Rome: Total War goes gold

In the beginning of each episode of the History Channel show Decisive Battles, host Matthew Settle brags of the "new video game technology" the series uses. Now, that technology is one step closer to being in PC gamers' hands. Rome: Total War, the real-time strategy game whose engine provides the graphics for Battles' re-creations, has gone gold. The T-for-teen-rated title will ship for PCs on September 22, and it will retail for $49.99.

Published by Activision, Rome: Total War is the latest installment in developer The Creative Assembly's Total War RTS series. However, unlike Shogun: Total War and Medieval: Total War, Rome: Total War will be based on an all-new 3D engine that will allow more than 10,000 highly detailed combatants to appear on the same screen. Said fighters will also be fully polygonal, and their movement will be based on real-life motion capture.

As the title would suggest, Rome: Total War is set in the ancient world. It features a streamlined single-player campaign that will see players starting off as a general serving the Roman senate. Eventually, though, they will grow weary of taking orders and raise their own army to march on Rome itself. The game will also feature 16 historical scenarios, in which players can fight as historical figures, including Julius Caesar, Hannibal, and the rebel Spartacus, in addition to multiplayer action.

For more information on Rome: Total War, check out GameSpot's series of previews on the game. For a sample of the action, download the demo from GameSpot DLX.