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On the heels of their successful Sho: Total War Creative
Assembly moves back in time and westward on the to shed some
light on the Dark Ages. Medieval: Total War concerns the power
struggles of pre-Renaissance European kings and Middle Eastern
powers, as well as the conflict between the last vestiges of
paganism and the growing influences of Islam, the Orthodox
(Eastern) Church, and the Roman Catholic Church. These were
violent and passionate times to be sure, perfect for a historical
strategy game that thrives on brutality, dynasty, and war.
There are three time periods to choose from, the earliest of
which features more fragmented factions and primitive weaponry,
the last represents a more unified period where most power
struggles have been decided and powder has entered the scene.
With three time periods and 12 factions representing three
different religions, there's a lot of replay value in the
strategic game alone.
Like Sho, the game is divided into two parts: strategic and
. The strategic part features a of Europe, some of
Asia, and some of Africa. It's divided into territories à la Risk
or Axis & Allies, and each territory represents a kingdom. Each
faction begins with its own holdings and must quickly begin to
out produce and conquer its neighbors. Each kingdom has its own
population, loyalty rating, economy, and religious affiliations.
Installing a feared or loved general as governor can enhance the
kingdom, but giving an unscrupulous general the job could lead to
revolt. Building structures can enhance the kingdom as well; a
dock or a salt or silver mine can lead to riches while a castle
protects. A bowyer or spear maker can outfit new troops. As time
progresses, your king will grow old, have children, and die. If
he dies without a male heir a revolution can occur. Daughters are
used primarily to reward your governors and generals or offered
to allies as wives.
The portion of the game is the 3-D battlefield,
complete with deserts, rivers, rolling hills, forests, ains,
and the vast rainy plains of England. It is here that you will
decide the e of your empire. You have to use terrain
effectively to win, managing your varied troops with efficiency
and skill: pikemen against ed troops, ed troops against
archers, archers against pikemen. The specialized troop types of
the Turkish, Byzantine, French, and other cultures offer unique
abilities and open up combat options to wily generals. Guiding
the actions of thousands of meticulously researched troops and
watching them execute historical maneuvers on a giant
battlefield is a joy, but if deep combat is not to your
liking, you can skip individual battles or have the computer
control them for you. Creative Assembly added sieges to the game
as well, and those can be spectacular undertakings--complete with
castle walls, sorties, and machines of war. A multiplayer option
is offered, but only using the battle engine. There are
also a few warfare only historical battles and scenarios.
The two halves of the game make a rich whole. The AI is sharp,
and a sense of history permeates the game. From the eerie
medieval chanting that underscores playing as a Western power to
the lively Islamic music that you'll hear if you play as a Middle
Eastern power. The game recreates history well, but more
importantly it's also fantastic to play. --Bob Andrews
Pros:
* Excellent gameplay; strong AI
* Two perfect game engines working together Cons:* Deep,
intellectual subject matter might be too dense for some
* Multiplayer only exists in battle mode
From the Manufacturer
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Medieval: Total War allows players to take control of one of 12
European powers as they attempt to rewrite history through a
mixture of epic battles, trade, diplomacy, and resource
management. Featuring an incredibly powerful 3-D engine, the game
supports real-time 3-D battles of more than 10,000 troops and
more than 100 unique unit types, including knights, infantry, and
siege engines--in terrain as varied as deserts, forest, plains,
and ains. Players use authentic battle strategies and
tactics as they unleash their forces against medieval castles and
mighty fortresses with an arsenal of battlefield weapons
including longbows, muskets, cannons, and catapults which can
pound castle walls and buildings to rubble.