WORTH IT In 2021? NAPOLEON TOTAL WAR HONEST REVIEW - WHY IT'S A MUST PLAY

Napoleon Total War is often overshadowed by other Total War titles, more specifically Empire, which offers a larger scope, or Fall of the Samurai, which arguably offers more diverse and larger battles. But Napoleon has an ace up its sleeve - it's perfect polish, it's perfected battles, and timeless graphics coupled with a grand battle for the soul of Europe. So, is Napoleon Total War worth a buy in 2021? Perhaps especially when it's on sale like the Steam Autumn Sale or Steam Christmas Sale?
Let's find out!
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[@NapoleonBonaparte-of4sl]

Of course its worth it

[@chelliy_clowdy]

vive l'empereur !!!

[@thesuplexguy7789]

The man himself

[@younosmanfoud8843]

Didn't stick around to kñow

[@shainechristianocampo6302]

Vive l'Empereur

[@tovarishleninade9436]

thank you your majesty, big fan

[@austenbin4068]

I had my most memorable battle in all of my total war years in Napoleon: TW. I was fighting Austria and was in a bad predicament. They had twice my number, my army was depleted from previous fights, and not only did I have to win this battle, I had to preserve my numbers to fight another battle coming up, (I think I needed to take Vienna to capitulate Austria). They two things I had going for my was that my army was very experienced and it was commanded by Napoleon himself. The Austrians formed in a big, long line that would have overwhelmed me if I fought a straight fight. I couldn't devote enough strength on a flank to roll the line without my other flank collapsing first. There was a gap right dead center of the Austrian line where a couple of buildings split their line. I knew their wings would take time to close in on me and my cavalry could slow them down further. So I formed two infantry columns and charged them right into the gap before the Austrians could really form a defense. I formed two hasty lines back to back, fired a volley, and charged down both sides. Because the line was so spread out, the local Austrian units suffered morale shocks and the center broke. I had to keep the momentum up because if the Austrians were able to considerate their force anywhere, my losses would be to great and the campaign would have to be abandoned even if I pulled off a win. So charge I did as the Austrians came in unit by unit. my cavalry darted back and forth, delaying reinforcements, performing hammer and anvil strikes and eliminating artillery. I got the win and, more importantly, did it with few enough casualties to continue my push. I know some will say poor AI or whatever, and maybe they're right, but it made me feel like I pulled off something Napoleon himself would have approved of.

[@thatsnomoon4221]

Man how do people come up with this kind of strategies? I simply tell my guys to shoot at the other guys, things like a gap in the line never show up :(. But yeah he'd be proud

[@sachinsudheer]

Damn I enjoyed just reading and imagining it

[@NoobNoobNews]

That is actually something Napoleon used to do. It is called a column charge. You get all of your men into a column and charge a thin part of the line. The enemy cannot resist a breakthrough, and by that point their line is broken completely. you wheel around and go down the line, folding each unit one by one instead of all at once. It is something napoleon pulled off. You did well.

[@postreroleumell.5082]

Same but i never attack a place unless i have 2 armies or 1.5 so thath i can push on and let the wounded garrison the captured territory.

[@morningstar9233]

Nice.

[@Metaldude1945]

If they'd make Napoleon TW now, Napoleon would be a single Unit wielding two blunder busses being near immortal.

[@AndysTake]

HAH true!

[@l.s.9095]

No, he would be a caster type of hero: Having access to both the "Lore of the Revolutionary Army" (Speed and Charge buffs, as well as morale spells and some healing) as well as the "Lore of Artillery" (mainly aoe damage spells and increased firepower buffs) he would be great for destroying masses of enemies and winning battles quickly. Combine this with his special abilities to call in a barrage from the grand batteriè and summoning three battalions of young guard over the cause of the battle (old guard if you overcast) and his enemies don’t even need to try anymore. He only becomes viable as a fighting lord when you unlock the imperial carriage as a chariot style mount. That things is insane! Giving heal and melee buffs to friendly units combined with its speed and charge bonus and all of sudden Napoleon becomes almost unbeatable!

[@AndysTake]

@@l.s.9095 haha! HEY THERE YOU ARE! I hope you liked the Peninsular cameo! :D

[@l.s.9095]

@@AndysTake Yeah, couldn't watch the video when it released, but now I did :) Tkanks for the cameo!

[@AndysTake]

@@l.s.9095 Let me know what you think of it!!

[@f3wbs]

Napoleon is still my favourite TW because the atmosphere, gameplay, and music stand the test of time and the multiplayer is still alive.

[@AndysTake]

Completely agree, there’s something about them all that comes together and creates a very unique total war atmosphere. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!

[@rpersen]

All-in-one-mod is also great.

[@Jbird1988]

I think its the most immersive as well

[@kristophervyvjala3596]

Have 700 hours on it and it’s been amazing but now I have a glitch that won’t let me play it

[@youdoyouandletsgetalong1374]

Darthmod is pretty good. I feel like this time period demands more tactical/strategic thinking in multiplayer.

[@vulcanjoe8258]

I always wanted Empire Total War to be redone using Napoleons engine, given that Napoleon came out after a year from Empire it shows just how different Empire would of been if it wasn’t using its buggy mess of a engine.

