When Mac goes on and on praising a game, and ends it with "it's definitely worth a buy" it's a wonderful feeling, because in this day and age it's rare to find a game that is just done right on day one, and not day 1000+ if even ever at all. God I love this guy. ACG & Worth A Buy are my top 2 reviewers ever, plus you're funny and entertaining that I watch some of your videos I don't even care about the game at times just to get a good laugh, and support you.
@MrSlaide I've played about 15 hours so far and it seems the AI will form coalitions if they feel like they cant beat you instead of just cheating a 20 stack of elite units.
@@markjordan7800 Absolutely, Mack is the only reviewer that i know who is around my age, has the same taste and opinions not just on games but on life, his input is invaluable to me personally.
It's nice that the Total War franchise has been getting love from the developer recently. I wasn't interested in it before, but will definitely check it out after your review. But seriously, a big learning curve is a bad thing? For me it's a plus! Edit: great review as always!
Awkward learning curves can be really annoying and immersion breaking. At least when you have to tab out to look stuff up or spend a lot of time trying to find something in the help pages. That said once you figure out the game it is generally more fun to play than a game that would have easier mechanics.
For TW enthusiasts.. The movies RED CLIFF 1 & 2 (CHi bi), will get you into the lore of this.. I would imagine.. I am married to a hobbit from Shanghai so she has made me watch all kinds of Chinese movies over the years..
@@jesperburns Well, I guess google chinese movies.. WHat I can remember.. THe warlord, IP Man, crouching tiger hidden dragon.. but there are many not so known movies that I cant remember the name of..
The video definitely hyped me up for the game. My favorite aspect of Total War is the historical accuracy. Especially for a period which makes it hard to even be accurate. With Shogun 2 being my favorite ever, I'm definitely getting Three Kingdoms!
Dragan duga Agreed, they’d have to completely redesign the UI and perhaps even release an earlier version of the game as the devs of Stellaris did for their port. I’d rather they focus solely on PC and make this already awesome game, an even better one.
I just played this game for 3 days straight. Took me a while to learn the complicated buildings, they sure as hell turned up the notch on these things from how it was on Warhammer 2. Warhammer 2 is still awesome though, don't get me wrong.
It's worth noting, that the mechanic you start describing at around 8:04 (the one where you can influence other factions diplomatically) is unique to the warlord Cao Cao. Other Warlords have other mechanics, such as the Tyrant Dong Zhou who is able to force diplomatic deals through fear, and Liu Bei who can annex Han territory peacefully.
Swordsmen did absolutely wreck spearmen, it's actually accurate. That's precisely how the Romans annihilated the Greeks and many others in the ancient world, as they were mostly spear wielding while the Romans had their gladiuses(Roman swords). It's all about tactical flexibility that gives swordsmen the advantage over spearmen as spearmen must be in formation to be effective and swordsmen can abuse the spear wall's weak points.
The Romans struggled and at times lost against the phalanx. They did not win their empire by the sword. They won with moral superiority and political influence. Not to mention the man power at their disposal after they had united the Italic peninsula. It is true that their method of cutting down infantry in close quarters was attested, but there is no evidence that they broke a phalanx from the front. You cannot learn precise history by playing war games. It isn't that simple.
@@Lycurgus1982 Shows just how much you know about ancient history when you use the term empire and defeating the Greek phalanx in the same sentence, as it was the Roman Republic, not yet Empire, that defeated the Greek phalanx and they did very much do it by the sword. Yes building their empire took a lot more than just the sword but that has nothing to do with besting the Greeks whatsoever... As for your so called lack of evidence, the Romans did win land battles against Pyrrhus and other Greeks and they didn't do it from behind nor with overwhelming cavalry nor skirmisher superiority. Which leaves us with frontal engagements between Roman heavy infantry and Greek Hoplites and Phalangites
Chris W that’s the beauty of kenshi suck all you have to and don’t give up, I started as the son of a captain, felt like hot shit tried to fight a group of bandits, that resulted in me loosing an arm and becoming a slave. I escaped, was lost in the desert for days, find a city and was forced to rob to eat, got caught and was locked in prison (by this time my strength attributes were shit but my stealth was good) I escaped again by lock picking, rob the wards and I run out of the city. Now I’m a very stealthy character that robs and kills and I have the money to join the shinoby thieves.not the story I was expecting but in glad because all of that felt natural. That’s the beauty of Kenshi just go there and live your story. 👌🏻
I played Kenshi on a 200 hour binge probably two months ago. The only other game I've ever done that with was Warband. Once you get into it, it's astounding.
I really want a Total War: Empire 2. Even though it was plagued with performance issues on launch, I felt it was the most ambitious and enjoyable Total War game ever. It feels like the Total War games have got smaller in scale as technology has improved, which is unfortunate. I lost interest after Shogun 2. I still go back to Empire, as I want to play a game that spans the entire world, with ship combat, trade strategy that isn't confined to roads, and conquest of entire continents.
Hey Mac, I think you should do the settings and graphics at the end of the video. People come to know about the game, not how it runs so it's a real buzz killer having to listen through the settings. I wanna hear the juicy stuff first and I bet i'm with the majority on this.
I'd say you'd want to know how the game runs first. No matter how good the game play is, it won't matter if it doesn't run well. Mack doesn't dwell on it, he gets straight to the point, I don't see any issue with that.
close to. Especially when your general got a high level with cool Skills. It will deat 1-2 troup. And even more if the troups are inferior in melee combat.
I've got 28 hours in Total War: Three Kingdoms now. If I didn't know that I'm going to have to pay another $60 - $80 for the DLC (players are going to want the new characters for their campaigns) I'd be happier. The game is character driven especially Romance mode. Score: 9/10 or 98%. A few glitches, but the game is so well optimized it's a pleasure to play.
