Total War: Rome II

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

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 3974 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,184 out of 3974
  2. Mixed: 613 out of 3974
  3. Negative: 2,177 out of 3974
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  1. Beeeno
    Oct 3, 2013
    4
    This is an unfinished and broken game released without beta testing with several heavy issues. Advertisement before game release was false as the game is not fully localised in Italian and Spanish language. Untill today we've had 3 patches but the mess is still on. If you want to buy this game wait 'till next Xmas sales and check how patching proceeds. Just my two cents. P.S. I'veThis is an unfinished and broken game released without beta testing with several heavy issues. Advertisement before game release was false as the game is not fully localised in Italian and Spanish language. Untill today we've had 3 patches but the mess is still on. If you want to buy this game wait 'till next Xmas sales and check how patching proceeds. Just my two cents. P.S. I've preordered a CA/Sega game for the LAST time.… Expand
  2. Yoritomo
    Oct 3, 2013
    4
    Rome II the divorce between TW Fans and Developer.
    From Shogun 1 i played all titles in Series and loved the MP Part of Shogun 2. Now i am totaly disappointed from my pre-order after 3 Patches and 4 Weeks trying to find joy in playing this game.
    Singleplayer Gameplay is still broken and cant be fixed by patch. Exploring new bugs every day is not fun. Facing Bugs that are unfixed since    Rome II the divorce between TW Fans and Developer.
    From Shogun 1 i played all titles in Series and loved the MP Part of Shogun 2. Now i am totaly disappointed from my pre-order after 3 Patches and 4 Weeks trying to find joy in playing this game.
    Singleplayer Gameplay is still broken and cant be fixed by patch.
    Exploring new bugs every day is not fun. Facing Bugs that are unfixed since Empire is a insult.
    Seeing the potential of the game and realize that it wont be reached is frustrating.
    Technical aspects may be fixed with upcoming patches, Mistakes in Gamedesign wont.
    This game feels like its a beta version for a console or smartphone TW Title.
    Absolute no depth at strategic campaign mode (from broken AI to Province Design) and no tactical depth at real time battles. Camping, Spamming, rushing, no brain AI better autoresolve it. Wait 4 Minutes till AI done its turn, spend more time waiting than acting is not a game.

    No beta pre-release, a step back for Multiplayer mode. All the inventions from Shogun 2 are gone and the player is draw back to a empire like gamelobby without a chat. Empire MP works fine now, this mode in Rome 2 seems to be alpha. MP Campaign and you will face stupid AI with a player by side and play a waiting game till it crashes for no reason.

    Score 4 cause i belive CA will get the tecnical aspects done and already apologiesed for the mistakes.

    Quo vadis Total War Series?    … Expand
  3. Rome
    Oct 6, 2013
    4
    Ugly graphics, even on Ultra. On Extreme(the highest setting) it begins to look somewhat ok(but not very great), but at a heavy cost: even on high end rigs(like mine) you'll get fps as low as 20. It's nearly 2014, there is no excuse for an (supposedly) AAA title to have 2009 graphics. I feel cheated just by looking at the game...

    Battle camera is a complete joke. There is no click and    Ugly graphics, even on Ultra. On Extreme(the highest setting) it begins to look somewhat ok(but not very great), but at a heavy cost: even on high end rigs(like mine) you'll get fps as low as 20. It's nearly 2014, there is no excuse for an (supposedly) AAA title to have 2009 graphics. I feel cheated just by looking at the game...

    Battle camera is a complete joke. There is no click and drag action at all. I said: NO CLICK AND DRAG ACTION!! What were they thinking? The camera movement is just horrible. Since you'll be using the camera all the time during battle, this is a potential game breaker for me. However it should be an easy fix, so why are they not fixing the camera!!?

    Tech tree. It's awfully uninspired. No really interesting choices here. Every step in the tech tree will mostly bring you benefits like +2 trade income, -2% unit costs etc. Yawn, it seems utterly irrelevant and dumbed down.

    Icons. Apparantly CA thought it a great idea to have all uni, building, and tech icons look like something a an average 10-old greek child would have drawn thousands of years ago. They are just ugly to look at. I guess they wanted them to have an ancient feel... We dont want that!! We want them to be highly detailed, beautiful and in 3D. Another moronic design decision.

    This games deserves not 0, it deserves a maximum of 4, so thats what it's gonna get from me.    … Expand
  4. J4MESOX4D
    Oct 26, 2013
    4
    It's not very often a series declines game after game but the Total War titles seem to be on a downward spiral to nothingness and Rome 2 highlights the sheer drop in quality from the excellence of the original.

    The ambition of the game seems to be overriding the quality of the finished product. It's a half baked game that is woefully presented, cumbersome AI and a very bland interface    It's not very often a series declines game after game but the Total War titles seem to be on a downward spiral to nothingness and Rome 2 highlights the sheer drop in quality from the excellence of the original.

    The ambition of the game seems to be overriding the quality of the finished product. It's a half baked game that is woefully presented, cumbersome AI and a very bland interface with management options lacking and a dreadfully simplistic challenge which you'll find exceedingly tedious over a session. The shockingly poor technical side adds to disappointment with considerable framerate problems and sloppy realtime battles. As you progress. the end of turn system becomes intolerable with turns taking in excess of minutes as the AI plays catch-up. This boils down to the seemingly dated engine and leaves you waiting without control for an unacceptable amount of time. This kills the flow and adds to the overall dismay.

    CA either need to go back to the games' roots or sell the licence because this series is dwindling to oblivion. If you want a fine strategy game of the Roman era; you'd be better off re-installing the original. It may be over 10 years older but it's streets ahead of today's messy attempt at rejuvenating the Total War collapse.    … Expand
  5. ElPortoChris
    Oct 25, 2013
    4
    Horrible game, great marketing campaign. They started the hype early on this one. We are all suckers. I want my money back. Oh wait, it's already gone in that huge marketing budget.
  6. Dunadd
    Oct 28, 2013
    4
    Rome II has a few nice features the original Rome Total War lacked, like cavalry being able to dismount for assaults on cities and a battlefield AI which, after patching, is reasonably competent and doesn't throw it's generals in immediately to their deaths to try to run down a unit of skirmishers. Unfortunately it not only drops many of the most interesting, enjoyable and atmosphereRome II has a few nice features the original Rome Total War lacked, like cavalry being able to dismount for assaults on cities and a battlefield AI which, after patching, is reasonably competent and doesn't throw it's generals in immediately to their deaths to try to run down a unit of skirmishers. Unfortunately it not only drops many of the most interesting, enjoyable and atmosphere enhancing features that were in the original Rome, but also implements many features in ways that destroy game-play, believability and historical accuracy. It also seems unfinished

    The province system in which cities are grouped into provinces in which buildings in one city affect every city in the province held by the same faction is interesting, but the way buildings work is pretty annoying.

    You can research technology, but the starting tech isn't even bronze age you need a tech advance for battering rams and ladders.

    The level of detail you can see in your settlements population, happiness/unhappiness, squalor etc is massively reduced as is info on where income and trade income comes from.

    The political system and 1 year turns result in generals being recalled or dying as soon as they get any significant experience or skills. Agents don't last much longer.

    The stylised icon interface is annoying and not intuitive.

    The AI and bugs in assaults on walled cities is pretty terrible even after patching.

    There are over 100 factions, but many are out of period or just made up, including client states like Carthage's two and they slow the AI turn down more and more as the game progresses.

    Worst of all are the instant super transports. Any army can create transports to carry it by stepping off a beach, for free. They're capable of fighting in sea battles and beating any starting fleet whether in auto-calc or not by weight of numbers.

    Every faction from Scythian nomad horse archers to Spanish and African tribes goes for a sail in the Mediterranean, with nothing much to fear from enemy navies. Factions which lose all their cities also take to the sea. They then either float there till they slowly die, or hover off the coast forcing you to place armies in all your coastal cities for dozens of turns until they slowly die of attrition, or else they take cities by avoiding your land armies and acting as vikings. What? Build fleets to hunt them down you say? But you can't afford to ships for fleets take time and money to build and require pay. Instant transports don't and your own field armies are tied down on land preventing them from coming back by sea.

    Bizarrely the game designers have decided that transports should be just a slightly inferior version of a large oared warship with the same hundreds of oarsmen and ram and sleek design as a warship. In reality in the Roman and Hellenistic period transports were usually commandeered merchant sailing ships, because they could carry enough troops, horses and food and water for them. Oared warships were good for ramming, boarding and raking the oars off of enemy ships but all those oarsmen and the narrow hulls to make them maneuverable left them with no room to carry more than a few marines. They usually followed coastlines so they could land to get food and water for the oarsmen each day and so they could land if there was bad weather as oared galleys were not very seaworthy. Yet insta-super-transports somehow fit hundreds of soldiers, horses and elephants.

    Unlike in the original Rome you can fight out sea battles rather than just autocalc them. The ships and marines in sea battles look great, but the way sea battles work is pretty lamentable. Boarding is made very easy. No need to use grapples (iron hooks on ropes) to get close to an enemy ship to board it, let alone use a corvus (rotatable boarding ramp with a spike on the end to go through the enemy deck) bumping into them is good enough. Even more ridiculously, once one ship is boarding another no other ship or marines can touch either of them.

    Historically smaller galleys could outmanouvre and defeat larger ships as at the battle of Actium. In Rome II small ships are incapable of doing much damage to larger ones, even where the large ship is a transport or some lightly built viking style ship. Historically a small oared galley with a metal plated ram could turn faster than larger ships and immobilise them by oar raking (shearing off enemy ship's oars using ram). Or they could sink them by ramming broadside and holing it below the waterline.

    The myriad bugs a requiring endless patching and missing features suggest it was rushed out incomplete and without even beta testing.

    Rome II runs poorly and with poor graphics on many PCs and laptops unless the Graphical Enhancement Mod is used. Mistakes made in the ongoing patching process make the game currently not run with mods. Anyone thinking of buying should hold off for at least 6 months and maybe a year or two till patching is over and better mods finished    … Expand
  7. SirenSounds
    Oct 29, 2013
    4
    Horribly disappointing game. So much potential lost in this series due to this game and where it could have been and where it went.

    Gameplay is lacking on soo many levels!! As soon as you hit "Start Battle" the whole reason to even purchase a TW game goes out the window as your units and the AI units become a visual mob-mosh pit-pile of black ants fighting at a standing distance. Its    Horribly disappointing game. So much potential lost in this series due to this game and where it could have been and where it went.

    Gameplay is lacking on soo many levels!! As soon as you hit "Start Battle" the whole reason to even purchase a TW game goes out the window as your units and the AI units become a visual mob-mosh pit-pile of black ants fighting at a standing distance. Its such a disappointment. How can CA go from the visually stunning ETW, Napoleon, Shogun II to this?

    Unit abilities are weak, uninspired, difficult to manage, completely unnecessary for battles that last 2 minutes or less. Can you imagine? TWO minutes and a battle between 5,000 vs 4700 men is over with. You barely have time to even tell a unit to move-attack-brace before it becomes a mosh pit of indistinguishable masses. So now you have no idea if your units are using shield wall, phalanx or just some form of chaos/anarchy attack.

    Campaign AI is a complete and total step back from other TW title in that nations-tribes refuse to attack you and will instead wander about the map on sightseeing tours. Imagine if you will an army of 9000 men, just 2 days outside of Rome and the Legions stationed there decided to simply go off to Naples for some R'n'R? This occurs constantly around the map. Or entire armies will become navies to sail around the Mediterranean looking for mermaids.

    Bottomline, even if this game is half price its over-priced in its current state. Even as a $9.99 Steam deal its borderline, and that's being generous.    … Expand
  8. cucconet74
    Nov 16, 2013
    4
    I'm a great fan of the TW series but this game has been released unfinished and, after 6 pathes, is still unfinished.
    The IA is really stupid and unchallenging, the game is souless and boring
    DON'T BUY IT!!
  9. Matteo21
    Mar 30, 2014
    4
    only new players of Total War saga are going to like this game, this is the worst, too much advertising and not programming enough. i'm am italian and this game is not translated in italian, but CA wrote on the pack "All in Italian". bad for a Total War fan!
  10. troj2002
    Nov 3, 2013
    4
    Sadly the game is broken in many ways, was rushed out and is disappointing after all the anticipation.
    Battle Ai is broken still to date especially in sieges, where they suicidally rush your lines towards the ''holy'' capture point, an entire army disintegrating and rushing to their death just to reach the siege capture point.
    Not worth buying your money is better spent on purchasing    Sadly the game is broken in many ways, was rushed out and is disappointing after all the anticipation.
    Battle Ai is broken still to date especially in sieges, where they suicidally rush your lines towards the ''holy'' capture point, an entire army disintegrating and rushing to their death just to reach the siege capture point.
    Not worth buying your money is better spent on purchasing previous iterations of the franchise    … Expand
  11. MrZanyGaming
    Nov 5, 2013
    4
    Not a bad game, but there was so much more they could have done, not to mention the marketing campaign that blatantly lied to all the fans of the series. It's dumbed down, so if you're a fan of simple games that make you feel smart, then buy it. If not, then I would advise you to avoid Rome 2.
  12. Serene86
    Nov 15, 2013
    4
    All I can say after forcing myself to play for 43 hours since release, it's not me. The game isn't fun. It looks great on my machine. It's just not fun. And I don't want to force myself to play a game I am not enjoying. Back to Minecraft until something good comes out.
  13. Fyeris
    Nov 17, 2013
    4
    I REALLY wanted to like this game. The trailers made it look exciting and action packed, but a lot of the game mechanics seem wrong or broken. Most of the factions seem to play the exact same, and the game focuses more on simply smashing your troops head long into those of the enemy, as opposed to previous games focusing on flanking and positioning. Overall, while I wanted this game to beI REALLY wanted to like this game. The trailers made it look exciting and action packed, but a lot of the game mechanics seem wrong or broken. Most of the factions seem to play the exact same, and the game focuses more on simply smashing your troops head long into those of the enemy, as opposed to previous games focusing on flanking and positioning. Overall, while I wanted this game to be great, it landed somewhere in the "meh" range. Not worth the $45. Would buy again for $10.… Expand
  14. Onigun
    Oct 4, 2015
    4
    It's been 2 years, the final patch has been released and so much stuff is still broken. AI will clump it's units into groups and wait to die, the prologue has no objectives or tutorial teaching you the game outside of the initial battle. To make everything worse this is still a highly priced game with no complete edition and DLC still segmented off into expensive packs.
  15. Chatterly
    Mar 2, 2014
    4
    Ever been in a chocolate shop and seen a delightful confection that looks like it will melt in your mouth in a gush of warm chocolaty goodness and sweet cacao bliss? You buy it and bite down and for a moment it is everything you might hope until you get to the flawed burnt out husk of bile and hatred that lies at the center.