[@AndysTake]

Exactly. It’s crazy that it was just A YEAR later! Holy smokes. They should’ve just postponed empire. What a shame.

[@TalosLordOfNight]

I just bought it 2 days ago and I’m having some major bug issues. Sometimes it just starts making this awful buzzing sound, other times the musket and cannon sounds cut out so you have to play in silence, other times dozens of flashing white squares appear all over the screen. Do you have any advice for making it run better?

[@grahamthorpe5033]

@@TalosLordOfNight i had that problem. lower the sound memory

[@hyujbr]

@@TalosLordOfNight go to settings. Turn master volume off then on again.

[@GaryLee123]

Napoleon's what Empire should have been

[@AthanaSus]

Empire 2 for the next historical total war! Copium

[@AndysTake]

Hahaha been mixing my copium with opium since 2010

[@chellybub]

I want this but knowing our luck the next historical will be Total War King Arthur with magic and dragons 😞

[@AndysTake]

@@chellybub oh DONT EVEN IM SO SUCK OF KING ARTHUR

[@euromanijak]

It only makes sense because wh3 immortal empires will be huge and there is a potential for huuuuge empire 2 map with most of the world from that time period

[@grandengineernathan]

what I love the most in Napoleon is morale, units flee at a faster rate than in any other total war, even on the higher difficulties. It just feels much more real to have units flee when they lost 10 men rather than 100

[@AndysTake]

I love morale as well, I don’t feel like some units are insanely OP and it feels amazing

[@alfredospautzgranemannjuni5864]

Yup. I’m playing Attila now, and every battle I fight tends to come out in one of two ways: both armies (my and the AI’s) grind each other off till the last unit, or one does a decisive victory over the other. There are no low casualties encounters, each army fight with everything they’ve got, and that’s really not historical: Morale back in ancient times was kept straight just for the first moments of the battle, and casualties generally didn’t exceed 20%. If a general felt like his army was going to lose, he would sound a retreat or even concede victory to the other side depending on the situation.

[@lucifer0247]

@@AndysTake The French are rly strong, their infantry route likely way later then the other troops.

[@trollege9618]

Me when one of the enemy units still fights at 10 men

[@Lekirius]

Siege morale in empire 🤬🤬🤬

[@seanbeahn6895]

Imagine mechanics like these except in a fully polished 30 Years War Total War. That transitionary period with gunpowder vs pikes and heavily armored cavalry vs nonarmored cavalry would be fantastic!

[@ajavierb2078]

Yess!!!!!

[@ajavierb2078]

Pick and shot era would be amazing but creative assembly would just srew it up.

[@Admiral45-10]

Or talking about Swedish Deluge - the large shock when one finds out Winged Hussars don't win all the battles, and a clash between Western-European-class battle tactics with Eastern-European guerilla warfare - and a Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in between, making a symphonic fusion of the two. Like the Battle of Warsaw in 1656 - technically a Polish-Lithuanian defeat, but clever series of charges from Tatar Calvary didn't allow Swedish and Prussian troops to annihilate Polish-Lithuanian Army, which then regrouped and fought back some time later.

[@Xen_Prime]

Cool. Significance of this wars is so underrated. Netherlands Revolution, Cossack war and Deluge in Poland, Cromwell in England, Smuta in Russia. Such a terrible times.

[@bretthestelow9051]

Or the English Civil War

[@Manco654]

Napoleon with Empire’s map would be insane!

[@mcsmash4905]

but at the same time not necessary to the setting of the game

[@CardDontShoot]

I would love for CA to come back to this time period. There was something special about this era of historical games from CA. They were pushing what they could do, and while they sometimes stumbled, with Napoleon, they made something amazing.

[@alexbouchara1933]

12:18 well in fact when you start a city battle, you don't actually fight in the city you attacked or were attacked. I always thought indeed it was too small to represent the actual city, but then I realized that you can see the real city far behind the battle field if you take a good close-up. You are indeed fighting in a village near the capital ... But anyway I always wished too that it could be possible to have a real battle in a big city.

[@AndysTake]

You’re right. But still, small towns are so boring and weirdly designed, they don’t seem real at all :/

[@Clumsy-vp3if]

@@AndysTake I loved the small towns - they were refreshing to fight in because each was unique so town battles never felt repetitive.

[@dark7element]

The AI was weak enough as is in open fields, it absolutely could not handle an urban battle. It's a bit of a moot point since real city-fighting (of the sort that WWII saw) was rare in that era to the point of being nonexistent.

[@Admiral45-10]

On one hand, that makes sense in two ways: 1) It is where majority of ,,city" battles took place and still do (it's easier to fight in small suburb rather than massive city) 2) It makes game run more smoothly. But it's a little bit sad, indeed.

