Empire: Total War

As I am growing up, there is only a handful of games that are worth dedicating precious free time. There are some golden oldies (like Max Payne 2, Call of Duty, Hitman(s)), and one or two new ones; but only one franchise that from start to finish remains on my computer. This last installment of the Total Was series seems to have it all. Seems to... So, as for it to not be misleading, and to remain relatively balanced, I will state the more obvious good things first, and the more obvious bad things (most of them) in capitals.

Good things.

(1) Good graphics. The tradition continues, the first step within the series having been made with Rome TW. Yes, the graphics are better, although you have to have enough video memory to truly savor them. On medium options you'll get something similar to Medieval 2. On high, however, you will be very pleased.

(2) A (little) more advanced AI. At least it will flank now in land battles, and will not stand idly when you shoot at it. Well, there are a few more good things here, but let there be some suspense. In essence the AI will not be "bloody marvelous", but will operate with a fair amount of logic, will maneuver, and WILL catch you off guard. The days of winning a major battle with very few casualties are in the past.

(3) Tactical warfare. Sure, you can create a huge mob of the toughest units and send it charging, but few real TW players ever try it - kills the point of playing the franchise. So, the tactical bit is present. And relatively accurate too - you will have to make some traditional tactical decisions, and ones that were historically present as well.

(4) Naval battles. The major good thing - they now exist, and are graphically quite nice. The major bad thing - the AI is not as good as in land battles. However, this is definitely a step towards the right direction.

(5) New features are exciting. Government, ministers, a more advanced trade mechanism; a more advanced research mechanism; India and the American continent; different languages (voiced) for different factions. Little things that add flavor.

THE BAD THINGS.

(1) The requirements are to some extent misleading. I have the full requirements, a 1GB video card and 4 GB of RAM, and I still get standard gameplay delays, lags, less than ultra graphics, etc. (TIP TO SEGA/CA - few of the wide public operate on a system similar to Langley's. However, if a game is `heavy', state the requirements correctly.)

(2) IF A GAME IS OUT AND IN ORDER TO PLAY THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF IT (the tactical battles) WITHOUT A CRASH YOU HAVE TO (according to - unbelievable! - the advice of the developers) "SWITCH OFF SOUND EFFECTS"... THAN THIS IS NOT A FULLY TESTED, FULLY DEVELOPED GAME. In truth very few games get out on the market fully finalized, but Empire TW has SUCH AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF BUGS, major and minor, and is SO HEAVILY IN NEED OF NUMEROUS PATCHES, that to many gamers it looks more like an untested BETA version. And I cannot say I disagree with them.

(3) THE CDTs ARE PRESENT. There are a few gamers that experience a smaller amount of those, but a great many people have major crash issues, that MOREOVER HAVEN'T BEEN SOLVED BY THE PATCHES THAT HAVE COME OUT TO DATE.

(4) Very few historical battles. 3, to be exact. (Two of them naval.) I could hope that CA will increase the list with free, online add-on "gifts", but no such practice existed for the previous installments of the series, so any additions to this are doubtful.

(4) Steam. I personally did not encounter the problem of time-consuming loading and installation, but many others did. However, there are some additional technical issues relative to Steam's involvement, like, for instance, lack of optional downloading for patches. Normally this is actually helpful, however not in this case: the last patch, for instance, made the game virtually unplayable for many, causing a huge amount of additional problems.
Another, perhaps less important topic for some, is the issue of legal rights over a Steam-powered game, relative to ownership/use.

(5) Sound issues. The constancy and universality of this problem for all users is indicative of the game being out in stores prematurely. Sound is affected in two ways: it is, for many, a problem for the smooth running of the game and the avoidance of CTDs, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT APPEARS AND DISAPPEARS AT WILL (in tactical battles), AND ITS VOLUME OFTEN IS 'NON-REGULATABLE'. Meaning that a unit marching will sound good the one minute, and will blow your speakers like the stomping of a herd of elephants the next.

