Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Reviews

About to win the Battle of Teutoburg Forest on legendary difficulty, then a cutscene starts and everything except the hud turns black. No way to fix. 12 year old game that costs a fortune yet so many critical technical issues remains unfixed. Practically a scam.

not good. nobunaga's ambition for the old nintendo is a better war game

Rome 2 has it's problems however at the end of the day this is just a really fun game to play. The battles are one of my favourite from any total war, the time period gives you so many different cultures and routes to take so it always feels fresh when I play. This is what total war should be. I would recommend getting all the DLC for this game as they are actually very worth it. You can tell that they cared when they made this game. Also get a MOD to unlock all the factions. It is very fun playing as some of the minor factions. There's nothing new about them BUT it's just a load of fun!

I got bored mid campaign as Rome, steamroled everything with hastati then legionari and so on. Finished it but did not enjoy it. - battles are ok, cavalary is boring, units looks same - city building is soulless - client states are useless, i wish i could do more with them like give them territory because bordergore is killing me - civil war and whole family diplomacy is... I am speechless... it is shit - not gonna pay for dlcs to replay game in different color

Gameplay Mechanics: 8/10 Narrative: 7/10 Graphics: 8/10 Sound and Music: 8/10 Replayability: 9/10 Innovation: 7/10 Total War: Rome II had a rough launch, but over time (especially with patches and DLC), it’s grown into one of the most robust and content-rich entries in the Total War franchise. If you're a fan of grand-scale warfare, politics, and managing sprawling empires, this is one of the best games to sink hundreds of hours into. Gameplay mechanics are a strong evolution of the classic Total War formula. You’ll manage cities, deploy armies, spy on rivals, and wage epic real-time battles. Some aspects—like AI behavior or naval warfare—can still feel clunky, but the core loop is addictive and expansive. Score: 8/10. Narrative depends on your faction and playstyle. While there’s no story-driven campaign, the sandbox approach lets you carve your own tale of conquest. Factions feel distinct enough, with unique units, political systems, and objectives. Score: 7/10. Graphics were a huge step up when the game released, and still look good today—especially during massive battles. Unit detail, cityscapes, and campaign maps hold up well. Score: 8/10. Sound and music are immersive. The battle cries, clashing swords, and regional musical themes enhance the ancient world setting. Voice lines for generals and advisors add to the flavor. Score: 8/10. Replayability is excellent. Dozens of factions, mods, and different victory conditions mean you can keep coming back with a new challenge every time. Score: 9/10. Innovation brought mixed results. The province system and army stances were new additions that added depth, but also came with some friction. Over time, though, the changes proved valuable and set the tone for future Total War titles. Score: 7/10. Bottom line: Rome II is a total war juggernaut. After years of updates, it’s become a refined and content-packed experience. While not flawless, it stands tall as one of the most ambitious and rewarding historical Total War entries.

I have nearly 3000 hours, so yes steam I would recommend this game. Play it with the Divide Et Impera Mod, great quality of life improvements and adds some more depth. Still great for playing when you have a good second monitor show to get through.

The game keeps crashing when i try to manually play a battle. My PC more than meets any requirements for this game. It didn't used to happen but since I've started to play again i can't even load a custom battle. I love total war games but this sort of thing causes me to lose all faith in them and their games. If the issue is resolved then i will amend this review but I imagine a large company with mostly positive reviews will not care for a few complaints.

Windows 11 is not supported. There are some game breaking bugs and the devs will not be maintaining the game. I wish I could refund this. CA deserves their reputation!

Total War: Rome II is like a beautiful war elephant: majestic, powerful, absolutely massive—and sometimes prone to trampling your hopes and dreams because it got confused by a bush. Let’s get this out of the way: yes, when it launched back in 2013, Rome II was a hot mess. I’m talking day-one bugs, suicidal AI generals, flying soldiers, and legions whose idea of military strategy was forming a human traffic jam on a siege ladder. If you’ve read any early reviews, you’ll remember the critics’ mood ranged somewhere between “deeply disappointed” and “dear God, what have you done to Rome.” But we’ve come a long way since then. Numerous patches, DLCs, and an Emperor Edition later, Rome II has become a genuinely fantastic Total War experience—if a little quirky, like a general who insists on giving speeches in pig Latin. Gameplay? Glorious. There’s nothing like zooming out and seeing your empire stretch from Britannia to Egypt, then zooming in to watch your Hastati stab Gauls in the face while screaming in Latin. The real-time battles are huge, chaotic, and cinematic as hell. Sometimes your troops even do what you tell them to. Sometimes. Campaign mode? It scratches every strategic itch you’ve got. You manage cities, balance taxes, crush rebellions, backstab allies, marry off your cousin to a Greek guy for trade benefits, and occasionally lose a province because you forgot to build public toilets. The AI? Improved from launch, but still hilariously stupid at times. Enemy factions will do things like siege your capital with a single unit of slingers or declare war from across the map while being gang-piled by six other factions. I respect the confidence, honestly. Diplomacy? Still has the emotional maturity of a toddler. “You gave us gold and protected our people for 60 turns? Cool. Now die.” But it's part of the charm. In Rome II, you don’t win friends. You conquer future problems. Graphics? Still solid for its age. Watching a full cohort hold the line while cavalry slams into the flanks is pure ancient warfare eye candy. And if you don’t zoom in to watch flaming pigs charge elephants at least once, are you even living? Now, is it perfect? No. Some of the DLCs are overpriced, the UI occasionally forgets it's supposed to be user-friendly, and yes, the AI still has its “I'm going to send one unit at a time into your fortress and hope for the best” moments. But none of that stops me from sinking 300+ hours into uniting Italy under my glorious potato-optimized rule. Final verdict? Total War: Rome II is a complex, occasionally janky, but deeply satisfying war sim that lets you paint the map red while roleplaying as Julius Caesar with control issues. It's not flawless, but it is fun—and that’s what counts. It’s like Civilization’s messy, stabby cousin with a PhD in betrayal and a minor in supply chain logistics. 9/10. Would cross the Rubicon again. And this time, I’ll bring siege weapons. Veni, vidi, rage-quit-eti.

ours Played: 590 Recommended: As strongly as Caesar ignored the Senate I’ve spent 590 hours conquering the known world, and I still can’t pronounce “Epirus” with confidence. Rome II is the game where you start out dreaming of empire—and end up rage-declaring war on Syracuse because they wouldn’t trade fish. I’ve: Let my best general die to rebels because I forgot winter existed. Bankrupted my economy to build aqueducts no one asked for. Invaded Egypt just because the campaign map looked too neat. Been betrayed so many times by Carthage I now hold personal grudges against Tunisia. 48/188 achievements unlocked, and every one of them was earned with blood, sweat, and questionable diplomacy. Sure, the game launched rougher than a barbarian’s bath towel, but now it’s smoother than a Gaul’s freshly razed village. And don’t let the "Emperor Edition" name fool you—this game doesn’t hand you an empire. You’ll crawl across it, burn it down, then annex it in the name of glory... or because you misclicked. 10/10. Would wage 400-turn civil war again just to hear the narrator say “This is a time of great strife…” one more time.