Normally I'm not a total war fan (like the idea but just doesn't have a story attractive enough for me) but coming from a Chinese background and knowing the stories and legends behind all the factions and generals, being able to play the Romance mode just seems absolutely amazing. I have thoroughly enjoyed almost every game ever made about the three kingdoms, especially when the heroes have real influence instead of just a soldier with better stats. Regarding your 1v2 fight, I can imagine how epic it must have been. Somehow it reminds me of the story where Dian Wei (a legendary general) died protecting Cao Cao from an ambush. A brief and not so good translation of the story on the Chinese wiki: a general plotted a coup when Cao Cao was partying and celebrating a victory. Dian Wei (using his weapon - something like a spear/axe hybrid) led 1x men to block a gate against hundreds of soldiers to let Cao Cao get away alone. Every one of Dian Wei's guards died and Dian Wei also had tens of wounds all over his body. Some enemies sneaked next to him to try to take him down alive, but he held both of them in his arms and killed them. Nobody dared to walk near him, so he leaped in front an killed several more men, cursing at the enemy before he dying from all those wounds. The whole army then just stood there for a long while until anyone made up the courage to walk near his corpse and cut his head. After learning about Dian Wei's death, Cao Cao cried and said "I lost my son and nephew in this battle, but the real pain is Dian's death". (Cao Cao went on to accepting Dian's murderer's surrender and continued to employ him in future battles so fuck him)
I literally purchased as this was uploaded and was dreading as it was downloading Mack was going to thumb it down! cant wait to play it tonight now! Great video like always!
Hahah same! I bought it then saw notification for this video I was like oh no his gonna slam it, I hesitated before watching it. So glad he loves it though.
Worth noting that the mechanic your describing of influencing other peoples opinion is actually a specific mechanic to Cao Cao's faction, each faction has a different unique mechanic to it which is brilliant :)
I've been playing Total war for about 13 years now and I gotta say, 3K is one of their best ones yet. The diplomacy is sooo good and the battles are fun enough with a decent AI. I honestly can see some minor improvements introduced but that's all just spice.
A spear vs a sword, Spear should win. A spear vs a Sword and a Shield, Sword has a higher chance of winning but its still close. A Spear and a Shield though is vastly less effective than a sword and shield. So I'd say that is the true strength of a swordsmen. No shield means missile will rekt you. So it should all balance out like that. I think Total War is a bit too fixed on the "hurr durr spears lose against swords" idea.
When you are talking about the influence portion of the game that mechanic is specific for just that faction. Every faction has their own unique mechanic that they can use to give themselves an edge (Heroism, Unity, Trade Monopolies, and Lineage are just a few that I'm remembering off the top of my head). EVERY FACTION is different and has different ways to achieve victory quickly. Absolutely incredible work from CA. Good job on actually playing the game before rating it.
Just a heads up, only Cao Cao's faction can use the credibility tactic in the campaign, so only he can instigate proxy wars and get other factions to dislike each other. I'd reccomend first time players play as Sun Jian. Cao Cao is fun but you have so many factions surrounding you that you will get overwhelmed. Being in a coalition doesn't always help since you might have allies to the North, but then enemies in all other directions. Sun Jian starts in the South, only has enemies to the North, has plenty of the passive Han settlements to the East, West and South so you can get commanderies easier, can earn a whole lot of money in a small number of turns, starts with the Imperial Seal item that gives some pretty good buffs and Yuan Shu will support you in wars against those Northern enemies. When Liu Biao asks you for the seal, tell him no and you get 80+ relationship with Yuan Shu. After this, Liu Biao will try to attack you but if you have a full stack waiting for him then he's easily beaten. The only concern really is making sure you have enough food and military supplies since you don't start with many farmlands, but these can be conquered easily. Right now, the only people more powerful than me are Yuan Shao and Liu Bei but they're not overwhelmingly powerful. I've got plenty more towns to take over and upgrade, while they have almost expended what they can take over without declaring war on each other. Yuan Shu does demand the seal from you at one point and if you refuse you get -80 rep with him, but he's been destroyed by other factions in my game. It's a much less intense campaign at the start and at the very least, should give you some breathing room to figure out the mechanics.
I will buy it based on your recommendation so far every game you recommended was pure win . I would have never bought risk of rain 2 without your channel and it's one of my top games So keep it up! And please stay honest and true ❤️
How to know a game is good? When fps on REPLAYS is one of two issues. Great video man. Great game. Unfortunately I bought mordhau and can't afford this at the moment.
The manipulation mechanic is unique to Cao Cao. No other faction gets it. You can use diplomacy to gift others ancillaries so they like you more, for example, but manipulating them against one another is something only Cao Cao can do. You can also instigate proxy wars between factions.
I’ve come from TWW2 being my first Total War game, and have absolutely no idea how the mechanics in this function. Ancilleries, food, marriages, military supplies, character stats on top of baseline stats (charge bonus, melee attack/def etc), industry or peasant income and a whole lot more. As you said, looks like a lot of video watching to do before I delve into this.
This game worried me a lot because after Britannia in Rome 2 I kind of felt that they were slowly dumbing-down the series it is wonderful to hear that they pull off the romance mode and made it good and it's nice to hear it actually have more of a learning curve because that means it have more in-depth I definitely going to check more into this game
I love civ but I want to branch out into other strategies, and I'd love to play total war. This seems to be expensive though, in the steam sale it only went down to like 53 dollars
From a British Chinese - if you want a really enjoyable Three Kingdoms Game. Try Romance of the three Kingdoms 11 (with PUK). It's easily the best three kingdoms game I played, ever.