    This is that game. It's as if someone took a QA list of their    Ever been in a chocolate shop and seen a delightful confection that looks like it will melt in your mouth in a gush of warm chocolaty goodness and sweet cacao bliss? You buy it and bite down and for a moment it is everything you might hope until you get to the flawed burnt out husk of bile and hatred that lies at the center.

    This is that game. It's as if someone took a QA list of their bugs, packaged them up as a game, and shipped it out with pretty box art. It bluescreens, it hands, it has an almighty memory leak that could suck down the 7th fleet, units behave unpredictably, rather than embark your armies will take a world tour, and that's just the short list.

    We want Creative to make good games, but they don't. They make early access games that might be patched into something playable. The concept is great, but it's the same concept from ten years ago and their quality and testing only get worse with each new release.

    tl;dr: Give it a pass.    … Expand
  16. post_no_bills
    Dec 24, 2013
    4
    Games should be fun. This game isn't.

    The game is a poorly designed, tedious grind, with all the fun of filling out your tax forms. Hugely disappointing. They would have been MUCH better off just re-skinning Shogun 2. Every single feature of this game is worse than Shogun 2, without exception.
  17. gabailey2
    Feb 9, 2014
    4
    This is an astonishingly mediocre game. They took everything that made the other Total War games great, turned it on its end and removed core features. Don't get fooled by the score. It's not so-bad-it's good. It's just boring. I almost feel bad saying this as you can tell effort has been put into making the game, but in the wrong areas. I could forgive glitches if the base game wasThis is an astonishingly mediocre game. They took everything that made the other Total War games great, turned it on its end and removed core features. Don't get fooled by the score. It's not so-bad-it's good. It's just boring. I almost feel bad saying this as you can tell effort has been put into making the game, but in the wrong areas. I could forgive glitches if the base game was excellent. It's not. 9 patches in, it's still astonishingly poorly optimized, plenty of DLC already, and all in all not worth anyone's time and money.… Expand
  18. Truth_
    Nov 5, 2014
    4
    There are thousands of reviews and thus I do not expect this to be seen. And there is little to nothing I can say that wasn't said, or wasn't said better, elsewhere. I am simply posting to add my score.

    I was mad just the same as everyone else. The difference, however, is that I was expecting it. I was expecting graphical and technical glitches galore. I was expecting bad AI. And    There are thousands of reviews and thus I do not expect this to be seen. And there is little to nothing I can say that wasn't said, or wasn't said better, elsewhere. I am simply posting to add my score.

    I was mad just the same as everyone else. The difference, however, is that I was expecting it. I was expecting graphical and technical glitches galore. I was expecting bad AI. And I even expected, although hoped against, the game's mechanics that weren't pulled out in Shogun 2 weren't further widdled or dumbed down. And I got what I expected.

    There is little variety to troops between factions, there's little variety to the gameworld, there's no role-playing/story elements like was promised, economy is incredibly simple and easy, AI is horrible on the campaign map and in battle, and multiplayer did not work for the longest time.

    In all, it seems all facets of the game are worse. If only the probably hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars spent on motion capture, that doesn't even seem that great or functional, was spent on making a better game.

    Note: Kudos for releasing free factions with each DLC expansion. And kudos for patching the game constantly (although that wins little points as there should have been fewer problems to begin with).

    Objectively I want to rate this game a "5" as it's playable and has fun elements of other Total War games I've enjoyed... but for some reason I just can't have fun playing this game. Unfortunately I must give it a "4".

    The game is clearly inferior to prior titles. I do not expect this to change. My only wonder is if this will affect future sales of new titles.    … Expand
  19. northernlad
    May 13, 2015
    4
    easily the worst total war game ever made .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  20. Mitzu
    May 1, 2014
    4
    Can't give this more than 4/10. Played all total war games since Rome 1. It feels weird when a game 10 or so years older has better AI and unit colission than it's much newer counterpart. I bought it when it came out and was able to play a game as Rome. Stopped playing for a while and started it up again and just fount it as sad as it was before. Can't play it anymore, I guess i'll justCan't give this more than 4/10. Played all total war games since Rome 1. It feels weird when a game 10 or so years older has better AI and unit colission than it's much newer counterpart. I bought it when it came out and was able to play a game as Rome. Stopped playing for a while and started it up again and just fount it as sad as it was before. Can't play it anymore, I guess i'll just install shogun 2 and medieval 2.… Expand
  21. herr_rosa88
    Sep 13, 2014
    4
    Rome II is a total letdown to all Total war fans. I have bought every game since Medieval Total War (except for Napoleon) and this game is the only game in the series absolutely deteste. Despite loads of patches Rome II is still a buggy mess. The few good things about RTW do mostly exist in the previous games and the game offers nothing new except revisiting the period.

    The bad aspects    Rome II is a total letdown to all Total war fans. I have bought every game since Medieval Total War (except for Napoleon) and this game is the only game in the series absolutely deteste. Despite loads of patches Rome II is still a buggy mess. The few good things about RTW do mostly exist in the previous games and the game offers nothing new except revisiting the period.

    The bad aspects of this game are plentiful:
    - The collision detection is awful, which makes the battles look rather like orgies.
    - All buildings requires so much food that you barely can build anything interesting.
    - The guard button has been taken away which forces you to baby-sit your units.
    - The city expands so much in the campaign map when you build that it covers a huge chunk of the region.
    - The character interfaces in the campaign looks cheap and horrendously ugly.
    - The game is just unpolished in it's wholesome and there are loads of glitches where ever you look.

    Do not even pick this game up at a big discount!    … Expand
  22. orangefalcon40
    Aug 1, 2014
    4
    I'm a big fan of the Total War series. The original Rome was great and that got me started, then Medieval 2 was a triumph. I loved Empire and Napoleon was OK but Shogun2 was not as good, killed my laptop (Core 2 Duo, 4Gb Ram, 1Gb NVidea graphics card supporting direct x 10) and Rome 2 is unplayable on it, I'm having to play it on my wife's desktop PC. What really annoys me, even more thanI'm a big fan of the Total War series. The original Rome was great and that got me started, then Medieval 2 was a triumph. I loved Empire and Napoleon was OK but Shogun2 was not as good, killed my laptop (Core 2 Duo, 4Gb Ram, 1Gb NVidea graphics card supporting direct x 10) and Rome 2 is unplayable on it, I'm having to play it on my wife's desktop PC. What really annoys me, even more than my inability to garrison my towns with units of my own choosing (GRRR) is the difficulty in changing the orientation of a unit. I had one battle where I was attacked in a fort and had barricades to erect but could I rotate them 90 degrees to block the side entrances? No. Then there's the crashes and the slow downs.....… Expand
  23. Eboles
    Aug 14, 2014
    4
    This game is a joke, after shogun 2 this game is big fail in several aspects. The game is really bad optimized, you can use a good pc but you will have low fps. The battles are ridicously short, two armies of 2000 each can finish the battle in like 5 minutes and the naval battles are a **** chaos.

    The unit cards are really ugly and confusing, the cities building system is a bit    This game is a joke, after shogun 2 this game is big fail in several aspects. The game is really bad optimized, you can use a good pc but you will have low fps. The battles are ridicously short, two armies of 2000 each can finish the battle in like 5 minutes and the naval battles are a **** chaos.

    The unit cards are really ugly and confusing, the cities building system is a bit confusing too, no more cinematics when a battle starts or when an agent try to do some action.

    The diplomacy is really broken too, IA factions dont know when they are losing a war and wont accept peace with you. The AI is really bad too, the AI factions camp all the time in their cities or will do kamikaze attacks....

    I would continue with this review telling you all the fails of this game, CA really should say thx to the modders community because they saved this stupid broken game. I got it for 13€ and im not sure this worth it...but for 54€? hell no , dont worth your money.    … Expand
  24. Lucelin
    Aug 22, 2014
    4
    So Rome 2, Worse than i had hoped for, pretty much sums it up. But I suppose i should add more. My first experience was an all night download update after the initial install, followed by another 6 hour download, followed by another one.

    Then i couldn't load the game because the steam "auto start" screen wouldn't open to the correct size. Once i finally got to play it, it was weird. I    So Rome 2, Worse than i had hoped for, pretty much sums it up. But I suppose i should add more. My first experience was an all night download update after the initial install, followed by another 6 hour download, followed by another one.

    Then i couldn't load the game because the steam "auto start" screen wouldn't open to the correct size. Once i finally got to play it, it was weird. I have played and own all the total war games, and i was confused. Took me a couple of solid days of play to get my head around the city building.

    The combat mechanics are nothing we haven't seen before. The AI is nothing we haven't seen before. The gazillion factions make turn ending take forever. The graphics use massive resources(again nothing new there) but load times are acceptable.

    Naval combat is just impossible to enjoy and I have just resorted to auto resolve. A real step backwards Creative Assembly.

    Attacking siege battles are also incredibly difficult as the auto build siege equipment just doesn't really do anything except let your troops get killed. Again I have resorted to auto resolve and again a step backwards Creative Assembly.

    What's with all the army formations that no one uses, just learn from your mistakes from Shogun 2, don't repeat them.

    Diplomacy again nothing we haven't seen before

    Did the developers at Creative Assembly have a stroke?

    Anyone notice the massive sore difference between the critic score and the user score. Clearly the critics enjoy getting payed and not playing computer games.

    Most people believe that you can't polish a turd, but Creative Assembly have sure done a mighty fine job of polishing this one.    … Expand
  25. Goby
    Jun 3, 2016
    4
    I got this game way after the ordeals experienced by many at release. I have to mention that when I compare the two versions (the initial release and Emperor Edition) side by side, the improvements are definitely noticeable. My problem, though, is the fact that after three years since release some very obvious mistakes are still in the game. Some of them can be fixed or improved with mods,I got this game way after the ordeals experienced by many at release. I have to mention that when I compare the two versions (the initial release and Emperor Edition) side by side, the improvements are definitely noticeable. My problem, though, is the fact that after three years since release some very obvious mistakes are still in the game. Some of them can be fixed or improved with mods, but in the end they are still gamebreaking.

    First off: The campaign victory conditions are utterly ridiculous and will take ages to achieve (100-200 hours to finish one campaign, depending on your resolve). Sooner rather than later you will find that the game has slowed down to a grind, whatever faction you play. The Steam global achievements for this game tell me that not a lot of people finish their campaigns on harder difficulties - and the reason is not because it's too difficult to handle. In previous games there were short and long campaign modes, but this one has neither - it has just one and it should be labelled "eternal mode". Therefore playing several campaigns to experience the different factions is pretty much out of the question.

    Autoresolving is overpowered. I understand that the developers want to limit the time spent on campaign battles by having us choose to skip some where the outcome is fairly certain. This system is TOO EASY to abuse. THE MORE MEN YOU USE TO OUTNUMBER AN ENEMY, THE LESS CASUALTIES YOU SUSTAIN. And that's another gamebreaker, because once your empire is large enough, it's easy to outnumber the enemy in battles, especially if you're using Radious mod to overcome the other problems with the game (thankfully, Radious can be implemented in parts and you don't have to install the campaign mod that does this). Two changes in the code would've fixed this easy: 1 - attacking walled settlements or villages with high defensive ratings should cause you more casualties; 2 - replenishing your armies in recently conquered territories should be drastically lowered. At the current state you can just blitzkrieg your way through enemy regions once you have a few armies to spare for an offensive. The only mechanic stopping you is local unrest, most of which decays the next turn. Autoresolving is why you probably won't finish the game. At one point the battles requiring your presence will be bygones and you are tempted to just autoresolve all the way through - not the Total War I know.

    Marketing. Unfortunately SEGA has gone down the route of several other corporations in the video game industry. Now you don't even get the complete game upon purchase. Guess what, most of the interesting factions you'll have to buy separately. I should mention that the factions are already in the game, but you'll have to dish out more $ just to be allowed to play them. In fact, the whole DLC collection costs more than the game itself, while adding very little content, or content that should be in the main game.

    Not enough unit variation. Uncle Radious will help you out here, just download his unit packs in the Workshop.

