Looking for the latest Total War Game? Then go pick up a copy of Medieval Total War II and grab the newly released expansion Kingdoms while you are at it.

MTW II is an upgrade of RTW as far as graphics go. Its set during Medieval Period, with factions and units to match, along with the invention of Gunpowder and early gunpowder units. Religion plays a factor, Crusades and Jihads are possible, and the Pope will excommunicate you if you continuously attack Catholic nations. Getting your priests to become Cardinals gives you more sway with the Pope - getting a Cardinal elected as Pope is priceless! Beware the Mongol Invasion! They'll destroy every army not protected by a City! If you're lucky enough, you'll be around for when the Americas are discovered, though the Aztecs might prove a worthy foe.

Kingdoms, the expansion, is improved upon graphics and AI, 13 new factions, and 110 new units. There is no grand campaign though i imagine some one will make a mod to fix that. Instead, there are 4 Campaigns covering different regions. The first is the Americas Campaign, where you can play as the Aztecs, Mayans, Apaches, or a few other tribes and New Spain. Map covers South and North America and has some cool features. Britannia is another Campaign, pitting the Irish, Welsh, Scots, English, and Norwegians against each other.

The Teutonic Campaign focuses on Eastern Europe and the Teutonic Orders crusade against the Pagan Lithuanians. The Polish, Novgrod, the Danes, HRE and Norwegians also play a large role in this one.

The last Campaign is the Crusades, focusing in the Mid East. Allows you to play as one of several Crusading countries, or their Muslim counterparts, also with a bunch of cool gameplay features.

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I will be getting this!!

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

Wow - i just played a custom battle as Byzantines against...Venice i think, in the Crusades Campaign, because i wanted to check out the Greek Fire Units.

So i got 5 units of them (20 men in each unit) with 4 Catapaults that throw barrels of oil into the air (with a fuse) that explode in mid air and rain fire down on the enemy. Backed them up with 4 Sword Units and 3 Axe Units (best Byzantine Inf unit) and i made the Venicians a mix of Inf. So it was my 600 against their 1300. Wish i had taken screenies.

So my first Barrel Barrage fell short, and left the desert smoldering. Second barrage as Venetians attacked didn't do too much though i did notice several burning bodies. By then the Venetians were charging full steam at my lines. And the Greek Fire Throwers opened up.

WHOA! Jets of fire incinerating ranks deep into the Venetians. Their entire army routed as 1/3 of them were practically instantaneously killed! As they tired to retreat, barrels either landed amongst them or exploded mid air, adding to their demise.

It was a rout from there. Nearly lost one unit of Greek Fire in close combat before my axemen rescued them. All said and told i lost maybe 100 men while i killed 1200.

Woot woot for Greek Fire!

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This is my favorite faction to play/campaign.

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Man, I have got to find time to play again.

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"What might work in New York City is certainly not going to work in Montana. So, for the federal government to be having any kind of, you know, blanket rules that they're going to try to impose, I think doesn't make sense." Hillary Clinton

(Photo removed for humanitarian reasons.)

It is probably my all time fave game, going to buy a copy to play on my new all singing all dancing PC next month. One thing I'd like to correct though, the Pope will excommunicate you whatever happens! I had one of my cardinals made pope, I dominated the college of cardinals, I had crusaded my fingers to the bone and then the French attacked me. I defeated them, the Pope threatened to excommunicate me and so I made peace. They attacked again, once again more threats, peace. The forth time this happened I defeated the French in two battles and was excommunicated for the privilege of being attacked!

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There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

I say 'F the Pope' and attack the Papal States!

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