@@runemaster96 yes ! My school years back in China all we learn is Three Kingdom ! But we learn the real history and the Romance books and novels was read in our free time every event is realy not a myth only the power of generals and important people was stuff of legend and myth the events was all real every bit of it !
It's the reinforcement of RPG elements into the Total War franchise that makes this game stand out. The characters actually matter a great deal in this game.
I had watched IGNs review and I found it to be fairly good if I'm honest, but I still thought to myself... "lets still just wait to see what Mack says about it". And Mack loves it too! So I'll definitely be purchasing this. Cheers Mack
Nice review. 2 things I want to mention: I heard that battle-replays are bugged somehow so things happen in the replay which didn't happen in the real battle. Might come together with you having fps drops which didn't happen in the battle fought. The second thing concerns your reviews in general: would you mind giving a rough idea on how expensive the games are which you are reviewing? Would give me a better idea of which game I want to lood further into.. or not. Keep up the good work!
@@kron12187 You know what's the issue with that. The 19th century is really when the world really became fully connected. You would have to include most of the world. Africa: European conquest of Africa, Zulu wars, etc All of Americas: Rise of USA, Independence of Spanish colonies, American imperialism, Monroe Doctrine, and American civil war. All of Asia: Qing Dynasty, Rebellions in China, Opium wars, Meji Reformation, Rise of Japan, British conquest of India, Russian domination of Central Asia, and The Great Game. All of Europe: Post Nepoleon, Rise of Germany, Rise of Russia, Italian reunification, Independence movements Oceania: Colonization of Australia and Indonesia Middle East: Decline of Ottoman empire. So many events happened and you gotta include them all.
Mack, you would totally like the Civilization games, especially Civ V. They are like this but less about the combat and more focused on building and diplomacy. Much more depth to them than Total War.
Looks fantastic and up for buying it. Just one thing - I could be wrong here, the damaging effects of the arrows and projectiles look somewhat excessive?
These are the kind of games that are lacking from consoles that I miss from having a pc in the past. Unfortunately the investment into a great gaming PC has become so expensive.
Historic Sword was a great country to a spear. Sword is a lot faster and its a move advanced. So the only chance the spearman has is to keep the distance but when the Sword comes up close the spear loose all offensive abilites having only a sharp point. That said it is a lot cheaper ta make and to train foks with.
This is my 2nd total war my 1st is shogun and fall of the samurai Total War Three Kingdom is deeper and hard i like it Worth A Buy -- at 1st its really hard to memorize all the reform and building but you will get it for a while
I have played this series since the original Total War. I could not play any of the Fantasy Warhammer trash as it broke the whole feeling for me. I am happy they are going back to what I like.
I never preorder games and always wait for patches b4 i buy , but after seeing vids of it and read some tests it was the second day out and i bought it . I know all of the total war series but this is a milestone and i totally agree with you ...WHAT A GAME ! Greetings from Germany !
hey mack, having a blast with the game, the campaign map is so rewarding for every possibility you have. Also you can only do the Political Manipulation with Cao Cao, not with everyone. But for that every faction has its own advantages, I started with Gonghon Zun too and he is really a warlord, so you can easily win battles, just to see yourself up against Yuan Shao..
Man, my dad would have loved to do the co-op campaign with me. We played Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2 for hours on end. Sadly, he's no longer here to play it.
I haven’t enjoyed a total war game since shogun 2. This game is worth every $£€¥. I think it’s amazing and they released a fully functional game. The DLC and content ( blood and gore ) will only make it better. The hero and character immersion is great and the unique factions each have troops and buildings unique to them. No complaints at all.
I will wait for mods and a price discount. But I'm happy to hear that all those issues it had several months ago with AI and some other game elements were successfully fixed. Great news!
I just love your reviews. I've been binge watching and you've got a new subscriber. Please keep doing what you're doing. Very down to earth reviews. Cheers!
Love the review, tho I have a question please, is this by any chance similar to Age of Empires? I ask this for a friend because I haven't played strategy games.
Why do you use a rtx 2080 and play on 1080p? I feel for such high end cards (and their owners) a 1440p monitor is much more likely to be the norm, if not even 4k
@@Abhishek-fe3zs rtx 2080 msrp is $800 usd, you can get good 1440p 144hz monitors for under $350 now. That's what I mean. For people who have these cards 1440p 144hz is the new minimum. Also he's not an esports professional gamer to play at 240hz lol.
@@Abhishek-fe3zs you can in any game where 144hz matters. Ie competitive shooters. I can even do it on my gtx 1080 albeit at medium settings. Moreover people who play such games at 144 hz don't care about keeping it at ultra. I do care when the game is not competitive or not a shooter but then I don't mind if it's closer to 60fps
Oh man! I’m highly recommend you to watch a TV show named The romance of Three Kingdoms!!! It’s the background of Total War: Three Kingdoms, and you will understand why these generals be like gods. They are legendary warriors in Chinese history
Enjoyed your take on this.......I'm an old cshool fan of romance of three kingdoms from late 80's early nineties. Plus a total war fan. Was hesitant before, downloading it as I write this. Thx mate.
He said the game looks like a spreadsheet and doesn't want to review it. Total War games (before this one) apparently have all the depth that's required. Meanwhile pdx fans are complaining with the lack of depth in Imperator, not that it's too complicated in it's current form. I mean apparently this game has a steep learning curve already, can you imagine Mack playing a GSG?
@@Adanteh Aren't Total War games pretty simple compared to most Paradox games? Don't get me wrong both have a pretty steep learning curve, but if you compare Imperator to something like CK2 it does seem a little unnecessary complex.
