DESCRIPTION

After conquering feudal Japan, imperial Rome, and Europe's middle ages (twice!), The Creative Assembly's veteran strategy series turns its attention to the New World in Empire: Total War. The game is set in the 1700s, when technological advances and tall ships empower nations to travel the globe. Untold riches await in new trade routes to the east, and untouched lands to the west lay ready for colonization. In the style of earlier games in the series, Empire: Total War is played on two levels. Overall strategies for the nation's defense and expansion are planned and executed in a turn-based campaign mode, not unlike Sid Meier's Civilization, in which icons on a map represent cities and armies. When the military forces of two nations collide, the battle is won and lost in a flowing, real-time mode, more similar to Age of Empires, in which both the forces under the players command and those of the enemy move and attack at the same time, across 3D battlefields. Along with new, era-authentic weapons and fighting styles, Empire: Total War introduces naval combat to the 3D real-time battles. Players command single ships or entire fleets at sea, through context-sensitive mouse clicks. A wide selection of realistic naval maneuvers are supported by the game, including cannon battles and the boarding of enemy ships, which allows players to command the sailors on deck as they fight desperately for control. Empire: Total War is built with a new graphics engine that creates dynamic seas and weather, as well as the series' most detailed battlefield landscapes to date. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide