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. Polosatiy
    Sep 9, 2013
    0
    Everyone makes mistakes. But! That is not an excuse to take 50 EUR from our pocket for a broken game and not even apologize. In Estonia (where i'm from), average salary is 500 EUR a month. 50 EUR is 1/10 of a months hard work! And I sincerely regret spending so much money on something broken like this and not even being able to get a refund. As someone said before me: game will "probably"Everyone makes mistakes. But! That is not an excuse to take 50 EUR from our pocket for a broken game and not even apologize. In Estonia (where i'm from), average salary is 500 EUR a month. 50 EUR is 1/10 of a months hard work! And I sincerely regret spending so much money on something broken like this and not even being able to get a refund. As someone said before me: game will "probably" get fixed in half a year time and will cost half the price by then.

    LOUD MESSAGE TO CA and SEGA: Fix AI, interface and performance ASAP. Or you will loose many loyal customers FOREVER.

    Angry and disappointed Estonian citizen.    … Expand
  2. werwortmann
    Sep 9, 2013
    1
    Has so much potential,
    But AI is everything in the end.
    Got bored on my first campaign try, AI just sits pretty and takes it up the A.
    I still play Rome 1, guess I should do campaign number 500 on that one.
    Vote this down to stop them from destroying this great series with similar future releases.
  3. hernethehunter
    Sep 9, 2013
    8
    Bugs and some game play issues aside at the moment this game will grow with patches. So that's why I gave it a genorous 8. Long time Total War fan since Shogun 1 but Rome 2 is more than just war and that might put some fans of previous titles off?
  4. zarule
    Sep 9, 2013
    5
    Rome Total War 2 does not live up to either advertismen/marketing or even earlier games in the series standards. It does bring some innovative ideas and concepts but the execution is so poor, the bugs are so many that the only explanation is they released a BETA and charged for the full game using buyers as testers. Unacceptable!
  5. IgnasPrzybylski
    Sep 9, 2013
    6
    My first impression was great gameplay and awful optimalisation. I ran Shogun 2 on very high settings without a problem and it was really pretty, while in Rome 2 my good old 448-bit GTX 260 had terrible issues because it cannot support dx 11. I was shocked, first TW games looked way better than what I saw. Got a rather cheap new GTX and the performance is good, I have no more problems withMy first impression was great gameplay and awful optimalisation. I ran Shogun 2 on very high settings without a problem and it was really pretty, while in Rome 2 my good old 448-bit GTX 260 had terrible issues because it cannot support dx 11. I was shocked, first TW games looked way better than what I saw. Got a rather cheap new GTX and the performance is good, I have no more problems with it. The poor AI doesn't really bother me that much, I got used to it and sometimes it's cool that I can hold them off with small armies just because they're dumb. Simplified city management... I like it, to me it's much better than management from the previous releases. Simplifying armies wasn't a very good idea though. Recruiting right on the general anywhere in the province is comfortable, but limit of armies sucks, I mean, economy should be the only thing that stops me from having a lot of troops. What I don't like about it is that I can't just split whenever I want. I can't leave some additional units to help city's garrison, they can't stay anywhere without a general now. This is imo the worst thing in the gameplay itself. But ok, it doesn't really make the game bad, garrisons are pretty strong now, at least I don't have to pay all those guards I usually kept in my cities. The most annoying thing would be ending your turn. There's so many minor factions it takes ages to wait for your next turn and it takes even longer when I alt-tab, not to mention that stuff happens, AI may attack me or some diplomatic proposal may appear. Personally I just play piano or write SMS in the meantime. If you don't have anything to do while waiting for your turn you will spend most of the time looking at the silly AI running around several times longer than in previous games. Of course, it's nice that there is a big variety of factions instead of just anonymous rebels like in, say, Medieval 2, but sometimes it's just scary to press "end turn". I thought it took long in Shogun 2, I don't anymore. Technical issues will probably be fixed, but even though my rig is rather mediocre (i3, gtx650ti boost, 12gb ram) it works and looks decently on high settings now. Lack of a nice multiplayer like the one in Shogun 2 disappoints, that's a huge step backwards. I loved almost everything about Shogun 2, except the fact it's set in Japan, which I dislike. I wanted a new TW game with S2's awesomeness set in Europe, but I feel a downgrade. It's still a fun game to play though, the only thing I really want fixed now is BLOOD. I don't care I have to pay for that anymore, I just want it released SOON, not year after I stopped playing the game. I like watching them fight, but without blood it's really dull. At least the "kill captives" and "raze city" options have returned.