@@Adanteh Ah thanks yeah i saw now what he said. Its a shame what happen to Imperator Rome you know its ridicules for a game like that for not having a trade system among all the missing features its kind of a sad. And honestly the campaign map in the game didn't seem that good to me at least.
how were there Trebuchets threw flaming explosives in 220 AD ? those technology didn't exist until Medieval era, sorry I just happen to know that period of history, couldn't help noticing it.
Hope Total War Warhammer 3 take a few steps in that direction:) love the fantasy genre and world of Warhammer. Wonder if one could make it work for 40K with solar system instead of a world map.
My only complaint about the game is unit variety. Maybe warhammer total war spoiled me but having all the factions use the same units for the most part felt a little boring. I do really like the new diplomacy and general loyalty system though.
You put your artillery behind your infantry. Congrats! You have acquired the achievement "Better Battle Commander than Jon Snow!"
Really Any commander is better than jon snow
Can't think of anyone worse
@@OverlordZephyros jon snow knows nothing
@@OverlordZephyros
Lancel osmund even fucking moonboy is a better commander than jon snow
battle of the bastard… just charge in alone and hope for the best…
hahahahaha.
you know the game is good when the cons are fps drops on replays and learning curve
Yeah, personally I wouldn't even call a big learning curve a negative point.
@@taserrr As long as it isn't Arma3's learning curve x)
@@littlearvin1641 I raise you EU4 learning curve :)
@@taserrr I raise you CK2 learning curve. :)
@@herewardthewake5433 i raise you dota2 :))
Way better than the Battle Of Winterfell :)
*DING, DING, DING*
SAVAGE
@@JackIsNotInTheBox savage but true!
Havent tried it yet but considering the AI CA usually puts in their products, I honestly doubt it its any better than that infamous battle.
I love how the guy sounds like Ser Davos too
Mário Lopes hahahaha this the true game of thrown
When Mac goes on and on praising a game, and ends it with "it's definitely worth a buy" it's a wonderful feeling, because in this day and age it's rare to find a game that is just done right on day one, and not day 1000+ if even ever at all. God I love this guy. ACG & Worth A Buy are my top 2 reviewers ever, plus you're funny and entertaining that I watch some of your videos I don't even care about the game at times just to get a good laugh, and support you.
I'm finding the Campaign AI to be far less cheating reliant and actually have some common sense which is great for a total war game.
Definitely
Really? Happy to hear that! W2 diplomacy was always a kind of letting down point of the game
@MrSlaide I've played about 15 hours so far and it seems the AI will form coalitions if they feel like they cant beat you instead of just cheating a 20 stack of elite units.
The more Mack likes the game the less fun the review will be :P
I know right... it's usually much more fun when Mack is ranting
A small price to pay for salvation...
Thats why i want him to review identity lol he will go batshit
Totally agree. Haha. We definitely need more shit games for him to review. The more hyped up they are is also a big factor. Tee hee
Yeah one of his most funny reviews was that metal gear survive game.
But him liking this game is good. Because it really is a good game.
The influence mechanic is unique to cao cao. other warlords have other special mechanics
Always a good day when Mack drops a vid
is it ;/
@@markjordan7800 Absolutely, Mack is the only reviewer that i know who is around my age, has the same taste and opinions not just on games but on life, his input is invaluable to me personally.
He's easily the most entertaining reviewer.
It's nice that the Total War franchise has been getting love from the developer recently. I wasn't interested in it before, but will definitely check it out after your review. But seriously, a big learning curve is a bad thing? For me it's a plus!
Edit: great review as always!
Awkward learning curves can be really annoying and immersion breaking. At least when you have to tab out to look stuff up or spend a lot of time trying to find something in the help pages. That said once you figure out the game it is generally more fun to play than a game that would have easier mechanics.
@@Tibovl i dont say you think its annoying until u are still watching tutorials after 1k hours in EU4
@@crazyfrogracer2pro848 indeed, Enreal Ungine 4 is a pain
I am so happy you reviewed this game. I was worried there would be no objective review out on this game.
No such thing as a objective review
@@Kage-jk4pj Agree.. Review is always subjective. Like and dislike.
I'm in love with this game! Those two delays really helped make it as polished at it is!
For TW enthusiasts.. The movies RED CLIFF 1 & 2 (CHi bi), will get you into the lore of this.. I would imagine..
I am married to a hobbit from Shanghai so she has made me watch all kinds of Chinese movies over the years..
you call your wife a hobbit, best comment of the day.
I've watched all sorts of Chinese movies, there's a couple I really like, Red Cliff is two of them.
Any suggestions?
Hobbit or mail order bride same difference
@@jesperburns Well, I guess google chinese movies.. WHat I can remember.. THe warlord, IP Man, crouching tiger hidden dragon.. but there are many not so known movies that I cant remember the name of..
@@YupSsBlAzin17 Lol certainly not a mail order bride.. She was an exchange student here in mordor when I put the ring of power on her finger.
Im sold. Didnt hear the bell ring once in this video.
You ok Mack?
I hate that autism tool, great that he didn't use it
@@Bill-zp2mt the bell is a holy item you heretic
The video definitely hyped me up for the game. My favorite aspect of Total War is the historical accuracy. Especially for a period which makes it hard to even be accurate.
With Shogun 2 being my favorite ever, I'm definitely getting Three Kingdoms!
yes
So glad this one turned out well. Iv'e been needing a Total War fix!
the romance shit is stupid though, but still a good game so long as you play records
seriously though, was worried when they reveal it 6 months ago, it wasn't good, but yeah so glad everything turns out well!
