Empire: Total War

I was just having a conversation this weekend with Mike about how I'm a strategy gamer, and strategy games just end up more often on PC. I guess that means I'm a PC gamer. This year's big games for me, from Company of Heroes, to Sins of a Solar Empire, to Spore, strategy gaming has been where it's at. Of course, I've enjoyed Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Gran Turismo 5, but that just means there's room for everyone.

But you won't find much more strategy than the Total War series, and the upcoming Empire: Total War promises to be the most ambitious to date. It will be the first to offer naval battles, and the look of the 17th century sailing vessels have to be seen. The screenshots look spectacular, and by all accounts the realism will be cranked up, with wind and weather and many other factors playing a part in the proceedings.

Empire: Total War releases in February, 2009.