Just wondering... for those who have played most or all of the Total War series... what do you think is the best one ever made and why?

(as I download Shogun 2 in the background, lol.)

The only ones I play are Empire TW and Napoleon. I will be passing on Shogun even though that is an excellent price.

I'm currently waiting on Hearts of Iron 3 Collection to be reduced - if that goes on sale for $9.99 I'm all over it!

Tough one. Heavily modded ETW & NTW would be mine for the latest 3. Still have RTW & MTW2 with mods on as well. Ironically, I think Shogun 2 is the "best" from a technical standpoint, most polished, yet it is my least favorite. I do enjoy it, but Japanese feudal warfare never particularly interested me. Just preference.

Napoleon Total War, IMO (though I actually prefer ETW, for its global coverage and colonial wars).

Thanks Kramer for the heads up! Downloading now!

I miss the pre-battle speeches of RTW and how they reflected the characteristics of the general... Quite funny in many instances .

Hard to choose between them, obviously they keep getting nicer to look at. I liked the innovations introduced by ETW; haven't played shogun 2.

Probably not the best judging from technical aspects but my favourite of the series is "by far":
-> Rome Total War

The historical setting is my favourite (Roman Empire expansion) and IMO it was one of the less "bugged" games of these series.

Absolute best: The original Medieval Total War hands down for the sheer number of units/options available.

#2: A tie between RTW and MTW2. Both still had a fairly large selection of units, but we started seeing a dumbing down of the genre here.

#3: The first Shogun Total War. A limited unit pool and limited options, but it was the opener for the series.

#4: Shogun 2. Not bad, but more suited for "new players". Easy as pie to beat, very run-of-the-mill troops following the same basic "rock, paper, scissors" approach that every other RTS does.

#5: ETW: Love the period, enjoyed the game for a few hours, then uninstalled it.

I think Rome and Medieval 2.

First off, I've played Shogun 1, Rome, Medieval 2, and Empire, so can't speak about the others.

I'd rank them in order:
Medieval 2
Rome (although very close between these top two)
Empire
Shogun 1

Medieval 2 and Rome have a great mixture of graphics quality, campaign options, battle feel, and mod-ability. Plus, the eras are very interesting.

Empire *should* have been awesome, but it just didn't grab me. Possibly it was because most of the battles, to me, consisted of lining up my troops, letting the enemy approach, and watching. I'll try it again soon, and might find more of interest.

Shogun one was great, but I just feel that the later games have added much more.

I have played them all except Shogun2, my fav is

Rome
medieval 2

My favorite is Medieval 2, both for the setting and for the moddable engine (stainless steel is an awesome mod), but Shogun 2 has a true coop, and it makes for all the cons of the game (like, IMO, the setting and the realistic little variation of troops).

I have them all, and Empire have everything to be the best of them, but it lacks something: AI. After you play Europa Universalis you simply can't stand playing Empire. The diplomatic AI must be based only on some sort of random number generator. The Total War series all have a weak AI, but Empire is the apex of dumbness.

Another vote for Medieval 3.. just something about that setting that i love.. however i own and love all from the original Medieval.

I hope they make a Rome 2 as RTW was one of my faves. Shogun 2 is ok but all factions have the same units for the most part, and it isn't really moddable like previous titles.

Still play Rome Total War (with Darth Mod) can't say that about the rest.

My favourite was probably Rome, as it was the one I played the most out of all of the series. I really liked the setting of Empire but never really clicked with Shogun 2.

For the future I would love to see an American Civil War game though I know it doesn't really fit into the "Total War" setting. I also quite like the idea of a WW1 game, though the issues with long range weapons ( plus air) would make it a very ambitious project.

Shogun 2... playing Co-op with my son is everything I hoped it would be.


"Easy to beat...???? "

On what settings!!!? Easy? Have you tried a quick "Legendary" Campaign?

Trench warfare and continuous front was such a big part of WWI, I'm not sure how TW (which tends to favor open field battles, small armies, and lots of manuevering around forts) would handle it. Plus, I get the idea Empire/Napoleon was about as modern as the TW folks wanted to go.

Actually, in March the developers at CA are releasing a stand alone expansion for Shogun called: "Fall of the Samurai" which is initially set during the Boshin war (1866 to 1868).

This was the final overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate by forces loyal to the Emperor. By this time all the European powers were selling weapons to both sides, so in addition to traditional weapons, the combatants will now breach loading artillery, Gatling guns, Snyder rifles, and Ironclad based naval battles--plus some foreign recruitable troops like British, French, and American marines.