I've always been a huge battles guy are they even fun? Or repetitive? It's in my steam wallet and I can't make a decision
@@zac8543 its very good, the battles arent the best, but they get quite cool, but the campaign is the only thing that is the best in the series
victorious1612 romance is more character driven, kind of like warhammer but yeah I'm on records too.
Even though I’ll never purchase this game, I still watch your reviews. THATS how good and entertaining your content is. Keep it up Mack!!
Why won't you buy it
Dragan duga Console gamer here, highly doubt this beauty will ever come over.
Maybe Next Gen consoles but even then, I doubt it.
@@IJTFILMSI yep interface isn't optimised for consoles I personally don't like consoles especially fps games because i can't play good with controller
Dragan duga Agreed, they’d have to completely redesign the UI and perhaps even release an earlier version of the game as the devs of Stellaris did for their port. I’d rather they focus solely on PC and make this already awesome game, an even better one.
@@IJTFILMSI so you plan on playing it?
I just played this game for 3 days straight. Took me a while to learn the complicated buildings, they sure as hell turned up the notch on these things from how it was on Warhammer 2.
Warhammer 2 is still awesome though, don't get me wrong.
Sounds like 3 times deeper than Imperator Rome...
EU4 still the best. But imagine EU4: Total war 😳🤤
nah, you just have to wait for 200 euro worth of DLCs to get your depth ;)))
@@ChristianReyess EU4 is genuinely trash. CK2 is better.
SuperSlob no way? I have it. I just haven’t really ingested time into it.
It's not.
It's worth noting, that the mechanic you start describing at around 8:04 (the one where you can influence other factions diplomatically) is unique to the warlord Cao Cao. Other Warlords have other mechanics, such as the Tyrant Dong Zhou who is able to force diplomatic deals through fear, and Liu Bei who can annex Han territory peacefully.
I took the capital of me best friend and killed him... Yep, you sold me on the game my good sir.
Swordsmen did absolutely wreck spearmen, it's actually accurate. That's precisely how the Romans annihilated the Greeks and many others in the ancient world, as they were mostly spear wielding while the Romans had their gladiuses(Roman swords). It's all about tactical flexibility that gives swordsmen the advantage over spearmen as spearmen must be in formation to be effective and swordsmen can abuse the spear wall's weak points.
The Romans struggled and at times lost against the phalanx. They did not win their empire by the sword. They won with moral superiority and political influence. Not to mention the man power at their disposal after they had united the Italic peninsula. It is true that their method of cutting down infantry in close quarters was attested, but there is no evidence that they broke a phalanx from the front. You cannot learn precise history by playing war games. It isn't that simple.
@@Lycurgus1982 Shows just how much you know about ancient history when you use the term empire and defeating the Greek phalanx in the same sentence, as it was the Roman Republic, not yet Empire, that defeated the Greek phalanx and they did very much do it by the sword. Yes building their empire took a lot more than just the sword but that has nothing to do with besting the Greeks whatsoever... As for your so called lack of evidence, the Romans did win land battles against Pyrrhus and other Greeks and they didn't do it from behind nor with overwhelming cavalry nor skirmisher superiority. Which leaves us with frontal engagements between Roman heavy infantry and Greek Hoplites and Phalangites
Could you please make a Video dedicated to "Kenshi"? (3rd/ 4th Atttempt, idk)
Retro Gandalf I want to get into Kenshi but I suck so bad
Chris W that’s the beauty of kenshi suck all you have to and don’t give up, I started as the son of a captain, felt like hot shit tried to fight a group of bandits, that resulted in me loosing an arm and becoming a slave. I escaped, was lost in the desert for days, find a city and was forced to rob to eat, got caught and was locked in prison (by this time my strength attributes were shit but my stealth was good) I escaped again by lock picking, rob the wards and I run out of the city. Now I’m a very stealthy character that robs and kills and I have the money to join the shinoby thieves.not the story I was expecting but in glad because all of that felt natural. That’s the beauty of Kenshi just go there and live your story. 👌🏻
I played Kenshi on a 200 hour binge probably two months ago. The only other game I've ever done that with was Warband. Once you get into it, it's astounding.
I just looked this up and yes, Mack please do Kenshi, it looks amazing and right up your alley.
@@Soul_Tomato That was me but instead of Kenshi it was Rimworld, that game consumed my summer last year.
I really want a Total War: Empire 2. Even though it was plagued with performance issues on launch, I felt it was the most ambitious and enjoyable Total War game ever. It feels like the Total War games have got smaller in scale as technology has improved, which is unfortunate. I lost interest after Shogun 2. I still go back to Empire, as I want to play a game that spans the entire world, with ship combat, trade strategy that isn't confined to roads, and conquest of entire continents.
always like romance of three kingdoms games, the general duel, the strategy, and if you know the characters it makes it more interesting.
the duels are way too easy to abuse though and if youve seen one there is no need for another. ill be playing on historical mode from now on.
Hey Mac, I think you should do the settings and graphics at the end of the video. People come to know about the game, not how it runs so it's a real buzz killer having to listen through the settings. I wanna hear the juicy stuff first and I bet i'm with the majority on this.
he gets done with the settings stuff in like the first minute usually, it's not a problem I don't think
Piss off moron.
I'd say you'd want to know how the game runs first. No matter how good the game play is, it won't matter if it doesn't run well. Mack doesn't dwell on it, he gets straight to the point, I don't see any issue with that.
2:19 Wow, that guy on a horse who just rushes into the enemy lines deserves a medal.
Great video, loving the game so far myself. Best TW since Shogun 2!
Romance mode sounds like Dynasty Warrior mode :o
Dynasty Warriors is based on the same novel.