    Lack of settlement models. Considering the fact that the game is expecting millions of players to finish the campaigns, they should have added way more settlement types in the game. I've been playing barbarian factions and I've been through all of the barbarian territories - every single one of them chooses between four or five different models. FOUR OR FIVE models for more than 40 barbarian regions? Excuse me for **** but learning strategies by heart and replaying them in different scenarios at different locations is not how I've come to love TW.

    4TPY mod is a must. Without this your generals and agents are highly unlikely to become specialized in anything and will die of old age very fast - agents in particular are absolutely essential and in higher difficulties in vanilla they will stress you out very, very bad. They don't add a challenging aspect to the game, they are just a bigtime annoyance that have the power to stop entire armies turn after turn and wither away all your men. If you don't have skilled agents, good luck doing... anything!

    There are more bad features, but there are features to credit as well.

    Despite some bugs like javelinmen not throwing their spears when they should, battles are a lot of fun with the Blood & Gore installed. It's proper madness in every aspect. Ballistas projecting massive rocks through enemy ranks, knocking them back in either direction; Arrows and thrown spears pierce the enemy in a very visual way - lots of gore; the individual fights between men in combat are detailed and visual. When you got the time to observe how it all goes down on ground level, it's one of the better features in this game.

    Campaign map looks aesthetic, so do the interactions between characters. Although for some reason they often move Sonic-style fast and you can't slow that down. The new province system is great - much less micromanagement and way more comprehensive    … Expand
  26. simon665
    Feb 21, 2015
    4
    I very much looked forward to this game. I spent countless hours playing it. At one point, playing as Rome, I controlled all of Europe and most of North Africa. Just as I was getting ready to invade Greece, the number of rebellions in rear areas was simply out of control. In out of the places, like the northern Baltic, small settlements could rebel and create armies that were moreI very much looked forward to this game. I spent countless hours playing it. At one point, playing as Rome, I controlled all of Europe and most of North Africa. Just as I was getting ready to invade Greece, the number of rebellions in rear areas was simply out of control. In out of the places, like the northern Baltic, small settlements could rebel and create armies that were more powerful and larger than anything I could field. How elephants can magically show up here is beyond fantasy. Also, the covert actions were far more organized by my various enemies than could be believed. Within a few turns northern Italy, most of Spain and the Baltic states were lost to vast armies that magically appeared. It would have been nice to have been warned, but even if you were, these rear area revolts were simply too strong. A turn or two later Rome fell and I lost interest in this game. If I were to suggest an improvement to the game, I would allow the building or improvement of fortifications of settlements. This would have stopped the loss of far flung outposts because they were just too weak to defend against huge rebel armies. I will not go into the poor AI in the battles, many people have already done that. The Roman army was famous for building structures like forts and defenses, this is lacking in this game.… Expand
  27. Bribarian
    Mar 26, 2015
    4
    An extreme disappointment. I can't understand some of the "10" scores. I imagine they are either not Total War fans, or they simply played the game for less than an hour. Lots of bugs, poor AI, and just a huge mess. Graphics and maps would be a step up, if not for all the bugs.
  28. Mefisto_
    Jul 27, 2015
    4
    From the score you see above you may consider that this game is somewhere in the area of crap, and yet its true.

    If you install few mods from Steam, there will be enormous choice of fractions to play both in custom battles and campaign. One of the best features in Total War games is campaign, and examples of Empire and Shogun total war are confirming that. However, in this game    From the score you see above you may consider that this game is somewhere in the area of crap, and yet its true.

    If you install few mods from Steam, there will be enormous choice of fractions to play both in custom battles and campaign. One of the best features in Total War games is campaign, and examples of Empire and Shogun total war are confirming that.

    However, in this game there is nothing special holding you from carrying on long campaign play through, as politics and economics features as well as poor user interface(in my opinion) are stopping you from doing that.

    Now, as I have noticed from many user reviews, optimization is a great issue. Surprisingly, in contrast to all trailers and demos before the release of this game, graphics are not very good. Moreover, benchmark test for performance made me and my friends laugh as faces of Roman soldiers are looking like orcs or goblins from The Lord of the Rings.

    Talking about performance, my PC is running Battlefield 4 at 80 fps least on Ultra settings, while GTA 5 is flying at 75 fps average on Ultra settings as well. Yet, this piece of sh!t is still lagging on me, in fact, that forced me to write this review.

    So considering price tag at the release date and all the issues connected with this game, I think 4 - 6 is a fair score, not minding critics opinions, as most of us know, they are not the most reliable source to judge products.    … Expand
  29. focknee
    Feb 16, 2017
    4
    FAIL do not waste your time to play this, graphics AI and gameplay are all a FAIL.
    This game is not finished.
    First time CA has failed me Shame on you to release this FAIL.
  30. Berik
    Nov 4, 2018
    4
    The difference in scores between users and the critics probably give it away, but this game did not deliver on its promise. instead it insulted many Total War fans.

    Right from launch problems arose when the game wouldn't run, crash, be littered with bugs and glitches. And if you got passed that, you'd discover that game has nothing to offer but a broken experience. Features that had    The difference in scores between users and the critics probably give it away, but this game did not deliver on its promise. instead it insulted many Total War fans.

    Right from launch problems arose when the game wouldn't run, crash, be littered with bugs and glitches. And if you got passed that, you'd discover that game has nothing to offer but a broken experience. Features that had been present in Total War games like the family tree was gone, the AI was so broken that it was nearly impossible to lose.

    As for graphics, it looked good in pre-released footage, but not in the actual game. Even beasty PC's didn't get the beautiful graphics that were shown, and instead had to sit and watch The Creative Assembly sell The Greek States DLC for additional money. Insulting to say the least. And, the mutiplayer is broken, because it constantly desynches or crashes.

    So what's actually good about the game? Well, it does some interesting things with city building options, and gives some new naval combat that wasn't in the series on this level before. There are many factions, though probably too many to even function.

    This game single handedly made sure i will never pre-order a game again, let alone try a new Total War game. It is broken till this day, and it is a bad show all together. i give this game a 4/10.    … Expand
  31. dr-kenobi
    Sep 6, 2022
    4
    Absolutely disgusting release. They've fixed most of the bugs and **** later, but still, the taste of the crap on a release date is fresh as hell
  32. Goekhan
    Oct 23, 2013
    3
    In short, I call this game a failure in the series, simply because the changes over the previous titles, and the new additions are poorly implemented, and they are not fleshed out enough to make a difference. What I don't understand is, even though they had a bigger budget, and "experience" from the previous titles, accomplishments and mistakes, how have they come up with such a disaster.In short, I call this game a failure in the series, simply because the changes over the previous titles, and the new additions are poorly implemented, and they are not fleshed out enough to make a difference. What I don't understand is, even though they had a bigger budget, and "experience" from the previous titles, accomplishments and mistakes, how have they come up with such a disaster.

    Longer version, the battles play way more faster than any previous title in the series, and mostly it becomes a blob-fest where your orders doesn't matter. This is where you'll notice that nearly all units have an ability, maybe more than one, and this is another example to the bad implementation. You win battles by using to these abilities, rather than a careful planning and execution of the strategy. Which is a shame, as I think many people play this game for its epic battles. Not to mention that the AI is still troubled, and most of the time do stupid stuff.

    Among the new features, now you pick a stance for an army. Why? It felt natural before; if you have slow moving units, your army movement was bound to those units. To move fast, you had to use cavalry-only forces to hit and run, or catch an enemy. To ambush, you had to set up "camp" in forests, and alike. It felt natural, you didn't have to click on anything to "toggle" those stuff. Also, the way the recruitment is done in this game is just retarded. Why change the old ways? Recruit from any city/town, group them up, send them to the general. While it seems logical in Rome; that your general has to stand still, it is not. Game tries to "emulate" the process for you, but it makes so in a stupid way. Shogun II's system was better, recruit at general, and recruits move to general, also can get intercepted. Recruit in towns, group them up and send them to general yourself. Etc...

    Naval combat... I don't like it. The best naval combat was naturally in Empire Napoleon. There, you can execute some strategy. Any other game, where cannons are not involved, it generally ends up in an orgy on some ship, and all other ships around it. Still, combining naval combat with land combat, that's a very good step. However, that thing is bugged aswell, I am unaware if it is fixed but, there are just a few landing points, and when all of them are occupied, all your ships can just watch the rest of the battle.

    City management also suffers. You cannot get a clear picture of what is what that easily, and this IS a big problem. UI has always been one of the weakest points in Total War games in my opinion. Instead of expanding on and improving what they had, they just skimmed the UI heavily, and buried the essentials even deeper. Introduction of bread, and changes to growth, while sounds sensible, takes away a part of the game; town/city development. In Shogun II, if you captured a well developed city that belonged to your enemy, you'd be keeping it intact, because any sacking/razing done would affect the accumulated growth aswell. Now, there is no point, a city is always the same, razing or sacking doesn't change a thing.

    Among other new things, the political system is rudimentary, non-essential at best. It involves a few buttons that are totally unnecessary, and takes up hard-disk space in short. Also, (for Rome and Carthage at least), political system sort-of gets disabled after the major rebellions. As I've said, poorly implemented and not fleshed out fully.

    The performance of the game is on the floor. While I can play Shogun II on extreme, and even Rome II offered me Extreme, it turns out, I can only play it at low-medium. Just unbelievable.

    I can go on. But among this many negative reviews, I think you get the point already.    … Expand
  33. TJarnold92
    Sep 11, 2013
    3
    The game is basically unplayable. I have a Nvidia GTX 760 and 8 GB of RAM, and can run A.R.M.A. III and Metro: LL on MAX settings and get 50 FPS, yet this game on the LOWEST SETTINGS pushes 20 FPS at the most.

    I have no idea what systems the professional reviewers have, the game runs horribly and almost everybody else has this issue. It's just unoptimized.
  34. libno
    Feb 17, 2014
    3
    Well I, like many, formerly gave this one a good review at first. But after 90+ hours of gameplay, I cannot stand this game anymore. Initially, even before patches, I enjoyed the game. Any quarrels I had could be easily remedied with the Radious mod. But after putting one and half campaigns' worth of time into it, its lack of depth has truly killed it for me. I'm not going to rip on unitWell I, like many, formerly gave this one a good review at first. But after 90+ hours of gameplay, I cannot stand this game anymore. Initially, even before patches, I enjoyed the game. Any quarrels I had could be easily remedied with the Radious mod. But after putting one and half campaigns' worth of time into it, its lack of depth has truly killed it for me. I'm not going to rip on unit cards or the UI. I actually think those are fine. What I will say is that this Total War requires far less brain function than previous installments, as if it was streamlined and dumbed down to appeal to a wider audience. Gone is the family tree, which sadly rid the game of both its personal touch and its risk. My general fell in battle? That's okay, there are three more just as good waiting to be instated. It's not like we have to worry about faction leaders or heirs anyways. Control over resources is now an afterthought. There are no trade posts to acquire monopolies as in Empire and they don't aid in construction as in Shogun 2. They're just trade goods, on the off chance that the AI will actually accept trade with you. There was a great chance for trade posts in the form of the Silk Road, but I guess CA had other interests in mind. Instant transports mean that you no longer have to wait years, amassing forces and planning an over seas invasion. You just swim over now, which really takes away one of Total War's rewarding and accomplishing feelings (or brutal and dismal defeat). This also makes no sense, but I suppose we had to suspend disbelief when we accepted "Imperium" as a model for how many troops we could raise, instead of just simply being able to afford them population and money-wise like in previous installments. Not only is "Imperium" probably the dumbest thing that has happened in the series' history, but it also makes the game the most annoying thing to manage in the late game. This isn't strategic depth, this is CA saying "we're gonna dumb down the game and then give you the finger while we're at it." Because of this I can no longer maintain public order as I please and can hardly protect my border settlements. In addition, "Imperium" has allowed the AI, down to its last city, to simply spam stacks around a poor village, preventing my one or two stacks, that should have been sufficient, from actually wiping them off the map.

    3/10 for better graphics and not completely tearing down the franchise's gameplay.    … Expand
  35. Carnifex
    Sep 6, 2013
    3
    As the old saying goes; Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. I'm not sure what might e said about the fourth or fifth time.

    Total War: Rome 2 was probably the biggest "Not again" moment I've had in recent years. While the series was hit and miss in general depending on what time period was offered and how that changed overall gameplay Total War: Rome was generally    As the old saying goes; Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. I'm not sure what might e said about the fourth or fifth time.

    Total War: Rome 2 was probably the biggest "Not again" moment I've had in recent years. While the series was hit and miss in general depending on what time period was offered and how that changed overall gameplay Total War: Rome was generally considered one of the best in the series.

    Total War: Rome 2 had a lot to live up to and unfortunately it didn't. The fact that Creative Assembly hasn't exactly reinvented the wheel as far as combat mechanics and tactics over the last what, ten years(?), should make for a very rich and refined experience now. The problem is the same UI issues, A.I. issues, overall poor performance that plagued previous installments are back. This time around there are so many bugs and issues that the game is almost laughably broken.

