<s>
}}	O
Total	B-Application
War	I-Application
:	I-Application
Rome	I-Application
II	I-Application
 '	O
is	O
a	O
strategy	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Creative	O
Assembly	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
3	O
September	O
2013	O
,	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
as	O
the	O
eighth	O
standalone	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Total	O
War	O
series	O
of	O
video	O
games	O
and	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
2004	O
game	O
Rome	O
:	O
Total	O
War.Rome	O
II	O
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
on	O
release	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
its	O
significant	O
technical	O
problems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2014	O
,	O
an	O
Emperor	O
Edition	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
which	O
added	O
macOS	B-Application
support	O
and	O
addressed	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
technical	O
problems	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
overhauled	O
AI	B-Application
battles	O
and	O
upgraded	O
certain	O
visual	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Rome	O
II	O
blends	O
turn-based	O
grand	O
strategy	O
and	O
civilization	B-Application
management	I-Application
with	O
real-time	B-Application
tactical	I-Application
battles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lead	O
unit	O
designer	O
Jack	O
Lusted	O
stated	O
that	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
rebel	O
nation	O
"	O
used	O
to	O
represent	O
minor	O
states	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
Rome	B-Application
:	I-Application
Total	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
Rome	O
II	O
features	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
smaller	O
,	O
individual	O
nations	O
and	O
city-states	O
represented	O
by	O
their	O
own	O
factions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
diplomacy	O
system	O
has	O
been	O
revamped	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
The	O
Creative	O
Assembly	O
has	O
acknowledged	O
anomalies	O
in	O
previous	O
games	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
could	O
perform	O
strange	O
or	O
even	O
suicidal	O
actions	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
very	O
small	O
factions	O
declaring	O
war	O
on	O
very	O
large	O
ones	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Roman	O
Empire	O
;	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
is	O
said	O
to	O
be	O
more	O
"	O
intelligent	O
"	O
and	O
cunning	O
in	O
Rome	O
II	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
's	O
own	O
actions	O
will	O
determine	O
whether	O
or	O
not	O
the	O
enemy	O
AI	B-Application
will	O
be	O
a	O
trustworthy	O
ally	O
or	O
a	O
suspicious	O
traitor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
Total	B-Application
War	I-Application
:	I-Application
Shogun	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
prompted	O
with	O
decisions	O
throughout	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
Rome	B-Application
:	I-Application
Total	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
special	O
units	O
known	O
as	O
agents	O
play	O
important	O
roles	O
in	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
traditional	O
sieges	O
and	O
field	O
battles	O
,	O
a	O
myriad	O
of	O
other	O
battle	O
types	O
is	O
available	O
in	O
Total	B-Application
War	I-Application
:	I-Application
Rome	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Navies	O
play	O
an	O
important	O
role	O
in	O
Total	B-Application
War	I-Application
:	I-Application
Rome	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Naval	O
regions	O
,	O
originally	O
introduced	O
in	O
Medieval	B-Application
:	I-Application
Total	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
have	O
returned	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
purpose	O
is	O
to	O
prevent	O
players	O
or	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
from	O
slipping	O
an	O
invasion	O
force	O
right	O
past	O
a	O
huge	O
enemy	O
fleet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eight	O
of	O
these	O
are	O
playable	O
on	O
the	O
initial	O
release	O
,	O
with	O
more	O
included	O
either	O
free	O
or	O
as	O
paid	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Caesar	O
in	O
Gaul	B-Application
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
(	O
DLC	B-Protocol
)	O
pack	O
adds	O
numerous	O
Gallic	O
tribes	O
not	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
main	O
game	O
,	O
while	O
Hannibal	O
at	O
the	O
Gates	O
adds	O
two	O
new	O
Iberian	O
factions	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Syracuse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
like	O
the	O
other	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Total	O
War	O
series	O
,	O
several	O
packs	O
of	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
have	O
been	O
released	O
for	O
Rome	O
II	O
,	O
adding	O
new	O
factions	O
,	O
units	O
,	O
and	O
standalone	O
campaigns	O
to	O
the	O
base	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
map	O
covers	O
Gaul	B-Application
and	O
some	O
surrounding	O
lands	O
and	O
the	O
campaign	O
features	O
4	O
playable	O
factions.Additional	O
content	O
:	O
Caesar	O
in	O
Gaul	B-Application
also	O
adds	O
the	O
Nervii	O
,	O
Boii	O
,	O
and	O
Galatia	O
as	O
playable	O
factions	O
in	O
the	O
Grand	O
Campaign.Hannibal	O
at	O
the	O
Gates27	O
March	O
2014Adds	O
a	O
new	O
campaign	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Second	O
Punic	O
War	O
(	O
218	O
BC	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DLC	B-Protocol
was	O
free	O
for	O
pre-purchase	O
customers	O
of	O
Rome	O
II	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
purchase	O
upon	O