You could say it's dynasty warrior mode.
"Romance Of The Three Kingdoms" has inspired many different works.
close to. Especially when your general got a high level with cool
Skills. It will deat 1-2 troup. And even more if the troups are inferior in melee combat.
Hahaha creased at this
I've got 28 hours in Total War: Three Kingdoms now. If I didn't know that I'm going to have to pay another $60 - $80 for the DLC (players are going to want the new characters for their campaigns) I'd be happier. The game is character driven especially Romance mode. Score: 9/10 or 98%. A few glitches, but the game is so well optimized it's a pleasure to play.
Normally I'm not a total war fan (like the idea but just doesn't have a story attractive enough for me) but coming from a Chinese background and knowing the stories and legends behind all the factions and generals, being able to play the Romance mode just seems absolutely amazing. I have thoroughly enjoyed almost every game ever made about the three kingdoms, especially when the heroes have real influence instead of just a soldier with better stats.
Regarding your 1v2 fight, I can imagine how epic it must have been. Somehow it reminds me of the story where Dian Wei (a legendary general) died protecting Cao Cao from an ambush.
A brief and not so good translation of the story on the Chinese wiki: a general plotted a coup when Cao Cao was partying and celebrating a victory. Dian Wei (using his weapon - something like a spear/axe hybrid) led 1x men to block a gate against hundreds of soldiers to let Cao Cao get away alone. Every one of Dian Wei's guards died and Dian Wei also had tens of wounds all over his body. Some enemies sneaked next to him to try to take him down alive, but he held both of them in his arms and killed them. Nobody dared to walk near him, so he leaped in front an killed several more men, cursing at the enemy before he dying from all those wounds. The whole army then just stood there for a long while until anyone made up the courage to walk near his corpse and cut his head. After learning about Dian Wei's death, Cao Cao cried and said "I lost my son and nephew in this battle, but the real pain is Dian's death".
(Cao Cao went on to accepting Dian's murderer's surrender and continued to employ him in future battles so fuck him)
I literally purchased as this was uploaded and was dreading as it was downloading Mack was going to thumb it down! cant wait to play it tonight now! Great video like always!
Hahah same! I bought it then saw notification for this video I was like oh no his gonna slam it, I hesitated before watching it. So glad he loves it though.
Worth noting that the mechanic your describing of influencing other peoples opinion is actually a specific mechanic to Cao Cao's faction, each faction has a different unique mechanic to it which is brilliant :)
The Collective thank you for telling us this.
I've been playing Total war for about 13 years now and I gotta say, 3K is one of their best ones yet. The diplomacy is sooo good and the battles are fun enough with a decent AI. I honestly can see some minor improvements introduced but that's all just spice.
A spear vs a sword, Spear should win. A spear vs a Sword and a Shield, Sword has a higher chance of winning but its still close. A Spear and a Shield though is vastly less effective than a sword and shield. So I'd say that is the true strength of a swordsmen. No shield means missile will rekt you. So it should all balance out like that. I think Total War is a bit too fixed on the "hurr durr spears lose against swords" idea.
When you are talking about the influence portion of the game that mechanic is specific for just that faction. Every faction has their own unique mechanic that they can use to give themselves an edge (Heroism, Unity, Trade Monopolies, and Lineage are just a few that I'm remembering off the top of my head). EVERY FACTION is different and has different ways to achieve victory quickly. Absolutely incredible work from CA.
Good job on actually playing the game before rating it.
Just a heads up, only Cao Cao's faction can use the credibility tactic in the campaign, so only he can instigate proxy wars and get other factions to dislike each other.
I'd reccomend first time players play as Sun Jian. Cao Cao is fun but you have so many factions surrounding you that you will get overwhelmed. Being in a coalition doesn't always help since you might have allies to the North, but then enemies in all other directions.
Sun Jian starts in the South, only has enemies to the North, has plenty of the passive Han settlements to the East, West and South so you can get commanderies easier, can earn a whole lot of money in a small number of turns, starts with the Imperial Seal item that gives some pretty good buffs and Yuan Shu will support you in wars against those Northern enemies.
When Liu Biao asks you for the seal, tell him no and you get 80+ relationship with Yuan Shu. After this, Liu Biao will try to attack you but if you have a full stack waiting for him then he's easily beaten. The only concern really is making sure you have enough food and military supplies since you don't start with many farmlands, but these can be conquered easily.
Right now, the only people more powerful than me are Yuan Shao and Liu Bei but they're not overwhelmingly powerful. I've got plenty more towns to take over and upgrade, while they have almost expended what they can take over without declaring war on each other. Yuan Shu does demand the seal from you at one point and if you refuse you get -80 rep with him, but he's been destroyed by other factions in my game. It's a much less intense campaign at the start and at the very least, should give you some breathing room to figure out the mechanics.
Sounds like Crusader kings II meets total war
no lol, dynasties have been there all the time, they just improved it
....Meets romance of the three kingdoms
I will buy it based on your recommendation so far every game you recommended was pure win .
I would have never bought risk of rain 2 without your channel and it's one of my top games
So keep it up! And please stay honest and true ❤️
How to know a game is good? When fps on REPLAYS is one of two issues. Great video man. Great game. Unfortunately I bought mordhau and can't afford this at the moment.
Mac Mac
Also known as "Cao Cao" in Chinese.
Legend
Noone:
Worthabuy: "Oh no mi lands"
I see you picked Cao Cao. Good choice Mack my favorite leader from that era.
