|
|
 |
|
|
|
Medieval II Total War: Kingdoms Expansion Pack Review (continued)
More User Submitted Medieval II Total War: Kingdoms Expansion Pack Reviews
Date: 2007-09-05
Good, but....
I have more than got my money's worth from the original. Will I with this release? Perhaps. As others have noted, it really is a collection of mods - but then I don't do multiplayer anymore, so poor functionality in this respect doesn't bother me.
I had a lot of difficulty installing. It kept on getting hung up trying to install patch 1.3 saying the patch 1.2 had "modified the files" (well DUH!). I tried doing a clean install of the original game and had the same result. These processes took a lot of time and produced a lot of frustration. Eventually I had do do another clean install, then install 1.2 & 1.3 manually - then the individual campaigns installed correctly using the install engine. as usual, the official sites were of zero value in troubleshooting. I reduced the rating to reflect these problems.
So far, I have nearly completed the Crusades campaign as the Kingdom of Jerusalem. At medium difficulty for game and battle it hasn't presented much of a challenge. I still have issues with the attack ratings of some of the units - armoured knights and quality archers should DEVASTATE light infantry, but they don't. Historically, a light infantry man (not a spearman) had about as much chance of killing an armoured knight as a guy throwing rocks has at disabling an M1 Abrams tank. While we're on that topic, just because a knight's horse got killed didn't mean he was out of it or dead - he simply fought on foot, and quite effectively too - but this is not reflected in the game.
The bottom line: is it worth $29.95 plus shipping? Yes. Buy it. I look forward to trying some of the harder factions and campaigns.
Date: 2007-09-04
Expansion Exceeded my Expectations
CA has done it again with this fantastic expansion pack. It add four campaigns that are just as exciting as the grand campaign in the original M2TW. Of course there are some people out there that are never happy with anything. The biggest complaint that I have heard is comparing the 4 new campaigns to mods. Well, that is precisely what an expansion pack is and always has been in this series.
These campaigns are not short; they are all at least 200 turns each (some are more). They each feature several brand new factions and many, many brand new units. The AI has been improved on both the battle and campaign maps. Seriously, don't listen to the naysayers. If you have liked CA's titles in the past, you will absolutely love this one too.
Date: 2007-09-04
Don't Listen to the one or two stars
Look, to be perfectly honest someof these people are not being fair with this game. Yes, it's four mods, BUT they're four excellent mods of the best standards. The four new campaigns are HUGE and have excellent replay. The new factions are great(especially the Teutonic Order)and as are the new units. For all of those who are hesitating DON'T. Buy it, I promise you won't regret it
Date: 2007-09-02
Kingdoms expansion
Use must have "Medieval II - Total War" to play the Kingdoms expansion. The Kingdoms expansion uses core game elements from the Medieval II: Total War game, therefore, if you purchased M2-TW from a retail location "in-the-box," then purchase Kingdoms at a retail location "in-the-box;" if you downloaded M2-TW from the internet then download Kingdoms from that same internet provider (e.g., Steam, Direct2Drive, and Digital River, etc.). To play the retail "in-the-box" version of the Kingdom expansion, you will need a DVD drive (the newer the better). The Kingdoms expansion will AUTOMATICALLY upgrade "Medieval II - Total War" up to version 1.3, eliminating the need to obtain and install "Medieval II - Total War" update patches 1.1 and 1.2 before installing the Kingdoms expansion. Be sure that your graphic card and RAM are adequate to the task. Also, be sure to update your graphics card driver, if necessary.
The Kingdoms expansion includes four sub-modules: the Americas Campaign, the Britannia Campaign, the Crusades Campaign, and the Teutonic Order Campaign.
The Americas Campaign contains the following factions (all of which may or may or may not be playable in "campaign mode," but are playable in "custom battle" mode): English Colonies, Chichimec Tribes, Apachean Tribes, the Mayans, New France, New Spain, the Aztec Empire, the Tlaxcalans, and the Tarascans. In the "custom battle" mode, one can select either "high" or "late" period (not "early"); and one can select one of seventeen (17) battle maps.
The Britannia Campaign contains the following factions (all of which may or may or may not be playable in "campaign mode," but are playable in "custom battle" mode): England, the Baron's Alliance, Ireland, Norway, Scotland, and Wales. In the "custom battle" mode, one can select either "early," "high," or "late" period; and one can select one of twenty (20) battle maps.
The Crusades Campaign contains the following factions (all of which may or may or may not be playable in "campaign mode," but are playable in "custom battle" mode): the Byzantine Empire, the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Principality of Antioch, Egypt, the Mongols, the Turks, and Venice. In the "custom battle" mode, one can select either "early," "high," or "late" period; and one can select one of nineteen (19) battle maps.
The Teutonic Order Campaign contains the following factions (all of which may or may or may not be playable in "campaign mode," but are playable in "custom battle" mode): Denmark, the Holy Roman Empire, Lithuania, the Mongols, Norway, Novgorod, Poland, and the Teutonic Order. In the "custom battle" mode, one can select either "early," "high," or "late" period; and one can select one of eighteen (18) battle maps.
Of interest to modders, the Kingdoms expansion includes SDK tools, including a "Battle Editor" for the creation of custom battle maps, and an "Unpacker" tool which allows one to open data packs, and then edit and/or replace some of the individual files. Also included is "CinEd," allowing one to create movies using battle replays.
Date: 2007-09-01
Expansion pack
It' an expansion pack for medieval 2.As such it's a nice addition.
As for multiplayer, I did not read reviews that stressed any advancements
in that area. Total War has always had a board game feel,with real time
combat.The first two even used Risk style counters and movement.The
new editions are exactly what an expansion is,new units and campaign
elements. A total redesign is not what you would expect. I like the new
editions and have not been deceived into thinking this was supposed to be
revolutionary. Total War is a terrific game,and that is why I purchased the
expansion. If I did not like it the way it was then I'm sure I would not
purchase this edition.
Medieval II Total War: Kingdoms Expansion Pack Reviews Page: 4 of 5 Prev<< 1 2 3 4 5 Next>>
|
|
|
|