[@AndysTake]

Interested in my take on one of the biggest RTS games of 2022? Check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmqqYqyees5rb9U

[@santiagocamachoabad384]

And the historical battles... Austerlitz, Borodino, Waterloo... Magnificent

[@joeconte8475]

One of the most challenging TW’s battle wise. Units break and get exhausted much easier than in other games. Very great title that got better with age I think. Also Darth mod makes it epic

[@j243kid]

That’s a capital EPIC

[@AndysTake]

Make sure to check out my 2021 review of the MASSIVE strategy game Europa Universalis 4! kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIilmpuneal1fck

[@economicerudite4924]

And the biggest reason why Napoleon is the best Total War game: The multiplayer. A decade later and the multiplayer is still very much alive. The battles are larger scale (or at least feel it) than any other game in the franchise. The dominance of line infantry means that the battles tend to be more strategic (as most army compositions tend to be quite similar, reducing the chance that someone has a disadvantage based on which units they selected at the start). Most nations, perhaps the only exception being the Ottomans, have fairly similar and balanced units and as such there is no superior 'faction' to choose from (like in other Total War games, such as choosing Rome in said game). There seems to be the perfect balance and weight to the battles. No other game in the franchise, that I have played (I have all of the historic titles) comes close to Napoleon with regards to multiplayer battles.

[@AndysTake]

That’s awesome to hear. And I have to say, Napoleon has a very specific feel to it’s battles. In my opinion they run so smoothly and you have a much better overview of the field - because there are so few cluster***** of melee infantry, the battles feel more intentional and sophisticated somehow

[@madavarams268]

While France, Britain and Russia have generally the most superior armies, a lot of skill is required to utilise it. That makes Napoleon unique

[@lteagle101]

Yes, napoleon and empire brought the franchise in a different direction where one had to put a lot of strategy into making decisions on map. I love Rome 1 and medieval 2, but battles were arcadey and too fast for strategy. Not nessecarily bad, of course. Shogun 2 was the peak of total war multiplayer because it combined rome1/medieval 2 with napoleon and empire, while adding it's own contribution. From what I've played, Empire and Napoleon remain the most realistic, and I wish that the franchise did more to build on that.

[@AndysTake]

@@lteagle101 I truly wish we get an Empire 2. Empire was little more than a tech demo, in my mind, with Napoleon being the finished product, alas with a much smaller scope. Empire 2 could take the era to a completely different place, and really give us the imperial game we deserve.

[@lteagle101]

@@AndysTake if they did that I really hope they increase the scope of battles. Make it like 200k max on a map the size of Flanders. Then it'd be operational and strategic not just tactical. But people have been wanting that for a decade. They said we'd get 60k back when shogun 2 was coming out. Personally I would spend 100$ on a tw game that could support 50k+. I know it'd be impossible to do that if they just copy and paste the usual tw format. They'd have to get creative like they did for shogun 2. The closest we got to it was empire. I haven't play tw since Rome atilla.

[@AndysTake]

Make sure to watch my 2022 REVIEW of SHOGUN 2 right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmHRZYOVg6ueibs

[@tayduatrinhcoi]

I still remember how much of an improvement it felt moving up from Empire Total War to Napoleon Total War. The performance was buttery smooth and the campaign, while smaller, was much more dynamic and deeper than ETW.

[@AndysTake]

YES this! I remember sitting with my brother and just being in awe of how much more beautiful it was, but also how much better it ran. A BEAUTIFUL combo!

[@montana5105]

they just shall make NTW on the ETW map - up to 4 players multiplayer campaign - all facs playable - thats it

[@nhrad]

No America tho :(

[@MedjayofFaiyum]

Napoleon holds a special place in my heart because it's one of the most amazing games to date with a very lacklustre campaign. The battles, and story missions are well written and focused. But I've had so many memories playing Napoleon in single player and campaign. I'd def say that for sure. Why they put the end date of 1812 I didn't like. Should have been till 1820.

[@Lazurath101]

Maybe 1815?

[@economicerudite4924]

1815 surely?

[@guardiadecivil6777]

such a waste of opportunity for an 1815 campaign that would be hard to win in since majority of europe is against you with no allies left other than naples

[@MedjayofFaiyum]

@@guardiadecivil6777 Ah but I'm only arguing for the extension off the date to 1815-1820. By that time you would have conquered Europe already.

[@JS-rx5zi]

1812 - because Napoleon lost his whole army in Russia

[@AndysTake]

Empire Total War COULD have been so much better, we found ALL the cut content, check out my analysis here! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnOZi3ejf7Zkn7M

[@rhoetusochten4211]

You nailed it. I prefer Empire only because of the scope. Every other aspect is better in Napoleon.

[@AndysTake]

Definitely! And thank you 🙏

[@Person01234]

I'd say only the technical aspects are better. They "fixed" Empire partly by fixing it and partly by removing half the mechanics (some of which didn't even need fixing but scrubs complained about). There are many things I dislike about how Napoleon plays, but it's definitely more polished than empire.

[@gunn-brittslagochetik2863]

At least according to me scope isn't a big deal in total war games, shogun 2 is amazing yet it's scope is only japan, if i want grand strategy i'll play Eu4.

[@ssale86]

Napoleon is looked at as being a much more polished and focused version of Empire. Empire has aged very poorly, while Napoleon is generally fine even 10 years later. I really liked the Peninsular (English) Campaign. I believe it's a DLC, but it was well done. Empire was simply too ambitious. It had a massive map to conquer, but AI was terrible, sieges were agonizingly bad, and the game was unstable. Napoleon is superior simply because it fixes most of these issues. A big, bad game is worse than a small, good game. Mods definitely helped Empire to they point they are necessary, while Napoleon can stand on its own.

