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. VendettaBB
    Nov 22, 2013
    1
    I really would not trust these high reviews that are coming up now praising CA for patching the game and "fixing it" in their eyes. Most of these people are just advertising blood and gore ("oh my blood and gore dlc is so amazing it makes the game so fun") really? like do you have family at CA or what? Give me a break. And no they did not give us "a bunch of free dlc" like some of theseI really would not trust these high reviews that are coming up now praising CA for patching the game and "fixing it" in their eyes. Most of these people are just advertising blood and gore ("oh my blood and gore dlc is so amazing it makes the game so fun") really? like do you have family at CA or what? Give me a break. And no they did not give us "a bunch of free dlc" like some of these phoney reviews are pointing out to. What... some uninteresting factions that were cut from the original game is somehow supposed to win me over now? Of course they couldn't sell it as DLC they would just look like a bunch of morons like they are for marketing the blood and gore pack and then having the audacity to call that Patch 6. lol, oh and the state of the game you might ask? Again don't believe these fraudulent reviewers that have been attempting to raise the score. The game is still poorly optimized for high end machines and patch 7 has gone live. (I have AMD FX 8350 8 core, GeForce GTX 670 and 8 GB ram and the campaign map is still stuttering very noticeably, aka low frame rates). The UI is as ugly as it was at release (the pre-alpha looking ui), the trivial design decisions are still in the game armies cannot be merged as effectively (general has to be in an army), armies can instantly turn into ships, no seasons and 1 turn per year, broken politics system that has no use replacing the family tree, ai is still horrible and lackluster (still much worse than previous entries) after CA has attempted to patch it, battles are still very non-strategic (capture the flag, broken siege battles, broken formations and on and on), truthfully the game is so painfully broken compared to shogun 2 that I actually don't even have the urge to engage in battles let alone even play past several turns (I always go back after patches hoping it might be the one to at least fix some problems but I've been disappointed for over 2 months now). The game is not even in a beta state, now going on 3 months after release, CA has completely sold out and basically robbed us of our money, people telling you otherwise are flat out lying or are completely unaware or ignorant of what constitutes quality. I've poured over 500 hours into Shogun 2 and that was the pinnacle of the total war series. Rome 2 still does not even come close. I'm being as honest as I can after having my heart broken (this was my most anticipated game of the year).… Expand
  2. Galather
    Nov 22, 2013
    10
    Although at launch the game was dismal and completely unplayable the developers truly have made efforts in trying to fix their mistakes and even offered a lot of free DLC for those who stuck with them despite their failings.
    A lot of the game's previous errors have been fixed and the game is now enjoyable, especially the campaign. Granted there are some flaws to the game but not so much    Although at launch the game was dismal and completely unplayable the developers truly have made efforts in trying to fix their mistakes and even offered a lot of free DLC for those who stuck with them despite their failings.
    A lot of the game's previous errors have been fixed and the game is now enjoyable, especially the campaign. Granted there are some flaws to the game but not so much that I would degrade their score.

    Keep up the good work CA!    … Expand
  3. ghostwarrior30
    Nov 21, 2013
    9
    In today's world, where so-called "eye-gasms" have become the defining norm, CA & Sega have bucked the trend and put strategy back into RTS. Gone are the days of mindless button-spamming games (Age of Empires, anyone?) and created a game to make people think for once. This is not for everyone, even those who have countless experience with previous Total War titles. This is TW: RTSIn today's world, where so-called "eye-gasms" have become the defining norm, CA & Sega have bucked the trend and put strategy back into RTS. Gone are the days of mindless button-spamming games (Age of Empires, anyone?) and created a game to make people think for once. This is not for everyone, even those who have countless experience with previous Total War titles. This is TW: RTS Stereotypes Redefined. Yes, the interface can be confusing. Took me 10 hours to learn. Patience is key. If you're having trouble learning the game, start with Empire:TW and move up from there. That should give a better understanding of the game (much less interface). Blood & Gore DLC is fantastic! Reminds me of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

    I have not a single issue regarding graphics. Pre-ordered the game and had no issues from day one. AI has been extremely challenging (especially with increased difficulty); learn how to use units properly and shouldn't be too hard. That said, Rome is over-powered; I recommend the Nomadic or Barbarian tribes for maximum challenge. I have yet to see a video game, console-based or not, with better historical accuracy. The research done was extensive (history major, FYI). Zoom in on units for conversation fun and each member's unique face.

