BBC Teletext Review 03 Oct 2004

[Frankymole]

British Broadcasting Corporation (David Gibbon) review Rome Total War:
"Put your brain into gear for what has to be one of the most complete strategy games in years. Set in Ancient Rome, the objective is Empire-building and conquest with the aid of vast armies of men. You begin as one of three factions, with the main campaign more suited to hardcore players.
But for more casual gamers there's a shorter option, with the aim of conquering 15 territories and destroying two rival factions.

This game has been in development for an incredible four years and it's easy to see why. Breathtaking levels of detail have been captured here to ensure this becomes a classic title. The campaign maps are now far more realistic than before, with finely-rendered geographical features. And the visuals of your troops are also superbly done - better, in fact, than any previous strategy game of this type before it.

Moving your army is now easier, and you can position them in strategic locations - such as the forest - in order to ambush enemies.

The battles are fantastically well done and weather conditions such as heat and rain also play a part. Rome: Total War is a very complex game and one I can't do justice to here.
It's very demanding, yet surprisingly easy to get into, and its excellent in-depth playability and visuals will keep you coming back for more.


Nine out of ten.

[Frankymole]

Bit disappointed there are only 3 factions. What is this "casual" short game?

As to hiding men in forests - duh? Couldn't we do that in M:TW?

[son of spam]

Bit disappointed there are only 3 factions. What is this "casual" short game?

As to hiding men in forests - duh? Couldn't we do that in M:TW?

I think the reviewer meant the strategic ambushes on the campaign map.

[Mori Gabriel Syme]

Bit disappointed there are only 3 factions. What is this "casual" short game?

He means the Prologue, a campaign designed to introduce the concepts & controls. More factions become available later.

[Stuie]

What is this "casual" short game?

You can play either the full campaign (conquer 50 provinces plus Rome) or a shorter, more focused game (conquer 15 provinces and outlast one or two other factions based on which faction you are playing). I think he was referring to the latter.