Success in these side-quests gives various rewards, from cold hard cash to special units and extra kudos in the diplomacy stakes.Īs unoriginal as it may be Imperial Glory is a great looking game with a fairly unique simulation of one of the most turbulent periods in Europe’s history. These are generally based on real historical events, such as finding and securing the Rosetta stone, helping out famous figures and defending Christianity from the heathens. One thing we aren’t shown at this stage is the naval battles, which we’re promised will be handled in a similar manner to the land battles, but with huge sailing ships blasting away at each other across the briny, as sailors and marines attempt to board and either scuttle or capture those ships that aren’t immediately blown away.Īnother way the game distinguishes itself from Total War is the use of optional quest missions. In the short example we’re shown troops take cover in a huge palace, using its many rooms for cover and trying to avoid the artillery that is continually blowing huge chunks out of the masonry. Capitals are, we are told, particularly important in Imperial Glory and the conquest or defence of them can have a huge affect on a country’s campaign and the defence of an entire realm. The final tactical battle we are shown involves the capital of Brandenburg. Up to 2,000 soldiers can take part in a single battle and with grapeshot whizzing around, horses charging and cannon fire shooting up huge plumes of earth (and body parts) the whole thing looks mightily impressive. This ended up giving much less cover than they expected though as British artillery immediately pounded it to dust, bring swift colonnade death upon all and sundry.Ī new, rather fairer sided, battle was then set up on a different map with huge columns of cavalry and infantry squaring off against each other, using genuine tactics and formations from the time. In the first example battle we saw the French had just declared war on the British (see, it is historically accurate! and a bunch of Napoleon’s finest infantry began their battle in the Moroccan desert by taking cover in a ruined temple. The graphics here are superb, and far less abstract than Total War’s with realistic looking countryside, buildings and other features. Five historically accurate empires are included in the game, in the form of Great Britain, France, Russia, Prussia and Austro-Hungary, with each having their own geographical advantages and disadvantages, as well as unique units and special abilities such as Britain’s advanced naval prowess, Russias’s near infinite resources and France’s… err… ability to make fine wines and cheeses.Īlthough the entire game can be played without ever starting a fight most people are going to want to get to the tactical battles sooner or later. There are certainly differences between the two games though, with Imperial Glory offering a much wider range of diplomatic, trade and treaty options between the different empires. Not that this is necessary a bad thing though, far from it, Total War is probably the single most important thing to happen in the strategy world for the last five years and since Imperial Glory is set in 19th century Europe – an era so far untouched by the Total War series – it’s not treading directly on anyone’s toes. It’s got the same overhead strategic map, the same style of 3D display for the real-time tactical battles and the same mix of building and troop construction. "Although Pyro claim that Imperial Glory is just as much influenced by Civilization as anything else, to the impartial eye it seems like a blatant clone of Total War.
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