Review - Rome: Total War (PC)

Format: PC
Minimum Spec:
Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP
Pentium III 1 GHz
256 MB RAM
300 MB free hard disk space
64 MB video card
DirectX 9.0b
Publisher: Activision
Producer: The Creative Assemble
Genre: 'Total' Strategy
Price: £28 new, £10 - 20 second hand (May 2005), £5 - £15 ebay (May 2005)
Origin: UK
Reviewer: Sideath

Time for a change, methinks, after 3 DS reviews (Polarium (7), WW: Touched (8) and Yoshi's Touch & Go (8)accordingly), for still currently my main games platform, the PC. And what better way to start with the classic Rome: Total War?

Just in case you’ve been living in the back room of a temple for the last year or so, Rome: Total War has hit the world like a battering ram to the gates. UK-based Creative Assembly went all-out with the third Total War effort, and what they’ve created just stole the title of “Best RTS Ever” of WarCraft III or Rise of Nations.

In essence, Total War in general is what RoN's "conquer the world" game wishes it was cool enough to be. But Rome takes this Total Strategy (and it really is a genre in itself) to whole new levels. You've got a fully 3D campaign map to replace the Risk-like boardgame-style map from Medieval and Shogun, and armies can now move through provinces unmolested without attacking cities...unless someone decides to try to give them the boot. Not only that, but the concept of deciding where in the province a pitched battle will take place becomes a genuine issue. You can occupy forests and mountain passes and use the terrain cover to set ambushes that will lure opponents to an unexpected death (think Battle of Thermopylae). Or you can do things the old-fashioned way and use your cities for sally battles to give yourself the defensive advantages of urban warfare.

In the beginning you are given only the choice of three Roman factions to play as, and you'll be in the service of SPQR (Senatus Populusque Romanus, the Senate and People of Rome) in the early going. The missions, while technically optional, will gain you goodwill, money, units, and prestige, so you'd better learn to have resources available to complete them. Neglect your navy, and you won't be in position to conquer overseas territories and blockade overseas ports. Neglect your army, and you'll find yourself losing influence to your fellow Romans. This influence is most important when the Republic devolves into civil war; when you march on Rome you'd better have your ducks in order to crush some powerful foes.

Later campaigns will see you commanding non-Roman forces, unlockable by defeating them in battle in a campaign. Crush the Greeks, you can play as the Greeks. Crush the Gauls...you get the idea. "Barbarian" factions owe allegiance to nobody; once you get to play as these guys you're in control of your own destiny, and your sole goal is to conquer the world any way you like. Those feeling a bit stifled by that [insert rude word here] Senate may wish to play as Rome's enemies and speed up history by a few extra centuries.

Graphically, the game is amazing. If you've been watching the History Channel over the last two months or so, you may have seen their new show "Decisive Battles" which was created with the Total War game engine. Playing this game is like playing multiple episodes of Decisive Battles every time you play. Tactics that worked in history work in this game, and those with a military strategy background will find the battles to be impressive in the sense of results being what you'd expect from the tactics used. To see enemy spearmen set themselves against their foe only to be cut down by a cavalry charge from the rear is incredibly satisfying. Zoom in close enough and you'll see the individual spearmen die.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the elephants; Carthage brings them to the party and they can be a battle-turner...until they're spooked by burning pigs (yes, you read that right, burning pigs). Once an elephant's spooked it starts running absolutely amok and becomes as much a danger to friend as foe. Seeing Carthaginians trampled under the giant feet of their war machines is a thing of beauty.

The concept of "real-time strategy gaming" brings in many people's minds an image of Warcraft and Starcraft. If that's your idea of strategy, then tank rushing will sometimes prove victorious. Try doing that in any Total War game and you'll be shredded. You can play this game five different ways and win five different times...though more likely you'll be asked to engage in five different varieties of strategy in the same turn if you want to establish dominance. Those Starcraft players who found themselves owned in RoN will find themselves owned here. But that's the whole appeal, I think...this is not a mouse-clicking contest, period.

The game does have extremely minor flaws (show me a game that doesn't), notably that AI commanders tend to be dumb as rocks, but even that "flaw" can be turned to your benefit under the right circumstances. If your AI commander draws the attention of the enemy, then the enemy may find its spearmen facing the wrong way just as your cavalry arrive to save the day. The stupidity seems to cancel itself out and leave a net balance in the player's favor. It even creates its own strategies and tactics in the context of the game itself. If only there were a way to put multiple humans in charge of the battles in the campaign somehow...

Multiplayer options are available to those of you who play these types of games online; via the game's built-in Gamespy Arcade server browser...ahh, if you play MP you already know this stuff. It's there, it does what you'd expect it to, you can play skirmishes and historical battles against other humans. 'Nuff said.

Overall, this is definetly the best strategy game currently out there. Get it. Or may you get run over by elephants.

CWScore: Nine out of ten
Recommended Award