Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion Review

8.8

Format PC

Developer Creative Assembly

Publisher Activision

Genre Sim / Strategy

2 Comments

The Romans have conquered Europe several times over. The Britons, the Egyptians, the Byzantines have rolled over the continent regularly - even the paltry Parthians have been given a shot at sacking Rome. (Parthian shot - see, that's a Classics joke. Sigh. 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.

To be frank (or, maybe Visigoth - that's more of a Scando name), there's nowt we ain't seen before. Whilst we admire The Creative Assembly's ability, it's clear its mind is elsewhere (possibly on console ambitions). Yet 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.

This is the same basic idea as Medieval: Viking Invasion as well as Shogun: Mongol Invasion. 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.

VANDAL IN THE WIND
Moreover, the element of innovation has been displaced, from where it should be (the gameplay) to where it shouldn't (the history). 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. 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. Moreover, only two of our favoured historical battles are included with the title, Mons Badonicus and the Battle of Chalons.

GOOD TO BE GOTH
Past that immediate, pedantic criticism, the actual play has improved. 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. The new priest (druids, monks, scientologist, etc) units buff units near them, making them targets but also very valuable for morale. Apart from that, battles are as wonderful as ever. 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 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.

Moreover, the new night battles (complete with flaming torches) are gloriously impressive. Imagine having a thousand rockers holding lighters advancing at your beck and call - except with flaming arrows and catapults rather than bottles of Carling. Creative 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.

So while we're disappointed with the misplaced innovation and the lack of advancement, we still can't deny that it's Rome, that it's raised our bloodlust and our hackles in equal measure, and that it refreshes those parts that other strategy games just won't reach. Now leave us; we must trample the Imperial weaklings beneath Hunnish steel once more before our cocoa.

PC Zone Staff