    The whole "wait for the patch" mentality has worn thin for me, especially on a big budget game that clearly was shoved out to meet a release window. This was an utter disappointment to a series I was once a big fan of. 3/10    … Expand
  36. thequailboy
    Sep 10, 2013
    3
    To put it simply. Whatever you do, no matter how you feel about past Total War games. Do. Not. Buy. This. Product. Not only is it totally unfinished. It is not a fun game to play. The AI is ridiculous. The game design is deeply flawed with contradictions and annoyances. I have played for 25 hours. 5 of those hours have been waiting for the CPU to take its move. I run this game on a £4000To put it simply. Whatever you do, no matter how you feel about past Total War games. Do. Not. Buy. This. Product. Not only is it totally unfinished. It is not a fun game to play. The AI is ridiculous. The game design is deeply flawed with contradictions and annoyances. I have played for 25 hours. 5 of those hours have been waiting for the CPU to take its move. I run this game on a £4000 system. GTX680, i7 3.33ghtz, 16gb Ram and it is too slow, choppy and laggy (offline) to bare to play any longer. It is torture. I am so, so disappointed to have waited so long for such a terrible excuse for a game. May CA and Sega learn a harsh, harsh lesson. RIP PC gaming.… Expand
  37. Thunder5555
    Mar 13, 2016
    3
    I should've been getting the hint when people told me that I need mods to enjoy this game...
    Even total war games can fail at the times, and this one is it.
    Something is just off with this one and just trying to ignore it and keep playing is not worth it when there's good total wars available.
    Empire, Rome, Shogun.. take your pick and I can tell you get a better experience than with this one.
  38. Yddraiggoch
    Sep 7, 2013
    3
    Poorly optimized GFX and AI
    UI reminiscent of a console game feels really dumbed down.
    Too many factions takes too long to process AI's turn.

    It's against my princples, but really wished I'd pirated this rather than pre-ordered....
  39. ObjectivePlayer
    Sep 24, 2013
    3
    It is really hard to be objective with this release considering I have played since the first medieval came out, and I have many many hours in Rome 1. With that said, this is the most disappointing game I have ever purchased in my gaming history. Not just because it didn't live up to the hype, it was simply bad. And there are many features that have been taken away from the other gamesIt is really hard to be objective with this release considering I have played since the first medieval came out, and I have many many hours in Rome 1. With that said, this is the most disappointing game I have ever purchased in my gaming history. Not just because it didn't live up to the hype, it was simply bad. And there are many features that have been taken away from the other games which were good, and instead have been replaced by gimmicky crap. Balancing in this game is the worst I have ever seen in a total war game as far as units go. Bugs, horrendous graphics on high end computers. Passive AI and dull battles. I could go on... but at this point it is useless. Just look at the score I have given and that should be enough to go on from here.… Expand
  40. Quforic
    Sep 25, 2013
    3
    Constantly crashes, ugly graphical tears and poor shadows on both the campaign and battle views, All the units look nearly the same, have pretty much identical stats, and have similar unit icons.

    After 3 patches from Creative Assembly its still broken, still buggy, and still and huge pile of dog **** Thanks for shows us alpha shots that looks 10x better than the finished product,    Constantly crashes, ugly graphical tears and poor shadows on both the campaign and battle views, All the units look nearly the same, have pretty much identical stats, and have similar unit icons.

    After 3 patches from Creative Assembly its still broken, still buggy, and still and huge pile of dog ****

    Thanks for shows us alpha shots that looks 10x better than the finished product, and thanks for lying through your teeth all through development.    … Expand
  41. MightyMeegosh
    Sep 2, 2014
    3
    Total War: Rome 2 was released a year ago tomorrow, and it is still broken.

    I'm a huge Total War fan. I've played every Total War game to date. Most I have logged hundreds of hours into with no regrets, until today. I was nearly half way through a promising new Macedonian grand campaign, when my controlled Athens fell under siege. It was a big surprise attack with massive game    Total War: Rome 2 was released a year ago tomorrow, and it is still broken.

    I'm a huge Total War fan. I've played every Total War game to date. Most I have logged hundreds of hours into with no regrets, until today.

    I was nearly half way through a promising new Macedonian grand campaign, when my controlled Athens fell under siege. It was a big surprise attack with massive game changing consequences on the line. The enemy brought several full army’s for a beach landing invasion of my Greek city. I had a full garrison complement and a veteran army to defend the city. It was sure to be a bloody, glorious day, win or lose. About 10 minutes into the battle the game started to stutter. A known problem since the games launch. It wasn't as bad as I had seen in before so I tried to play through it. The games stuttering increased the more I played. Like struggling in quicksand, it only got worse. Since the stuttering was also slowing down in game time, I had been playing this single battle for well over an hour. And it wasn't enjoyable one bit. My only option left was to quit the game. Which I did. But after seeing this game breaking bug/flaw one to many times. I decided to uninstall the game for good.

    This is just the straw that broke the camels back. There were countless glitches and flaws in this game that made it a broken and/or bad game. I know that such glitches have plagued the Total War series since its inception, but they never ruined the experience quite like this before.

    Total War: Rome 2 is a truly shameful display.    … Expand
  42. StrategosLC
    May 8, 2017
    3
    -Terrible optimization
    -Terrible graphics in comparison to Shogun 2
    -Clunkier user controls than ever before -Awful AI -More bugs than in any other TW game -Terrible unit cards -UI is confusing and downright ugly -Feels very unpolished I HIGHLY recommend Shogun2 over this. Edit: These issues have mostly all been fixed by now, but I'm leaving the score the same because it took    -Terrible optimization
    -Terrible graphics in comparison to Shogun 2
    -Clunkier user controls than ever before
    -Awful AI
    -More bugs than in any other TW game
    -Terrible unit cards
    -UI is confusing and downright ugly
    -Feels very unpolished

    I HIGHLY recommend Shogun2 over this.

    Edit: These issues have mostly all been fixed by now, but I'm leaving the score the same because it took a year post launch for this game to actually become playable.    … Expand
  43. Klarum
    Sep 11, 2013
    3
    As usual the Critic reviews were bought, and as any other TW release it is a pile of code crap. The AI is even worse than previous games! Just wait a year for the modders to fix the game and buy it on discount from Steam. Unfortunately that is the standard procedure for any TW games. God bless the modders.
  44. PittLord
    Feb 18, 2014
    3
    After playing this game and trying desperately to like it, I find myself with only one thought --- what the hell happened? How did a company that's put out a whole string of games that upped the bar for the Strategy genre time and time again, with each incarnation finding a way to improve over the last, put out something this appallingly bad. Appalling. I have never used that before toAfter playing this game and trying desperately to like it, I find myself with only one thought --- what the hell happened? How did a company that's put out a whole string of games that upped the bar for the Strategy genre time and time again, with each incarnation finding a way to improve over the last, put out something this appallingly bad. Appalling. I have never used that before to describe the shape of a video game because I have never encountered a game that was so profoundly inept and utterly disappointing. Let alone a game named as a sequel to one of the most well received strategy games of all time.

    Don't get me wrong, there are games that are worse than this, much , much worse, but none so utterly in-congruent with its name sake. If I didn't no better I would think that this game was an outsourced abomination and not a product of the same developer who crafted all other games bearing the Total War banner.

    The AI is awful, the difficulty erratic and unfair, the graphics somehow don't seem as good as the last couple iterations. Why this is, I do not know, it may be that they are technically better, but optimized so poorly that even the most advanced of systems will inexplicably encounter performance issues. The loading times are....well let's just say I hope you have a nice chair to doze off in. I'm just at a loss to explain why so many things just don't work, are bug ridden, and/or only work sometimes.

    The worst of it all is how they have decided to make the game more difficult. You may remember the concept of spies/assassin's/saboteurs/etc from previous incarnations, where there seemed like there was some kind of formula allowing a result based on factors that felt at least some way fair. Well that is no more. Your "agents", as they are called in Rome II, are a collection of the dumbest individuals of all time who have about as good of chance of succeeding on a mission as a bull has to going through a china shop without causing damage. The CPU however, has the opposite problem. They can send ONE, ONE agent who can singlehandedly cripple your city in such a way that it is utterly decimated for 20-30 years...yes I said years. And this one agent can roll up to your largest, most experienced army, lead by your best general and kill him literally 19 out of 25 times. Your chances with identical circumstance --- 4 our of 25.. Those are the numbers I got. I know its not an scientific result and I don't have any proof to post it, but when I had an experienced general with a full army assaulted by a singular agent, then reloaded it to see how it would play out again. I did the same thing when I faced a fully stacked enemy army with a leader of comparable level and an agent with the same novice level abilities that the CPU agent had. I give it a 3 because sometimes it is genuinely fun, but honestly its not fun enough to elevate it above the level of "fun" that comes along when you are super drunk and you throw up after which you feel a little better.

    Thats' all I've got to say. Caveat Emptor my friends, caveat emptor.    … Expand
  45. Rufsian
    Sep 12, 2013
    3
    If you a Total War fan or love video games, this review is for you:

    This game was advertised with videos of supreme graphics and developers themselves from Creative Assembly talking about how Rome 2 is the biggest Total War they've ever made with 40% more budget than any other project they've done in the past. This is how they turned this AWESOME saga in a complete with NO A.I.    If you a Total War fan or love video games, this review is for you:

    This game was advertised with videos of supreme graphics and developers themselves from Creative Assembly talking about how Rome 2 is the biggest Total War they've ever made with 40% more budget than any other project they've done in the past.

    This is how they turned this AWESOME saga in a complete with NO A.I. WHATSOEVER (even when they fix it, the A.I. will use ATTACK RECKLESSLY TO THE FLAG-strategy.

    SEGA and Creative Assembly DECEIVED with lies but not WORDED LIES, VIDEO/IMAGES LIES HIDDEN AS DECEITFUL FEATURES.

    In Rome 2:

    - Sieges nowhere close the size of anything we saw in videos/panorama pictures

    - The A.I. which had more budget than ever for Rome 2, WAS NO DEVELOPED AT ALL. Just given simple path finding instructions to CAPTURE FLAGS which are bugged right now but even when fixed, it will be the worst A.I. in a TW to date.

    - They completely removed the Family Tree/Leader Figures. You get an infinite pool of worthless generals.

    - There is NO POLITICAL SYSTEM WHATSOEVER and it was advertised as a big feature along with a storyline driven campaign map.

    - Graphically wise, the colors of the armor in the soldiers are washed out, less quality and detail in the armor of soldiers gtx 770 lighting, all max, min fps 25 while on big battles even in high end rig.

    - The diplomacy is completely useless and confusing. There is no diplomacy whatsoever, just "attack here" for your allies. If you want to directly talk to a faction you have to transition into a small list that can only show 5 factions at a time and there are 110 in the game.

    - The detailed straightforward User Interface from Shogun 2 was completely ditched and redone a Java-type-game UI that demands annoying micromanaging for doing simple tasks.

    IF you want a real honest 40 minutes long review of Rome 2 total war done by a real fan of the series for more than 10 years, go search Angryjoe in youtube.

    Avoid this game like them peoples did in middle earth with black pest. Focus your hate on SEGA for pushing CA to meet the deadline so they could show over inflated annual reports.

    I can't believe it but SEGA has turned to be more greedy and worse in every other aspect than EA.

    SHAMEFUL DISPLAY     … Expand
  46. Puji
    Sep 3, 2013
    3
    The single player is reasonably good. I wouldn't say it's much of an improvement to its predecessor, Shogun 2, but nevertheless it's fun to play.

    However the multiplayer experience has been entirely ruined in this latest offering from Creative Assembly. They removed the Avatars, the veteran units and vet progression, the leaderboards, the clan battles, and much else. They made the    The single player is reasonably good. I wouldn't say it's much of an improvement to its predecessor, Shogun 2, but nevertheless it's fun to play.

    However the multiplayer experience has been entirely ruined in this latest offering from Creative Assembly. They removed the Avatars, the veteran units and vet progression, the leaderboards, the clan battles, and much else. They made the entire game experience harder. For example in Shogun2 when choosing your units, you would automatically see the statistics of each unit when you click on it. In Rome2 you have to right click on each one and bring up a slow-to-load properties window that gives you the stats on each unit, which makes the experience of picking an army tiresome and slow. And to add to that, it's almost impossible to distinguish units apart as the icons for them are the same, and the flags they carry on the field do not distinguish unit type, only weapon type.

    Why did they take something beautiful and ruin it?    … Expand
  47. 21-5-73
    Sep 5, 2013
    3
    I've seen games ridden with bugs you people wouldn't believe... Bikers vanishing under ghost roads in RIDE TO HELL RETRIBUTION, I watched brainless companions leave me die without batting an eyelide in STAR TREK: THE VIDEOGAME. All those moments will be lost compared to enemy spearmen refusing to attack me while I march on them at 10FPS in Rome 2, like tears in rain...
  48. DrMutomofobo
    Sep 26, 2013
    3
    Several weeks after launch now and the game is still broken and unfinished. Many people can't play it because it keeps crashing and most of the people who can play it is unable to enjoy it due to it's many bugs and flawed gameplay. AI is still retarded battles aren't properly optimized and many of the features one has come to expect from a Total War title are either stripped awaySeveral weeks after launch now and the game is still broken and unfinished. Many people can't play it because it keeps crashing and most of the people who can play it is unable to enjoy it due to it's many bugs and flawed gameplay. AI is still retarded battles aren't properly optimized and many of the features one has come to expect from a Total War title are either stripped away completely or not functioning as they should.

    The mechanics that are in place makes for great promise if they continue to build on them but I don't grade products based on what they *can* be a year from now I grade them based on what the game's current state is at.

    And right now I wouldn't advice anyone to buy it unless they're willing to be paying beta-testers. In it's current state I'll give this game a 3/10 and say to all prospect buyers wait for six months and spend your money elsewhere.

