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Rome: Total War
by Jolex Del Pilar
Friday, September 10 2004
The third chapter of the Total War series is visually stunning, as it is captivating.
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Title:
Rome: Total War
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Platform:
PC Windows
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Publisher:
Activision |
Developer:
Creative Assembly |
#
of Players: 1, plus online play |
Genre:
Strategy
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Origin:
United States
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Expected
Release:
September 22, 2004 |
Grapevine:
For strategy fans, this game is a dream for its depth, and flair for the dramatic. |
The Total War series, which previously featured Shogun and Medieval is set to release it's third chapter in only a few weeks.
Unlike previous chapters, Rome: Total War is set to model combat in a much more ancient era of history, a couple of hundreds years B.C to the height of the Roman Empire's power. The game will initially let players choose one of the three houses of Rome, the Julii, the Brutii, and the Scipii. Each house will represent different cores of power in Rome before the empire was fully consolidated. It's up to you to play as the one who will eventually become dominant. Creative Assembly has also included nearly a dozen other playable factions as well including the Parthians, Selucids, and Carthagians. However to unlock them, you will have to defeat them during the campaign game as one of the Roman houses first. Many gamers have written in expressing despair at this, but remain assured that cheat codes, or even file editing should break this barrier.
The gameplay is very similar to other Total War games in that it features a dual role for the player. One the one hand you will be required to manage the economic and political aspects of your faction. One the other hand you will also be asked to be a field general for your military forces (though this aspect can be abstracted statistically for those adverse to real-time combat). Still, if you can take time to learn the Total War combat system, it might be worth your time to try it out even if you didn't in the past.
For one, the visual aspect of the battles has leap frogged over any previous incarnations of the series, and in all honesty, over any competition as well. Many of you might have heard that the Rome Total War engine has been utilized in the U.K for a television program entitled Decisive Battles. It's a show that, as the name sake suggest, recreates decisive battles of the ancient era using RTW's new engine. Yes, it looks that good.
Parthian Camel Calvary tramples selucid foot soldiers in this beautiful, yet violent, shot.
The control of the combat hasn't changed much from the previous Total War games. The camera is again controlled by the mouse and keyboard. You can click on specific units of troops or group units based on your taste or tactics. Time can be sped up or slowed down, or even paused as you make decisions on how to move your troops around. Some new nuances that players from previous games might need to be aware of include the use of calvary. Calvary now moves much faster than in previous games, which I personally believe is more accurate considering a horse can double the speed of the fastest humans. Calvary can also trample troops now, which is very effective at getting rid of pesky, tired, routers. Even more dramatic is the effect of elephants in the game. These enourmous beast can literally fling dozens of troops into the air at the same time, a literal shock unit. There are special units that can break apart this powerful unit, which is a testament to Creative Assembly's pursuit of balance.
The campaign map is much more detailed this time around as well. It features information about a provinces ranging from its loyalty, to the special bonuses that may be present. Governors, special agents (spies, bishops), and armies can be seen on the campaign map, and will help you plan strategies on where to attack or defend. Speaking of defenses, the sieges of cities and castles is much more deeper than previous games. Massive siege towers (think the Battle of Pelennor Fields), catapults, and even mole holes (digging underneath fortifications) will be a part of sieging. Of course to counter these advancements in sieges, defenders will be able to line walls with archers, and other projectile troops, something missing from the previous games of the series. Attacking a city will now be as dramatic an event as any in the game. There are even rumors that famous cities such as Athens, Carthage, and Rome will be historically modelled to look like they did in ancient times.
For strategy fans, this game is a dream for its depth, and flair for the dramatic. For gamers who have played the demo, and seen the numerous videos available on the net, Rome Total War needs no more hype. All they need is for RTW to meet its release date this month.
--- Jolex Del Pilar
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