Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6942 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: ACTIVISION
• Released on: 2003-11-14
• Platforms: Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 95

Manufacturer's Description
Mighty armies. Epic battles. Total war. Spanning the years AD 793 through 1453, the Medieval Total War Battle Collection game pack is set in the darkest and bloodiest time of world history. Play one of 15 nations that wage war to become the dominant empire. Assume the role of such figures as William Wallace and Leif Erickson. Command armies that utilise siege cannons, mangonels, ballistae, boiling oil and flaming arrows in an effort to trample enemies and crush the walls of their strongholds. When the dust settles, only one empire will rule.

This single package contains the full versions of both the original Medieval: Total War game and the Viking Invasion expansion pack

Customer Reviews

Almost Perfect
First, this is a massive and incredibly impressive game, that is both challenging and spectacular. Like Shogun: Total War, the game is split into a strategy map based game and a real time battle simulator. It is basically like Stratego except your skill and intelligence as a general and political leader will determine your fate rather than the roll of the dice. The strategy game is much more involved than Shogun and diplomacy plays a much greater role. Also, instead of just building ports, watching the money come in and jumping all over the board like you could in Shogun, you have to build ships before you can cross the seas, and establish trade routes before you will receive any income. But the most significant and impressive change is not visible until you actually play the game. If you have played Shogun and think you will just employ the same strategies you are in for a rude awakening. They will not work. The geo-political situation is vastly different and more complicated (not least because you have far more to conquer and far more enemies), and therefore the mindset and strategy required changes too. To make a game that allows you think in two completely different ways about the problems of building an empire is a rare achievement. The Viking Invasions add on is worth the extra because it gives you a second game and lots of improvements and upgrades. "What then," you might ask, "is wrong with it?" There are only four things I would change about this game. The first is that the developers have not heeded the call of many fans of Shogun to have a multi-player version of the strategy map based game. This continues to be disappointing because just having battles robs them of a broader context and therefore of the feeling that there is something at stake beyond a single battle. The second is more a suggestion that may or may not be possible. If you have played these kind of games before you will know that unless you have a network or play over the internet that they are extremely anti-social. Would it not therefore be great if a number of people could play a single game? In other words, you and your friends choose a faction each and play each other and the computer on a single machine at the same time. When it came to fighting the battles there would have to be some way of deciding who got to fight it and who has the computer fight for them, but that could be worked out. The third thing is that sea battles have to be automatically resolved and it would have been incredible if you could fight them personally as well, but perhaps this is just being greedy. The last point is relatively minor, but if you liked the animations in Shogun then you will be disappointed that there are none in Medieval Total War. While I can see that they were left out because most people only watch them once or twice and then skip them, it is still nice to see your assassin at work and to watch ambassadors trying to win your favour. Finally, sometimes a game comes along that does so much so well that it raises your expectations, and Medieval Total War is one of those games. This is hours, possibly too many hours, of challenging and rewarding fun and enjoyment.

An epic masterpiece
After the relative success of Creative Assembly's game Shogun: Total War (see review) the team went on to develop a new, more advanced game using the existing model, set in the dark and bloody Middle Ages of Europe. With close attention paid to the feedback of Shogun players and with a host of innovative new features, this next game in the Total War series simply blasts its predecessor away. In fact, there is so much to talk about that I will sadly have to limit my review to the main single player campaign only, space permitting.

For those of you who have been watching BBC's excellent series "Time Commanders", you will know that one of the aims of the game is to act as the army's General, and lead your warriors to glorious victory against your many nefarious opponents. But this is only half the game. In reality, you act not just as General but as Emperor over your entire domain; with your purpose being to laed your people to dominate the entirety of mainland Europe, North Africa, Scandinavia, Asia and the Middle East. You have only until the mid-fifteenth century (when in the real world, the great city of Constantinople fell to the Turkish invaders), and a lot of ground to cover. It's a tricky job, and it will take all your skills as a war leader, diplomat and economist to get the balance just right. Now let's get down to details.