    This isn't Total War in it's current state it's Total Waste. And anyone who preordered it or bought it at launch should be compensated if CA has any form of integrity left. Hyping a product into high heavens only to release it in an unfinished and broken state constitutes fraud where I'm from.    … Expand
  49. Tubey
    Sep 13, 2013
    3
    This review score isn't based on the bugs (of which there are a lot, but they'll be patched out of existence soon enough). It's not based on day one issues of crashing, not being able to play etc. It's not even based on the ridiculous balancing issues (this is a world where an elephant could destroy the entire Roman legion on its own if it were so inclined) or the terrible AI andThis review score isn't based on the bugs (of which there are a lot, but they'll be patched out of existence soon enough). It's not based on day one issues of crashing, not being able to play etc. It's not even based on the ridiculous balancing issues (this is a world where an elephant could destroy the entire Roman legion on its own if it were so inclined) or the terrible AI and ridiculous overall simplicity of the game (currently, you have to actually try to lose a game, it's the easiest strategy game I've ever played in my life!). I recognise all of those things as issues, but they're not deal breakers for me. They can and will be fixed.

    No, the score is so low because of one completely unforgivable and unfixable problem in particular; the capture the flag mechanic is mind-numbingly stupid and a central facet of this game.

    It's beyond bad. OK, so armies charging through impossible odds to take the shortest route to the flag etc. "may" be fixed, but the mechanic will remain and thus the game will forever suck. It had no place in this game and it's difficult to comprehend exactly why the devs thought this was a good idea. It would have taken one proper strategy game enthusiast an hours testing at best before telling them it sucked, so the question has to be asked: did they test this game on any scale at all before releasing?!

    And it's such a shame, because there's a classic game waiting to burst out from under the surface here, but there's just too many stupid and/or lazy decisions by the devs which weigh it down to the point where there's little to no hope for it.    … Expand
  50. JackPaladin
    Sep 10, 2013
    3
    Yet another corporate pickpocketing. Released with horrible AI; bugs galore; and features tore out of the game that leave a confusing empty hole. Not to mention DAY ONE DLC that should have been in the game at release for SURE.

    It's yet another outrageous game release. And for those that pre-bought this game, your 51% to blame. Watch the Angry Joe video review to see in detail how    Yet another corporate pickpocketing. Released with horrible AI; bugs galore; and features tore out of the game that leave a confusing empty hole. Not to mention DAY ONE DLC that should have been in the game at release for SURE.

    It's yet another outrageous game release. And for those that pre-bought this game, your 51% to blame.

    Watch the Angry Joe video review to see in detail how bad this release is.    … Expand
  51. Panopticon
    Oct 1, 2013
    3
    Got burned again. Told myself I'd never buy another Total War after Empire. Well, fool me once, shame on you, CA. Fool me twice, shame on me. I should have known better.

    In short, a terribly broken game missing many features that I just KNOW are going to cost me £10 each to implement. Sega need their pound of flesh.
  52. oliver1h
    Sep 7, 2013
    3
    I expected a lot from the famous "Total War: Rome" title, but unfortunately my expectations were not met (by a good roman mile...)! The AI is average at best. This has a negative effect on everything. They way they move, fight, form alliances, negotiate with your fraction (For example if you have a lot of money, they will demand some from you for everything. Do you want to trade? PAY! DoI expected a lot from the famous "Total War: Rome" title, but unfortunately my expectations were not met (by a good roman mile...)! The AI is average at best. This has a negative effect on everything. They way they move, fight, form alliances, negotiate with your fraction (For example if you have a lot of money, they will demand some from you for everything. Do you want to trade? PAY! Do you want an alliance? SHARE YOUR MONEY!). The strategy part of the game is rather simple too. There are a few types of building, and research. The most "difficult" things is to keep in mind the balance of 'public order', 'food' etc. Other than that you need to build armies and conquer land. "Paradox Game" titles, which are made by 1/100 of the budget used on "Rome 2" can do much better strategy game. I was expecting more. Not recommended!… Expand
  53. Latrec
    Sep 4, 2013
    3
    After my senses came down from the inital hype of this game, I came to write this off as Terrible. This is why:
    -Terrible UI: Both within the campaign map and battle screens, the UI is simply too complex to easily understand and remember. I handled RTW1's UI within seconds of playing it. No such luck in RTW2; buttons are randomly placed, look alike, and are hidden out of the way. I'm    After my senses came down from the inital hype of this game, I came to write this off as Terrible. This is why:
    -Terrible UI: Both within the campaign map and battle screens, the UI is simply too complex to easily understand and remember. I handled RTW1's UI within seconds of playing it. No such luck in RTW2; buttons are randomly placed, look alike, and are hidden out of the way. I'm spending too much time wondering what a button does again, rather than actually you know playing.
    -Stupid Character/abilities:
    a) WTF is cunning? Authority? What does it affect specifically? I cannot seem to find this information anywhere, EVEN IN THE ENCYCLOPYDEA! WTF?
    b) The Rally troops ability used to be a button to keep wavering units from routing... Now it just buffs a single unit instead... And the second wind button? wtf? RTW1 was an attempt at being historical while keeping the game balanced and fun.. RTW2 is the exact opposite. Fail.
    c) The lack of a family tree is a bit of a letdown, but there are other features that have been implemented to continue to make things somewhat interesting.

    Enemy AI: On the campaign map the enemy is simply TOO defensinve (and even incompetent at that, sometimes). I've sent small armies as map scouts before, only to spot an army three times the size within reach of me, BUT because I wasn't yet near the city, that army never attacked my scouting party. It just sat there, waiting. I've also marched towards a city (while suffering from a plague/-20% morale) only to have the army garrisoning it run away, wait until I conquer the city, then return to reclaim their city. Their reconquista fails and they get destroyed but they could've potentially defended their town had they simply stayed put in it.

    Protraits: They are ugly. Confusing. GTFO.

    Lag: I can run Shogun 2 on ultra. I can run Skyrim with 4k texture mods, ultra settings, ENB presets, extended LODS, and a ton of other graphic mods, just fine. Hell... My computer will start to overheat before I really see a hit to my FPS. But this game... It lagged with 500 units total on the battlefield. It lagged again on a lower setting with a less detailed map. And it lagged again on High setting with a similar map. Clearly EA needs to fix this aspect of the game.

    On the plus side the map is more detailed than before. No more barbarian cities; all cities are owned by a faction. I believe the dev team may have also fixed the glitch/ability to make 500,000gpt conquering only mediterranean coastal cities, but I'm as of today unsure, as I've only played the Suebi so far.

    And last but not least, a word to EA: I truly understand the marketing/financing impact of DLCs, but developping a DLC alongside the game itself is just wrong. It's like buying a house and realising you need to spend another $xxx on the garage attached to it. Wtf?    … Expand
  54. Broadnick
    Sep 14, 2013
    3
    Big deception all over this game. Too long between tours (take your coffee), very poor AI, bad research system, battles are too easy, Navy battles are ridiculous. City and Army Management is dull.

    General Map is nice.

    I return to the original Rome Total War
  55. Blacklyche
    Sep 6, 2013
    3
    What a disappointment! From the initial laggy play and jerky graphics, through to just out and out bugs and missing features this game feels like a cut-down unfinished update to previous total war titles.
    The problem with trying to review a game that plays/feels like this is that it's very difficult to give it a fair rating. Sure.. there is potential here, when everything is ironed out I    What a disappointment! From the initial laggy play and jerky graphics, through to just out and out bugs and missing features this game feels like a cut-down unfinished update to previous total war titles.
    The problem with trying to review a game that plays/feels like this is that it's very difficult to give it a fair rating. Sure.. there is potential here, when everything is ironed out I may be giving this game a 7 or even an 8. Somehow I don't think the city management will change for the better nor will the annoying absence of the family tree.
    At the moment its difficult to see past the performance issues. The bugs include help windows that don't render.. units getting stuck or refusing to move, an accelerated time mode that just seems to turn the sound off and didn't actually accelerate anything.. the list goes on..

    Okay, so CA have reacted by announcing patches/updates to follow. Not good enough I'm afraid. The growing tendency to release unfinished games has finally hit the Total War franchise.

    Buggy, Laggy, Unfinished.

    Worth buying maybe in 4 months time. I wish I'd waited.    … Expand
  56. Victory
    Sep 10, 2013
    3
    It's fun but right now it's easily the worst total war game in the series. Absolutely horrendous optimisation, horrendous ai problems, horrendous ship combat.

    Conquering people and running an empire is always fun, and I have played 20 hours so far conquering people. Very rarely does a challenge actually occur and the bugs are ridiculous. It crashed because I merged armies. It    It's fun but right now it's easily the worst total war game in the series. Absolutely horrendous optimisation, horrendous ai problems, horrendous ship combat.

    Conquering people and running an empire is always fun, and I have played 20 hours so far conquering people. Very rarely does a challenge actually occur and the bugs are ridiculous.

    It crashed because I merged armies.
    It crashed because I tried to assassinate a general and attack with my stack at the same time.
    It crashed because blah blah blah.. the list goes on.

    The textures are pig ugly, on all settings with all tweeking. The frames per second is terribly optimised too.

    The game lacks atmosphere and doesn't really suck you in like shogun 2. all the cut scenes are pretty much cut, the music is just generic windy washy sounds with a few shouts thrown in. I already miss the victory song from Fall of the samurai and when you win in this you just get a shout.. oh great yeah.. give me some war drums or anything? Just lacks atmosphere.

    I wish I hadn't bothered, the sad thing is I expected this from the developers but I anticipated it would actually be an improvement over shogun 2 which is excellent..    … Expand
  57. True_Insanity13
    Nov 5, 2013
    3
    Very sad, but Total War: Rome II failed. I expected a lot of from this game, but a see only one thing- failure. The game has very good graphics, but very bad optimisation. Bad AI, that make game quite boring. In my opinion- pure waste of money
  58. Staki9
    Sep 10, 2013
    3
    When I bought this game, I desperately wanted to love it. Unfortunately, I couldn't bear to lie to myself and give this a 10 like so many other people are. Consumers don't like to think they were wrong, so why should they be? I might have a few reasons:

    The first problem with this game is the horrible optimization. I can run it OK at best, but I have a couple of friends with    When I bought this game, I desperately wanted to love it. Unfortunately, I couldn't bear to lie to myself and give this a 10 like so many other people are. Consumers don't like to think they were wrong, so why should they be? I might have a few reasons:

    The first problem with this game is the horrible optimization. I can run it OK at best, but I have a couple of friends with computers much better than my 2-year-old tin can that can't even get 20 frames on the lowest setting. This has been an issue in essentially every Total War game to date, and I can't fathom why Creative Assembly would release their game before fixing these issues (in the past, it took them months to fix optimization a repeat of this wasn't a good idea).

    Another issue is the AI in the game itself. The game obviously focuses around single-player (or co-op) and in that endeavor the AI is a complete joke. In battles, enemy units have no idea what they're doing and at times will just run back and forth in one spot, and sometimes even charge you only to retreat instantly. Defending a settlement against this atrocious AI isn't even fun. Even outside battles in the campaign map you'll end up seeing enemy armies abandoning their settlements at the worst possible times, leaving you an opening to simply walk in. Armies of 5 will recklessly charge into your army of twenty with a complete disregard for any logical solution (besides suicide, apparently).

    The campaign itself is amazingly large, which I absolutely love. The issue with this is you'll typically be looking at 2-4 minutes of processing AI turns in the campaign map. If you manage to take two minutes on your turn, you're still looking at AT LEAST an equal return of that time doing nothing and waiting for the (horrible) AI to take their turns. Essentially, you're looking at 20-30 minutes of campaign gameplay per hour of actual gameplay. That's an absurd amount of time to be doing nothing. Of course, those gameplay times are disregarding the game's other problems, which brings me to...

    Misc. issues. One big one that I (as well as others from what I've come to understand) is campaign battles (specifically co-op) that you choose to auto-resolve might not even register, and the game will freeze up at that point and render a campaign unplayable from that point forward. Random bugs like this coupled with the constant de-sync battle crashes and even game crashes entirely make this an extremely difficult game to actually play.

    The content is great, but endless technical issues make this game unplayable; even if you do manage to play uninterrupted, the horrible AI and buggy unit control render this game a laughable full-price release.    … Expand
  59. Waclaw
    Sep 9, 2013
    3
    I don't really know where to start this... I'm about 20 hours into the game and I have to say that this game is decent, but is far from being a decent product.

    1) Poor optimization this will get fixed eventually, but it's strange that the game has set ittself to ultra on my machine which I upgraded for some upcoming releases and THEN I have to revert that manually to very high and    I don't really know where to start this... I'm about 20 hours into the game and I have to say that this game is decent, but is far from being a decent product.

    1) Poor optimization this will get fixed eventually, but it's strange that the game has set ittself to ultra on my machine which I upgraded for some upcoming releases and THEN I have to revert that manually to very high and still get the ocasional lags when fire efects come in. I try to ignore the fact that the game looks ugly atm...

    2) Naval battles are broken they just are. Remember all those fancy videos from the devs where 2 fleets clashed: raming, boarding and whatever else was there? Well, it's all on youtube but not in the game.

    3) UI very confusing and after my 20 sth hours of playing I still have problems with getting used to it. It actually looks like a port of a tablet made game too little and with a very unfriendly look.

    4) AI as much as it pains me to say this... the battle AI completely sucks. If the auto calculator tells you you will loose and be left with 20-30% of troops, it means that you can win with 75% of your mob alive. I mean, I do understand that training and morale play a huge role even in modern battlefields but beating 4 full armies (20 units each) of bronze/silver experience with one army of gold lvl units is absurd. Unless they fix this, it's a zerg game deploy as close to the enemy and start slaughtering them.

