All the blood and gore of the 18th Century captured beautifully on you computer!
For those new to the series it must be stressed that it is NOT like Age of Empires but is closely connected to Sid Meir's Civilization Series. The battles occur in real time but not the main campaign game. The battles themselves will give a lot more control than in Age of Empires and will be more realistic. If you have played other Total War games and have come to Empire: Total War you will have to learn some of the new mechanics of the game but the strategy remains the same.
The new economy is vastly better than that of old. It is more complex and trade has much more importance placed on it. The 18th Centaury was historically a time of trade and colonies are vital to success in the campaign. Trade can be established throughout the 3 theatres of war, India, Europe and the Americas. As you progress you will have to establish colonies in the Spice Islands in America, tea plantations in India and ports in Europe. All these commodities will be transported from the colonies to your home ports and then to your trade partners via trade routes. These routes will also be used by other factions and in times of war you can use your navy to block trade routes so the enemy does not have a proper economy.
Managing settlements has also changed. No longer are regions empty with one capital city. Now regions have farms, plantations, ports and industrial towns scattered across them. You still have to go to the capital to develop infrastructure, military and other buildings. These outlying towns play an important role. They allow you to attack certain aspects of an enemy economy such as their farms or just their heavy industry. However these areas pose a huge problem. Maintaining these towns is simple and easy when playing as a faction with little settlements like the British or the United Provinces and it is easy to maintain them as your empire grows gradually. However if you play as the Ottomans who have 12 REGIONS which are mostly underdeveloped you will have a hard time. However this is only a small setback and once you spend an hour or so advancing your infrastructure and organizing yourself you will not have to worry about your home regions for most of the game.
Perhaps the best addition to the game is the Naval Warfare. Playing as an admiral differs greatly from being a general. There are many factors to be considered such as wind, sail and especially facing. This will be the hardest new skill to master and you will most likely loose lots of ships before you will become familiar with your navies. However once you do master it you will be able to control the seas with relative ease. The biggest mistake you can make during a battle is to accidentally concentrate your ships in a closely packed circle which can be easily surrounded. Whatever you do you must avoid this situation at all costs.
Last but not least are the new units available to you. As with all previous games the units vary per civilization, sadly you cannot unlock all the factions by finishing the game although there are mods available. Most of your units will be armed with guns and will use their swords as auxiliary weapons. Because of this you have to be very strict about maintaining battle lines and keeping your muskets and guns in straight lines. It is also wise to try to set up a cross-fire i.e. keeping an enemy busy while another unit sneaks to the side or rear and fires. Cavalry now plays a strict flanking role. You will only use them head on when you know that they will succeed. Unlike in past Total War games it is not a good idea to charge 4 or 5 cavalry units together to attack 2 or 3 infantry units as this means that most of your horses will stand around and do nothing and will become vulnerable to flanking maneuvers. It is wise to only use cavalry while your infantry distract the enemy. Taking on cavalry with cavalry works sometimes but is not a wise choice as you will sustain heavy casualties. Using pikemen (if any are available to you) and Camels are the most effective methods however using a cannon's canister shot at close range to scare horses away is perhaps the safest. Even though cavalry may be a problem it is not that much of a concern as even normal Line of Foot infantry can take care of a head on cavalry charge as long as the have another unit nearby, the key to deflecting charges is to maintain you lines. Using cannons as cover is also a wise method but you must remember to always watch their positioning and place them on high ground with plenty of protection.
On the whole you may find the new additions to the Total War series a bit daunting but once you get the hang of it you will really be drawn into the game. Besides a few glitches and flaws here and there Empire: Total War really is a fantastic game and as always it is very satisfying to see your men land volleys of lead on an incoming enemy and to see an entire unit of cavalry being wiped out by canister shot and seeing their remaining twisted bodies really pleases. This is a must get for Total War fans and it will keep you busy for many LONG hours.