You all probably know how much of a Total War Fanboy I am. It all started with the Japense flavored Shogun Total War, and then piqued with the gargantuan Medieval Total War ( a game I feel might be the best of all time). I then followed the prelease of Rome Total War as though I was camping the backdoor of a rock concert.. But unfortunately Rome was a quite bit of a let down. The game was far smaller than MTW with fewer units, fewer buildings, and a factions that didn’t live up to their historic potential (The Gauls were just bearded madmen.. hardly true).

But Creative Assembly might have a saving grace. Next winter they’re release MTW 2. Mark your calendars now, because I’ll surely disappear for about a month while I lock myself in a room and conquer France from Aquataine-out.

There should be a crapload of improvements this time around, including be a multiplayer strategic campaign (finally!), and a more advanced engine. Like, RTW on crack. Check this stuff out:

We’ve captured 1000’s of mo-capped animations, which allows us to create synchronized attacks with defenses and fatalities. Sequenced attack combos also allow the soldier to string together attacks to cut a swathe through his opponents. As an example, a swordsman might do a swing to the left, a swing to the right, followed by a stab to the stomach knocking his opponent down. He might then spin around, and deliver a merciless finishing strike to the enemy while he’s lying helpless on the ground.
You’ll see these kinds of moves being executed all over the battlefield and as soldiers fall you’ll see them continually scanning their surroundings for their next kill.

If you look at the screens, you’ll notice some other things here. Detail on the units has been increased, but more importantly, individuals in each of the armies look a tad bit different. Some are wearing helmets while others are wearing leather caps and some have beards while others don’t.

The game will support 10,000 units at once. Each will be made of random body parts: Different arms, different shields, different heads, etc. And based on some orther bits I’ve read, it seems the game will be gory. We’re takling a limb-flying good time.

I’ve gotta stop thinking about this now.. it’s making my heart beat faster and I still have to wait a year. Bah! I know… how about some visuals.

Yeah - That’s the stuff. You can read more about the game in this IGN Q&A Session, and check out some more of these colorful screens here.