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Excellent strategy game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 69 / 70
Date: December 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is the first Total War title I bought (yup, I'm one of the five that didn't play Shogun. Give me a moment to cut holes in this paper bag so I might hide my shame and continue...) and I consider it one of the better game investments I've made to date. Though its graphics are dated by current standards- especially compared to the latest installment in the series- Medieval is a whole load of fun.

As with the other games in the series, Medieval is split into two modes- the strategic map, where you build up you provinces, manage taxes, dispatch strategic agents, and move armies; and the real time battlefield, where you lay siege to cities, face off against rival armies, and generally show off your tactical prowess (or lack thereof). Both are well done, and so this game can appeal to both fans of turn based strategy and real time strategy. I happen to be one of the latter and definitely not one of the former (in fact, I absolutely hate Civilization and its spinoffs) but I found myself enjoying both aspects of the game.

The battlefield AI is relatively well schooled in standard tactics, and units move and act realistically. For example, archers are likely to miss when shooting into or out of a forest, or in bad weather. Heavy cavalry will naturally mow down anyone with light armor, but has serious problems with spear or pike-armed soldiers in tight ranks. Standing on higher ground gives missile weapons more range, and artillery landing in the middle of your troops has serious negative effects on morale. There's no base building to worry about in battle mode, which is fortunate since you'll have plenty to think about as is. Though it's sometimes quite complex managing all your men, there's nothing better than winning a great victory and knowing that it was your superior tactics (not your ability to micromanage harvesters) that let you pull it off. The graphics, while not the best, are passable. Terrain and weather effects are generally dependent on the area you're fighting in, which is a nice touch.

On the strategic map, you can perform all kinds of actions- quell uprisings, dispatch assassins, send preachers to convert the heathen, manage trade routes and fleets, propose alliances or declare war, and otherwise plot for world domination. This mode is absent in multiplay, but the depth of the single play campaign more than makes up for it. You can play as any major power in the medieval era, and have the entire European continent, plus much of western Asia to conquer. Many provinces have trade resources, allow for the training of special units, or provide bonuses to units produced there. Of note is that your unique national units are likewise based on ownership of certain provinces- if you lose these, you could end up facing them in battle! Hopefully, if you're a wise national leader, this will never happen.

There are three period campaigns, and many major historical events and personages appear over the course of your rule. Some units only appear in certain periods, and if you start in an earlier period, you will eventually advance to the later ones (and to the end- alas, the medieval age can't last forever). Building stronger fortifications in your territories serves two purposes- it lets you hold out better if put under siege, and it allows you to make other structures that in turn allow training of more advanced units. Some such units (e.g. English longbowmen, Gothic knights, halberdiers, or the Byzantine's elite Varangian Guard) are war-winning in power, so this must be a national priority. You can also resort to such things as inquisitions, bribes, crusades, and jihads to stymie or conquer your enemies.

Managing your provinces and armies is quite an involved process. As they say, the devil's in the details, and there's details to spare in Medieval. You want to make sure that your battle-hardened veteran units are kept at high strength, perhaps at the cost of some cheap or less experienced troops. You also have to make sure you don't go broke which is (believe me) a lot harder than it sounds. Armies in the field cost money to support, and you need loads of money to build up provinces. Thus, it might not be a good idea to invade all your neighbors at once, as this would likely have a detrimental effect on trade. In this respect, Medieval truly asks that you be a politician as well as a conqueror.

This collection includes Viking Invasion, which is a special campaign that lets you play as one of the factions living in the British Isles or as the infamous Viking raiders. It has significantly different units and tech trees from the standard Medieval campaign, and adds some of these units to the original game. Being Viking in particular gives you some unique capabilities (e.g. the ability to retreat over sea without a port in the province) that alone are worth checking out.

Aside from campaign and online battle modes, there's a few small historical campaigns and battles, including such famous engagements as Crecy, Bannockburn, and Poitiers. Some are incredibly difficult, and a true test for the armchair generals out there. Just as interesting, most of the single play modes have historical summaries of the battle or campaign, which (to me at least) was quite fascinating.

Medieval: Total War might have the look of an older game, but it is a great value that no strategy gamer should pass up. The replay value in particular is enormous, and there's innumerable possible tactical and strategic maneuvers. Just finding which ones of these work, and which ones don't, is months of fun. Don't miss out.

It's Good To Be King

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 34 / 34
Date: April 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Choices, choices. You are holding several hundred prisoners after your brilliant triumph outside Paris. Klll them, as an example to other upstarts? Or ransom them for 2000 florins? And here's a pesky crusade. You can fight it or let it pass, but it may sack your city (as they often did) on the way through.