    5)Victory points an idea that is correct for multiplayer battles and forces the side that can be passive to actually move. But in singleplayer, their placement in many battles (especially sieges) is a misunderstanding and leads to the AI trying to rush them no matter the cost, and if they're defending they seem to ignore them until you start taking over...

    I could go on about little stuff like crappy looking unit cards (which still tend to confuse me at times...), quest glitches the fact that most "hero" characters that are now essential to having an army are ALWAYS 40 years old when you take them and few manage to live to see 65 which means that getting a commander to a decent lvl will usually result in a frustrating cinematic of his death "from natural causes".

    I'm disapointed, and recomend all fans who still haven't gotten it to stay away untill all major issues are patched. Newcomers can add a point to my score, but should stay away as well. Just wait for a Christmas when it's sold 30% cheaper.    … Expand
  60. Quatra
    Sep 4, 2013
    3
    This game is such a step back from every Total War predecessor... Every last one. The AI is the dumbest I have ever combated, the map is limited and linear. Unit cards can take up half of your screen with 20 units, and there is no option to adjust size or remove them.
    Units all look the same, and are difficult to distinguish, even with the 3x larger unit cards. The building and general    This game is such a step back from every Total War predecessor... Every last one. The AI is the dumbest I have ever combated, the map is limited and linear. Unit cards can take up half of your screen with 20 units, and there is no option to adjust size or remove them.
    Units all look the same, and are difficult to distinguish, even with the 3x larger unit cards. The building and general tabs are hidden, confusing, and not even easy to see. Technology is set to two linear paths. You can choose military or civillian and its just one path from there essentially.
    Definately not worth the 3 year wait since Shogun 2, and even less added than shogun did.    … Expand
  61. narkoburger
    Oct 3, 2013
    3
    Yaaaaawn.
    I really tried my best to enjoy the game but i can't.
    Together with Sim City this is one of the worst games I've played the last couple of years.

    And I find it insulting that they even dare to charge more money for DLC, at least EA gave us something free to compensate for a poor game
  62. spinkick
    Sep 24, 2013
    3
    Every single CA game is broken upon release. There is absolutely no reason to release a game like this; its not your first rodeo. People will not put up with this forever.
  63. ibnarabi
    Sep 14, 2013
    3
    The best thing I can say about this game... it's made figuring out which websites are corporate whores really easy. So thanks for that :)

    I'm wondering why they made troop transports into free battleships that spawn on entering the water, and put a capture the flag mode into some battles... it doesn't really matter, the AI is very bad in both land and naval combat, the Campaign    The best thing I can say about this game... it's made figuring out which websites are corporate whores really easy. So thanks for that :)

    I'm wondering why they made troop transports into free battleships that spawn on entering the water, and put a capture the flag mode into some battles... it doesn't really matter, the AI is very bad in both land and naval combat, the Campaign interface is poorly done, the AI trivial, diplomacy is so simple it's nearly pointless, the engine is unoptimized...
    It may turn into a 7 someday, but I think 3 is fair now. Go get the Radious_Total_War_Mod.pack if you want a quick fix. That at least makes it somewhat playable.

    Sega obviously rushed this out the door, and the cowards at CA didn't mention it to their customers, or bother give a damn until they had our cash. Nothing new there.    … Expand
  64. TGMode
    Nov 9, 2013
    3
    I am a huge fan of this game series and have played all the others to death. What happened to the AI? It's unplayable, I have tried and tried but I can't play it. I really hope this is fixed.
    Who gave these high scores? Have you actually played this game or for that matter any game?
  65. Injenu
    Sep 5, 2013
    3
    Yea they obviously spent more money on marketing than on improving their series.

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

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

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

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

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

    Do yourself a favor, if you even decide to pay for this game, do so when the price is 29.99, which will be in about 3 months. I will warn you the load times are so slow that if you're not putting it on an SSD it'll just create frustration.    … Expand
  66. TenchuuKhan
    Jul 19, 2014
    3
    Coming from MTW, M2TW, ETW, S2TW giving this some 20 hours now I must say that I still can't get warm with it.
    The UI is just horrible, every time you have to click down 3 sub-menus until you are where you have to go. Which is quite the case with Agents because they need an Upgrade like every turn.
    Town management is just stiff and better don't get anything wrong because your people will    Coming from MTW, M2TW, ETW, S2TW giving this some 20 hours now I must say that I still can't get warm with it.
    The UI is just horrible, every time you have to click down 3 sub-menus until you are where you have to go. Which is quite the case with Agents because they need an Upgrade like every turn.
    Town management is just stiff and better don't get anything wrong because your people will freak out and **** up your game in only a few turns. This is especially fun once you have a few regions and your people freak out for no apparent reason and destroy your game.

    Whatever they were trying to do with this, it doesn't work for me... at all. It's like it tries to be a different game borrowing concepts from CIV... just in the worst way possible    … Expand
  67. KeithMoonsLiver
    Sep 7, 2013
    3
    Total war games have always been rough at launch, but as someone who has played since medieval this is CA's worst effort yet. More concerning than the usual bugs and optimization issues is many of the gameplay decisions CA has made. They have been flirting with "dumbing down" or "consolfying" the series for awhile now, and I think this may be the point where they've finally stepped overTotal war games have always been rough at launch, but as someone who has played since medieval this is CA's worst effort yet. More concerning than the usual bugs and optimization issues is many of the gameplay decisions CA has made. They have been flirting with "dumbing down" or "consolfying" the series for awhile now, and I think this may be the point where they've finally stepped over the edge.

    The future of this game depends entirely on modders and how much CA is willing to support the modding community. I expect CA will fix most of the technical issues over the next few months, but it will take major overhaul mods to fix the parts of the game which are working as intended but simply poorly designed and not well thought out.

    My advice to anyone interested in this game: Wait. Forget about Rome 2 for awhile and go play something else. 12 months from now this game may have been patched and modded to the point where it's a very good gaming experience but as it stands now, it's not worth playing and certainly not worth paying anything near $60 for.    … Expand
  68. Gileq
    Sep 12, 2013
    3
    Basically Sega sold alpha state game to us. It's far worse than trailers and preview they presented.
    Non-playabe, casual edition. After years and years of total war games, AI is worst ever, like most of the features. Good modern graphics for Rome 1, a it will be far better game than this...
  69. DukeWellington
    Oct 19, 2013
    3
    I've always enjoyed total war games, but this marketing scheme by The Creative Assembly portraying this game as a masterpiece full of complex strategy and huge epic battles was a complete shame. Broken A.I., rotten political system with no point or purpose, sloppy battles and somewhat disappointing repetitive music that plays over and over again, you'll enjoy the tunes at first, butI've always enjoyed total war games, but this marketing scheme by The Creative Assembly portraying this game as a masterpiece full of complex strategy and huge epic battles was a complete shame. Broken A.I., rotten political system with no point or purpose, sloppy battles and somewhat disappointing repetitive music that plays over and over again, you'll enjoy the tunes at first, but believe me.. it gets old real quick. Though the graphics are quite wonderful and rich in historical representation, that's all you get, and even the graphics cause immense problems even for powerful computers. That's the "jist" of it, after purchasing this broken piece of software I felt downright ripped off at the extreme price of 60.00. Has CA sold out to modern marketing "gimmics" that downright LIE to consumers to make a quick buck, imitating Hollywood by showing incredible "Trailers" on an epic scale edited in a fashion where people believe they are buying what's on the trailer, I really think so. Though they are releasing beta patches every 1-2 weeks, it's a slow drooling process and many mistakes that plagued the release are still around; Excellent modders such as Radious Mod (you can find his work on the Total War Center forum) have made the game a little more playable, but with so many problems it seems that the game may take years upon years to get a solid foundation. go head and try the buggy hunk of junk yourself and see. Any reviewer who gives this game a 100 on meta-critic is either a "Deceptive Marketer i.e. Snake Oil Salesman" or simply a fool.… Expand
  70. Luprical
    Sep 23, 2013
    3
    In it's current state the game is just broken. If you want the ultimate TW experience go with shogun 2 series, Fall of the Samurai in particular. It really is a big failure on the TW teams part that the game hasn't incorporate any of the lessons they've learned over the years. The AI is terrible, both your units and campaign wise, and it's just plain not fun. Give it a year or 2 and itIn it's current state the game is just broken. If you want the ultimate TW experience go with shogun 2 series, Fall of the Samurai in particular. It really is a big failure on the TW teams part that the game hasn't incorporate any of the lessons they've learned over the years. The AI is terrible, both your units and campaign wise, and it's just plain not fun. Give it a year or 2 and it will be a 7/8 out of 10. But now, it's a 3 at best.… Expand
  71. Clemenza
    Sep 8, 2013
    3
    So, I´ve been waiting for this game forever... I spent hundreds of hours with Rome 1 and pretty much every other TW... Shogun 2 is the masterpiece, most of the mechanics work like a charm, they are clever etc. So what I expected from Rome 2 was Shogun 2 mechanics in ancient world with some new features and furthermore improvements... In a sense, it is the case. But... it doesn´ t work, forSo, I´ve been waiting for this game forever... I spent hundreds of hours with Rome 1 and pretty much every other TW... Shogun 2 is the masterpiece, most of the mechanics work like a charm, they are clever etc. So what I expected from Rome 2 was Shogun 2 mechanics in ancient world with some new features and furthermore improvements... In a sense, it is the case. But... it doesn´ t work, for now... It just doesn´t... I like most of the new mechanics, like provincial system (including food which many people seem to be having problems with, but I like it... makes the empire management more real), army management etc. The problem is that there is a big problem in almost everything... Optimization, for starters... It´s horrible... The game doesn´t use CPU or GPU properly. So while I get 60 fps on extreme settings in the benchmark, in some battles my fps drops to 15 with very little GPU or CPU load... For example when I hold spacebar to see where my army is going or holding RMB to send all army somewhere in a formation. The campaign map performance is a mess too... lags, fps drops all down to 8 fps etc. etc.

    Then there is the AI. There are blinks of brilliance there. The enemy army tried to flank me on campaign map and it went pretty well, it found my undefended city and attacked it. But then again, many things just don´t work... First of all the AI is too passive. It just sits there waiting for you to attack it, raising almost no armies and occasionaly dying out from hunger because it didn´ t manage to build the buildings in proper order so that the ballance between food storages, public order etc. is preserved.
    It´s similarly dumb in battles too. Although it´s not that bad. What is bad is the battle speed. The battles last 5 minutes now, because the armies start routing almost immediately after starting the fight (fortunately an excellent Czech modder Radious fixed it really soon).

    All that said, I believe that R2 will become the best TW after most of the biggest flaws are fixed (and I hope they will be fixed). But I just keep wondering, was it really worth releasing in this state? Look ate the score of this game, it deserves so much better.    … Expand
  72. dogboy907
    Sep 5, 2013
    3
    The graphical issues and AI issues, as noted by other users, are indeed atrocious and indeed present.

    However, this could be forgiven if there were a good game lying underneath all that. There really is not though; this game is a huge step back from Shogun 2, aesthetically and in terms of gameplay depth. The user interface is not intuitive and inaccessible and frankly boring. Shogun 2's    The graphical issues and AI issues, as noted by other users, are indeed atrocious and indeed present.

    However, this could be forgiven if there were a good game lying underneath all that. There really is not though; this game is a huge step back from Shogun 2, aesthetically and in terms of gameplay depth. The user interface is not intuitive and inaccessible and frankly boring. Shogun 2's UI was far better. The gameplay mechanics have been severely dumbed down. There aren't even seasons anymore. The game is just not engrossing like other total war games.

    Overall this game is a total failure. They aimed too high trying to put in a bunch of features no one really needed or wanted, took out a lot of the core elements fans of the series loved in order to make it more appealing to the masses, and failed spectacularly to even provide a functional game at launch. This game should still be in Alpha it needs a total overhaul.    … Expand
  73. Grieferbastard
    Nov 9, 2013
    3
    What a painful thing this was. It's one of those situations that just makes you want to blame society. Total War: Rome II just feels like a cash-grab in the end, a pandering offering to the lowest denominators of gaming and it's thrown an incredible brand and IP up on the alter for sacrifice.

    The graphics are probably better than RTW 1 but it's hard to tell the game is so poorly    What a painful thing this was. It's one of those situations that just makes you want to blame society. Total War: Rome II just feels like a cash-grab in the end, a pandering offering to the lowest denominators of gaming and it's thrown an incredible brand and IP up on the alter for sacrifice.

    The graphics are probably better than RTW 1 but it's hard to tell the game is so poorly optimized. A new Crysis game comes out and I expect performance to be crushing but on an RTS? They're not that good. Not good enough to warrant the stutter it creates.

    The UI is an abomination and from the moment you start will likely spend a lot of time going 'Why... what the.... why THERE? I can't see anything! What does this mean? When did this seem like a good idea? Is this layout optimized for playing with a steering wheel and foot pedals?'

    The AI is so incompetent that it feels more like you're supposed to just be Leonidas and his Spartans, out killing Persian auxilliaries. The original Shogun: Total War released 13 years ago quite literally had a better AI.

    Stripped features too numerous to mention. If it had depth, meat and crunch in the original RTW it's cut out of RTW 2. Maybe they'll let you buy it as DLC later.

    I'm relatively forgiving of bugs. They're fixable and represent simple mistakes. The design choices, the removal of depth, feature and character from the game and turning an excellent franchise into a flat out humiliating cash-grab though is harder to forgive.