    Pros:
    - very comfortable province management
    - great skirmish map choice
    - huge map
    - very pretty gfx and good audio

    Cons:
    - awful technical issues right after release, bad performance
    - no more depth in multiplayer
    - long wait between turns
    - still no blood    … Expand
  6. Belidon
    Sep 9, 2013
    7
    The atmosphere is all you would want from the sequel to the legendary rome: rome total war. It is a very enjoyable game but it just feels it could've been so much better. It's unoptimized, it lacks depth in the diplomacy and political systems and battles currently suffer from blob fights rather than well executed strategy.

    Patches and potentially mods can make this good game, great.
  7. Abolfazl3007
    Sep 9, 2013
    1
    Where do i begin ?!

    Visuals looks way worse than shogun 2 in almost every way !! Performance is Horrible ! With a Rig that runs shogun 2 at maximum i cant even get a descent frame rate lag free game at medium-low setting !! Absolute Technically broken all the way ! The most stupid AI ever ... Thousands and Thousands of different bugs and glitches everywhere !    Where do i begin ?!

    Visuals looks way worse than shogun 2 in almost every way !!

    Performance is Horrible !

    With a Rig that runs shogun 2 at maximum i cant even get a descent frame rate lag free game at medium-low setting !!

    Absolute Technically broken all the way !

    The most stupid AI ever ...

    Thousands and Thousands of different bugs and glitches everywhere !

    Unplayable

    BROKEN PRODUCT    … Expand
  8. Code18red
    Sep 9, 2013
    2
    55 hours of gameplay mostly on legendary difficulty prior to reviewing.

    The good: 1.Graphics are amazing with latest patch and beta graphic drivers on extreme settings and run smooth as silk on 2 6990 running in crossfire if I had reviewed it prior to that they would have got a 1 2. I like what they did with the spies, diplomats and champions, that side of the game seems well thought    55 hours of gameplay mostly on legendary difficulty prior to reviewing.

    The good:
    1.Graphics are amazing with latest patch and beta graphic drivers on extreme settings and run smooth as silk on 2 6990 running in crossfire if I had reviewed it prior to that they would have got a 1
    2. I like what they did with the spies, diplomats and champions, that side of the game seems well thought out and purposeful

    The bad:
    1. The AI is bad on the campaign map: they don't ambush but sometimes fortify when absolutely decimated and will just let you waltz all over their territory without even a hum on legendary
    2. Diplomacy is terrible: good luck trying to secure trade agreements without a mountain of gold, never take a vassal state ever as they are consistently more of a hindrance than helpful.
    3. Anything to do with slaves is broken, they cause way too much unrest and I actively try to kill off armies outside of cities so I have a chance to loot a city without taking too many slaves. I really want an option to loot cities with releasing/killing captives. Having too many slaves will cause slave revolts which don't reduce slave population so the negative unrest per turn stays the same and causes perpetual endless slave revolting.
    4. The entire political system seems tacked on and not finished. No family trees, no marriage except to bring a political rival into your fold and no offspring. Taking political office with any faction other than rome is next to useless as its impossible to accumulate enough gravitas to get anything other than the base bonus.
    5. Ship battles are really really horrible, to be auto resolved with stacks of doom or preferably avoided at all costs. Tons of glitches, for example tiny ships without rams ramming my huge ships and sinking them.
    6. The factions all seem to be the same unit wise and get very similar 'unique' units
    7. Slingers are better all round than even mid tier bowmen and it makes me so damn sad.

    I will attempt to update this review as the game gets patched but for anyone thinking of buying it... Wait for a sale, maybe it'll be patched by then.    … Expand
  9. Cainga
    Sep 9, 2013
    1
    I feel Rome 2 is a very poor total war title. I am doing this because reading these forums I feel like many people are content with the game. I personally find that hard to believe. I have played every game in the total war series for anyone who is wondering what I am comparing it too.

