Rome: Total War
Rome: Total War is the third game in the popular Total War series. The player begins by choosing to play one of three Roman factions: the Brutii, the Julii and the Scipii. The player must manage each city under the faction's control, build armies, assign faction members to positions of mayor or general, and expand the faction's territory by defeating enemy factions such as Gaul, Greece, Macedonia, and many more. Meanwhile, the other Senate issues special missions for the player to complete and gain favor. Senate offices may be assigned to faction members. As the game progresses, each faction member's political and military influence can grow or shrink. If the faction leader dies, he is replaced by an heir. It is up to the player to choose who is in line for that role. Once the game reaches a certain point, it changes up and the player must fight the other Roman factions for control of Rome.
When combat takes place, the game moves from the strategic, turn-based map view to a full 3D real-time tactical view. The player has several units under his command, usually comprised of 50 or more individual soldiers. Each unit (not each soldier) can be maneuvered individually or all units as a massive formation. Siege equipment can be built to capture cities, the citizens of which can be left as they are, enslaved, or slaughtered at the player's discretion. Mercenaries can be recruited to fill in weaknesses in a particular army, but their loyalty is not at all assured and they, like the cheap peasant units, may prove unreliable and in fierce combat -- units with low morale may break and flee the field. When an army engages the enemy, if another friendly army (of the player's own or that of an ally) is within range, they will rush to reinforce the battle.
The combination of turn-based and realtime strategy is quite enjoyable. The scope of the game makes for some long and often intense playing sessions. Plus, when a player beats a particular faction other than the three starting Roman factions, it then becomes playable. So there is a great deal of replayability as well.
When combat takes place, the game moves from the strategic, turn-based map view to a full 3D real-time tactical view. The player has several units under his command, usually comprised of 50 or more individual soldiers. Each unit (not each soldier) can be maneuvered individually or all units as a massive formation. Siege equipment can be built to capture cities, the citizens of which can be left as they are, enslaved, or slaughtered at the player's discretion. Mercenaries can be recruited to fill in weaknesses in a particular army, but their loyalty is not at all assured and they, like the cheap peasant units, may prove unreliable and in fierce combat -- units with low morale may break and flee the field. When an army engages the enemy, if another friendly army (of the player's own or that of an ally) is within range, they will rush to reinforce the battle.
The combination of turn-based and realtime strategy is quite enjoyable. The scope of the game makes for some long and often intense playing sessions. Plus, when a player beats a particular faction other than the three starting Roman factions, it then becomes playable. So there is a great deal of replayability as well.
Publisher: None/Unknown