    I've talked several people out of this game and will continue to do so. If you buy this game you deserve to feel duped.    … Expand
  74. legoman775
    Sep 11, 2013
    3
    i have been a fan of total war games from creative assembly for a while now but this is just a slap in the face first of all the f***ing flags WHY next AI is broken completely broken clearly Sega is just pushing Creative Assembly to hard like they did with Gearbox I AM SICK OF THIS SEGA GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER OR I AM DONE BUYING GAMES FROM YOU....

    anyways i give this game a 3/10 just to    i have been a fan of total war games from creative assembly for a while now but this is just a slap in the face first of all the f***ing flags WHY next AI is broken completely broken clearly Sega is just pushing Creative Assembly to hard like they did with Gearbox I AM SICK OF THIS SEGA GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER OR I AM DONE BUYING GAMES FROM YOU....

    anyways i give this game a 3/10 just to be forgiving to CA but this better not happen again Sega i mean it don't let this ever happen again to one of my fav game titles out there since Aliens CM was already butchered and thrown to the curve don't do that again EVER    … Expand
  75. Johntylerkerlin
    Sep 15, 2013
    3
    This is not the ROME II Total war that was advertised. It is more like a dumbed down version of shogun II without all the things that make Total war unique. The family tree is butchered as well as the line of succession which would allow you to actually care about your generals. When I need a new general I just press a red button and one pops out. I have never been so disappointed with aThis is not the ROME II Total war that was advertised. It is more like a dumbed down version of shogun II without all the things that make Total war unique. The family tree is butchered as well as the line of succession which would allow you to actually care about your generals. When I need a new general I just press a red button and one pops out. I have never been so disappointed with a Total war than I am now. Rome I was not improved upon. ROME II is a piece of what ROME I was.… Expand
  76. JasonDaCritic
    Nov 13, 2013
    3
    This is a long waited sequel for the hit game Rome Total War I'm a total war fan myself. But what I see in this game is a big disappointment. The A.I is horrible they charge randomly not at my army but in other directions I was really disappointed at this but it's not just the A.I but also there are a few bugs that I found in this game but it could be patched. The UI is really confusing IThis is a long waited sequel for the hit game Rome Total War I'm a total war fan myself. But what I see in this game is a big disappointment. The A.I is horrible they charge randomly not at my army but in other directions I was really disappointed at this but it's not just the A.I but also there are a few bugs that I found in this game but it could be patched. The UI is really confusing I don't know what the hell am I doing. It also has tons of lag and when your processing "next turn" you wait longer more than your playing longer. But there are good adjustments to this game like the graphics have improved. Overall 3/10… Expand
  77. Machiavelli
    Sep 4, 2013
    3
    My first impression of this game was a 9/10 however as I tried to delve deeper into the game I found that I simply could not, vast and very shallow a lake this is. City management has been simplified even further than Shogun 2. The immersive nature and detail of the cities in Rome 1 are gone replaced with prettier pictures but simpler mechanics. Perhaps this is the core of the issue, CAMy first impression of this game was a 9/10 however as I tried to delve deeper into the game I found that I simply could not, vast and very shallow a lake this is. City management has been simplified even further than Shogun 2. The immersive nature and detail of the cities in Rome 1 are gone replaced with prettier pictures but simpler mechanics. Perhaps this is the core of the issue, CA focused so heavily in making a gorgeous game (which it is, albeit unoptimized) that they forgot to reel the player in with detail management mechanics that while small are what ties and immerses the player in the game world in the first place. Each mechanic individually is indeed an 8 or 9 out of ten, However put it all together and try and immerse yopurself in the campaign and you find those little things that kept you playing 100 hours are no longer there. As a proper total war game it is a 3.

    This is the last time I preorder a TW game.    … Expand
  78. chellboy
    Sep 10, 2013
    3
    Im not sure what they are thinking! They released the game way to soon when fans would have understood. It is dumb down and streamlined way too hard. So many bad design decisions make it depressing to play this "Total War" game
  79. AmyWalker
    Sep 3, 2013
    3
    Rushed and clearly unfinished, Rome 2 Total War is a disastrous mess.

    The game suffers from countless bugs, terrible AI, awful and inconsistent visuals a poor interface, and some of the worst optimization I've ever seen in a PC game. If you must buy this game do yourself and wait 3-4 months when the bugs have been worked out.
  80. rotwfighter
    Sep 3, 2013
    3
    The reviewing companies were obviously paid off. What CA has released is a bug riddled, unoriginal waste of hard disk space. The few positive changes made by Shogun 2 have been reverted, high end systems can't even play it (not because of graphical requirements but because of some error), AI is broken-- as usual to the point where non aggression pacts or trade agreements are basicallyThe reviewing companies were obviously paid off. What CA has released is a bug riddled, unoriginal waste of hard disk space. The few positive changes made by Shogun 2 have been reverted, high end systems can't even play it (not because of graphical requirements but because of some error), AI is broken-- as usual to the point where non aggression pacts or trade agreements are basically impossible to negotiate. All in all, it's the same old wine in a new bottle. I'm off to play the Shogun 2 Sekigahara campaign till patches fix Rome 2. See you all in 2014.… Expand
  81. VotingForSticks
    Sep 4, 2013
    3
    Rome 2 is unfortunately a disappointment. Essentially the battles are a disorganized mess and over in 5 minutes. I don't feel I am a general in this game as victory is assured by simply clicking attack, with the scope for strategy and tactics severely limited.

    The strategy map on the other hand is quite easy to deal with, and the strategy AI certainly has improved over Shogun 2. However    Rome 2 is unfortunately a disappointment. Essentially the battles are a disorganized mess and over in 5 minutes. I don't feel I am a general in this game as victory is assured by simply clicking attack, with the scope for strategy and tactics severely limited.

    The strategy map on the other hand is quite easy to deal with, and the strategy AI certainly has improved over Shogun 2. However the user interface is a bit clunky.

    The game as a whole is fairly bug free, however it is poorly optimized. My computer exceeds the recommended specs but still struggles to run this game in the lowest graphical settings. Overall, if you are looking for a good Total War style/strategy game, don't buy this game!    … Expand
  82. harry74
    Sep 4, 2013
    3
    After playing all day I need to admit that this game is very different what developers promised. Optimization doesnt exist at and graphics look not great. Gameplay is very messy and many things just missing. I regret preordering this game. I was fooled by their marketing campaign.
  83. manchesterrocks
    Sep 4, 2013
    3
    Game is garbage. Many bugs and strange UI. What is the point of making these HUGE UGLY icons and buttons? Shogun 2 had pretty good interface. Why change everything so bad?

    AI is just freakin ridiculous.

    Also dear developers completely removed family tree and made army cap. What a lame decision!

    Paid 30 pounds for this casual parody of Total War games.
  84. rainofbores
    Sep 4, 2013
    3
    Horrible AI. Streamlining removed all things which gave depth and character, now its just A B C which stat to increase. False marketing with minimum and and recommended required specifications. The end is near for total war franchise. Played total war since Shogun, Wasted my money on Empire and this sad pile.

    Honestly, fire the AI programmers.
  85. claptrap
    Sep 4, 2013
    3
    Well there is one you can say for sure: That release was quite a mess, when the forums are flooded with bug reports and complaints, you know something went wrong and that unfortenately is what happened to this game.

    I was looking forward to it so much, hadnt any download or installation issues in steam, everything went fine. I also want to admit, that my PC is quite good, not state of    Well there is one you can say for sure: That release was quite a mess, when the forums are flooded with bug reports and complaints, you know something went wrong and that unfortenately is what happened to this game.

    I was looking forward to it so much, hadnt any download or installation issues in steam, everything went fine. I also want to admit, that my PC is quite good, not state of the art high end but good enough:

    Phenom 955 Quadcore
    HD 7970 3GB
    8GB DDR2

    Every new game runs perfect on the highest settings. I didnt expect this in Rome 2 however since TW games were always poorly optimized so set my settings to Medium- High. Started the prologue at first and damn...what a lag fest. During the cutscenes my framerate was like 7-12 FPS and during battle maybe 22 FPS. However, in any other battle it definitely runs smoother. But the beautiful campaing map is a lagfest again, barely playable. Changing the settings to the lowest possible makes hardly any difference other than a game which will look like a PS2 game.

    This problem alone prevends me to enjoy this game.
    Now lets look at the AI, they seem to make their job quite well but in siege battles....oh my godness, they literaly just stand there and think "hmm, what do you think guys? should we attack if they throw javelins at us?" "i dont know dude...wheres our general btw."
    Also they are very retarted in moving their armies, they leave their cities at the borders without a real garrison and move further into their lands, maybe for a picnic, who knows....who cares

    The game also feels so unfinished in every aspect. Yeah sure, there will be patches, I know. But paying 40€ for such a mess, I cant believe I trusted so much into CA. It literally was a waste of money and I'm mad because of that, you know, not everyone of us has a donkey which can money.

    The game also went trought a lot of changes, some of the quite good but others...well they are really unecessary like armies that now only can be lead by a general. Quite a mess when it comes to managing your armies. This also leads to the problem, that you wont have any garrisons in your cities unless you place a general inside which, in my opinion, is a total waste.

    But this game has also some good stuff to offer, so a 0 would be unfair.
    The campain map, dear god, it is freakin huge and playing your campaing, you really feel like you're a small part of an epic game. You look at it and wonder "will I ever conquer?"
    There is also a lot of detail on it, the cities look more authentic and there are more choke points.
    Also there are over 100 civilizations that are controlled by the AI. Of course, ending the turn and letting the AI do their stuff can take quite a bit until you can play again.
    Some of them will be defeated quite early, some other will rise and can get your worst enemies.

    So the campaing after all, is quite epic.

    But there is a long road to Rome, and CA stands at the begining of this road. It will take endless patches until this game will be fully enjoyable and until then, I will rather enjoy other great games like GTAV     … Expand
  86. Raye
    Sep 4, 2013
    3
    I've played Total War for over 10 years now and I can honestly say that this release is just as bad as Empire, if not worse. They have slowly taken the winning formula for Total War and dumbed it down for the masses. 'Casual gamers', the console and phone game generation have been the downfall of many a great PC game series. From top to bottom this game is purely sacrilegious to any TotalI've played Total War for over 10 years now and I can honestly say that this release is just as bad as Empire, if not worse. They have slowly taken the winning formula for Total War and dumbed it down for the masses. 'Casual gamers', the console and phone game generation have been the downfall of many a great PC game series. From top to bottom this game is purely sacrilegious to any Total War fan who values depth and tactical battles. They have taken away all of our control and implemented gimmicks to please the casual gamer. I will provide some insight into the fundamental flaws at the core of the games design rather than elaborate on the myriad of optimization problems and bugs the game suffers from at this time.

    GAMEPLAY:
    A huge number of features that were available even in Total War: Rome are missing both conceptually and mechanically. I will try and break down the problems point by point as they relate to gameplay.

    -No family tree.

    -No 'Loose' or 'Tight' generic formation commands. Can't spread to avoid enemy fire?!

    -No 'Guard' command, your units cannot be instructed to maintain their position and formation at all costs.Even the most disciplined melee troops devolve into a blob during melee combat.

    -You cannot toggle fire at will on infantry with javelins, they only fire when they charge. Some unfortunate tactical consequences are that they cannot throw javelins to break an enemy charge and then receive the broken charge, they cannot fire on skirmishers and cavalry harassing them, and if you move reserves to reinforce a battle line they will AUTOMATICALLY throw their javelins into the backs of your own men who are already engaged. WTF CA?

    -Troops have inappropriate context based behavior or a complete lack thereof. IE. They will stand in position and take arrows to the face from archers ten feet away (as if instructed to guard, but still lose unit cohesion in melee) and will not chase routing enemies. During a melee blob if a unit of men destroy their immediate foe (target) they will not engage nearby enemies. They will stand there watching their comrades get hacked apart five feet away.

    -Auto run breaks unit cohesion.

    -BATTLES ARE WAY TOO FAST! The battles last a few minutes generally. You spend three minutes walking to the enemy force. Your lines meet and devolve into a chaotic blob and the melee is typically over in about 30-50 seconds as one side routes. If you were inclined to flank the blob you typically don't even have time to move a single flanking unit around into position before the melee is decided. You're far better served simply committing the unit into the blob of doom right away and spamming the 'magic' combat buffs/abilities your men have. Speaking of..

    -MAGIC COMBAT ABILITIES! You can hit a button and suddenly your men charge with more force than usual or you can magically remove all fatigue? Get your voodoo out of my Total War. Abilities should have a justifiable function that makes sense.

    -Units run entirely too fast, especially with tactical map speed buffs on roads for certain units and while charging. I would seriously estimate that your men can charge at nearly 30mph.. Again, wtf?

    -Diplomacy has improved so far as the campaign AI actually interacting with you in ways beyond declaring war but it is almost always on their terms. If you prefer passive diplomacy you wont notice the problem but if you want to proactively cultivate an environment of success with your neighbors you will fail. The AI refuses to accept logical treaties of any kind without bribes, very unfortunate.

    -Magic boats appear when you move an army into the ocean... Magic.... Boats.... These transport ships are free and can be used to great effect in naval battles. Building and maintaining an incredibly expensive navy is rendered void of strategic value and ineffective. You can recruit a bunch of militia and march them into the sea and ram your enemies navy to death without much difficulty. Horrid.

    -The campaign AI is atrocious even on the highest difficulty setting. The AI nations will maintain small armies and play passively. If they do field large armies the majority of the time they will consist of almost all slingers or other skirmishers. This causes most battles to involve a 10 second melee blob of doom then 10 minutes of you chasing down skirmishers at random. Epic disciplined and mechanized meat grinding battles? I bought the wrong game.

