Napoleon: Total War

Pros

• Challenging
• Historically accurate
• Multiplayer works well

Cons

• Looks outdated
• Hard to find matches
• Slow

Napoleon Total War is a 2010 historical strategy game which places players in the role of Napoleon or one of his adversaries. The game is one of the earlier entries in the Total War series, and is one of the few to place a player in a relatively modern era.

When playing Napoleon, one gets the sense that a tremendous amount of research went into the game. This is not a game that takes a historic person and then takes liberties for game play reasons. Instead, it's a game that plays with the what-if moments of individual battles, challenging the player to do as well - or better - than the man himself. Every instant of the game is deeply rooted in real history, even if the player does have some control over how it all plays out. Coupled with a stellar campaign system and amazing tactical battles, and it's hard to see Napoleon as anything other than a standout in the series.

With that said, there are some obvious nitpicks. Since the game was published in 2010, it certainly doesn't stand up graphically to the newer entries in the series. Likewise, the play can feel incredibly slow, and nothing feels quite as streamlined as it should. Given the nature of the game, the biggest problem is unavoidable - the players are constrained to a relatively small set of options, all drawing from the life and times of Napoleon himself. This makes for a tight experience, but one that's still limited.

Napoleon Total War is a great game, and a good entry into the Total War series. It's not perfect, but it gives a good look at the career of a military genius. If you're looking for a real tactical challenge, this game is a good fit.

Pros

• Challenging
• Historically accurate
• Multiplayer works well

Cons

• Looks outdated
• Hard to find matches
• Slow