Medieval II Total War

Customer Reviews:

Total war is totally addictive.
Though it's not for every RTS player, I have owned all the games in this series, and this is the best by far. Best game of the year; worth full price! No glitches even in the original shiped code.
--2006-12-19

Fun fun fun
This game was awesome and the only bad thing sometimes is you have to spend long time on this game to make it fun, lol.
--2006-12-14

Dumb AI with Fancy Graphics - Mediocre Innovation... [Sigh]

This review is based on my long experience with RTW, the Medieval II demo, Amazon reviews, and lots of info and video clips about the game. I love RTW and haven't lost a single game in over two years (playing at the hardest level). What I can carefully but surely say is that, despite all the innovations, Medieval II is somehow disappointing, and I will wait until the price drops significantly, for the following reasons.

The improvement in graphic detail at the individual level is certainly outstanding. The introduction of fire weapons makes battles more chaotic and dramatic, and the view of sieged settlements is magnificent. However, visual elements are not critical for what defines a good strategy game. More important in Medieval II are the innovations in urban and religious strategic components (such as traders, city vs. fortress, and Crusades).

The main problem of the game still is its incredibly stupid AI. As some reviewers complain, the AI is seriously flawed at the diplomatic and battlefield levels. After all the these years releasing Total War versions, developers should have developed a much smarter AI. This undoubtedly is a big turn off for the experienced player: it would make such a huge difference to play against a *really* smart AI... just imagine...

Despite the rave reviews, it seems to me that Medieval II does not deliver what it should and could have. It is not revolutionary, and considering its notoriously primitive AI, you will learn to beat it pretty fast. Finally, because of the new graphic complexity, the player will have to consider the need of a superior computer system.

I would thus suggest any sensible consumer to wait until the price drops. For those who don't know Total War yet, Rome and its extension Barbarian Invasion will be as or more entertaining than Medieval II, and you won't need to worry about having a super PC. (For more info, see my review on Barbarian Invasion).
--2006-12-13

Plays great, but a bit too familiar
Medievel 2 continues the Total War series of strategy and simulation games with a freeze-frame of Eurasian warfare in the 11th to 16th centuries. The game starts with free-form factional fighting with the player ruling either England, Spain, France, the Roman Empire, or Venice, before being occasionally interrupted by revolutionary changes such as the Mongol invasion, the invention of gunpowder, and the discovery of the western world. Though conflicts occur on several planes, including cultural, religious, and diplomatic, this game- as with all the other total war games- is dominated by battle. The pacing is still just as frenetic as in previous games- every turn there's a battle to be fought, a shift in alliances and a slew of new buildings completed. But ultimately Medievel 2's similarities with the previous Total War games is its ultimate imperfection... Medievel 2 uses basically the same engine as Rome: Total War did. It shows, and it makes the game less revolutionary than it's pre-release hype would have suggested.

The battle system is similar to the one in Rome, but with some striking differences. While the soldiers aren't really any more detailed than in previous games on an individual basis, they are much more individualized within a unit. Customized armor and equipment make each soldier on the battlefield unique, and individual soldiers move and animated much more independantly. This makes battles a bit more chaotic since troops don't robotically stay locked in neat lines anymore; get near to an enemy army and small numbers of troops on the border of a unit may stray out to pick a fight. The new effects and more elaborate castle defences make for vivid battles.

The campaign map isn't too drastically different from the one used in Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion, but one interesting change is that the continents now have land bridges allowing troops to cross from continent to continent without needing ships. This makes the cultures less isolated from each other. The factions are well balanced, yet distinct from one another, and there's just enough cash flow for the player to make a tense but winnable game at medium difficulty.

The lack of a truly new game engine shows most critically in the diplomacy and AI features. Diplomacy has all the same options, quirks, and bugs as the last installment did... near-defeated factions still demand payments while discussing ceasefire agreements and still never agree to become protectorates. The exact same diplomatic options are available; no more, no less. The in-battle AI similarly has many of its old bugs still unfixed, with temperamental cavalry that may run patiently alongside fleeing enemy troops, escorting them off the battlefield rather than cutting them down. There is also still no naval battle system; I really wish they would have included one.

All in all, this game takes Total War... a remarkably good game to begin with... up slightly to the next level, without revolutionizing it too profoundly. If you have run out of patience for your previous Total War games or had negative feelings towards Rome, you probably would find Medievel 2 dissapointing. If you were a major fan of the previous games you'll be satisfied, and if you've never played a Total War game this is an excellent place to start.
--2006-12-10

OMG!!!
This is such a great game! The only thing I hate is that unless you have to have your generals and agents at a high piety rating otherwise inquistors destroy them. Get this game. It rules!

--2006-12-05

- Sega of America, Inc.