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. PaulPalski
    Sep 21, 2013
    8
    It is a great game that was unfortunately released in beta form. I'm still having a lot of fun playing. CA seems to be working on fixing major issues since the release.
  2. miyadaman
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    There sure are a lot of whiners around on the internet. Look, I understand being frustrated about the game not playing correctly on your machine, but at least acknowledge that it's different for every machine and try to review the actual game after getting that out of the way. For the record, I run the game on Ultra settings and it runs perfectly fine. My friend has bad lag but stillThere sure are a lot of whiners around on the internet. Look, I understand being frustrated about the game not playing correctly on your machine, but at least acknowledge that it's different for every machine and try to review the actual game after getting that out of the way. For the record, I run the game on Ultra settings and it runs perfectly fine. My friend has bad lag but still enjoys it.

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

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

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

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

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

    Overall, there's a great game here with technical issues. I would give this a 9/10 but one can't overlook the technical issues. Therefore, it should be around a 6-7 on what it currently is. Personally, I view the problems it has as completely fixable so I side closer to a 7. Ignore the children screaming bloody murder over a few bugs.    … Expand
  3. vcvc8
    Sep 3, 2013
    10
    I opened an account just to post this review.

    First off, don't listen to the people complaining about bad graphics, it's just a bug and actually while playing it seemed to get a bit better. Second, the map is gigantic, I am lost in how complex this game is, in a good way. This game is just as good as my favorite, Medieval 2 Total War, maybe even better, because I didn't even get to    I opened an account just to post this review.

    First off, don't listen to the people complaining about bad graphics, it's just a bug and actually while playing it seemed to get a bit better.

    Second, the map is gigantic, I am lost in how complex this game is, in a good way. This game is just as good as my favorite, Medieval 2 Total War, maybe even better, because I didn't even get to discover much of it.

    Third, why complain about the DLC? it's meant for people who didn't pre-order and might want the Greek States. They have to make some sort of profit, and also, if this DLC wasn't made at all the staff would have to be laid off because in the pre-release phase they're doing nothing and not getting paid, so this so called "horrible" day one DLC actually saves them. Plus, you don't have to buy the DLC, if you think it's so meaningless there's no reason for you to get it at all, so you shouldn't give the game a 0 because of that, especially if you didn't even buy it.    … Expand
  4. chillbrah
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    The game is amazing, but not finished. I have played 5-6 hours as the Iceni tribe and honestly have not run into a single bug. People are crying over how over hyped and terrible this game is even though its only the 2nd day since its release. Give it some time before you give it such a bad rating. Yes, CA should of released a alpha or beta testing to the community and maybe that wouldThe game is amazing, but not finished. I have played 5-6 hours as the Iceni tribe and honestly have not run into a single bug. People are crying over how over hyped and terrible this game is even though its only the 2nd day since its release. Give it some time before you give it such a bad rating. Yes, CA should of released a alpha or beta testing to the community and maybe that would reduce the amount of problems but they didn't so quit crying. the game is not as broke as many of you say it to be.… Expand
  5. Paylot
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    Terrible UI, confusing unit cards, the graphics are... well, weird. NEVERTHELESS, the game itself is very good. Lets just wait for some patches and hope they will do something with the UI, unit cards and they kick in some anti-aliasing. Meanwhile, it is still a fun game to play, although you get lost in the UI.
  6. Sholman
    Feb 18, 2014
    9
    I am a pretty big fan of the Total War series, and I do not see why so many people are giving this game less than a five. I have personally experienced only a few glitches and some minor lag. Besides the minor technical problems, the actual game itself is very entertaining and expansive. The map is huge, there are dozens of different, unique faction, including several you can play as, andI am a pretty big fan of the Total War series, and I do not see why so many people are giving this game less than a five. I have personally experienced only a few glitches and some minor lag. Besides the minor technical problems, the actual game itself is very entertaining and expansive. The map is huge, there are dozens of different, unique faction, including several you can play as, and the battles are detailed and fun. I understand if it is not worth in the $50-60 range for some people, but it is definitely a quality game.… Expand
  7. Vythica
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    I will get right to the point. If you enjoy Grand Strategy games, or a fan of the Total War series....Rome 2 is a must. CA have improved on every aspect, from Campaign map depth....Land, Siege to Naval Battles....It does have it's bugs however, as with every TW Title on release, it is not enough to pull you away from playing though.

    The only big issue i have with Rome 2 is the    I will get right to the point. If you enjoy Grand Strategy games, or a fan of the Total War series....Rome 2 is a must. CA have improved on every aspect, from Campaign map depth....Land, Siege to Naval Battles....It does have it's bugs however, as with every TW Title on release, it is not enough to pull you away from playing though.

    The only big issue i have with Rome 2 is the performance....On a PC that could play Shogun 2 with all settings maxed and getting high frame rates. (70 fps Rome 2 can look worse at times...and achieve really bad Fps with the same settings (30-40fps)

    Hopefully, CA Will fix these issues soon.    … Expand
  8. Sarik
    Sep 3, 2013
    10
    This game has some bad bugs and graphics optimalizatons, but that is no reason to rate this otherwise awesome game so low. It will get better, and you know it
  9. Relian
    Sep 3, 2013
    10
    Great game so far, I love all the new features in Rome II. Haven't had any crashes or issues so far, just some minor glitches which are to be expected of a new release with so many changes from previous Total War titles. I don't know yet if this game is as good as Shogun II but time will tell, so far it's been great and very addicting.

    If you like Total War type of games, you'll almost    Great game so far, I love all the new features in Rome II. Haven't had any crashes or issues so far, just some minor glitches which are to be expected of a new release with so many changes from previous Total War titles. I don't know yet if this game is as good as Shogun II but time will tell, so far it's been great and very addicting.

    If you like Total War type of games, you'll almost certainly love this one.    … Expand
  10. snipe3pt0
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    This game is great. There seems to be an issue with optimization for some. I have been lucky enough to only have some fps issues and that's all. The new features and diplomatic systems are really an improvement to me. My major complaint with the game itself not the bugs that will be ironed out in time. Is that the battles are over too quickly. Despite that I love the game and see at leastThis game is great. There seems to be an issue with optimization for some. I have been lucky enough to only have some fps issues and that's all. The new features and diplomatic systems are really an improvement to me. My major complaint with the game itself not the bugs that will be ironed out in time. Is that the battles are over too quickly. Despite that I love the game and see at least 100 plus hours of my life slipping away its glory!… Expand
  11. Ohanka
    Sep 3, 2013
    10
    Best yet! Ignore the complainers about performance issues. They just can't accept their underpowered PC can't play this game on ultra settings. Played it for 12 hours since release.
  12. Dangoesforth
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Whilst there is a higher barrier of entry than past Total War games (Except Empire), the player is thoroughly rewarded with a rich and highly varied strategy game, which demonstrates Creative Assembly's continual ability to innovate upon its basic formula which has grown for over a decade.
    Presentation- It is quite clear that authenticity has become a clear objective for CA, as Rome II is by far the best of the series and also any other series in presenting you with a realistic world. Be it either with the now astonishing cities with specific landmarks and factional/demographic traits, to the detail on every soldiers face and gear, all of which you can zoom in to see in all its splendor. The only issue that has become apparent is some launch graphical problems and FPS losses which many have encountered, these are highly likely easy to fix, but with a powerful rig most of these problems will not occur, those with less powerful machines will see a drastic loss of performance, more than you would expect anyway.
    Gameplay- With a satisfying prologue featuring strong voice action (Mark Strong) Rome II comfortably introduces a new player to the series and demonstrates the changes to Total War Veterans. One of the biggest changes made is the recruitment of armies, no longer are armies queued within a city, but requested from organised armies. This may cause problems for veterans as it makes a huge difference of the way one goes about attacking and defending provinces; however this is a welcome change as it streamlines the process of recruitment of requesting troops to exactly where you want without a rally point being needed from multiple cities. Other changes from the province system allowing the player to macro-manage multiple cities, avoids the complexities faced with past Total war games; to the new diplomatic options which have become much more intuitive in striking deals and easier to deal with, though it still has some faults, with unrealistic AI demands which just have no justification.
    Another major change from a gameplay aspect is the ability to embark upon Land & Sea battles simultaneously, this adds a huge variety to any battle and allows for spectacular siege battles, one of which has already been demonstrated with the Carthage historical battle, a welcome change.
    Along with other niche changes the battle system has been refined to produce by far the best Total War game of the series, with the only negatives coming from the high barrier of entry and launch graphical issues. Though it may not become a cult hit like its prequel Rome: Total War CA have created a spectacular game which will entice newcomers with its polish and grandeur and also highly satisfy Total War veterans with new refinements and updates. A true Total War game if ever I saw one. I would give this game 9.6 if I could but I will settle for a 9.    … Expand
  13. JoeBolbie
    Sep 3, 2013
    10
    Runs perfectly on my computer with no lag and lives up to my expectations. The province system is a very cool addition to the series.
    Specs: intel i7, 16gb ram, 670 gtx
  14. someguy8896
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    this game is buggy and imperfect but it's amazing anyway. the long load times and UI I keep seeing people complain about aren't a problem for me. the UI is great and simple to use when you get used to it. and if you have a powerful enough processor the load time and AI turns aren't a problem. it runs fine on high with my Nvidia gtx 550TI and Intel core I7 3930K. like I said it's buggy butthis game is buggy and imperfect but it's amazing anyway. the long load times and UI I keep seeing people complain about aren't a problem for me. the UI is great and simple to use when you get used to it. and if you have a powerful enough processor the load time and AI turns aren't a problem. it runs fine on high with my Nvidia gtx 550TI and Intel core I7 3930K. like I said it's buggy but I found nothing game breaking and it has yet to crash on me. It was worth my money and I expect that like most total war titles most of these problems will be fixed at some point with patches. 7/10 as it is. I'm not disappointed.… Expand
  15. Nemo94
    Sep 15, 2013
    9
    The game was released with some minor glitches. None of these glitches prevent you from playing/enjoying the game. That being said, I am disappointed that the game doesn't live up to the hype. The Creative assembly are currently releasing weekly patches, so most of the problems will be taken care of in the coming weeks.

