Rome: Total War (Barbarian Invasion and Alexander)

The Basics:
Platform: PC
Developer: Sega
Price: $39.99 Gold edition/$15 Alexander
ESRB rating: T
Genre: Turn Based Strategy

Summary: Caesar gives thumbs up to an epic RTS game.

Note: Parents need to know that this game is a good thinking game, but it does have large-scale and realistic battles. No blood, but convincing sound effects get the point across. Overall the game is chock full of historical and educational information, although parents may need to decipher what is real history and what is added to make the game play more fun.

Families who do play this game may want to discuss how the conquests of civilizations and great warriors are used as a plotline for many games, movies and books. Does retelling the tale of these battles and their heroes glorify warfare or does it demonstrate the futility of armed conflict? Do you think it makes a difference if these battles are played out in a game, versus being watched in a movie or read in a book?
 
Further Breakdown:

Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Best for ages: 13+
Playability: High. Complicated but still manages to be easy to play.
Graphics: High. Huge armies with detailed landscapes.
Reading Level: Medium.

Ages 3-7: Red
Ages 8-12: Yellow
Ages 13-17: Green
Violence Amount: Yellow
Fear: Green
Illegal/harmful: Green
Language: Green
Nudity: Green
Sex: Green

Review:
ROME: TOTAL WAR and its two expansion packs, BARBARIAN INVASION and ALEXANDER are brilliantly designed real-time-strategy games.

What makes this series stand out is how flawlessly it allows many different strategic options for players while avoiding bogging them down in micromanagement. Even the tutorials are fun to play, and despite being complex games most players will find themselves comfortable after a half hour. Although the games focus on single-player scenario play, multiplayer options allow for quick battles against friends.

The games are a mix of real-time and turn-based strategy. Decisions on what to build in capital cities, diplomacy and what province to attack next take place on a turn-based map. The actual battles take place real time, with thousands of soldiers on the battlefield at the same time.

On the battlefield, it's important that players know how to use different kinds of troops for different situations. For example cavalry makes quick work of archers, but archers can rain devastation down on foot soldiers. Elevation, woods, and attacking from different angles can all have a huge impact on the outcome of the battle.

Putting the right person in command is also critical. The games allow only a member of the player's "family" to be generals and governors. Each of these hero-type characters has characteristics that make them better at things like diplomacy, management or running an army.

The original Rome: Total War is set from 270 BC to 14 AD, roughly following the transformation of the Roman Republic, controlled by the Senate, into the dictatorship of the Roman Empire. To start, players are given the option to play as one of the three (semi-fictitious) main Roman families of the day. Following many campaigns against the other civilizations of the era, players attempt to gain total control of Rome and become the dictator of the Roman Empire.

Both of the expansions, Barbarian Invasion and Alexander require the original game to play.

Barbarian Invasion is set after the split of the Roman Empire into the Western and Eastern Empires, and chronicles the decline of the Western empire. Barbarian Invasion is more difficult than the first game, with a much smarter AI. A few new features include the ability to play many of the civilizations early in the game, the increased influence of religion and hordes. Rather than surrendering when defeated, a civilization that loses its last territory has many of the remaining citizens converted into soldiers, and they are given a chance to conquer another area and start a new base.

Alexander does not focus on Rome, but instead follows the conquest of the Greek warrior, Alexander the Great. The game is the smallest/shortest installment, but is by far the most difficult, since players are expected to replicate Alexander's incredible conquests. In 100 turns or less, players need to run 30 provinces and control four specific major cities. Alexander clearly caters mostly to pre-existing fans of the game, as it is a download only expansion.

Many historical references are woven into the series, although the accuracy of some are debatable. Still, players will be amazed as to how much they learn about the different types of soldiers, strategies and historical events of the era. Popup notes appear throughout the game, describing historical events of the time.

The large scale battles are impressive to behold, with realistic depictions of men (and a few women) being speared, run over by chariots, thrown by elephants or cut down by swords. Screams and other sound effects add to the realism of the battle. However, the battles are bloodless-no decapitations or severed limbs found here. Plus, players spend a lot of time looking at the battle from a distance, since there are so many troops to manage.

Overall, each of these games is outstanding. Detailed, immensely re-playable, historical and fun to play, fans of any genre of games are likely to find something to like.