Medieval II Total War

On the character side, religious characters are now available as mentioned, as are maiden princesses which can now be married off to rival nations to form alliances or used as diplomats. Merchants can be used to out maneuver rival merchants and capture new streams of trade income.

Politics and alliances are more of a challenge this time around. Whereas in Rome you only had to keep an eye on a couple of rival Roman factions, Medieval forces you to deal with a slew of European and Mid-East nations rival nations. Alliances are even more important this time around and you must think hard about whom your potential enemy is allied to before attacking.

That said, the scourge of Roman times – rebellion - definitely seems to be less of a problem in the medieval period. After months of neglect and with my empire stretched thin across half the known world, only a pesky two or three cities dared rebel under my extortionate taxation regime and minimal infrastructure investment.

Trying to think of anything bad to say about this game is hard, but, alas, this edition of the Total War franchise has returned to the use of non-Aussie accents. The inclusion of a bogan centurion and patrician shazza as advisors in Rome Total War was a triumph in the face of the de rigueur American accent. Sure, it may only have been made possible thanks to Maximus, but I say if a game is made by an Aussie developer, why not have Aussie accents!

Creative Assembly also says that the enemy AI has been overhauled with more thought given to army composition and strategy, but even at a medium difficulty setting it really does seem to have the tactical skill of General Custer. Watch as the enemy stands oblivious while an endless barrage from your ballista or canon whittle them down to nothing. How many times will a suicidal attack followed by a timely withdrawal lure enemy units out from their safe formation or castle? Every time. In countless battles I think the enemy cavalry only attempted to flank once.

The choice of playable historic battles is strong and all are great introductions to the tactics and history of the time. Even though the point is to recreate a great victory against impossible odds, it would have been great to have been able to play the side which historically lost – and do the job properly this time.

Like any great arm chair general game, Medieval Total War makes you feel like an expert without ever marching further than the fridge in search of a beer. And with no pause button available in the middle ages, the game really gives you an appreciation of what military genius really meant during the period.