    SEGA have clearly pushed CA (Creative assembly) to release this    The game was released with some minor glitches. None of these glitches prevent you from playing/enjoying the game. That being said, I am disappointed that the game doesn't live up to the hype. The Creative assembly are currently releasing weekly patches, so most of the problems will be taken care of in the coming weeks.

    SEGA have clearly pushed CA (Creative assembly) to release this game before it was ready. So all the hate toward the developers is quite unfair. They have a record for making amazing games and I'm sure this one will be no different. It might take a few weeks for the game to reach it's full potential, but at present it's still a very good addition to the franchise.    … Expand
  16. majoortje
    Sep 15, 2013
    10
    10/10, 85 hours in and even though there are numerous bugs and balancing issues, it is AWESOME. The battles are huge and the animations are supreme, dozens of units with huge variety and thousands of directions to go in. Combined assaults and the other new features make this the best TW ever!
  17. Dairko
    Sep 4, 2013
    7
    I have to say... I don't really understand the crap-storm that this game is getting.

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

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

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

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

    While its got its many problems, the game is not quite broken. All ports checked, this game is a must buy for total war fans. But it may be best for others to wait until a few of the weekly patches are made. This game deserves a bit less than it got from critics, but deserves much more than a bunch of quickly thrown out 0/10s from mindless drivel when the game hasn't been fully experienced. As a release, this game gets from me: 68/100    … Expand
  18. Pc_Retro
    Nov 26, 2013
    10
    Amazing game, all bags are patched, and it is just awesome, one of, if not the best total war game. This is a must buy for total war fans, all though it did have a rocky launch, it has been fixed!
  19. bantad87
    Sep 24, 2013
    7
    As a Total War addict, I give the game a 7/10. The core design is solid; a strong gaming engine, good environment art, character art is fairly decent given the scale of the game, and the UI is pretty solid. The campaign has been streamlined to focus less on micromanagement, and more on macro in order to allow the player to focus more on battles and strategy. Unfortunately, Rome 2 suffersAs a Total War addict, I give the game a 7/10. The core design is solid; a strong gaming engine, good environment art, character art is fairly decent given the scale of the game, and the UI is pretty solid. The campaign has been streamlined to focus less on micromanagement, and more on macro in order to allow the player to focus more on battles and strategy. Unfortunately, Rome 2 suffers from bugs, glitches, and laziness in design. The battle and campaign maps suffer from transparency overdraw which results in massive FPS losses unless you lower grass, trees, and particle effects to low, The AI (at least for me) generally performs acceptably, but occasionally will glitch, fail, or make dumb decisions. Diplomacy towards the player is acceptable, but there is little-to-no diplomacy between AI factions. The AI factions are extremely intimidated by the player, and almost never declare war or assault the player. The result is a campaign AI that is easier to defeat when compared to Shogun 2's launch AI. Overall, given the scope of the game I recognize that Creative Assembly attempted a large overhaul of the series, but they failed to successfully implement the new features. Not being a pessimist, I rate the game as "average" at launch, and hope that CA will continue to patch and improve the game over the coming year. Lastly, I'd like to add that Creative Assembly has never successfully implemented a "good" AI. If we as total war fans expect good AI, we should turn to the modding community, which has always been the case with Total War games. Should all the "issues" be ironed out, I think this game would be well deserving of a rating between 8.5 and 8.8.… Expand
  20. GregWhite
    Oct 12, 2013
    10
    Ok, so this game has bugs. So what; bugs can be fixed! I don't think we should downgrade the game based on just easily fixable, albeit extremely annoying bugs. I'm rating this game based on its potential to be an amazing total war game. I cannot wait for all the dlc that will undeniably make the game a hell of a lot better. I also like how the Creative Assembly is releasing new patchesOk, so this game has bugs. So what; bugs can be fixed! I don't think we should downgrade the game based on just easily fixable, albeit extremely annoying bugs. I'm rating this game based on its potential to be an amazing total war game. I cannot wait for all the dlc that will undeniably make the game a hell of a lot better. I also like how the Creative Assembly is releasing new patches every week, with this past one (Patch 4) being the biggest yet. Yea yea a game that had such a huge marketing effort as this one shouldn't have so many bugs, especially from a game studio with such a high reputation as the Creative Assembly, but still, the potential of this game is very far reaching. I'm excited to see what becomes of it in the future.… Expand
  21. 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
  22. eieio
    Feb 17, 2014
    10
    The game is worth every penny i spent on it. I love it. i PreOrderd it and i did not have any of the problems others where having so i have never had a negative feeling towards it.
  23. Aedrone12
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    Although the AI is still pretty bad, I can't complain since I've been waiting years for this game to finally release. If you're a Total War fan, I'd highly recommend this game to you.
  24. MrDeath
    Sep 3, 2013
    10
    I'm gonna go ahead and give this a 10, just because of the lot of trolling crybabies on here smacking a 0. "Drr, give it a 0 so they don't release another game that needs a patch". Riiight.
    Let me know hot that logic works out for you pal.
    How about you stop whinning about how the game is over-valued and then you turn right around and vastly under-value it by smacking a score of 0 on a    I'm gonna go ahead and give this a 10, just because of the lot of trolling crybabies on here smacking a 0. "Drr, give it a 0 so they don't release another game that needs a patch". Riiight.
    Let me know hot that logic works out for you pal.
    How about you stop whinning about how the game is over-valued and then you turn right around and vastly under-value it by smacking a score of 0 on a Total War game? Hypocritical bull.

    The game has graphic settings ranging from low to high to very high to extreme, and it is obvious there are some graphic issues with the particle effects on the extreme/very high setting during water battles. Easy fix.
    Don't use the extreme/very high particle effects settings. Magic!

    All-in-all the game is a weaker 8 higher 7. Professional review average is closer to the mark than the trolled user score. Rome II doesn't add anything ground-breaking. It keeps the same old gameplay formulas used in many previous titles and adapts them to a modernized Rome Total War.
    Which is EXACLTY what so many people wanted to begin with. If it aint broke, don't fix it.

    It is polarizing experience. One end being any players waiting for a modern Rome Total War & any players that have been happy since Medieval 2 Total War players that know how to resolve simple graphic driver issues, in which case you will be happy & fine.
    Or on the other end: player that wants new groundbreaking RTS/player that has been unhappy since Medieval 2 Total War/player that wants ultimate graphic experience & can't handle playing on high instead of 10!@#120EXTREME!@!, in which case you will be PM-Sing all over Metacritic.    … Expand
  25. littlemonster
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    Total war franchise is my favorite cup of tea since 10 years ago. Over time, I see improvement and nearer and nearer achievement to real battle simulating. The new games still fall short of some expectation from a fan like me. However, this is the game I will play countless hours, wait for mods and patches, and play again and again, until the new one come out, or even the one after.Total war franchise is my favorite cup of tea since 10 years ago. Over time, I see improvement and nearer and nearer achievement to real battle simulating. The new games still fall short of some expectation from a fan like me. However, this is the game I will play countless hours, wait for mods and patches, and play again and again, until the new one come out, or even the one after.

    First of all, let talk on the bad side. The game GUI seems to be a lot more confusing. It is very different from earlier games. I took half an hour to realize that different between provinces and towns, and that you may control many towns but did not hold control of one province completely because 1 province may have many towns. I also had a bit difficulty with merging army. Once you created a maximum unit in an army, you cannot simple take out a unit and create a legion of itself to put in another unit to the old legion. I find a unit cards, building cards looking less appealing and confusing. HOWEVER, it is a DIFFERENT GAME, and I WELCOME THE CHANGES. I look forward to mod though.

    Second bad things about the game is the difficulty with diplomacy and finance. No one seems to want trading with you, even in good term. Every agent action costs money, yet I don't see much benefit it seems to me an agent action cost a unit for a gamble.

    Third bad thing: unit camera is great, but I have to move the mouse to click a button instead of double clicking on it. Still trying to figure out how to change that.

    Forth bad things: now sure why, but unit sizes seems to be very small in my book. And I think it is hard to mod it now.

    GOOD THINGS: the games brings in steep learning curve, new challenges, breathing in new feeling into the franchise, BRINGING REALISM AND ESCAPISM TO GAMERS I LOVE SIEGE GAME, AND COMBINE NAVY AND LAND BATTLES. I LOVE TO JUMPING UNITS TO HEAR THE OFFICER'S SPEECH !

    In all: I feel being a real general     … Expand
  26. VaeVictis
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    Don't listen to the trolls. This is a worthy successor to both Shogun II and Rome I, with all of the good qualities of both (Excellent, cinematic battle scenes, large, varied maps, naval combat for the former; varied faction and units, huge world map, and more in-depth characters for the latter) while improving some of the faults that have haunted the Total War series since its inception.Don't listen to the trolls. This is a worthy successor to both Shogun II and Rome I, with all of the good qualities of both (Excellent, cinematic battle scenes, large, varied maps, naval combat for the former; varied faction and units, huge world map, and more in-depth characters for the latter) while improving some of the faults that have haunted the Total War series since its inception. The AI still makes blunders, but on the harder difficulties, they're less frequent and rarely as bad as Shogun II's, or, God forbid, Empire's. Some of the new mechanics I like, while some I'm more on the fence about, but on the whole, I feel like the changes they made were for the better, especially the region/province/settlement system. If you're a fan of the previous games, there should be no question as to whether Rome II is right for you. If you weren't a fan before, this probably won't win you over.… Expand
  27. Doconicus
    Sep 10, 2013
    10
    Amazing. This game will be recognized as a classic. But what is more amazing is the 900+ 0-1 rating scores by people who signed up here on the same day the game was released, gave it a 0 or 1, said something about the AI (which they have no idea what they're talking about) and then left. Kind of like a 'seagull review' that is, fly in, make a racket, crap all over everything then takeAmazing. This game will be recognized as a classic. But what is more amazing is the 900+ 0-1 rating scores by people who signed up here on the same day the game was released, gave it a 0 or 1, said something about the AI (which they have no idea what they're talking about) and then left. Kind of like a 'seagull review' that is, fly in, make a racket, crap all over everything then take off.

