I Can't Believe Total War Used to be Like This - OG Rome Total War Review in 2022

It has been a long - but incredible quick - 18 years since Rome: Total War saw the light of day, and I thought it was time for a full review of this legendary game. Rome: Total War might not be as evergreen as certain other Total War games, but back in the day, this was everything, a massive new grand strategy game in a gorgeous and fully modelled 3D world, taking the Total War series to heights previously unseen.
So, should you play the ORIGINAL Rome: Total War in 2022?
Rome: Total War opened my eyes to what a strategy game could be, and for that, I'll always be grateful. Hopefully, another Total War will come along to take its place as the best Roman era game - not just for its time, but ever. Let me know what you think of Rome: Total War and this video in the comments below, and don't forget to leave a like and subscribe to the channel :)
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[@AndysTake]

Is this the NEXT Paradox game? kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXuxmoOugamYq6c

[@Henners1991]

This list of TEN THINGS might SHOCK you. But first, guys, did you know only 1.74% of you are subscribed? Be sure to smash that subscribe button, ring that bell and tickle the like button. Now let's get into it! But before we start, ChinaScam Knives are made with authentic Japanese quality.... And that's all for now, make sure to watch this video below as it helps my retention rate, FIVE THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT TOTAL WAR.

[@Punggles]

One of the greatest games of all time. The leap in quality and fidelity from Shogun & Medieval 1 to Rome was absolutely insane at the time.

[@JB-xl2jc]

Agreed, it was a quantum leap in quality and features/content. It's where the TW series really hit its stride IMO. I didn't play Shogun at release, I was a bit too young, but I remember playing MTW1 at release. Rome was just... a different game. So much more advanced. It's the same as the leap between TES:Daggerfall and Morrowind, or Fallout 2 and Fallout 3- I love every game I just listed, but sometimes the technological jump between iterations is just staggering.

[@olgagaming5544]

@@JB-xl2jc I like these older RPGs for their weirdness, totally fucked-up maze-like dungeons and such stuff

[@olgagaming5544]

like daggerfall or migh and magics

[@AndysTake]

Indeed, absolutely incredible stuff.

[@JB-xl2jc]

@♥Olga Gaming♥ That's true, the older games in the series had rough edges and weirdness that gave them a lot of character!

[@jarlborg1531]

I used to recruit thousands of peasants in overpopulated cities, march them hundreds of miles then disband them in strategically important towns to raise the population. In terms of immersion, that one feature alone made the original Rome superior to everything that followed.

[@AndysTake]

An amazing feature indeed!

[@ismaelhossameldin9896]

Just saying that it’s included in DEI and 1212 as well and with tiers as well but I love Rome 1 and medieval II of course

[@danielomar9712]

I just realise this was just weaponised refugees haha! *Oh god*

[@ismaelhossameldin9896]

@@danielomar9712 indeed it is and an awesome mechanic

[@FEDEXLuchs]

you make peasents to add population to settlements i make peasents to attack cities in a zombie mode with 5 stacks we are not the same

[@stephencook567]

One of the things I loved the most about Rome and Medieval was the little cutscenes they had for when your spy tried to get into a city, or make an assassination attempt, or in Rome there is the cutscenes for the senate room. It was like the littlest thing to add but boosted the immersion immensely, I CANNOT believe they discontinued doing that in Empire - present.

[@resileaf9501]

Rome 1 did not have cutscenes. That only started in Medieval 2. Empire had cutscenes for duels. Shogun 2 had cutscenes for most ninja actions and a bunch of small events.

[@divout6688]

@@resileaf9501 You see "For the Senate room" right? Those scenes are litteraly showed in the video. That said I had also kinda forgot about them.

[@resileaf9501]

@@divout6688 Eeeh, I wouldn't exactly call the Senate room animation a cinematic myself, though it's certainly a nice bit of animation to add some atmosphere.

[@KC_312]

What I miss are the reloading animations for ranged units/artillery that they had since Medieval 2 and up until Shogun 2, I think. It just made a ton of sense that your crossbows just couldn't keep infantry away because they had to reload and it took time, so they could not be placed as frontline units.

[@AndysTake]

I know, it was epic… did so much for the immersion and fun!

[@minecraftwaffleman5112]

RTW 1 is a true gem, with all its flaws, its still perfect, especially for those that feel nostalgic

[@Mundiz_]

Rome and Medieval II will always be my favorites, and they are truly the golden age of creative assembly.

