23.11.2012

Ok, so i've been a total war nut since Rome and have enjoyed every one since. However i was put off buying Empire because of all the dreadful reviews relating to Steam.I am no lover of Steam what so ever. I get the anti piracy part but i don't understand why you have to download the game first to install it... it's nuts.That said i finally decided to take the plunge as it was going for less than a fiver.I'm glad i did.Installation was easy enough. It did download and roughly took an hour or so to download, install and update. As i have no internet connection at home i took my laptop to my parents to do the installation. Fearful that it might not play once disconnected from the net i quickly tested to see if offline mode really worked...It did and has done ever since. That was 3 weeks ago.So installation was a bit of a faff but was not as bad as expected which was a bonus. So armed with that knowledge and a little patience the installtion shouldn't be too bad for you.The game itself then... so far I LOVE IT!! There is a rather annoying bug that randomly reloads the map in campaign view but i think that could be because i'm on Windows 8. That aside i think this is the most indepth TW yet, politics, trade the works and the battles are fantastic. i found myself skipping battles in Rome and Medieval 2 as i found them a bit reptative after a while but not Empire. Tactics IMO seem to play a bigger role and there is an element of using a ruse to trap the AI which i find fun. AND if thats not enough then you could always sink your teeth into the naval battles. I haven't mastered these yet but I love them all the same.My only gripe really is that there aren't many small nations to play. You seem to be offered the choice of playing only the superpowers of the time and other lesser but still great nations. i like to play as the underdog from time to time and take them to world domination but i can't here and that bugs. There are also NO unlockable nations, who you see is who you get; unless you mod of course.PS - for the cheaters out there - the console no longer exists no more 'process_cq' i'm afraid. (personally i find it better this way)So in a nutshell out of ten:History: 8.5Gameplay: 9.5Graphics: 8Battles: 9.5Sound: 8Replayability: 9Installation: 3Engrossment factor: 10Go on give it a go... if you have the patience to install it this game, it is very enjoyable and rewarding.**EDIT**So after playing this game for over 5 or so weeks now i thought I'd leave a little update.I FREAKIN' LOVE THIS GAME!!!I think it has come into a little unfair critism and feel this is a worthy addition to the TW family.I had to set my laptop back to Windows 7 after finding various crucial legacy programs wouldn't work on Windows 8 and was quite apprehensive about the reinstall of Empire. i have to say again it was no issue. I downloaded and installed the steam client and there was empire waiting to be downloaded and installed. (note: i didn't download it to reinstall, i followed the initial install process using the discs) it took some time but as i was prepared for it, it was no bother. I even downloaded the DLC for this game at the same time and it installed perfectly.I have not been able to put this game down - it is immersive and gives me that 'just one more turn feeling' that my wife hates.It is also worth noting that since going back to windows 7 i have experienced NO BUGS what so ever. its as smooth as a babies bum. Could be the DLC maybe but either way it works great.Any way I'm off to have tea (freshly imported from my indian colony) with William III, demand a re-election of my government, destroy the French (they started it) and then pick a fight with Prussia... all in an afternoons work, it's a hard life...-- Gaming is not just for Christmas, it's for Life --

7.4.2012

Empire picks up, technologically speaking, where M2TW left off. And pick up it does! The graphics are better close up, the whole nation management more involved (but not confusing) and the armies really do improve immediately with tech developments.Playing as the British I found the following points useful but not exclusive to them;1. Secure the Caribbean as a base and a source of income (you should have destroyed all pirates within 5 years).2. Attack the Central and American colonies of other nations in order to weaken them financially and then invade the homeland.3. Set your Gentleman character to work shortening research times (the more universities you develop/capture the quicker your tech is researched).4.Send your Rake and Religious characters into foreign lands to cause unrest, sabotage and terror. The religious figure can also convert your new conquests to your chosen religion by leaving him in a region.5. Evenly balance your income between building armies, navies and buildings. Don't be afraid to build 3 or 4 medium sized armies to protect your lands then spend time developing ALL building types in order to get better units.6. Do not underestimate the power of the sea!! Investing in 3 or 4 medium sized fleets to hold and protect sea lanes is paramount. Do not forget to capture at least one position in each trade area and then fill it with a mixture of warships and cargo ships (I found 3 war-to 12 trade works quite well especially if one of your warships is a 2nd rate ship of the line). As an extra to attacking a foe blockade all ports and assault them from land side in order to draw enemy forces out.7. Generals really do improve the more you commit them, however do not rush them head first into melees, they will die.8. Unless your hand is forced ALWAYS siege a city and when you go to the battle have at least 3 units of artillery. Use infantry to capture high ground and don't be afraid to move guns around the battle field. Whilst it might not look effective, never underestimate the psychological side of being engaged by artillery at maximum range ( it also enables your guns to "range in" and be accurate.) Changing ammunition types as the battle develops is also effective, especially as a large force closes on yours (the sight of your cannon raking an advancing enemy unit and the hole in their ranks that causes a rout is particularly satisfying!).9. Push your cavalry units out on either flank in order to get behind the advancing enemy and protect your force from his cavalry. A well timed charge will see the collapse of even an elite unit.10. Horses do not like elephants or camels. Then again elephants and camels don't like cannister rounds or fusillades of musket fire!!11. Always follow up musket fire with a bayonet charge. Your units will improve their experience and thus your army becomes more fearsome every time it takes to the field.12. NEVER trust the computer to resolve a battle for you! Even an army of one or two units can destroy a force of up to 3 times its size, if you pick the ground wisely.These points are by no means a "how to" guide but merely intended as an aid to enjoying an excellent game.Thoroughly recommended.