    Blood & Gore DLC is fantastic! Reminds me of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

    Specs: iBuyPower i-Series 301 Quad-Core w/ATI Radeon 7750 (non-integrated), 16gig ram, 1tb memory.    … Expand
  4. MoonUnit
    Nov 20, 2013
    10
    I have played most TW games starting with Shogun1. Love this type of game. I missed Rome1 so was ready for Rome2. Bought it a couple weeks after release and am so glad I did. Started playing campaign as Gaule. Having a blast. Camera view in battles in great fun seeing the chopping up close with the blood pack. Next campaign I will try elephants. So many cool nations to play.I have played most TW games starting with Shogun1. Love this type of game. I missed Rome1 so was ready for Rome2. Bought it a couple weeks after release and am so glad I did. Started playing campaign as Gaule. Having a blast. Camera view in battles in great fun seeing the chopping up close with the blood pack. Next campaign I will try elephants. So many cool nations to play. Barbarians are best. Have not had any bugs, just some lag sometimes on campaign map. I play on Ultra settings. Gotta roll now and continue conquering.… Expand
  5. hansoner
    Nov 19, 2013
    3
    Loved Rome 1. Rome 2 has too many glitches. Senate serves no purpose and just gets in the way. Game CONSTANTLY freezes (which is extra annoying after waiting 10 minutes for it to load). Fun when it works properly, but lately it has froze on more turns than it hasn't for me. Spend your money elsewhere. The frustration is not worth the cost.
  6. Onebadbasterd
    Nov 19, 2013
    5
    At this point 2 months and a few days after it's release it's beggining to be ''playable''. (Thanks to some mods also)

    I was one of those who DID pre-order this game and sadly was deceived by SEGA and CA that made false promises and false advertisement...But that is another story. Buy the game at your own risk because it's the Stripped Feautures,DLC Whoring and ''X'' number of bugs    At this point 2 months and a few days after it's release it's beggining to be ''playable''. (Thanks to some mods also)

    I was one of those who DID pre-order this game and sadly was deceived by SEGA and CA that made false promises and false advertisement...But that is another story.
    Buy the game at your own risk because it's the Stripped Feautures,DLC Whoring and ''X'' number of bugs that are killing the game.

    Thanks SEGA for making our greatest expectation this year become our worst deception ever.    … Expand
  7. Theta_Sigma
    Nov 19, 2013
    8
    After 7 patches from release, I can now give this game a much better rating. There's still work to do, but the myriad problems that faced the game on release that made it unacceptably poor have been much reduced, and the game has been both fixed and also overhauled and expanded with both patches changing balance and mechanics, as well as numerous Free-LCs.

    The AI still suffers, the    After 7 patches from release, I can now give this game a much better rating. There's still work to do, but the myriad problems that faced the game on release that made it unacceptably poor have been much reduced, and the game has been both fixed and also overhauled and expanded with both patches changing balance and mechanics, as well as numerous Free-LCs.