[@AndysTake]

Absolutely, no doubt about it!

[@kevinkibble8342]

I absolutely love both games and for me Medieval 2 is one of the greatest games of all time. I need to get Shogun 2, as a lot of people say that one is the best, and I am into Sengoku Jidai era Japan.

[@MsSirAndy]

Actually, the true golden age of CA were Shogun and Medieval 1, only then followed by Rome and Medieval 2 at honorauble second places. At least quality and gameplay wise.... Although, popularity wise Rome and Medieval 2 were the golden age for sure. Context is everything.

[@bclinguist]

Seeing the campaign map change as you built roads and farms always made me feel like I was bringing civilization to the wilderness.

[@AndysTake]

Same, it was glorious!

[@finsfan90]

Was a great feeling when you finally linked the majority of the empire with highways and dockyards. Seeing all the movement and trade felt so immersive.

[@NakedOwl501]

Rome was a Golden Age achievement for Total War, and in my mind everything a Total War game should compare itself to. Med II for example passed that test, improving on very similar concepts but in a medieval setting. Then Empire came around and... yeah.

[@AndysTake]

“Yeah” says it all haha

[@thunderstruck6647]

I’m sympathetic to a degree with Empire because it had playable naval battles, a diverse range of factions in theory, and an attempt at making rebels taking over have more of an impact. It was sloppy and obviously bad but I can’t fault them for adding certain things.

[@shorewall]

I recently played Empire, and I liked the battles, both land and naval, as well as the Global Scope. But it did leave something to be desired.

[@frenchguitarguy1091]

I enjoyed empire but it was the beginning of the end of great total war games

[@notani3533]

Ah yes, back when the Phalanx was devastating.

[@Dirt1061]

I think it was the History Channel's use of the game that introduced me to it. I spent so many hours painting the map in this game.

[@AndysTake]

Classic!

[@elyastoohey6621]

Yeah RTW was a beast. We put it on our school PC in year 7 and watched the one kid who knew how to play play a bridge battle on the projector. The visuals of flaming onager shots and soldiers lining up in position was amazing. I bought the game like 2-3 weeks later and played it all (aussie) summer.

[@AndysTake]

Hahaha aussie summer

[@Jinisinsane]

I remember my main roman army getting surrounded in egypt by swarms of enemies getting slowly chipped battle after battle.

[@dietricklamade7417]

I couldn't afford the game and my computer wasn't good enough originally so I just played the demo over and over it was the most amazing thing

[@Naylte]

My first encounter with the Total War franchise was the use of their game mechanic in the BBC game show Time Commanders.

[@ismaelhossameldin9896]

When I discovered Rome 1 in 2007 I was 16 and the shock kept me hyped till this day😂 Playing total war at least 7 hours every week is a must to keep my cunning high

[@luismercado5160]

Rome TW music was so on point that I used it to motivate me whenever I had an important exam at university.

[@AndysTake]

I feel that

[@schawty]

Best music ever. Just ICONIC.

[@AndysTake]

Absolutely!

[@angshumanroy277]

Uff....‘Imperial Conflict’ and ‘Journey to Rome’....perfect way to begin and end a video on RTW. The nostalgia is simply overwhelming❤️. Thank you Angela & Jack, and Saki Kaskas💓. And get well soon, CA😅.

[@AndysTake]

Haha thank you, Roy! Appreciate it!

[@Mattiboyoboyboy]

SALUTARI ! map music was my bed time lullaby

[@ddjay1363]

The first Rome was the 'best' of the Total War games because of it's impact. Fantastic campaign map, lovely music, dynamic battles it brought it all together nicely for it's time. Simply put, it was it's own thing and it was awesome. I still remember my first Julii campaign... even now 🙂 I came from the first Shogun (excellent game as well) onward so when Rome came out, it hit all the right places. ;-)

[@benm5913]

I, too, came from the OG Shogun. I also rember finishing my first Jullii campaign. It was soooo good.

[@AndysTake]

Good memories indeed!

[@MaMastoast]

Played shogun once in a while at a friends place... Eventually when Rome 1 came out I believe my dad bought it for us.. Mind blowing game. I remember spartan hoplites would absolutely devastate anyone who charged them head on

[@ballulallu4167]

Not the best but good for sure

[@MsSirAndy]

Guys do you think are they going to remaster the other total war games after Rome 1?

