Empire: Total War

Review from Starks - Sunday, 03 May 2009 @ 4:51pm

There's definately a BOOM! But is there a HEADSHOT!?

There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy. ~ George Washington

"One of the main reasons that it is so easy to march men off to war," says Ernest Becker, is that "each of them feels sorry for the man next to him who will die." ~ Annie Dillard

The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations. ~ David Friedman

A nice war is a war where everybody who is heroic is a hero, and everybody more or less is a hero in a nice war. Now this war is not at all a nice war. ~ Gertrude Stein

Liberty and democracy become unholy when their hands are dyed red with innocent blood. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it? ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

A self-respecting nation is ready for anything, including war, except for a renunciation of its option to make war. ~ Simone Weil

Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. ~ William Penn

Everyone's a pacifist between wars. It's like being a vegetarian between meals. ~ Colman McCarthy

Military glory--that attractive rainbow, that rises in showers of blood--that serpent's eye, that charms to destroy... ~ Abraham Lincoln

Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous. ~ George Bernard Shaw

I've been to war. I've raised twins. If I had a choice, I'd rather go to war. ~ George W. Bush

Rulers who want to unleash war know very well that they must procure or invent a first victim. ~ Elias Canetti

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat) I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat) Everybody look at me 'cause I'm sailing on a boat

Pros

• Graphically beautiful game. The world map is a visual delight of colour and graphics, where as the land battles are stunning exhibits of countryside. The naval battles are definately where the graphical capacity comes to light with amazing water textures and detailed ships.
  
  
• The extended world map makes for longer, more interesting game play that essentially means no matter what faction you start, every game will be different and a new experience in some way.
  
  
• Naval battles were a logical step for Empire, and the gameplay for conducting a high-seas encounter are superb. The level of detail and tacitcal possibilities are huge without being overly complex. The difficulty of commanding a fleet are melded in well and really make for some interesting battles

Cons

• Huge tax on the system, meaing you need a high end machine to really enjoy the game at a decent level.
  
  
• Whilst 200 turns may seem like a large game, I believe that the speed of the time elapsing is too great. Breaking down a year into the 4 seasons instead of summer and winter would allow a more realistic time frame and allow some epic dynasties.
  
  
• When controlling anything above 35 regions, the level of ecnomic and infrastructure management gets insane. I would even suggest that such large empires are impossible to satisfactorily manage, especially at the harder levels when the AI busts your nut fro every angle.