First look: Rome: Total War

The first official confirmation of the next Total War game comes in the form of a new Web site devoted to the game. Rome: Total War will take the series to a new level of detail while maintaining the epic scale Total War games are known for. As fans have hoped, the next game will feature fully 3D units in the tactical battles, and the screenshots show that they'll have quite a bit of detail when seen close-up. Yet the size of the battles will be undiminished, as more than 10,000 of the 3D units can fight in a single battle.

Total War games are known for combining empire-level strategy with a 3D tactical battle system, and this time around, the whole empire will get the detailed 3D treatment. Creative Assembly says the game re-creates the entire physical terrain of Europe to make for a fully dynamic and interactive gameworld. As cities develop, the growth of settlements and regional improvements, such as roads and bridges, will appear in the 3D battlefields. The campaign game will be made more accessible to new players as a result of automated city governors, which can handle military and infrastructure building as well as taxation levels.

After Shogun's rendition of the Japanese civil war period and Shogun's portrayal of the Crusades and dynastic struggles during the Middle Ages, the Roman Empire should be an apt new setting for the series. The goal of the game is to conquer and rule the Roman Empire and be declared Imperator of Rome. A number of historical forces will face off on the battlefield, notably Roman legions, Greek phalanxes, barbarian hordes, and the armies of Carthage, Egypt, and the Successor Kingdoms. Each side will have a mix of exclusive units, including the elephants shown in the screenshots above.

We'll have more details on the game as they become available.