[@roger5585]

The golden era of gaming in my opinion, so may good memories 😊.

[@AndysTake]

Those years really were!

[@aramokurdo]

indeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed also musics and movies ..

[@MsSirAndy]

1998-2009 gold gaming era

[@VulpesChama]

I played Rome a lot. And I barely played not a roman faction. I also always liked how the civil war was always the endgame. And the question, whether you should wait for the Senate to hate you, or march in before that happens.

[@AndysTake]

Exactly!

[@MrJabbothehut]

Rome 1 and med 2 look good because the physics in the game look way more real than in the newer titles. Collisions and unit combat is so much better than the cardboard cutout bullshit that the newer games have. The warscape engine is designed for gun warfare where a bullet will hit a single target whereas the old engine was so much better for big group melee. Add to this the amazing voice lines, the great soundtrack, and the general feel ofthe settings and you have an amazing set of fun games. Newer total wars feel so flaccid.

[@vandeheyeric]

What jars me is how they didn't use Warscape for what it was meant to; after Napoleon the settings have been Melee-focused. Even Shogun 2 and Warhammer. In contrast the WWI and Victorian Mods for the old games play like a dream and the de-emphasized role of melee fits them well. Moreover, Rome Remastered shows how great the old system can work with some new coats of paint. Especially with things added in like Merchants (in vanilla Rome Remastered) or promotions/upgrades for certain units (as a modder or two added in for Rome in the Marian Reforms), let alone more ambitious stuff like what RTR and co have done. You use tools for jobs that they're appropriate for. And Warscape has been seriously mismatched for games that aren't suited for it. This sort of works in Shogun 2's FOTS and even the arrow-dominated fights of ROTS and parts of Vanilla, but otherwise it is just such a mangle.

[@AndysTake]

Exactly, the physics just feel so much better, especially in Medieval 2, and it makes a massive difference.

[@MsSirAndy]

​​@@AndysTake I love Rome's and Medieval 2 collisions so much! By the way, Rome:Remastered it's a very good experience. Do you think that more total war games will going to be remastered? I'd like a remaster of Medieval 2, Empire, Napoleon, Shogun 1 and Medieval 1. Finger crossed for all of them happening at some point. Do you agree? What are your predictions?

[@md_master]

Man. You made me drunk watching my childhood memories back in front of my eyes. One of the games that actually made me try drawing more and more. And Man yeah. Nice Ending and of course every rtw fan is waiting for Rome 3 with new system💫

[@AndysTake]

Glad to hear it, Mohammad, I’m glad you enjoyed the video! :D

[@FlyingRazzo]

Actually Barbarian Invasion was released before Alexander (that was the first DLC for TW series, was only downloadable until the Gold Edition, while BI has been released as fisical edition)

[@KattoVideo]

I always played all TW on VeryHard/ VeryHard difficulty, and from all of them, the Carthage campaing in RTW I was the most long and most fun to play, I still remember how hard it was to even conquer a single city or start winning fights on sea or earth, not because lack of knowledge, but cuz all the world make war on you and the handicap COM. Then when I discovered that the game was scripted on docs that you could modify at will was superfun to interact, like unlocking all the civs on the game to be playable. And finally the amazing modding community with such great mods, I still remeber a single guy created a Napoleon Mod back on those days. Such a grate game.

[@AndysTake]

Thanks for the memories, Ricardo!

[@-hms34]

Best memories of live is when I first played Rome total war 1. 😊😊😊

[@ivanthehighman177]

Rome total war was such a good game!

[@-hms34]

True

[@MsSirAndy]

Top 10 or top 5 best total war IMHO

[@anthonyj4735]

Timeless classic I'm glad they did well with the remaster

[@AndysTake]

Me too!

[@longbow857]

As someone who grew up with the game playing it over a 1000 hours I have to say it didn't do it for me. I appriciated it as a classic, but the horrible AI and terrible imbalance with overpowered archery and cavalary is unacceptable for a remaster in this day and age. If you have all these hours in the old game there should be a new proper challange build into it to make it interesting again. Only better graphics cannot fix this old game. I found nothing but disappointment in the remaster.

[@anthonyj4735]

@@longbow857 Fair enough it is sad to know we'll never have that classic feel of the older games like medieval 2 but I think it's a step in the right direction my biggest gripe is the campaign map looks like cartoony shit.

