Heart of the Matter , Is RTW good value for $?

[sunsmountain]

at $50, no. (i bought it at 41 when it came out.)

At $30 yes.

In terms of strategy it's not in the same league as Civilization III (and buy conquests expansion) or Caesar III. Playing with the different factions is like playing with set 'characters'. There are 19 of them, with 11 full fledged. The distinction between factions is better than in Medieval:TW.

In terms of action and tactics its unsurpassed. If you want a better AI, buy Medieval TW (with expansion), but graphically less appealing and less options.

It's great when you like both in equal measure (tactics & campaign map), but you can automate one and focus on the other. If you dont strive for perfection in your empire you can have a lot of fun with this ruby of a game.

[Colovion]

Rome, when the Gold Edition comes out that includes teh XP and RTW as well as the option of downloading the, then complete, EB mod - it'll be well worth the money.

Right now though, not a chance. Save your money.

[LordKhaine]

In a word, yes.

Though I'll add that it amuses me to see the growing crowd of people constantly bashing RTW on these forums. And going to quite extraordinary lengths to make their opinion well known. Even to the point of screaming out that the total war series is "dying", ganging up and repeating themselves over and over again on forums, and even giving RTW ridiculously low ratings on amazon as a "public awareness campaign". It really is rather pathetic to watch and is certain to do more harm than good.

[Colovion]

In a word, yes.

Though I'll add that it amuses me to see the growing crowd of people constantly bashing RTW on these forums. And going to quite extraordinary lengths to make their opinion well known. Even to the point of screaming out that the total war series is "dying", ganging up and repeating themselves over and over again on forums, and even giving RTW ridiculously low ratings on amazon as a "public awareness campaign". It really is rather pathetic to watch and is certain to do more harm than good.

you defeated your own argument when you stated that this crowd of dissenters is growing

strange that it's growing when most of the people who frequented this forum left after RTW was released because of their own feelings of dissent

history is interesting in it's cyclical nature