257 people found this review helpful
12 people found this review funny
Not Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 290.9 hrs on record (259.1 hrs at review time)
Posted: Aug 23, 2018 @ 1:19pm
Updated: Oct 15, 2018 @ 1:34pm

Some Rome II owners started to notice large number of female generals appearing, 5 years after the game has shipped,

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/967597981810036539/02647015AD55D0F40ED8F72BB6474967B63521F7/

Voicing concern to Creative Assembly, they pointed out that this really wasn't that historically accurate for the time period. Creative Assembly then told their fans in response,

“‘Total War games are historically authentic, not historically accurate — if having female units upsets you that much you can either mod them out or just not play.”

After there were some bannings in the forums, threads being locked, and an army CA marketing shills chiming in defense ...feel free to perouse the comments of this review as an example as some of the drama spilled over here. All I ask is, if you genuinely find this review helpful, vote it up.

In any case, CA's quote above really, speaks for itself. The official response basically tells fans to not play the game, which is pretty rich considering these changes were made 5 years after the game released and you can't opt out of them. No matter which side of the fence you might be on for the inclusion of female generals (I personally don't care), this official response to customers cannot be accepted by anyone that cares about the franchise, as well as the stupid argument of authentic vs acurate. It means if some other problem comes up with Total War you do care about, you know what CA is going to do about it ...tell you to just suck it up.

...and there are so many problems with Rome II already. I'd love like to go over them, but instead, I'm going to spend the rest of this reveiw explaining in more detail what's really going on between CA and it's fanbase, and why this official response just cannot be accepted.

Take 100 hard core Total War armchair generals named Bill. If Creative Assembly finds they can remove naval battles, but add flying dragons, and loose all 100 gamers named Bill, but gain 101 dragon fantasy fans named Jack ...well ...that's a major win in CA's book because they just gained +1 customers overall. In the next game, Bill and Jack are both set aside, because CA removed naval battles and the dragons, but added a general doing wushu kicks, that 102 guys named Wei love, well then again, that's a win in CA's book because they just got +1 more customers. Overall CA nets +2 more customers across 3 Total Wars, but totally blows off all the Jacks, Bills, and anyone else that didn't like how the franchise is making a big kowtow to a newer audience at the cost of what they wanted to see in a Total War.

This anology plays itself out in the cosntant "streamling/dumbing" down of Total War iteration after iteration in a desperate attempt to make the franchise appeal to wider casual audience at the cost of the needs and desires of the franchise's core fans, that want a more complex, historical, and deeper game (like older Total Wars). So in repsonse to this ever mounting frinction, comes the most tone deaf official response to date, to a group of fans that want a greater level of historical accuracy, and it's no wonder the fanbase totally loses.

My recomendation to you is ...IF you can get Rome II on sale, DO buy it. Don't buy the over priced DLC and cut out content, just Rome II. Then, immediately install the massive overhaul mod series from the workshop, Divide et Impera, one of the best overhaul mods for any Total War, that signfignatly improves Rome II experience in nearly every way, and pushes the game into being much, much more historically accurate. Rome II plus Divide et Impera is praticlaly a seperatre game in it's own right, a good game. You still will find many missing features that were present in Shogun II, and previous Total Wars, even with the mod. Too bad, just expect to be disappointed.

Update: If you're interested in following the CA quote debacle in more detail, here are some other perspectives:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=eX6Nb6whVC4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_32GGx6_DY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=3-GnA7Rq3YA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIB5ByyXvHU

Here is why I suggest Divide et Impera if you buy Rome II:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiyS5ogYXZw
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61 Comments
erick Oct 3, 2018 @ 7:01pm 
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1472589135
My original screen shot (if anyone was interested).
TheZanderBug Sep 27, 2018 @ 6:07am 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIB5ByyXvHU This video explains the problems and non-issues
Obi Hung Kenobi Sep 26, 2018 @ 8:04pm 
I voted for Bernie Sanders and HIllary, I started my own club at college for Social Democrats and this guy who has done nothing in comparison calls people alt-right for having issues with CA and Ella.

No wonder SJW's are hated by all sides, they are imbeciles with zero substance but censorship and rewatching of history.
South Park called it out on this once, PC/SJW's are nothing but bro's pretending they give a F to get laid but in reality have zero substance
erick Sep 26, 2018 @ 7:49pm 
Wanting a historical game to be historical is alt right now? I heard things like free speech are now considered alt right and radical to people like you.
Demon of Elru Sep 26, 2018 @ 7:45pm 
Oh get over it. Boo hoo hoo. Silly alt right.
Dyre Sep 26, 2018 @ 12:01am 
They've not budged on the price in 5 years that's all you really need to know about their view of the consumer.
erick Sep 25, 2018 @ 10:45pm 
A comment on that last video "a really bad player", "or pushed an agenda of their own". So laughable, I have 1000's of hours and many hard to get achievements in Total War games. This guy does not know what he is talking about. Agenda? How do you fake an in game screen shot? What agenda? Wanting a game to be historic?

The campaign in question was in progress when the update happened. Then everything was screwed up. So he did not even know what he was talking about as for the reason it happened.
erick Sep 25, 2018 @ 10:20pm 
BTW, I was banned soon after posting that screen shot. I did argue with the usual white knights though.
erick Sep 25, 2018 @ 10:15pm 
Ha! Glad my screenshot was put to good use! :mailedfist:
Obi Hung Kenobi Sep 25, 2018 @ 9:26pm 
This woman isnt lying and all you people defending CA must love being talked down to and banned for just disagreeing with your corporate overlords.
It is not longer about women, I could care three less but the arrogance and treatment of their fans in the same manner of battlefield 5 whom director was fired.
You can't tell people if you don't like it don't buy it especially fans that have supported them for a decade.
Thats just not good business, is direspectful and rage inducing.

FUck em.