(6) Some have reported AI issues. In comparison to gameplay and technical problems these are, to me at least, a lesser evil. They are still important, however, and their existence should be mentioned in a review such as this.
***
Conclusion: this is a very small list of both the virtues and the various problems. Empire TW had the potential to be a good game. It does not, however worth your money as it is, with major problems, unresolved issues, and, as of yet, non-existent solutions. It is, of course, a pity, but we all are at the mercy not only of developers who lack the balls to stand up to management, but also of game publishers that want immediate gain, even at the cost of the franchise's good name and future sales.

The basic tip: Wait for about two months. It two months (a) the major problems will be largely resolved; and (b) the price will fall. Then you will be able to save yourself a lot of grief, some money, some self-respect, and in the end play a very good, interesting and engaging game.

I'm a Total War addict. Empire had me hot under the collar for months in anticipation because of the glorious and authentic way Creative Assembly have built their games year on year. Empire doesn't disappoint... but. If you're new to the series, Empire will undoubtedly blow you away with its truly honest adaptation of 18th century history. The feel of the piece is lovely, seamless, rich in tone and anecdote, all helping one not just have a great game but also understand the era. Making decisions is not easy, because when you rouse even the smallest nations to wrath it's kind of permanent. Alliances fall, defeats are inevitable, battles long and punishing. Dominate trade theatres as well as pound Empires into submission with your 12lbr cannons, grenadiers, and ships of the line. Vast, engrossing, turn-taking.

But... for us old hands, there isn't much new here, and they've taken out some of the best bits of the old. The basic mechanics are the same - raise armies, fleets, and spies, trade and make alliances, and eventually march across the land to the cound of cadenced marching drums and burn, baby, burn to expand your Empire and win. For me as a gamer I would have wanted something a little different out of this iteration of a monumental series. Example - Ottoman Empire plays exactly like the Russian Empire. Same tech, same units by and large (names and facias are different, but capabilities and results are the same), fighting over the same ground. British and Spanish the same. You can't recruit agents when you please but must build churches or schools and hope against hope that Gentlemen, Scholars, or Missionaries emerge. You can't play as a minor nation or an American Indian nation. There are no more of those pace-inducing assignments - trade with this or that nation, take Rome, etc. You can up your economic capability to stratospheric heights and assign the best managers in the world to run it (great idea) but the money just doesn't come in, and you have to make agonising priority decisions over which building to make. On a couple of games I have built economies and tech only for the first thirty years, not building armies at all (and therefore not draining resources, only adding to them), and the money per turn actually went down! New army/navy buildings are expensive yet yield very little reward - maybe two new units if you're lucky - but sometimes not better units, making the investment wasted. What happened to the thrill of getting your top units - like the Tabardarriya in the Egyptian Campaign of Medieval? - and it actually being worth it? Management of cities is pretty but allows you just one or two options in adjusting happiness - tax or not, tax rates different for nobility and populace. Often tweaking these sliders does nothing whatsoever.

In a game that has at its beating heart exactly the same premise as all other Total War games, to make it more interesting and absorbing I would have wanted more interaction. Empire comes down to a just a few clicks per move, and, used in Medieval to turns taking some time to set up and manage, Empire I click a few times and think... there's nothing more to do. The experience is hollow. What sits underneath Empire is undoubtedly incredibly complex, beautiful, thought-through, accompished. But they have taken the greatest fun out of it - the variety of armies, the differences between empires, the management options. Battles, it must also be said, are way too slow and in their drive to be honest and authentic, creative Assembly have taken the fun out of it.

I'll play Empire a few more times to see if I'm wrong, but I sense, after having played the British, Ottoman, Russian, French and Russian World Domination games already, that I'm off to Medieval to beat the crap out of the Mongols for the 30th time. Creative Assembly, I love and bless you, but Empire disappoints, chaps.

This product has been launched before it was finished. Extremely poor performance and frequent crashes. Don't buy this until you see a major patch announcement on the TotalWar website and ideally an apology for such a shoddy product.