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So, having just played Medieval Total War II, I came across the question, What is the general populaces favorite game in the Total War Franchise?
What is your favorite total war going on Battles alone? Did you like Rome ? Medieval? Shogun? Share with us! What Total War game did have the most playing battles in? Note that I am looking more towards the older titles in the series. Not so much the new stuff Like RTW II and Attila Total War

Up until today I would have said the original Rome Total war. It was the 1st total war game I played and though I never did finish that Scipii campaign, I enjoyed it very much.

Then about 20 minutes ago I played a pair of battles in Medieval Total War II, I was instantly in love. The medieval era is my favorite in history, I love the armor, the battles, the castles. basically everything Military wise to do with the period. I played a Siege defense with Scottish infantry. I had 9 units of Noble Swords, 3 units of noble Pikes, 5 units of the best archers they had (forget the name) and a Generals Cav unit. I pulled together a easy battle against the Holy roman Empire who had about 10 units of Armored Sarges and 5 units of Mace-Knights with the Sarges wielding ladders and the macemen in Siege towers. They also had 4 units of medium Cavalry and A General's Bodyguard unit.
I enjoyed defending the walls with my swordsmen, but that battle didn't rage as much I would have liked. I had made it a bit to easy for me

The 2nd Battle took place in a open field. I had a General's Bodyguard unit, 9 Units of Noble Swords, 5 units of Noble Pikes and 5 units of Dismounted knights. I lined them up with all three unit types stretched out in rows with the pikes in front.

I was facing Heavy English Knights and heavy infantry to match my own. I just waited for them to come attack me, It was glorious. One of the reasons I liked the period was due to the massive Heavy Infantry engagements. A brutal Melee erupted all across my lines. in the end is the massive engagement I was victorious but had lost over half my men. THAT is what I expect out of a game titled Total War. Utter destruction on both sides of the conflict.

So go ahead, post your favorite games and memorable battles! Leave no army intact! For this is a thread on Total Warfare

This is gonna have the the commissars screaming heresy but my favorite one so far is Rome Total War 2.
The reason I enjoy it so much is mainly because of the time period.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I also enjoy gobbling up the Roman Empire.

Medieval, because I could play as Byzantines.

On battles alone, Empire or Napoleon probably had the best balance. Rome and Medieval 2 were very much (Ranged) Cavalry = Win games, especially with javelin cavalry, and Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai was a matter of who had the most armstrong guns. I haven't played enough of the main S2 game to judge that. R2 battles I tried liking, but couldn't.

For the fun factor, though? R:TW's super spartans made for fun massacre matches, watching thousands of enemies crush into a choke point and fall over on the spartan spears. M2 was similar for that, except it was watching a load of peasants crush onto a bridge, and get blasted by cannon or riddled with arrows from hundreds of longbowmen. S2:FotS was fun when you lined up gatling guns against a spear horde, Last Samurai-style, and took first-person control of one. Empire/Napoleon had fewer ridiculous match-ups.

Overall, Medieval 2 is the one I've sunk the most time into, and consistently had the most fun playing.

I've only played shogun 2 and fall of the samurai.

In fall of the samurai artillery units cannons are just horribly OP. Any battle with more than 4 units of artillery is something you should be ashamed of doing.

Rome 1.

Empire and/or Napoleon.

I love the pageantry of battles in Shogun, Medieval and Rome, everything from positioning a neatly dressed pike hedge, to overwhelming enemies with masses of howling barbarians to smashing aside enemy formations with a tide of armored cavalry or elephants.

But nothing compares to the thunder of artillery, turning your enemies into former enemies.

Artillery adds dignity, to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl
- Frederick the Great, king of Germany, 1740 to 1786

Attila, love the sieges. Setting fire to entire cities is damn pretty. The "raze" graphic afterward is awesome too, especially in the larger provinces.

Attila for siges as mentioned, but for when it comes to sheer all out mayhem Shogun 2 gets my vote. Because nothing beats watching thousands and thousands of Samurai and Aseguri clash with steel in hand

I think I'll go with the original Shogun, purely for the nostalgia factor.

I'm not very keen on the gunpowder era games (Empire and Napoleon), largely because wide, thin formations are common for that era, and they should have to wheel whenever they turn. The game engine isn't capable of handling that. Instead it just has the formation briefly turn into a mob before reforming in the new facing.

Rome, Shogun, possibly Empire.

I love the strategy part of empire, with all the arenas of war/trade , and particularly enjoy trying to lock up world trade as the english. I've probably played medieval II the most as I enjoy the battle much more than empire. One thing I have decided I dislike about rome 2 is that they finally figured out how to make auto battles work meaning I now fight few battle.