    The AI still suffers, the simplification from previous titles is never going to go away, but now it is, finally, a good game at least. At any rate, still work to be done.    … Expand
  8. 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
  9. armo62
    Nov 18, 2013
    8
    I have waited 2 months for this game to reach its potential and it has. I was extremely disappointed in CA's rush to output this game and have lost a lot of respect for the Total war franchise. That being said they did stick to their word of patching and continuing to path until this game is golden. Finally after two months we are about there. AI still needs some work. IF rome 2 hadI have waited 2 months for this game to reach its potential and it has. I was extremely disappointed in CA's rush to output this game and have lost a lot of respect for the Total war franchise. That being said they did stick to their word of patching and continuing to path until this game is golden. Finally after two months we are about there. AI still needs some work. IF rome 2 had released in the current state it is now I would give this game a 9/10 but since im a patient fellow I waited to see what the devs would do with the broken game until giving it a fair review.… Expand
  10. DarkMandalore
    Nov 18, 2013
    7
    After 90 hours I can say I like the game quite a bit although I'm somewhat disappointed in it. They made a bold move trying the new system's out but some have come out tedious or limiting by quite a bit. I miss that in the first Rome you could have as many troops as you could afford and split them into as many "armies" as you liked general or no general, the only limitations were did youAfter 90 hours I can say I like the game quite a bit although I'm somewhat disappointed in it. They made a bold move trying the new system's out but some have come out tedious or limiting by quite a bit. I miss that in the first Rome you could have as many troops as you could afford and split them into as many "armies" as you liked general or no general, the only limitations were did you have enough available population and do you have the income to sustain your armies. I also miss being able to fully develop cities and towns with all upgrades based on population rather than having 3-6 slots to work with total. In most towns you can't have any walls, not even a simple defensive palisade. There are definitely some nasty bugs, though the worst I've personally encountered is when the enemy is coming from the sea they tend to have at least one ship lock up where your forces cannot hit it without siege weaponry. Troops cannot board vessels on the shore to go and deal with them even if the ship in question is one they themselves came ashore on. The AI has been really tame in the world map and is purely driven by capture points in many battles. The AI will regularly try to run right through multiple phalanx formations to go right for the capture points making battles no longer about the fight so much as watching your troops murder hundreds of unthinking AI troops hell bent on taking that point regardless of what's in the way. The food and squalor system is somewhat obnoxious. You'll have entire town building sets dedicated to one or the other. There's a command console, but it doesn't do anything aside from closing the game when you type "quit". The AI has a nasty habit of demanding money from you for ALL diplomatic agreements, even for non-aggression treaties to keep you from attacking them, yes, that's right, they want YOU to pay THEM to keep you from attacking and conquering them. Auto-resolve can be quite inaccurate on occasion, some battles you'll walk up to say you would lose almost all your troops but then you fight it and lose almost none of your men while others put you in favor when the enemy actually has a notably superior force. That doesn't happen often but it does happen enough to be mentioned. There is no demand surrender button in battles for use when you've got a notable upper hand, only "Concede Defeat" meaning that if you have a bug like I mentioned earlier and no battle timer then you cannot hope to win courtesy of a stupid glitch.

    That all said there are a lot of positives. The graphics are great, especially if you get a mod to remove the grainy, always afternoonish effect. When there's no capture point combat seems to be MUCH better, the AI actually tries to fight instead of running right through your lines. The map looks great. I LOVE the new line of sight features. Even though, like I said, the AI is fairly tame to the player, you'll see the borders of nations change frequently, wars happen quite often and can be vicious often completely devouring entire nations. New nations rise and fall often. There's several ways to make your money and if you do it right you can run your nation tax free with the maximum in full flag armies. Cities look nice and are usually pretty well built. No nation is immune to defeat. HUGE world map. I'm really liking the spy agent capabilities, no campaign is complete without them really. It's pretty darn fun to play once you snag the right balance mods from such places as the steam workshop or TWCenter. There are many mods you can get and if you like you can mod it yourself for a custom balanced game tailored to your idea of a proper balance.

    If there was one major addition I'd like to see it would be something along the lines of a big continent expansion allowing you to play all of Africa and Asia as well as Europe complete with local factions of the time. I hope with the future they can fix the issues I've listed and put out some awesome expansion grade content at the same time. The game will take work to be perfect, but it's not bad. It's not a typical Total War game, but it's still one I'd recommend.    … Expand
  11. gobble-de-goop
    Nov 17, 2013
    1
    I really wanted to like this game and have now played it quite a bit and it is terrible, big waste of money and because i bought it through steam I can't get a refund which just adds insult to injury.
    -no guard mode
    -skirmish mode occasionally works, but most of the time involves babysitting every skirmishing unit and totally takes the fun out of the battle -most battles become a great    I really wanted to like this game and have now played it quite a bit and it is terrible, big waste of money and because i bought it through steam I can't get a refund which just adds insult to injury.
    -no guard mode
    -skirmish mode occasionally works, but most of the time involves babysitting every skirmishing unit and totally takes the fun out of the battle
    -most battles become a great big scrum, with little chance of using tactics and are over far too quickly
    -unit card is way too big, and very hard to differentiate between your different unit groups
    -little variation in units between different factions
    -AI is still too dumb
    -can't split your armies up as there always has to be a general in the army
    -armies can have there own ships making navies pointless
    -naval battles are rubbish, little room to maneuver and controls don't work properly, i fought the first few but after much frustration i just auto-resolve now.
    -graphics aren't much of an improvement from the original Rome
    -1 turn per year so no seasons, and not that much movement considering your turn spans an entire year
    -when you do anything with your various agents you can't move them anywhere else in the same turn, even if you only moved them a short distance in the first place
    -projection of the campaign map is distorted

    Really to make this a fair review I should mention the good points of this game, of which there a few, but as CA can't be arsed to release a properly working game and instead have come to rely on the lovely modders to make their games awesome, I can't be arsed to write about the good points. I came, I saw, I got pissed off.    … Expand
  12. 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
  13. dlfrutos
    Nov 17, 2013
    2
    Terrible. Worse than Total War: Rome. The only good thing are the graphics.