[@AndysTake]

Agreed, mate!

[@thomasmott3518]

To me, what always set Napoleon apart from Empire were the battle maps. In Empire they were in one of two categories: bland or janky. They were either flat or slightly terrained fields with patches of forest, or the surface of the Moon in terms of elevation with the only to discover whether you could put troops on them would be to try and order them to form up on a hill, only to have them form a pentagram across the map and refuse to move. In Napoleon, all the maps felt real, not only with the geography, but the little touches like roads, bridges, small buildings, towns, fences and fields etc. You felt like you were fighting within a developed nation rather than the middle of nowhere.

[@deno202]

11:30 "Animations are fantastic" Horse bugs out and sends rider flying XD

[@AndysTake]

Hahaha I know I loved the footage so I had to include it xD

[@curtbrackenrich7883]

"Empire +, but also Empire - at the same time", that sums it up perfectly. The battles are much better than Empire, and it's still fun to play a decade + later, but the limited map is a negative.

[@niekriemens1316]

Respect for putting effort into this game a decade later. Havent played it in a long time but that closing scene got me goose bumbs. Great work!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Niek! :D love that intro so much!!

[@mickatr]

This was a fun video to watch. Thanks for making it. It put into words what I’ve tried to (unsuccessfully) describe to friends for years.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Mickey, that means a lot! 😊 I’m glad we can both share in the joy of Napoleon!

[@Godfather9814]

It’s still one of my favorite openings to a game! When napoleon is looking at you telling you partly about his campaigns and the music behind it is awesome!

[@AndysTake]

It’s soooo badass! They really nailed the hardship and darkness behind the wars and the conflict I feel. His “struggle”, one might say.

[@Godfather9814]

@@AndysTake yeah and I kinda think it’s like his inner thoughts of what could’ve been cause I’m pretty sure he never invaded London and his campaign into Russia was a failure

[@texmex1744]

@@Godfather9814 It's a game where you replay history so Napoleon tell an alternate history where the french navy wasn't destroyed and Russia a victory

[@serenehaze1]

Darthmod really fixes the musket sounds in this game, makes the game feel amazing.

[@sobmadrox]

3:49 The attention to detail, to immersion is that the heat of the desert distorts the background landscape

[@stalwartminiatures994]

Im still playing it to this day! Darth Mod really breathed new life into it for me, with the flutes and the extra battlefield smoke it takes it to another level!

[@dizzyguygunner]

Loved playing this game. I remember editing the files so I could change the flags of nations on the battle field. Creating my own nation with its own unique flag and seeing it wave on the battle field was awesome

[@AndysTake]

Aaah love those flags!

[@smokinfree5555]

Andy, you nailed it Matey. This is still my favourite TW title right alongside Rome II. The thing that disappoints me the most though, is the lack of Steam Workshop for it. Imagine what could be achieved with those wonderful modders doing what they do best.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Smokin! Ah it would’ve been GLORIOUS with Steam Workshop integration. Don’t know why it’s so difficult to implement for these older titles

[@smokinfree5555]

@@AndysTake Exactly, & it's the older titles that need the workshop content more in my opinion.

[@AndysTake]

@@smokinfree5555 True!

[@Daniel-dk9zu]

@@AndysTake I don’t think they support the game as much anymore so it’s not worth doing it since they can probably try remaking the game instead with mod support although they probably won’t do a remake and also it’s still a bit of difficult work to do steam modding support

[@Admiral45-10]

I know for the fact Napoleon has WW1 mod, but I don't play with mods, so I don't know how to do it.

[@saiedhassan6352]

Fantastic take Andy. I enjoy this sort of content and I'm glad the algorithm decided to recommend your channel. I'd like to see your take on Empire Total War (with or without Darth mod). It remains as one of my favorite Total Wars but I feel like it probably hasn't aged as well as Napoleon.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Saied, glad to have you here! I might have something planned one day, we’ll see ;)

[@aprilchan1323]

ive been waiting for an actual review of this game for such a while, thank you.

[@AndysTake]

My pleasure, April! :)

[@JA-lr5ix]

I’d like to mention one massive issue with the game- 1st is that cav took a backseat. in empire, the fire by rank mechanic made it so you really had to time your cav charges, but men in NTW tend to fire almost like they have breech loaders/bolt action rifles. This is especially felt in MP. as a side note, NTW mainly got rid of fire by rank as a means to make the game run smoother instead of actually making it work. As such other mechanics had to change as well, so artillery became more accurate/deadly and way more important, but also required less skill to ysr and iirc there is no artillery ammunition limit in NTW compared to ETW.

[@nicktaco117]

Didn't the fire by rank mechanic not work against cav?

[@JA-lr5ix]

@@nicktaco117 It actually woked very well- if you shot at cav in 3 ranks with half decent troops they would kill a decent chunk of the cav unit before you threw them into square. In NTW charges from the front were kind of useless since there was almost a constant stream of fire coming out of the unit’s front rank.

[@nazgul0ne]

Well fire by rank was thing of per-revolutionary wars. Rare outside of maybe specific scenarios, mainly Brits used it but their infantry also had the longest training period. By the XIX century warfare evolved a lot.

