If you are still trying to figure out which is the best total war game out there, then the below article might be able to help you out with that task. To make the ranking easier for you to understand, we will start by mentioning the greatest Creative Assembly creation at the top to the comparatively less exciting ones at the bottom.
1. Rome
When it comes to turn-based RTS, Rome: Total war will not fail to provide you with an awesome gaming experience, whether you’re a type of player who likes to play online in multiplayer or if you just like to stick to the campaign missions. The game allows you to play as some of the mightiest Roman families and follow their conquests towards building up the glorious Roman Empire.
The graphics also contribute a great deal towards making your gameplay more enjoyable as seen in the battle sequences that erupt as soon as you engage the enemy armies and units. This pick was the third game released by The Creative Assembly, but it offers you the most impressive real-time strategy elements like none other.
2. Empire
The next game which you should opt for is Empire: Total War. This one also has a pretty historically correct story campaign mode, so if anyone wants to brush up on their history, playing this pick is probably the most fun-filled way to do so.
The developers have maintained the same stellar graphics and effects when it comes to the land battles between enemy infantry units, plus you will also get a chance to command fleets of your own naval ships out here, which is simply superb. You can also streamline your skills in empire management by slowly expanding your provinces through various methods and even generate wealth through trade to build a strong economy.
3. Shogun 2
The third rank on our list is Total War: Shogun 2. Here you are playing as one of the nine clans from Japan and get to fight against other rival clans for the control of the entire land. The creators from The Creative Assembly Studio have enabled you to rule as an Emperor through the overall empire management system where you will partake in trade with other countries and enter into diplomatic relations with them.
You will also get the thrill of leading your army into battle in real-time and watch as your samurai soldiers slaughter enemy units, with the use swords, spears, arrows etc. The storyline created for Shogun 2 is pretty immersive especially when you get to the last parts of the campaign. The multiplayer option supports up to 8 players at a time, where you can fight in teams or go head-to-head against an online player.
4. Shogun
This was the first part of the Shogun brand created by the Creative Assembly which introduced seven of the famous clan from Japanese history. If you have played the above few titles, you will not be too impressed with the average styled graphical effects of this, plus the lack of availability of using a diplomatic course of action can really restrict the amount of strategy you can use.
But the developers have to be commended for portraying a realistic Japanese setting and the samurai armies that you can create out here can be pretty lethal as you can keep upgrading your barracks or dojo’s. The campaign is splendid and will surely keep you engaged for hours and days in the gameplay.
5. Medieval
The name of this pick itself suggests that your games setting is in the medieval era where war was the most frequently used tactic to take over provinces. Medieval: Total War has a lot of different factions that are available for you to join at the start of your campaign. You will subsequently have to increase in power by taking over land and generate revenue to support your military activities.
There is also a unique religion aspect in this one where you can increase the loyalty of your followers and provinces. One of the reasons why this one is the fifth on our lineup is the absence of good graphics and visuals but the brilliant conceptualized campaign missions more than make up for that.
6. Medieval II
Medieval II of the total war series gives you access to a lot of accurate historical data as seen in the dozens of countries and regions that had come up during that period. But in this one you will need a lot more that just military might in order to succeed.
The developers have given you chance to use various unorthodox techniques such as religious conquests to get special units or even use spies and assassins to carry out a strategic task. The core strategy is the same out here, which is to conquer as many settlements as possible and defeat enemies, but the troops that you control may be less as compared to the previous installment.
7. Napoleon
Here you will play as the famous French General himself and follow his exploits towards becoming the Emperor of France. But the drawback of creating a game that solely follows the history of this military leader is that only the campaigns of Napoleon tend to be more exciting and detailed as compared to all the other nations of the Coalition.
But The Creative Assembly still lives up to its name by giving you some amazing real-time strategy elements, which are accompanied by spectacular visuals as seen in the weather aspects and battles on land and sea.
8. Rome 2
You may be wondering why Rome 2 wounded up last on our list. It mainly because this pick has only upgraded the graphics from the original title, along with some cool cinematic battles and siege warfare. But other than that, there is not much more that you can expect from this one.
The campaign missions are not all that interesting and even the battle sequences that you see here aren’t as realistic as you would expect it to be. But if you are a die-hard fan of the total war series, then you can check out this pick which includes some new factions as well as military units.
Conclusion:
This is the order in which we can rate the all of the total war games. Those of you who have played the first edition of Total War: Rome, would definitely agree that it is the best Total War game ever made. The others may come close, but are not as great as this one.