I have played this RTS and TBS historical game since its release and I was absolutely appalled at it. It went from Shogun 2, a game where the graphics were amazing, cut scenes entertaining to watch and most importantly fun game play. Rome 2 was the complete opposite. Poor performance (constant stutters, tearing), buggy (ships that would come onto land while hilarious at first no longer becomes laughable when they start shooting you and you cannot attack them) and a lack of cut scenes that meant anything. Furthermore, the family tree was removed so you did not care about if your general lived or died.

However, with confidence, now I can say this game is worth the buy. The developers have paid attention to the community at 15 patches later, it is a wonderful experience even without mods. The visuals are fantastic, gameplay challenging but fair and politics have been improved as of Emperor Edition.

People may complain about not being able to detach a small unit to protect a settlement on the campaign. They may complain about limited building space. This while may be seen as a negative should be seen as positive. It adds the immersion and challenge of maintaining a vast and huge empire.

I have put hundreds of hours and plan to add much more over the next few years even when the next Total War is announced this month. No where else can you get battles on a scale as large as this. No where else will you be able to witness war in a more glorious form. The community is fantastic with few trolls and younger children that plague other games. If you need that something extra, just go to the modding section of the comunity where everything you ever desired can be added.

The community spoke and the developers responded. Creative Assembly are not like other developers where they take your money and do not give a rat's arse about us. They pour hours into improving this game and continue to maintain their forums where we can all discuss and ask questions with a fast, helpful response. Try this game before you judge it. It is a fantastic experience and will long remain in your heart and mind after you finish with it.