11.6.2012

Empire Total War is a game I like but don't love. I like to improved dimplocay screen, the goverment menu, improved graphics. It adds much depth to the politics side of Total War which I have been yearning for since Rome TW. However along these improvements and changes Creative Assembly took away what was fun about TW and some of the typical TW annoyances undone the improvements they try to make.Let me explain with what got me really exicted about buying Empire, the added depth to the dimplotic side of things. I have have to say the ideas are amazing and I hope to see them in future TW titles. The disappearence of the diplomat and the introduction of the diplomacy screen where you can talk tocountries in a click of a button removes the annoying walking round with your dipolmat across europe which ended up eating up turns. However all this is undone by again the TW trademark that your allies always betray or desert you in war which ended up me like so many times before single handely having to win wars. Even when my allies did agree to help me there were barely noticable and the the amount of troops they sent i could count with one hand. Then there is the goverment side of things. I like the idea of setting farms and towns icluded in a reigon and not just one city. This helped me immerse myself. But the drawback is they end up being annoying. So many technolgies were needed to make them worth having.Gameplay- Finally Creative assembly have taken a page out of civilisations book and introduced techoligies which were a great idea. They take a wee bit too long and a drain on resources but nevertheless a great step forward. Now battles the great trump card TW series has over every other RTS. Empire's battles to me are......um... well boring.The introduction of guns had me doubting from the start and my fears were correct. Tactics don't play as important role such as in Med2 or Rome and ended up who had most troops or who could hold chokepoints. However terrian now adds more emphasis in battles such as the ablity to enter buildings another great idea. Also the bigger map now including america and india doesn't manage to distract but adds a whole new level of stragety as attacking a far off litttle country in Europe cold actually be a big powerful neighbour in America. Also these countries add alot to the trading part of the game which has also improved a lot. Oh and I almost forget NAVAL BATTLES.thank you creative assembly.Pros--New emphasis of terrian during battles-Larger world map-Improved trade system-Naval battles-Dimploctic and goverment screens-Introduction of technolgiesCons--Dimplocy ends up useless-Sameish units-Boring gun fights-Technolgies greatly flawed-Overall game is much slowerOverall I see Empire TW as a stepping stone to better TW games. New ideas are starting to come through such as the diplomatic and goverment screens, added towns in reigon, improved trade system and technoligies. All add to the depth in the polictal side of Total War which I have wanted so long but they are flawed and need tweaking for the inenvitable Rome 2 TW (please).Overall score- 7.5/10

7.8.2012

SKIP TO NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT STEAM:First of all, if you have broadband internet and a pc which can run this game the steam client is in fact a big plus for the game. This comes with two install discs from which the game is installed, you do not have to download it! Once you entered the serial number the games installs in about 20 min depending on hardware speed, then you can start playing while the +1GB updates download in the background. After the download finishes it's applied automatically. I have a very fast internet so it only took a few minutes to download. The current release of steam works flawlessly and doesn't take up any resources on my pc while running apart from 72MB on ram memory ;)

10.5.2013

This is a genuinely good game. But it has several problems that make it fall short of its true potential:Pro's:- Historical scenario that involves the rise of the United States.- Excellent and tactical naval battles, you time your broadsides, and you must make sure your sides face the enemies by turning accordingly and more!- Good Graphics- Good Campaign interface- Different play styles for every time you play. If you play as a Great Britain, you could focus your armies in Europe or the Americas. Its different for every empiric faction.- Tactical Land Battles, firing lines and arcs, unit formations are handy to combat different threats, using a square formation against cavalry,

17.5.2016

I bought this game when it was released, but I did find it a bit buggy. So ended up putting it on the shelf to gather dust. After playing Napoleon, shugun2, and Rome 2 I thought I would go back to Empire and give it another go. Well I'm glad I did. I have been playing it with darthmod installed and I have to say this is now my favourite Total War game to date. No other total war game covers 3 regions (Europe, India, America) and gives you so many different units and countries to fight with. There is also a lot of focus on diplomacy, trade and technology. Each country/region have their own units, only today I was British fighting camels in India.