    The game has a few pros/features that I think are excellent additions: 1. The new top down birds eye    I feel Rome 2 is a very poor total war title. I am doing this because reading these forums I feel like many people are content with the game. I personally find that hard to believe. I have played every game in the total war series for anyone who is wondering what I am comparing it too.

    The game has a few pros/features that I think are excellent additions:
    1. The new top down birds eye view accessed via the tab key. This is a great idea for managing large battles.
    2. The region concept on the campaign map where multiple cities give you control of a region. This is a brilliant addition and adds depth and complexity to the game.

    Now for the cons, sadly this is a much longer list.
    1. No seasons, these have been in every total war game and add depth ad complexity to the game. Attacking in the wrong season has serious consequences. There is absolutely no good reason to remove this long standing feature.
    2. VASTLY reduced options regarding defense on the campaign map. Spending your precious resources on walls and towers was always something to balance with the rest of your empires needs but it paid huge dividends when your town came under siege. Now some cities have walls some don't and regardless you cant modify them.
    3. Generals skill trees/abilities: In previous installments in the Total War Series generals who had won many battles had numerous perks and skills that were sometimes quite unique. Losing a veteran was a huge deal as it would be a long time indeed before you had another commander that was his equal. Rome 2's generals all follow the same skill set and come and go so easily its like they are another regular unit card. There is no need to care about them.
    4. Family/Clan management is basically non existent now. Where it was once a deep and involved part of the game.
    5. Agents no longer have cutsceens. While not a vital part of the game by any means, every previous iteration of the game had this and they added to your immersion.
    6. The encyclopedia is now bare bones containing minimal information and no historical references. All the previous Total War games included a substantial amount of history about a unit or advance. Really added to the games depth.
    7. The AI is poor and borderline incapable of doing its job. I at least believe this can and will be patched.
    8. The battles are over in a few minutes. No more epic battles here just 5 minutes, 10 if you are lucky and things will be decided. Why the sudden shift in the scope of battles?

    In summary I believe that all the technical bugs will be fixed in the coming months. The problem I see is that several reason why Rome 2 is a poor game boils down to features that were intentionally removed. I doubt they will be addressing anything like this in the patches. Thus in the end we are left with a hollow "Rome Lite" when we should of had their best work to date. Am I missing something here is this really the game the rest of you were looking for? Or are you as disappointed as I am?    … Expand
  10. alhypo
    Sep 8, 2013
    0
    Well, as a loyal Total War series player, I have to say this game is kind of an embarrassment. There are so many great things about it yet one very serious flaw destroyed my enjoyment. Basically, the developers someone managed to eliminate any element of strategy in the open-field battles. In the heat of a huge open battle, I learned the hard way that there is a "Victory Point" placed onWell, as a loyal Total War series player, I have to say this game is kind of an embarrassment. There are so many great things about it yet one very serious flaw destroyed my enjoyment. Basically, the developers someone managed to eliminate any element of strategy in the open-field battles. In the heat of a huge open battle, I learned the hard way that there is a "Victory Point" placed on the map in my defensive territory. The point is out in the middle of nowhere and of no strategic importance. However, I found that if I don't commit my soldiers to defending this seemingly unimportant, arbitrary spot, the computer AI will send one unit directly to the point and claim victory. Having not noticed the victory point, I strategically positioned my defending army atop a hill so I would have an advantage. Unfortunately, the battle was over before it even got going. I lost with a decisive defeat. I started with 2200 soldiers. When the battle finished, I had only lost about 300 of them in the actual battle. Does that sound like a decisive defeat? No, it's utterly absurd. Only more so because I still lost the entire army after the battle was over. I was going to lose the battle anyway, but I missed out on the chance to take down the enemy's numbers a bit. I lost all 2200 of my soldiers, but the enemy only lost the 300 or so men that I took down in battle. This Victory Point nonsense is game breaking for me. I really enjoy the economic strategy, but real-time battles are the core of this game. This game could be close to a 10 for me if they would fix this one little victory point problem. Being that I'm not going to play the game anymore, it does deserve a zero. What a disappointing waste of money.… Expand
  11. Porkenstein
    Sep 8, 2013
    7
    This game is fun, atmospheric, epic, and just generally awesome. However, it is hopelessly broken.
    Technical issues aside, the battle and campaign AI are completely nonfunctional, removing all challenge from every difficultly level. Also, many changes to gameplay in favor of appeasing the more "casual" customer base have destroyed much of what made Rome I great.
  12. Jimbo364
    Sep 8, 2013
    0
    CA needs to stop releasing buggy games on release. "Total War games are always buggy at release", that is obviously not a good thing, its a nasty habit. Don't be an enabler and mindlessly preorder games. If the developers can't be bothered to polish a game before release, they aren't worth anyone's time.
  13. ShaiCZ
    Sep 8, 2013
    10
    Being TW series veteran, I really enjoy TWR2 as it is exactly what I have expected it to be. All the new features are improvement to me.

