Quote:
Originally Posted by Skybird
Rome 1, Medieval 2 and Shogun 2 always were the best games in the Total War series.
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That's literally true I think, were being the key word.
Rome 1 was my first, Med 2 was my intravenous drip for years. Shogun 2 was great too, especially with Fall of the Samurai, but it also suffered from three egregious missteps -- realm divide, agent spam and that terrible, no good trade node nonsense. Even Med 2, as good as it was (especially the trait system) had the Pope, which was a troublesome concept at best. Rome 1 was transcendent for it's time, but for me has not aged all that well. But that strat map music was glorious
But in 2022 I think all of these games have been surpassed by some margin by the more recent entries in the series. Rome 2 is leaps and bounds beyond what Rome 1 achieved. Attila is a better game from nearly every meaningful perspective, campaigns, characters, factions, mechanics and right on down the line.
I recently did four runs through Three Kingdoms and it's phenomenal, a game so good I struggle to identify any weaknesses. And then there's Warhammer. For years I was a historical Total War snob, ignoring things like the Middle Earth mod for Med 2 in favor of more realistic ones like Stainless Steel. I noticed Warhammer 1 but kept my nose high. But I could not ignore the universal praise given to Warhammer 2 and I bought it.
It quickly became my favorite TW title of them all, which is quite the feat considering how highly I rate the other game in the series. CA is hamstrung in effect when designing historical titles, after all there's a history to adhere to. But in Warhammer, the devs were freed of those shackles and could let their imagination run wild. The result was a fantastic game, with each and every faction so unique, and it easily has the best replay value in the series.
Now, with the release of the Immortal Empires campaign (it stitches together all maps and factions from all the WH titles) I have picked up WH3.
I've played every Total War game aside from Shogun and Medieval, and the two Saga titles. As much as I like Shogun 2 and Med 2 (a Med 3 would be divine, and might just be coming next), the fact is, for me, these games just don't compete with the newest titles, which expand and improve on virtually every concept, feature and mechanic.
Matter of fact, I recently made a post on a different forum ranking all the Total War games I've played. I only picked up WH3 a few days ago, and its place is yet to be determined.
1. Warhammer 2 -- As much as I like many of the historical titles, they are in effect hamstrung by their historicalocity. Great games, but Warhammer 2 takes that leash off the designers. There is still lore to adhere to (I guess, I wouldn't know anything about that), but the fantasy nature allows the devs to run wild. Each and every faction is so unique, beyond what is possible when you're constrained by history. The Mortal Empires battle royale mode is Total War at it's most free. In the Steam era (since 2006 for me) no other TW game comes close in hours played. The most replayable Total War game.
2. Attila -- While WH2 was clearly the top one for me, the next tier is much more muddled. I'm picking Attila because of the great campaign. It's strategic in a way others fall short of, has interesting and unique factions, varied units and has the only horde-style play I've enjoyed in the series. Has the best settlement battles in Total War.
3. Three Kingdoms -- Maybe some recency bias at play here. But in some ways it's a perfectly balanced offering, with each of the core features well-implemented, innovative and polished. The campaign is fun, the dynastic and character side is good and it feels like each facet is in the right place. I struggle to identify TW3K's weaknesses. Well-rounded. Has the best recruitment model in the series.
4. Napoleon -- I seem to rank this one higher than most players do. I like the era, and I think gunpowder is the sweet spot for Total War gameplay. It suffers a bit perhaps for it's narrow scope, but this can also be seen as a plus. I like the replenishment and logistics models, and it may be faint praise, but it had my favorite naval side in the series. Nappy is the most tactical game in the series.
5. Rome 2 -- I held off on this one for years. Ancient Rome ain't my jam, but I liked it a lot anyway once I gave it a go. The grand campaign is sprawling and ambitious -- and pretty good -- but it was the companion campaigns like Rise of the Republic that I liked the most. Has the best battle maps in Total War.
6. Medieval 2 -- Honestly this is probably my first choice. If Med 2 were remade with modern conventions that we take for granted in the series today, this one would sit top of the pile. I love the era, the shift from steel to gundpowder. I like the unique recruitment constraints, where units can only be recruited and replenished in the right towns. Battle outcomes in Med 2 have more weight as a result. It feels more 'operational' than the other ones. Specializing settlements as military or civilian is great. We really need a new version of this, and it would seem we might just do. Has the best trait system in the series. (But the Pope sucks)
7. Shogun 2 -- This one should probably sit higher in this list. Dripping with era authenticity, it suffers for three huge misses in my view. Realm Divide, agent spam and the terrible, horrible, no good naval trade thing. But the battles are great, the tech tree is too. And with the fall of the Samurai expansion the game got way better. I mean come on, I can build railroads and bombard tactical battles with my ships offshore. FotS bridges the transition from blades to barrels resulting in the sort of asymmetric warfare that I like so much. Has the best DLC (Fall of the Samurai) in the series.
8. Warhammer -- It's worse in every way compared to WH2. But at the same time it has many of the same things that make WH2 such a good game.The factionality, or faction unique-ness, that shines in both games. Warhammer 2 took what this game started and improved it. Has the best collateral role to play in Total War -- making Mortal Empires bigger haha.
9. Empire -- I wanted to like it more than I do. The campaign is just too ambitious, spanning the globe. The much-hyped naval stuff fell flat. But it's gunpowder and tactical on the field of battle. Gunpowder TW games aren't just a matter of mashing your troops against the other guy's. Terrain and maneuver feel more central to tactical battles in gunpowder titles. There is nothing about Empire that is the best in the series, but it looked impressive on the battlefield with the smoke and colorful troops.
10. Rome 1 -- My first TW game. No bounce from that. Like Rome 2, the era doesn't inspire me. Compared to today's TW games it is rather crude and simple. But it was all so cool for me in its time. Has the best strat map music in the series.