BEST WAR
Judging the best Total War games is tricky. Maybe it’s
because the concept of ‘best’ depends on what kind of mood
you’re in – I play them on rotation, influenced by whichever
books, films, or other games I’m consuming at the time.
Watching the Battle of the Hornburg makes me crave Total
War: Warhammer; reading about the crusades make me
yearn for Medieval 2. These are ‘feel’ games, which satisfy
cravings beyond the need for sharp strategy or pitched
battles. They let you twist history, create new stories, or
roleplay as your favourite generals.
There’s also precious little to separate them, especially at
the top end of the order. The factors that make the series
a success are found in every game, and it’s often only the
strength of the setting that sets the games apart. There are
obvious outliers – Empire and Napoleon feel like they’re
from a different universe – but they all offer the same mix of
conflict and conquest, failure and domination.
In order of preference, here are the best standalone Total
War games.The definitive war of the worlds.
Matt Elliot