    + much more user friendly (provinces, building, recruiting etc.) compared to previous games + huge and beautiful map + epic battles + no story campaign (the one thing that I didn´t like in Napoleon) freedom to act as I like + cinematic camera (oh,    Being TW series veteran, I really enjoy TWR2 as it is exactly what I have expected it to be. All the new features are improvement to me.

    + much more user friendly (provinces, building, recruiting etc.) compared to previous games
    + huge and beautiful map
    + epic battles
    + no story campaign (the one thing that I didn´t like in Napoleon) freedom to act as I like
    + cinematic camera (oh, how nice!)
    + for the first time in TW I actually use diplomacy and it works for me

    All in all, I am enjoying the game from day 1. "Must have" for all the fans of strategy games and TW in particular!    … Expand
  14. Dasein808
    Sep 8, 2013
    0
    ET TU, CA?! (Total War for consoles)**

    I was going to hold my tongue, but after having a reply to a CA forum post deleted and the thread locked, I figured why not take it to an uncensored forum? Many players of the TW series have commented on the seemingly unintuitive design decisions that separate this most recent iteration from its predecessors': - the removal of the family     ET TU, CA?! (Total War for consoles)**

    I was going to hold my tongue, but after having a reply to a CA forum post deleted and the thread locked, I figured why not take it to an uncensored forum?

    Many players of the TW series have commented on the seemingly unintuitive design decisions that separate this most recent iteration from its predecessors':

    - the removal of the family tree
    - the removal of series defining formations/stances (loose/guard)
    - preventing individual unit campaign map movement without a general
    - oversized unit cards
    - shorter battles compared to previous versions

    Why fix what is not broken?

    These are not elements that taxed PCs' resources, but they might strain a next generation console's APU and limited RAM.

    Removing or modifying these things does nothing to streamline the game for PCs, but it would likely help ease the burden imposed by a console port (i.e. fewer stances/formations to better accommodate controller play, larger unit cards for easier TV viewing, short battles for shorter attention spans, less individual army micromanagement through movement limitations, etc.).

    CA has remained cagey with regard to their intentions on whether or not they plan to try and port it; to the point that the moderator that deleted my reply and locked the thread ("Rome 2 is designed for next gen consoles") responded with:

    "No plans for any of this right now.

    Thread closed."

    Attentive readers will recognize that everything about this statement hinges on the word, "now."

    Combined with the speed with which my reply was deleted and the thread locked, as some form of preemptive damage control, I'd say that all but answers the questions as to why this game is so watered down in ways that don't make sense; that's assuming that you can even play and don't have the technical issues that seem to have plagued a lot of people.

    Thankfully, I have not had problems running the game, but it still feels off; like a game designed with intention of console porting.

    Et tu, CA?!

    You guys used to make amazing games that pushed boundaries and represented the epic potential of the PC.

    I'll happily eat my words if this turns out not to be the case, but the signs are all there.    … Expand
  15. xSw4gL0rd_420x
    Sep 8, 2013
    0
    The swag level in this game is too damn low. I mean, just look at those soldiers, what the Where is the swag? I honestly don't know what the developers were thinking not implementing the appropriate amount of swag to cater for SwagLords like myself.

