Machiavelli

First of all let me state that Titanfall is mechanically and conceptually a brilliant and exhilirating game. It's responsive and fun to play, and adds a lot to the FPS genre from the perspective of game design, and for that all credit where it is due. The issue is that for a 60$ title the lack of content that comes upon release is unjustifiable. There are free to play shooters that give more content than Titanfall does, and this makes the price an instant refund for me, as while I enjoy the game immensely it is not worth the price and I do not want to encourage such prices on products that are not worth it from a content perspective. This took it from an 8 to a 6 for me, two other aspects about the game bothered me, the first and most important being the lack of something new from a game mode perspectve, and general generic design of said game modes and weapons (appart from attrition and the smart pistol) Respawn could have leapt forward but it feels like much of what they did was playing it safe. The last and less important point are the visuals, while they are of course not very important it shocks me that infinity wards most talented are incapable of working on anything else than an outdated and simplistic engine that is definately showing its age. Wether graphics are important or no after near a decade of use its time to put that old thing to rest, and use newer engines enabling more divergent and complex gameplay, as well as visual fidelity.

I would give it a 6/10 for pleasant aesthetics and quite decent visuals for a next gen game, however because of the appaling lack of depth, controll, and complexity to the game, (especially compared to older titles) I have to dock that to a 2/10. It is unfortunate that so many developers feel the best way to make a good game is to cater to the lowest common denominator, it is surprising then that the general lack of positive response to these games hasn't gotten trhough thick skulls yet.

Atmosphere and art : Is nothing short of phenomenal :10/10 Immediately pulls you into the world and has a sense of place Soundtrack and Score: 9/10: Well crafted and not overpowering during gameplay Graphics: 7.5/10: Great artwork and atmosphere sometimes let down by muddy textures Story: 8.5/10 Interesting plot and ending however some obvious plot holes let you down now and then Gameplay: 7.5/10 The achilles heel of the game the shooting mechanics are poor verging on worse, whith weak sound and little visual oomph. Gameplay is uneven with some areas being too repetetive, that said it has some great parts and riding rails makes up some for the poor gun mechanics

Despite floaty combat, generally average map design, and some pervasive bugs, War of the Roses provides gameplay that is just plain fun, and the skill based combat as well as the variety of weapons keeps me coming back. Its not technically a 9/10 however I rate it so because of how much fun I got out of this game, which to me is the end all of what a game should do, be immersive, challenging and fun.

My first impression of this game was a 9/10 however as I tried to delve deeper into the game I found that I simply could not, vast and very shallow a lake this is. City management has been simplified even further than Shogun 2. The immersive nature and detail of the cities in Rome 1 are gone replaced with prettier pictures but simpler mechanics. Perhaps this is the core of the issue, CA focused so heavily in making a gorgeous game (which it is, albeit unoptimized) that they forgot to reel the player in with detail management mechanics that while small are what ties and immerses the player in the game world in the first place. Each mechanic individually is indeed an 8 or 9 out of ten, However put it all together and try and immerse yopurself in the campaign and you find those little things that kept you playing 100 hours are no longer there. As a proper total war game it is a 3. This is the last time I preorder a TW game.