[@longbow857]

@@anthonyj4735 well get used to it my friend. 2 of my other favorite game frachizes have gotten the same faith: age of empires 4 and civilisation 6.. both horrible looking.

[@extremebrah]

I guard my rome extended edition CD like an actual treasure...that's how much fun and love i had for that game back in my teen days.

[@Sabotador]

One of the things that got my hooked to this game was of course the soundtrack. Jeff van Dyke did an absolute masterpiece work of music. I might not play Rome 1 too much these days, still do from time to time, but I do listen to the music more often. O', I miss the 2000s, and this game was a huge part of it in my own experience. I almost failed a class because I was lazy and would have to, naturally, restore the Glory of Rome. ROMA INVICTA

[@seraphx26]

The old total war games are the ones I play the most even now, I am currently playing Medieval 1 still along with Rome and Med 2 I just bounce around between them.

[@MsSirAndy]

I really wish that Shogun 1, Medieval 1 and Medieval 2 are going to be remastered. Any likely? Possible? I think Feral will make all of them sooner or later. Do you agree with me?

[@stephencook567]

13 yr old me: Rome total war is the most complex strategy game I've ever played. 27 yr old me: *boots up europa universalis iv

[@AndysTake]

The progression of man

[@amachiftis]

Back to back videos of the best total wars ? You love to see it.

[@AndysTake]

Glad you like it, my friend ;)

[@bcvetkov8534]

I'm really glad you made this video. Last month I tried a Brutii world conquest in Rome remastered and IT WAS SO HARD. I figured it would be an interesting challenge but when I got the when he had no worlds left to conquer achievement it was incredible. The tiny stuff/details the game offers is amazing.

[@willybobrob5504]

This game came out when I was on deployment. Picked it up in Dubai and proceeded to play it through my deployment to the Middle-East and never stopped.

[@PatriSjodin]

Absolutely one of if not the best games of its time and genre. Played countless hours of this game and often returned to it after other installments was released due to how good it was. One thing it had against it was that the focus on Rome I believe went a little to far and the non-roman factions was a bit harder to play and Rome rather OP. But otherwise a very good experience!

[@MaMastoast]

I'd argue that Total war is almost it's own genre.. Aside from King Arthur: A roleplaying game I don't think I know of any other games of their type.

[@gentlesirpancakebottoms6692]

Yeah I too came from other streategy games like Heroes of Might & Magic, Age of Empires, Stronghold, the Anno series And LOTR the Battle for Middle-Earth. And one day I bought Rome Total War because some people at school said it was the most realistic and amazing strategy game they had ever played. I actually didn't have a good enough PC to even run the game so I waited for half a year before my mom bought a new computer:P When I finally got to play the game it really wowed my socks off, and it was probaby on medium settings. The guys at school didn't lie and what I withnessed was beyond all imagination and expectations. I hadn't played Civ or any Paradox titles yet. So all my referecnes to turn based strategy games was heroes of Might & Magic and similar games, which is amazing in its own right. But this was something else! It was my entry into grand strategy games. The city building and empire management aspect. The sound effects, soundtrack and overall atmosphere. And ofc the graphics for their time and the battles, and attention to detail. It was all revolutionary! And Medieval 2 mostly improved and built upon it. Not every TW game can and should be "Rome". With the lesser advances of technology over time and longer longievity of both hardware and engines such feats are harder to surpass for each game. Escpecially during short timespans. But that doesen't change the fact that modern TW games lack in ambition and innovation, and is playing it very safe despite the increasing grapichal fidelity. Ironically many of the more modern titles feels like taking a step back in many ways, compared to the older ones which despite their dated clunk and jank takes leaps and bounds into bold new territory. The older games felt like true sandbox experiences. Akin to a Paradox game even if those games are completely different beasts. Modern TW feel too much on rails. And half the time they try to change or add mechanics for more depth it only feel less deep and more hand holdy. Or just like busy work for the sake of busy work. There was something magical with the "everything can happen" mentality and simplicity of the older games. The world felt more alive and evolved in a more organic or believable way.

[@AndysTake]

Yeah I feel the same way. There are great aspects to the newer games, but the older ones just felt more complete and full in their foundations - not necessarily amount of content though.

[@chrishoobler2117]

The silver shields with good archers was a cheat code.

[@pizzaman6784]

I miss when CA didn't suck.

[@james2529]

You clearly weren't in the forums when Rome 1 came out. Endless complaining. Baffling, I know.