release	O
date.Nomadic	O
Tribes22	O
October	O
2013Adds	O
Massagetae	O
,	O
Roxolani	O
,	O
and	O
Royal	O
Scythia	O
as	O
playable	O
factions	O
in	O
the	O
Grand	O
Campaign	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
DLC	B-Protocol
was	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
free	O
to	O
all	O
Rome	O
II	O
owners	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
week	O
upon	O
its	O
release.Pirates	O
and	O
Raiders29	O
May	O
2014Adds	O
the	O
Ardiaei	O
,	O
the	O
Odrysian	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
and	O
Tylis	O
as	O
playable	O
factions	O
in	O
the	O
Grand	O
Campaign.Black	O
Sea	O
Colonies20	O
November	O
2014Adds	O
Cimmeria	O
,	O
Colchis	O
,	O
and	O
Pergamon	O
as	O
playable	O
factions	O
in	O
the	O
Grand	O
Campaign.Desert	O
Kingdoms8	O
March	O
2018Adds	O
the	O
Masaesyli	O
,	O
Kush	O
,	O
Saba	O
,	O
and	O
Nabatea	O
as	O
playable	O
factions	O
in	O
the	O
Grand	O
Campaign.Epirus	O
&	O
Elephants10	O
February	O
2014	O
(	O
free	O
)	O
Adds	O
a	O
new	O
model	O
for	O
African	O
elephants	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
four	O
new	O
units	O
recruitable	O
by	O
Epirus.Beasts	O
of	O
War17	O
February	O
2014Adds	O
seven	O
new	O
animal-themed	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
its	O
original	O
release	O
,	O
Total	B-Application
War	I-Application
:	I-Application
Rome	I-Application
II	I-Application
has	O
been	O
re-released	O
numerous	O
times	O
in	O
physical	O
special	O
editions	O
bundled	O
with	O
a	O
selection	O
of	O
thematically	O
connected	O
DLC	B-Protocol
packs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
The	O
Bookseller	O
website	O
,	O
Pan	O
MacMillan	O
and	O
Thomas	O
Dunne	O
Books	O
purchased	O
the	O
rights	O
from	O
The	O
Creative	O
Assembly	O
in	O
2012	O
to	O
publish	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
novels	O
based	O
on	O
Total	B-Application
War	I-Application
:	I-Application
Rome	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
same	O
review	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
also	O
criticism	O
towards	O
apparent	O
glitches	O
on	O
its	O
initial	O
release	O
,	O
including	O
issues	O
with	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
floppy	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Outside	O
of	O
the	O
battles	O
,	O
GameRevolution	O
called	O
the	O
campaign	O
map	O
"	O
a	O
treat	O
to	O
look	O
at	O
"	O
while	O
also	O
praising	O
the	O
new	O
features	O
and	O
depth	O
,	O
yet	O
took	O
issue	O
with	O
the	O
wait	O
times	O
between	O
player	O
and	O
AI	B-Application
turns	O
,	O
a	O
view	O
echoed	O
by	O
Steve	O
Butts	O
of	O
IGN	O
who	O
reported	O
"	O
a	O
single	O
turn	O
can	O
take	O
as	O
much	O
as	O
10	O
minutes	O
...	O
those	O
little	O
inconveniences	O
add	O
up	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Adam	O
Biessener	O
of	O
Game	O
Informer	O
unfavorably	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
the	O
previous	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
franchise	O
,	O
Total	B-Application
War	I-Application
:	I-Application
Shogun	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
calling	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
step	O
backwards	O
"	O
,	O
in	O
that	O
"	O
where	O
Shogun	B-Application
2	I-Application
accelerated	O
into	O
the	O
massive	O
endgame	O
war	O
just	O
as	O
administrating	O
your	O
empire	O
started	O
to	O
become	O
tedious	O
,	O
Rome	O
II	O
slows	O
down	O
far	O
in	O
advance	O
of	O
a	O
campaign	O
’s	O
finale	O
"	O
,	O
concluding	O
by	O
calling	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
disappointment	O
coming	O
off	O
of	O
the	O
brilliance	O
of	O
Shogun	B-Application
2	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mike	O
Suskle	O
of	O
GamesRadar	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
a	O
worthy	O
continuation	O
of	O
the	O
franchise	O
and	O
an	O
overdue	O
update	O
to	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
greatest	O
strategy	B-Application
games	I-Application
of	O
all	O
time	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
update	O
integrated	O
all	O
prior	O
fixes	O
while	O
adding	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
battles	O
,	O
political	O
system	O
,	O
building	O
chains	O
,	O
and	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
initial	O
release	O
many	O
users	O
reported	O
technical	O
faults	O
such	O
as	O
being	O
unable	O
to	O
load	O
the	O
game	O
following	O
installation	O
,	O
crashes	O
,	O
texture	O
optimization	O
problems	O
,	O
and	O
broken	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
;	O
poor	O
game	O
performance	O
was	O
also	O
constantly	O
reported	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
review	O
by	O
critic	O
and	O
comedian	O
Joe	O
Vargas	O
(	O
aka	O
Angry	O
Joe	O
)	O
also	O
complained	O
about	O
AI	B-Application
problems	O
and	O
unit	O
balancing	O
with	O
in-game	O
video	O
examples	O
while	O
also	O
noting	O
differences	O
with	O
the	O
preview	O
builds	O
,	O
while	O
William	O
Usher	O
of	O
Cinema	O
Blend	O
supported	O
Vargas	O
 '	O
review	O
while	O
questioning	O
other	O
reviews	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
reported	O
problems	O
on	O
release	O
prior	O
to	O
patching	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
23	O
August	O
2013	O
,	O
Total	B-Application
War	I-Application
:	I-Application
Rome	I-Application
II	I-Application
had	O
achieved	O
more	O
than	O
six	O
times	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
pre-orders	O
of	O
Total	B-Application
War	I-Application
:	I-Application
Shogun	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
making	O
Rome	O
II	O
the	O
most	O
pre-ordered	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
the	O
Total	O
War''	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
