amazon Total War reviews
What makes a real-time strategy game? These are units, resource management and a brainwashing. But what is still important to RTS games, is the computer mouse. Accuracy in commands and movement is unrealistic on the touch screen. Total War Battles: Shogun is an extended version of the popular PC game series Total War on the touch screen. Unfortunately, things that make up a good strategy game are not here.
There are still a few things that make TWBS a tactical game: You’ll build your army houses, collect minerals, and upgrade your units. But instead of being free to build, you are bound in a tight space. Buildings must be constructed to fit the area and connected to the main road. Thanks to the design of this lousy screen, that is almost impossible.
Limiting maps in the game is a terrible thing. For example, when building a temple to produce monks will ask for four boxes, almost blocking all the way around it and you have to put the temple connected to a logging camp. And yet, players should not leave them near the market and like every other building, you can not build the roads. Fortunately, players can destroy and move them at any time or else just one mistake in building a house will result in a painful end.
Despite the reputation of being a real-time strategy game, the game is very bad. Melee groups can attack anything in front of them in three squares and, fortunately, the archers can attack a bit further. Players can still use common tactics to win or spam large numbers of players.
Multiplayer system is also a major defect of TWBS. Sega’s matchmaking system is poor so it’s hard to find a good fight and even if it does, the game is even more frustrating for players. There are no houses or resources to find: you will be given a certain number of soldiers and kill each other until a general is destroyed. Game’s advice is to stay away from the multiplayer if you can unless you want to throw the machine away.
Total War Battles Shogun is probably Sega’s failure on the mobile system, despite the long history of this game can be placed in the monument. Even though the graphics and sound are good, the gameplay is too much inadequate, plus the inferior Multi system can make you want to go crazy literally and not enjoy the game anymore.
where can you get a Total War online
Total War: Rome 2 – PC: Buy it now
Total War: Shogun 2 Gold – PC: Buy it now
Total War: Warhammer Limited Edition (PC): Buy it now
Introduction
Since its inception in 2000, Creative Assembly’s “Total War” series for Sega has been one of the most important contributors to the existence of the strategy game genre. It is a mixture of turn-based strategy and real-time tactical battles and has gone through a lot of change through time, incorporating many historical and fantasy settings. This in-depth review will encompass almost every aspect of the series, such as gameplay mechanics, historical accuracy, graphics, sound design, and effect on the gaming industry at large.
Gameplay Mechanics
Turn-Based Strategy
The turn-based strategy portion of the Total War series involves the diplomatic and military management of empires. This entails settlement building and management, diplomacy, finance, and troop movement on the campaign map. Each turn corresponds to a period, ranging from months to years according to the game.
Settlement Management: The Total War series considers settlements management a crucial aspect to the growth and stability of any empire. Players are required to build settlement structures that give different benefits as economic structures, military unit training structures, or general order improvements. Players will have to find equilibrium between these factors for a successful empire.
Diplomacy: In the series, diplomacy plays a key role, as enemies can always become allies; trade can be negotiated; and war can be declared. The evolution of the diplomacy system means that more recent titles allow for this to become an even larger piece of the broader strategic gameplay, including varied options and AI behavior.
Economic Management: In this equally important part of Total War in which you manage your economy, players can spend money to build armies while spending money to maintain an acceptable economy. This includes taxation, trade, and resource production; without a strong economy for funding armies, building, and expansion, everything else players are doing is practically pointless.
Army Movement: Troop movements could also be strategic in nature. The player will have to think about terrain types, supply lines, and enemy positions. One wrong movement could lead to a loss of an ensuing battle; one brilliant maneuver could turn the tide in such a situation.
Real-Time Tactical Battles
Real-time tactical battles are the bedrock of the Total War series. Here, ship thousands upon thousands of units across a battlefield symbolizing a hundred different strategies and tactics into victory.
Unit Types and Variety: The game consists of all sorts of units: the infantry, cavalry, archers, and artillery. Each type has its strengths and weaknesses, so good used mixed-up with varieties of units bring success. The introduction of hero units and unique faction-specific units in the latter titles has further propelled the game to much more variety during the battles.
Depth in Tactics: When discussing the tactical depth of battles in the ‘Total War’ series, naught except words can really judge. Not are unit positioning and terrain easy to elaborate, but also flank formations, ambushes, strategic use of terrain, and many more aspects come into play on which the winner of battle can be decided. The list of new features includes siege battles for players to capture or defend positions, thereby adding to the complexity of their virtual battles.