[@willybobrob5504]

I also liked in Rome 1, the ability to explore the cities. You can click a city and go into it and see it.

[@kipalyful]

I didn’t find out about this until years later. Blew my mind!

[@julesdebeckker627]

You really did do with the best possible outtro music

[@AndysTake]

Why thank you, Jules ;)

[@ddjay1363]

Remember ther rebel armies popping up and of course, the plethora of mercenaries available depending on where you recruited them.

[@MsSirAndy]

I started with the first Shogun. Good times!

[@ddjay1363]

@@MsSirAndy Aye. It was awesome for it's time and I remember it fondly. 🙂

[@MsSirAndy]

@@ddjay1363 Shogun is a timeless masterpiece as Medieval still is and a very revolutionary game for the time it was released. I'd really hope that Shogun 1, Medieval 1, Medieval 2 and Empire are going to get their deserved remastered editions into the future by Feral, the devs of Rome Remastered. I really wish those to be remastered at some point. They are too important and popular to not being given a new coat of paint. I am kinda optimistic right due for these reasons. And you?

[@ddjay1363]

@@MsSirAndy Good ideas, although it may be difficult to do Shogun 1 and Medieval 1 again as remasters as the battle sprites were 2d for example. I would like to see an 'Empire' game properly done. Empire Total War was a good set of ideas badly executed so I would be excited to see that done very well.

[@MsSirAndy]

@@ddjay1363 Well, they'll just having to take old Medieval 1 and Shogun 1 engine and modify it from there with further enhancements and the sole intent of allowing the models being updated from 2D sprites up onto 3D models. Obviously, it would have be keeping a similar core with the same risk style map (with some slight enhancements and new features here and there) so I think it wouldn't be a full remaster, but rather a cross between a remaster and a remake so probably something in between. It would be possible at this point, I hope? Otherwise, could they just keep the 2D sprites but only having to enhance and make them look cooler without having to upgrade over 3D? Those are all hypothetical questions. Btw, I think that something is going to happen regarding the original Shogun and Medieval. I doubt they gonna be left untouched in the dust forever. They have to remaster them since they're timeless classics and very important part of the series in terms of fans nostalgia. I feel that they gonna be modernized and improved at some point, since nostalgia sells very well nowadays as modern remasters clearly show it, and they would going to sell well If the latters are gonna get remastered, since there are many around who would still buy them for a new coat of paint. Do you agree with me?

[@dbreid903]

Building up your faction’s reputation and power base was a great feeling. Whether it’s vanquishing an enemy on an open field or conquering a settlement of city, this was a fantastic game. In my top 10

[@baggelis_aikaterinis]

"Men , we face adversity !! A band of brothers dedicated to the wariors code of strength and victory . But we will never know defeat while we stand together !! This day we add another triumph to the history of our people , we will be honored as men !! There stands the barbarian horde ready to fight , today we should send many of them to the afterlife . Today when we win this victory will be yours as mine and remember this , they may have the MOON people on their side but WE HAVE LOVELY HATS !!! Those hats will shield us from their fearsome GAZE !!!" ROMA VICTRIX

[@sandsiren4840]

Ahhh the nostalgia!

[@AndysTake]

I know! :D

[@jeff21killersep54]

I got into the total war series during medieval 2 came out and got hooked since then

[@TheRogueJedii]

Such an amazing game man, nice video. Rome TW is the best TW. I remember fighting the Egyptians with a skeleton army, and one of my catapults kills their Pharaoh. Against all odds I win the battle massively outnumbered, and Alexandria is mine only a few turns later.

[@ScentsOfSouthJersey]

Legitimately one of the Greatest games to ever be created I was obsessed with this game lol I want to buy a PC just to play the sequels now

[@kxr842]

this was my favorite total war of all time. I still remember it like it was only yesterday. I bought it at GameStop and I run like hell to play it. and even though my pc was crappy and it couldn't run it so good I was still happy to be playing it.

[@thomasdodd2548]

Love both Rome 1 and Med 2. I've got sympathy for Empire's shortcomings with it's ambitious scope and having to work with a new engine but just found it too buggy. Shogun and Napoleon are great too but it's a shame we don't get great historical total wars anymore. I would kill for Med 3 or a Pike and Shot total war with the scope of Empire, and not there stupid 'streamlined' saga titles.

