Well, I’ve been watching the show Decisive Battles on the History channel and my mouth has been watering for Total War: Rome (the show usese the Total War: Rome engine). I’ve been reading the previews and it looks SO cool. Well, today I was at EB and they were taking advanced money for the game…and giving away a demo of the game free if you signed up. Unfortunately the only thing on the demo is a single battle…but the new 3-D engine is SO cool. And from what I’ve read the strategic map is now 3-D also…and it sounds pretty cool itself.
I’m practically drooling. I loved Midieval: Total War–one of my all-time favorite games. I can’t wait to see what they’ve done with it (well–I can wait 'cause I’m not gonna pre-pay to see the demo. But still…)
You don’t have to prepay to see the demo, it’s available for download all over the place.
Not only does the new engine look great but it actually shows how devastating different manouvers look. Charging a group of archers with cavalry makes me feel sorry for the archers!
Also, it’s readily evident why horses don’t work against spearmen – they look positivly dangerous when they ready themselves to take a charge, bristling with spears like a giant dangerous looking pincushion.
I’ll never understand how someone can refuse to prepay for a game they’re going to buy anyway, ESPECIALLY when they get something (anything) along with it.
Well, the one battle you get is pretty easy to beat…but gods I was nearly in tears when I sent in the elephants and moved down to the level of the fight and watched them charge in throwing Roman soldiers left and right…it was really something to see. This game is going to really be something. Hell, I’m still playing Total War: Shogun and Medieval for that matter. I can’t wait to see what they’ve done.
I wish they would add a tactical aspect to the sea battles though.
I HATE when stores put ‘coming soon!’ boxes up on their shelves. I was at Best buy the other day, thinking, “Wooohooo! TW:R is already out! Christmas came early!” No, just some stupid ‘coming soon!’ box that you buy (!!!) for like 10 bucks, then you get some slightly larger amount off when you buy the actual game. Or something like that; I am not exactly sure how that works.
Well, at EB you get the demo and $5 off the game…and it cost $5 so it was like the demo was free. I think it harks back to the days when games used to ship in smaller quantities and initially you had to fight to get your copy if you wanted to play it when it first shipped. I haven’t had that happen to me in a while so normally I don’t even bother with pre-sales stuff…but I wanted to play the demo and check out the combat engine. Too bad its so easy to beat. I’ve tried to lose and its actually difficult to do so.
The game is supposed to be out in the next two weeks, so it shouldn’t be a long wait. A friend of mine at Activision says the game is already in the pipeline…but he won’t get me an advanced copy. Bastard.
Supposedly it’s coming out near the end of September and a week later in Europe. I’ve got the demo, and the calvery charges brings a tear from my eye. I mean it’s one thing in Medieval to see the horses verses peasants, but 'tis a thing of beauty to see them charge straight through and over them…
I’m totally amazed at the system requirements. My flatmate with a AMD 1.7, GeForce 2MX and 256 meg RAM can run it a 800x600 without a single slowdown. Two thumbs up for a game with realistic minimum system requirements.
The Flash preview in the demo looks outstanding. The city sieges, the Dogs of War, the barbarians carrying servered heads - kind of makes you wish for the simpler times.
With this game coming out and Burnout 3, GTA:San Andreas, HL2 (sometime Dec?) and Evil Genius, my wallet is going to bleed.
Its going to be a very happy Autumn. Rome, Halo 2, San Andreas. Not to mention *Doom 3 * is already out. Looks like my social life is going to be in a coma for a couple months.
I was a little worried that my computer wouldn’t be able to handle Rome, I’m glad they made such a great looking game from such small requirements.
The dogs look hilarious…they are used to chase cavalry troops. Also, from what I’ve read armies on the march can create towers and stockades and other defensive positions. Also the city sieges are supposed to be a lot better…you can now actually man the walls with your archers.
When I had the elephants charge they literally threw soldiers right and left out of their way…god that was really something to see. I can’t wait to try a chariot charge.
Hell, I’m still anticipating playing “Medieval: Total War”, which I bought without realizing that my computer wasn’t up to the task. As soon as I can buy more memory and a new video card, I’ll be all over that.
That’s like saying, “I don’t see the point of preordering a game for a console system I don’t have.” Of course you don’t! I don’t even understand why you would say something like that. I think it’s pretty clear you were not among those I was talking about.
The point I’m trying to make here is that there is absolutely no valid reason not to preorder a game. I don’t know about EB or any other video game store, but at a place like Software Etc/Gamestop, you put the money down towards the price of the game. So you’re gonna buy it anyway, why not make it $5 less when the release date comes out? It’s like paying incrementally without interest.
Nothing would make me happier right now than an unexpected delay in the ship date of R:TW. I’ve got my hands full with Crusader Kings and would hate to have to choose between two shiny new games.
I can’t wait to see what they’ve done.