    -xSw4gL0rd_420x
  16. distractonator
    Sep 8, 2013
    0
    This is one of the few games that I literally could not play. after marathoning Shogun 2, Rome 1 and Medieval 2 for the last two months I have concluded that this game strays way too far from the original formula over complicating simple things and oversimplifying the things that have worked well in previous installments of the franchise
  17. Argon
    Sep 8, 2013
    1
    Tested on i7 2600, GTX 770, 16gb RAM on HIGH and EXTREME graphics quality:

    - Graphics are horrible, the Anti alaising is completely messed up (Empire TW looks better... seriously) - AI is not reliable, often attacks an army of 16 units with only 1 unit on campaign map and just stands around until you get closer in real time mode - FPS drops are common, triggered i.e. by pressing    Tested on i7 2600, GTX 770, 16gb RAM on HIGH and EXTREME graphics quality:

    - Graphics are horrible, the Anti alaising is completely messed up (Empire TW looks better... seriously)
    - AI is not reliable, often attacks an army of 16 units with only 1 unit on campaign map and just stands around until you get closer in real time mode
    - FPS drops are common, triggered i.e. by pressing spacebar during combat
    - Multiplayer Campaign unplayable, processing the moves of the AI factions takes around 3min EACH turn
    - UI is confusing, the art style is appealing but gets in the way of things

    I'm sick of beta testing games that I paid 50€ for. No for Sega until patched properly!    … Expand
  18. Jokkie
    Sep 8, 2013
    2
    The only people who like this game are the same type of people that liked Star Wars: Episode I when it came out.

    ::Greek States are DLC ("free" if you pre-ordered). That right there is a huge warning sign seeing as Greeks were very relevant in Roman history, but are sold as a DLC faction. ::Unit card art, although a cool concept, are not varied and small enough for the player's    The only people who like this game are the same type of people that liked Star Wars: Episode I when it came out.

    ::Greek States are DLC ("free" if you pre-ordered). That right there is a huge warning sign seeing as Greeks were very relevant in Roman history, but are sold as a DLC faction.

    ::Unit card art, although a cool concept, are not varied and small enough for the player's peripheral vision. This is especially important seeing as they placed great emphasis on unit abilities; which feel more like activating abilities for your MMO character.

    ::I press enter to chat, but nothing happens. You have to open a separate chat box which takes up the already limited space on your screen. It should be easy and convenient.

    ::The battle flow doesn't feel right. The walking speed and double time speed don't match up. Units also rout too easily, but the rout doesn't affect nearby units enough.

    ::The graphics scale horribly. The lower settings for Rome 2 will look much worse than Shogun 2 at max.

    ::No guard mode or loose formation.

    ::No faction intro or agent videos.

    ::Terrible online balance. They made it way too easy to acquire powerful units, making for boring army compositions. Players who try to bring something different to the table will get punished. Army compositions usually consist of heavy melee infantry with cav, no ranged or specialty units.

    I could go on and on.

    Save your money. This isn't a kick starter project. I put a score of 2 for the cool animations, which is pretty much the only enjoyment I got out of this beta mix alpha.    … Expand
  19. Hogan350
    Sep 8, 2013
    2
    Just have to add here after seeing 34 positive "professional" reviews to only 2 negative... well, just goes to show you what gaming "journalism" is all about nowadays, I've come to expect no less from these hacks.

    _____________________________________________________________________________________ Agents are better than in Empire where they were no doubt terrible, but far, far worse    Just have to add here after seeing 34 positive "professional" reviews to only 2 negative... well, just goes to show you what gaming "journalism" is all about nowadays, I've come to expect no less from these hacks.

    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Agents are better than in Empire where they were no doubt terrible, but far, far worse than Shogun 2, in which they worked fantastically.
    As for the long wait times between turns, this was an issue that used to be solvable by switching off "watch AI turns"; now, that does very little.

    For the AI, it has not improved one bit since the first Rome. That's 8 years. In 8 years the graphics have improved dramatically and yet, despite promises for every new iteration, the AI is equal to if not worse than the AI in Rome.
    Shogun 2 and its expansion Fall of the Samurai improved AI somewhat, but it's back to square one now, it seems.

    Auto-boat armies are a problem indeed, they totally negate the need for a navy.