This is a classic of its kind, dramatically improving upon "Shogun, Total War" in terms of strategic and tactical AI, weapons sets, and complexity. For fans of strategy/RTS games whose computers tap out at early XP games, the "Medieval War" and "Viking Invasion" games are very immersive. If I were to have only one or two strategic games on my computer, this would be one of them.

The hook to the "Total War" series is the merger of a sound turn-based strategic game with RTS tactical land battles using historical-based units such as knights, ballistas and various types of infantry and archers. The design is British, so there is a lot of military detail here. Unlile the "Civilization" games, civilian amenities and advances take a back seat to the evolution of military technology, from rudimentary melee infrantry units to the early age of gunpowder.

The real time land battles are fun, and actually are important to game play since an outnumbered army, well-generaled and carefully used, can defeat a larger force and alter the shape of history. I have replicated a number of Agincourts and Crecys with the right mix of "Band of Brothers" longbowmen and mounted knights. On the other hand, I've had a few 14th c. "Custer's last stands" as well.

What is intriguing about the strategic campaign games is that the AI throws new punches as your empire expands. In "Medieval", revolts are frequent. In "Viking", I had several empires collapse in a few years into civil war among factions. I also experimented with Machiavellian "Prince" strategies, such as allying close weak countries against larger threats. Most of the time, it worked, like the real thing.

The gaming system obviously lends itself to any pre-1900 conflict, and it would be interesting if the fourth or fifth in the series tried to tackle 18th Century warfare, the English or American Civil wars.

For a 2002-3 game, this was a tremendous development. There are still some weakpoints, such as the 1000-man limit on tactical battles. On the strategic map, the armies can be infinite in size, but the tactical engine requires that units over the 1000-man limit must wait out as reinforcements. After a while, one learns that no matter how large an invading force, a mixed out defensive army (say 1200), if properly configured and kept close to the reinforcement edge of the map, can often win as the enemy AI feeds the remaining hundreds in a drabble at a time.

While land battles are meticulously modeled, naval conflict is pretty sketchy, but then, decisive naval battles were genuinely rare before Lepanto. I appreciated the careful introduction of gunpowder units which make their appearance generally in the 14th c., and the fact that man for man, they still lag behind good stout Welsh longbowmen for quite a while.

The only other RTS games I have played are "pure" battle systems such as Waterloo or Sid Meyer's "Gettysburg" series. The "Total War" games are superior to both plus you get a fine strategic turn-based game to go with it.

Tactical Glory, Strategic Scheming, and History - all here!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: November 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game ROCKS!! And for the price now, it's a steal. Though the actual tactical combat is prettier in Rome: Total War, this game is superior in its scope and cerebral effort.
You can pick a faction of the Medieval era, any nation you want, and then you have to deal with the geopolitical situation, keep your provinces and generals loyal, groom your bloodline, build your economy and armies, and then, oh yeah, fight huge Medieval battles.
This game will take several hours of your life each time you sit down to play it, it's that addictive. Imagine: just as you finish building that Grand Mosque, or improving farmland, or a new armory, then the Golden Horde appear! . . .or you get excommunicated by the Pope . . .or your generals in far flung provinces decide to rebel against you. It's all here and in exceptional detail.
I bought this game in Feb 04 and haven't stopped playing it since. One recommendation: load Viking Invasion right away. Even if you don't want to play the Viking era, the new features and new units make the original MTW game even more enjoyable. I didn't load VI right away and I regretted it later.

Here's what ya got with the game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: February 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Next to Rome Total War (same guys who made this one) comes Medevil Total War: Battle Collection, here's a run down of how good it is (1=worst 5=best)

graphics= 3

Historical accuracy= 4.5

Battle abilities and fun= 5

how well this compares to other RTS games= there is no contest (except for ROME: TOTAL WAR)

this game has the best real time battles, great total war abilites, and if you want a strategy game better than the Starcraft genre, this is it.

Break out the Trebuchet---time to get Medieval on their A**

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 17
Date: December 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

It is 1195 A.D. according to the Christian calendar; Year 583 from the date of the Prophet's Hijra. You rest your bloody gauntlet on the parapet of Vienna's formerly impregnable citadel; a troop of proud Ghulam cavalry parade through the Vienna Castle's smoldering and sundered South gate, stark and splendid on their black Arabian stallions, the sun glinting off their spired helms.

You gaze westward: towards the fog-enshrouded forests on the horizon, the arboreal ramparts of the German Empire. You have advanced the cause of the Caliph and the Sultan Suleyman: today the Turkish army crushed the warriors of the Holy Roman Emperor, driving the panicked Crusaders in a frenzied rout across the Danube. Already the Sultan's assassins and holy-men slip north and west, moving like shadows through Bavaria, into Bohemia, into the very guts of the Empire: Franconia, Brandenburg, Saxony. You gaze upward, over Vienna's loftiest tower: even now, your fierce Turkish infantry are raising up the Crescent of the Sultan. Soon your armies will be on the move again: soon the glory of Istanbul, and the divine will of Allah, will spread across Europe.