    Horrible UI.
    Horrendously confusing unit cards.
    Poorly optimized.
    Fix the triremes.
    Where is my guard button.
    Make a unit card that covers half my screen.
  14. texasyankee2002
    Nov 17, 2013
    0
    No seasons? The AI is dumber. SLOW to load SLOW to take a turn. 1 YEAR turns. Tactical battles are a useless, as you have no real control over when your units fire or not. No defense button? Groups that's all you got. Groups. No improvement in GFX and it seems that was the major focus. I am uninstalling, and going back to Rome Total War 1. WAYYY more enjoyable. At least I canNo seasons? The AI is dumber. SLOW to load SLOW to take a turn. 1 YEAR turns. Tactical battles are a useless, as you have no real control over when your units fire or not. No defense button? Groups that's all you got. Groups. No improvement in GFX and it seems that was the major focus. I am uninstalling, and going back to Rome Total War 1. WAYYY more enjoyable. At least I can tell what the unit cards are, and what faction I am playing. UGH.… Expand
  15. DatGamingCritic
    Nov 17, 2013
    5
    Rome II... A good game but first one is the better of the two. In this TW you can only choose I think it is 12 factions from what I remember. In the old one it was 24. However the graphics are stunning but the gameplay is lousy. It's just basically troops go there. They attack for 2 minuets. In the old one it's more Troops go there. Wait fall back! Because there are like 400 odd troops onRome II... A good game but first one is the better of the two. In this TW you can only choose I think it is 12 factions from what I remember. In the old one it was 24. However the graphics are stunning but the gameplay is lousy. It's just basically troops go there. They attack for 2 minuets. In the old one it's more Troops go there. Wait fall back! Because there are like 400 odd troops on the other side. I don't know. This one just seems a bit meh to me.

    Overall
    -Amazing Graphics
    -Not enough Factions
    -Easy gameplay
    Score 57/100    … Expand
  16. Liteit
    Nov 17, 2013
    4
    Great franchise which i liked since the first Rome. But this game is terrible. they just made out a raw game, which is practically unplayable with its poor optimization and crashes. Obviously they would fix everything but the first impression is ruined. Hope next time they won't treat their fans like that.
  17. wwaattttss
    Nov 16, 2013
    8
    Rome Total war 2 is the most up to date Total War and it has almost perfected the series. They have toned down the micro management that cluttered the last game. This game is about fighting and it is wonderful at it. Each unit has its own ability's and strengths and weakness and the game makes you feel like every unit is different. Although the brilliant strategy this game has it dose haveRome Total war 2 is the most up to date Total War and it has almost perfected the series. They have toned down the micro management that cluttered the last game. This game is about fighting and it is wonderful at it. Each unit has its own ability's and strengths and weakness and the game makes you feel like every unit is different. Although the brilliant strategy this game has it dose have it problems to, the AI can sometimes do stupid and suicide moves and the auto resolve battles can be a bit overpowers as it lest you win some battles you may not normal win. Overall this game is a strategy Gem and is very fun to play, you will spend hours fighting for your land.… Expand
  18. AlexCe
    Nov 16, 2013
    0
    Jeux pas fini: bug, synchronisation aléatoire en multi, unité débile (on pose l'échelle, on regarde l'échelle, et on attend de crever), icône des bâtiments très moche, interface largement inférieur celle de Shogun II. Bref un formidable bon en arrière
  19. 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!!
  20. Nogard123
    Nov 15, 2013
    1
    Go play Rome 1,it's a far better game then this.
    The AI was never very good in these games but in Rome 2 is just one big joke.
    Also the day one dlc leaves a bad taste and lets not talk about the horrible UI.

