Total War: Attila Reviews
It is, across the board, an improvement on Rome II, despite some issues that have been carried over. And not just Rome II at launch, but even when comparing Attila with the Emperor Edition, the new kid puts on the best show. It's a confident marriage of setting and mechanics, with a historical and environmental narrative influencing each faction, pushing them into engaging situations. And you can burn the world, which is fun.
Attila adds new layers of depth and complexity to Total War, and its dark, chaotic atmosphere does a brilliant job of breathing life into one of Europe's most troubled periods. The problem is that all that depth and complexity can make it a very demanding and – at first – unrewarding game. Keep at it, and the epic battles and challenging campaign mode make it well worth persevering. Overall, this feels like one for the fans, but is that really such an awful thing?
The road to victory is a long one
For fans of the genre, the highs of Attila will more than outweigh any lows.
Like its predecessors, Total War ATTILA is equal parts grueling and rewarding, a deep simulation of medieval warfare that lets you shift the tide of one of history's bloodiest conflicts. Unlike some of its predecessors, this game feels thoroughly polished, without any technical gaffes or design mistakes to speak of.
It's not without flaws, but this time those imperfections are forgiveable next to the wealth of quality on offer. Total War: Attila is the return to form that the series desperately needed.
Total War: Attila is one of the best strategy games you can find on the market right now if the historic world is your field of interest and I strongly recommend it to you. There's more than enough accurate material to be found here, allowing you to recreate famous scenes from history, or even create your own from scratch.
Total War: Attila has itself firmly set on bringing a great representation of the Total War gameplay. This is the best point to begin playing if newcomers are interested in sampling their first Total War, while fans can feel better knowing what to expect with a working title at launch.
The fall of empires has largely been consigned to expansion packs in the Total War series - as in Barbarian Invasion for the original Rome, and Fall of the Samurai for Shogun 2 - so it's a new look for a main instalment to concern itself with the topic. Nevertheless, it is largely successful in its ambitions, and is probably one of the most epic experiences you'll find in the tactical-strategy genre. Despite all the tweaks and improvements, however, it's held back by the lingering problems of the series: in short, long wait times and nonsensical diplomacy. With a little more focus to its early stages, these might have been forgiven; as it is, as fine a game as Attila might be, it stands more as a refinement than a revolution for the series.
Overall Attila builds on what Rome 2 did and improved it in a few areas. If you are a strategy game fan or Total War fan you should pick this one up. This review of Total War Attila was done on the PC. A review code was provided by the publisher. 2SHARESShareTweet Tags: Game Reviews, Johnny Hurricane Reviews
Despite the long turns and multitude of menus, Total War: Attila succeeds because it gets you invested in your armies and the period of time. Because the lens is pulled back and away from the battlefield, you can still enjoy other aspects to the game such as family trees and political unrest. This makes for a more fully fleshed out experience that is accentuated by armies that will both thrill and frustrate you in equal measure. Total War: Attila expects you to lose and become frustrated, but it is right there waiting for you to learn, improve, and come back with a vengeance.
While Total War: Attila is a glorified expansion, it is a glorified good expansion, as it brings forth plenty of refinement and ideas… just not enough to make it a distinctly different game from its predecessor. Even so, it's still a wonderfully solid and enjoyable title, and still worth its price to newcomers of the series. For people who already own Rome II, it might be worth waiting for the price to drop, but, ultimately, it is a game that should be gotten.
'Total War: Attila' plays well for the most part, as it lives up to the series' deep and enjoyable standards, but doesn't feel like a leap forward. It is a complex, demanding, and often difficult strategy title, and all of these are to its credit. Playing as the Huns does have its own nuance, while the accompanying historic scenarios help fill out the era. 'Attila' is not chock full of innovation and neither are technical achievements dazzling, but it does sport a reasonable price point at release, somewhere in between an expansion and full retail.
To say Total War: Attila is complex would be an understatement. At times it can feel like you are studying for a final exam. If you manage to get past the steep learning curve however, Total War: Attila is a rewarding historical strategy game. There's a wide range of possibilities on the battlefield and conflicts are a marvelous sight to behold. Unfortunately a few technical problems and an insignificant political system hold it back from greatness.
[F]ans of the Total War series will certainly enjoy this one and there's enough here to wrangle in some new players even if it may be a little daunting at first.
Total War Attila is the most fun the series has been since at least Shogun 2.
If this relatively obscure episode of history isn't your thing but you're jonesing for some Total War, of course, it shouldn't be too long until the incredible sounding Total War: Warhammer shows up. Apart from that, at least we know that Creative Assembly has a bright future making sci-fi survival horrors.
Attila is a solid, innovative entry in the series marred by some inexplicable performance issues. Assuming that the performance issues get worked out, Creative Assembly may have a keeper. As their recent history has shown, though, that's unfortunately far from a given.
Total War: Attila is an arranged marriage between a capable (and aging) battle simulator, and a fussy political one.
Playing ATTILA has taught me that this is a series that has a lot going for it. The scale of the battles, the depth of the seemingly innumerable mechanics all point to well-crafted title, but if I were to never play a Total War game again, I'd be perfectly fine with that.