Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Amazing"

I love the total war series, I have ever since the release of Shogun Total War. In fact, I still have my original copy of Shogun, just to show how much I love the series. When Medieval II Total War was released in 2006, I can honestly say it was the game I was waiting for my entire life. Ever since I can remember I always wanted a fully 3-D Real Time Strategy game that takes place in the Medieval world that doesn't suck. This game not only doesn't suck, but it literally sucks you in to the their world, making you unwilling to step away from your computer for hours.

For starters, this game is truly epic. You can play as every single faction in the game, all of whom have their own special units and characteristics. Many of the armies share common units such as dismounted knights, mounted knights, and spear men, but once you begin to progress and advance technologically you will discover many great units that your faction shares with no one. My personal favorites are the Scottish Noblemen. They carry large broadswords that work as defensive and offensive weapons. The graphics are also great but compatible with many computers. This makes this game even greater because it is available to almost anyone with a PC.

Besides the fact that this game could be the wet dream of almost anyone who loves RTS and Medieval history, it is just a fun game. Each battle is unique, with almost no two fights occurring exactly the same way. Diplomacy is a factor in this game, and making alliances along with trade agreements will make or break your survival. The turn based strategy of the game is also very immersive, with an epically huge battle map dotted all over with city states and nations.

Ultimately, this is probably one of my favorite games, right next to its predecessors from Creative Assembly and the Dawn of War series. This game provides an unending supply of Medieval warfare that never gets old. One could play this game for years and never get tired of it.