    -Unit size is locked. Why do I have smaller unit sizes than the original decade old game?

    -One turn per year. Good luck utilizing the fresh general development ideas cause all your generals will die of old age very quickly assuming they survive even one blob of death thanks to the extremely high kill rates.

    -The UI is beyond inconvenient. It is a mess of sub menus and obscure iconography. You play the game through a figurative maze, not a streamlined UI for 2013.

    -The awesome in game encyclopedia of the legacy Total War games? Still gone.    … Expand
  87. El_ZardoZ
    Sep 4, 2013
    3
    This is beta!!! Don't pay for being a beta-tester for CA Anyway if you are real fan of Total War series I seriously doubt that you will enjoy it even after debugging.
  88. Magnum9
    Sep 4, 2013
    3
    It really saddens me to rate this game this low... Total War Rome II is a bait and switch emblematic of a trend affecting a disturbingly large amount of game releases these days.

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

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

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

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

    To bullet point other issues,

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

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

    This along with several other PC releases of late (Diablo III, SimCity, etc) really reinforce that people need to start being discerning with their purchases. The puppy mill system that has infected gaming is too efficient at pulling money from an impatient, hype sensitive consumer base. I'm guilty of contributing myself. I don't say it lightly when I ask, do not buy this game. We're destroying our hobby by continuing to accept half finished games at full price.    … Expand
  89. Ezze902
    Sep 4, 2013
    3
    I have played the Total War series for a very long time... This is the dumbest downed version, buggy, alpha version of a game that was looked forward for so many. It literally just ended one of the greatest franchises, I will not buy the next one.

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

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

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

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

    Whats funny, is the BS reviews of this game... its like they couldnt imagine it being bad, didnt even review it. Also this metacritic is so far fetched... 84???? the gap between users and reviewers is Crazy.    … Expand
  90. lesith006
    Nov 19, 2013
    3
    No cut-scenes ,
    no family tree or a working politic system ,
    too modern UI feel more like supreme commander than Rome total war ), battle too arcade like just take a group of the best units and right clicks like if you were playing diablo WIN ), stupid BAI and CAI with many path-finding problems both on the campaign map and in battles, even the music is not appealing and not    No cut-scenes ,
    no family tree or a working politic system ,
    too modern UI feel more like supreme commander than Rome total war ),
    battle too arcade like just take a group of the best units and right clicks like if you were playing diablo WIN ),
    stupid BAI and CAI with many path-finding problems both on the campaign map and in battles,
    even the music is not appealing and not culture specific rome as the same music as the averni or parthia )
    Generals pop up from no where and you have difficulties to recognize them as the portraits diversity is really poor !

    Well, to sum up still a Total failure patch 7     … Expand
  91. HerrMelin
    Sep 5, 2013
    3
    A new low point for a once great series: The game shipped unfinished and needs to be patched soon, at the moment suffering from a catastrophic artificial intelligence and battles that lost most of the appeal they held in older parts of the series. Once a nerve-breaking, hard struggle, confrontations between armies are solved much too quickly now, feeling rushed. Tactics, formations andA new low point for a once great series: The game shipped unfinished and needs to be patched soon, at the moment suffering from a catastrophic artificial intelligence and battles that lost most of the appeal they held in older parts of the series. Once a nerve-breaking, hard struggle, confrontations between armies are solved much too quickly now, feeling rushed. Tactics, formations and intelligent strategies are less rewarded than they were in the past, the Total War mostly turning into Total Chaos. The epic feeling of being the leader of a great empire and and a great army is watered down remarkably by unnecessary changes and over-simplifications that disappoint most of the fans.… Expand
  92. Renzi_IS_Fonzie
    Sep 5, 2013
    3
    Well, the game was very promising, until...
    The very moment you start a battle and experience heavy lag, pathfinding glitches, missing core features (guard mode, fire at will on "Hastati" and units which don't follow routing enemies...), random crashes...
    The game is really poorly optimized and it will lag in medium size battles regardless of your system because it happens to use only    Well, the game was very promising, until...
    The very moment you start a battle and experience heavy lag, pathfinding glitches, missing core features (guard mode, fire at will on "Hastati" and units which don't follow routing enemies...), random crashes...
    The game is really poorly optimized and it will lag in medium size battles regardless of your system because it happens to use only about half the power of powerful GPUs like GTX Titan, it has poor multi-core support and worse graphics than it's predecessor.
    The campaign turns are just unbearable, they last 4 minutes full of nothing to do, you can't move units between settlements unless you have a general to drive them, garrisons are composed of random units depending on which military buildings you have in the city and armies can travel on seas generating their own ships in no time (the transport ships they have are almost as good as real navies and cost nothing...).
    The game feels greatly dumbed down in features, most concerning is the really bad AI in campaign which is not able to stand up to players unless with cheats and often attacks with poor units your huge armies, getting defeated in 5 minutes.
    Also, battle speed is absurd, most fights last less than 10 minutes including the initial march.
    UI is TERRIBLE an covers half the screen!
    I would say this game is not worth 50 bucks, not even 20 in it's current state.
    But i see much potential in here when it will be fixed, so for now it's only 3, but it could possibly raise up if the issues are resolved in decent times.    … Expand
  93. Kellax
    Sep 5, 2013
    3
    First, I love the Total War series. TW is a testament to the endurance of the RTS genre, and to the loyal fan base. With that being said, this game is terrible.

    I started having issues with TW: Shogun 2 (CTD) for no apparent reason, and it's still unplayable due to the seemingly unfixable CTD problems. Rome: 2 is starting down this same path. I haven't been able to play it more than 15    First, I love the Total War series. TW is a testament to the endurance of the RTS genre, and to the loyal fan base. With that being said, this game is terrible.

    I started having issues with TW: Shogun 2 (CTD) for no apparent reason, and it's still unplayable due to the seemingly unfixable CTD problems. Rome: 2 is starting down this same path. I haven't been able to play it more than 15 minutes without it crashing, so I'm putting it down until that's fixed.

    The game isn't too confusing, however, the UI is poorly designed; I think the devs forgot they were making the game for other people. And they forgot that not everyone has the ability to purchase a top of the line Alienware PC.

    Maybe all of these negative comments will have an impact on CAs approach to this game, but I seriously doubt it.    … Expand
  94. Person012345
    Sep 5, 2013
    3
    To summarize but a few faults of the game: Awful UI, confusing campaign map that leaves me wondering "why?", broken mechanics (such as overpowered transports), huge turn times and worst of all unengaging tactical battles that leave little room for tactics. It has a bunch of technical issues as well but those might get solved. The game has sacrificed the TW soul and I don't feel compelledTo summarize but a few faults of the game: Awful UI, confusing campaign map that leaves me wondering "why?", broken mechanics (such as overpowered transports), huge turn times and worst of all unengaging tactical battles that leave little room for tactics. It has a bunch of technical issues as well but those might get solved. The game has sacrificed the TW soul and I don't feel compelled to play it. Playing it for any period of time leaves me feeling empty.

    I wouldn't say that it was a "bad" game per se. Maybe those who are new to the series or not expecting greatness may enjoy it. But it doesn't -feel- like a total war game and I can't recommend it to anyone who is looking for a true successor to Rome.    … Expand
  95. leeroybrown151
    Sep 5, 2013
    3
    Well where do I begin? Its hard to put my utter dissapointment into words here really! Have been playing the TW Series since Shogun all those moons ago and have been playing games much to my wifes disgust since 86. I LOVE my games! And nowadays consider myself to be more picky about where I spend my money, so RTW2 was seen by myself as an essential purchase, more fool me, shame on me to beWell where do I begin? Its hard to put my utter dissapointment into words here really! Have been playing the TW Series since Shogun all those moons ago and have been playing games much to my wifes disgust since 86. I LOVE my games! And nowadays consider myself to be more picky about where I spend my money, so RTW2 was seen by myself as an essential purchase, more fool me, shame on me to be honest!

    The game is very good looking yes and unlike many I have no issues running it, it LOOKS good! But its sooo shallow, like a swan on water it looks graceful and beautiful but under the water is paddling away like mad and far from graceful!! I like strategy games, the campaign is NEVER going to deliver depth, that I know and have come to expect from a Total War game (I play a Paradox game for that great experience!!), I play a Total War game for the battles and here lies the issue, after years you would think they would improve the AI with every release not make it worse??? But this is just a mess! Capture Flags? No use of the battlefield? No Tactics? Blobs? Mechanized infantry (30 mph I reckon!)? Suicidal AI? WHO was testing this? Seriously, WHO? It defies belief!!! I am or was a CA fan! No longer.

    I await mods which I pray salvages my spent pennies, but no longer am I to be fooled again, once a mistake, twice just makes me stupid! I drive past their HQ most days on the way to work, I would love to have a constructive conversation (dreaming! lol!) about just what happened here! Can only think that the original CA team has changed over the years, its a damn, damn shame and gutting! But the sad part is that the money will be made and therefore deemed a success, money is what talks, pure undeniable fact, so all the "noise" will be unfortunately lost in the wind of the money blowing past to SEGA and CA's doors.

    DO NOT BUY NOW! Wait if you eventually must line their pockets till at least December when modders who wont see a penny of your cash help you potentially love this game.    … Expand
  96. clairbear_ski
    Sep 6, 2013
    3
    This is without a doubt the worst Total war game to date
    It allows you to have only 3 armies and 2 navies while the enemies have unlimited troops
    You troops desert while you enemy does not For the first time you cannot merge depleted units Graphics are not as advertised it is a major step backwards from it's predecessors Playability on maps is weak You armies cannot move while    This is without a doubt the worst Total war game to date
    It allows you to have only 3 armies and 2 navies while the enemies have unlimited troops
    You troops desert while you enemy does not
    For the first time you cannot merge depleted units
    Graphics are not as advertised it is a major step backwards from it's predecessors
    Playability on maps is weak
    You armies cannot move while "mustering" new troops and only generals or admirals can recruit
    It was a waste of 60 bucks
    You want a Total war game stick with Shogun 2, Empire, Medievil 2 or other earlier games in the series
    Even the original Rome was vastly better    … Expand
  97. Ookame
    Sep 5, 2013
    3
    Great potential..... few nice changes... that were TOTALLY anihilated by bugs, AI and the lack of features that were present in previous TW titles. Examples: no way to defend cities no walls, and no you can't build them no guard mode, javelins thrown only at charge, way to fast battles, land armies that can defeat fleets CAPTURE POINTS and most of the time very retarded AI.

    C' mon    Great potential..... few nice changes... that were TOTALLY anihilated by bugs, AI and the lack of features that were present in previous TW titles. Examples: no way to defend cities no walls, and no you can't build them no guard mode, javelins thrown only at charge, way to fast battles, land armies that can defeat fleets CAPTURE POINTS and most of the time very retarded AI.

    C' mon CA you can do better than that. Big warning from me, it's a shame i have been your client from first shogun and rome 2 was last product that i bought with pre order.    … Expand
  98. HectorofTroy
    Sep 5, 2013
    3
    Very disappointed. Diplomacy is still terrible, political affairs are nonexistent, CAI is brain dead, BAI can be atrocious at times, naval warfare is broken, units and stats are very unbalanced, there are bugs, capture point battles are laughable...What else can I say?

    Well, believe it or not, Rome 2 could still be fixed and thus classified as a very good game, but that unfortunately    Very disappointed. Diplomacy is still terrible, political affairs are nonexistent, CAI is brain dead, BAI can be atrocious at times, naval warfare is broken, units and stats are very unbalanced, there are bugs, capture point battles are laughable...What else can I say?

    Well, believe it or not, Rome 2 could still be fixed and thus classified as a very good game, but that unfortunately won't happen. Don't expect for miracles at this time of the year. SEGA has already established deadlines for the next expansion and there is no way this game will be seriously improved in a few months.

    Once again, let' see what modders will be able to come up with to make up for CA's incompetence.    … Expand
  99. hype7
    Sep 5, 2013
    3
    As most have said, it's clunky, slow load times, AI is dreadful, UI is confusing for some things, and quite buggy throughout various parts of the game. It is certainly playable but minus the additional features graphics in the game, Rome 1 was actually better.
  100. ChosunOne
    Sep 5, 2013
    3
    For all the experience you would think the CA team has, you would think that Rome 2 would have expanded upon features from its previous titles. Almost every aspect this game has either backtracked from Shogun 2 (UI, AI, battles, units) or been completely removed (family trees). There are really no ways this game is any better than Shogun and it feels less like a Strategy game and moreFor all the experience you would think the CA team has, you would think that Rome 2 would have expanded upon features from its previous titles. Almost every aspect this game has either backtracked from Shogun 2 (UI, AI, battles, units) or been completely removed (family trees). There are really no ways this game is any better than Shogun and it feels less like a Strategy game and more like a "lets just tell units to attack and watch them win" kind of game. Sieges are mind-numbingly easy (ai stands in a courtyard and doesn't budge, even under the torrential rain of flaming arrows), and on battles in open fields it camps its start area. I tried to reenact the battle of thermopylae and only had about 350 units versus about 7000 and they just stood there. I slowly creeped up to their line to try to draw them out, but the ai just started repositioning units along the line indefinitely. I even took out about 1500 of their units and routed half the army mostly because they would not even attack my units when they would walk into them while trying to reposition. You also can't siege cities that are under naval blockades, so my campaign against epirus as sparta ground to a halt when a tattered roman ship was sitting outside the harbor, and my army of 9000 spartans could not siege the city. This game needs a major overhaul to live up to the reputation of any other total war title.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 71 Critic Reviews

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