[@MaMastoast]

I think it's difficult to remove the fantasy element from mainline total war games at this point. I grew up with rome, medieval 2 and so forth.. But i must say I'd find it kinda bland to go back to a historical setting. A compromise would be a more low magic fantasy setting like LOTR.

[@TacitusKilgore165]

Units! Forward!

[@jester4133]

I remember who I took the Julii and had to fight my way to Rome in the end. When I took the Scipio in another game I was so rich in the end that I just bought every Army of the other Factions marching against me. This was fun :D

[@totalwar008]

The Soundtrack

[@rafaellouro2144]

i played this game grand campaign several times still remember doing a Scipii, julii, cartage, gaul, germania, egypt, parthia, seludics, greek campaing and i prolly did more

[@MedjayofFaiyum]

This was the game I played so much in my childhood

[@AndysTake]

Me too, Medjay!

[@We3dCraftLP]

i only have 1 rly small thing that still annoys me a bit to this day, the balancing is far from perfect, especially on the City cohort, it deals with every infantrie, it laughts about ranged fire and it survives a full cavalery charge and beats up thier ass

[@AndysTake]

Understandable!

[@simke2997]

Brings back childhood memories

[@Mosca_Tube]

Great video Andy

[@AndysTake]

Thank you, Diego! :)

[@FumblsTheSniper]

One of the best moments in gaming is holding a bridge with 6-7 units vs two full stacks. You’ve got them funneling across the bridge, your infantry has them held at a line, there’s arrows raining down everywhere from both sides, and then your two units of cavalry hit the flanks of the units engaged with your infantry. Maybe it takes a few charges but eventually they start to route. That moment when they all crumble and you get to watch your cavalry of 40 men run down hundreds of fleeing opponents all the way to the edge of the battlefield. Thats the male fantasy.

[@kebman]

If you look at the actual history of Rome, to have the Senate and People of Rome as an unplayable faction is actually genius, as SPQR was so often the real counterpart to the generals and emperors of Rome. Eventually, though, the emperors ousted them from power, but ironically, that's also when Rome started on its path to lose world domination too.

[@encianhoratiu5301]

Rome and medieval 2 best total war games

[@AndysTake]

Hear hear!

[@ZombolicBand]

I probably played the demo for Rome tw 40+ hours... the demo. Still remember the feeling and how my house smelled the day i got the actual game in the mail😄 its such a nice memory! I believe it had 4 discs.. huge!

[@TheAsharedhett]

I started with Medieval 1 and had a lot of fun with it, but this one is just timeless! Probably my 3rd favorite game ever, after Civilization IV and Europa Universalis III. :)

[@youvebeengreeked]

*Quite simply: The greatest game of all time.*

[@EnZo7992]

That Rome soundtrack was immaculate.

[@jjbures410]

The cheat codes were fun too. 9999999 money was great

[@ianhogben3472]

i loved the ability to have armies lead by captains

[@maphistophelis]

I was 34 when a friend showed me the game. I've played it continously. Those months we re the happiest part of my life. Ended the game with all roman factions and the other barbarians.

[@auramoonlight6978]

There is one game that actually got a full release now not just on PC but on Xbox series X as well and it's very hot right now and I thought maybe you might be interested it's called BannerLord I highly recommend looking it up!

[@AndysTake]

Oh I know Aura, thank you! :) I love Bannerlord so much!

[@jpjpjp6328]

Lord knows how many times i've went through Rome: Total War since 2005. As a matter of fact i'm in a current campaign and we are down to Julii, which i'm using, the Scipii and Egyptians, who i'm allied with (and they aren't pulling their weight) In all these years, hands down easily the most intense situation is the one i'm currently facing between Cyrene and Siwa. Back and forth it goes with lines of communication supporting the fight going back to an area from Carthage to Jerusalem.

[@applejack2567]

RTW BI. Campaing for WRE on hard difficulty was the best campaing in my TW history and i played almost all titles. But these campaing for Western Roman Empire was the greatest, most challenging, depresing campaing ever, the Horde mechanics was annoiyng but battles against these tribes was epic and i conquered the whole map.

