MEDIEVAL 2 TOTAL WAR SERIES

In fact, the environments are much larger and much more detailed than in any Total War game to date. Seeing the way things gray out towards the horizon during the rain is simply amazing. There are also new haze effects that are put to brilliant use during rain and dust storms.

A new lighting system adds loads of atmosphere to the environments, particularly as it glints off the steel armor and weapons in the game.

Even better, the animations that are mimicked by other individuals are played out of sync so you don't get units moving in unison like the Commodores.Ī wide range of new effects makes the battles seem even more realistic. Spear thrusts, cannon reloads and even death animations are very realistic and convincing. The individual soldiers seem to be fighting with one another to a greater degree than they did in Rome. The animations are much more natural this time around as well. It adds so much to the experience that it will be hard to go back to Rome after this. The unit will still adhere to your overall color scheme for quick identification on the battlefield but you'll really start to think of these units as being made up of individuals instead of clones. A cohesive unit of 40 knights will have individuals wearing different types of armor and different colored pieces. Where Rome presented homogenous units where every soldier dressed and moved alike, Medieval II breaks up the monotony by slightly varying the appearance and animation of each individual soldier within a unit. One of the most evident changes is the addition of greater individuality among the units and the inclusion of subtle but striking visual effects. While not a game winning strategy, the careful placement of merchants can provide a modest boost to your income that can begin to make a small difference in the longterm. The new game also opens up new economic strategies with the addition of merchants who can claim resources scattered around the map. The different faiths in the game also makes conversion of conquered provinces a higher priority. Particularly savvy players can even gain control of the Papacy and use it for their own personal gain. This time around the Pope plays a powerful political role, calling crusades down on the unbelievers, excommunicating uncooperative Christian rulers, and generally making sure everyone makes war against the right people. While it's been present in previous games, it was never really as fully integrated into the overall experience. Religion plays a larger role this time around. Striking the balance between the two and knowing where to place them adds another interesting layer to the overall campaign game. Castles are much easier to defend and can produce more elite troops but they can't sustain themselves economically. Towns are large, open areas, very susceptible to attack but capable of producing a greater financial benefit to your empire. Where the previous game offered a single generic settlement type, Medieval II requires players to plan out what types of settlements they'd like to develop. One of Medieval II's most important new concepts is the distinction it draws between castle and town settlements. There's even a small side trip you can take to battle the Aztecs in the Americas. The grand campaign covers several centuries, from longbows to cannons, and lets fight and conspire with nations from England to Egpyt, Portugal to Poland. This time around players will be returning to the Age of Chivalry - when knights went crusading in the Holy Land, when Italian city-states warred against each other with hired mercenaries, when succession crises provoked kings to make war upon their neighbors. What's more impressive is that both aspects of the game are well integrated into a cohesive whole. On the other hand it offers intense real-time battles that capture the cinematic pageantry and intense savagery of warfare. On the one hand, it offers a turn-based strategic game where you manage the development of your settlements, handle foreign relations, create and move armies around the map.

MEDIEVAL 2 TOTAL WAR SERIES

The Total War series gives players the best of both worlds.

Medieval 2 total war