    Another issue is the fact that every turn is one year and generals age as such, meaning that general that you need to create and move your army, the one you spent time giving upgrades and experience, is often dead from natural causes within 30 turns. It also makes no sense that it takes 7 years to travel from Rome to Sicily by boat, and longer on foot.

    And WHY OH WHY has how we raise/use our armies in a TOTAL WAR GAME been limited?! Seriously, 3 general limit at the start? That means 3 stacks only (which contributes to passive AI). What happened to scouting parties? Did they not exist in Roman times? How about skirmishes? Why can I not garrison or move or even recruit troops without a general? It just seriously limits player choice and freedom and I think that this is perhaps the most egregious offence committed. Sure, raids by a few measly units were annoying, but nowhere near as annoying as having to have a general who will die in a few turns in order to do anything with any of my troops. Really, what was the point of it?
    I used to have light cavalry units as scouting parties, actually I think that was a hint that CA gave for M2TW. I also used to use captains to lead small armies around low-risk areas, send small stacks to replenish my main armies and do all sorts of things with my unlimited number of stacks.

    On the battle side:
    - I think that the removal of tight/loose formations and guard mode are unforgivable

    - Pila-wielding units can now only throw them on the charge and MUST throw them on the charge even if that means hitting their allies. It's incredibly stupid (as opposed to Rome 1, where pila-wielding units could be ordered to fire at will/hold fire and could throw their pila even whilst stationary)

    - "Victory points" totally negate any kind of strategic or tactical thinking, it is just a mad dash to the arbitrary points on the map

    - Even "super heavy" infantry run at speeds that would make Usain Bolt wilt and they fatigue far too slowly

    - Units no longer maintain formation (partly due to the removal of guard mode), so even the most hardened, disciplined Roman troops descend into disorganised mass-brawling when engaged by an enemy, and will not move even if their allies are being hacked to death right next to them or they are being pelted with arrows from a few metres away, but will also pursue any enemy that engages them to the ends of the earth unless stopped (another result of removal of guard mode).

    That is along with battles being way too short. Top-tier units, entire battle hardened armies will rout in under two minutes. In a game famous for its epic, real-time, 3D battles...

    All in all, the bugs and graphical issues may be fixed, as with previous instalments. However, I feel that unlike the previous games, Rome 2 does not really feel like a Total War game, it lacks that certain something, the soul of the Total War series. It feels like a cheap imitation from some two-bit company on a budget trying to emulate Creative Assembly. Except the graphics, which are good... when they work.

    This is not the game we were promised, and after years of waiting, it is such a huge disappointment.

    The UI is also, in my opinion, way too large and obstructive; you can't even reduce the size of the mini-map any more, only remove it. The unit cards are confusing and take up a lot of space. Information is too hard to easily discern and the whole campaign map aspect has been horribly castrated.

    I'm giving this horribly disappointing, sterile, bloated mess of a game 2/10, the 2 purely for the nice visuals.    … Expand
  20. SoulSurgeon
    Sep 8, 2013
    5
    I pre-purchased this game the day it was pre-released. I installed it the day it came out. It ran ok the first night...but I noticed a LOT of bugs. I tried some custom battles. I used 4 squads of Spartan Hoplites against some Rome Cohorts...I got pwned. I even out-flanked them and out-maneuvered them...nope, dead. It is on "normal" difficulty.

    Since day 2, I have spent 30+ hours    I pre-purchased this game the day it was pre-released. I installed it the day it came out. It ran ok the first night...but I noticed a LOT of bugs. I tried some custom battles. I used 4 squads of Spartan Hoplites against some Rome Cohorts...I got pwned. I even out-flanked them and out-maneuvered them...nope, dead. It is on "normal" difficulty.