[@dark_fire_ice]

Like the People matter, Pah! Also I started with Medieval 1, so massive upgrade

[@AndysTake]

Damn! Must have been amazing

[@dark_fire_ice]

@@AndysTake Medieval 1, for me was like an upgraded Risk, but you could command the battles yourself

[@Andartan21]

Still the most important game in Total War history. No one after came even close to what Rome TW did with strategy games in 2004

[@MsSirAndy]

Yes, it was a very revolutionary game for it's time

[@livefree223]

I had been playing Total War all along since the first Shogun, but Rome was revolutionary. Anyone else remember that History Channel show that used the RTW software to render ancient battles? That show blew my teenage mind. Empire even further blew my mind with the naval battles and remains one of my favorite games of all time. I still fire it up every now and then, but it doesn't really like modern operating systems and the game eventually starts crashing to desktop after long enough.

[@TheChreezyy]

rome was my first total war and i have a lot of child hood memories from it....today im totally satisfied with the warhammer series having now over 3k hours combined in wh2 and wh3.... but rome will always have a special place in my heart

[@grahameedwards7972]

I loved the original Rome. The first Shogun was good, as was the original medieval. Rome was a massive step up and I played it for years, unlocked all the factions and conquered the world as the the Roman factions. Haven't played a pc game in years, thanks for posting this, I've found my Rome disc and the Barbarian Invasion and will reinstall them. Give me something to do for months.

[@AndysTake]

My pleasure, Grahame :)

[@thephoenix6673]

Rome 1 was what got me into the total war franchise, the speeches of generals before battles and the way the troops cheered astonished me, it's the one feature I miss the most in total war, what we have today in terms of speeches is a joke compared to that.

[@Kinuhbud]

sheit it still looks decent for how old it is! It was the first truly 3D total war so I think it aged very well. Medieval 1 and Shogun 1 not so much...

[@MaMastoast]

I remember the berserker units in barbarian invasion being absolutely broken. My brother and I would do a test with we'd send thousands of low tier infantry at a single unit of berserkers... The berserkers had this spin attack whch did AoE damage similar to an elephant... they fought well but did slowly die one by one.. At the end we'd have a single berserker fighting the hordes... he ended up actually winning.. Dunno how it happened, he just refused to die.

[@jjbures410]

Loved figuring this game out on launch. Hated the old man unplugging the computer mid battle though. Sadge.

[@chickenmadness1732]

It's weird how bad old games look now. But when they came out they were awe inspiring.

[@aethylwulfeiii6502]

Try modeling out the units yourself in blender and get them working together in masse and animated and program the ai to do something to somewhat challenge the player and it still is impressive. Although the grass is a bit underwhelming even for its time.

[@danciortea2278]

I member the first time i played Rome TW. Good times

[@MrRome82]

the map running very smoothly in your video when you moving the camera, which setting do you using in this game. I have this game but the map running very slowly with low FPS despite my pc is powerfull and i do not know wich settings must i change

[@Aginor88]

Well made video.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you, Legio!

[@radioface86]

Julii - Super strong frontal assault infantry. Brutii - flank flank flank and then flank again. Scipii - Flaming pigs.

[@TheNickellis]

I want a total war game and crusader kings hybrid. I love total war but they don’t have the same concept of ck3. I want my ruler to matter and be impactful

[@tomgilesmarvoloryley]

Fall of Rome is my favourite period - loved barbarian invasion! The Attilla game was a really exciting addition to the series as well, though the AI is absolutely woeful

[@AndysTake]

Attila was amazing! Such a good game, shame about the optimization

[@jakeand9020]

The full 3d, navigable map really made Total War the strategy series to compete with. It might not seem like a big deal now, it was a game changer at the time.

[@MsSirAndy]

Tbh, although it was partly revolutionary for the time it (which in fact can't be denied) at the same time it had its many drawbacks too, in comparison to the original risk style map. I like both don't get me wrong but I think that the risk style map still has an edge thanks to it's simplicity, depth and immersion at the same time. Sure, the 3D map introduced its own advantages adding more complexity to the way how the campaign is handled, but it was far from perfect and it added tons of useless micromanaging and time wasting crap. A mix of both the systems with modern graphics and mechanics would probably be the best, in my opinion. My 2 cents!

[@ashleyburns6752]

My history teacher introduced me to Total War games in 2008 😂

[@hesketh7085]

Hey Andy, I've re-installed RTW (Steam version) and the performance in battles is terrible (~20fps). I've read and tried a LOT of touted 'fixes' online but not have worked. Can you tell me how yours is so smooth? Or is yours a non-Steam version, which I believe the issue lies with? My PC isn't new, but it should boss a game made in 2004! PS. It'd be good to have a modern 'RTW Vanilla vs. Remastered Comparison' video, as it may be my only way to enjoy RTW now is Remastered if this performance issue persisted.

