While today Total War is one of the preeminent strategy game franchises, where players can enjoy well-detailed battles with crisp graphics, Rome Total War may well feel like a dinosaur in the gameplay department. The utter failure to launch for Rome II just compounded the idea that the original was something truly special.īut was it? Was this game as good as we all collectively remember or do the clunky controls and outdated graphics make this game a relic of the past, only good food being gawked at in long-winded essays on some random blog on the internet? The trend of comparing later games to Rome reached its climax with the disastrous release of Total War: Rome II in 2013. Rome Total War is so beloved that it’s still used as the standard for Total War games for years to come. Rome Total War was well-received both critically and commercially at release, and today it’s often given prime spots on “Top PC games of All Time” lists and is talked about with nostalgia-tinged reverence among strategy game circles.

Rome Total War proved how PCs had finally caught up with developers’ ambitions. Feasting your eyes on the thousands of individual soldiers clashing across the entirety of the ancient world was exhilarating in 2004. Rome Total War held a sense of epic scale and graphical fidelity previously unseen in the strategy game space.

Released in 2004 by Creative Assembly, Rome Total War holds a significant place in many people’s hearts, including my own. What is clear is that the monumental success of this game cemented Total War’s place as one of the top strategy game franchises of all time.

The answer dear reader, is of course, yes.īut is Rome Total War the best game in the franchise? Well let’s find out. Does the Total War series have a single shining breakout entry and if so is it Rome Total War?

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