Does this game still hold up today?

[Kak]

I'm a huge fan of Shogun 2 but it's the only Total War game I've played. As much as I love the feudal Japanese setting, I'm looking for something different and I've heard that this was one of the best games in the series.

While I generally don't often consider older games, I really don't have the money for Attila or Rome 2 right now. So I ask, how is this game by today's standards? I really couldn't care less about graphics, but how is the gameplay and difficulty (especially compared to Shogun 2, if you've played both).

Thanks!

[Hugh de Salle]

Im biased but this game still is better than Atilla and Rome II , ToB , Warhammer etc.

Gameplay is unmatched as well as immersion you can also adjust the graphics to make the game look like Rome II with a reshader , There also a ton of mod overalls than can change every aspect of the game.

In a nutshell this game will provide you with a very long campaign with long battles some sieges can take upto an hour if you knock time limit off and the battle themselve are fun and engaging as you get to defend chokepoints , bridges , forts.

Look i can ramble on for the next 10 pages just buy it already , but also look at ways to enhance it you wont regret it.

Forgot to add buy the Kingdoms DLC that is a must have.

[MK]

Well Vanilla MT2W may be indeed somewhat outdated in gameplay mechanics in comparsion to newer TW titles.

However if you use mods, despite somewhat old-fashioned (but not ugly) graphics and UI elements due to the age of the engine, easily expect the most complex, diverse, and in-depth Total War experience possible. I know people that spent 10 years in M2TW and its various extremely different submods (Third Age, Broken Crescent, Europa Barbarorum etc.). No other TW game brought so many talented modders together who pushed everything to its limits, investing thousands of hours to create content. I find myself returning to it from time to time to play new mod releases. I don´t know any other game "that old" which achieved this for me.

Difficulty wise this is of course (sub)mod-dependent but most mods will force you to lower the CAI/BAI difficulty in comparsion to Vanilla. So don´t worry about that fact. When it comes to the BAI experience specifically I even believe that - especially under specific circumstances (like siege battles) - the M2TW mods´ BAI behaves more professional than the BAI in more recent titles but thats my subjective observation.

If you´re only looking for the vanilla experience I´d say pass this and get Atilla, has also some interesting campaign DLC´s and will soon also see an major mod release which is Ancient Empires if you ever change your mind about mods. Heard nothing good about Rome 2 Vanilla and I personally play this exclusively with the Divine et Impera mod never touched vanilla R2 again after release.

If you´re okay with mods then get this one because it will be damn worth the money. Make sure to get the "collection" edition including Kingdoms.

For both options keep in mind that there constantly TW franchise sales are happening - sometimes up to 75%.

[Defiant Squirrel]

For me the battle engine seals it, of course it'a not perfect, it's based on software that is almost 20 years old, but it's so much better than Warscape, which every game that came after this one, including the very latest releases, are all based upon. The AI also is far from perfect here, but it's functional and doesn't cheat as obviously as in later games, so there's another key foundation stone of the game that's much better than everything that followed.

The only area where this game fails to defeat the newer games is graphics, however with mods and Reshade that gap can be closed considerably, and anyway who seriously plays this type of game and chooses better graphics when the trade off is dreadful battles?

So yeah, this game holds up, vanilla delivers superior battles, has more functional AI and deeper campaign mechanics, and with the addition of mods all of the above are further improved and you get a ton of variety, it's a no brainer.

[Crimson]

You can get the base game and DLCs on sale for around $10 or less if you look around the web and do your research. What I mean by this is you essentially pay the same for lunch yet with the DLCs, you can get 1+4 different campaigns to play, easily reaching 1000+ hours of playtime. The battles play out a little clunky but it's nothing mods cannot fix. The last true TW to be ever produced before the original designers and developers left CA. As long as you're not the type of gamer to buy into newer, shinier-looking things, Med 2 will easily become a classic in your library.


Also the music just brings in so much immersion, same composer as Shogun 2, but I reckon Med 2's ost is more epic and entertaining, just go look it up on YT.

[The Cunning Fox (raZoleg)]

Best Total War, hands down.

Everything else is either too old or a watered down mess. This is the climax of the franchise.

[Inardesco]

Yes.

Even the graphics when fully turned up look more nicer than the dreadful appearance of Rome 2.

Let alone the gameplay.

[ReoHays]

Yes!

[Elendil 03]

Buy M2TW and Kingdoms, get yourself a mod that seems interesting to you, play it and then you'll never visit this thread anymore.