3.7.2012

This is the greatest strategy game i've ever playedGreat Land Battles, troops including: Artillery, Dragoons, Line infantry, Elite infantry e.t.c. there are 3 continents (Americas, Europe, India) + some trade continents (Madagascar, West indies, South america(Amazon, e.t.c) and Coasts of Africa.)Choose from 12 factions to govern your empire across the campaign map, real-time strategy.They've added NAVAL battles!!! That's right NAVAL.The game is powered by steam and the multiplayer is EPIC!!!It has great mods where you can control ALL factions (I prefer Courland myself)The strongest Nations in my opinion are Prussia, France, Britain Ottoman Empire and United StatesThere is an addition to the game called ''The Road to the Indenpendence''!!!

28.3.2013

It is a very fun game to play on, with a large campaign map to conquer and several major factions to play as, including Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire. The good thing about moving troops and ships around is that you don't have to watch them move to their destination, meaning you can move two troops at a time. The towns are different from previous games and you have to do a lot of researcha and development to build new buildings and get more militry power.The battles themselves have a lot of detail, especially the sea battles. The sea looks real and the ships look beautiful. The town detail is impressive and the troops climbing over fences gives it that little bit extra.

21.5.2012

No handbook came with the game. Placed cd into tray, started install then had to set up an account with Steam, yuck, after nearly 2hrs the game downloaded, sheesh, there must be an easier way of installing a game.Anyway, set Steam to run off-line and played the game, worked fine, there's tutorials on how to manage armies and navies, two campaigns, and various scenarios of battles to play. Works very well over the couple of weeks I played it, there doesn't seem to be any major problems, does seem to run slow very occasionally but otherwise it runs very well, did crash once, but then what game doesn't crash nowadays!Its a very even tempered game in that there's no frantic button pressing to stay in the game,

18.2.2012

Its like MARMITE on toast you either like it or you wonder what all the fuss were about. Personally my husbands only gripe with the game is the mill pond for seas and oceans. The battle scenes land and sea , he found it addictive, although I agree its not to everyones taste. Its not just point click move your forces to battle. You need to invent new weapons, technology, farming , look after your civillians, Military personel and weapons cost money and can be your downfall with too many. How much should you tax your population .What Government will you have. Have Fun .For the price offered £4.50 approx , just superb. The game was bought for my husband and he is well pleased.

21.9.2013

Even though I bought the game my mother insisted on buying it used which from the start I felt would be bad news, so when I get the game which I am overjoyed at getting I cannot play because of the person who sold it to me not uninstalling it so I have to wait for him to go on his steam account(that is if he even still has steam let alone a computer at this time) and uninstall it (that is if this wasn't his plan to get the money and the game at the same time) although I do have to say that after watching a lot on youtube the game looks good and that is why I bought it I cannot give you a straight up answer, and if you are going to buy this, buy it new.

4.4.2013

I'm a huge fan of the Total War series, with Rome and Medieval 2 been thoroughly played. I was interested what creative assembly could do with this 18th century era game. Its a bit different to the previous TW games. With sea trade , technology and naval warfare making a bigger appearance in this game. The three map theatres (Europe, India and North America ) really add much more excitement and awe-inspiring gameplay.The Game does feel a bit less fun than Rome and the others in the past. I can't really put my finger on it.Overall the game is great. If you like the Total war series and 18th century history, then this is right up your street !

20.1.2012

Had this given to me for Christmas - bit of a delay in installing via Steam 3-4 hours (due to VERY busy server on Christmas Day) - but that's the only gripe.Incredible graphics, game play, and sound - this IS without doubt one of the best if not THE best war game available - watching over 3 thousand individual 18th century troops and storming the battlefield with full sound - stunning !Oh and you CAN play it without internet connection once you've registered it with Steam - so ignore the other reviews that say you can't - you'll need to log onto Steam and access your account and select Play Offline.....simple......and enjoy

2.6.2013

I decided to buy this copy of Empire: Total War as the Steam download was much more expensive and I like games that are at least tangible in one way or another, so it catered to these basic needs. The game itself installed and ran as expected and I've had many hours of exciting game play since delivery.I give it a 5 star because it does exactly what I wanted it to do plus its a very good price!Thanks!

30.10.2020

I recently purchased this game from this seller and was delighted at the price and swift delivery. Although there was an unforseen issue that neither me nor the seller knew about concerning the products previous owner, I found the help and friendliness of this seller really admirable. Quality service and would say with complete certainty a seller who is trustworthy and I recommend wholeheartedly

Empire: Total War (PC) - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail