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[Wario64]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/09/13/news_6107216.html

In the beginning of each episode of the Discovery Channel show Decisive Battles, host Matthew Settle brags of the "new video game technology" the series uses. Now, that technology is one step closer to being in PC gamers' hands. Rome: Total War, the real-time strategy game whose engine provides the graphics for Battles' re-creations has gone gold. The T-for-teen-rated title will ship for PCs on September 22, and will retail for $49.99.

 

[cubicle47b]

I'm horribly addicted to Medieval: Total War. I'm currently building the Danes into an economic superpower.

 

[commish]

That show on the History Channel owns.

They always show the Romans getting rocked.

 

[SlickWilly223]

Is this game like a traditional RTS? You gather resources, build structures, create an army, and then destroy your opponent? Or is it different?

 

[cubicle47b]

I haven't read anything about Rome: Total War but Medieval has a world map that's a lot like Romance of the Three Kingdoms. You take over new territories, build on them, etc. Then you can enter real-time battles with armies from other factions. They play out quite differently than your standard RTS game though. You control groups of men (100 spearmen, 20 royal guards, etc.) and protecting your flank and keeping the morale of your men up will generally win or lose your fight. Casualties and other groups of your men routing affect the morale of units and once engaged it's difficult to pull a unit out of a fight. It's an amazing game.

The only real problem is the amount of management the world map takes after you've taken over a certain amount of territories. I'm playing the Danes right now and I've taken over what used to Germany, Poland, and part of Italy and managing them all really sucks. It's at this point of the game that I usually say screw it and make a horde of men and try to run over the rest of the map.

Staying small doesn't work in the long run but I did have a lot of fun building a trade empire. I only had 4 territories but I was trading with all of Italy, Sicily, the Byzantines, and the entire north so I was raking in the money. That was until I got bored, attacked Poland, was ex-communicated by the Pope, had everyone break alliances with me, and had random countries start sinking my ships.

 

[cubicle47b]

I hate you all.

 

[brooklyngooner]

I have a huge boner for this game. ROME: TOTAL BONER