    These people are clearly ringers sent here to stir up trouble. Rome II isn't a bad game, it's not a good game, it's a great game.    … Expand
  28. bud389
    Sep 6, 2013
    8
    So far, my experience with Rome 2 is of disappointment, but not at the AI (Which for me is working quite fine), instead it is at the horrendous optimization which Creative Assembly promised would be widely scaleable. I can't even pump out decent FPS at Very High (Which is essentially the "Normal" of the graphics options), and any changes I do make to the graphics settings seems to haveSo far, my experience with Rome 2 is of disappointment, but not at the AI (Which for me is working quite fine), instead it is at the horrendous optimization which Creative Assembly promised would be widely scaleable. I can't even pump out decent FPS at Very High (Which is essentially the "Normal" of the graphics options), and any changes I do make to the graphics settings seems to have absolutely no effect on the outcome of how it looks. Just awful. I could go on and on about the optimization, but I think I made that clear. My other disappointment was how slow-paced it's become, with turns taking well over a minute long to resolve once you get to your 25-30th turn, which means that around 10-15% of your gameplay experience (depending on how long you take to end each turn), will end up being just the resolve action of clicking the "End Turn" button.

    Those problems aside, I have encountered next to no AI or gameplay glitches, and when it works, it works perfectly fine. The campaign AI is unreasonably aggressive and hard to diplomatically communicate with though, rarely if ever coming to a "moderate" or "high" chance of success, and even then if it's only a moderate chance, you'll still more than likely fail in your diplomacy.

    But, there is a silver lining here; CONTENT. Rome 2 has literally HUNDREDS of unique units, and the units that are shared between factions, are designed to fit around the factions themselves, so no simple color-swaps here like in Rome 1, Empire, or Shogun 2. There's also numerous types of agents at your disposal this time, each with unique abilities, such as poisoning garrisoned enemy units with your spy, quelling public dissent with your hero, or causing political intrigue with a diplomatic agent.

    On top of all this, they've given increased options in easy-to-access, pre-made battle formations to put your troops into, organized by type and rank. There have also been some improvements to the economic aspect, as it's been streamlined, but the depth of how it can be affected, or how you can affect it, has been increased.

    Combat based gameplay has reached its pinnacle, as you can now have a truly combined Naval/Land assault on armies or cities, leading to some very grand-scale battles. Great strides have also been made to make simply attacking a factions city as quickly as possible something NOT to focus on at first, instead, drawing out their forces and fighting them in pitched battle, which removes the very arcadey feel of the previous installments where you simply went from base to base, fighting siege to siege. They've also added depth to the auto-resolve function, where you can focus on different styles of combat to insure a higher chance of victory, or a higher percentage of troops left.

    With a few patches, I'm sure this game could reach the 9 or 10 out of 10 it deserves.    … Expand
  29. v1ctor
    Sep 4, 2013
    10
    First off, let me say that you don't need a high end computer to enjoy Rome II. If your machine can handle Shogun II, it can also handle Rome II. That being said, you will have to play around with the settings a little bit to make sure the game runs at 30-40fps average in large battles. The new UI can take some time getting used to, especially if you're a long time Shogun II player, butFirst off, let me say that you don't need a high end computer to enjoy Rome II. If your machine can handle Shogun II, it can also handle Rome II. That being said, you will have to play around with the settings a little bit to make sure the game runs at 30-40fps average in large battles. The new UI can take some time getting used to, especially if you're a long time Shogun II player, but once you get the hang of it, it's very intuitive and easy to use.

    Graphics are absolutely amazing even on mid range computers. Like I said, if your computer can run Shogun II you shouldn't have any problems. [Word of advice: Lower Unit Details and Unit Size (CPU bound) as well as Shadows and Water Quality (GPU bound) if you're experiencing low FPS in large battles].

    If you've never played a Total War game before, because you thought that they were too difficult and tedious too learn, give this game a try.

    As for the technical issues some people have mentioned, I can only speak for myself but in 20h of gameplay I've experienced only a single crash. Pretty amazing for a brand new PC release if you ask me.

    Last but not least, I'd like to add that the game certainly isn't a 10 out of 10. But due to the large amount of unfair and braindead troll comments, I deceided to rate it 10/10 anyway. It's easily a 8 out of 10 maybe even a 9 out of 10 if you're a hardcore RTS player.    … Expand
  30. Schmidte
    Oct 3, 2013
    5
    Okay, I originally thought the game was an 8.5 but reviewed this game as a 10 to offset the 0's...but after having it for a full month, I can't honestly say it is even an 8.5. I'm simply NOT enjoying the game like Shogun 2. I've played every single total war game there has been. All the way since the original shogun. This one currently feels like a chore to play though. The turn times getOkay, I originally thought the game was an 8.5 but reviewed this game as a 10 to offset the 0's...but after having it for a full month, I can't honestly say it is even an 8.5. I'm simply NOT enjoying the game like Shogun 2. I've played every single total war game there has been. All the way since the original shogun. This one currently feels like a chore to play though. The turn times get sooooo long. Which makes things very tedious. Generals die too quickly because it is only 1 turn per year. 30 turns and your general is dead. So many UI failures that make things way harder than they need to be.

    IT'S LIKE THEY DIDN'T PLAY THEIR OWN GAME! There are seriously features (like not easily being able to go to characters that need leveling up which was a feature in Shogun 2 but not here) that you couldn't POSSIBLY not notice or want.

    If what they said it true and Tim Heaton designed this game for metacritic it is a shame and horrifying. I honestly I can't rate this game higher than a 5 right now. I hope they can release large patches and really overhaul this game, but that's all on them. I'll edit my score up if they do and I won't if they don't.    … Expand
  31. g2nelson
    Sep 15, 2013
    10
    All these people need to learn how to rate a game. They have issues with with the UI choice, ok fair. There are some bugs, none game breaking. Ok fair. But to give a game, a series that you stated you loved, a 0/10 is such a despicable move.

    Well ill take the same route, i enjoy the game immensely. By your logic, that means it deserves a 10/10 so ok!
  32. Zbox
    Sep 3, 2013
    10
    have some bugs, but wich new game doesn't? what matters is the overall experience and rome 2 delivers what promised. fair ammount of factions and cultures and expands upon shogun 2 in every single way!
  33. giskarduk
    Sep 5, 2013
    8
    For the first time I find my self going against the majority of other voters here and giving this an 8. Though I find it wise to ignore all 0 and 10 scores when reading these user/commercial reviews. You get a better idea of what the games about without the hate or ass kissing reviews. Truth is though I do agree with them this time. The faults they list are right. I pre ordered and hadFor the first time I find my self going against the majority of other voters here and giving this an 8. Though I find it wise to ignore all 0 and 10 scores when reading these user/commercial reviews. You get a better idea of what the games about without the hate or ass kissing reviews. Truth is though I do agree with them this time. The faults they list are right. I pre ordered and had Athens appear underwater in a battle, one of several bugs I have seen. The min specs do appear to be way to optimistic too, so lots of people will have wasted £45 for Rome 2 and will not be able to play it. So they are expressing their anger here. All too understandable. Fact is though, the campaign game may be slow because there are lots of factions to process, the map may be huge for the same reason. But the campaign map is a big improvement both feature wise and graphically over all over Total War games and deserves that 8 score I am giving it because the rest is likely to be fixed in patches to come. It does away with the old upgrade and forget system and replaced with it a province system where you build stuff to balance out your influence, food production and happiness. It works rather well. Because provinces have minor towns and a major town, the major towns tend to be epic battles where as the minor towns tend to be small scale affairs. The province system shares influence and happiness between all towns in the province, so you have to consider the balance you achieve and avoid upgrading all minor towns but use them as a means to support the larger province capital instead. The time it takes for a turn to end seems to have gotten better after the first day so perhaps the pre order code was old beta code or something. Also I have not seen the interface lock up bug since the first day so it looks like it was older code. Unit and Army limit sounds bad at first to be honest should not exist in a game like this because money should limit those things, but the game works rather well. Especially when timing attacks so more than 1 army attacks a town at the same time. Producing some of the best campaign game battles I have ever seen in any Total War game so far. The game does have problems, but the campaign game is very well thought out. Too bad the UI sucks so badly. Under the hood this is the same old Total War game you know and love though, but the new additions improve it beyond what your used too.… Expand
  34. Dimppa
    Sep 10, 2013
    10
    i have watched angry review and several other who tell about bugs and other stuff. i have seen only 6 times any of those things that they mainly complain. AI most of the time good on hard (better than any before) but still it could be better. I don't know did CA think that i should get only good copy

    (28h played) i know some think that's too little but after hundreds and hundreds of    i have watched angry review and several other who tell about bugs and other stuff. i have seen only 6 times any of those things that they mainly complain. AI most of the time good on hard (better than any before) but still it could be better. I don't know did CA think that i should get only good copy

    (28h played) i know some think that's too little but after hundreds and hundreds of hours Rome, Medi II, Empire, Shogun II i have good idea what total war is. i just hope that things won't just jump in.
    i will play more and if i find more i will lower of higher this review if it's possible.

    P.S flags suck!

    i bit over rate due to ppl are shock do to broken AI i would have given it 7 at correct status    … Expand
  35. Milkman128
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    Enough with the optimization 0/10 nonsense. I have a 4 year old machine that runs the game just fine. load times are slightly longer than rome1 by like 5 seconds.

