Shogun 2 took the series two steps forward. The terrible campaign&battle AI, the lack of unit customization, the lack of general customization, banners, etc.
Rome 2 feels entirely dumbed down when compared to the previous title, Shogun 2. For my credentials as a critic, I currently have over 100 hours in game, have beaten a campaign, and am one of the top of the leaderboards in multiplayers (Xtreme Chaos). The terrible campaign&battle AI, the lack of unit customization, the lack of general customization, I am fan of the TW series at heart. To sum up, this game was a disappointment. Go back and buy the original Rome Total War or Medieval 2 (I can't vouch for Shogun 2, because I never played it). All in all, I would suggest that if you have to purchase a total war game, don't make it this one. However, this doesn't make up for the atrocious game play.
On the plus side, it is pretty compared to the graphics of previous games. After about 50 turns, I'll be lucky to have the end turn cycle done by the time I cook and eat dinner and enjoy some time with my family (you know, if the AI doesn't interrupt the end turn sequence with constant begging for money). At the beginning of the game the time it takes to load a new turn is maybe a minute for me.
The game is full of annoyances: graphical bugs, bad computer AI that will literally run in circles around the battlefield and use almost nothing but slingers in battle, constant crashing during siege battles, and an bad unit cards that are hard to tell apart from other unit cards. That doesn't mean you'll actually want to play it, though. The game is full of annoyances: graphical bugs, bad computer AI that will literally run in circles around the battlefield and use almost nothing but slingers in battle, constant crashing during siege battles, and an bad unit cards that are This game is only slightly better than Empire Total War, in that it is actually playable. This game is only slightly better than Empire Total War, in that it is actually playable.