[@brainwasher9876]

@@JA-lr5ix Fire by Rank only worked in ETW against elephants in the vanilla game. In either game, if you are frontally charging line infantry with cavalry, something's gone pretty wrong.

[@olivernorth7418]

Fire by rank wasn’t used in the Napoleonic wars.

[@martind5653]

Still playing Napoleon Total War in 2021? Now that's soldiering!

[@AndysTake]

I would highly appreciate it if you'd consider supporting me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/andystake

[@clausbohm9807]

Finally someone on YT that likes ETW as much as me, now you kinda sold me on NTW especially now we have the new WW1 mod version 6 that just came out. Agreed, we need a remastered Empire:Total War.

[@kevindoyle1884]

The intro will always give me chills

[@camgablecg]

A remake would be truly incredible. Just update graphics and effects and work in the camera angles, hot keys, player markers etc from Rome 2. We would have a stellar game.

[@AndysTake]

I know… would love that

[@bman228899]

Mods add a lot of life to this game too. When I learned you could change government type in Napoleon, I played as Prussia with Darth Mod and turned into a republic. To make sure this would happen, I deleted every army before the revolt took place, so I would have no competition. 5 turns after changing, every single major power declared war on me (and many minor ones too). I spent the entire campaign fighting on all sides to not die. Having multiple turns fighting French, Austrian, then Russian armies one after another is one of my most memorable experiences in total war.

[@AndysTake]

Sounds awesome!

[@lonecrusader5312]

Got it downloading right now. Been years since I played it. Still love these old style games.

[@Ericmf08108]

I just bought it a couple weeks ago! Im doing the Egyptian campaign and I finished the Italian one, I’m enjoying my experience so far :)

[@KodeHz]

Another great video!! Got me to open up steam and redownload Napoleon Total War for the first time since 2015! Great Work!

[@AndysTake]

NICE to hear! :D and thank you so much, that means a lot! Time to conquer Europe once more, but who will you do it as??

[@KodeHz]

@@AndysTake I'm definitely going to play through the Napoleon story mode first! I never gave it a chance when I first played it!

[@AndysTake]

@@KodeHz I wish you the best of luck, and I would advise you to play on the higher(est) difficulty for that sweet difficult immersion (if you’re familiar with TW games)! :D

[@KodeHz]

@@AndysTake Ill give it a try!!! I've never beaten a total war campaign on the hardest difficulties before! I love doing the hardest historical battles, but I've never been good at the empire building portion of the game XD!

[@AndysTake]

@@KodeHz Well then I think this would be a good start! Just remember to secure your northern ports from those pesky British ships!

[@EvansdiAl]

Napoleon was my first Total War game I got into. It's a masterpiece and a classic.

[@AndysTake]

It is for sure, I absolutely love it.

[@matthewreynolds2384]

Awesome video for the 2021 GPU crunch!

[@ryanlaird6447]

I always liked the end of that intro in napoleon as he is saying burn it to HMS victory

[@chellybub]

I knew it lol. Damn you put that together fast ;) good job!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you! :D anything for Napoleon.

[@chellybub]

@@AndysTake that was a good video, I might have to reinstall ;) you deserve more subs, with your quality of work it's probably just a matter of time :)

[@AndysTake]

@@chellybub Thank you Chelsea, means a lot. I’m particularly happy with this video for some reason, maybe it’s just that I feel like Napoleon always manages to serve awesome cinematic scenes or that I have so much nostalgia for it. Anyhow, thank you for being a part of the journey! :D

[@pickle4422]

i wish there was a game that mixes the level of military customization and grand scale tactics like in HOI4, but also the ability to command smaller units of troops on an individual battlefield like in Napoleon.

[@AndysTake]

Me too :( would be so epic!

[@tergam4523]

The gun powder games were my favorite. Land battles were amazing to watch as infantry lines were drawn up while artillery was exploding all around you. The sea battles were just as amazing to behold and play. If they ever revisit gun powder era, I hope a world map in the Victorian era would be amazing.

[@saftkinn7751]

that intro was truly amazing

[@AndysTake]

Ah it was for sure!

[@TopShot501st]

I do miss naval battles back then... still cool to watch 10 years later

[@AndysTake]

Completely agree, I feel like they got it right back then. I personally hated the naval battles in Rome 2 and Shogun 2, never played them much.

[@Shaz337]

Napoleon total war 3 is an amazing mod with a huge online community. One of the best mods i’ve ever played. Makes this game feel so much more realistic. Cav is useful for once because not all inf can form square, nor are all their guns incredibly accurate or fast firing. It genuinely feels so realistic.

[@AndysTake]

I’ll have to check it out!

[@emilj9399]

It stops feeling realistic when a dozen soldiers stand up unhurt, after being cut down by a canonball. Or Soldiers even firing from the 5th rank of a formation. Watching PvP battles where player form their lineinfantry in solid squares, makes me sick every time.

[@OneofInfinity.]

It needs more smoke & musket sounds on the battlefield 😆 loved those mods with the battle musicians mod.