    Since day 2, I have spent 30+ hours trying to get the game to launch..it won't...freezes on the load-up screen. Right now there are 434 positive reviews of RTW2, and 767 negative...make that 767. CA and Sega have my money....I don't have anything in return except anger and frustration. I'm going to make sure that they lose lots of money by helping scare away potential buyers...until the game is FIXED. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME yet. Wait until they get their together.    … Expand
  21. Klofi
    Sep 8, 2013
    3
    This was supposed to be the best PC game of 2013. Unfortunately it is very far from that. Even after first patch the game keeps crashing, is EXTREMELY slow during AI turns in campaign map, drops FPS randomly, etc. And I am playing it on a very high-end PC. Pre-ordering this expensive game was a big mistake. Should have waited...
  22. Tamlynn
    Sep 8, 2013
    0
    I would rather play RTW1, particularly with the Europa Barbarorum mod. For someone who absolutely loved the original and played it for many, many years, this is a heartbreaking fail. No need to list all of the problems, as they are covered in so many of the other reviews just adding my voice to the chorus. Not sure what game the critics were playing, but the massive discrepancy betweenI would rather play RTW1, particularly with the Europa Barbarorum mod. For someone who absolutely loved the original and played it for many, many years, this is a heartbreaking fail. No need to list all of the problems, as they are covered in so many of the other reviews just adding my voice to the chorus. Not sure what game the critics were playing, but the massive discrepancy between their reviews and actual user reviews suggests that most of them are either bought or incompetent. Both CA and the critics have utterly failed. This is probably the last straw for me... Don't see myself ever buying another CA title again.… Expand
  23. 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
  24. Stephen2013
    Sep 8, 2013
    4
    Don't buy this game I bought it and I know what you're thinking; Shogun 2, Rome, Medieval 2 where great I can look past the bugs.

    It is not finished. The bugs in this crash the game; my first bug happened before I had my first fight and my first turn I clicked on the faction button and it crashed the game. I tried again a couple of days later and played it for a while it    Don't buy this game I bought it and I know what you're thinking; Shogun 2, Rome, Medieval 2 where great I can look past the bugs.

    It is not finished.

    The bugs in this crash the game; my first bug happened before I had my first fight and my first turn I clicked on the faction button and it crashed the game.

    I tried again a couple of days later and played it for a while it crashes each time you try to invade carthage I tried twice in a row and it just freezes and crashes to desktop.

    The FPS are appalling, the AI turns take about ten seconds in the first 6 turns then jumps to 3 minutes. The campaign AI is okay (they don't randomly attack you but they are very passive) the battle AI is totally stupid.

    Due to a stupid capture the flag mechanic in the battles you will lose even if you outnumber the enemy if you allow a flag to be captured.

    Don't let games companies treat you like this the developers have had years to solve these issues but they don't why? Because we keep buying it.

    We will all need to wait a month before they patch this thing play Rome 1 Total War instead.

    Also Day 1 DLC is a joke.

    Not buying a Total War game again this is my last purchase.    … Expand
  25. ManRammer
    Sep 8, 2013
    0
    Well, this game is just one enormous let down.

    How are they allowed to release a game in this state? Just bought my high end computer, and I must admit: this game beat it. In campaign map (late game, most of map visible due to trade everywhere) I keep dropping down to 18-24 fps. Sometimes down to 2-7 if I end the turn. And should I mention end the turn? I often go away to do    Well, this game is just one enormous let down.

    How are they allowed to release a game in this state? Just bought my high end computer, and I must admit: this game beat it.

    In campaign map (late game, most of map visible due to trade everywhere) I keep dropping down to 18-24 fps. Sometimes down to 2-7 if I end the turn.

    And should I mention end the turn? I often go away to do something else for a couple of minutes and come back, only to find it still running.

    AI. Don't get me started. I played a game against my friends kid today (9 years of age). He put up a better resistance than the highest AI setting. Incredible.

    EVERY battle: I march towards enemy move 2x2 horse units out on both his flanks his entire army just starts running around in circles until it forms a blob because AI doesn't know what to do I charge from all directions routing him instantly. Unless he just separates his army in 2 parts: archer blob and spear/sword blob making my cavalry happy, but me extremely bored.

    Sea combat: just autoresolve. No need to play it, most of it is just luck of the boarding-dice. Just board and hope his ship is the first to catch fire. And also, that your entire ships crew doesn't decide to miss the enemy ship and jump into the water and drown. And if u have more ships than him u stand a greater chance of losing, because your other ships will block eachother from being able to board. Even if u just send 1 ship for 1 ship, somehow 8 out of 10 ships just stop next to the other ship and refuse to board.

