Napoleon: Total War

  Napoleon:Total War is the latest in a long line of epic Strategy games from The Creative Assembly and is the successor to Empire:Total War. The series has been evolving now for almost ten years and is arguably almost a genre itself. For the uninitiated, Total War is a combination of real time battles and turn based strategy, all revolving around different periods of history. Having done ample justice to the Japanese clans, the Medieval era, the Roman Empire and then finally the rise of the British colonialism, Total War now concentrates on The Napoleonic Wars.

Europe is awash with war and at the centre of it is Napoleon, you can choose from three of his historical campaigns -Italy, Egypt and Europe. These campaigns can be won with either the soft whisper of diplomacy or the loud heckle of Warfare. You wield the power to send mass armies across the continent to crush an enemy or maybe, if you prefer, send a lone spy to sneak into the city and assassinate the leader. Total War is a game about such choices, from battle formations to tax rates, R&D to road building, its all here at your fingertips. 

Napoleon:Total War is really two games rolled into one, and surprisingly the game can be enjoyed even if you only like one aspect. 

First off, there is the real time battle system, where armies go head to head on battlefields that can range from mountainous valleys to choppy seas. You line your units up opposite the enemies and the battle commences. This is where the fun is had, as you send your cavalry galloping through the surrounding forest to outflank those pesky cannons, or get your flagship alongside the enemies ship and pepper it with grapeshot. The level of detail in these battles is quite breathtaking as you zoom in on the sinking ship and see crewmen treading water amongst the floating debris. the advantage in these battles can ebb and flow and there's nothing more satisfying than managing to claim a victory in a fight where you were vastly outnumbered. If all you really want to do is fight real time, then that's fine as N:TW (as with all Total War games) allows you to either jump into historical battles and see what you could have done better, or create scenarios for yourself and fight whoever you choose. 

Secondly, there is the Campaign map, the home of the armchair general. This is where you will move your troops around the continent, where you will control the cities you have taken and ultimately, where you will spend most of your time. Pretty much all the game can be played from this screen as battles can be auto resolved if real time fighting is not your cup of tea.The Campaign screen offers a plethora of options, some of which some people may find off-putting, but its worth sticking with as good micro management is key to gaining whatever objective is currently set. And it is with these objectives that N:TW slightly differs from the other total war games, whereas previous titles seemed to have more of a "go forth and decimate" kind of attitude, this one is a lot more story driven and focused on driving you to the next historical bullet point.

On the multiplayer side of Napoleon:Total War, there is the usual single battles online or with a friend, as well as the nice feature added late for Empire: Total War, where you get to play through the campaign in two player, which is a nice touch and was much needed. Also, you can now play through the single player campaigns with "drop in battles", which essentially means whilst you are playing away, another player can jump in and either fight for or against you in campaign battles. All of these features add a lot to the game as a whole, and for some may be the sole reason for playing, its all well and good outsmarting a series of functions but nothing beats destroying your friends army and sending his general packing. 

Which leads me nicely onto what i would consider the only big problem in Napoleon:Total War, the AI. Its not a major gripe, but i feel sometimes the enemy units behave oddly and it breaks the immersion for me when they run round aimlessly or give up prematurely when they should have carried on and battered me, but as i said, its not a major issue, as with any game of such complexity, perfection is impossible, and some things can be forgiven when put in the wider context.

All in all this is an improvement over Empire:Total War, and is I believe the best Total War game yet, and in terms of strategy games there are few in the same league as a Total War title. The rich Historical setting along with the highly detailed graphics provide an immersive experience that will that will keep you occupied for a long time. Or at least until The Creative Assembly find another Era to turn into a game.