[@MikaelaCaliber]

That intro gives me shivers. I love it

[@AndysTake]

Ah, same, mate

[@trickydude1757]

Great video!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Tricky!

[@Sytakz]

My biggest issue with the newer Total War games, and why I'll always prefer the older installments, really comes down to the immersion. I LOVE how you can see your units fighting with fixed bayonets with awesome animations that look good to this day, and it is one of my biggest icks with games like Total War Warhammer or Three Kingdoms. It just feels so weird to see your units hitting air, and it the models also look somehow... arcadey? Like a mobile game? It's hard to explain, but compare Three Kingdoms to Shogun 2 and I honestly think that Shogun 2's units look WAY better despite the units for factions also being pretty uniform. It's really weird, and it's a somewhat minor thing I suppose, but it really has ruined the modern Total War games for me (that and the mythological stuff. I like TW Warhammer, but I wish they'd keep that over-the-top stuff to the Warhammer games. It just comes of as looking really cheap in Three Kingdoms). Really hope they add battle animations in the next games, because the game is gonna look and feel really weird if it's set in either the age of gunpowder or the middle ages and it doesn't have close combat animations and believeable looking units IMO.

[@kallekansanaho3035]

I personally grew to love the warhammer titles and acccept them as different. However i understand what you mean. If they were to make another historical gunpowder totalwar then they need to make it immersive and historically accurate (as far as its practical). Imagine something like NTW3 but maybe a little less hardcore when it comes to exhaustion, spotting range and accuracy.

[@TheAquarius87]

This game has been sitting untouched on my Steam list for over 10 years. I think its time to dive in. Amazing video.

[@portman8909]

I’ve been playing near enough when it came out. Only custom battles and multi. I’ve only recently tried the campaigns and I regret not doing it sooner!

[@naturalbornpatriot6369]

Empire Darthmod is one of top favorites. I truly hope they make an Empire 2, they have done mortal empires well enough as far as map size and shoving factions into it. I could only imagine a newer Empire, all the DLC’s they’ll make for it (lol), unlocking either factions or world map, or both.

[@alexandresilva7394]

For me that's the best Total war Games Still play it and have more than 1k hours on it! Not only because I love the Napoleonic Era, but it also has a special place in my heart. I always play with Darth mod and 40 units to get the better realistic armies possible! The massive cavalry charges are amazing! Thanks for doing an honest review on it! Liked and subbed!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Alexandre! :D I love Napoleon so much as well!

[@TalosLordOfNight]

With over 1k hours hopefully you can help me. I just bought it 2 days ago and I’m having some major bug issues. Sometimes it just starts making this awful buzzing sound, other times the musket and cannon sounds cut out so you have to play in silence, other times dozens of flashing white squares appear all over the screen. Do you have any advice for making it run better?

[@alexandresilva7394]

@@TalosLordOfNight got discord?

[@thegamermosley149]

@@TalosLordOfNight for the buzzing just zoom out and move the camera until it stops, then just resume as normal

[@bartekbiniszewski5756]

In Empire I hated how inefective was the cavalry charge. It was useful only in eliminating enemy artilery or aganist the ottomans. It was so annoying especially if you play as Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth an to unlock winded hussars you have to have best military building's !!! That's so historically inaccurate... But in Napoleon Polish Guard Lancers are the best cavalry unit in the game and I love that

[@stroqus3830]

Well, winged hussars were great shock cavalry in 1550-1650, but when they were confronted with disciplined line infantry during swedish Deluge they were hopelessly outgunned and slaughterd

[@maksu5136]

@@stroqus3830 such a bullshit…

[@Nothing-1w3]

@@maksu5136 well it isn`t so shut

[@maksu5136]

@@Nothing-1w3 well it is so shut ….. and educate yourself a bit…

[@Admiral45-10]

Polish-Lithuanian Winged Hussars were disbanded as military unit in 1724. Although I don't know how ETW shows it.

[@Aman1nFull]

Thanks for the video. Narration is very well done, in terms of pacing and language.

[@AndysTake]

Thank for, Lukas! :)

[@TalosLordOfNight]

Just bought this game this morning and your video was recommended to me tonight.

[@AndysTake]

Damn, that’s awesome! I hope you enjoyed it, and that it hopefully served as hype for your play-through! :)

[@TalosLordOfNight]

@@AndysTake do you have any advice on how to fix these awful sound bugs? Sometimes the musket and cannon sounds just cut out and other times it just tarts making this awful buzzing sound for no reason.

[@AndysTake]

@@TalosLordOfNight Hmm I don’t know if I’ve encountered that? Maybe look it up and see if others are getting, I’m not :/ I hope you’ll get it fixed!

[@rpersen]

One of all time favourite TW’s. I love the smaller, more focused campaigns… not the behemot campaigns that is TWW.

[@AndysTake]

Love my focused campaigns as well :)

[@volbound1700]

I agree with some of this, Empire had the grand scope but was a mess. Napoleon fixed the mess and became what Empire really should have been but Napoleon's Campaign map is just too small and you don't get the overseas Colonial Fill that is in Empire. (IMO, even Empire should have probably included some of East Asia and South America down to Brazil).

[@bijaneckels8716]

Wow great video really makes me wanna play the game

[@tigsik3128]

this is my 3rd most fave in TW. i will start playing this game again sooon!

