Rome: Total War

[CemeteryGates]

That's what I've been playing on PC lately.
So much, in fact, that it's making me ignore my recently bought and borrowed games (Dead Space, Halo: ODST, Dragon Age: Origins, The Saboteur, etc...).

After a year of quitting, I had forgotten just how great this game was.
I'm doing the campaign right now and procrastinating on taking Rome... I have 64 controlled regions, and I'm like 3 turns away from taking another two. :D

I got the expasions, but haven't played them yet. Anyone know if they're any good? :)

[Lance]

I've not played Rome actually - I've heard it's fantastic, but I'm waiting to get my computer (I've had some set backs with the funds :( ) to get it.

Now Medieval 2 with the Kingdoms expansion and latest Stainless Steel mod.... well I've gushed about it before, but it's one of the best games around

[Archangel]

I've played Rome, I've played (a little bit of) Medieval II, and I've played Empire. So far, I'm inclined to say Rome is the best, with Medieval II for a close second. Empire TW was... eh. The world map was too big, there were too many factions that just upped and decided to declare war on you for no real reason, and it just outright annoyed me.

But Rome... Ah, Rome. She was a good'un. The world map was large enough that there was more than ample supplies of pagans and heretics to conquer and pillage, but it wasn't so big as to be annoying to get from point A to point B. In the latter tiers of the game, it did get somewhat more of a pain in the ass, though, 'cause all your cities start bitching about how they're too far from the capital or how there are too many people in the city, so they stop giving you the money you need to enlist them into the army. Bastards.

But yeah; awesome fun.

I haven't played the expansions, but from what I know of them, I don't really care too much. The Barbarian Invasion expansion, as far as I know, just reset your game map and moves you forward to 300-ish AD for the decline of the western Roman Empire. And then you just do more of the same thing from the vanilla campaign.
And the Alexander expansion doesn't even give you the whole world map, but instead focuses in around Macedonia with (I think) only 30 provinces to slaughter and pillage. You only get a hundred turns, too.

All up, I think the vanilla campaign is the best of it all.

[Serio]

I think the main feature added in the Barbarian Invasion was the fact you could play as a tribe right away, and if you got defeated you'd turn into a horde. I've never played as a horde, but I think it sounds fun. Just steamroll the patrols of the Roman Empire, then settle down in Rome and watch both the Western and Eastern empires try to take it back.

I remember getting too annoyed by the senate's constant bickering when playing as the House of Brutii. I sent a force of 20,000 to take Rome, but ended up having to retreat to Greece thanks to the House of Julii.

[Lance]

Arch: Try TW:M2 with the Stainless Steel mod. It really is what M2 SHOULD have been at release. It changed a lot of the map, extending it eastwards and adding in more history appropriate cities/kingdoms and fixed a LOT of issues the game had. Had M2 been released like that, I really believe it would be considered one of the greatest games of all time.

If you get a chance, give it a try and you'll see just how good it is.

As is, I've decided to get Rome when it comes on sale in Steam (or I'm luckly enough to win another MoM and get a $10 voucher ;)) on my Laptop - I've freed up enough room specifically for it.

[Konrad]

The only Total War game I've played was Empire and I wasn't a huge fan of it. It was fun but I lost interest shortly. Rome looked like a lot more fun, but I'm hesitant to waste money of it if I didn't love what should theoretically be an improved version.

[Archangel]

Yeah... Rome was better than Empire.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Shogun: Total War was better than Empire -- and that was release 4 years before even Rome was.

[Jason]

I have the entire 'Total War' series pack lurking in the depths of MG's prize vault.

Just sayin'.

[Konrad]

Konrad: MoTM 2010

[Archangel]

I think you need to specify a month, not a year, Konnie.

Just sayin'.

[Konrad]

The Month specifically being the month I win MotM in the year 2010. Nice try.

[Nonsequitur]

Rome is great. I bought Medieval Total War but found myself wishing for legions.