I like medieval 2.

I love zooming in and betting on how long a single guy will last against his foes.


Although for sieges, the AI has the brains of a headless chicken. I once held a city against 12000 men with 1000 and won. Just by blocking one road with spearmen then charging them in the butt with knights.

 welshhoppo wrote:
I like medieval 2.

I love zooming in and betting on how long a single guy will last against his foes.


Although for sieges, the AI has the brains of a headless chicken. I once held a city against 12000 men with 1000 and won. Just by blocking one road with spearmen then charging them in the butt with knights.

Mongols trying to charge ranks of Italian spears through busted gates and broken wall segments rarely goes their way, especially with a Standard nearby to boost morale.

Medieval 2.

An army of Venetian Heavy Infantry was sexy as hell. My best fight was holding Jerusalem against a gigantic horde, my Venetian Heavy Infantry were stationed near the main gate while enemies poured in, the massacre was glorious. Lost too many troops to hold against other attacks, but that one was glorious.

Fall of the Samurai, its my favorite period and wish that they would make a more generalized game set during that time frame roughly 1850-1900 so I couod do ACW, APW, FPW, Zulu War, etc.

Attila Total War.

(ducks for cover).

Seriously though, so far it seems like a cross between Shogun 2 (light RPG aspects - customize your generals, armies and family tree) and Rome 2.

As much as I loved Shogun 2, the Roman period is my favourite setting, especially in the later "Dark Age" from the fall of the Roman Empire to 1066. I'm hoping for a Britannia campaign DLC with Saxons *Wessex, Northumbria, Mercia etc) and the "Viking" invaders.

Toss up between Medieval II, or Rome.

Empire is my personal favourite, and the one I've put the most time into. Medieval 2 and Rome 1 I've also put a bit of time into and enjoyed but battlefield wise Empire wins out.


I have Rome 2 but not played it much so I can't really comment on it.

Napoleon is my favourite.
I played Medieval 2 the most of all, but the AI is so stupid, I actually have to try very hard to lose a battle with equal odds.

I have not played Atilla yet, but since it is about one of my favourite historical periods I think I will like it.

When you consider the mods out there, Medieval 2 is clearly superior, followed very closely by Rome 1. Rome 2 is just terrible.

 Ciciro wrote:
Rome 2 is just terrible.

But drastically improved with the right mods.

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:

 Ciciro wrote:
Rome 2 is just terrible.

But drastically improved with the right mods.

Then it is just OK. Roma Surrectum 2 is far better than any mod for Rome 2.

Well I quite like the Radious Total Overhaul Mod.

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
Well I quite like the Radious Total Overhaul Mod.

Radious Total Overhaul


Roma Surrectum 2.6


Still looks better to me.

I tend to hate crawling up the walls or at least in shogun 2. Whenever my opponent does it i line up those walls with melee troops and even if they're less elite the sheer numbers i have from fighting so few at a time balances the fight in my favor or at least the enemy loses a lot of dudes on the climb. Not to mention i use the gunmen till they start climbing and then switch with the melee troops.

Fall of the samurai is still the more fun game to me but maybe i just prefer guns. Eastern culture has never been my thing though so maybe rome, empire or napoleon would alleviate the urge. I figure napoleon or empire is probably the game most meant for me.

In fall of the samurai artillery are just OP. You only need 4 armstrong or parrott guns and suddenly you kill everything. Wooden cannons mostly suck but can kill enemy war machines and possibly generals as well as siege walls. I never did appreciate gatling cannons much but then by that point i never really had to fight open field battles and generally the sheer range and firepower of the cannons meant it didn't matter.

The sheer firepower of kneel fire with 'modern' rifles from experienced troops in that game was awesome to behold.

I get frequent CTD's with FotS, like every 30 min. Its my least favourite setting (19th century Japan) of the Total War series, so I haven't yet bothered to fix it. Currently playing Attila and occasionally Rome 2 (Radious Total Overhaul - I've never played Vanilla).

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
I get frequent CTD's with FotS, like every 30 min. Its my least favourite setting (19th century Japan) of the Total War series, so I haven't yet bothered to fix it. Currently playing Attila and occasionally Rome 2 (Radious Total Overhaul - I've never played Vanilla).

Fall of the Samurai is my favorite vanilla total war in the series.I guess we just have opposite tastes.

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
I get frequent CTD's with FotS, like every 30 min. Its my least favourite setting (19th century Japan) of the Total War series, so I haven't yet bothered to fix it. Currently playing Attila and occasionally Rome 2 (Radious Total Overhaul - I've never played Vanilla).

I had the same issue in fots until i upgraded my computer, now i have no issues.

Well this is a new pc