Total War...Best one?

A general census seems to be that the Rome is the best, if you go by critical acclaim. I spent the most time with Medieval II.

The Middle Eastern wars in the holy lands during the Crusades is simply fascinating. The expansion, Kingdoms was also great.

 

IMO Rome was the best one, Shogun is great as well but the graphics back then was kind of fail, would be great if they could have a Shogun remake. Personally, don't really like Medieval, Empire, and the recent Napoleon TW, simply because gunpowder fight in TW is awkward at best, raining arrows and stones just feels more epic.

 

I only played Rome total war and Medieval total war 2 and I must say I had more fun with Rome.
Maybe its because I was younger when I played Rome, and also because it took me months to complete the entire campain.
When I bought Medieval 2 I finished it in 5 days, which was a bit of a disapointment. But then I asked myself, maybe i'm just pro? So then I tried Rome total War again and finished it entirely within 10-12 hours (I skipped most battles).
Still, I enjoy Rome more, especially the hardest difficulty level pushed my creativity into brutal tactics: because my cities were under constant siege from the Gaul, I had to send a 'Blood Army' to greece to sack and pillage every city, to ensure sufficient funding for my campain in Western Europe.

Nonetheless, I suggest to play both games. Medieval introduced a new way of playing, instead of attacking everybody you want, you need to use diplomacy and marriage relations to prevent your empire from being destroyed. When you play with the English your safe on your Island but when you play with the Holy Roman Empire and are surrounded by England, France & Denmark, you need to think trice before you make a hostile move.

Oh and for the beginners, don't worry about the Pope, if he excomunicates you, take over Rome, that'll teach him ^^ (I don't know which Holy Roman Emperor did the same in real life, but it worked for him aswell, so I thought by myself, heck, why not try it myself ) And if that old fart survives, assassinate him and all the other popes that will succeed him (the pope will stand next to rome, even if rome is yours).

Edit: Also, if you are treathened to be excomunicated if you attack a certain faction, you can be sure the same counts for the other faction. So if you have some cities of that faction under siege, keep them under siege. The other faction will attack you, and you will not be excomunicated for definding your armies. So if you win, not only will you have another city, with a bit luck the Pope will organize a crusade against your rival faction's capital ^^

 

Umm, not really, I was really pissed at at the pope because his inquisitor keep on killing off my best generals, I conquered his city, but his inquisitors can still keep on killing my generals, best solution - play as muslim factions.

 

Hm I did not have any inquisitor problem, but then again I did make sure to build plenty of churches and cathedrals to ensure a high piety level for my generals.

 

i played them all except the expansions.
aside from shogun , it seems all of them were plagued by many issues that had to be patched months after. if you look at the TW boards, you will see many old posts of people in about every game since RTW.
with that being said, i love the total war series as it gives a very unique game that other games just cant seem to copy yet. also every installment of TW pushes the technology to new heights. the best one almost boild down to what era you like the best.
i just wish CA would come out with a more polished game when they do releases. as it is, its already turning away a number of diehard fans who feel that v little beta testing is even done.

 

I think Rome TW was the best, but Medieval II is up there as well. Not a fan of Empire and Napoleon. One because they have very high system requirements for graphics not so much better than MIITW, and two because it just doesn't make sense... *Oh! Flanking with mounted riflemen will do more damage because... the enemy can defend bullets coming from the front but not the side?*
Another reason why RTW and MIITW are good are the numerous mods that are available for the game, which not only changes/improves gameplay but also graphics in many cases.

 

shogun was my favourite.....i can't find a copy and am wanting another. most shops don't haven it in the bargin bin any more though.

I play medieval 2 a fair bit still and quite enjoy it. the expansion is great.