Fight The Good Fight

Author's Rating:

Pros: Massive scope and options mean this game has enormouse longevity.

Cons: Can be difficult to get into as there are lots of aspects to deal with.

The Bottom Line: 
Anyone who enjoys strategy games and especially wargames will thoroughly enjoy this masterpiece.

Author's Review
Medieval Total War is the sequel to the acclaimed and succesful Shogun Total War. While Shogun was based around fuedal Japan in the 16th century, this game concentrates on the more familiar scenario of Medieval Europe, from the mid 11th to the late 15th centuries.

To say the game is big would be a massive understatement. You take control of the economy and military power of any one of a dozen states and try to plot your way through centuries of conflict and even sometimes peace.

During your campaign you can try to exert your countries influence over the detailed map, cosisting of dozens of smaller regions. You will need to build up your terretories by constructing buildings ranging from small forts to massive citadels. On top of that you can raise armies of thousands based on dozens of different unit types.

The game is played on two main screens, the first being a large map of Europe showing all the terretories and more details being displayed for your own countries. You can see your own troops on the map with their leaders but there is a "fog of war" built into the game so if you are controlling the English for example you don't know what is happening in Egypt, unless you send forces there or control a neighbour.

As ruler of your empire you will need to balance the defensive needs of your peoples with the urges of an expansionist. But you don't have to be a warmongerer like I am, you could simply play the game using the economic model and try to get a stable and happy empire if you want to.

But personally the military options the game offers are far more rewarding. Once you decide to invade a neighbouring country you will have several interesting options to deal with.

Firstly who will lead your army on it's conquests? You can pick from a number of possible candidates, these tend to be members of the royal family, princes and the like. Each possible leader has a list of traits which need to be taken into account. For example if you have a prince who is described as being a "good runner" then you may want to consign him to a quiet backwater somewhere so he can concentrate on helping the economy by collecting taxes as he is likely to be a coward and the men under his control will have low morale.

It's important to pick a leader who has positive traits which will influence your army in a good way. Assuming the army wins battles the leader and all men in the army will gain combat experience and prove even more formidable in future battles.

Once you have chosen a leader then it's down to raising the army, how many men and what type of unit do you choose?

Size of army is important obviously but not to the detriment of all other considetations. A host of fifty thousand will probably sweep all in their path but will cost a fortune to supply and bankrupt the treasury quickly. Also this size of force is going to take years to build up which is not ideal.

It's best to go for smallish, well trained groups of units which offer the advantage of combined arms. For example if I were attacking Scotland with the English I'd want to have some archers or similar missile units, a few cavalry and a main force of infantry.

The battles are displayed on a 3d map of the field, it's virtually like being transported back in time to those days. Every single solider is displayed in realtime 3d graphics and the detail is superb. You can see the archers take an arrow from their quivers, load, aim and fire and watch the arrows fly through the air until they land on their target.

After a hard battle the dead litter the field, but it isn't all that gory so younger players wont be put off by this. It's tastefully done!

The sound effects are also very good, the whoosing of arrows through the air and the screams of men fighting for thier kings. There is also some good music scores for when it's a bit quieter.

The maps are very varied and reflect the local countryside. For example the Scottish regions are generally very hilly and green with trees and lakes (lochs) dotted around and it rains a lot as well. As you get nearer to the hot and arid climates of Africa the maps are more desert like with not a cloud to be seen.

The best battles in my opinion occur where there are castles as you have to seige or be sieged depending on your position. There are numerous siege engines to be employed and the site of a trebuchet hurling rocks and smashing a castles walls down must be seen to be believed.

The battles can take a long time due to the sheer scale of them, up to an hour each so you can have the computer calculate the results for you if you wish.

Overall this is superb for anyone who likes strategy games, highly recommended and I cannot list all the features on here, it would be far too long winded.