Medieval II: Total War review

There's something very appealing about a game that lets you behave like a thoroughgoing bastard. Oh I don't mean the small scale casual thuggery of Grand Theft Auto. No what I mean is not only crushing your enemies but also using your loyal subjects as the bloody lubricant that keeps the gears of war turning.

Before me stands the fortified city of Caen (this is the second time I've fought for this town in November). Those city walls look remarkably sturdy. Thankfully I've brought along some scaling ladders and a battering ram. But these things were rather expensive to construct and it sure does look like there's an eager welcoming committee of archers topping the city walls.

Bloody peasant!

I've planned for this eventuality though. At the vanguard of my forces is my secret weapon - a company of one hundred Yorkshire peasants. And you should never underestimate the absorbent qualities of peasants, at least where arrows are concerned. So as my hapless serfs are ordered forward and are converted from smelly commoners into organic pin cushions my expensive siege units are tasked with capturing one wall. With the defenders distracted the result of the battle is inevitable and it only remains for me to send my heavily-armed knights into the fray to complete the slaughter.

Not that the world is full of benevolent despots. This is the realm of the ends justifying the means, of princes vying for power by any means necessary. A world where even the Pope is usually on the take. More than any other game in the long-running series Medieval II requires an ability to feel just as comfortable delving deep into strategic political machinations as it does a mercurial mind on the battlefield.

Help help I'm being repressed

In the earlier games in the Total War series it always seemed to me that the strategic map served the simple purpose of being an excuse to get into those lovely 3D battles. There was little depth to be had and I can't be the only person whose strategic plans were based entirely on trying to get into as many fights as possible.

Medieval II has refined the strategic map to the point where it has almost become the most compelling part of the experience. While perhaps not as detailed as Civilization it really does offer a lot of depth now. Playing here in a deep campaign is as compelling an experience as Total War has offered thus far, in fact it's so much fun that when the battles do occur you're almost tempted to hit the "automatically resolve this battle" button. Something of a first for the franchise.

Come and see the violence inherent in the system

The key to the brilliance of the strategic campaign game are several changes to the core dynamics. Firstly settlements can follow two construction trees, being either a city or a castle. Each has its own unique features, strengths and weaknesses. Choosing which path to follow is the key to success in the campaign. Cities are the best route for increasing earnings in settlements in relatively secure locations. In contrast border settlements are best developed as castles. There's quite a crossover in construction, cities can be fortified and castle do feature towns - but getting the correct path sorted early on in a settlement's life is important even if you can change at a later date.

Such clever-cloggery doesn't always pay off though. Any veteran of Total War knows that borders are a fluid thing, you might suddenly find that your supposedly safe cities are now on the front line of an enemy invasion, or that your impregnable fortress is located deep inside your expanding empire.

Holy hand grenade of Antioch

Agents play a much more important role too, with many of them having multiple uses. Merchants are a handy way of making money from the various resources that appear on the map and can even launch a hostile takeover of a rival merchant. Princesses serve as emissaries and can be wed to your own or enemy generals. Matrimony to a foreign enemy brings with it the chance of wooing the general and his army to your side.

Priests are the most interesting agents featured in Medieval II. Sending them into regions to preach is handy for improving loyalty to the faith and even into the realms of less-Catholic of enemies. These men of the cloth can also be used for denouncing witches and heretics. As they gain experience the priests become eligible to join the ranks of Rome's council of cardinals. Get your men onto the council and you'll have influence in Rome, being able to vote for a new Pontiff when the current Vicar of God pops his clogs and even rising to the role himself. Having your man on the Papal throne is very handy indeed.

We're an anarcho-syndicalist commune

An enemy controlling the Vatican makes success a real uphill struggle. At one point I was at war with Denmark. The bloody Danes had blockaded half of my ports, yet the Danish Pope threatened me with excommunication if I dared lift my finger against them. So much for Vatican neutrality. The politics of keeping the mother church happy, the crusades, Catholic politics etc. is a real joy and is the defining character of this game.

Not everything on the strategic map works so well. The AI can be a bit odd at times even on the higher difficulty levels. You'll wonder at times why enemies don't attack when they could clearly wipe you out or when they leave important cities totally undefended. Or there are the times when it seems that the game revolves entirely around your faction as everyone gangs up on you. I don't want to overstate these issues though, most of the campaign game is superbly absorbing.

Those of you hoping for expanded naval warfare are going to be disappointed. Yet during the Medieval period naval actions were essentially the same as normal battles, just played out from floating platforms. It wasn't until later centuries when cannons were sufficiently light for specialised naval warfare to develop.

Who are you who is so wise in the ways of science?

The tactical battles remain the most fun aspect of this Total War title, but only just. If graphical finery is your bag, then you'll love this iteration of the franchise. Creative Assembly really has this stuff nailed now. The troops are very detailed and uniquely individual. Zoom into the soldiers and you'll see that their features, such as beards and hair are different from man to man. Their animations accentuate this individuality too, there's none of that Triller-style totally synced choreography.

Most of the time the battles are a complete joy. Sieges are especially good, thanks not only to some gorgeous settlement graphics but also the more natural way they blend into the topography. Fighting for the control of walls is a lot of fun as is trying to get your troops up there via ladders and siege towers. Trying to assault a fully constructed fortress is a real test of your tactical acumen. You'll need a fairly hefty PC to see the game running in all its glory but the developer has done a fine job in giving you an excellent experience even on lower-spec machines.

The battle movement is too fast though. I can understand why Creative Assembly wants us to play the game this way. But really we should be given the choice to play the battles at a more realistic pace. Often there's no time to make decisions due to the speed with which even heavily armed foot soldiers can move around. Another issue is the relative ease in which the AI can often overcome your city/castle defences. All things being equal, you'd expect a town guarded by 600 troops to easily defend the walls when faced with 600 enemy troops. This isn't always the case.

First we build a giant badger

These few niggles aside, Medieval II: Total War is another fine addition to a series that goes from strength to strength. It's clear now that Creative Assembly has this period nailed and one hopes the company moves on to a later period from this point. What many of us would like is the developer to recreate the warfare of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. However that would require the company to finally tackle the intricacies of naval warfare. One hopes it will have a crack at it.

But enough nonsense about the future. Before I go and have my lunch I'll leave you with the news that Medieval II: Total War is the best PC strategy game I've played for ages, since Rome: Total War in fact. Even if you aren't entirely happy about the period covered, it being something of a retread, there's so many new features and depth in this release to make any comparison with the first Medieval: Total War rather pointless. Go treat yourself to this new release, it's fantastic.