[@Quessir]

The immediate state of war and smaller focus with the map makes for a much tighter game then Empire, where there could be long stretches of absolutely nothing happening. Unfortunately it still uses the godawful Warscape engine CA insists on using to this day, with all of the problems Empire introduced, but it's much more stable than that game at least and as you point out in the video, there was more work done to polish things. The additional custom units available through DLC were also quite a nice addition. It remains my favourite Total War game to this date and while I'd love a sequel to it or Empire, I'm not touching Total War again until they move on from Warscape and give us something with collision detection.

[@AndysTake]

I understand, mate. It’s a great game, just wish we got an Empire 2, and preferably with a MUCH more polished and appropriate engine haha

[@Quessir]

@@AndysTake We can but dream!

[@ivanlagrossemoule]

I feel the same honestly. It's just wasted potential and they keep doing it. The worst thing is that for me, they're moving in the wrong direction, so basically they failed at the game I would've really loved playing and now they most likely won't ever try again. It's not that I hate Warhammer, honestly it's one of the most playable games of the series, but the game series is becoming something more and more arcade I guess. They're also dumping the naval battles which I absolutely loved.

[@feldmarschallvonbraunschwe4463]

I only can play Napoleon Total War with darthmod, anyway else feels wrong and not historical, great video!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you, Feldmarschall! :D Darthmod is great, remember using it all the time for Empire (ah TWC days back then were great)

[@MickeyMulligan]

Gotta re-download and play this. Been a decade since I've played empire but loved it!

[@AndysTake]

Enjoy, Mickey! :D

[@mookie1249]

2004 Rome total war is such a legendary game that I still play it today in November 2023. Please make another game like that I beg of you.

[@deyakson]

*That intro would have been magnifique if Napoleon spoke French and it was subtitled.*

[@AndysTake]

I have to say I like how it’s voice acted, but you might be right ;)

[@JL.T.]

This guy (you) gets it!:)

[@GarkKahn]

I remember an epic battle with france against the ottomans (i think) with me cornered in the desert deciding to cross a river and ambush them after losing the first skirmish I had a few troops hiding in an oasis and while i attack from the front they destroyed the enemy flank and i forced the other guy to surrender

[@AndysTake]

Epic! :D I love fighting in the desert!

[@CesarIsaacPerez]

Cool. Recently got interested in Naploeonic wars, but I've never played a Total War game even though I own Total War: Warhammer and Total War: Troy.

[@Techgnome21]

I'm thinking of having this be my first strategy game.

[@mathius_aoc8604]

I got a Napoleon steam key a few weeks back. While the lack of a grand campaign is very disappointing, the battles are some of the most satisfying in all TW games. I don't think I've had a battle yet where I felt the AI was broken or unfair. Visuals are sharp and Battle/campaign mechanics seem to work as intended for once in a TW game, usually it's one or the other. Not to mention it's well optimized, at least compared to Attila. If you want the peak experience for musket combat, this is it. Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai is great also for this reason and maybe a better value due to the shortness of the campaigns in Napoleon. Which brings me to my main gripe, the replay-ability of this title is limited at best. Which is why I would say get this game if you own most other TW's and want a very refined European centric gunpowder game. Otherwise probably get Fall of the Samurai for the freedom it gives in the grand campaign and it's increased replay-ability because of it. If you want a classic ancient era TW go for Attila, it's the most modern and well rounded experience. I hated Attila at first but now I love it, the difficulty and added mechanics like the expanded political system really keep it interesting long term. Edit: P.S This game also made me more interested in the time period and, I'm very grateful for that. I'd recommend you do the same, Napoleon is a very interesting person.

[@mixelplik]

The lack of the grand campaign is the reason I disliked Napoleon, despite it being superior in nearly every way to Empire. I bought TW games for the campaigns to spend 100+ hours immersed, which this game lacked.

[@spacefox158]

One the best games of all time period.

[@AndysTake]

It’s amazing 🤩

[@TheBonzobonzo]

I used the intro in my history class in high school too!

[@AndysTake]

NICE

[@pizzaman6784]

I like how at 11:32 the guy getting very UNATURALLY launched from his horse, as Andy is talking about how natural the animations are.

[@AndysTake]

Hahaha you’re so right, I added it in because it was so hilarious.

[@lyra1255]

Still holding out hope that they do Empire 2 with everything they have learned from napoleon and modern titles. No one does musket battles like these two titles did

[@mcsmash4905]

the only issue they have to fix is the ai shifting its lines when you get close , it doesnt do it 100% of the time but the times when it does happen really kills the vibe , because ironicaly the ai starts with a good setup which it then ruins due to some issue not visible to the player

[@email5919]

I really want to play ETW with NTW mechanics such as liberate faction, weather effects, better graphics etc. Pity CA didnt apply it with DEFINITIVE EDITIONS

[@AndysTake]

Me tooo, it would’ve been amazing!

