Empire Total War: Special Forces Edition

by Sega

Product Features

• The core Empire: Total War game. The Creative Assembly introduces high seas battles to the award winning, multi-million unit selling Total War series in this action-packed epic set in the 18th Century.
• Special Forces Edition includes six additional Special Forces units include: HMS Victory, Rogers' Rangers, Ottoman Organ Gun, Ghoorkas, CorsoTerrestre Guerillas, Bulkeley's Regiment .
• Also includes an Intricate Campaign Map. Only in the Special Forces edition, players will receive a fold-out Campaign Map that they can use in the single-player campaign to help them strategize their world take-over.
• Includes The History Channel Revolution DVD. The award winning series tells of a remarkable group who transformed themselves into architects of the future and built a new nation unlike any that had come before
• Includes The Art of Empire: Total War art book. Complete with concept art, fans will love this behind-the-scenes look at the vision of Empire: Total War.

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B001QTXMRC
• Media: DVD-ROM
• Release Date: March 3, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,785 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Empire: Total War (Special Forces Edition) by Sega features grand turn-based campaign map and rich historical flavor while introducing for the first time 3D naval combat.

Set in the 18th century, an era filled with global conflict, revolutionary fever and technological advances. Empire: Total War features the debut of 3D naval combat; you will be able to command vast fleets or single ships upon seascapes with extraordinary water and weather effects that play a huge role in your success or defeat. Use your cannons on enemies, and close in to grapple their ship and prepare to board and fight hand-to-hand on the decks.

Sending in the troops View larger.

Take the war to the seas View larger.

Engage in brutal hand-to-hand combat View larger.

Synopsis
Prepare to wage war on your enemies, relying on the firepower of six powerful Special Forces units. In Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition, you'll travel back to the 18th century, an era of relentless territorial expansion and near-perpetual war. The Age of Imperialism reigns, and around the world the seas are filled with ships belonging to the superpowers of the day. This ambition, however, inevitably leads to conflict. Take to the high seas for extraordinary 3D naval combat as you prove you have the daring and determination it takes to conquer the globe.

Key Game Features:

• Draw on the fierce power of six additional Special Forces units: the HMS Victory, Rogers' Rangers, the Ottoman organ gun, Ghoorkas, the Corso Terrestre Guerrillas and Bulkeley's Regiment
• Explore empire-building in greater depth with bonus materials, such as a fold-out single-player campaign map, the History Channel's The Revolution on DVD and The Art of Empire: Total War art book
• Dominate the sea, command an army and strive to conquer the globe as you go to battle in the 18th-century Age of Imperialism
• Take command of a single ship or a vast fleet, all with fully destructible sails, and engage in real-time 3D naval warfare
• Savor the stunning power and majesty of real-time seascapes, dynamic weather and an advanced landscape and flora system, courtesy of the DX10 graphics engine
• Engage in cannon and musket warfare as well as brutal hand-to-hand combat
• Fight in locations around the globe, including India, Europe and America
• Gain access to advanced features gradually in a tense, episodic campaign
• See how you match up against other players in the rankings, and join leagues and ladders for additional challenges
• For 1 to 8 players

The Next Installment of the Total War Franchise
Take command of single ships or vast fleets for exhilarating real-time naval warfare. Pound your enemies with the power of your mighty cannons, then board enemy ships and engage in exciting hand-to-hand combat. Battle both enemies and the elements as the new DX10 graphics engine renders seascapes and dynamic weather to stunning effect. Experience war on a global scale with any of more than 30 in-game factions encompassing an array of major world powers, including the United States, then take the fight online to battle with far-off friends in a variety of new multiplayer modes. This expanded Special Forces Edition provides you with access to the elite skills of six exclusive Special Forces units, including Lord Nelson's 104-gun flagship, the HMS Victory; the highly trained elite light infantry unit Rogers' Rangers; the Ottoman organ gun, a powerful field gun capable of inflicting incredible damage; Nepalese Ghoorkas, each armed with a deadly 18" curved knife known as a kukri; the Corso Terrestre Guerrillas, an independent light infantry guerrilla regiment known for its skirmish and stealth tactics; and the fearsomely hardy Bulkeley's Regiment, a French unit of Irish mercenaries. With the Special Forces Edition, you'll also receive a fold-out campaign map, a DVD of the History Channel's The Revolution series and a book of concept art.

