Can't drag myself away!!! There's always ONE more thing to do....
User Rating: 9.4 | Medieval II: Total War PC
I'll admit to being hooked by the wonderfully slick preview videos I'd seen over the past few months. I loved the horses, the armour, the weapons, the heraldry and livery colours, the amazing landscapes and towering citadels. I assumed that the incredible level of detail I saw in the videos was not going to be most enjoyable thing if I bought the game, however. Sure enough, I DO love the incredible detail in the graphics (individual people, not clones), but I rarely zoom in close enough in a battle to see the good stuff. I'm much too busy overseeing my strategy versus the enemy's. Battles are FUN!!! However, after a bit of a false start in the wrong direction, I realized that M2TW is a game that needs you to think not just a move in advance, but several moves (often representing years in the game). You need to keep track of your cities and/or castles, but you don't have to micro-manage (for which I'm VERY thankful). Just keep a close watch on relations, the growth of your armies, the age of your princesses (I wouldn't marry them off to any Tom, Dick or Sir Harry), and other factors. You can reload a previous save if something drastic happens during a turn, but planning is KEY! I find the game so vast in its scale that I always want to do one more thing before shutting my system down for the night. I like the AI (your choice of difficulty levels) of the enemy, as well as the lack of control over some things that are quite important. For example, I may not like the way a family member is going in terms of his/her retinue (followers who affect one or more of the trait ratings of the family member), but there's not much I can do in some cases, which is realistic (note: don't expect a history lesson--it's a game). Still, I can work to control my developing kingdom through the first and then subsequent rulers. I really enjoyed the first Medieval: Total War, but M2TW is FAR beyond the original game--similar, but much more advanced.
I wish I could play more factions! Honestly, I did expect more factions to be available, even if not ALL of them. I'd love to start with the Scots and then spread out from there. Also, players should be able to play one or more Islamic factions. I find the Islamic factions represented really well--it would be nice to play one. I currently play as Spain, my usual faction of choice.
My advice to new players is simple: learn the mechanics of the game and know the relative strengths/weaknesses of units. You never grow old, but the family members of your faction do; plan for the future. I didn't accept every suitor who came along, but I sometimes waited a bit too long by being too particular who married into my family. You are building a dynasty, after all. Enjoy!!! I'm off to play some more....Just one more thing to do before I quit playing for the night.... 