    I though it wasn't possible but this is even worse then Empire.
    So people,do not pre-order ....Ever and don't support these greedy weasels.
  21. 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.
  22. andreagr
    Nov 15, 2013
    9
    Non ho trovato nessuno dei difetti menzionati. AI non perdona gli errori, grafica assolutamente accettabile, UI identica ai vecchi giochi con in più la possibilità di nascondere tutto. In più una mappa enorme, moltissime fazioni e assedi finalmente giocabili degnamente, come nel primo Rome. Forse sotto Empire ma anni luce avanti Shogun2
  23. kvaroyaldo
    Nov 15, 2013
    2
    Rome 2 is quite nice to look at if you got a decent gaming rig. However, thats about it.
    I certainly do not play strategy games for their looks. Thats just a bonus for me.
    The issues with rome 2 are: -horrible ai -same ai mistakes since empire(sometimes the ai will attack your city, but they wont do anything, just stand still outside your walls) -bad ui -poor performance    Rome 2 is quite nice to look at if you got a decent gaming rig. However, thats about it.
    I certainly do not play strategy games for their looks. Thats just a bonus for me.

    The issues with rome 2 are:
    -horrible ai
    -same ai mistakes since empire(sometimes the ai will attack your city, but they wont do anything, just stand still outside your walls)
    -bad ui
    -poor performance
    -multiplayer is a gigantic letdown (co-op campaign, vs campaign and battles)
    -endgame/late game is just boring
    -the game is way too easy because the ai is quite passive(ive never run into some huge ai empire)

    I really really wanted to like this game. I really did. I even bought a friend another copy of the game so we could co-op the campaign. We have spent some 100+ hours on that bit, but we havent been able to finish it. We get desynched around 50 turns into the game. You can feel the game at that point is extremely slow. The save games stop working. All sorts of bugs ranging from ctd to bluescreenofdeath, all depending on which of the 2 of us click first when ai attacks us on the ai turn. have tried to start over 2 times, but with the same result. Unable to finish it because all sorts of bugs and glitches come around. Really painfull.
    Ive spent more time in co-op trying to get the game to work, than we have spent time actually playing it.
    The whole faction/political thing is just a realm divide. However you beat it quite easy. And from there on out it is a complete breeze. Making the last part of the game feel like a complete chore.

    Another thing which really annoys me is that some guy made a mod which basicly makes you able to play all the factions. They are all there, on your hdd. However Sega/CA seem to gone completely off the wall when it comes to dlc's. It leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.

    True, some mods do help. But you shouldnt rely on the community to fix your 60 dollar game. It should be working from the second you buy it.

    The 3 different types of agents have too similar actions. The ingame wiki is painfully slow.
    The agent/general upgrades window is a mess.

    This is an overpriced game which doesnt even come close to your expectations of a Total War game.
    And I am a huge fan of the series. I got every single of them bar shogun 1.
    A real shame. This could have been so good.    … Expand
  24. sirxchrish
    Nov 15, 2013
    5
    The game isn't bad but it's not good either and it certainly can't hold a candle to it's predecessor Rome 1. So here are a couple of things I liked and didn't like. This is just my opinion, so it's all debatable.

    Thing's I didn't like- -Dumbest AI. (Self-Explanatory.) -Shallow Campaign and Questionable In-game Design. (No Family Tree, Bare-boned Political System, Meaningless    The game isn't bad but it's not good either and it certainly can't hold a candle to it's predecessor Rome 1. So here are a couple of things I liked and didn't like. This is just my opinion, so it's all debatable.

    Thing's I didn't like-

    -Dumbest AI. (Self-Explanatory.)

    -Shallow Campaign and Questionable In-game Design. (No Family Tree, Bare-boned Political System, Meaningless Objectives/Victory Conditions, No cut-scenes or unique transformations with agents, Too many unplayable factions make conquering the world a very tedious task, Bland User-Interface, Unnecessary limit on how many generals or agents you can have, No general's speeches, etc.)

    -Inferior Music Score. (It's predecessor, Rome 1 had a way better soundtrack.)

    -Horrendous Multi-player. (No avatar system, Constant Crashes and Desynchronizations.)

    Things I liked-

    -Custom Battles. (Gives me the option to fight where I want, with the units I want.)

    -The Blood and Gore DLC. (I'm sanguinary.)

    -Military Traditions/Edicts/Expanding Cities in Campaign. (I loved making each of my individual armies unique with it's own traditions which add bonuses to their fighting ability. I liked the edicts cause they saved my men from starving to death with the Bread and Games edict. I also loved that animation where the city changes in appearance before your very eyes while on the campaign map.)

