Medieval 2: Total War
© N/A

Mania Grade: B+
Platform: PC
ESRB: T
Genre: Strategy
Players: 1
Online: Yes
Developer: Creative Assembly
Publisher: Sega
Suggested Retail: $49.99
Graphics: A-
Sound: B
Gameplay: B+
Replay: A-
Fun Factor: B

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"Medieval 2: Total War"

The Total War series has always been about bringing strategy to the next level. In each of their fantastic games this is achieved, since they force you to think on your feet rather than with giant teams. This game, like the others, inspires you to use the units of the time to attempt to conquer the world, even if the world is only the size of a country. This one mainly deals with Europe, though it ventures off once in a while, like with a trip to the Americas to battle the Aztecs. The game is manufactured around the Age of Chivalry, so if you love this period of history you will love this game. 

It forces you to battle with the tools of the time, while balancing with things like the morale of your troops to get the most out of them. Considering how brutal the weapons of the time could be, if you were one of these poor peons, just think what it would be like to see one of your friends torn apart. That alone should give you an idea on why the morale of your team would be important, because they could either sustain the mentality that they are going to live forever, or they may quiver in fear that they could die at any moment. Of course there are other things to balance, though money will be one of your most important ones. 

The game still requires the same hardcore level of strategy that the series has been known for, though it is still possible to jump in as a fledgling and try and pick up the ropes. Truth be told, the game hardly offers anything new gameplay wise, though you could try and with the favour of the Pope, but overall it is like taking a warm refreshing bath for those that have experienced the series before. If you have not tested these waters before, the beginning of the game sports a fairly decent tutorial that gets your feet wet, though the true learning experience occurs a little later in the game, after you get exposed to many more lessons. You will be able to learn all off of the dirty tricks in the game by jumping into the campaign mode, which is probably the best mode of the game. But those wanting to play with friends, rest assure that the multiplayer mode is still quite nice. 

The gameplay plays enjoys a tedious balances between real-time combat, while including turn-based modes for when you are outside of the fight. Before you hop into battle, you need to control your empire so that you can gather the units or funds that you need. To make things easier on yourself, you must develop the city the best you can, though you must handle political aspects, like handling foreign relations. You must also choose which armies you whish to create so that when the time comes you will be ready. You will need to deploy them across your empire, which will also mean setting up your units before battle, since it makes a giant difference on how well you will do.  

Of course another thing that you will need to juggle between when creating your empire is utilizing cities/towns verses your castles. Castles are the main way to go when creating the best of the best, since their defences are unmated. Their main issue is that they cannot survive without assistance from towns, since they cannot generate enough revenue. Towns are the opposite, and while they are capable of fuelling your war machine (that is bent on the destruction of those that get in your way) they are fairly susceptible to attack. Of course there are other ways to boost revenue (like placing merchants), but even thought these little things alone will it not win you the war, it will make it easier for you to do so. 

Graphically the game is amazing, and above the previous incarnations. Things like facial effects create characters that are very realistic. Other graphical plusses come from how cities are laid out, and their general appearance. Perhaps some of the game’s best features come from the minor details, which can be spotted on specific units. They will vary when it comes to movement and even colour scheme. These changes will not be enough to make you question what type of unit they are, but minor colour variances in their overall armour layout, which makes it feel like these are actual people. Cities and battlefields are the largest to date, which makes it feel like there is a giant world out there. The only problem with the graphics is that it can be a tad sluggish at times, lowering the frame to a skipping level. Sound-wise it feels pretty much the same as the previous games, and while that is far from a bad thing, it just feels mediocre after playing it for a while. 

In the end, the game delivers an improved version of itself for those that favour the series, and that is really all that you can ask from the developers. While it is not leaps and bounds above the previous games, it is still a great buy. As it is, this game is the top of the heap when it comes to the current generation strategy games. The only thing that can hold it back though is that it will not appeal to everyone. Not everyone enjoys the Medieval Ages, nor strategy games in general. Those that do like these things will love this game, but I must judge the game as a normal person would. Wrapping up Captain Gordon gives Medieval 2: Total War a B+. 

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? CaptainGordonEdward@Gmail.com