"Medieval: Total War" (the Battle Collection, including the Viking Invasion expansion) allows you to literally rewrite history, at the point of the sword, at the altar of conversion, and in the counting houses and countless emporiums of your traders, which spread like wildfire as trade follows the flag, the military, and the Navy.

I can say right now, as a gaming addict, that "Medieval: Total War" is the finest Real-Time-Simulation (RTS) game yet invented.

The Middle Ages are split into three periods: Early (1095), Middle (1200), and Late (1320); choose one of them, and then plunge into a Power of the day. There are twelve to choose from: England, France, the Holy Roman Empire, Denmark, Poland, Russia, Italy, Spain. Go eastward, rule Constantinople with the Byzantine Empire. Or cast down the Cross and hold up the Crescent, fulfilling the will of the Prophet by taking up the gauntlet of the Turks, Egypt, or the Almohad Caliphate, stretching like a snake across North Africa.

The game is split between the Tactical and the Strategic. In the Strategic phase, you plan your maneuvers on a gorgeous world map (Europe, Russia, Turkey, the Middle East, North Africa). In this phase you build up your armies, fortify and develop your provinces, build border forts and upgrade them to castles and even citadels, muster your forces, and send them off to war. You also send out your agents: your assassins, diplomats, princesses---to kill, convert, reason with, or marry your rivals.

The tactical phase begins when your strategic moves are finished: here you will enter individual battles throughout your realm. It is here, particularly, that Medieval's battle engine shines. On a wide range of terrain---from scorching Arabian desert to rain-swept Scottish highland---your forces clash with those of your foe: is is here the destiny of your Empire will be determined, all in real time.

PROS: "Medieval: Total War" is the kind of game I would have built in a dream. The graphics are superb; the strategic map gorgeous; the units as detailed as they can be without slowing down the game speed. The units are diverse, and each have their own unique strengths and weaknesses: impregnable but slow Byzantine cavlary, Ottoman Sipahis, Turkish Jannisaries, French Knights, devilish Boyars from the steppes of Russia with their nasty (and deadly accurate) bows.

The level of control is amazing---you can micro-manage everything from provincial taxation to the selection of your governors, from setting up trade routes to building a Grand Mosque or championing a Crusade. At the same time, the system itself is admirably simple: you can automate as much, or as little, as you want.

Whether Islamic power, Christian Crusader, or Orthodox hegemon, you also get a soundtrack and voiceovers customized to your power. The soundtrack is gorgeous; and on the strategic map, you're further immersed by background music and noise, whether it's monastic chanting, the sussurus of a zither and sitar, or merely the hushed frenzy of wind blowing across desolate terrain.

CONS: Diplomacy is just a formality. If you're aggressive, chances are---after you've toppled an Empire or two---other powers will gang up against you, or refuse to negotiate with you. The game also has a tendency to crash at the most critical times---even if you save, the act of saving alone might cause a crash.

Finally, the biggest game-flaw in MTW is provincial rebellion: tax your province too high, move your armies away from your imperial core, part your hair the wrong way---and you have a provincial revolt on your hands. It's more annoying than deadly.

But these are small quibbles in a work of art, a game of strategic and tactical brilliance. The "Viking Invasion" expansion moves the action back 300 years, and consists of so many tweaks and features that it's pretty much an evolution of the basic game: you'll be glad---and raise your tankards to Odin in the Drinking Hall---that you have it.

If you have ever dreamed of sending your armies on a rampage across Europe, or throttling an enemy King on his own throne---then "Medieval" is for you. Ready your infantry---triple the Watch---dispatch the assassins---saddle the horses---it's time to get Medieval!

Best game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: January 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I've been an addict of real-time battle games since I first bought Command and Conquer. From Age of Empires to Starcraft, I've played them all and they were great fun. MTW makes them seem like kid's games. I'll never be completely happy with them again.

It's all fun - the turn based aspect being much like Civilization - but the battles are what makes it addictive. Battlefield strategy means everything, and even if you have superior troops, bad strategy can lose a battle for you. I can't even begin to list all of the factors that will sway a battle, but maybe if I recount one of my battles, it will give you some insight on how awesome this game is.

When a Crusade moves through one of your provinces, it's pretty destructive. At the very least, you will lose 25% of all of your troops in that province as they leave to join the Crusade. A lot of times, I think it's just a way for the offending faction to weaken you before attacking. MTW prompts you on whether or not to let a Crusade pass through your province. If you decline, the Crusade attacks you. And a crusader army can hold many more units than a normal army. They also fight with more vigor.

