Empire Total War: Special Forces Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Gameplay Positives:
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- Good graphics
- Interesting scenarios
- Improved Campaign and Battle AI (over MTW2)
- Field battles are fun and on occasion the AI does some clever things.
- detailed sea battles
- Suicidal general problem seems to have been improved (over MTW2)
Gameplay Negatives:
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- Siege battles are horrible and almost impossible to lose. This in itself makes the game a cinch to win.
- The AI artillery frequently fires into the backs of its own troops.
- AI artillery inside settlements demolish their own walls.
- More issues but somewhat minor in overall nature.
*BUGS*
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- Major memory leak being reported that causes your game to eventually crash reported. You will need an occassional reboot of your system if your performance starts to decline on your system.
- performance issues even with high end PC's due to some choppiness with the animation textures. Turns are very slow.
- ATI Graphic card owners need to be aware of some graphics issues.
- MAJOR activation and install problems!! It took me over 4 hours to get the game installed/running without crashing. This only after I read lengthy posts at the company web sites. The sheer number of bugs being reported at their site is staggering.

Conclusion:
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For this game to be released in this condition is disgraceful. It is evident that the game was rushed out with little or no testing. This game is in need of an immediate patch before it is playable.
Is it worth buying? Yes and no. All Total War games are worth buying. In its current state I can't in good faith recommend buying it right now so waiting for the patches to be released is your best bet.

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Empire: Total War (Special Forces Edition) by Sega features grandturn-based campaign map and rich historical flavor while introducingfor the first time 3D naval combat. Set in the 18th century,an era filled with global conflict, revolutionary fever andtechnological advances. Empire: Total War features the debut of 3Dnaval combat; you will be able to command vast fleets or single shipsupon seascapes with extraordinary water and weather effects that play ahuge role in your success or defeat. Use your cannons on enemies, andclose in to grapple their ship and prepare to board and fighthand-to-hand on the decks.

Synopsis Prepare to wage war on your enemies, relying on the firepower of six powerful Special Forces units. In Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition,you'll travel back to the 18th century, an era of relentlessterritorial expansion and near-perpetual war. The Age of Imperialismreigns, and around the world the seas are filled with ships belongingto the superpowers of the day. This ambition, however, inevitably leadsto conflict. Take to the high seas for extraordinary 3D naval combat asyou prove you have the daring and determination it takes to conquer theglobe. Key Game Features:
Draw on the fierce power of six additional Special Forces units: theHMS Victory, Rogers' Rangers, the Ottoman organ gun, Ghoorkas, theCorso Terrestre Guerrillas and Bulkeley's Regiment
Explore empire-building in greater depth with bonus materials, suchas a fold-out single-player campaign map, the History Channel's The Revolution on DVD and The Art of Empire: Total War art book
Dominate the sea, command an army and strive to conquer the globe as you go to battle in the 18th-century Age of Imperialism
Take command of a single ship or a vast fleet, all with fully destructible sails, and engage in real-time 3D naval warfare
Savor the stunning power and majesty of real-time seascapes, dynamicweather and an advanced landscape and flora system, courtesy of theDX10 graphics engine
Engage in cannon and musket warfare as well as brutal hand-to-hand combat
Fight in locations around the globe, including India, Europe and America
Gain access to advanced features gradually in a tense, episodic campaign
See how you match up against other players in the rankings, and join leagues and ladders for additional challenges
For 1 to 8 players

The Next Installment of the Total War Franchise Takecommand of single ships or vast fleets for exhilarating real-time navalwarfare. Pound your enemies with the power of your mighty cannons, thenboard enemy ships and engage in exciting hand-to-hand combat. Battleboth enemies and the elements as the new DX10 graphics engine rendersseascapes and dynamic weather to stunning effect. Experience war on aglobal scale with any of more than 30 in-game factions encompassing anarray of major world powers, including the United States, then take thefight online to battle with far-off friends in a variety of newmultiplayer modes. This expanded Special Forces Edition provides you with access to the elite skills of six exclusive SpecialForces units, including Lord Nelson's 104-gun flagship, the HMS Victory;the highly trained elite light infantry unit Rogers' Rangers; theOttoman organ gun, a powerful field gun capable of inflictingincredible damage; Nepalese Ghoorkas, each armed with a deadly 18"curved knife known as a kukri; the Corso Terrestre Guerrillas, anindependent light infantry guerrilla regiment known for its skirmishand stealth tactics; and the fearsomely hardy Bulkeley's Regiment, aFrench unit of Irish mercenaries. With the Special Forces Edition, you'll also receive a fold-out campaign map, a DVD of the History Channel's The Revolution series and a book of concept art.

