Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Rome: Total War - Initial Thoughts

About the Game (From the Steam Store Page)

Once the Roman Empire is under your command, don't lay down your sword just yet - the Barbarians are coming. With two award-winning titles from the esteemed Total War series, you'll have twice as many obstacles and opportunities to control and conquer the greatest empire ever known to man.

The Collection Edition includes: 
  • Rome: Total War Guide one of three noble Roman families on a century spanning quest to seize control of the Roman Empire. 
  • Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion
    (official expansion pack to Rome: Total War) Witness the decline of Rome as Barbarian hordes attack, forcing a bitter internal struggle between rival factions.
Previous Playtime

51 minutes 

What Was I Thinking When I Bought This

I have a friend who is really into the Total War series and who would frequently praise the games. It didn't really sound like my thing, but then Rome: Total War went on sale for $1.00 - one dollar. This was about a year before I started my blog and I was still naive about the very idea of Steam sales, so the thought of getting a whole video game, from an acclaimed series, for just one dollar seemed like a no-lose scenario. The idea that it would languish on my hard-drive for years, virtually unplayed never even occurred to me.

Expectations and Prior Experience

Thus far, I've only played the tutorial, but I can't remember anything about it. I think it was a pretty standard RTS. I'm a little worried about that, actually. I have a real spotty history with them. I tend to get drawn in by the units and structures and will focus on the building and resource management aspects of the game until I'm blindsided by the fact that it's fundamentally about war.

Also, I anticipate having some ideological problems with this game. I barely noticed it happening, but over the past few years, my personal politics have changed to such a degree that I can barely stand the idea of Rome. Instead of "classical civilization," I tend to think of them as "the guys who went where they weren't wanted and stole other peoples' shit." Obviously, the Roman legacy in western civilization is extremely complicated and both views tell part of the story, but I just get the feeling that I'm going to be forced to wield a terrible imperial power.

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