Napoleon: Total War. PC Game. Developer: Creative Assembly. Publisher: Sega. $39.99

Passed Inspection: Extensive replay, detailed graphics, multiplayer option, big improvement from Empire: Total War

Failed Basic: Short campaign map, lacks multiple theaters in campaign map (America, Egypt), only a select list of countries to play

Once the battle begins, you may find yourself at a loss for words as the battlefield takes on a life of its own

Napoleon: Total War is the follow-up to Creative Assembly’s Empire: Total War. When news spread of Napoleon’s release, many veteran Total War players were severely disenchanted as they felt Empire was never thoroughly finished and that the same would be true of Napoleon. Well, veterans and new players alike can rejoice, for Napoleon is a big step forward with a revamped battle AI, more diplomacy options and fantastic battles.

Subscribe Today

• Subscribe to Armchair General Magazine
• Subscribe online and save nearly 40%!
 

Napoleon is not an extension of Empire, but it does begin where Empire left off. The game’s main focus is on Napoleon and his conquest of Europe and Egypt. Players have the option of retracing Napoleon’s campaigns as he tries to become the master of Europe. Like Empire’s "Road to Independence," Napoleon’s campaigns are scripted with certain missions that need to be completed in order to open the next Chapter. It begins with a basic tutorial, which is very helpful for new gamers to the series, as it gives a background of Napoleon’s development into a military tactician, plus details on how to build buildings and navies and, most importantly, how to fight. After the tutorial, players begin with Napoleon’s conquest of Italy and Egypt, followed by his mastery of Europe with the final battle being Waterloo. If you are a fan of "Road to Independence," then Napoleon’s campaign will be right in your wheelhouse. Like all previous Total War games, this is a turn-based game, but each turn represents two weeks instead of a month, which means you finally get to see the seasons change on the map. It also adds another level of micromanagement to your empire.

If you are looking to jump right into the action, you can choose to play "Campaigns of the Coalition." Your choices of which nation to play are limited to Great Britain, Austria, Prussia or Russia, a step back from the numerous nations of Empire but still plenty to keep you busy. Once you begin your campaign, you’ll notice right away the different campaign map. The campaign map is limited to only Europe, which at first glance may seem like a disappointment, but once you start you will certainly have your hands full. Trade nodes along the border of the map act as the trade regions, which makes it a little bit easier to set up trade routes or pillage your enemies.

Napoleon: Total War really differs from Empire in the battlefield environment. Before a battle starts, the loading screen shows you your position on the battlefield. If your army’s general is more prestigious than your opponent’s, you get second choice in deployment, allowing you to pick the field of battle. Once the battle begins, you may find yourself at a loss for words as the battlefield takes on a life of its own. Battles are similar to previous Total War games but have been tweaked with new features such as smoke and the flash of the muzzle from muskets, camera-shaking artillery and destruction of the surrounding terrain.

When troops begin to fire, you practically smell the gunpowder as the battlefield slowly becomes covered in musket smoke. You begin to feel the utter chaos that was land warfare in the black-powder era as you lose sight of your troops. Zoom in close as your cannon let off a barrage and the screen image will shake. As the cannon fire erupts amongst both sides, the surrounding terrain will be covered with smoking craters and skid marks from flying cannon balls. This new feature heightens already epic battle scenes and paints a realistic picture of how battles of this era must have felt to the soldiers. When the battle is coming to an end, an eerie smoke snakes its way across a field littered with bodies of luckless soldiers. For those few battles that are momentous and daring against another mammoth army, Creative Assembly added a "Heroic Battle Marker" to the Campaign map, recording the country you defeated as well as the month and year.

Help Armchair General by bookmarking to