    -The Modability. (The Best Part of Total War Games are the creations that it's fans come up with.)    … Expand
  25. Lopsang
    Nov 14, 2013
    5
    Rome 2 has an awesome concept and I've been a fan of the series for a long time. Unfortunately, SEGA wanted the devs to rollout the game maybe some 6 months to a year too early. As a result, the game is incredibly slow for no purpose, and bugs are rife. Buy this game during a sale.
  26. generalryan
    Nov 13, 2013
    0
    Have been playing total war since the original medieval total war and I have to say even months post release this game is still a sore sight. I hope CA's image is destroyed enough so they release quality games again. This company has gone from quality to trash very quickly. Their getting greedy off the fat cash cow they have created.

    For those who says "they will fix the game soon".    Have been playing total war since the original medieval total war and I have to say even months post release this game is still a sore sight. I hope CA's image is destroyed enough so they release quality games again. This company has gone from quality to trash very quickly. Their getting greedy off the fat cash cow they have created.

    For those who says "they will fix the game soon". When I buy a game I expect my money's worth. For a game to cost me 60 dollars I have some expectations. I don't expect to be waiting months after launch to have the game playable. I don't care how hard their working to fix it right now I care that I got an unfinished game they decided to sell me. I am a fanboy of this franchise and I for one can tell you that I will personally not buy any more total war games for a long time. After very very careful observation after launch will I even consider buying any new releases.

    Shame on CA what they are doing to their franchise. Hopefully people wake up and stop patting them on the back for their mistakes. I'm not being impatient when I say this game is crap and their still release patches. They released the game, it should be solid upon release as a costumer that is my expectation.

    Either way stay away I lost my $60, no reason you should too.    … Expand
  27. Ender1183
    Nov 13, 2013
    6
    I would figure I would finish a Campaign before I made a recommendation. I just didn't know it would take 80 hours to finish. If you a fan of the Total war series chances are you have already have this game and have either been blinded by your fandom or the hype that this would be the best TW to date. It didn't take me long to quickly realized this was a rushed game, put out several monthsI would figure I would finish a Campaign before I made a recommendation. I just didn't know it would take 80 hours to finish. If you a fan of the Total war series chances are you have already have this game and have either been blinded by your fandom or the hype that this would be the best TW to date. It didn't take me long to quickly realized this was a rushed game, put out several months before it was ready. I can only imagine that CA was forced by Sega to get the game out before some of the other big titles of the holiday season got out. There are several features that where in previous TW games such as the political and family system that where not even half as complete in past games. I completely didn’t care what happened to my family if someone was being bribed or shamed, I just didn't care. I was really happy when I won my civil war and could be an empire so I would not be bothered by the family bs.
    As for the campaign map you end up building the same 3 builds to have enough food and keep public order under control. This makes it almost impossible to upgrade your army or economy and very boring since you can't specialize a providence until late in the game. I'm sure if I started a new campaign I would have an easier time but since there is no building tree that is easy to compare buildings, even of the same type, there is a lot of trial and error before you can get the balance right. An other problem I ran into was that the auto resolve doesn’t seem to take into account the quality of your units. There where several battles where I would lose in the auto but crush the AI in a battle. The research is also out of balance even after 200 turns unless you focus on one tree you can't even upgrade to the best builds. Which is also impossible because you will have bad pubic order of lack of food because you ignored those trees. Over all I would say once you beat your civil war that is a good place to stop. After that it is a steam roll over the AI who is to passive or has so horribly manage there own providence they are starving to death. Its too bad there weren’t options to have a short campaign and start later so you could see some of the late builds and units when they would matter.
    It has been a common theme that the AI in the TW series has always been bad but this game takes it to a new level. Don't bother with sieges just auto resolve. The AI will run to there death when attacking or sit there and get pounded by your artillery until they are so softened up that sending in a few units in will make them rout. After been told that is was going to be the best AI yet it is actually worst then any other. There have been some improvements with the patches but it is still easy to beat the AI in a battle and on the campaign map... unless you play on a harder setting but all that does is buff there morale, armor and income.
    Tried a few MP battles but it seems that is has come down to who can macro the fastest and press a units special ability buff the most. There is no chance to sit back and watch the units fight it out or use much more of a strategy then rush your units in spamming the special ability and flanking your cav around to the back to make units rout. Well it was fun to play against friend and make your own rules you can't really do that against pubs.
    Overall I did enjoy the era and the workshop looks like it is starting to fill up with some interesting mods and tweaks. Hopefully CA can patch up this game but I have a feeling they will save any changes for the expiation pack. If you haven't played TW before I would look and see if you can pick up Empire up for cheap before getting this game. If you are a fan and just held off buying(good for you) I wouldn't pay more then 30 bucks. By then it maybe patched up enough to make it enjoyable and with the workshop there maybe a few decent mods to fill in the games.    … Expand
  28. jeanluq
    Nov 13, 2013
    1
    This game is just plain boring, turns still taking forever after all these patches. Will give it 1 because CA marketing spend a lot of money to bribe critics for positive reviews, also 10 reviews by users showing up on the top, does not make sense. This game true score is about 4. Never been this disappointed with a TW game.