Mechanics of Battle: Many improvements have been made to battle mechanics over years. Early titles were with their basic unit interactions in any case, while in the later games, these have been enhanced into sophisticated features like unit fatigue, morale effects, and complex AI behaviors. Something to be expected from these are the quite realistic, dynamic features of battles.
By the feature, one that the “Total War” series is different from others is in its historical authenticity. Each title within the series has been set in a different historical or fantasy age, and, indeed, the developers have worked quite hard toward faithfully recreating those things.
Historical Titles
Shogun: Total War (2000) and Shogun 2: Total War (2011): The series began with “Shogun: Total War,” set in Japan, in its feudal age, during the Sengoku period. All through, Shogun 2: Total War came on the heels of it, recreating that Japanese milieu with impressive graphics and improved game mechanics. Both received commendations for being detail-focused and authentic in presenting Japanese culture as well as warfare.
Medieval: Total War (2002) and Medieval II: Total War (2006): Most medieval-themed games have been turned into this series. “Medieval: Total War” and its successor have precisely illustrated Europe during the Middle Ages. Different factions were also included, from the western kingdoms in Europe to the eastern sultanates of the Middle East, each having its unique attributes on the units and buildings it can provide.
Rome: Total War (2004) and Rome II: Total War (2013): Classical-age oriented, the “Rome: Total War” games tell the rise and later expansion into provinces of the Roman Republic and Empire. These are the most well-known games for having such a gigantic campaign map that specifies almost the whole of Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia. The idea of these games is to present political intrigue and military strategies as conducted in the ancient Rome.
Empire: Total War (2009): It is the Early Modern period in which “Empire: Total War” unfolds, a period of interests around wholesale expansion of colonies into wide areas and conquest through the use of gunpowder in wars. What it introduced, special in itself, is naval battleground and global map features that allow the player to virtually run empires across continents.
Napoleon: Total War (2010): This title on Napoleonic Wars describes early nineteenth-century wars in detail. Following the period’s qualities, the storyline involves tactics of line infantry, artillery, and cavalry.
Total War: Three Kingdoms (2019): The period when this game was set in China was the Three Kingdoms period, which was synonymous with turbulence in historical events. The game is inspired by historical authenticity with some literary and mythical elements from China. The game comprises a very rich campaign map for China and focuses on personalities and rivalries between warlords in the cold war eras.
Fantasy
Total War: Warhammer Trilogy: The last installment of fantasy in the “Total War: Warhammer” presents the “Total War” trilogy. These latest games blend the strategic depth of “Total War” with exceptionally great storytelling and fantasy from the Warhammer Fantasy universe. They allow the players to control a variety of different factions, from a number of human empires through necromantic legions and onto grotesque beasts controlling numerous different units and features.
Total War Saga: Troy (2020): This title intersperses real-life with mythology as its set during the Trojan War. It has elements derived from the fabled battle but uses creatures and heroes from mythology, giving it a different spin on the make-and-play format of “Total War.
Graphics & Visual Design Evolution in Graphics
Graphical improvements in the Total War series have made quite a leap since the early games, beginning with Shogun: Total War, up to today’s latest release, which has to offer beyond 2D sprites and very simple 3D models along with later titles pushing boundaries moreso on the visual fidelity side.
Detailing & Animation of Units: Some of the more recent titles boast very finely detailed unit models with fluid animation. Each unit has been modeled down to the last detail, from the armor and weapons to the facial features and clothing. Smooth and realistic animations ensure that players feel immersed during the battles.
Environmental Graphics: Environmental graphics also went along and depicted terrain detail, dynamic weather effects, and real-time blazing lights. The campaign maps are very rich in their details and evidently capture the geographical and cultural diversity in which this game will be set. The battles range from very vibrant environments of green forests and rolling plain, to desolate deserts and snow-locked mountains.
Design of Siege and Settlement: The complexity of siege and settlement designs has increased, with more detailed fortifications, destructible buildings, and intricate layouts. Add in the increasing graphical fidelity of those areas, and it all amounts to a great increase in richness, depth, and attractiveness in these games.
Sound Design and Music Sound Effects
Sound design is hugely immersing part of the “Total War” experience. The sound effects created have been all the way from clashes of swords across cannons to soldiers shouting mixed in with the ambient noises of the environment, constructed to almost perfection to create an immersive atmosphere.
