By ALEX PECHA
The Total War video game is known for two things: Being an epic strategy game where you control thousands of soldiers, and normally being a broken mess on release day.
True to form the newest game in the series Rome 2 was just as broken on release as the other games in the series, if not more.
But it’s been more than a month since release now, and I decided to wade into Rome 2 with a lot of hope that some issues had since been addressed. Rome 2 an unfun mess? The answer is a little of both.
As you may have been able to tell from the title Rome 2 is actually an indirect sequel to a much older game in the Total War series named simply Rome. The goal of Rome 2 is to take control of one of several factions (and take over the world in a mix of grand strategy and real time tactics.
On the strategy front the game excels like its predecessors, commanding your faction (In my playthrough, Rome) as you deal in war, trade and diplomacy is still as fun as ever. Trying to balance keeping your allies happy with you while trying to smash a barbarian tribe or a rebellion is still as fun as ever.
However the game lacks some basic diplomatic functions, like forcing an enemy to make peace with your allies while you’re trying to negotiate a cease-fire. It’s a small gripe but it can ruin your well thought out strategies when there’s isn’t “Stop shooting at my friends” option at the negotiating table.
Where the game really excels however is in the tactics area, unlike other 4X games when a battle is engaged between your army and another you actually get to go down to the battlefield and control the army you have carefully built. You have to carefully manage your army on the battlefield, directing your melee troops to be ready to support your skirmishers while ordering your cavalry to run down the enemies guarded skirmishers. For the most part on higher difficulties the AI knows how to direct its troops effectively, however on lower difficulties the AI thinks that dog piling its troops onto yours is a very effective strategy; basically don’t play on lower difficulties unless you want to just watch the pretty soldiers slice each other to bits with no actual conscious thought.
That leads to another point, the game is utterly gorgeous. The strategy map is well built and flows well to really make you feel like you’re looking at Roman Italy. Meanwhile the tactical screen allows you to see down to the bolts on your soldier’s armor. If your computer can handle it Rome 2 is a beauty to behold.
That’s just the thought that was in my head the entire time I played Rome 2, it is a beauteous and entertaining game in many ways. The interface is thematic and great looking, the detail in the battles is utterly mind blowing, the strategy is fulfilling and controlling your armies on the ground is still fun.
Though at the same time the game is simply not perfect; despite being gorgeous the game occasionally hiccups by having soldiers that look like swiss cheese due to a slightly broken random face generator or lakes that look like rectangles, and occasionally the enemy AI thinks that attacking my army of several thousand with what amounts to basically a patrol is just a great idea. The game is great, but it has many small flaws.
Another point of annoyance is the paid day one DLC. Three Greek factions (Which include the Spartans) cost 8 dollars to use, despite them still being in the game without the DLC; it just feels like a rip off.
But all the small and expensive things aside you can easily get lost into Rome 2’s wonderful strategy and tactics gameplay. If you want to conquer the western world with a Greco-Roman empire you can’t do much better than Rome 2.
