Better than Empire, but with a lesser degree

After the predecessor Empire had to fight for the release of major problems, The Creative Assembly has again hinbekommen with this part of a clean release. Only the graphical glitches have not been resolved completely, but affect no longer as strong as in the previous, where it so often came to total crashes. Meanwhile CA has however realized that these bugs have nothing to do with the many different system of players, but a problem of the game engine are so that you also may hope for improvement, even if there are not any concerns, but only a small part the player. But that was at Empire no different.

The only big drawback is that the Nahkampfbug is included again. Who does not know him from the predecessor: it happens that units without firing a shot, to attack the enemy in close combat. In DarthMod that could be resolved and should be included in patch 1.6 for Empire. Pity it is in Napoleon from the start again. But even here one can hope to remedy, although actually would have to come before release.

Another small drawback is the line of fire of the guns that was to held flat, so that the balls stick to any small rise in the ground. Again, one can only hope for improvement by a patch.

For the game itself. Even if it is sold as alone run, it is nothing more than an add-on to its predecessor Empire, with improvements that unfortunately the predecessor no longer benefit.

The graphics of the game has become more beautiful again. I have complaints about its predecessor Klonarmeen not shared, what the uniforms concerned. This was due in large part of the period. However, all the faces were the same, which represented a step backwards in terms Mevieval 2. This has now changed with this part again.
The units look different from, as I said, this is not least due to the epoch. Not for nothing was the time of Napoleon as the most magnificent of the uniforms. Regarding the variety of units, thus there are the basic types that are common due to the standardization since the 18th century. Unit diversity creates CA by insertion of different regiments, for example, various line infantry.

The performance is right and has been improved over ETW. The game is now running better than Empire even on slower machines.

The biggest new features are the multiplayer campaign, one can deny with human opponents via Steam and the drop-in battles, in which one human players - or even his friends at Stteam - may allow, in their own campaigns to battle the other side to take over. Both require a permanent online connection. At the drop-in battles the unit size is in fact always reduced to the smallest size, no matter what one has set itself in the game. Otherwise, you can play the game in offline mode of Steam.

Here also the same word to Steam. I nichs against Steam, but since Steam restricts consumer rights, such as resale of the game is not because it is linked to an account, I consider it the game a little off. The restriction can only be circumvented by its own account on Steam one invests for each game, which is very inconvenient in the long run.
This restriction of the rights is not to be explained by protection against piracy, since it would be no problem to set up Steam so that a game can be transferred from another to account.

Another new feature is the supply system, which was always demanded by the fans, but would have better suited the historical background in the predecessor, as in the Napoleonic era, the troops were not rely on deposits, but lived out of the country. It is also not implemented a particularly consistent, but a step in the right direction for more realism.

Group leaders are now included as units in the game. That was the whole Total War series always so and only in Empire, for some reason, been abolished. Well, it is back. The leaders and generals are also historically correct time while they were not, unfortunately, in the predecessor. Although the portraits do not always agree, contributes greatly to the atmosphere.

The diplomacy offers the possibility of "free" in this conquest of a province as a protectorate to. A nice new feature.

And last of destructible by artillery ground. Although the crater would be suitable for my taste more in the 1st World War, it looks good.

The AI ​​is again such a thing. It is better than Empire during normal game without Darth Mod. However, it still has its dropouts and this is due to the wrong basic programming. But perhaps here at CA yes something arrived, and revise it completely for the next part. Who wants to know more about, like to inform the relevant fan forums, for example in the German Totalwar zone.
The AI ​​in the campaign has also become much better. She pulls back now eg if it is inferior and no longer fights everything from. But this can also be that here a lot more seems to be scripted, so the AI ​​has fixed defaults as to proceed, while Empire more open game was necessary.

The great campaign of the French can only play if you have previously, from Italy and Egypt in that order. That's right, it is enough to start the campaign in advance and save. Then you can each next start. They must therefore not such as to conclude in Rome, with a win in order to unlock the next. Whether this is a bug or a feature, I do not know. I think it's good that you can start with the same, what you want to play and is struggling not only by something else. For me, the Total War games are so interesting because of the great campaigns.
The coalition campaign, in which the opponents of France are playable, you can start right away.

Overall, only 5 fractions are so, except in multiplayer area, playable: Frakreich, Great Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria. Add to this that the map of Europe for large campaigns and is even smaller than, for example, in Rome or Medieval 2. For me some little content.

When Multiplayer everything stays the same, except for the previously described changes. Again, it is again possible to cheat quasi by, as they are stored on your disk, are the units of other values. But this I do not want to enter more detail. The series is just not primarily multiplayer game, but a single-player game.

Great Mods have become virtually impossible, but that has already become apparent since Empire. This is not a subject of review of a game for me. I just wanted to have mentioned it.

The Uniform Editor is not included. He will come later, but the multiplayer campaign should the predecessor indeed come later and is not beyond the beta stage and was inserted only here. So wait.

A word about the Imperial Edition and the price. The Imperial Edition has no content except for a few additional units. I recommend this to look at the pit stop of Gamestar, where do you get the contents clearly demonstrated. I've bought the predecessor, the Special Forces Edition for expensive money and then had to experience how their additional units 7 months after release for 1.99 were erhätlich then be downloaded via Steam.
So stay away from the Imperial Edition, unless you have too much money and throw it out the window like. Or you're lucky and get them as a bargain, as I am. At the Easter Action Amazon
The Australian Collectors Edition with genuine additional content is unfortunately not available in Europe again.

My conclusion: A decent Total War game whose acquisition is worthwhile if you have not already by Empire or played. Who else plays Empire or are considering going into the series, the acquisition but can also save first, to instead acquire Empire and wait until it is to have cheaper and with all upcoming DLCs.
Then you play the game, although later, but it was fully equipped with all units.