I wonder if the bosses suggested The Creative Assembly, In the distant 2000s, approving the development Shogun: Total War, that their brainchild will lay the foundation of one of the best strategic series of our time, the closest competitors of which will swallow the dust from under the hooves of the horseman rushing forward for a very long time Total War? I think no. In fact, everything turned out to be in that fairy tale. Disassembling the Asian feudal lords made a huge number of gamers, in the light of which the speedy exit is expansed The Mongol Invasion for no one was a surprise. However, despite the constantly growing folk love, the brainchild of Creative Assembly had a weighty number of shortcomings. Developers began to correct them, settling for the creation of a sequel Medieval: Total War. This time, the gameplay concept perfectly demonstrated to the new setting – a dense Middle Ages. The game public also perceived the ability to take the opportunity to take to the hands of ancient Europe with a bang. Adequate Viking Invasion allowed me to feel all the relish in the location in "skin" the harsh leader of the Vikings, and finally convinced the developers of the need for significant innovations. It was then that the news feeds of information sites informed the world about the existence of a full continuation Rome: Total War. The game produced a real splash at the exhibition E3 that had now gone in the fly. Indeed, there was something to see there. Huge screens broadcast on the retina of the eyes of stunned visitors breathtaking battles: thousands of unlike wars of unlike each other converged in a deadly battle, well -aimed archers watered the enemy’s detachments clouds of arrows, and the fighting elephants – the debutants of the series – stelled in the rows of enemies, carrying death and chaos. It seemed incredible. A completely new graphic engine, a long list of fresh features. Almost all the gagodels managed to translate into reality – in the phenomenal success of the Roman epic there is no mysticism: filigree quality of the dressing, excellent picture and fascinating gameplay – these are three whales of Rome. Having succumbed to the alluring call, Creative Assembly decided to change her long -standing tradition of the release of one addition, in the interval between the releases of the sequels, and was discouraged at once with two Expansion Packs: Alexander And Barbarian Invasion. It would seem much further? With a debut "Alexandra" Deferences involved the dusty lands of Asia and Egypt, the Indochina Peninsula was operated at the very beginning of the path, and the Old Light was already arrived to the holes. Unexplored "lands" For marketers Sega were American continents. And after some time, the Aztecs were declared one of the main actors Medieval 2: Total War. However, the queen "Bala" Europe still remained. Thus, at the output of the game, we got the same old-good Medieval: Total War, ennobled by the modified Rome-"Motorchik" and crushed in width to completely obscene sizes.
Temporary Glace Glace has grown to 450 years old. To bend their strategic line with virtual rulers will have to be four and a half centuries-from 1080th to 1530th year. It was on this historical interval that the greatest flowering of European civilizations came, combining scientific and cultural progress with endless bloody wars behind the territory. In a word, there was a fun time.
The set of available powers took on their arms of new members. In general, Medieval 2 It has 21 nation. The single-campaign allows "Safe" Only 17 countries, while multiplayer brings the number of playable civilizations to the above limit. The complexity of passage, as before, directly depends on the selected side. Put an equal sign between the raising from the knees of fragmented Rus‘ and, for example, the systematic strengthening of a prosperous holy Roman Empire, it will not work even with a great desire.
Along with the solitary regime, we are also offered a standard list of other commercial fun. You can take part in the famous battles of that time, swore allegiance to one of the parties to the conflict, or you can hone your skills in multiplayer battles long evenings. However, the role of the first violin in Medieval 2, Of course, the single. In order to start real "work" you must first complete the forced training mode. According to the old-certain tradition, scrupulous British supply their products with high-quality virtual "simulator". Although it would be possible to make this option a disconnected. Not all players begin their acquaintance with the series, launching Medieval 2.
The main goal of the campaign is to capture 45 provinces. Alas, they will not let the feudal lord. For the most impatient signors, an option is provided "shortening" missions – half of the cities is enough to win for victory. The swollen time frames that have been appropriate in 225 moves provoke a thoughtful study of the product. After all, after all, not in AGE of Empires play.
At first glance at the global card, you will begin to torment the strongest sense of deja-vu. Provided that before that there was experience in the passage of the ancient Roman offspring of the series. Visual design, interface and even some notes of the title melody – all this migrated to the game straight from Rome. Beginners will sing on a beautiful picture and a huge number of available actions.
In view of the increased number of affordable countries, the strategic field has become noticeably more extensive. There was a place on it for the unknown North America, with the tribal peoples that are mentioned at the beginning of the article. But the mission itself in conquering the New World looks more like a soap bubble. Yes, playing the conquistadors is very exciting – local nature makes a special flavor: impassable jungle looks much more profitable than trampled European fields – however, the scale of what is happening is not impressive. Several settlements and the poorly organized armies of Mayan novices – that’s all that Creative Assembly had enough. It is not necessary to be a prophet in order to predict the upcoming release of the adjustable gap of the add-on.