[@pavolp.6527]

The soundtrack is the best in series

[@AndysTake]

It’s fantastic!

[@pavolp.6527]

@@AndysTake I used to play Rome 2 with music turned off and played Rome 1 soundtrack in youtube instead

[@Philtopy]

What I liked was that to play certain factions you HAD to beat them first. So the moment you could play them, it really felt like something special because you worked to even get there. And you could play basically every faction out there if you beat them. You conquered the games contents. I don’t like the newer system where you can always only play the same factions and the rest is unplayable.

[@alanmike6883]

My heart belongs to Rome total war 1 and medieval total war 2

[@hithere8753]

Rome 2 DEI is the ultimate experience

[@georgimihalkov9678]

This GOAT put TW on the map

[@kevinkibble8342]

There's something really charming about games where the graphics are a little dated, such as Rome Total War, or the old Age of Empires 2 before Definitive Edition. There's just a nice simplicity to them. Rome still holds up well, nearly 20 years later and is a far sight better experience than its buggy, laggy mess of a sequel.

[@spinspir1741]

If you started with BFME and SW EatW and then found out about RTW, then you did something right mate !!!

[@FedoraReshiramGaming]

one thing i will say, is that this game actually made you think and plan your moves in the campaign in ways that Rome 2 cannot really match. In Rome 1, if you wanted to traverse the seas to invade say 'Egypt', you have to build a strong navy, because along the way you'll face pirate navies and maybe rival navy ships, so you have to prepare them heavily to ward off threats. Then, you have to board your army, and you can only take a group of '20' onto one navy. While you COULD make several smaller navies to carry more troops, the more people you transport, the weaker each navy is and the more susceptible they are to pirates, so you have to think 'is it worth the risk?' and when you arrive you HAVE to capture a settlement because otherwise, you'll never be able to replenish them as they're a LONG way from home. When it comes to the navy, you have to invest heavily into the ships, as there are only 3 types of ships, the basic, Bireme, the Trireme, and then teh Quireme, hope i didn't butcher their names. And they get progressively 'more' expensive with each one and take longer to produce since you need to upgrade each port. Battles at sea are mostly about numbers, with upgrades only playing a minor role, even the strongest class of ship if outnumbered by weaker ships can be defeated if there's enough of them. Finally, 'time', it takes a LONG time to sail the seas. if you sailed directly from say, the heel of Italy to Alexandria, it might take '12' turns at the slowest, 12 turns where all that army/navy are doing is just 'traveling' and all the while, any number of disasters might strike, both natural and not natural, you might get hit by a storm (Which can happen to ships out at sea that aren't near the land) where shiips 'and' soldiers are lost, you might get hit by pirate navies that often group together in large swarms, i'm talking 400 ships minimum depending on how large you set armies, and other rival navies that dwindle your ships strength over time, and if you have to retreat, you have 'zero' control where they sail, so they could sail in the opposite direction they were going, deeper into dangerous waters... and if the fleet sinks, so too does the army. In 'one' turn, because you wanted to be cheap, and only use a single navy of 80 or so ships that wasn't that upgraded/equipped, you just lost your strongest 'mega stack' of an army of elite soldiers with say your best general, to a single rebel navy... it might have taken you 'years' in game to get that army, 'thousands' upon thousands of money to fund and how many experience was lost from all the battles and how many traits that general had? all because you tried to get at egypt asap whereas in Rome 2, while you might suffer such a loss, you can build entire armies in one turn, and over the course of a few turns it will fill up from recruits (at least i think that's how it works) and your forces auto recruit/replenish in friendly territories. You can cross into the water without needing to prepare special ships/navies to transport them, and auto resolve to win engagements using troop transports instead of proper navy ships. (haven't played rome 2, so correct me if i'm wrong) And then as far as potential disasters, i don't think there are proper disasters, and as far as pirates, the only other vessals you see are the ones from other nations, and i don't see that many navies in lets plays that aren't troop transports. and as far as time it takes to reach your destination, well it may be faster but your still taking a long trip but not nearly as long to go from italy to alexandria

[@luckyassassin1]

Total war medieval 2 was my entry point, and I still play and love the game, same with star wars empire at war and star wars battlefront 2 (2005 version)