The Total War series

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

As one of my workmates said when I picked up Medieval Total War today - "Now, THAT'S a manly game!"

But then he calls fishing games manly games.

Still, I agree. I played Shogun Total War to death and loved it and now am starting on Medieval with the Viking Invasion add-on.

I love Sean Pertwee's inclusion as narrator, I love the added stuff of making ocmmanders dukes, counts etc and I love all the holy wars between the Catholics and Muslims and the fact you can break from the church etc. Very cool.

It was a struggle to choose between the English and the Danes (mmm Vikings) but I chose the English in the end - took Wales and promptly lost it again to an uprising but have since cut swatthes through France. A fantastic game engine made a bit prettier and definitely chunkier. My computer is too weak to play Rome Total War but anyone else a big fan of this series?

[Farmer Reil]

I was a big fan of the series (and still am I big fan of Shogun).

Now I've seen the light, and it's EU3-shaped

M2:TW obvious still wins for actually fighting the battles. The battle engine is very cool. But EU3 is just better at everything else

[KevinStorm]

I love me some Rome: Total War, but later in the game it gets boring, because all it is for me right now is build exact same kind of army, conquer stuff, repeat.

Medieval II is all kinds of awesome, though.

[stokeriño]

I played a demo of Shogun once...and sucked so horrendously that I never played it again.

[Gongsun Zan]

I was a big fan of the series (and still am I big fan of Shogun).

Now I've seen the light, and it's EU3-shaped

M2:TW obvious still wins for actually fighting the battles. The battle engine is very cool. But EU3 is just better at everything else

[Vilge Duin]

I heard so much about the Total War games that I went out and picked up the Rome Gold Edition last year.

Thought it was quite awesome at first until it got tiring. I found myself developing into a cycle more often than other games like it. Building the same things, expanding in the same way, using the same tactics. And since I'm a micromanaging bastard and must meticulously plan I never did get to far. Always conquered 15/16 areas and quit. I'm sure maybe using some of the other factions would help, but I can't be bothered to unlock them. And I refuse to cheat.

Regardless I much preferred Dawn of War: Dark Crusade over it. Less planning and thought, more killing and violence.

[lanky316]

I love EU3 but the battle elements of Total War just keep it higher, the problem is since the change to all 3d, they seem to have lost some of the AI elements both on the battle and campaign maps so battles aren't as challenging now as the basic stacks move into province, stacks fight of the past.

A game with TW battles and EU3 diplomacy and map AI and we have the best game of all time.

[Bushmeister]

Medieval 2 was a huge disappointment for me. The AI is full of holes both in battles and on the campaign map, plus it eats way more memory and resources than Rome ever did. The first Medieval is still my favorite, though I am very partial to playing R:TW with the barbarian nations, they're trés cool.

The Total War series were the last straw that really set me off from more traditional micromanaging "rush-them-with-zerg-zergs" RTS', and I seriously can't fathom why I'd want to play a Warcraft or a Command & Conquer game again. They're just not for me and my shitty reflexes. Dawn Of War struck a nice balance between the Total War elements of strategy and the traditional rush-and-conquer RTS', but with the new add-ons and patches even that game has gone down the crapper with more emphasis on early-game rushing rather than drawn-out combat with real tactical choices. Pissed me off to no end to see the game develop that way

[Tits McGee]

Shogun Total War had the best cut scenes. I wish Medieval Total War would do the same when you try to assassinate someone.

[Summers]

I loved those cut scenes, proper awesome addition. I was so gutted when Medieval didn't have them.

[apsham]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufx8AwdmoIE

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

The intro video to Shogun was from Akira Kurosawa's movie "Ran" and therefore adds to the awesomeness.

Edited April 1, 2007 by ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster

[Farmer Reil]

Regardless I much preferred Dawn of War: Dark Crusade over it. Less planning and thought, more killing and violence.

[Vilge Duin]

Regardless I much preferred Dawn of War: Dark Crusade over it. Less planning and thought, more killing and violence.

You can't really compare them though. DoW is an RTS, and all Dark Crusade did was add a basic tabletop campaign element in place of a story.

M2:TW is entirely different.

[Fanku Kaibutsu]

I had Shogun. I loved the turn-based element, and was quite successful at that aspect. It was the RTS aspect that I failed miserably. I couldn't even get past the tutorials.

[lanky316]

Regardless I much preferred Dawn of War: Dark Crusade over it. Less planning and thought, more killing and violence.

You can't really compare them though. DoW is an RTS, and all Dark Crusade did was add a basic tabletop campaign element in place of a story.

M2:TW is entirely different.

[Farmer Reil]

Exactly. There's no 'strategy' in DoW:DC. There's no diplomacy, trade, or anything like that. It's a Warhammer game, so it's all about the fighting. The only strategy is deciding where to attack.

Not that that makes it bad or anything, I love it personally. But it's a different game entirely.