Quote Originally Posted by Germaanse Strijder
I've played Medieval:TW for quite some time now and I'm considering buying Rome:TW. Particularily it sounds like an interesting because antique history is so much more interesting (in my opinion anyway)
Yes, this is a big pull of the TW games for me - the historical interest. RTW has some ahistorical things, but is closer to giving you a taste of ancient military history than any other mass market game is ever likely to be. There's a thrill in watching a horde of Gauls batter down on a Roman legion, in standing up to British chariot charge, in commanding a swarm of Parthian horse archers with cataphract shock troops, in seeing a wall of Macedonian pikes advance remorsely on your position...

However I've got some doubts. One person I talked to about it hates it, saying that for example there is no attack/defend setup like in M:TW and that tactics and strategic thinking aren't really required in Rome.
Yes, some people hate it. But I don't understand the "no attack/defend" setup point. At the tactical level, you can set up your armies on attack and defend very easily, just like MTW. Potentially there is equal scope for tactics as MTW and more scope for strategy, but I agree they are less required because the game is easier. The campaign map is easier in RTW - the AI fights less well (it is prone to being defeated in detail). Some folk say the tactical AI is weaker, although I have not noticed that so much.

I can't really say that I'm bothered about graphics, even though they're impressive it's not a reason for me to buy a game. What is very important IMO is unique units- the more the better, one reason why I never got into Shogun: TW.
So what do you think?
There are oodles of unique units - far more variety of units and indeed whole army styles than the rather generic MTW sword/spear/cav/archer units and standardised armies. Parthians really do fight almost all mounted. Rome can rely on legions; Greece and Macedon on phalanxes; Carthage relies on elephants and cavalry etc.

Basically, whether you buy it depends on your expectations. Some people want perfection, some people want a very challenging game, some want a very historical. If you fit one or more class, you might be best to avoid it. But if you can appreciated a game with a lot of historical flavour, a lot of innovation and creativity, but with some flaws in gameplay and historical accuracy, give it a go.