the more "casual" customer base have destroyed much of what made Rome I great.
  70. abic007
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    The fail of Rome: A strategic map without strategy... A tactical mode without tactics

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

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

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

    The VERY HARD and LEGENDARY difficultly modes give the other factions enormous bonuses, but their AI in the settlement defence battles is the same. It's a poor way to make things difficult.    … Expand
  73. 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
  74. tumbidragon
    Sep 16, 2014
    7
    After a complete farcical release, Rome 2 a year on is now an actual good game. 15 patches has seen vast improvements to optimization and game play. We now have three great campaign in CIG, HATG and EE. Battles are no longer decided within 2-5 minutes and I have had some last ~20mins with the new unit re-balancing to morale and armor!
    Unfortunately It still lacks the depth in which so    After a complete farcical release, Rome 2 a year on is now an actual good game. 15 patches has seen vast improvements to optimization and game play. We now have three great campaign in CIG, HATG and EE. Battles are no longer decided within 2-5 minutes and I have had some last ~20mins with the new unit re-balancing to morale and armor!
    Unfortunately It still lacks the depth in which so many were hoping they would deliver. The "new" political system is nothing more than a updated graphic to the UI so that you are able to track what is happening easier. But you could hardly call it immersive or in depth. Diplomacy is still hit and miss and just outright random sometimes (specifically trade agreements). There are also still major path finding issues atop walls when you have multiple units stationed on them. Also AI is still.. meh.

    Upon release I would of given this 3/10. But now I could unabashedly give it a 7/10 (but not forgiven nor forgotten CA!).    … Expand
  75. 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.
  76. 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
  77. Astrith
    Sep 17, 2013
    7
    I understand all the guys disappointed by the newest Total War. I really do@ This game should be Brilliant, Legendary and Epic. It is just good (well, very good for me). It has it's problems graphics are not as good as those shown by CA's PR guys, I don't understand why I can build so limited amount of buildings and why I don't have a family tree available (the same is withI understand all the guys disappointed by the newest Total War. I really do@ This game should be Brilliant, Legendary and Epic. It is just good (well, very good for me). It has it's problems graphics are not as good as those shown by CA's PR guys, I don't understand why I can build so limited amount of buildings and why I don't have a family tree available (the same is with agents/generals lack of skill tree). Rome 2 is a solid game, great piece of strategy, highly addictive but with bunch of problems. Problems that should be resolved months ago. Maybe I'm a bit lucky because of all the problems I have only occasional CTD's. Fractions are very well designed, all the Greek states are very interesting on the campaign map and during the battles. The game is a bit too easy at the beginning however it gets more and more demanding later on. Worth playing, worth buying. One last thing this is a PC game, therefore can be modded!!! Modding community in TW games is one of the best ever and already there's a bunch of great stuff that will alter the Vanilla experience … Expand
  78. RedBlueThunder
    Sep 16, 2013
    7
    While the initial game is still fun and enjoyable, i do feel that Rome 2 is slightly bare-bones. A huge amount of features have been removed and replaced by simple mechanics that make the game feel simple.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Thanks for reading,

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

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

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

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

    Return to Roman setting is well appreciated

    Combo land/naval battles are entertaining and effective

    Diversity of agent options are useful without being confounding

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Once the patch goes in for fixing the load times I'll give this an 8/10 for now its a solid 7. I put blood sweat and tears into my rig and I'm running ultra at 60+ fps at all times. Have realistic expectations with the machine you work with    … Expand
  89. Efa
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    A good game, with huge potential, if not for the fact it simply doesn't feel finished.
    Riddled with bugs and frame rate issues, this is only a Beta. Plus, with all the "new" features (by which I mean all the removed features) It just doesn't feel like a sequel, or even part of the series.
  90. CA1994
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    Total War Rome 2 was supposed to be a great step forward into a new generation of total wars. They hyped up the game way to much. The campaign map is so huge and there is no way to zoom out. Military victory conditions are crazy. Just for Rome it is hold 114 cities! There is no campaign options yet to have lesser victory conditions. The battles are fun especially the naval aspect withTotal War Rome 2 was supposed to be a great step forward into a new generation of total wars. They hyped up the game way to much. The campaign map is so huge and there is no way to zoom out. Military victory conditions are crazy. Just for Rome it is hold 114 cities! There is no campaign options yet to have lesser victory conditions. The battles are fun especially the naval aspect with land. But the campaign map is horrible in size and the fact that cities are in provinces now. If you don't own all the cities in the provenience they are unhappy. Also the fact that you have to passive the population that takes so long. There is different cultures that really hurt public order. Cities start out generally unhappy until you control the whole province and can issue a edict that can improve happiness. At least from what I played it seems like armies can only be 10 units large. Also on day 1 the battles I played online were laggy. I am happy to get back the factions and away from the avatar they did that part right. The awesome battles are the only reason I am giving it a 7 instead of 6.… Expand
  91. 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
  92. 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
  93. BrianU
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    Overall, a rare misstep from the Total War team. I've been a Total War fan since the first Shogun, and I can't help but feel slightly disappointed. That said, there are a number of plusses, too.

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

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

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

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

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

    -Worse graphics than shogun 2 total war.

    -AI, as bad as always.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    *There are problems right now (at the top of the list for me is that there are no drivers optimized for the game). I would recommend waiting a month before getting the game. I imagine most of the bugs will be ironed out by then and I expect drivers for the game at any time that will improve performance.    … Expand
  98. Ed_
    Oct 30, 2013
    7
    After the release of patch 5, the game improved really well. The gameplay became enjoyable and the AI improved slightly.

    The campaign map is very nice, graphics is amazing. The new family and upgrading system are also fascinating, however the one-year turn system is pretty annoying and fast.

    All in all, download all the patches and feel the difference.
  99. toredevir
    Sep 8, 2013
    7
    Lets play statistic: 1285 ratings vs 93k people playing the game right now not caring about metacritic
    753 say it sucks, but only 433 show they like it.. LETS BANISH THIS GAME
  100. Belidon
    Sep 9, 2013
    7
    The atmosphere is all you would want from the sequel to the legendary rome: rome total war. It is a very enjoyable game but it just feels it could've been so much better. It's unoptimized, it lacks depth in the diplomacy and political systems and battles currently suffer from blob fights rather than well executed strategy.

    Patches and potentially mods can make this good game, great.
Page:

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 71 Critic Reviews

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