You know that game culture has finally broken into mainstream when a historical BBC show makes use of a game such as Total War and that is exactly what happened with the fantastic Time Commanders. Sadly this entertaining show only ran for two series and the jury is still out on whether Richard Hammond’s involvement in the second series had anything to do with this. I have always been a fan of tactical war games and my love of this genre goes way back to Johnny Reb on the C64. I was frustrated at the lack of similar titles since the Battleground series of games for the PC until I came across Shogun: Total War and I knew I’d found what I’d been searching for all this time and I was instantly hooked. The “simulation” side to the genre has evolved over the years with battles becoming more realistic but none more so than in the Total War series which continues to impress. Empire: Total War certainly has a lot to live up to.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Total War series you won’t understand how incredibly addictive the games can be and that “one more turn” flashes through your mind as often as “one more game” does when playing Football Manager. A much-loved feature of these games is their size and if anyone is curious I can tell you that Empire: Total War is absolutely enormous in scale. The size of the map feels so much larger than the previous titles in the series and this is heightened by the fact that so much can be going on in any one area and how each little decision can impact greatly on what’s going on elsewhere.

The choices you make on the world-map are just as important as those you make in battle as proven by my reckless decision to charge into a heavily defended French fort while playing as the British Colonies and, in another game, my wise decision as Sweden to quickly take Norway from the grips of the occupying Danes.

Arguably the main selling point here, which is evident from official videos, is the introduction of naval battles. Like everything else in this game the naval battles are quite epic in that, unlike with Sid Meier’s Pirates where it feels like you’re commanding ducklings to follow around their mother, each ship is controlled individually. This level of detail will not be to everyone’s taste but I appreciate the more hands-on tactical approach to battles and while it could do with some tweaking it’s still easily the best example of naval battles in any game I’ve played.

The sounds work really well from the stirring music to the realistic sound effects which really drag you into the raging battles. The graphics are fantastic but this is something of a double edged sword as there’s no doubt this is the main reason behind the game’s substantial required specifications. In order to get the absolute most out of this game you are going to need a powerful PC which will no doubt come with a rather hefty price-tag. Not having to worry about whether or not a game will work is one reason I love using consoles but the unfortunate reality is that I don’t believe the PS3 or Xbox 360 would have a hope in hell of running this game in its intended form.

With so many different nations available to control, each with their own individual units and objectives, the replay value here is bordering on the ridiculous on top of what is already an enormous game. There really is nothing else like this on the market and if you are blessed with a meaty PC and a desire for some detailed tactical goodness then this is the game for you.

9.5/10

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