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

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

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

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

    I like how battlefields represent the larger scale map. I like the new options for army movement on the strategic map.
    enough of the POO pOOO I can't run on ultra I'm an entitled child rants.
    even though the AI is bad LIKE EVERY TW GAME it seems like an overall improvement    … Expand
  36. Goodis
    Sep 15, 2013
    10
    Horrible launch, but all their titles had horrible launches and they all eventually got to be all times best strategy games and I'm sure this one will get patched and fixed! Best in the series. Good investment worth every penny.

    + Graphics + Gameplay + Map size + Factions + Culture system + Sieges + Requires detailed city planing and management - Diplomacy - AI (Temporary) -    Horrible launch, but all their titles had horrible launches and they all eventually got to be all times best strategy games and I'm sure this one will get patched and fixed! Best in the series. Good investment worth every penny.

    + Graphics
    + Gameplay
    + Map size
    + Factions
    + Culture system
    + Sieges
    + Requires detailed city planing and management

    - Diplomacy
    - AI (Temporary)
    - No Family tree
    - No Skill tree    … Expand
  37. Defengar
    Sep 15, 2013
    7
    I did not have as many issues as everyone else seemed to have had on launch, but i did have several glaring ones (mutilated textures, retarded AI, ships thats would glitch out of control, and of course ridiculous lengths of time being taken up by AI turns). This is really unacceptable from a company thats been making these games for over a decade now and themselves said they had a farI did not have as many issues as everyone else seemed to have had on launch, but i did have several glaring ones (mutilated textures, retarded AI, ships thats would glitch out of control, and of course ridiculous lengths of time being taken up by AI turns). This is really unacceptable from a company thats been making these games for over a decade now and themselves said they had a far larger budget for this game than any they have done in the series so far, and that it was the best TW yet. I wish I could give this game a 9-10, but i just cant.… Expand
  38. Tyrius
    Sep 4, 2013
    9
    It is indeed a great game with an amazing campaign and battles! The only problem seems to be occasional bugs (nothing game-breaking as of yet) and slower performance for some computers.
  39. Andy578
    Sep 5, 2013
    10
    Creative Assembly has yet again shocked the world with this stunning new game. easy to learn for new players and veterans of the Total War series will feel right at home. by far the best Total War yet
  40. Renevilfortune
    Jan 3, 2014
    9
    Never played any games in the series. I tried to play the Fall of the Samurai, but it was too difficult to pick up on. Anyway, so was this game, but I'm getting the hang of it. I'll give this game 9/10 because in all honesty that's where it seems to be heading with all the patches. I was crashing left and right last week, but have not experienced a single crash for almost a week. I loveNever played any games in the series. I tried to play the Fall of the Samurai, but it was too difficult to pick up on. Anyway, so was this game, but I'm getting the hang of it. I'll give this game 9/10 because in all honesty that's where it seems to be heading with all the patches. I was crashing left and right last week, but have not experienced a single crash for almost a week. I love the game, except I'm playing on normal... lol. It's difficult for me still, but this game is enjoyable as hell. I just love the warfare.

    This game does have its cons, but when I bought it for $23 on GMG, then I thought it was a deal. This game is worth my money. I'm pretty sure by the end of the year I'll raise it to 10/10 when it's optimized better. Anyway, I'm running this game on 4 year computer, but still looks beautiful. I don't experience that much frame rate drops during warfare, just for custom games to which I customized ridiculously.

    Personally, I love this game and I don't even play these type of games. I think it's a well made game, but I'm curious to know what things they left out from previous games. Still, awesome game and will continue to get better.

    I've never written review before... but these reviews of less 4 are ridiculous.    … Expand
  41. Suyadon
    Sep 7, 2013
    9
    Am I just lucky? I'm trying to be helpful with this review.

    Any rating below 7 is just ridiculous. I've played 14 hours now. My hardware: I did a clean operating system install (win 7) recently to avoid possible conflicts (which many seem to be experiencing), samsung SSD, i5 2500k processor overclocked to 4.5ghz, 1GB mid-tier VGA card 8GB Ram (nothing spectacular). I've been a fan of    Am I just lucky? I'm trying to be helpful with this review.

    Any rating below 7 is just ridiculous. I've played 14 hours now. My hardware: I did a clean operating system install (win 7) recently to avoid possible conflicts (which many seem to be experiencing), samsung SSD, i5 2500k processor overclocked to 4.5ghz, 1GB mid-tier VGA card 8GB Ram (nothing spectacular).

    I've been a fan of about every Total War game and modded games. I only experienced one glitch (fixed in patch notes) to date and run the game on extreme w/ no frame rate or other glitches. I believe this is the best of the series to date and will only get better with time, especially with mods.

    Now to the game: Took me 11 hours to figure out the UI. Yes, it's very clunky, you will need hours to figure it out. And when you do, many things will make sense. A lot of info and a different method of finding it will frustrate long time Total War gamers. My first 11 hours were as Sparta on "Hard" (too easy). I'm now playing Rome on "legendary" and loving it. You make stupid mistakes and you will pay dearly but not be completely wiped off the map.

    Diplomacy is awesome, Campaign AI is very good, Battle AI is just ok (not broken just a speed issue and I think will be resolved by raising unit Hit points as well). Game is more epic than ever and more manageable. 3 Amy's & 3 fleets max. Additionally, fortifying units based on buildings is perfect for this game. No stack spam or ridiculous rebel spawning.

    This is a massive game so expect long turn wait times. I think a lean SSD helps. My turns complete w/in 20 seconds unless you want to watch every opponent unit make it's move which drags it out.

    Last note: I still haven't figured out how the family systems works and probably a lot of other things, but I think that will only make the game that much more enjoyable when I do! If you don't have the patients to learn the UI and how it works, you will hate this game.    … Expand
  42. HIghlander
    Sep 10, 2013
    10
    I understand that a lot of people don't like this game, but for the wrong reasons. They shouldn't give this game a 0/10 because a complaint about a unit card (really?) or a frame issue (which they will fix fairly quickly). You shouldn't like this game because you think it has stupid AI or it doesn't feel like a TW game. The only reason I am giving a 10 is to balance out the idiots who giveI understand that a lot of people don't like this game, but for the wrong reasons. They shouldn't give this game a 0/10 because a complaint about a unit card (really?) or a frame issue (which they will fix fairly quickly). You shouldn't like this game because you think it has stupid AI or it doesn't feel like a TW game. The only reason I am giving a 10 is to balance out the idiots who give this a 0 for stupid complaints.… Expand
  43. Jerrrrrrm
    Sep 4, 2013
    0
    The core game is solid with many decent new features that advance the series. For example, custom battles can now be set anywhere on the campaign map.

    The technical issues are far overblown and not consistent in the slightest. For me rome 2 processes the campaign map.
  44. rabidnid
    Sep 4, 2013
    10
    Well 12 hours in and it has been flawless to date with my old PC and XP. Map and factions are more like Rome Total Realism than Rome Total War. If it isn't working for you, it will once its patched and the mod community gets it sorted out. It is a fantastic game and even at this early stage I'm having a ball.
  45. Exakter
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    This game is fun, not 10 stars, but certainly nothing below 5. My computer handles it perfectly, and it's no beast. I'm guessing most people don't treat their hardware right and haven't optimized their software in ages. It's a common problem with new TW releases.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    It's a great game, with it's own real problems, which will be resolved in time.    … Expand
  46. MorkSal
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    Don't listen to the people who rate this game at the bottom or at the very top.

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

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

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

    *There are problems right now (at the top of the list for me is that there are no drivers optimized for the game). I would recommend waiting a month before getting the game. I imagine most of the bugs will be ironed out by then and I expect drivers for the game at any time that will improve performance.    … Expand
  47. fbtsjxl
    Sep 11, 2013
    7
    The game looks great graphically and we can really feel the atmosphere as armies clash. The campaign map is visually stunning, units move and cities expand in beautiful detail. Overall, we feel that the graphics when on a computer that can handle it are fantastic, yes the engine needs optimisation to cater for the as many people as possible, however with some tweaking we have had a greatThe game looks great graphically and we can really feel the atmosphere as armies clash. The campaign map is visually stunning, units move and cities expand in beautiful detail. Overall, we feel that the graphics when on a computer that can handle it are fantastic, yes the engine needs optimisation to cater for the as many people as possible, however with some tweaking we have had a great experience on a mid-range laptop as well with a combination of low/med settings the game still looks good (obviously not to the extent of ultra or extreme settings).

    Some parts of the game need tweaking and there are some features that still need to be sorted out. However, random bugs aside (and this seems to be varying for a lot of people, we haven't had any game breaking bugs as of yet), the game is a fun experience. The AI will need tweaking, fixes and improvements, until that happens there are a few good mods that help this area a lot!

    There are other mods available that will tailor the gaming experience for you (and we enjoy these mods a lot too!), however the core features of the game are solid but needing some work to either improve or fix in some cases. This doesn't stop us (myself and partner) from having fun! We're enjoying both single player campaigns and co-op campaigns: be forewarned, right now the turns take quite awhile to finish in multiplayer (30 seconds to a minute or two) but this should be optimised eventually, with the amount of factions battling it out on the campaign map this an understandable, but still somewhat annoying, facet of the experience.

    The UI? We like it, it's streamlined for ease of use and quickly conveys information and lets you quickly make things happen on the campaign map, however the details deeper in the game information should be easily accessible as well like with the seperate windows in Shogun 2. This streamlining is at its most useful in the new system for managing regions that centralises city information and upgrades in an easy to use and intuitive panel that allows building decisions to be made quickly and easily.

    What we miss most though is family trees and more a more in-depth character development system like that present in previous titles with many traits, ranks, and even roles for characters to take. The new army traditions systems is fantastic and can only get better through development, we quite like naming our armies too!