Battlefield Sounds: The sounds that fill the battle also happen to be very dynamic and seem to be affected by the happenings onscreen. The racket of weapons, the screams of those wounded in battle, and the misery of commands from officers combine to create the hardcore experience in wars.
Campaign Map Audio: Most ambiences on the campaign map will speak of how it smells of birds chirping in the forests, noise of bustling life in cities, waters crashing on the shore, and more. These little aural cues enhance the experience of place and immersion.
Music
This is one of the best musical elements of the “Total War” series, where every installment has a unique, evocative soundtrack perfectly suited to it.
Original Scores: The original scores were composed to comply with the mood and visual atmosphere of the games. Thus they would range from the traditional Japanese instruments of “Shogun 2” to epic orchestral styles in “Rome II” that made listening add emotional weight to the game-play.
Dynamic Soundtracks: The dynamic soundtracks then relate to play, with songs varying from the campaign map to battle themes. Music fluctuates with the intensity of action, creating a premise for enhanced excitement during climactic moments.
Re-playability and Length
Diverse Campaigns
One of the best attributes of the “Total War” series is replayability. Every game has several factions, with different units, buildings, and campaign objectives. Such diversity calls for replaying the campaigns as players try different strategies and playstyles.
Modding Community-: Then again, the modding community has added so much to how long the series has lived. Creative Assembly dug in many of its titles with support for modding and furthered the amount of user-generated content. Mods go anywhere from basic tweaks and new units to pretty much total overhauls and total conversions, adding an unlimited variation and lifespan to games.
Multiplayer-: Multiplayer is yet another area into which most game companies are currently investing huge resources, as it allows players worldwide to put themselves against one another in custom battles and campaign scenarios. Competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes add extra challenges and replayability to the game.
Critical Reception and Impact
Critical Acclaim
The Total War Series has achieved critical acclaim for its innovative blend of strategic and tactical game features, historical accuracy in events, and an immersive gaming experience for players. Each of the titles has been praised according to its unique offerings to the series and to the genre.
Awards and Recognition:
Shogun: Total War and its sequel Shogun 2: Total War made their mark in the arena of combining turn-based strategy and real-time tactical battles and earned acclaim in many quarters. Shogun 2, in particular, received Game of the Year accolades in the strategy category for several years following its appearance.
Medieval: Total War and Medieval II: Total War are among the most detailed representations of the medieval period, resulting in their winning Greatest Strategy Game and Greatest PC Game accolades from several gaming magazines.
Rome: Total War often ranks as one of those games that define the genre, having won multiple awards for depth, historical accuracy, and most innovative gameplay. It is often included in the lists of the best games ever made.
Empire: Total War leaves much-do considering naval battles and a global campaign, thus taking the prize for Best Strategy Game besides praise for ambition and execution.
Napoleon: Total War stood out in many Best Strategy Game nominations and rave reviews, most especially concentrating on improving the core gameplay mechanic concerning the Napoleonic Wars.
Total War: Warhammer and its sequels have awed the world for marrying the Total War framework with the Warhammer Fantasy setting, winning them the prizes for Best Strategy Game and Best Adaptation.
Evolution and Innovations.
The “Total War” series has always visible with their new mechanics, settings, and other features in a way so it always feels fresh and exciting.
New Technology
The series puts itself squarely with the latest state-of-the-art technology and has significantly enhanced gameplay and visualization. While it was the humble 2D sprites running around in the original Shogun, the current installments feature photorealistic 3D models and campaign maps far removed from anything imagined when strategy games were said to be at their best.
AI changes from year to year: “One of the most remarkable changes to the ‘Total War’: Series has been in the improvement of artificial intelligence. Simple models were seen in the earlier titles, while very evolved behaviorism and decision process are used in the today’s world games. This AI in last titles could also think along with accepting new strategies, opposition, and dynamic reactions to the player’s action.
Graphics Improvements: Graphics improvements have been brought to every single game in the series, from better textures and lighting to more detailed models and realistic environmental effects. These changes have played their part not only in beautifying the games but, most importantly, in immersing players into the salient realism of experience.
Gameplay Innovations
Naval Battles: An entirely new dimension was introduced in Empire: Total War by having naval battles, with players being able to command fleets in real-time against each other, taking into consideration wind direction, type of ship, and tactical maneuvers, something that continues to be improved in later titles such as Napoleon.
Hero Units and Unique Abilities: Hero units that wield their own special abilities and quite come to resemble something out of an RPG are featured in the Warhammer trilogy. These heroes can very well tip the scales of battle in their favor by unleashing their devastating skills and spells, creating fresh strategic advantages and challenges.
Dynamic Campaign Maps: The last few entries in the series also included dynamic campaign maps in which things done by the players could have some lasting effect on the game world. For instance, one game may allow a person to raise a city, while another has permanent changes in that geographical area regarding political economy. Deeper depth makes the campaigns replayable.
Community and Modding
The community has significantly contributed to the whole success and thus the endurance of this series. The modding support by Creative Assembly has definitely paid dividends, producing just a fantastic community of modders who hobby a million and one different things from tidy fiddling to total conversions.
Popular Mods
Some of the more renowned mods for Rome: Total War include Roma Surrectum and Europa Barbarorum; they concentrate on adding units, factions, overall historicity.
Stainless Steel and Third Age: Total War are also reputed as being the unbelievably phenomenal kinds of all-encompassing modding for Medieval II: Total War “transforming into a rich pageant in the world of Middle-earth from J.R.R. Tolkien’s story, ‘The Lord of the Rings’.”
And the great DarthMod for various titles focuses on improving the AI, balance, and realism of games which result in playing with more challenge as well as immersivity.
Community Involvement
Creative Assembly is all over in really engaging with the “community” on their forums and through various social media channels. Their active engagement in product patching and updating based on player feedback has definitely added to the collaborative atmosphere with fans. The resultant environment undoubtedly extends over the very loyal and passionate community that now supports the franchise.
Legacy and Impact
The “Total War” series made a mark in the strategy game series and its powerful impact has been felt among numerous other games and game developers. Its new idea of turn-based strategizing and real-time tactics inspired to also come with similar mechanisms among other titles, and its historical and depth-based foundation laid benchmarks for the genre to follow.
Influence on Other Games
The “Civilization” and the “Europa Universalis” were inspired by how well the strategic depth and historical settings of the “Total War” series work together. The combination of grand strategy and tactical battles has influenced new titles like “Total War: Three Kingdoms” and “Total War: Warhammer,” both of which have improved on the foundation laid by previous games.
Educational Use
Perfectly fitting with education, where educators and historians use the games for examining events or periods in history. The accuracy of representation of historical periods and events attracts attention and creates a mode of learning history, thus making the games educational tools as well.
The Series has a Bright Future
Creative Assembly has inspired hope so strong in the new titles and expansion of the “Total War” series that it’s not too far-fetched to assume that they will also start developing new historical periods as well as new settings. Further improvements and innovations will continue to be made in gameplay mechanics.
Titles Forthcoming: For those enthusiasts with ears glued to the ground regarding any pending or forthcoming titles, one ought to expect the series to keep crawling out from under its belly. A previously explored popular historical locations or a never before visited scene will not surprise the “Total War” series as it makes forays into the strategy game genre.
Coming Technological Innovations: Future “Total War” parts will even get better visuals than the current games along with AI advancements and gameplay innovations. This holds out the possibility of far more realistic and even more immersing experiences that Creative Assembly is very well placed to exploit.
Final Thoughts
The series “Total War” has forged a path as one of the few pillars on which the strategy game genre stands. It boasts of depth in gameplay, historical accuracy, as well as mechanisms within the game. From as early as the time of “Shogun: Total War” to the current times, when it has built some of the most detailed and expansive worlds seen in the Warhammer trilogy, the game has consistently updated its performance and increased the bar at what strategy games are capable of doing.
Advantages:
Extensive and engrossing gameplay: The combination of turn-based strategy and real-time tactical battles has provided gameplay experience very rich and rewarding.
Historical and Fantasy Settings: The historical accuracy of the series and the fantasy settings diversify the worlds and immerse them even deeper.
Graphics and Sound Design: High-quality visuals and sound design contribute to the total immersion and reality of the games.
Community and Modding support: Modding community is ton of fun with a great amount of activity from devs, so even years later, people are replaying the series in newer ways.
Disadvantages:
Learning Curve: The games can be very demanding for new players and take time and patience to master.
AI and Diplomacy: AI and diplomacy over the years have been improved, but are still not consistent, and can occasionally be frustrating.
Thus, the “Total War” series stands tall amongst the great feats of strategy gaming in terms of depth, challenge, and enjoyment. The test of time is most visible in the legacy these titles leave for what will become an increasingly impressive catalog over time. More masterpieces will surely emerge from the vast canvas left by the series in the years to come.