nothing really new it's just Rome:TW with better graphics and a few minor improvements
I played Rome: Total War, but cannot get more than 70 turns into Medieval 2: Total War before I've just had enough of the constant bs. Then I played a couple of custom battles, sieges, and historical Battles. The sieges are good, but not that good. The most fun battles are played out on open field in midday.
Tough Medieval II: Total War has its merits, it feels, more or less, like Rome. This game looks to me like those games that they release periodically to make money. Taking advantage of the fame of the title, they improve the graphics here and there, add a few new stuffs that look cool and the old players just have to buy it because they can't help to play without the new features.
Fans of the series, especially of Rome Total War (RTW), will be instantly familiar with the game and it's objectives because except for a few interesting tweaks, it is very similar in feel to RTW. Everything in this game reminds you of RTW: menu, sound effects... everything.
There is a few good changes, including the better graphics, it is better looking than the past games. But the game itself is the same... you just have to battle over and over like the other TW games. And the new features don't make this more enjoyable.
The strategy map looks the same as RTW, with the only new features being expanded areas to capture and a new resource system that requires merchants to exploit. You still have to do the annoying missions like blockade that port, make alliances with that nation, and so on. You will also get missions from the pope (cool, you would say, but think again). Missions like convert that area to your religion, or join a crusade on Jerusalem.
A big difference from all the TW series is the new choices you make for your cities. You can choose that it be a "city" or a "castle". Cities of course are where you really earn your money and also raise foot and missile militia (generally poor and cheap at first but certainly not always!). Castles is where you train your elite units (generally heavy cav) and generate a little revenue but where they really come into play is their inner wall.
Lets just say that It has some problems:
1)90% of a faction's units the same as all the others aside from the color of their clothes? Some factions have only one or two unique units in their entire roster. Where is the replay value in that?
2)It take SO LONG to run through the computer's turn on the campaign map? (Go make yourself some tea, seriously!)
3)Bugs, for example; sometimes cavalry units not responding to orders to withdraw or attack in battle.
4)Price, There is very little new depth, and I am not sure I can say that the minimal new depth is worth the investment in paying $50 (or so) for a title we have all played before.
So, Is Medieval II: Total War worth, the wait? Worth 50$? Worth upgrading your PC for? The answer is "no"! If you feel the need to pay more to replay your old Medieval game or Rome:TW with slightly better looks and a few new addons, by all means, this is a great game to do it on.