In my first game, the French wished to send a Crusade through one of my provinces, and I refused. My army in that province was about 500 troops, the Crusade army numbered over 4000. I saved my game and then started the battle. It didn't last long. Lined up toe to toe on an open field, they ran me over in no time. I loaded it up again, but this time, I tried something different. I lined half of my infantry up behind a large woods so that the French would have to attack through the woods. I put the other half in the woods, up a hill to the left. They were hidden (a very neat and useful feature). As the French approached the woods, they sensed something was wrong. Where before they simply attacked me, this time they hesitated. Worried that they would see my hidden troops, I charged with my unhidden footsoldiers, but then brought them back quickly before they engaged. The French fell for it. They charged into the woods after my troops. I let them come until they were halfway through and then hit them with the hidden troops in the middle of their column. It sent them into a panic. The front half of their army was still charging, but now they did not much outnumber my troops which they were chasing. I turned on them and engaged. That part of the battle was close. My hidden troops, however, destroyed the middle third of their army which was still trying to recover. The rear third, still out of the woods on the far side, wavered. At this moment, I bought my cavalry around the right side of the woods and into the left flank of the rear third. They routed. Now, with my hidden troops and my cavalry freed up, I brought them through the woods and into the rear of the front third of the French army which was just about to overcome my troops fighting there. Totally surrounding them, they were soon destroyed, including the General. After that, the rest of the French reserves were not too keen on fighting and were easy prey.

What other real-time battle game can you defeat enemy forces when you are outnumbered 8 to 1? I don't know of any. If you are a war buff, and you are not currently playing MTW, you are not having as much fun as you could be having!

One more thing. One of the things that makes the battles great in MTW is the terrain. Most battles happen in hilly areas and the elevation can be used to your advantage or be your downfall. I rushed out to buy Rome Total War, but was very disappointed as this aspect seemed to have disappeared in that game. Most battles seem to take place on large, open fields, and the terrain means little. IMO, MTW is much better. I wish they would make more expansion packs or just update it or something. I've been playing for over a year now and am just now finally starting to get tired of it. Too bad.

I love this game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: April 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I love this because you can mix Strategy and Combat Action.
You can play historical campaigns, historical battles, quick battles and custome campaigns.
I like all variety in this game. First try quick battles to get experience in combat and after maybe a historical battles. When you learn the basics i recommend you a custome campaign. You can reply many time and the game is always different.

Randall

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: August 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is the best history game I have ever seen. From 1087 A.D. to the fall of the Byzantine empire in 1453 A.D., a year by year struggle to maintain peace or conquer by war.
This game uses real time for combat. It happens all at once, not turn by turn. As the field general you must be aware of troop placement, morale, fatigue, and troop replacements moving into the battlefield(both yours and your enemies'). Weather conditions have a great effect on your troops. Sandstorms in the desert, as well as the heat, rain - no gunpower use, snow and cold, all of these can hurt you or help you defeat your foe.
There are unique army units for each faction. I have commanded the Allomads and the Byzantine faction to victory, so far. The Allomads, from northwest Africa, have Saharan calvary and the lethal Ghazi infantry. While neither is unique, both units are born killers.
The diplomatic side of the game involves building up your provinces. It is your burden for each of your provinces to turn to your religion, be able to produce the armies you need, and make money for you. The best way of making money is by taxing your provinces(be careful), and by trading with the other factions. You can use emissaries, spies, assassins, and religious agents to better your kingdom and to keep an eye on your neighbors.
This game will take a very long time to complete and in the end if you have made allies at the right time and enemies at the right time, haven't had your provinces or troops revolt, and manage to keep away from the assassin's knife your might just master Medieval Total War.

historical warfare

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: February 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is the epitome of medieval war. There is Dark Age warfare and Middle Ages warfare. There are many things in this game that the avid medieval reader will recognize. If you want a mostly historically accurate game, I suggest this game for you. There is even the option to forgo commanding battles yourself and keep the game focused on the strategic level. I only have one problem with this game: the strategic portion is single-player only. That prevents this game from being the best strategy game I ever played. Of course, there's nothing more satisfying than outmaneuvering your friends on the battlefield and then mercilessly slaughtering their captured soliders with a voracious war cry just like your ancient ancestors and laughing at them!

Awesome Game - With one exception

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 13
Date: February 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the best strategy games that I have every played. It sucessfully combines world domination with micro management of troops. There is certainly room for improvement, however, this is the best yet. I played it with a passion for a few weeks.
The flaw...I was so excited at playing the campains I wanted to play with a friend. You cannot imagine my disappointment when I discovered that you can only play the battles over LAN. I was so insensed that I gave up the game. If I have one suggestion for the manufacturers of the game it is to make it playable over LAN/Internet, with the global domination aspect still intact.

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