The movement of figures on the map is accompanied, in addition to solving state problems, the implementation of all sorts of mini. Compared to the previous part, the quests became more exciting, even a kind of diversity appeared. Mostly, "Employers" They ask to build certain buildings, block important enemy retail outlets or conduct diplomatic debates. The pope can now act as a guarantor. Religions in the world of Medieval 2 are allocated central place.
It’s no secret that in the Middle Ages the Church was the strongest organization, which was sought to be friends with the maximum number of thoughtful rulers. Something similar is observed in Medieval 2. Rome has its own army, but the main threat is melted in itself "Believers" neighbours. Having fallen into the disgrace of the pope, you risk completing the game ahead of schedule, never having achieved your goals. And the point here is not at all in the curses of clergy constantly sprinkling on the head. Nearby monarchs are always happy to take advantage of the opportunity to excommunicate a godless "colleague". It is incredibly difficult to confront Christians: demoralized troops will have to fight off the enemy – in Almighty anger, soldiers very quickly lose moral points. So friendship with dad is almost mandatory. Being on "Short" leg with a pontiff, you can easily eliminate competitors mired in sins.
For greater realism, players allowed to participate in the Crusades. The Holy War brings many bonuses. It is also enough that the warriors chased to Jerusalem are entirely on providing the church and move twice as fast. In addition, there is the possibility of relatively free hiring knights-"Kruziders", constituting the powerful attack. In response to aggression from the north, Muslims organize jihad. However, from the organized expansion of Christians, the Holy War of Islamists differs strikingly.
The trend of progress and affected the development schemes of cities. From now on, it will not work to combine the cultural Mecca and the military stronghold. It will be necessary to choose – between the economic and militaristic branch of the development of the settlement. The peaceful town will quickly grow in cultural monuments and significantly increase the size of the treasury. The military orientation of the village will allow you to build a lot of profile structures, while giving the lion’s share of the budget. It is important to find the middle ground here. Blooming metropolis, devoid of thick walls, is easy prey for aggressive invaders. Against professional warriors will not help about the urban militia, formed from local residents for free – can yesterday’s merchants and artisans on equal terms with veterans hardened in battles? The answer is obvious.
The idea with guilds is also very interesting. Limited communities of people related to a common cause can bring a lot of benefits. So, gunsmiths improve the quality of the weapon produced, and merchants – the number of goods sold. There are also quite exotic cooperatives, such as the Hansa of hired killers and the Order of the Templars.
The leading of the military campaigns has become much easier. If earlier the process of accumulation of a more or less impressive army took a lot of time, now everything has become faster. First of all, due to the possibility of hiring several units at once during the course. As playing in the barracks, troops gradually accumulate. With a sudden attack of the enemy Winner Casino revoir or planned attack on neighbors, you can easily replenish your own detachments by ordering the required number of soldiers – there would be money.
As always, the army met on the same cage, if desired, materialize on the military field. Real -based battles in Medieval 2 lead to indescribable delight. Giant detachments converge in a mortal battle, demonstrating the wide possibilities of a graphic engine borrowed from Rome. Excellent animation, clear textures and the almost complete absence of cloned soldiers create the illusion of watching a multimillion -dollar Hollywood movie blockbuster. Still, it was not for nothing that the Discovery television channel has acquired the rights to use the programmatic masterpiece of Creative Assembly when creating a cycle of historical programs – spending on hiring and renting authentic items of antiquity would be much more.
Returns to reality crazy artificial intelligence. According to the old tradition, AI builds himself a dumbfounded general and he can well succeed. Knights who substitute sides under the swords of the attackers, units unable to independently leave under the shelling of archers – in a word, a depressing picture.
Having dealt with the RTS -ort, you can proceed to the dessert. Delicious diplomacy – our everything. Of course, you should not dream of a wealth of choice of thematic Diplomacy, but also what is represented in the game is enough for the eyes. Crown number – the issuance of an attractive princess for the right prince – as before is effective.
Upon more closely, it becomes clear that all the same Rome is hidden behind all the innovated tinsel. High -quality, bright, fascinating, polished to shine Rome. Many recklessly accuse the authors of Medieval 2 any serious innovative ideas. However, do not forget that it is unlikely that any of the existing titles will be able to compare with the offspring of The Creative Assembly by depths of study and scale. Actually, for this we love Total War. What we advise you.
Pros: excellent graphics that affect the scale of what is happening, thought out economic and military components, a wide range of gameplay capabilities.
Cons: weak AI.