Product Description

In this expanded edition of Empire: Total War, players will conquer the globe with the elite skills of six exclusive units – the Special Forces. Whether battling on the high seas from the deck of the Royal Navy’s most heavily armed ship, the HMS Victory, or combating enemies in the field with the Ottoman Organ Gun, these six elite units give players all-new ways to conquer and command by land and sea in Empire: Total War.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Fun, but the sheer number of bugs ruin the experience., March 6, 2009

By 

Strategy Gamer "strategy game fan" (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Empire Total War: Special Forces Edition (DVD-ROM)

Gameplay Positives:
============

- Good graphics
- Interesting scenarios
- Improved Campaign and Battle AI (over MTW2)
- Field battles are fun and on occasion the AI does some clever things.
- detailed sea battles
- Suicidal general problem seems to have been improved (over MTW2)

Gameplay Negatives:
===================
- Siege battles are horrible and almost impossible to lose. This in itself makes the game a cinch to win.

- The AI artillery frequently fires into the backs of its own troops.

- AI artillery inside settlements demolish their own walls.

- More issues but somewhat minor in overall nature.

*BUGS*
======
- Major memory leak being reported that causes your game to eventually crash reported. You will need an occassional reboot of your system if your performance starts to decline on your system.

- performance issues even with high end PC's due to some choppiness with the animation textures. Turns are very slow.

- ATI Graphic card owners need to be aware of some graphics issues.

- MAJOR activation and install problems!! It took me over 4 hours to get the game installed/running without crashing. This only after I read lengthy posts at the company web sites. The sheer number of bugs being reported at their site is staggering.

Conclusion:
============
For this game to be released in this condition is disgraceful. It is evident that the game was rushed out with little or no testing. This game is in need of an immediate patch before it is playable.

Is it worth buying? Yes and no. All Total War games are worth buying. In its current state I can't in good faith recommend buying it right now so waiting for the patches to be released is your best bet.

62 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clarification of Special Forces Edition, March 3, 2009

By 

Senor Zoidbergo (Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Empire Total War: Special Forces Edition (DVD-ROM)

I thought I'd clarify the included content in the ETW: Special Forces Edition. It would appear that Creative Assembly is working with different retailers to provide different unique units, which cannot be obtained otherwise, except through that specific retailer. These unique units are generally more powerful than the regular ones featured in-game.

**It would appear that at this time, there is no way to buy all 9 special units.**

The Collector's Edition adds a flask (with real gin perhaps?), compass, campaign map, treasure chest, and art book.

And here's a run-down of the basic 6-units you'd get from Amazon/Steam.

* HMS Victory: The Royal Navy's most distinguished and formidable first rate ship of the line; Lord Nelson's 104 gun flagship is one of the most heavily armed ships of the 18th Century.

* Rogers' Rangers: Major Robert Rogers' company of rangers are highly trained elite light infantry, specialising in reconnaissance and special operations. They are extremely mobile in even the most challenging environments.

* Ottoman Organ Gun: A viciously powerful field gun, able to inflict incredible damage on the opposing army. Emphatic proof of the Ottoman Empire's advanced knowledge of gunpowder and firearms technology.

* Ghoorkas:"Better to die than be a coward" has been the motto of these elite Nepalese soldiers for centuries. Disciplined, tough and courageous, they carry a deadly 18-inch long, curved knife known as the kukri.

* Corso Terrestre Guerillas: An independent light infantry guerrilla regiment, experienced in skirmish and stealth tactics. Surprise raids and ambushes are the guerillas' favoured tactics, a way to compensate for their limited number and light armour.

* Bulkeley's Regiment: A French unit of Irish mercenaries with a fearsome reputation for hardiness. Exceptionally tough and resilient, they make for a highly flexible and dependable regiment.

So the question is, how do you get the other 3 special forces units, e.g. the Death's Head Hussars, USS Constitution, and Dahomey's Amazons? It turns out that the game is already coded with for all the special forces units, and unlocking them may just require particular research or holding certain territories.

USS Constitution: this unit is only available when playing as the USA and your technology has sufficiently advanced. It may also be captured by opposing factions.

Death's Head Hussars: this unit is only available when playing as Prussia and your technology has sufficiently advanced. Prussia must also hold Brandenburg.

Dahomey Amazons: this unit is only available when holding territory in North Africa.

64 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Steam DRM, March 7, 2009

By 

Erich Maria Remarque (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

= Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Empire Total War: Special Forces Edition (DVD-ROM)

Empire: Total War comes with Steam DRM.

First of all, the game requires online activation. Steam requires you to activate the game online, or else it simply won't run.

Second of all, you don't get discrete patches with Steam. The game is automatically updated, but there is no option to save those patches for later.

And worst of all, you CANNOT sell your game. The game is tied to your steam account, and cannot be transferred. This is in violation of the US First-sale Doctrine, and your basic rights as a customer.

Why don't they make Steam optional? That way, both groups of people who like Steam and people who hate DRM will be happy.

Sorry, but Steam is just as bad as SecuROM when it's required for a single-player game.