The developers have already stated that they will not make two game sequels in a row, so Rome II will not be the next major release. From the period of the new Shogun II expansion, many are guessing the next game is going to be at least in the 19th century--maybe a Victorian Total war that would include the ACW and various colonial wars of the late 1800's. Of course it's all speculation at this point.

Cheers

I really like Shogun 2 but my favourite time period is Naploleon TW so I would say that is my best one.

I find them all unplayable in an unmodded state because of the insane unit speeds. Hint to the developers: ever since the Rome:Total War demo, one of the first mods to appear for every single title was a "slow down" mod. Once that is installed, you can finally enjoy looking at those poor sods on the battlefield and you have time to produce some sort of tactics rather than just "select all + attack").

I spent way too much time modding ETW so I got burnt out and never really gave NTW a shot. For me, it's a tie between the Kingdoms expansion for M2TW with its smaller campaigns (especially the Teutonic and the New World campaigns), and the new S2TW. I particularly like how they integrated character development in the campaign in S2TW. And because I have no knowledge whatsoever about Japanese history, I'm not too distracted by any inaccuracies

Oh yes a Victorian era Total War... hmmmmm, now that would be awesome... Zulu re make here I come!!!
Altogether now... "Men Of Harllech Stop Your Dreaming...."

Once again, it's merely speculation, so don't hold me to any of this. I fact I do not know for sure that the developers actually stated that they would not do two sequels in a row, but it has been repeated as an actual quote so many times on several forums that
most(myself included) have taken it for fact.

Creative Assembly has always had a talent for doing the unexpected and the subjects of each of their major releases have usually been a surprise to me.

Cheers

Don't worry I promise I won't sue! :

One can only hope. And not wishing to convince myself on the obvious logic in doing this time period, the thing that always made me think a ACW game was beyond the scope of a total war game was that they liked to have a number of sides and just having " the blue" and "the grey" wouldn't really work on the campaign map side of things.

However I cold see a "colonial" time era where you have the great superpowers, Great Britain, France, Germany, USA, etc along with African nations ( Zulus, Africaan's ) then I think it could fit into the more typical total war game setting. In fact a dedicated ACW game could be done as an expansion, just concentrating on the ACW battles.

Cheers.

I have been playing Empire and Napoleon TW for a long time now - both since release. I'm ready to start a new DLC campaign(s) or move on to Shogun 2.

What would you do if you had just enough money for one of the following: 2 DLC campaigns or Shogun 2?

My initial thought is to wait on Shogun 2 because FOTS will be released and I'm thinking CA will release a double DVD pack like what they did for Empire/Napoleon. So are the 2 DLC campaigns worth it?

i had 600 (showing) hours in Empire Total War. After the DarthMod, It really was my go to game. I got Shogun 2 and unistalled all 30gb of Empire. If you're still hot and heavy with Empire, keep going, but Shogun is a different experience. I enjoy the battles much more, and strategy layer as well. Empire, as awesome as it is, seems 2 dimensional after Shogun. All my battles consisted of laying down artillery, and cleaning up (with varying tactics... but not varying too much) those strong enough to survive it. When I play Shogun, I think tactically and strategically. I think about splitting my troops, using gravity to increase the speed of my charges... its good stuff.

I'm ready to move forward with Shogun 2. I missed the Christmas sale so I am now currently looking for a good deal on a key code to download the game. Steam has it now for $29.

If you're not opposed to getting a physical copy, probably won't beat this price ($14.99 w/ free shipping, and it's the "Limited Edition" which has an extra playable faction I think" : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...Sega-_-32203034

Here we are a month and a half since Dick Dastardly's post and Newegg is now selleing STW2 for 37.99. I just ordered it from Amazon.com for 20 bucks. Tonight.

Since the very first Shogun, still my favorite--although there was something very cool about Medieval I, my absolute dream wish for a Total War game is the American Civil War. I've got to have it!

Even without getting the Fall of Samurai expac, the patch that came with it for ALL of Shogun is great. Being able to field your whole army at once is a wonderful add, the AI is tighter in some places... good stuff, I'm glad they patched those with and without. Thanks CA!

I want the American Civil War!!! Come on, Creative Assembly. That would be the ultimate Total War game!

I played Napoleon the most, followed by Shogun 2. I agree with whoever said that Shogun 2 is "technically" the "best". I played Napoleon the most, simply because it interested me the most.