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Total War: Shogun 2 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)About a decade ago Shogun: Total War was the masterpiece that launched one of the best Strategy simulation franchises in gaming history. It was a perfectly balanced game that combined turn-based strategic decisions with real time battles in a beautiful interface made in the style of medieval Japanese artworks.
The game was based on the teachings of Sun Tzu, the Chinese strategist, who believed in the indirect approach: search for comparative advantages, use your forces with economy, surprise and deceive, and only fight limited wars. The medieval Japanese setting (relatively small armies made up from a limited number of distinct units fighting on different terrains), served as the perfect substrate to implement these strategies.
I have played every single Total War game since and they were all a joy to experience - yet nothing surpassed to the first Shogun. Until now.
KNOW THY SELF, KNOW THY ENEMY. A THOUSAND BATTLES, A THOUSAND VICTORIES (Sun Tzu)
The gameplay has matured, deepened and acquired a number of new features, including some RPG additions. We now have Mastery of Arts, a tech tree branching into Bushido (warfare) and Chi (governance & finances). There are now hero units, inspiring the troops, going after the enemy general or turning the battle at that crucial point.
Generals are upgradable and modifiable, increasing their effectiveness and making them indispensable. The honorable death of a seasoned general will affect many aspects of your overall strategy and may prove the decisive point of the entire campaign. Which is why subterfuge is so important.
There may be no honor in using Ninjas - but now they can assassinate the enemy general or soften up the enemy defenses by sabotaging their production or the integrity of their defensive structures. And because the Ninja knife cuts both ways, make sure to have enough Metsuke units to sniff out the ninjas send by the enemy.
Children serve as hostages to ensure cooperation whereas marriages are arranged to strengthen alliances. And since no army fights on an empty belly, one should make sure to set up complex trade agreements. Ones that will hold through the treacheries of war. Because sooner than later, your task will graduate from impossible to you-gotta-be-kidding-me.
INVINCIBILITY LIES IN THE DEFENSE; THE POSSIBILITY OF VICTORY IN THE ATTACK (Sun Tzu)
The AI will make your life miserable. Enemy units will try to flank you from every possible direction and they will try to make use of your troops movement in order to achieve this. And then, just when you think you are winning, every single clan and province turns against you...
It is possible to let the AI auto-resolve all battles and play the game as a highly sophisticated turn-based Civilization game - but why miss all the fun?
Unlike the first game, SHOGUN 2 also has sea vessels and battles. While in a sea battle, you either board and take over or burn the enemy vessels. However, the real strategic consideration is this: when attacking a neighboring province, did you leave adequate defenses to prevent, say, the sacking of your own castle? Because the AI does not forgive such oversights.
OPPORTUNITIES MULTIPLY AS THEY ARE SEIZED (Sun Tzu)
The graphics and sounds of Shogun 2 are something one has to experience to believe. Even on DirectX 9 (WinXP - which is the OS I am experiencing this on), the strategic map feels like flying over the real Sengoku period Japan whereas the game design goes into unbelievable details. Every ribbon on a set of armor, every blade of grass, every ray of light reflected on raised katanas or refracted through the clouds are just gorgeous.
The game absorbs you into its world and never let's go. In one word: Kan-Zen (Perfection).
HE WHO KNOWS WHEN HE CAN FIGHT AND WHEN HE CANNOT, WILL BE VICTORIOUS (Sun Tzu)
I usually deduct a full star from the final rating of any game that comes with any form of DRM that requires online activation or ties your game with digital shackles. Because even the retail version of SHOGUN 2 comes with mandatory STEAM, I did exactly that. However, because I rated the game well...above 5-stars, this could not become apparent and the game still rates a perfect score.
Yes, STEAM is the pheasant festering on the porch someone has to do something about. However, SHOGUN 2 is one of those extremely rare games that are worth their DRM hassle. If STEAM is still a deal-breaker for you, well, now you can make an informed decision either way.
SHOGUN 2 truly embodies The Art of War - and it will stay with you for a very long time.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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Kokoro yori okuyami moushiagemasu.
On a more sober note, I want to send my deepest sympathies to anyone in Japan hit by the latest earthquake and ensuing tsunami. Courage and endurance have always been characteristics of the Japanese psyche.

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Shogun 2: Total War is the long-awaited follow-up to the original PC game in the Total War turn-based Strategy franchise, Shogun: Total War. In it players assume the leadership of one of several warring provinces in a historically correct rendition of Medieval Japan simultaneously cursed by warfare and blessed with new wealth following the fall of the Ashikaga Shogunate. Using the natural and political resources available, as well as the strengths of their Samurai and peasant units, players eliminate enemies by all means possible as they seek to become the next shogun and extend their power over the whole of Japan. Additional features include: leveling of the player character, hero units and standard units, realistically varied AI responses and both competitive and cooperative online multiplayer support.

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