[@l.s.9095]

You did it! Amazing :)

[@AndysTake]

My pleasure mate, thanks for watching ❤️

[@Sejbo8000Gaming]

Maybe I should finally play it then. I have had it in my library for some time because I saw it as a lesser tw empire. Thanks for the video😀

[@ottersirotten4290]

If they had given us the World Map of "Empire Total War" I would love this Game... seriously the extremely tiny Campaign Map is my main Issue here

[@mcsmash4905]

it wouldnt really be called napoleone total war if it added ˝˝irrelevant˝˝ land masses (relative to the conflict ofc) , some people wanted north america but all america did was annoy the british and vice versa cause they didnt stop trading with france , and the land conflict was more or less insignificant

[@mike_ffs]

Wait till the great war mod drops their 6.0 update on Christmas 💥💥

[@AndysTake]

It’s STILL going?? I need to check that out when the update drops then! What’s new??

[@mike_ffs]

@@AndysTake hell yeah dude the devs never stopped working on it, the discord is very active and they dropped the release date of the new version some days ago, the mod is now fully polished with new uniforms, mechanics bug fixes and etc. And they plan on going for more after the release of 6.0, you should cover it in a video cause many fans of that mod think it's long dead

[@jacquesfrancois4275]

Andy's enemies are many, his equals are none, cheers for the video!/

[@AndysTake]

Haha! Thank you so much for watching, Jacques! :D

[@monaaa5178]

Great video ! One mistake though. Corsica had become recently french (in may 1769) when Napoleon was born (in August 1769). So he is in fact born French and on french soil, even though he had a strong italian accent that other pupils mocked when he went to the military highschool of Autun.

[@AndysTake]

You’re of course correct, and I addressed this in several comments a few months ago. But, as a historian, I should’ve known better than to simplify, and I do apologize ;) and thank you so much for watching and leaving a comment, Mona!

[@monaaa5178]

@@AndysTake No worries. It's only a 3 months mistake so it's really not that bad. Thanks for your great work ! Have a nice day :)

[@AndysTake]

@@monaaa5178 Thanks again, and same to you :)

[@hbrano1]

I love both Empire and Napoleon, especially because of the timeperiod and the style of warfare. Would be great if they made af Empire 2. But Total War is unfortunately more focussed on fantasy than historical games now. I love Total War Warhammer, but sadly it means they only focus on that and history in a fantastical setting, like a mythological Troy. I dont think they will go back to the gunpowder age.

[@l1fey123]

​@@nogent4213u sure?

[@vorpal_spade8402]

First, and yea i Napoleon total war is one of my favorites games

[@AndysTake]

I’m glad we agree ;)

[@HistoryMonarch1999]

If they ever make another game in eras of like this I hope they redo trenches and make volley fire a thing where if you turn off fire at will the infantry could do a mass volley fire, with them waiting until everyone reloaded before firing.

[@MMircea]

I remember defeating a whole British Army in Cyprus during the Egyptian campaign where they had almost 2 to 1 superiority. I placed my units high up on a hill with small access gaps and just pounded them with artillery. The numbers were beginning to tell, though, and they nearly turned it around. I was only saved by a coordinated charge from my only light cavalry unit left and the General Staff unit. The satisfaction you get from capturing Nicosia in the Egyptian campaign is like no other in the game. From that moment, you can create a second front and attack the Ottomans North to South

[@mkd4765]

Napoleon is great "DLC" For Empire. I really enjoyed this game and the intro gives me goosebumps

[@AndysTake]

Ah it’s fantastic. It’s kinda like FOTS for Shogun 2.

[@Wfalen]

Napoleon is not the inferior of the gunpowder TW:s. It is in every way better than Empire and pretty much all players and reviewers agree. CA could actually continue with this by making a Simon Bolivar themed TA game about the south american wars of independence. Same period but this would really be a game where terrain and diplomacy really matters. Terrain modifiers have always been something that TA-games would need to use more.

[@AndysTake]

Agreed, it’s so golden

[@MattZaharias]

Great game, great mods, active vanilla multiplayer and with a great modded mp community. Bought it last year and have played the hell out of it!

[@15RabauKe838]

I just hope they will continue NTW or Empire, that would be amazing

[@micheal6898]

Ntw 3 makes this game amazing . If you want bigger battles and more realistic gameplay then its great.

[@AndysTake]

Gonna have to try that out too

[@miso689]

I never played Empire or Napoleon due to its time period but lately I came to appreciate this era, so I might try it as well. Especially since I hate newer TW mechanics and I am bored of Med II and Rome. Perhaps I will enjoy it.

[@miso689]

Oh, its 75% off on steam. Just bought it for 7 euro and dowloading. :)

[@chellybub]

@@miso689 it's a unique total war, you will likely either love it or hate it tbh, I don't think there's much middle ground for Empire. I hope you love it 😁

[@AndysTake]

Good luck, Michal, I hope you enjoy it! :D

[@FurioMil]

guys could you tell the must have mods for NTW, I´m going to try it for real, thank you

[@AndysTake]

@@FurioMil try Napoleonic Total War III, and The Great War, those are excellent (TGW is actually getting an update in December as well I hear!)

[@jackwalters5506]

Napoleon Total war has my favorite multiplayer total war experience. NTW3(when it doesn't crash) is *chef's kiss

[@HEYYY13MAN]

"I really love the intro, it's a work of art" -talks the whole lenght of it.