Firstly, the strategic game. The map of the world, or as much as was known to Europeans at the time, is divided into many provinces, each of which is allocated to a certain people or kingdom, or to independent rebel factions. Each province you control is ruled by an appointed Governor (and to maintain loyalty of your leaders you can give titles of office or strip them as you see fit), and will be able to build facilities for the recruitment of troops, production of commerce or building of war engines. The level of complexity allowed in each of these provinces is determined by the size of the castle you have built, and much of your time and money will be spent fortifying and improving these massive defence works. These are the empire's life-blood; the source of your men, your money and your power. And you will need to get your dirty little hands on as many as you possibly can, while protecting your own from the threat of invasion, subversion and rebellion.

There are two ways to do this, generally speaking: by guile or by force. A cunning player might prefer to avoid (massive) bloodshed by the use of the many strategic agents available in the game, such as emissaries, inquisitors, and assassins. These can be produced very quickly, and can stage coups, bribe armies and execute enemy commanders if used cleverly. Succesful agents gain experience and become more effective over time - in fact a highly experienced assassin can even take down an opposing faction's ruler and heirs to eliminate it altogether if necessary. But beware, because anything you can do, they can do to you, too...

But when push comes to shove, it is the iron fist of your armies that will decide the fate of your kingdom. And this is what the game does so damn' well. Each faction has a different set of troops that might be trained and raised to fight as part of your army. For example, the Byzantines have the use of highly disciplined Legionaries, a throwback to ancient Rome; the Slavic nations make great usage of light infantry, unarmoured spearmen and horse archers; and the English (Hooray!) are devastating with their veteran Longbowmen. Which means that each faction is almost obliged to fight in a slightly different manner, and each has its own different strengths and weaknesses. To win, you will have to learn them.

Combat itself is everything we have come to expect of the series; the terrain, such as high ground, rivers, forests, bridges and buildings will be critical to tactical positioning. The weather, especially if rainy, will potentially win you the day or confound you to failure if bowstrings are wet and gunpowder isn't dry. Your generals themselves have their own personal attributes, such as temper and bravery (which are gained over time as a result of experience, and actions on and off the field) - these will affect the mood and steadiness off the men they lead. A poorly regarded general can have his troops flee at the first sign of trouble if nobody will follow him into battle. And finally, with the right facilities in your provinces, your men might be better trained and better equipped than your opponent, and could turn the chaotic tide of battle to your favour, even if you are hopelessly outnumbered. So much detail, so much information, it's all useful and it all counts. The only thing missing is the chance to fight real-time sea battles, but considering what's already available it's a minor quibble.

There's a lot more to say but so little space. Be assured that sieges, replacement troops and other features are all well-realised, and that you will spend hour after hour playing this game as you pursue your goal for continental domination. This particular pack includes the "Viking Invasion" expansion, which lets you play a campaign in the British Isles during the Dark Ages,and it's very enjoyable. Worth owning the two together if possible. For the asking price this is a real snip and worth buying - excellent game, incredible value, and definitely worth Five Stars. You'll enjoy it.

I would also recommend Bradygames' strategy guide, a useful companion book including more technical details on troop types, and everything about the combat system (see review).

A welcome surprise!
Well I bought this game pack not having played shogun or Rome total war and as such my all time fav strategy game was civilisation III. This game is much better.

Don't get me wrong Civilisation is a brilliant game but this is in a league of its own!

The game blends empire building (eg. CivIII) with brilliant combat powered by the total war combat engine.

The combat is where Civ fails. In Civ a warrior can kill a tank. Yeah thats realistic!

In total war don't expect anything to be easy. This game has a set strength for each unit and even if you are the greatest general on Earth you will still find it hard for peasants to beat a group of handguners!

The men get tired during combat so it requires careful planning.

When I bought this I played all day and all night and still was no where near being bored! This game is really replayable.

My verdict Total War = Good. Sorry people from the UN!