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Napoléon: Total War

by Sega, 2010, $39.99 (PC/Windows)

Napoléon: Total War places you in the Little General’s boots, guiding your Grande Armée through the major campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars. The game follows four campaigns, two of which track Napoléon’s early military career. Players can also direct the armies of Britain, Russia, Prussia or the Austrian Empire and try to defeat the French.

Players take turns on a strategic map to build infrastructure, develop industry, play politics and wage war. When one army engages another, the battle unfolds in real-time. The graphics are detailed and gorgeous, with cannon fire that leaves realistic impact craters.

Napoléon’s predecessor in the series, Empire: Total War, had a broader focus on global conflicts of the early 19th century, including combat at sea, while this game sticks to major land battles—a conspicuous lack of variety given the same $39.99 price tag. But what Napoléon lacks in variety it makes up for in historical accuracy.

 

Originally published in the July 2010 issue of Military History. To subscribe, click here