| Medieval II: Total War | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Creative Assembly Feral Interactive(ports) |
| Publisher(s) | Sega Feral Interactive(ports) |
| Director(s) | Robert T. Smith |
| Designer(s) | Robert T. Smith |
| Composer(s) | Jeff van Dyck Richard Vaughan James Vincent |
| Series | Total War |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows,macOS,Linux,Android,iOS |
| Release | Microsoft WindowsMacOS,Linux Android,iOS |
| Genre(s) | Real-time tactics,Turn-based strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Medieval II: Total War is astrategyvideo game developed by the since-disbanded Australian branch ofThe Creative Assembly and published bySega.[1] It was released forMicrosoft Windows on 10 November 2006.Feral Interactive published versions of the game formacOS andLinux on 14 January 2016.[2] It is the sequel to 2002'sMedieval: Total War and the fourth title in theTotal War series.
Gameplay is divided between aturn-based strategic campaign andreal-time tactical battles. The campaign is set between the years 1080 and 1530. Players assume control of amedieval state, referred to in the game as a faction, and control its government, economy, military, diplomacy, and religion on a map spanning most ofEurope,North Africa, and theMiddle East. In battles, players control groups of soldiers and engage in combat with enemy forces.
Medieval II received mostly positive reviews from critics. Many reviewers regarded the game as an improvement over its predecessors, but criticised its lack of innovation. Anexpansion pack,Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms, was released in 2007.
Similarly to previous titles in theTotal War series,Medieval II: Total War consists of two main modes of play: a campaign mode and battles.
The campaign, which isturn-based and starts in the 1080s, allows the player to play as one of seventeen factions (though through modifying the game files, 18 factions are playable) from the time period and build their nation economically and militarily in order to conquer other factions. Gameplay consists of controlling the faction's military, economic, and social systems in large campaign maps. During the player's turn, armies, fleets, and agents can be moved on the map. When an army engages another army, the player can choose to fight the battle personally in the battle mode, or automatically calculate the outcome.[3]
The goal of the campaign depends on which type of campaign is played. The short campaign requires the player to defeat one or two enemy factions and control at least 15 settlements. The long campaign requires the player to control at least 45 territories and one or two significant cities, such asJerusalem,Granada,Rome orConstantinople.[4]
Territorial control in the campaign is represented by "settlements", which are large, notable communities. Unlike in previousTotal War games, there are two different types of settlements:castles andcities. Cities primarily focus on buildings that boost one's economy, while castles primarily focus on buildings that allow for the recruitment of more advanced types of soldiers. Certain buildings in settlements can also allow the player to recruit agents that fulfill certain functions, likediplomats andspies. Under most circumstances, the settlements can be converted from one type to the other. Settlements can be governed by members of the player's family, who are also capable of leading armies asgenerals. The talents of family members (and other key characters) are affected by various statistics, like "Piety" and "Loyalty", which are in turn impacted by their character traits, personal experiences, and members of their personal retinue. For example, a character with a high "Command" stat can be expected to do better in battle than a character with a low stat.[4]
Religion in the game is divided into three primary faiths:Roman Catholicism,Eastern Orthodoxy, andIslam. Unorganizedpagan faiths andheretical sects are also represented. If a large portion of a settlement does not adhere to thestate religion, unrest may ensue.Missionaries and religious buildings can be used to gradually convert members of other faiths to the state religion. Catholic nations must deal with thePope, who can send special missions to Catholic rulers. Failure to obey the Pope may result inexcommunication. The Pope may also callCrusades against hostile settlements. Muslimimams with a high "Piety" stat may similarly declarejihads.[5]
Factions primarily interact with each other throughdiplomacy. Diplomatic actions include the creation ofalliances, the securing oftrade rights, and the giving or receiving oftribute. Factions may go to war with one another to secure more settlements or other concessions. Factions that are at war can use their armies to fight each other, which incorporates the battle mechanic of the game into the campaign. Several factions in the campaign are either not present or "dormant" when the game begins. TheMongols will invade in the early 13th century, often posing a serious threat to factions in their path. Later on in the late 14th century, theTimurids will invade, bringingwar elephants with them. Late in the game, in the 15th century, factions may also sail to theAmericas, where they can encounter theAztecs.[6][7]
Two significant events will also have a major impact on the game. First is the discovery of gunpowder in the 13th century, which gives access to cannons andmatchlock firearms, significantly changing the battles and sieges. Second is the outbreak of theblack plague, which sees outbreaks of plague throughout the map, having a significant effect on both armies and city populations.
