Developed by Slitherine and published by CDV Entertainment USA, The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome is a real-time tactical simulation that lets you take command of Roman legions and experience the history of the Roman Empire from its earliest days when it was ruled by Etruscan kings, to the last days of a dying empire. From the very start, Great Battles of Rome pulls you into the story of the emerging republic as you throw off the yoke of the king and established Rome as its own city-state. But times are not easy for your people as Rome is still weak and beset by enemies on all sides. You must recruit troops and lead them into battle to secure Rome's future and seal its fate.
This is a game that tells the story of the growth and establishment of Rome through the use of cut-scenes and real time tactical battles. In battle, you command troops with the goal of achieving various mission objectives. Objectives vary greatly and some of the more common include: defeating the enemy general, killing a number of the enemy troops, or holding ground for a period of time. But, like the enemies you face throughout the game, no two objectives are alike. There is a reason a Pyrrhic victory is of Roman origin: sometimes when you win, you still lose.
I found the variety of missions not at all repetitive, and it really helped to draw me into the story. The ability to replay each mission if you lose (or don't care for the results) without any repercussions was a pleasant surprise. This was not only extremely useful but practically required as the objectives in some missions are rather difficult to complete on your first attempt. Unit placement and army composition are critical components in deciding whether or not you achieve or fail your objectives.
The second element to Great Battles is the army building. This is a mini-game of its own as you must decide what types of units to recruit, how to outfit them, and what upgrades to choose as they have gain experience. There are truly a staggering number of upgrades, all of which have direct impact on the unit's capabilities or performance in combat.
Some upgrades affect the unit itself: allowing them to fight better against other troop types, to have better morale, to do more damage, withstand more wounds, or even shift into different formations. A second set affect your General's ability to command the unit and issue orders. In addition, your General is a unit that is represented on the battlefield and can be equipped with better armor or weapons and gain experience (and therefore upgrades).
My one frustration was that I never felt I had enough Denarii to purchase all of the armor and units I wanted. And it always felt that just as a unit was developing the experience to be really good in combat it was outclassed by better, heavier or well-trained units in battles. Attempting to juggle all of this while pushing the story forward was definitely a big part of the challenge and fun I found in the game.
I should at least touch on the graphics. This is not a title that will win any awards for pushing boundaries on visuals. It does what it needs to and adequately. There is enough detail that even zoomed in close to the units I was able to enjoy watching combat up close and while you won't see in-depth lighting or shadows, you will see good use of terrain and graphics that do not hinder the story one bit.
For those people who love history - especially the history of Rome - and also love tactical strategy games, this game will definitely be to your liking. It's fun, detailed and even though the key points of the history of Rome are well documented, it's the smaller details that caught my attention. Information about how the Punic Wars were fought and how long it took before Rome truly secured the Italian peninsula, for example. It is details such as this that really make Great Battles of Rome a game for history buffs and fans of Rome everywhere.