    - Battle deployment is clumsy, armies too far away,    This game is just plain boring, turns still taking forever after all these patches. Will give it 1 because CA marketing spend a lot of money to bribe critics for positive reviews, also 10 reviews by users showing up on the top, does not make sense. This game true score is about 4. Never been this disappointed with a TW game.

    - Battle deployment is clumsy, armies too far away, invisibility is not cool at all, AI still dumb as heck, no pleasure, strategy whatsoever.
    - Turns are painfully slow, diplomacy messages pop-up and ask for double confirmation, very very very annoying.
    - Unit cards are Greek looking instead of Roman, and it is nearly impossible to distinguish among similar units.
    - Gladiators, Praetorians need more power, need to be more expensive, elite units, not marginal.
    - Battle and diplomacy speeches are very annoying and repetitive, someone yelling and screaming all the time while you are playing this game makes it total ****.
    - Music is total mood-killer, sad, pity tunes, no excitement even during battles.
    - Fast forward does not work with large armies, we only need normal and fast forward, not 5 freaking different useless speeds.
    - Now, one of the biggest disappointment is an introduction of "magic", general super-powers, heroes etc. not going to even comment on having to assign different trait to generals every turn, and lack of family tree. Nonsense.
    CA, Sega Why did you mess up this game so much, and how did you manage to mess up every freaking aspect that was working well in the previous TW games???    … Expand
  29. 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
  30. Eagleslb
    Nov 13, 2013
    1
    Rome 2 is the self claimed top notch project of ca(Creative assembly), with the biggest development budget ever, regardless, its a major setback to the series ,the ai is beyond dumb utterly useless ,i ve never been declared war on with two finished campaigns IN LEGENDARY ,Campaign lacks depth with an oversimplified research and build tree ,no family tree ,the FPS is infernal for someRome 2 is the self claimed top notch project of ca(Creative assembly), with the biggest development budget ever, regardless, its a major setback to the series ,the ai is beyond dumb utterly useless ,i ve never been declared war on with two finished campaigns IN LEGENDARY ,Campaign lacks depth with an oversimplified research and build tree ,no family tree ,the FPS is infernal for some (with recommended specs) ,and the Multiplayer is a hive of cheaters with a useless ladder where the top 1 had already over 100 Victories in the end of the release week with a couple hours of game plug cheat over9000000000, and if you think this is bad enough do hear this :after the patch 4 they made those that press the admit defeat button or simply exit the exe be awarded with a draw making the faithful side look like idiots this made the cheating epidemic to the point the MP (battle) becoming unplayble .with no fix in sight only vague promises like this is a very complex problem ,a problem they created themselves with patch 4 ,they care not ,the money from these poor creatures that pre ordered or bought at a usuary price of 54 euros was already harvested .

    No balance whatsoever ,Spam pike units and oathsworns/ galatian guard /elite unit and you are done ,good game if your opponent didnt leave/admited defeat/o the unplug the net cheat which is unlikely.
    They sold us all kinds of lies :Best ai ever ,an optimized game regarding your rig capabilities ,Balance, best Tw ever historical accuracy all lies. They supressed the loose/tight button ,the guard mode ,fire at will button only in certain units with missiles not all ,the players are dumb they must play how we tell them to play(thinks the CA),Surprisingly they have introduced an historical discovery: Celts used pillum!!! Suebic/iceni(iceni lmfao)/arveni /galatians/thorax all do throw pillum! how proud must the roman be!.

    It seems like im angry, why should i be This is such a splendid game loool

    Oh wait i forgot the magic powers now our guys can run arround the field 4 or 5 times and the by pressing the secound wind the general will surpress their fatigue ,or by pressing the shout button the general will shout so loud that the nemy will flee! OMG OMG    … 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

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.
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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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