If you’re not a fan of the Total War series, let me clue you in on how they’re normally announced. Fans will spend months, maybe even years hoping for their favourite historical era to be revealed as the game’s setting. When it’s inevitably shown to be something else, everyone gets bummed out but then finds something to enjoy in the game regardless.
Or at least, that’s how it used to go down. Things are a little different this time around. The last Total War game, Rome II, was seen by many as a big disappointment, so the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and go somewhere else was something fans were really looking forward to.
Instead, developers Creative Assembly have today announced a new Total War game, due early next year, and it’s…not wiping much away at all.
Total War: Attila takes place directly after the events of Rome II, with players able to either destroy or save the Empire. Taken in isolation, a game focusing on Attila and the onset of the Dark Ages would be pretty cool!
But taken in context, given the time period and reception to Rome II, it’s disappointing, a feeling reflected in any comments about the reveal. Few people would genuinely have been expecting an all-new game so soon Rome II’s release, but the period after a main Total War game is normally when a substantial expansion is released (see: the excellent Shogun II expansion).
The last time Creative Assembly released a larger title instead of an expansion so quickly was with Napoleon Total War, a “new” game that looked and played so much like the previous title, Empire: Total War, that it even shared the same HUD elements (something Attila also seems to be doing).
To be fair, Creative Assembly have surely learnt their lesson from Napoleon, and are trying to offer more than just a new map and some new units. They’re promising some substantial changes, like the return of skill trees for generals, a fire mechanic that spreads through cities, improved street-fighting (not like it could have been any worse than in Rome II) and the ability to raze entire settlements and wipe them off the face of the map.
Maybe those things, and what looks like an attempt to fix the missteps taken with Rome II, will make this a good game in the end! But given how long it took to patch Rome II into something workable (we even had to delay our review verdict for a few months), and the reception to Napoleon, and you’ll have to excuse fans for exercising caution.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be over here continuing my vigil for an Empire II set in the 19th century…
Comments
15 responses to “There’s A New Total War Game Coming, But Hrm”
I don’t think anyone asked for this time period.
I’ve been hanging out for a Civil War Total War for so long 🙁
Isn’t that what empire was?
Nah its base around the American Revolutionary War and Ango-Spainese War. An American Civil War Total War would be an awesome title. What a great idea.
I was referring to the American Civil War between the Union and Confederacy, but yes, gameplay would be much like Empire and Napoleon, however I think the conflict would suit the Total War formula well.
Until they design a new engine they should really focus on warfare with firearms. The current engine was designed around empire which is why blob total war never worked. Civil war would be cool.
I’m hoping for a Total War game that covers the extensive history of China… China has such a rich political and military history, it would make for an awesome title. Their battle tactics are also very interesting. I’m not asking for the entire history of China to be included, just enough to make it interesting and enjoyable.
Also, a segment into Korea would be nice. Korean history is such an underrated topic in my opinion.
Just the three kingdoms will be enough to fill the game
Why not a Modern : Total War, sure they don’t tend to have as many people running around now as in the earlier ages. They seem to be stuck on historical battles.
Because watching platoons of tanks fire at each other from hundreds of metres away, with artillery support from whatever range is nowhere near as satisfying as a sea of troops duking it out in melee range. Could they do it, and do it good? Sure, but it will no longer be Total War, and something more like Company of Heroes I’d imagine. And that’s just the simple argument. There’s a reason they “seem stuck on historical battles”.
World in Conflict was pretty close to a Modern Total War, and there is also another game currently on Steam that I can’t remember the name of, but well regarded.
Wargame. (also made by Eugen Systems).
I’d really like to see a Warhammer 40k: Total War. They could set it in space, and instead of having cities based in countries, they could have planets set in star systems. Space battles would replace naval battles and land battles would be planetary invasions. Sort of like the fantastic Star Wars: Empire at War, but turn based, and with Creative Assembly’s excellent attention to detail.
Otherwise, a Warhammer: Total War game would be pretty cool as well.
I just want a new Medieval Total War…pleeeeeaaaaassssseee ! (there does that satisfy the need for begging for my favourite time period)
That was my favourite in the series (granted it was my First so there may be some nostalgia tinted glasses involved here) with the majority of the globe/known world. I like the time period and the scale. Sooo just a updated version of this with better AI if they can possibly manage it after all these years, and maybe some pretty graphics to boot !
Or they could go the other direction completely and make a future total war, I have some ideas for this that would be pretty slick I think.
CA bought the rights to the Warhammer license…..when are we going to see Total War Warhammer?
Warhammer needs a decent game and I thought CA would be the right people to deliver.
So, really, this is Barbarian Invasion 2? It’s just what I wanted considering how good the original Barbarian Invasion was, but I was expecting it to be an expansion to Rome 2, like BI was to Rome.
I really liked BI because of the difficulty of it and it felt awesome bringing the Roman Empire back.
Hurry up and do Warhammer Fantasy: Total War….
and they still cant or don’t have the skills to, make a total war game that is FULLY MULTIPLAYER and not just 2 player……
For all the ‘everyone asking for their own favourite historical period’, we seem to now be stuck in a cycle of repeating the same periods. Medieval 2, Shogun 2, Rome 2. Now people’re wanting Medieval 3 or Empire 2.
I’d love for an expanded game that covers several periods. Rome to the dark ages to Medieval times or something like that. Or why’s the renaissance era been neglected? Granted it’d be even more of a stretch of the imagination to have ‘total war’ in that period seeing as there wasn’t really conflict across the whole of the World, but it’d still be interesting to see I think.
Ah well, I need to fire up Rome 2 to see how well it plays after the new updates. I’ve never really been tempted to play the expansions for the main games though with the possible exception of the Viking Invasion for Medieval 2. Don’t think I’ll be getting Attila as a result
Where the hell is warhammer total war that’s what I want to know. They should do a 40k version too….is it even happening still?