Medieval II is known for its high intelligence for the AI factions and compared to most games in the franchise, their lack of "cheats" or special AI advantages.
One of the main focuses on theTotal War franchise is its representation ofreal-timebattles in addition to the turn-based campaign. A battle consists of two or more armies from different factions fighting each other. Battles play similarly to those inRome: Total War, with formations of various kinds of troops engaging in combat. The objective of the battle is to defeat the enemy army by completely destroying it or causing the whole army to flee; in asiege battle, the objective is to completely destroy the army or to take control of a plaza in the centre of the settlement. There is also an option which allows the player to allow for time limits on battles, meaning that the attacker must defeat the defender within a certain time limit or the battle results in a victory for the defender. Battles can exist as custom battles set up by the player, multiplayer battles between humans, historical battles based on real-life military engagements, or battles that occur between factions in the campaign.[4][7]
Unit categories include:
Though some units are shared across different factions, some are unique to a certain faction and certain factions tend to specialize more in certain types of units. For example, England and Milan have some of the most effective missile infantry in the game thanks to theEnglish longbow andGenoese Crossbowmen respectively while France has some of the most effective heavy cavalry.
When first playing the game, the player can only choose out of five factions:Kingdom of England,Kingdom of France,Kingdom of Castile,Holy Roman Empire andRepublic of Venice. Defeating a faction allows the player to choose them on a later playthrough while completing a campaign allows the player to choose almost any of the factions in game. In addition to regular factions, various rebel groups roam the map and control most of the cities in the beginning of the game, allowing the player and computer-controlled factions to take these cities without committing to a war against a faction.
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 88/100[8] IOS: 76/100[9] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Eurogamer | 9/10[3] |
| GameRevolution | B+[10] |
| GameSpot | 8.8/10[4] |
| GameSpy |   [11] |
| IGN | (UK) 8.9/10[7] (US) 8.8/10[12] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 90%[13] |
| TouchArcade |  [14] |
Medieval II: Total War received a "Gold" sales award from theEntertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[15] indicating sales of at least 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[16]
Medieval II: Total War received "generally favorable reviews" according to thereview aggregation websiteMetacritic.[8][9]
The exclusive review was given toPC Gamer (US), which gave it an "Editor's Choice Award".[13]IGN said that the game was not as revolutionary as its predecessor, but still introduces some new ideas and builds on others fromRome: Total War, which would still be enough for anybody to buy it.[7]GameSpot noted the game's "epic, engrossing gameplay", but also criticised its "beefy system requirements".[4]Hyper's Anthony Fordham commended the game for its "incredible gameplay, both in battle and on the world map." However, he criticised it for being "more a refinement of the series than a huge leap forward."[17]
Swedish historian and member of theSwedish AcademyPeter Englund reviewed the game for Swedish newspaperDagens Nyheter where he made comparisons to traditional battle depictions such as oldcopper engravings and paintings, and the more recent film medium. In the review, Englund concluded thatMedieval II represents a form of battle depiction "amazingly similar to an engraving from the 1600s."[18]
The editors ofComputer Games Magazine namedMedieval II the eighth-best computer game of 2006. They wrote that "No scripted encounters or overly dramatic cutscenes can compare with the stories Creative Assembly allows you to write as your armies beat down all who would oppose you."[19]Edge ranked the game at #26 on its list of "The 100 Best Games To Play Today", calling it "as complete a depiction of war as there has been in a videogame."[20]
Although most reviews were positive,[4] some reviews have noted negative aspects of the game, such as pathfinding bugs,[21] some AI problems and some uninteresting new features.[11]
TheAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominatedMedieval II: Total War for "Strategy Game of the Year" at the10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.[22]
An expansion,Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms, was announced on 30 March 2007 and released on 28 August 2007 in the US, 31 August in the UK, 7 September in Australia, and 22 November in Japan. It adds four new campaigns to the game: "Americas", which focuses on theSpanish colonization of the Americas, "Britannia", which focuses on several conflicts on theBritish Isles, "Crusades", which covers theThird andFourth Crusades, and "Teutonic", which deals with theNorthern Crusades. In each of the campaigns, a small part of the world (e.g. the British Isles) is taken and enlarged, with many settlements added to it.
TheGold Edition of the game, containing the original game and the expansion pack, was released on 1 February 2008; this was later released/renamed on Steam asMedieval II: Total War™ Collection.
