Rome Total War Intro Remake

Impressed. Also, wish my rig ran the game more like this...

Hitler Reacts to Total War: Rome II

Ok, it's flogging a dead horse at this point, but I still found it amusing.

Also, despite the video, the game is absolutely fanastic. More to come later.

Rome II Naval Warfare Vid

Yes, please.

Too Many Cavalry...

I do believe a stronger hoplite phalanx would have fared better.

But it's still good to see that the AI is getting some buffs.

Exploring Rome 2

Another fantastic Rome 2 preview, with yet another Battle of the Nile preview towards the end. Obviously very much in a beta state, but still exciting nonetheless.

Oh, yes. For Rome!

This is the preview you've been looking for...

Battle of the Nile

My anticipation is growing. However, I'm just not sure about the physics. That artillery around 5:00 wiped out half a cohort in one well landed shot. More effective than a howitzter in Empire/Napoleon. This, to me is somewhat disconcerting. 

Then again at 5:20 when the scythe chariots clash with the Roman legionaries it's amazing how many of them fly twenty feet straight up in the air. You'd think those horses had scoops or the like up front. I get it. It's a graphical representation of the disruption caused by the chariots, but still... we're at least pretending to be an historical game, right?

I also feel obligated to mention the pacing. The whole battle seems... fast. The ships accelerate fast. The infantry move fast. Troops die by the dozen. And morale breaks fast. It feels like we're in for a much quicker paced tactical game, and I'm not really sure how I feel about that.

I am looking forward to a return to sword and arrow combat. Don't get me wrong, Shogun 2 had that aplenty, but what Shogun 2 lacked was character. All the Japanese clans had an essentially identical unit roster which made faction choice essentially boil down to starting position, with a couple of minor perks you may or may not even utilize. 

Going back to antiquity eliminates gunpowder from the equation an, with such varied cultures, will hopefully at least give the illusion to vastly differentiated armies. 

Overall I'm hesitantly mega excited for this game. I was drawn into the Total War series with the original Rome, and I sincerely hope this game can capture some of the nostalgia I have from that experience. 

Total War: Rome II

Oh. My. Heavens.

After every indication pointing to the next CA strategy game being one based in WWI, after two years of fans begging for a sequel to Rome, this hits the internet. If you care about cinematic trailer, that's cool, though the important part hits the video at 2:35.

All I can say is, I'm pretty sure life has no meaning until this comes out. And when it does finally come out, if you expect me to do anything other than go to work, eat enough to sustain myself, and play this game, you don't know me well enough.

Nerd anticipation starting now.