    Overall, Rome II offers a lot of fun, and a streamlined user experience that hides a surprising amount of depth. While there are bugs, the ones we have encountered have been minor, and haven’t noticeable detracted from our gaming experience.    … Expand
  48. jadereviewer
    Oct 6, 2013
    7
    The overall concept is sound, and a large improvment for total war. On release, this was poorly executed but three patches later this game is very good fun. Bugs aside, this game is good fun- but a step backwards for SHOGUN 2: Total War.
  49. Dizzybra
    Feb 14, 2014
    10
    As a long time fan of Total War, I must say I really enjoyed this game. Yes it was a little buggy when first released. But all the new features are great, the town building though easier, is much more intuitive and is necessary when you control over 100 settlements. Controlling whole provinces is awesome as it gives you an incentive to conquer more. The army system is cool as well, as itAs a long time fan of Total War, I must say I really enjoyed this game. Yes it was a little buggy when first released. But all the new features are great, the town building though easier, is much more intuitive and is necessary when you control over 100 settlements. Controlling whole provinces is awesome as it gives you an incentive to conquer more. The army system is cool as well, as it means u have to position your armies properly rather than just raising new forces everywhere, also means that there is a real point to having a general. I play on a macbook pro which is bootcamped and it runs fine, so im not sure what people are complaining aboout (even better now that a few pathces have been released)

    My biggest complaint however is with the campaing AI, running away from settlements, creating crappy unit compositions etc. It has gotten a lot better with patching though

    Althought I dont think this game is worth a 10, I'm going to give it one, as it is a joke that people are giving this game a 0. Even if you thought it was a dissapointment surely it deserves a 6 or more. It's not unplayable, and the battles are awesome! people still complaining about Empire Total war in their comments, wtf. That was one of the coolest games in the series once it was patched up a bit.    … Expand
  50. Toxicwire
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    The game is good and everyone is complaining and moaning about the game, yet they should know almost every Total War game is broken when it comes out and people are giving it bad review scores because they did not get to play it because of a bug or just bugs in the game. The UI is NOT horrible, just need to get used to it because they redid the whole UI in the game which they never haveThe game is good and everyone is complaining and moaning about the game, yet they should know almost every Total War game is broken when it comes out and people are giving it bad review scores because they did not get to play it because of a bug or just bugs in the game. The UI is NOT horrible, just need to get used to it because they redid the whole UI in the game which they never have done that for a Total War game. Unit cards are a little confusing but they tell you what you need to know with cool art design, the game is NOT poorly optimized. I will give credit to the poor AI, but they are not that poor, they are mediocre for a Total War game. I rate this game a 10 for this game is one of the best games I have played from Total War and a game I plan on to log hours into, it's a great game. There aren't many bugs but some many push you away, but it's called UPDATING and PATCHING, not run off and cry like a girl to a review site and give it a bad score because your navy got destroyed by terrible AI. It's sickening that I see these guys rate the game so poorly with a lot of them having terrible excuses. Personally I had no trouble in my game with crashes, or anything that will corrupt a game or mess it up. Me and my steam friends have already logged around 200-300 hours just within 4 days. Great game in my opinion.… Expand
  51. Usser
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    Waited for years for this game, and i am not disappointed, though the AI lacks a bit still. But that is the only problem i have with the game.So i would say, buy the game if you liked all the other Total War games.
  52. TheDukeOfSpook
    Sep 4, 2013
    9
    I honestly cannot believe the reviews that people are giving this game. Yes the game has it's flaws but it's certainly not worth a 0. You really have to be ignorant to give the game a 0. The game may not be the best in the Total war series but it's still a good game and I've enjoyed it so far. The game is well put together even though it has a few problems that will surely be dealt withI honestly cannot believe the reviews that people are giving this game. Yes the game has it's flaws but it's certainly not worth a 0. You really have to be ignorant to give the game a 0. The game may not be the best in the Total war series but it's still a good game and I've enjoyed it so far. The game is well put together even though it has a few problems that will surely be dealt with later. Rome 2 isn't at all comparable with Empire at launch and even though it has a few problems with glitches, donkey AI ext. The game is still fun and is the Total war we fell in love with. I sincerely hope that people give the game more than a few hours before calling it the worst game ever and giving it an abysmal score. Maybe play 20 plus hours before passing such a harsh judgement.… Expand
  53. ihateamericans
    Sep 3, 2013
    8
    i love this game but what they have added really annoyed me for example the capture the flag is so STUPID!!! The A.I had 3x the men i did and i won by moving my small force into the flag area pretty sure thats not what happend back then another complaint is the performace now all my issues can and will be fixed but the performnce on most machines is awful they lied about the specs. Anywayi love this game but what they have added really annoyed me for example the capture the flag is so STUPID!!! The A.I had 3x the men i did and i won by moving my small force into the flag area pretty sure thats not what happend back then another complaint is the performace now all my issues can and will be fixed but the performnce on most machines is awful they lied about the specs. Anyway i hope they fix these problems and we can then move on with are lives… Expand
  54. Holyhesk
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    Ignore idiots giving this a 0. Thier computers would probably struggle playing Pacman. Played only 30 mins of the campaign and it's by far the nicest looking TW yet. Running like a dream at the moment on Extreme settings. Giving this 8 because it would be unfair to rate it at 10 after only 30mins. Can't wait to load it up again.
  55. axec
    Sep 15, 2013
    9
    Whilst the game has its technical problems, the sheer scope and the passion that oozes from every part of the game is clear, it will become better over time.
  56. urmumisanrpm
    Sep 29, 2013
    8
    First total war game I've played and kicking myself I went all those years without. Great strategy game. I'm hooked. Interesting use of tactics. Fun and challenging.
  57. Enshia
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    The game is good, does it have it's problems? You bet. The AI is at the current state where Shogun2 was just after release. Which is somewhere between good and mediocre. There are optimization issues, especially with shadows, and water reflections. Baring that, I'm easily able to get an avg 35-36fps.

    What most people who say "but zomg ultra rig" are forgetting is that most games in    The game is good, does it have it's problems? You bet. The AI is at the current state where Shogun2 was just after release. Which is somewhere between good and mediocre. There are optimization issues, especially with shadows, and water reflections. Baring that, I'm easily able to get an avg 35-36fps.

    What most people who say "but zomg ultra rig" are forgetting is that most games in the FPS genre are good at non-animated semi-static flat meshes. Where as in RTS's, such as shogun 2, rome 2, and so on ever individual character is it's own mesh. That's four times as much rendering being done. And in a lot of cases, the "zomg ultra rig" is your Dell special. With a FX-6350 and a 560Ti, I have modest frames with little to no lag issues that others are reporting. With that, one of the biggest suckers on FPS is the "use all available memory" toggle, that most people are flipping on and not understanding. Using that toggle with push everything it can, and it will also attempt to push other programs from active memory to the disk in order to free up even more memory. So, if you're not using a SSD, again you're going to see serious issues.

    Really if I had one complaint, it would be the turn phase and the number of factions. It really reminds me of medieval 2, lots of factions doing lots of things, and people don't like the long turns. Once the factions begin to thin out, not so much of an issue.

    And for anyone who wants to see my forest benchmark, feel free to look up on Steamcommunity.com/id/mashiki    … Expand
  58. Spgsamuel
    Dec 17, 2013
    9
    its exactly what to expect from a total war game, and has some nice improvements.

    one point id like to make is its not perfect. it has small issues. all new games do. I have read so many 0-3 score reviews, i think that's a bit harsh. though i have been playing the game fully modded since i bought it. Like all total war games they really need a little help from the comunity mods to    its exactly what to expect from a total war game, and has some nice improvements.

    one point id like to make is its not perfect. it has small issues. all new games do. I have read so many 0-3 score reviews, i think that's a bit harsh. though i have been playing the game fully modded since i bought it. Like all total war games they really need a little help from the comunity mods to really get the best from them.

    like radious, verts traits overhaul, various retextures (so unit are not all wearing identical armor)

    they add content, better ai fix a few niggly annoying gameplay issues and add some roleplay depth into what is really a very good game which has so much more potential than everyone is giving it credit

    to think i almost didnt buy it becuse of all the low metascore critic reviews.

    ignore the bad reviews. buy this game anway, install at least 5 popular mods before you start to play it. enjoy.    … Expand
  59. CapnAwesome
    Sep 9, 2013
    8
    Despite the bugs, this is a very entertaining game. I've put 30+ hours into it already and I am enjoying it thoroughly. Optimization, AI, and hardware problems will probably be addressed by the weekly patches CA plans to release. I am disappointed with the state of the game CA release, but it is still very fun, even with my low FPS on the campaign map.
  60. ConnorDavis88
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    I've seen a lot of negativity following this game, and I understand where it's coming from. I had hoped that they'd re-use some of the awesome features/UI build from Medieval Total War 2 that I really liked but I was met with the UI a sixth grader would draw with crayons if a small child was in charge of developement. Overall, the game is kind of clunky, battles are uncomfortably fastI've seen a lot of negativity following this game, and I understand where it's coming from. I had hoped that they'd re-use some of the awesome features/UI build from Medieval Total War 2 that I really liked but I was met with the UI a sixth grader would draw with crayons if a small child was in charge of developement. Overall, the game is kind of clunky, battles are uncomfortably fast paced at times and too slow in others. There are some optimization issues, but I still run it at Ultra with relatively no problem.
    That being said, I don't think the game warrants the "zero's" it's getting. I've had a lot of fun playing it, and although I wish they would've done things differently, that's the beauty of the TW games. Every game I complain about the UI and the way progression/gameplay is run, but sooner or later I get used to it and I actually enjoy it. If you're not a huge fan of the franchise, don't spend your money on this until it sees a price cut. The biggest weakness to this installment of the franchise is how they've made the game extremely mainstream friendly, no more can you customize settlements in depth, it's basically just a few building options. Unit options are also sparse but they look and feel good so at this point it isn't such a huge deal.
    I gave it an 8/10 and I feel like that's a fair review the game is beautiful (in my opinion) and I'm enjoying it like I enjoy all TW games at release (with a serving of bugs). Very overhyped, still a solid game worth trying out if you're a fan of TW or CA.    … Expand
  61. DukeJon
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    Clearly a game that was released before it was ready, though wait a few weeks/months and the patches/mods will clear up all the problems. Not worth a 10, but certainly not worth all these zeroes either, hence my score.
  62. Daneoid
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    Fickle, fickle people, the game is exceptional, It's a Total War game, of course it's going to have bugs, they're no where near as bad as you people are making them out to be.
  63. comradeGman
    Sep 4, 2013
    10
    Wonderful, takes the place of the first Rome as my favrote game ever. Thank you CA for another eight years of wonderful strategy and I really enjoy the multiplayer
  64. Leekrin
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    So here's the issue. This game is great. It's graphically beautiful, it's got a lovely system, it IS the better Rome Total War that fans of the series are looking for.
    There is a learning curve, it's not a revolution among strategy games, it's not everything that people will tell you, the AI isn't mind-boggling, but it's a wonderful game, as far as I'm concerned.
    IF. IF. You do not    So here's the issue. This game is great. It's graphically beautiful, it's got a lovely system, it IS the better Rome Total War that fans of the series are looking for.
    There is a learning curve, it's not a revolution among strategy games, it's not everything that people will tell you, the AI isn't mind-boggling, but it's a wonderful game, as far as I'm concerned.
    IF.

