When you open the case, however, you'll discover that the DVD includes only the first few episodes of the series, which only carries you up to the end of 1776.
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The back of the box also announces the inclusion of The History Channel's excellent program The Revolution on DVD. They're lovely, of course, but the double-page spreads are smaller than a sheet of typing paper so it's hard to appreciate the details. I was very excited about the art book, but this is just a tiny booklet with only a dozen or so concept pieces in it. There's a two-sided poster that shows all the city and town improvements, but since there isn't really any branching in the city development, having them all laid out in front of you doesn't really help with your city planning. I don't think anyone's stupid enough to be fooled into thinking that a crisply folded map with copyright notices all over the bottom is an actual relic from the Revolutionary War, but it's nice when publishers go that extra mile to connect players with the game world.
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Even if it was too expensive to add full color to map, the publishers could have at least printed it on parchment paper to better suit the mood of the game. Unfortunately, as good as the illustrations and quality of the image are, the map is just black ink on slick, semi-gloss paper. It's clean, legible and a handy resource to have when you're considering your future plans. It gives you a chance to get a view of the whole world and plan out your strategies with an eye towards the big picture. The campaign map has some utility but not much style. None of the new units really fills a hole in the game's roster, but they do add to your range of options in single player. Roger's Rangers and the Corso Terestre Guerillas serve as good hit and run infantry, and Bulkeley's Regiment can stand firm under all but the most punishing attacks. On land, the Ottoman Organ Gun mows down your enemies from a distance, while the Nepalese Ghoorkas chop them to pieces with their kukri knives. At sea, you'll be able to make use of Nelson's 104-gun flagship, HMS Victory, to absolutely crush the other navies in the game. The biggest draw of the edition is the inclusion of six special units, all of whom are drawn from some of the special forces of the era. The Special Forces Edition As much as we love (and I mean love) Empire: Total War, the Special Forces edition just isn't worth the extra twenty bucks. Whether you compete in Europe, India or the Americas is up to you. And with several other major powers (and many more lesser ones) competing for the same resources, armed conflict is inevitable. Leaders of each nation will have to consider war and peace, trade and taxation, government and technology, infrastructure and recruitment, alliances and expansion, and a host of other competing national priorities. Here players will have the chance to lead one of the main powers of Europe through the entire 18th century.
The Grand Campaign doesn't have as many emotionally effective story elements but it does benefit from a much wider scope, in terms of both time and geographic area. Knowing how the battle turns out, it was especially motivating and helped to put me in the right mood when, with only one army and one city, I'm asked to secure the entire seaboard from Georgia to Maine There's a considerable emotional element as well that first shot of the American flags at Bunker Hill really got to me. The cutscenes establish a firm context for the battles, and makes them more than just isolated exercises in strategic thinking. First, the storytelling and overall presentation is excellent. Though I'm strictly a grand campaign kind of player, I found a lot to love about the more directed experience of the Road to Independence campaign. After the first handful of missions in the new campaign, you're dropped into the American theater, where you'll learn some of the finer points of empire management.
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The new Road to Independence campaign begins with a series of limited, scripted objectives that will guide you through some of the basic concepts of the game, from fighting off a Native raiding party at the start, to waging battles on the campaign map, to using ships to move your land units around obstacles. Despite the numerous additions to the series, Total War veterans will feel right at home here, and the numerous tool tips and tutorial messages will explain how the new elements of Empire fit within the existing scheme.