Recent reviews by SPECIOUStest

Looking past the fact that Warhammer III is a game about war and endless violence and you have to pay for blood, I cannot imagine the game without this dlc. Blood adds so much chaos and immersion to the gameplay. So unfortunately, I do suggest getting it.

CA, plz just add it to the main game for free, or make in $0.99.

Very fun DLC. Played as the Cathay faction and had a lotta fun conquering Lustria, fending off lizardmen, orcs, dark elves, and the different chaos factions. Messed around with the Changeling a little bit in battles, though have not touched Ostankya at all. While I have said it is a fun DLC, I do not think it is worth $24.99, get this half off and then you're good!

Thrones of Britannia is a neat title in the massive list of Total War games available. Let me get this out of the way first: I’d only get the game if you’re a fan of the time period, and furthermore I’d only get it on sale. For casual fans of the series, or someone not interested in the time period, get a different Total War game. With that out of the way, let me continue.

I’ll get the battles out of the way first. Most of my time in the game has been spent using the “medium unit size” setting, to accurately depict battles in this period. Even though the battles are smaller because of it, I loved how tactical they felt! Units all feel very nice, and I have to say, cavalry collision is wonderful in this game! The sieges of ToB are probably the best in the series, especially with all the cool mechanics, such as burning down settlements! Very immersive. Sea battles are also fun, very Viking-esque, though probably not everyone’s cup of tea.

Now onto the campaign. I have been loving the campaign. For one, the family tree is a lot of fun to manage, I love all the indepth RPG systems. Same thing goes for the government and political systems. Diplomacy and politics are very important in ToB, endless wars and expansion is a good way to lose. You have to be mindful of loyalty, as well as food. Not to mention recruitment, mustering up an army can take many turns, and you really won’t field too many armies. Once you defeat a large army, you’ve pretty much won the war. It all plays very nicely!

So yeah, if you like the period, and all that I’ve said, and wait for a sale, definitely pick this game up! Lotsa cool mods as well. I recommend the Shield Wall mod :)

Total War: Pharaoh is a very fun title in the series! I have played many of the Total War games and this one does good in many areas! Firstly, the campaign. It has something for everyone. All major cultures seem to have one faction that is good at something different. For example, in Egypt, Seti is a very good faction to use for war, whilst Amenmesse is a good faction for trading and economical expansion. Another example is the Aegean, Priam is a very good diplomatic faction, whilst Agamemnon is a good faction for war. There are a lot of fun mechanics to play with, my favorite of which are the religion and outpost mechanics!

The next point to talk about are the battles! Now these can be controversial with the current system in place. Personally, I really like the battles. They are very tough and gritty to fight, and can last a good while if you know what you're doing! Sure, there will be plenty of 5 minute skirmishes, but the farther along you get, the longer the battles will be! Units feel nice and seem to have weight to them. My only two cons are that cavalry collision is kinda bad and missile units are completely overpowered.

Overall, I really like the game! I would totally recommend this to anyone who likes Total War games, especially the historical titles. Big bonus if you're a Bronze Age history lover! (I am not, but still find great enjoyment playing this game)

Total War: Warhammer III is one of, if not the best fantasy strategy game that has ever been made. To summarize quickly for those who don't want to read, the gameplay loop is fantastic, and unique to every different race, sometimes even different in each faction. The battles are also a lot of fun, the music is good, and the graphics are pretty good as well!

Now lemme get the con out of the way really quick: there is a LOT of dlc. At the time of writing this review, I am only missing the Chaos Dwarfs dlc. Looking back before I bought any, game can be seen as pretty bare bones, just because it shows everything you don't have greyed out. But fear not! No dlc is absolutely necessary, and you can just buy some that give you the factions you want! But yes, the dlc practice for this game is pretty scummy.

So, now onto the positives. Firstly, the maps! The campaign map is absolutely beautiful! There are so many different landscapes and landmarks, and the art style is perfect! It also feels good to play on, nothing is too far away it seems, and for the Immortal Empires campaign, you can use sea lanes to get across the world. As for the battle maps, they're the best in all of Total War. They span from simple biomes, such as deserts or forests, to crazy daemon landscapes of decay or magic, or massive blood lakes! The devs took fantasy and ran with it and it works SO well!

