Recent reviews by Wisna

I almost didn't buy this game. I thought Rome 2 was somewhat disappointing and Attila did little to rejuvenate the series in my eyes. However, I decided to give this one a chance, in no small part because I am a diehard Warhammer Fantasy Battle fan and, with the arrival of Age of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, this seemed like the only chance I'd have to playout battles in the Old World. Boy am I glad that I did.

The things that I'd like to highlight are the tactical combat and the playable factions. First of all, factions are immensely rewarding to play Unlike in Attila and Rome, where many factions felt like more or less copies of each other, the playable factions in Warhammer Total War are distinctly different. Not only does each faction have its own, fleshed out troop tree that holds real different unit mechanics (Spearmen, Chaos Warrios, Orc Boyz and Skeleton Warriors all play quite different), but each faction also has its own unique mechanics. For example, Chaos Warriors are horde only, meaning that they can never build a real economy. This means that they almost have to be constantly moving, attacking and sacking. Orc mechanics also encourage frequent engagements to harness the WAAAGH!, an extra army that spawns on the map under your indirect control. These differences make playing each faction a totally different experience.

Secondly, there is tactical combat. While formations are gone (no more tapping 'F' or any other key to form a wedge or shield wall), in many ways I feel like this has streamlined the game without losing any tactical gameplay aspects. Spears still are effective as a counter to cavalry, light cavalry still hunts missiles, etc. However, the arrival of magic in battles adds a new, in depth tactical dimension. It is certainly different, but it actually makes battles more tactical in many ways. For example, you can no long laager up in a shield wall and wait for your enemy to break himself upon it. If you do that against any competent wizard, your army will be eating vortex spells all day long. Similarly, flying monsters and combat oriented heroes bring a new, added dimension. Warlord characters can chop their way through entire units on their own and flying creatures make sure that maintaining a strategic reserve is a must.

Thus, Warhammer Total War is certainly a different beast. Those expecting Rome: Total Warhammer will be disappointed. However, those who are interested in a new take on Total War, from campaigns to battles, will not be disappointed. While some will say that the loss of formations and long siege battles 'dumbs down' the game, I would argue that this is not the case at all. Shorter siege battle distances force you to come up with innovative tactics on the fly and the lack of formations is more than made up for with the introduction of more unit types and magic.

Ultimately, this game is a fun and innovative experience, truly a refreshing shot that I felt the Total War franchise really needed. Fans of Warhammer will also be glad to see many units are faithfully reproduced to look like their tabletop equivalents. The feel is also very Warhammer-esque, from character quips to the one liners from your troops in battle. I would recommend this game at $60 without hesitation to anyone.

There are some awesome aspects of this game, there are also some glaring bugs that should have been easily corrected by Ubi a long time ago. For example, UPlay in general is ridiculous. It is difficult to friend people, difficult to accept and offers only the most rudimentary of communication on the account level (nothing like steam's chats options). The fact that it is a requirement to play the game is just ridiculous.

Then there is the fact that body parts still, at times, stick through walls, allowing you to kill someone who is on the other side of a reinforced barrier. Or the rubber banding that prevents you from entering critical rooms. Or getting stuck on random pieces of furniture, floor, debris etc so that you can't move and get shot trying to unstick yourself. None of these, in and of themselves, are a deal breaker, but they are irritating and made all the more so because Ubi could easily fix these issues, yet has not in months.

There is also matchmaking. There are a lot of immature kids (or adults with the mental/emotional development of kids) playing this game. If there is one bad round, expect people to quit, deliberately team kill or deliberately kill the hostage. Guess what, there is no penalty! In fact, Ubi's matchmaking might even stick them right back in the same lobby with you, not a minute after they were kicked for teamkilling. Makes sense, right?

Lastly, customization in the age of modern shooters is really limitted. Maybe three items per weapon (grip, optics and maybe a muzzle or laser). That's just not the variety that most of us would like to see. Maybe put in some night vision (I mean, night vision is pretty standard in elite operators nowadays). Or maybe just some different optics. Or I don't know, heavier barrels, buttstocks, etc? Something.

That said, it is a fun game when you get a good group. When you don't it is painfully frustrating. Wouldn't be a big deal that multiplayer is so iffy, except that, for all practical intents, multiplayer is it. When the price goes down to 20 or 30 dollars, I would recommend this game without hesitation. At $50, go buy Arma 3 or something that is better designed, less multiplayer dependent and has more replayability.

I bought this game looking for a good Civil War fix and was sadly disappointed. A few issues that I will point out.

a.) Units taking fire to the front (even in less than 20% cover, take no casualties, whereas fire from the flank causes catastrophic losses). Sure, I understand that flank fire would cause more damage, but not 10-20x as much.

b.) Cavalry is useless. I click charge, the unit literally runs halfway across the map in the other direction.

c.) Artillery does not unlimber. It sits there and gets shot at for five minutes while I try to figure out how to get it to unlimber (because there is no button? why?)

d.) Same charge issues with infantry...how do unlimbered (ie, pushed) guns run away from my charging troops? Explain please.

Ultimately, what I have found playing back and forth is that the defender wins 90% of the time. Units set in defense fire, units attacking are often bugged and do not fire, so they just stand there and get shot at. Because of the bad charge mechanics, the Confederates advantage in morale and skill (ie, hand to hand) is basically null and void. Similarly, if trying to push guns forward to support an advance, you lose all of your guns because they bug and won't unlimber for four or five minutes (I timed this, actually).

Because of this, I view this game as being pretty much unplayable. It's no fun playing a strategy game when your strategy won't work because of bugs or flawed mechanics. It makes no sense that when I order a bayonet charge, my troops just mill around in a big mass, neither attacking nor retreating. It also makes no sense that units route in one or two volleys.

If you want a good recreation of Gettysburg, maybe you should have modded Shogun 2 or another Total War game. At least their units actually charge. Also, I find the morale mechanics in Total War to actually be more realistic, as opposed to the units that run away when the enemy sneezes at them, or when they are sitting in an open field not even close to the fighting.