Total War: Rome II Game Review

By: Unknown on 08:02

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Since 2000's Shogun: Total War, developer Creative Assembly has given players the task of dominating history's greatest battlefields. Forthcoming release Total War Romr 3 (PC, out 3 September), the long-awaited successor to 2004's first exploration of the era, aims to set a new standard for the real-time strategy series. Commanding fictional general Gaius Fulvius Silanus, you'll order legions into battle, conquering territories to build and ultimately govern the Roman empire. Each squad has different strengths, attributes, and weaknesses – cavalry being vulnerable to ranged weaponry, but benefitting from greater range, for instance. The balance at times feels like an elaborate rock-paper-scissors game, striving to best employ your abilities with the added consideration of using terrain and weather to improve the odds.

Victory isn't determined solely by martial prowess, though – diplomacy and political dalliances with the growing senate are also important, while technological research and city expansions have both civic and military repercussions. It's satisfyingly deep, offering intricacy and control at every level. However, Rome II can also feel overwhelming. The huge maps, though visually impressive, can leave players struggling to relocate troops mid-conflict, and enemy AI often feels unfairly advantaged. If these points are fine-tuned before the game's release, it could stand as a high point for the Total War series.