    IF.

    You do not get all the technical bugs and issues people are having. If you get those, this game might as well be dirt to you, but if you're a fan and been through a Total War launch before, you know what this is like, and I would urge all people who have not experienced it before to be patient (I know, it's hard given the amount of hype attributed to this game). If you've already purchased, don't give up on this title. Patches and fixes will be arriving soon if you are having trouble, and CA is open to you for the week with full support.

    If you are not having these issues, help the community. This is a game that was meant to be enjoyed!

    TL;DR,

    It's a great game under the flaws, and flaws that fans have come to expect. Should it be something that happens every time, no, should we have been so hyped up for a buggy product (for those that got it), no, but it's a good game, and worth a good score for those who have or will play.    … Expand
  65. Mark16642
    Sep 4, 2013
    10
    Ok first thing is first. Yes there are some bugs but nothing that cant be fixed. You cant expect a game of this magnitude to come out without some bugs,. Patches will come out and fix them all sooner or later. As for the game its self well i think it is fantastic. It takes some getting used to but when you get used to it it is apparent that this game has a lot of depth. The battles areOk first thing is first. Yes there are some bugs but nothing that cant be fixed. You cant expect a game of this magnitude to come out without some bugs,. Patches will come out and fix them all sooner or later. As for the game its self well i think it is fantastic. It takes some getting used to but when you get used to it it is apparent that this game has a lot of depth. The battles are fantastic to watch and the spear and arrow effects are amazing. Give the feeling that a shield really is a matter of life and death. If you like the total war franchise then this is a must.… Expand
  66. alanas4201
    Sep 4, 2013
    10
    Game is good IA is brain dumb soo it makes this game a sandbox best played on multiplayer no lag problems never had a crash its fun to play Interface annoying, but really likes this title!
  67. KingShree
    Sep 8, 2013
    8
    I write this review in a hope that the creators will fix the massive bugs, try to optimize the game and improve the AI of enemy player. Gameplay is great, graphics arent too great but they had to be toned down because of many units and big maps. If they fix it, it will be one of the best games in its genre but for now, i have to put lower score.
  68. awvalle
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    This game can be reviewed in two ways. Comparing it to all video games, and comparing it to other Total War games. In relation to other games, this game is amazing, a solid 9. It requires thought, has very good graphics and has a sense of epicness and scale no other game can match. Compared to total war games, I'd say it's a 7. Battles are resolved very quickly, optimization isn't great,This game can be reviewed in two ways. Comparing it to all video games, and comparing it to other Total War games. In relation to other games, this game is amazing, a solid 9. It requires thought, has very good graphics and has a sense of epicness and scale no other game can match. Compared to total war games, I'd say it's a 7. Battles are resolved very quickly, optimization isn't great, and the campaign UI isn't my favorite. Diplomacy works decently with other factions, but they don't seem to deal among themselves. Others complain of bugs, but I haven't encountered absolutely none. The AI has seen little to no noticeable improvements from Shogun 2. In the campaign it is quite passive, and in battles, it seems to be worse than in Shogun 2. Probably not as quality a game as Shogun II, but has vastly more replay value. I had decently high expectations, and they were generally met. The Auxiliary system for the Romans is something that I'm very happy about, allowing very powerful armies. The province system is also a plus, although the UI could definitely be improved. The economics are as simplistic as ever unfortunately. If I hadn't bought the game yet, I'd probably wait for 1 or 2 major patches, then definitely jump on.… Expand
  69. BrianU
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    Overall, a rare misstep from the Total War team. I've been a Total War fan since the first Shogun, and I can't help but feel slightly disappointed. That said, there are a number of plusses, too.

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

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

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

    I think this game needed a bit more polish, and feels rushed in places. I'm going to blame this one on the publisher, unless someone informs me otherwise. I don't regret my purchase and will continue to play, but I can't help feel let down, and look forward to some patches at the very least.    … Expand
  70. Slason
    Sep 15, 2013
    8
    The game is great! There is a lot of complaining of bugs and stupid AI, but I don't find that true. I've encountered almost no bugs, and the AI seems to be at the same level of inteligence that the rest of the total war game (don't shoot me!).

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

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

    Due to the game just beeing so much fun, I give it an 8/10. I have not encountered any game breaking bugs, and if you play at the hardest difficulty, the AI is not that stupid.    … Expand
  71. dimo
    Sep 19, 2013
    10
    THE GAME IS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have 40 hours and I want more.I played mostly every TW and I love the franchise.I waited this game so much time and it is great.

    100/10
  72. RedBlueThunder
    Sep 16, 2013
    7
    While the initial game is still fun and enjoyable, i do feel that Rome 2 is slightly bare-bones. A huge amount of features have been removed and replaced by simple mechanics that make the game feel simple.

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

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

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

    Overall, Rome 2 is still fun, but can barely be considered to be a proper "Total War" game. I hope after this, creative assembly will learn from their mistakes and create much much better and feature filled games in future.    … Expand
  73. Gandaldwqarf
    Sep 4, 2013
    10
    I have been playing the game for 10 hours now and I am still exploring the game. I can't imagine how the game will feel like in a few weeks/months when I am starting to master it.
    I have the same feeling with this game like in the beginning with Shogun II. "What am I supposed to do/build now? Whats steps should I undertake? Which faction should be my ally, which my foe?"
    I am very    I have been playing the game for 10 hours now and I am still exploring the game. I can't imagine how the game will feel like in a few weeks/months when I am starting to master it.
    I have the same feeling with this game like in the beginning with Shogun II. "What am I supposed to do/build now? Whats steps should I undertake? Which faction should be my ally, which my foe?"
    I am very excited to what the game will bring me and what I shall discover.
    I feel sad for all the poor guys who think this game sucks, they are simply not giving it a chance. I don't want a game that plays the same as Shogun II just with other units. When I buy a game I want something new. And that is what Rome II is giving us. Something new to learn and master.
    It looks great and feels immersive. The end turn time is very long when you play a coop game with someone.
    When I play single player it really only takes about 20-30 secs. I'm fine with that no problem.You must realise that it is a HUGE map with a lot more factions, it is normal. If u have a problem with it, get OVER IT.
    I find the AI challenging and surprising sometimes as well.
    It will be a game that may need some bug fixes but I will enjoy putting 400+ hours into this game as I did with Shogun 2.    … Expand
  74. FuglyDuckling
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    Amazing game, but not polished well. Thankfully my rig can handle it but for people who cant the patch they promised needs to hurry up. Its much better than a re skinned Shogun 2 or Rome its an entirely new game.
  75. eagle
    Sep 4, 2013
    10
    I think this game is great overall. Even though it has some bugs and doesn't run well, but it has beautiful graphics and great gameplay. The animation, graphics, sound, and gameplay dynamics were completely redone from the previous total war games. Bugs and performance issues should be fixed in a couple of weeks and patches, so therefore I don't think people should judge this game uponI think this game is great overall. Even though it has some bugs and doesn't run well, but it has beautiful graphics and great gameplay. The animation, graphics, sound, and gameplay dynamics were completely redone from the previous total war games. Bugs and performance issues should be fixed in a couple of weeks and patches, so therefore I don't think people should judge this game upon those issues.… Expand
  76. yupre7676
    Sep 14, 2013
    8
    I don't like the fact that there are support ships and that there is no family tree. Why can the enemy sail farther than u and be able to attack in the same turn while on forced row? If u attempt the same thing and try to attack then u sail like 3 feet compared to them just magically being able to go anywhere they want. I still love the game it just needs some major tweaks!
  77. ElfTheHunter
    Sep 9, 2013
    8
    While it definitely has some small bugs, I think the game is pretty great. Last TW game I played was Medieval 2, and I find the UI very much improved, the graphics are staggering. My main complaints would be that your generals do not live long enough (would prefer 4 turns per year lucky there's mods). I did think combat was better in Medieval 2, but I am really impressed with theWhile it definitely has some small bugs, I think the game is pretty great. Last TW game I played was Medieval 2, and I find the UI very much improved, the graphics are staggering. My main complaints would be that your generals do not live long enough (would prefer 4 turns per year lucky there's mods). I did think combat was better in Medieval 2, but I am really impressed with the campaign in this one. I'm in the middle of a Very Hard campaign (61 hrs) but am planning to start over on Legendary because I could use some extra difficulty (the AI is a little weak, but I remember it being weak in Med2 as well). I recommend the game, though apparently lots of folk are having trouble with it.… Expand
  78. Madrin
    Oct 1, 2013
    9
    At first i was fairly disappointed the game, Rome Total War was the first Total War game i got to play back then. The new game, even though it added ton of improvements game-wise over the former Total War games, just didn't played comfortably due to AI errors, graphic issues, bugs and other stuff you probably heard about already. Today though Creative Assembly released their 3rd majorAt first i was fairly disappointed the game, Rome Total War was the first Total War game i got to play back then. The new game, even though it added ton of improvements game-wise over the former Total War games, just didn't played comfortably due to AI errors, graphic issues, bugs and other stuff you probably heard about already. Today though Creative Assembly released their 3rd major patch for the game.

