14 DAY TRIAL // All grand strategy players in the world became a bit worried when, in December, Creative Assembly announced that it would delay the release of Empire: Total War to March, the game being expected to arrive in February. Games in the Total War series have a nasty history of shipping with bugs (although they are usually quickly fixed via patches) and a delay does not bode well for one of the few PC exclusives of 2009.
SEGA, as the publisher, and Creative Assembly, the developer, have released an official date of March 3 in North America and March 4 in the rest of the world for the game and promise that there will be no more delays. The publisher says that all copies of the game, whether they are bought in retail stores or downloaded, need to be activated through Steam. It also reveals that those players who buy the game through Steam will be able to pre-install it 48 hours before the release date, so they can then quickly activate it and get to play Empire: Total War.
The bad news for players is that the multiplayer mode for the campaign, which has been long requested by fans of the series, will not make it into the initial release. Still, Creative Assembly says that the mode is coming, but in a post launch patch. A beta is expected shortly after the release of the game and the developer believes that it will take note of the comments made by players.
The biggest innovation of Empire: Total War will be the introduction of naval warfare, which will be fully simulated. The game also moves into the XVIII and XIX centuries, allowing for more diplomatic options, a far expanded game map and a bigger importance for trade. Of course, as the name implies, the game continues to focus on warfare, with a new physics model and a better tactical AI.