On release, Rome II was a disaster that quite possibly trumped Empire.
Unfortunately, the game shown that day is not the game the players got. Not only did the graphics look amazing, but it showed everything people wanted to see a traditional siege of a walled settlement, the clash of two mighty empires with distinct culture and style, and an epic struggle that felt a bit lost with Shogun II's small scale. So, when Rome II was announced and the first gameplay video surfaced, it astounded the fanbase. However, the game left people wanting in unit variety and locales, as Feudal Japan was fairly lacking in those aspects. It was a breath of fresh air that followed the disaster that was Empire. It generated a lot of hype after the success of Shogun II, which had a tight, focused singleplayer, an expertly crafted multiplayer, and in general honed and perfected the traditional mechanics of the Total War franchise. Originally owned by THQ, CA was purchased by SEGA and every Total War game after the original Rome has been made under their publishing. Total War is the long running franchise brought to us by the folks at Creative Assembly.