    Thanks to the new Patch the game runs really smooth now, ending turns went from 5 mins to 1 minute, no more crashes, weird bugs or issues and the AI is much improved. The game isn't perfect yet but it sure comes close to what the game should have been from the start. It's absolutely fun now to play. I've completely forgiven the rough start thanks to the efforts to create a proper game again and their is much more coming in the future. I think this game deserves a new review with this new patch, its a life changer compared to the release.    … Expand
  79. URocket
    Sep 4, 2013
    9
    All of you guys are full of I have an i5, HD 7850, and 8gb of ram, this game runs smooth like butter on fully max settings. I've had no bugs, and the AI works perfectly fine. The game is epic, plays great and looks amazing. You guys want even better graphics so your computer frames drop form 5 fps to 1 fps. Give me a break, do the world a favor and go play call of duty or something.
  80. myelic
    Sep 12, 2013
    9
    So far I've logged 30 hours in this game and I'm still entertained. Great value.

    Aesthetically the battlefields are crisp and realistic, with greater attention to terrain detail than in previous titles. Particularly in cities I pause to study the architecture or just awe at the battle scenes. The UI is minimalist with elements inspired by roman art. The unit cards are an example of    So far I've logged 30 hours in this game and I'm still entertained. Great value.

    Aesthetically the battlefields are crisp and realistic, with greater attention to terrain detail than in previous titles. Particularly in cities I pause to study the architecture or just awe at the battle scenes.

    The UI is minimalist with elements inspired by roman art. The unit cards are an example of this, it's curious that some people rage about it.

    So far I've played Rome and a Germanic tribe. I've not finished neither campaign, and doubt I will. On the contrary I look forward to trying other factions and exploring new theaters; the size make the game seem endless.

    This is very much a stop-and-smell-the-flowers-game for people who love history, military and the Roman era.

    Negatives: The AI is weak, and the game has plenty of bugs. Other than this the critique seem to be based on either on particular tastes or a lack of brains; it's hardware demanding because it was made without regard for console specs and IT'S SIZE IS EPIC.    … Expand
  81. squeax
    Sep 4, 2013
    9
    I think the main gripe one can have is that game isn't (more or less) a complete remake of the first Rome Total War. Then again, I personally loved Shogun 2 as well as its add-ons. Rome II makes me feel pretty much at home whilst there's plenty of changes in the system to make it feel like a whole other game. Yes it's buggy, there's a lot that goes in combat and those shield bearers reallyI think the main gripe one can have is that game isn't (more or less) a complete remake of the first Rome Total War. Then again, I personally loved Shogun 2 as well as its add-ons. Rome II makes me feel pretty much at home whilst there's plenty of changes in the system to make it feel like a whole other game. Yes it's buggy, there's a lot that goes in combat and those shield bearers really hurt. As for framerate, a lot of games run poorly on launch, just wait for a new driver for your graphics card. Mine runs 40~60 on ultra without SLI (680). A month after release it'll feel totally different and a lot smoother!… Expand
  82. StaticSmoke
    Sep 6, 2013
    9
    Real review, already 40 hours of playtime, hope below helps. TLDR Great game with some bugs that are frustrating but don't ruin the experience more than bringing it from a 9 to an 8.

    Overall, Rome II is an excellent game that is enormously fun. The campaign is compelling, and the battles are epic. I found myself not being able to pull away, even with some annoying bugs. The game of    Real review, already 40 hours of playtime, hope below helps. TLDR Great game with some bugs that are frustrating but don't ruin the experience more than bringing it from a 9 to an 8.

    Overall, Rome II is an excellent game that is enormously fun. The campaign is compelling, and the battles are epic. I found myself not being able to pull away, even with some annoying bugs. The game of course breaks into two parts, the campaign map and actual battles. The campaign map is huge, leaving plenty of room for strategically planning the marches of your army. This matters because you're limited to a certain number of armies based on how many provinces you control and while slightly limiting, it also forces a greater amount of thinking and strategy. The management of cities is not complicated at all, but takes a little time to get the hang of. It's essentially a balancing act of money making buildings, food producing buildings and population happiness buildings. Overall it works well, and once you have an expansive empire will be thankful it's not much more complicated. The technology tree is like previous games, pick a perk you want and wait so many turns to research it, one perk at a time. And diplomacy is improved since shogun II, but you'll still find yourself ignoring it for the most part after you have some trade agreements set up. The fun comes from strategically planning your armies marches. So far, Ive yet to run into a real bug on the campaign map, although your agents which are assassins, diplomats and champions are painfully bad at their jobs, and even though they say they have a 50% chance of success, will fail over and over and over again to a point that clearly something is broken in the system. I also haven't tried co-op campaign yet which was broken in shogun II.

    Now the battles. You'll get what you expect, epic battles with ai that is sometimes fully functional and will beat the crap out of you. But other times, the ai can be incredibly dumb, and you'll enjoy your victory but it will feel hollow. It is very hit or miss. On the open battlefields the ai seems fine. When they are sieging a castle though, with you defending, the ai is broken. I've repeatedly reenacted 300 at the castle gates, armies of several thousand fleeing from one squad of my Greek hoplites (yea i chose athens not sparta) that held the line. It's very epic, but at the same time the ai could of gone around to different gates, or picked away at my units with archers, but they don't, they just charge into your spear choke point. But the battle ends, and you'll hold your city against all odds and its soon forgotten or even cherished as your campaign continues. The other issue during ai sieges is sometimes, they will just stare you down outside the city gates, leaving you fast forwarding the entire battle, and the fast forward button is painfully slow in those circumstances. Once again, these bugs are sporadic and will hopefully be fixed, but they do detract a little bit.

    Overall, I find myself loving the game, loving the game, hating the ai during a siege battle, then loving the game again. There are bugs, that once again will hopefully be ironed out, but regardless of what they detract the overall experience is a blast, and well worth it if you're ready to plan your conquest of the known world while twiddling your thumbs at work waiting to go home. I'd give the game a 9/10, but the bugs although not game breaking are frustrating enough to bring it down to an 8. I also have to mention that there is some credence to the complaints that its a rehash, just like every total war game that's come after shogun... but they haven't changed the formula because its not broken, and so if you like the total war series, you will most likely enjoy this game.
    Ps meta critic mobile sucks and will only let me submit this review at 9/10 even though I want to give it an 8 out of 10, oh well ill counter some trolls.    … Expand
  83. Sfaxon
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    Amazing. Has some bugs, but after the first patch a huge improvement. Also, the developers seem dedicated to fixing the bugs by promising a patch a week. A very very deep game with tons of stuff to do. The graphics are better than many movies out right now. Just epic. Its amazing how much they have improved upon the original.
  84. nopistons420
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    easily the largest, most ambitious, and most fun total war game to date. from graphics to game-play to sound audio this is a masterpiece from Creative Assembly.
  85. rook89
    Sep 4, 2013
    10
    While this game does have issues, it is indeed an incredible experience and falls in line with every vanilla total war released to date, the graphics are beautiful and the Ai does a good job of maintaining battle lines and i am yet to see a suicide general, playing on very hard or legendary is indeed a challenge, the battles are however short, but this game is worth getting regardless andWhile this game does have issues, it is indeed an incredible experience and falls in line with every vanilla total war released to date, the graphics are beautiful and the Ai does a good job of maintaining battle lines and i am yet to see a suicide general, playing on very hard or legendary is indeed a challenge, the battles are however short, but this game is worth getting regardless and with the help of mods could be something special.… Expand
  86. brymht
    Sep 4, 2013
    9
    Excellent game. I'm not a huge fan of the Unit Cards, and the battles are a tad fast pased; but still truly an amazing game. I'm looking forward to seeing new content and patches. When you expand the map to India; I will be buying it.

    However, I'm a big Total War fan as is. This is a different experience from Modding RTW and M2TW:K; which I've done a LOT. However, I wouldn't say    Excellent game. I'm not a huge fan of the Unit Cards, and the battles are a tad fast pased; but still truly an amazing game. I'm looking forward to seeing new content and patches. When you expand the map to India; I will be buying it.

    However, I'm a big Total War fan as is. This is a different experience from Modding RTW and M2TW:K; which I've done a LOT. However, I wouldn't say bad. CA is attempting to make the game available to people who are NOT like myself; which I can respect. They did not create the money for a few thousand purists; and they have bills to pay.

    Assuming the modding tools are there and we can extend and slow down the combat a bit; this will become an 11 with mods.     … Expand
  87. TheBigLev
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    I simply do not understand all the whining about this game it is simply amazing, and easily the best Total War I have played (which is all of them). It takes the changes made in Shogun 2 and finally brings them to completion, combining it with the theme of Antiquity in a way that simply has to be played to be appreciated. If you dislike this game then I suggest moving on from the strategyI simply do not understand all the whining about this game it is simply amazing, and easily the best Total War I have played (which is all of them). It takes the changes made in Shogun 2 and finally brings them to completion, combining it with the theme of Antiquity in a way that simply has to be played to be appreciated. If you dislike this game then I suggest moving on from the strategy genre because clearly you are looking for something else.… Expand
  88. Kolklik
    Sep 7, 2013
    9
    Good:
    - More focus on individual armies and their generals
    - Multiple settlements in provinces adds a nice strategic element to building your cities. - Huge map Bad - Bugs. Sadly this game have some pretty nasty bugs. Especially in multi player, which is a real selling point for this game. - Poor optimization. - UI mediocre. Some areas simply does not work well enough. Diplomacy    Good:
    - More focus on individual armies and their generals
    - Multiple settlements in provinces adds a nice strategic element to building your cities.
    - Huge map

    Bad
    - Bugs. Sadly this game have some pretty nasty bugs. Especially in multi player, which is a real selling point for this game.
    - Poor optimization.
    - UI mediocre. Some areas simply does not work well enough. Diplomacy for example.