Yes he is also my favourite leader from this era
No idea who he is, I only picked him because he is the easiest win :)
Why does no one pick Lu Bu? He was a beast in Dynasty Warrior
@@arminharper510 You cant pick him from the start
Learning curve isn't a con for strategy games. It just shows the game has a lot of depth. Good strategy games should always have a learning curve!
Needs MOD to replace generals for anime girls.
Someone make it please!
Or dynasty warriors chars
Just make the army a single kirito lol
@@ninjakali5137 they already are dynasty warrior characters...
@@Travio247 i meant copy 1 for 1 the skins from koei techmo
The feeling when you win an epic battle in Total war is something else. Mac is like Varys haha
The manipulation mechanic is unique to Cao Cao. No other faction gets it. You can use diplomacy to gift others ancillaries so they like you more, for example, but manipulating them against one another is something only Cao Cao can do. You can also instigate proxy wars between factions.
lol the lonely attacker on the horse @ 02:16
I’ve come from TWW2 being my first Total War game, and have absolutely no idea how the mechanics in this function. Ancilleries, food, marriages, military supplies, character stats on top of baseline stats (charge bonus, melee attack/def etc), industry or peasant income and a whole lot more. As you said, looks like a lot of video watching to do before I delve into this.
This game worried me a lot because after Britannia in Rome 2 I kind of felt that they were slowly dumbing-down the series it is wonderful to hear that they pull off the romance mode and made it good and it's nice to hear it actually have more of a learning curve because that means it have more in-depth I definitely going to check more into this game
I love civ but I want to branch out into other strategies, and I'd love to play total war. This seems to be expensive though, in the steam sale it only went down to like 53 dollars
Grey market?
Thanks for the review. Personally I stopped buying their games after the 2013 disastrous launch of Rome 2. I think I'd rather play Shogun 2 than this.
Same. I wait for Bug Reports and Videos. But if the outcry is not there i will buy it in a few months.
Just got off work and I'm installing it now. haven't been this excited for a total war game ever.
Ghost F Do you like it?
From a British Chinese - if you want a really enjoyable Three Kingdoms Game. Try Romance of the three Kingdoms 11 (with PUK). It's easily the best three kingdoms game I played, ever.
Love the Three Kingdoms mythology.
Not even Mythology its REAL HISTORY - the super op general but everything that happened is on par with History well done Creative Assembly
@@eboranshard6220 it's based on romance fiction which is part history, legend, and myth
@@runemaster96 yes ! My school years back in China all we learn is Three Kingdom ! But we learn the real history and the Romance books and novels was read in our free time every event is realy not a myth only the power of generals and important people was stuff of legend and myth the events was all real every bit of it !
It's the reinforcement of RPG elements into the Total War franchise that makes this game stand out. The characters actually matter a great deal in this game.
The passion shines through on games Mack enjoys.
I had watched IGNs review and I found it to be fairly good if I'm honest, but I still thought to myself... "lets still just wait to see what Mack says about it".
And Mack loves it too! So I'll definitely be purchasing this. Cheers Mack
I dont hear THE BELL ??? o.0 No mockery and insults? No angry rant to digress? Wow, he must really like this game alot
lol "thanks for that. that bastard"
Wouldn’t have thought Mac would like hero units in a Strategy game..
The solo horse charge @ 2:16 Da real MVP
Nice review.
2 things I want to mention:
I heard that battle-replays are bugged somehow so things happen in the replay which didn't happen in the real battle. Might come together with you having fps drops which didn't happen in the battle fought.
The second thing concerns your reviews in general: would you mind giving a rough idea on how expensive the games are which you are reviewing? Would give me a better idea of which game I want to lood further into.. or not.
Keep up the good work!
I've played total war since vanilla Shogun, before Sega bought CA. Three Kingdoms is the best game they've ever made. Even Shogun 2 w/ dlc.
Completely agree I can’t stop playing it.
They should really do a Total War American Civil War..
Yes. That or make the American Civil War part of an 'Empire' sequel set in the 19th century.
@@kron12187 You know what's the issue with that. The 19th century is really when the world really became fully connected. You would have to include most of the world.
Africa: European conquest of Africa, Zulu wars, etc
All of Americas: Rise of USA, Independence of Spanish colonies, American imperialism, Monroe Doctrine, and American civil war.
All of Asia: Qing Dynasty, Rebellions in China, Opium wars, Meji Reformation, Rise of Japan, British conquest of India, Russian domination of Central Asia, and The Great Game.
All of Europe: Post Nepoleon, Rise of Germany, Rise of Russia, Italian reunification, Independence movements
Oceania: Colonization of Australia and Indonesia
Middle East: Decline of Ottoman empire.
So many events happened and you gotta include them all.
@@leronbenari226 Sounds like one hell of a game. Even if a bit complicated. 👍
IRL, a swordsman can only beat a spearman if he has a shield. The tip of the spear is easily pushed aside by the shield.
i'm glad that they gave us the option to choose between romance mode and the standard total war set-up
Mack, you would totally like the Civilization games, especially Civ V. They are like this but less about the combat and more focused on building and diplomacy. Much more depth to them than Total War.
This suceeds where Imperator failed. The emphasis on characters makes it great (telling a story with the game vs spreadsheets)
Yeah I'm a huge fan of PDX games but Imperator is fucking TRASH
Looks fantastic and up for buying it. Just one thing - I could be wrong here, the damaging effects of the arrows and projectiles look somewhat excessive?
These are the kind of games that are lacking from consoles that I miss from having a pc in the past. Unfortunately the investment into a great gaming PC has become so expensive.
Historic Sword was a great country to a spear. Sword is a lot faster and its a move advanced. So the only chance the spearman has is to keep the distance but when the Sword comes up close the spear loose all offensive abilites having only a sharp point. That said it is a lot cheaper ta make and to train foks with.