    For the love of Mars, Jupiter and Juno, I must stop here. I could write so much more. I could fill pages upon pages with information of how this game is a fail of gargantuan proportions. But I will not. I will just.. Leave it.

    Back to Crusader Kings II and Europa Universalis IV. CA needs to learn from Paradox. How to actually improve your game series over time.

    Over and out, guys    … Expand
  26. Flam1ng
    Sep 8, 2013
    6
    The game started out with poor graphics and iffy AI but with a good friend it can be alot of o fun, the single player is fine but naval combat is very weird and Seriously underdevolped
  27. BaronVonSachsen
    Sep 8, 2013
    9
    Total War has been a long standing favorite of my mine. I've been with the franchise since the first Rome: Total War so this game is like coming full circle for me. While it's not a perfect homecoming by any means, it's a homecoming that any Total War fan will enjoy.
  28. BigLuvin
    Sep 8, 2013
    0
    The game has potential but is unplayable atm to those of us who have played any game of the TW series in the past. AI sucks and fighting is blob vs blob. No guard formation to hold a line? Really??? The main reason I can't play this game in its current state is the fact that I can't play an open field battle without playing capture the flag. Want to have one of those epic battles whereThe game has potential but is unplayable atm to those of us who have played any game of the TW series in the past. AI sucks and fighting is blob vs blob. No guard formation to hold a line? Really??? The main reason I can't play this game in its current state is the fact that I can't play an open field battle without playing capture the flag. Want to have one of those epic battles where you are outnumbered and have to use the terrain to your advantage to fight off an aggressive AI? Too bad because it is capture the flag and you will lose if you camp a hilltop. This kills any possibility of engaging a larger army at all unless you are pretty closely matched. RUINS THE CAMPAIGN. Jesus this is what made TW so much fun in the past. My first battle with land and naval units, my boats came in and started doing donuts at 100mph and wouldn't stop. One even clipped through the land about 200 yards inland. WTF??? This game is unplayable right now and it will probably be 6 months to a year before it is made right if it ever is. It's a sad sad day for TW fans because I have been looking forward to this game since at least 2006. CA always f's something up at release but I just don't know if this game can be fixed by patches given the inherent flaws in the game play. I hope I am wrong.… Expand
  29. Jaymiec1
    Sep 8, 2013
    0
    The game is poor quality to begin with, however the problem gets much worse. After turn 60 or so the game simply won't load and crashes to the main menu. This is a common problem and many people have reported it, yet there seems to be no solution.

    So just to cap off: 1. UI is awful. You can't see what unit is what and the game can get confusing. 2. Awful AI. 3. Poor city    The game is poor quality to begin with, however the problem gets much worse. After turn 60 or so the game simply won't load and crashes to the main menu. This is a common problem and many people have reported it, yet there seems to be no solution.

    So just to cap off:
    1. UI is awful. You can't see what unit is what and the game can get confusing.
    2. Awful AI.
    3. Poor city management; almost everything you do makes your people unhappy.
    4. The game simply won't load after a certain amount of time. Nothing you do can fix this.
    5. Navy battles are awful, you have the option to ram, board, throw things and that's it. You can't have a plan or strategy, you simply tell your ship to attack and can then sit there and do nothing.
    6. Your army often has trouble marching places or gets stuck. If an agent is standing near an enemy army, your army simply can't find a way to attack the enemy.
    7. The campaign map lags awfully. If you select an army or agent the game will simply almost freeze, with FPS of around 5. This has nothing to do with my computer and is the same for everyone.
    8. The game doesn't even look good. The graphics you see in the trailers aren't the same ones you'll see in the game; I have everything on max and the game still looks fairly ugly and dark and gloomy. It's not a pretty game.    … Expand
  30. tontonfun
    Sep 8, 2013
    0
    You can tell that the people who rated this game weren't biased!
    Did they even play the game? Or did they just watch the trailer?
    I give it a ZERO( 0 because I felt that I was lied to by these people.
    It is a good for nothing piece of garbage, just like Skyrim. But
    in this case the majority are not in a trance, yelling ROMA!
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 71 Critic Reviews

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