![]() ![]() But whatever the reason for his desires to conquer, rape and pillage, one fact remains. Some luscious maiden with flowing golden hair he used to write poetry about while dreaming for hours that she'd one day be his wife and sire him blonde children, only to find she'd been secretly planning to elope to a small chateaux in Provence to tread grapes with his best mate. Maybe he had his head stuck down a latrine by some floppy-haired thugs while being repeatedly kicked up the jacksie for being a shorty poo-poo crybaby. Standing a mere whisker over five foot, he was still tirelessly driven to subjugate the world and become master of all he surveyed. What Is It about short-arse generals and their need to dominate the world? Take Attila the Hun for example, a bearded madman and driving force behind the Barbarian invasions of Europe depicted in this. Now leave us we must trample the Imperial weaklings beneath Hunnish steel once more before our cocoa. So while we're disappointed with the Displaced innovation and the lack of idvancement, we still can't deny that it's Rome, that it's raised our bloodlust and our hackles in equal measure, and that it games just won't reach. Imagine ring a thousand rockers holding - except with flaming arrows andĬreative also appears to have done a stellar job in updating the graphics we're not sure whether it's better models or the new night effects, but it looks as comely as a vestal'virgin who might be up for it. Moreover, the new night battles gloriously impressive. The fantastic new ability of your light infantry to swim (it's either breast stroke or doggy-paddle, speedo fans - not sure which) also adds a whole new tactical b dimension, though as it both exhausts and exposes your troops for a substantial period of time, it's only really useful for flanking, not head-on assaults. Apart from that, battles are as wonderful as ever. The new priest (druids, monks, scientologist, etc) units buff units near them, making them targets but also very valuable for morale. ![]() Those fantastical units, like the berserking Hounds of Culann, bring enjoyably unbalanced forces to the game, as do the (sadly confusing in their similarity and number) Barbarian tribes. Past that immediate, pedantic criticism, the actual play has improved. ![]() Mons Badonicus and the Battle of Chalons, and both are also available on the demo. Moreover, only two of our favoured historical battles are included with the title. Just look at the Romano-British and you'll see what I mean: Graal (sic) knights? A thinly veiled King Arthur? Irish "Hounds of Culann" fighting for the English? The Creative Assembly has skirted round history with this material - it seems to be mostly myth and legend, which might put some people off. We know the Dark Ages after the fall of Rome are pretty much devoid of accurate historical record, so that military styles and history in general around that period are somewhat sketchy, but sometimes BI charges heedlessly, grail held high, into myth. Moreover, the element of innovation has been displaced, from where it should be (the gameplay) to where it shouldn't (the history). We're sorry, but history doesn't consist entirely of great peaceful empires being overrun by blathering hordes, whatever the Conservative party would have us believe, and there are other ways of altering the way an RTS plays than introducing rampaging yobs. This is the same basic idea as Medieval: Viking Invasion as well as Shogun: Mongol Invasion. Vet again it's introduced an expansion pack that upsets the balance of the previous game, altering the strategic map dynamic by giving one side an absolute preponderance of force and no reliance on territories - in this case, the Huns, though other landless tribes can hoard to save money as well. Whilst we admire The Creative Assembly's ability, it's clear its mind is elsewhere (possibly on console ambitions). To be frank (or, maybe Visigoth - that's more of a Scando name), there's nowt we ain't seen before. Ignorant, the lot of you.) So, just when you're tiring of stomping your armies through the flora and fauna of Rome, The Creative Assembly has made an expansion pack, Barbarian Invasion, to reignite your dying passion. (Parthian shot - see, that's a Classics joke. The Britons, the Egyptians, the Byzantines have rolled over the continent regularly - even the paltry Parthians have been given a shot at sacking Rome. ![]() The Romans Have conquered Europe several times over. ![]()
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