Then the campaign! The campaigns I've played so far have been fun! I did the Realms of Chaos campaign as the Daemon's of Chaos faction and enjoyed it! Took me roughly 20 hours to complete, and never felt bored! Might revisit it in the future. I am in the process of playing an Immortal Empires campaign as the Jade Court (dlc faction) and I am loving it! The map is expansive and varied! It is fun to war or ally with different factions, changing the gameplay after every war. Diplomacy feels fair, and the campaign customization is good enough. Definitely the definitive decision.

Finally, the battles! The battles are amazing! Definitely a visual spectacle, but at the same time a tactical experience. You'll have to manage your different units to be able to get the most out of them, as well as use spells and different abilities to wreak havoc or help yourself. There are a LOT of units in the game, and it can definitely feel overwhelming, so I usually just use the recommendations for each unit listed in their page. The sieges and settlements in this game are also very fun to fight in! Far better and more grand than the single-walled settlements of the first two games.

Overall, if you have a fantasy strategy itch, I definitely recommend getting this game! Maybe wait for a sale? Pick the game up with some dlc?

This title is a fun Total War game. It is a nice change from the past and current Historical titles. Seeing massive armies of detailed monsters and fantastical races march into battle and clobber each other is a spectacle to behold. The battles can get very chaotic, and all the new systems add to that very fun chaos. Sending out balls of fire, or summoning a vortex above an enemy army is a lot of fun. The campaign is also neat, with each faction playing completely different from one another. The dwarfs fill out their Book of Grudges, whilst the Empire manages its states using a council system, or the Chaos Warriors just go around burning everything to the ground. A very nice 7/10 Total War experience.

Total War: Rome II is likely one of, if not the best Total War game I have ever played, and I have played quite a few of them. The Grand Campaign is so rich with content and replayability you'll be here for hundreds of hours! The campaign map gameplay is some of the best of the franchise. Managing settlements and provinces is a lot of fun, planning ahead and trying to get the maximum level of profit, public order, food, and military production. The political system is also fun when you learn it, do note it can be a little confusing at first. It is there you manage the inner workings of your empire, carefully doing things to avoid civil war and make your own political party powerful. Then of course there are the battles. They are absolutely amazing, both visually and mechanically. Just an all around 10/10 Total War experience, rivaling even that of Empire and Shogun 2.

Men of War: AS2 is a very fun RTS game. All my time in it has been spent playing the single player missions, so I can't comment on the editor, though I imagine that adds a lot to the experience. The campaign missions in this game are incredibly well made. You'll be commanding troops in cities, hills, forests, and many other environments. The battles can get very intense, and also very difficult as you're trying to manage all your forces. Definitely pick this game up if you are looking for a quality RTS game. I should also mention the mods, as they help keep the game alive. Men of War AS:2 has some of the best mods in any RTS game ever. You can transform the WW2 game into Star Wars or even Warhammer! Overall, a nice 8/10 game, worth a buy, sale or not.

Already this game is my favorite of all Total War games. The campaign's scope is absolutely massive! You will fight in Europe, India, and the Americas. In addition, there are trade routes with nodes you can control for income. In addition to this scope, there are many new and deep mechanics. It is not a shallow game.

Secondly, the battles are epic! While you'll mostly be fighting with guns, in the Americas you will encounter the Native American tribes where you'll have to fight melee troops. This is relatively easy when shooting them from a distance, but once they get close it can be tough. Pathfinding is normally fine, but in fort siege battles it can be bad. Naval battles are also in-depth and epic!

Overall, I suggest this game to all Total War players! It is absolutely amazing, in my top five games for sure!

Shogun 2 is what many people consider to be the peak of the Total War franchise, and though it is not my personal favorite of the series, it is a fantastic game indeed! Starting with the basics, it is firstly graphically beautiful! The soundtrack also is very good!

Of course I have to go into the battles next, which are very fun! Shogun 2 definitely has a focus on tactics and positioning, whilst also being fairly quick. Even the sieges are fast paced, which might not be everyone's thing. Zooming in is very immersive, seeing all the duels go on between models, and getting the Blood DLC (hate that it exists) will make them even cooler! Of course the sea battles are fun as well! These may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they sure look cool and play nicely!

Finally, the campaign. Shogun 2's campaign gameplay is quite fun! The diplomacy works well enough, and there is a large focus on trade, which I always appreciate. Religion is also important, as factions of different religions will usually end up hating each other. Overall a very fun Total War experience!