It's nice when the graphics are good AND the gameplay is good!
Cant wait to play as diocletian to unite the 3 kingdoms. Oh wait...
This is my 2nd total war my 1st is shogun and fall of the samurai Total War Three Kingdom is deeper and hard i like it Worth A Buy -- at 1st its really hard to memorize all the reform and building but you will get it for a while
Great review. No none else reviews with such enthusiasm. You're a gem Mack!
I have played this series since the original Total War. I could not play any of the Fantasy Warhammer trash as it broke the whole feeling for me. I am happy they are going back to what I like.
I never preorder games and always wait for patches b4 i buy , but after seeing vids of it and read some tests it was the second day out and i bought it . I know all of the total war series but this is a milestone and i totally agree with you ...WHAT A GAME ! Greetings from Germany !
Even Hattori Hanzou would feel restricted fighting swordsmen in a compressed battle formation with his spear. That's the gist of it.
hey mack, having a blast with the game, the campaign map is so rewarding for every possibility you have. Also you can only do the Political Manipulation with Cao Cao, not with everyone. But for that every faction has its own advantages, I started with Gonghon Zun too and he is really a warlord, so you can easily win battles, just to see yourself up against Yuan Shao..
As a fan of the Dynasty warrior games it's great to see the generals fight like they do!
Will you do Imperator Rome?
Dont bother its a empty shell of a game.
@@simsimmauk7587 well said mate
Mostly Negative in steam isn’t enough for you? You want this fine man to waste his time telling you that?
@@Dlahusen1 Well I do, the best worth a buy reviews are when the game is (in Mack's voice) "complete and utter banther wank".
lubey111
There is plenty of that without having to grab a turd from the toilet and tell everyone how rancid it is
Any review with commentary from Sir Davos is worth a like
Man, my dad would have loved to do the co-op campaign with me. We played Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2 for hours on end. Sadly, he's no longer here to play it.
I haven’t enjoyed a total war game since shogun 2. This game is worth every $£€¥. I think it’s amazing and they released a fully functional game. The DLC and content ( blood and gore ) will only make it better.
The hero and character immersion is great and the unique factions each have troops and buildings unique to them. No complaints at all.
I will wait for mods and a price discount. But I'm happy to hear that all those issues it had several months ago with AI and some other game elements were successfully fixed. Great news!
I just love your reviews. I've been binge watching and you've got a new subscriber. Please keep doing what you're doing. Very down to earth reviews. Cheers!
Sword beats spear when the sword get up close because you can’t maneuver the spear in a very short range well.
Love the review, tho I have a question please, is this by any chance similar to Age of Empires? I ask this for a friend because I haven't played strategy games.
Why do you use a rtx 2080 and play on 1080p? I feel for such high end cards (and their owners) a 1440p monitor is much more likely to be the norm, if not even 4k
@@Abhishek-fe3zs rtx 2080 msrp is $800 usd, you can get good 1440p 144hz monitors for under $350 now. That's what I mean. For people who have these cards 1440p 144hz is the new minimum. Also he's not an esports professional gamer to play at 240hz lol.
@@Abhishek-fe3zs you can in any game where 144hz matters. Ie competitive shooters. I can even do it on my gtx 1080 albeit at medium settings. Moreover people who play such games at 144 hz don't care about keeping it at ultra. I do care when the game is not competitive or not a shooter but then I don't mind if it's closer to 60fps
Better than TW Warhammer 2? No way man.
I’ve played almost every total war game and this one has stumped me. The diplomacy is little bit of a learning curve.
Oh man! I’m highly recommend you to watch a TV show named The romance of Three Kingdoms!!! It’s the background of Total War: Three Kingdoms, and you will understand why these generals be like gods. They are legendary warriors in Chinese history
Enjoyed your take on this.......I'm an old cshool fan of romance of three kingdoms from late 80's early nineties. Plus a total war fan. Was hesitant before, downloading it as I write this. Thx mate.
Do an Imperator Rome Review?
This is a great Total War Game!
He said he wouldn't
@@N.Narwhal I don't blame him. Game looks bad.
He said the game looks like a spreadsheet and doesn't want to review it. Total War games (before this one) apparently have all the depth that's required. Meanwhile pdx fans are complaining with the lack of depth in Imperator, not that it's too complicated in it's current form. I mean apparently this game has a steep learning curve already, can you imagine Mack playing a GSG?
@@Adanteh Aren't Total War games pretty simple compared to most Paradox games? Don't get me wrong both have a pretty steep learning curve, but if you compare Imperator to something like CK2 it does seem a little unnecessary complex.
@@Adanteh Ah thanks yeah i saw now what he said. Its a shame what happen to Imperator Rome you know its ridicules for a game like that for not having a trade system among all the missing features its kind of a sad. And honestly the campaign map in the game didn't seem that good to me at least.
The best total war is subjective, but in terms of advanced gameplay mechanics I'd agree with you.
how were there Trebuchets threw flaming explosives in 220 AD ? those technology didn't exist until Medieval era, sorry I just happen to know that period of history, couldn't help noticing it.
Happy to see a great review. I put this on my wish list for now :)
Hope Total War Warhammer 3 take a few steps in that direction:) love the fantasy genre and world of Warhammer. Wonder if one could make it work for 40K with solar system instead of a world map.
My only complaint about the game is unit variety. Maybe warhammer total war spoiled me but having all the factions use the same units for the most part felt a little boring. I do really like the new diplomacy and general loyalty system though.
Love your review. Thanks mate. :) grew up with Koei Sango 2 played on Pentium 386. Finally growing up.