Weekend Reading: American Civil War – Total War

I've been playing quite a bit of Napoleon: Total War in the last two weeks. I've now probably spent more time with it at this point than with its predecessor, Empire, which was launched last year and set to revolutionize the series by moving it to the musket and cannon era. And I will probably spend even more time playing the game SEGA and The Creative Assembly will launch in early 2011, Civil War: Total War (I hear gamers are really interested in picking up videogames with repetitions in the title).

I still harbor a deep love for two Sid Meier titles that most gamers probably have forgotten, Gettysburg and Antietam, which I regularly fire up. Last night, I just imagined the Empire engine powering the same scenarios and I think it would all work very nice as long as The Creative Assembly pays a bit more attention to things like speed of movement for various formations, bayonet assaults and unit morale.

In Napoleon: Total War, it's easy to flank an enemy unit in three sides and see it stand there still fighting for a few more minutes before it realizes that the situation requires quick retreat. The Civil War, with its horrendous casualties and epic battles, was all about battle lines, movement around the flank and routs, which can easily be simulated with the current engine, with glorious graphics outclassing those of the old Sid Meier games.

Add a strategic layer to all of this, with the player directing the war economy, aiming to break the Northern blockade as the South or planning moves to bring on the edge states to the Union.

There's enough depth here to keep a gamer occupied and the game will have a huge market in the United States, where the Civil War is a big deal to this day. As long as SEGA and The Creative Assembly price the package more like a standalone expansion rather than a full release, they'll certainly have quite a few buyers lining up.

UPDATE: This is not a breaking story about the future of the Total War franchise. Just a spot of speculation from a fan about where the series might be heading...