Demo now available for Rome: Total War

The demo is now available for Rome: Total War. Be sure you're on a high speed line though to download it as it is over 160 Mb in size. It will be interesting to see how they created all those simulations for The History Channel's new series "Decisive Battles"!

Excitement Continues to Build for Rome: Total War

"This game is not for the timid, nor for the twitch strategic gamers. Rome is a complex meeting of tactics and deep strategy on a global level. Activision and Creative Assembly gave us the opportunity to sit down and check out both of these aspects in the single player campaign mode. The mix and harmony between those two elements is quite impressive. Those decisions you make on the overland map have a tangible effect to the battlefield.

When selecting the campaign, players will immediately be introduced to the land and the Roman philosophy with a cutscene. After that short break, the campaign immediately begins with players taking the role of a member of Roman House of Julii. Your job will be to protect and expand the Roman borders while taking care of business for the senate via missions. For instance, the Senate had me taking trips into Carthaginian and Greek territories in order to broaden the Roman horizons. This isn't a great way to make friends, but Romans don't really need friends. They need subjects."

I had to laugh at the caption for this image: "Invade a city and watch it burn!"

The Punic Wars: A Clash of Two Empires Reviewed

DailyGame.net"You have the option of selecting four nations to play: Romans, Carthaginians, Gauls and Iberians. Each has advantages and disadvantages in the type of army you can raise and training you provide. The battlefield has a good variety with mountain, ocean and island landscapes to fight in. Players select the number of opponents and the difficulty level, there's an option to select a specific nation or a random one, and special aspects like caves link different areas while wolf packs spice up the game. There's a lot of variation possible, and that's what makes games like this so easy to replay over and over. The adventure campaigns themselves are probably only worth one play-through, but they are interesting and take many hours to complete.

Graphics processing is not a problem for older computers, but you will not be disappointed in the quality of graphics or sound either. The landscapes are rich, and the background sounds are amusing and varied. This is a 2D game that doesn't rely on a heavy-duty graphics engine that will push the limits of your video card, but it provides a detail-rich environment that never leaves you thinking that the publishers were looking to cut corners.

The Punic Wars is an intriguing take on the RTS model that provides a rich platform for trying out new strategies in different scenarios. While not on the same playing field as Rome: Total War, The Punic Wars is a good overall game that most RTS fans will not regret purchasing."

(Also marketed as "Nemesis of the Roman Empire")

Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade PC game demo available

Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade PC game demo"Sword, axe, bow and shield are the weapons you must use with great skill. Fighting your way through Europe and the Holy land, facing human warriors, assassins and demonic minions, you must find the prize that will thwart the plans of the enemy: A holy relic of immense age.

The core of the game is medieval style fighting with the classical weapons of European knights, coupled with stunning graphics of the historical milieus of the 12th century crusades and the otherworldly locations of your worst nightmares."

Atlantis Evolution to ship this fall

Atlantis Evolution E3 2004 Preshow Impressions - Atlantis Evolution Previews for PC at GameSpot: "Atlantis Evolution is the first of a planned series of adventure games based on the famous ancient lost city. You'll play as Curtis Quick, a young adventurer in the early part of the 20th century. While at sea, Curtis is drawn into a vortex and delivered to the lost city of Atlantis. There, he finds himself as the only outsider in a society oppressed by the 'Atlantian' gods. It'll be up to you to figure out the mystery of Atlantis and to help free the citizens of the city.

The game will feature 3D graphics and five distinctly different destinations to explore, each with its own culture and mysteries. As with any adventure game, you'll be challenged to solve difficult puzzles."

Medieval Lords signed for UK - PC News at GameSpot

Medieval Lords signed for UK: "Digital Jesters announced that it will publish Monte Cristo's Medieval Lords: Build, Defend, Expand in the UK in October. The historical city management game promises a more organic city-building experience than other games in the genre, and it will allow players to zoom in to explore their cities from first-person perspectives."

Gates of Troy Demo Released

Gates of Troy Demo has been released.

Gates of Troy is the sequel to the award winning turn based strategy game
Spartan. Gates of Troy covers the time before history in Greece when the
Trojan Wars were fought & heroes were made. Play as Achilles in control of
his Myrmidon warriors, or as Paris, prince of Troy, defending the woman he
loves.

The Gates of Troy demo has 3 tutorial scenarios, and two playable campaigns.
The pass of Thermopylae campaign puts you in control of 300 Spartans, and
their allies under King Leonidas and you must defend the pass for 20 turns
against the Persian horde. This small campaign is recreated on a one for one
scale with history, which will please history buffs immensely. The Crete
campaign allows you to focus on empire building & development rather than
battles.

The demo is limited to 30 turns or 5 battles.