    Reason for 9/10:
    I give this a 9 because this game, despite the bugs and all, is FUN.
    And I'm absolutely sure that Creative Assembly will fix the bugs, and optimize the game.    … Expand
  89. Marco299
    Sep 13, 2013
    10
    I want to reward the great diligence to fix a game, that is potentially the best Total War ever made. Great setting, great atmosphere, a huge improvement for IA and diplomatic story, the game needs just a little time to shine.
  90. stevengamer
    Sep 5, 2013
    8
    i love this game and know that what ever bugs there are they will fix like the ai, and ai have played for 40 hours so far and still love it but they need ti fix the public order thing
  91. BlitzNor
    Sep 15, 2013
    10
    As Total War veteran I find the game very enjoable. The campaign map is beatiful. The battle graphics are great. The province system, squalor and food system means you actually have to plan when developing your provinces and empire. The unit rosters of the different factions are diverse and interesting. The battle maps are varied and very well made. Character and army development is great.As Total War veteran I find the game very enjoable. The campaign map is beatiful. The battle graphics are great. The province system, squalor and food system means you actually have to plan when developing your provinces and empire. The unit rosters of the different factions are diverse and interesting. The battle maps are varied and very well made. Character and army development is great. Faction politics add further depth to this character development.

    This is a Total War game and a very ambitious Total War game at that. Se of course it is full of buggs and be completely unbalanced on release. The AI is bugged (though all ready getting much better with the 2.0 patch), but when not bugging out is actually doing good things like circumventing my armies and attacking unprotected settlements. When the buggs are worked out I am confident that the AI will be good. Turn time are overly long because of all the factions, but I find it much more exiting with all the factions instead just lots of characterless rebels.

    As for ballance I actually find this game far more balanced then the first Rome on release were cavalry and elephants literally just trampled everything (stacked Equities death armies were all you needed to conquer the world as Rome). Sure slingers are to strong, but they are easily be chased down by cavalry and wardogs. Larger Naval battles are sadly a mess right now with boarding overpowered, but for now navies are useful for autoresolving against transport fleets.

    This game will be a classic. It will take some patches and mods, but this is the norm for ambitious Total War games and should not surprise any Total War veteran. Stop whining about paying to be a beta tester, you knew what you were getting into. Enjoy empire building for now and make yourself epic battles by charging heroically into superior enemy stacks. The challenging gameplay and campaigns will come later when the game and mods have matured. This game is so big you can enjoy it from different angles.

    10/10 for limitless potential to counteract all this downvoting done by ragers    … Expand
  92. jackofthehowley
    Nov 25, 2013
    10
    At the start, Rome II was a total let down; bad AI, poor optimisation and the fact I didn't get the Greek States Culture Pack even though I pre-ordered it. Since then, multiple patches have fixed my problems and the Blood and Gore DLC has satisfied my need for... Well, blood and gore. I loved how the Nomadic Tribes Culture Pack was free for a week as an apology (even though I don't reallyAt the start, Rome II was a total let down; bad AI, poor optimisation and the fact I didn't get the Greek States Culture Pack even though I pre-ordered it. Since then, multiple patches have fixed my problems and the Blood and Gore DLC has satisfied my need for... Well, blood and gore. I loved how the Nomadic Tribes Culture Pack was free for a week as an apology (even though I don't really play as those factions), I bought the Greek States pack and I have a successful army of Spartans, BOW TO ME, WORLD! The gameplay has been fixed, now the Athenians wait instead of charging head-first into my pike phalanx. Glad its fixed.… Expand
  93. kozzy420
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    Fantastic game, yes the AI could be better but other than that it is fantastic. One of the best in the series imo and will only get better in the future with updates. Alot of the changes I like but they do take some time to get use to, I think once people play the game for more than 5-10 hours they will relize the game is pretty awesome.

    It seems like people forget about the launches of    Fantastic game, yes the AI could be better but other than that it is fantastic. One of the best in the series imo and will only get better in the future with updates. Alot of the changes I like but they do take some time to get use to, I think once people play the game for more than 5-10 hours they will relize the game is pretty awesome.

    It seems like people forget about the launches of Empire and Shogun2, people had said they hated the games on release then after some patches they love it.

    Whats here now is great and can only get better in the future, optimization and AI can ALWAYS be improved, these are things the series could always do better.    … Expand
  94. daliindica
    Sep 5, 2013
    9
    Whilst I do know that some people are having issues with the graphics, and some bugs are here, I know it will be patched out soon enough. Now for my review of the game. Coming from long term total war series gaming, I am pleasantly surprised by this. Don't bother comparing it too Rome 1 though, it has much more in common with Shogun 2 than Rome, but it is also a new game in its own right.Whilst I do know that some people are having issues with the graphics, and some bugs are here, I know it will be patched out soon enough. Now for my review of the game. Coming from long term total war series gaming, I am pleasantly surprised by this. Don't bother comparing it too Rome 1 though, it has much more in common with Shogun 2 than Rome, but it is also a new game in its own right. Now, the campaign. The map is HUGE, the size of the map is about the same as medieval, but the scale is so much larger. Moving from modern day England to France into Germany, took a bit of time and it felt like a proper journey. Scale is much better here, that's the first real improvement. The UI is actually pretty nice to my eyes, but its going to come down to personal taste,and some people are a bit iffy on it. The battles are shogun 2, but with large scale feel to them. Also the "levels" of the battle maps are MUCH more varied, and they do follow the lay of land more so. In winter in northern Europe? expect to be fighting in snow. This is a really nice touch. If you a fan of any of the games in the series, this is a solid choice for a game, and the bugs will be fixed. I say bugs, nothing has happened to mine other than I needed to tone down a few settings (it looks amazing still). But I have seen a fair few people complain of bugs (many more say its fine, but enough to show a problem perhaps), but personally I haven't encountered any (about 15 hours of gameplay, all single player)… Expand
  95. CaptianCron
    Sep 7, 2013
    10
    Pretty great game, the campaign is quite solid I like the objective driven game play giving you the option guidance and rewards for developing Rome historically accurately. Graphics run great, the AI could use some tweaks but I don’t know a total war game that hasn't been seriously patched in that department after release. The UI takes some getting used to for old total war fans.Pretty great game, the campaign is quite solid I like the objective driven game play giving you the option guidance and rewards for developing Rome historically accurately. Graphics run great, the AI could use some tweaks but I don’t know a total war game that hasn't been seriously patched in that department after release. The UI takes some getting used to for old total war fans. Everything is there just streamlined with very different but still functional UI. In all loving it 12 hrs in.… Expand
  96. jefferson
    Sep 3, 2013
    10
    O jogo magnífico! Diversão garantida para qualquer um com uma máquina que atenda as exigências. ;D PS: Não sofri com nenhum dos bugs relatados, e o jogo rodou muito bem no meu nem de longe potente computador.
  97. CrimsonSkyDux
    Sep 4, 2013
    10
    Despite the many bad reviews, I have to say that instead the game is awsome and epic as described during this year of waiting. I can run it at maximum with no lag or issues of anysort. The problem is not related to the game but to the poor built rigs of people that pretend to play a 2013 game with so much graphical improvements on a prehistoric PC.
    I can add that the old good mods for the    Despite the many bad reviews, I have to say that instead the game is awsome and epic as described during this year of waiting. I can run it at maximum with no lag or issues of anysort. The problem is not related to the game but to the poor built rigs of people that pretend to play a 2013 game with so much graphical improvements on a prehistoric PC.
    I can add that the old good mods for the RTW I are now dead and pointless for sure as they have always been. I am confident in CA capability of releasing exstra content and add more factions and features. The usual ranters and whiners are poor childish people who will never be happy.
    I suggest to buy the game and, if not already done, a decent HW.    … Expand
  98. Adingetorix
    Sep 7, 2013
    8
    The best game in the entire Total War lineup. Creative Assembly have outdone themselves with the attention to details and overall ambience in the game.
  99. Archebius
    Sep 5, 2013
    8
    I didn't want to write a review. I stay out of things like this. But in this case, I just can't the fact that everyone is all, "Oh, man, this aspect sucks! 0/10!" is just dumb. It might not have been what you were expecting, but there are very, very few games worth a 0/10 Superman 64 being an exception. Even that I'd give at least a 1 for the laughs. And the very few middle-groundI didn't want to write a review. I stay out of things like this. But in this case, I just can't the fact that everyone is all, "Oh, man, this aspect sucks! 0/10!" is just dumb. It might not have been what you were expecting, but there are very, very few games worth a 0/10 Superman 64 being an exception. Even that I'd give at least a 1 for the laughs. And the very few middle-ground reviews tells me that most people are just angry, and not actually reviewing the game fairly.

    Hence. My review.

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

    So what did they do to achieve this?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Summary it's a good game. It's not as good as I was hoping for, and the bugs are dismaying, but it's still solid and worth a little more than it's getting from TW "fans."    … Expand
  100. KingBuzzo15
    Sep 5, 2013
    8
    Don`t believe the critics. This game is outstanding, my only reservation was that some people do need it patching because of stability with certain system setups. I have been playing the series since Shogun 1 and they get better every time. Cant get enough of it
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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.
    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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