Those who have not played this game, have not enjoyed an eventful life.
Rome: Total War, a fresh and innovative approach to a real-time strategy game, blows the competition out of the water. The game ingeniously maintains a culmination of diplomacy, warfare, and commerce to create a mind blowing experience. In Rome: Total war you play as one of three Roman factions competing for world dominance. A routine thorn in the side, the Senate, often mandate missions, which if not complete will result in their disfavor and ultimately war. As a Roman Faction a wide variety of troops are offered ranging from Roman war dogs, to Triarri, to Hastati, each with their own unique abilities. Municipally, you manage each city to your advantage, ensuring that the people are happy by creating buildings of entertainment, sanitation, etc, and isochronally ensuring financial productivity; raising taxes, increasing trade, etc. As a faction you are able to declare war on others, plundering their land, or maintain a diplomatic stance, peacefully cooperating with others.br />
The Battles
The battles are amazing as they allow you to command troops from a birds eye view for maximum competence and then zoom in to see the intense action, which is a treat due to the amazing graphics. Where your army is on the map plays an integral factor, as the surrounding environment is incorporated within the battle, rather ingenious. Particular units have special abillites such as flaming arrows, Catabrian circle, and the phalanx. Battles can be fought as full scale sieges in which one side attempt to breach the walls or in open terrain, which plays a pivotal role as particular terrain such as snow can provide units with fighting advantages. Each army can be managed by a general, who will gradually gain attributes and increase in skill with every victory. Assassins allow you to take out opposing generals or captains, which could considerably tip the scales.
Not a ten you say
Despite the evident and colossal breakthroughs there is still some leeway for progression. Diplomacy rarely plays a factor as alliances are constantly broken without reprimand and transgressions are easily forgotten. The scale of the battles occasionally seems ridiculous as there are humungous cities, which have tremendous and ostensibly interminable walls, protected by a 1,000 troops maximum. The troops only occupy four walls as opposed to the twenty a city might have, creating a mundane impression. Also the fact that troops can be stabbed in the head by a spear fall over and then recuperate is slightly disheartening, as it criminally invades the domain of realism.
All in all though the graphics are tantalizing, the game-play breathtaking, and the game is evidently worth its weight in gold. This game; however, should come with a warning sign as it is highly addictive, as I have almost been playing it for a year.